The title of today’s podcast is not a mistake. We’re talking about Mark Madness, not the NCAA basketball tournament. Two nights ago, I was up late watching an old Law & Order episode on Sundance TV. I don’t usually pay attention to the commercials, but one of their promotional announcements caught my eye. It promoted…
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It’s Super Bowl Sunday, and this year feels different in many ways. Sure, the contest between the Chiefs and the 49ers is the big story. Many people will tune in just for the commercials or Usher’s performance at halftime. All of that amounts to a regular year. But we have to add the Taylor Swift…
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Hip-hop icon Snoop Dogg was in the news the other day and had the word buzzing. He wasn’t announcing new music or even a new TV venture. Snoop announced that he was going smokeless. Since he’s known for his marijuana consumption, the internet wondered what it could mean. Something smelled fishy to me. And, of…
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I recently realized that I’ve been obsessed with patterns for years. Now, I’m not talking about geometric shapes; I’m talking about numbers, statistics, marketing. When I worked in radio, I tried to understand the patterns of how people listened to the radio. While working in the music business, I looked at social media growth patterns…
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I’m not a big fan of hospitals. And while I know that they serve an essential purpose, I don’t know many people who would disagree. I don’t think about hospitals much, but that’s been different the last few days. While on the road over the weekend, I saw a billboard outside of Indianapolis that struck…
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I viewed the world from a marketing perspective long before I knew what marketing was. Media and advertising hype are things I started noticing even at a young age. So, at this point in my life, I usually spot a publicity stunt from a mile away. In the last week, you might have heard that…
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Marketing is a process that is constantly evolving. In recent years technology has played an increasing role. Years ago, people would clip coupons to get discounts. Then we were encouraged to carry a loyalty card. Now, everybody wants us to download the app. Most of the time, that’s where I draw the line. If you…
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For years, marketers lived by the mantra will it play in Peoria? For decades, companies would test products in Peoria, Illinois. If something worked there, it would likely be successful everywhere else. But times have changed, and now companies are using cities like Nashville to test a new idea…
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Outside of the mass shootings that we’ve had over the last few days, the biggest news story has revolved around M&M’s. Yesterday they announced that their humanoid spokes”people” were going away. Actress Maya Rudolph will become the new spokesperson for the brand. Some say this is a result of the fake outrage generated about the…
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Lately, I’ve noticed a trend in some TV commercials. You know those made-for-TV products that you can’t buy in stores; they’re warning you that if you don’t buy now, you could miss out. They’re threatening that these items might be discontinued. Isn’t that true for all products? If they don’t sell, the manufacturers stop making…
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