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David Meerman Scott with surfboard

Marketing Author Superstar

By Graeme Thickins | Jun 7, 2022

David Meerman Scott has been writing books about marketing for a long time. He has many best sellers. In addition, he’s a popular speaker, worldwide, and runs a very active blog. Read more about him here. David’s latest book title is actually a recurring one — it’s the 8th edition of The New Rules of…

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hand against glass

‘Digital Marketing’ Is Over-Hyped. Marketing Is Marketing.

By Graeme Thickins | Mar 4, 2021

If you call yourself a digital marketer, you might want to sit down. I recently discovered a marketing thought leader named Mark Ritson, an Associate Professor of Marketing at the Melbourne Business School. (He used to teach in Minneapolis, too, at the Carlson Business School. So that’s two of my hometowns checked off.) He’s a…

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Branding Is Dead – Not

By Graeme Thickins | Feb 3, 2020

I saw an article headline the other day saying branding was dead. Then, in the first sentence, it said (wait for it)… it’s not dead, “it’s stronger than ever.” Okay. Geez, I hate getting clickbaited like that. But the writer was out to make a point — which he began doing in the subhead — so…

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Accountant partying

What You Need to Know About ‘Brand Equity’ — and Why Accountants Are the Problem

By Graeme Thickins | Dec 19, 2018

Marketing and accounting people don’t talk much. And they sure as hell don’t party well together. Let’s face it, they’re from different planets. But, doggone it, they need each other. That’s the case I want to make today. Why? Because accountants can make the marketing profession look really, really good — and rich — if they would only more formally…

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choose a job you love

Love – It’s What You Do

By Graeme Thickins | Dec 1, 2017

Do what you love. How many times have you heard that? Maybe you’ve put it into practice in your career. If so, lucky you. But how many people go to work every day to do something they don’t love? Or take a major in college because they’re told they should, but don’t really love. Or…

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What Is a Brand Story? And Why Do You Need One?

By Graeme Thickins | Aug 17, 2017

As marketers, we’re nothing if not storytellers – at least if we consider ourselves brand marketers or content marketers. (Or how about PR people – they’re all about stories, too.) But we don’t generally use the term “storyteller” to describe ourselves at cocktail parties or whatever. Meaning, we don’t focus on it, think about it a…

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Positioning Statement? Tagline? Mantra?

By Graeme Thickins | May 31, 2017

Let’s look at three terms that get tossed around a lot in marketing circles. What do they mean, and how does one differ from the other? Think of them as tools on your marketing toolbox — when would you use one versus the other? Though many may consider these three terms somewhat interchangeable, they really…

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The Only Thing Standing Between You and Commodity Pricing

By Graeme Thickins | Feb 25, 2017

Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about brand. I mean, who wants commodity pricing? That’s why, as a business owner, understanding the value of a brand is crucial. Why would someone pay you more for your product or service than what the other guy charges for seemingly the same thing? Enter the concept of brand equity.…

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Naming Your Startup: 7 Tips for Success

By Graeme Thickins | Dec 19, 2016

Once you’ve made the decision to start a new business and have at least the basic resources in place, undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges you’ll face is deciding what to name it. For a task that seems so simple on the surface, most experienced entrepreneurs will admit that they spend an inordinate amount of…

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