It often surprises people to learn just how unfunny making comedy can be. I worked with this week’s master of marketing some years ago out of The Onion’s HQ, so we’ve both been behind the scenes. A business is still a business, and marketing is still marketing. Which isn’t to say it can’t be a helluva lot of fun. I talked to Hassan S. Ali, the creative director of brand at Hootsuite, where he describes his job as “leading a team of creatives to ruffle B2B marketing feathers for an equally feather-ruffling product.” Case in point: His team recently produced […]

Chris Savage once raised $17.3m in debt to do a leveraged buyout of his own company. Today, that company is a $67k video marketing platform. I caught up with the Wistia CEO to learn how he sextupled — that’s 6X — Wistia’s product updates. Lesson 1: Sometimes, just go with your gut. “Two-pizza team” is a Jeff Bezos term that describes a scrappy business strategy. Basically, your teams should be small enough to suffice on two pizzas. That’s roughly five to eight people. (Unless, of course, one is a college student. Then it’s about one to two people haha.) After […]

This week’s Masters in Marketing is near and dear to my heart, if not my taste buds. As a naturalized Chicagoan, it is my duty and honor to introduce you to one of the city’s most disgusting — and most beloved — substances. The herbaceous flavor of Jeppson’s Malört (Swedish for “wormwood,” the drink’s only flavoring) was (in)famously described by comedian John Hodgman as “pencil shavings and heartbreak.” To find out how CH Distillery markets a liqueur that’s only reliably available to 2.7 million people and tastes like burning rubber, I talked to Anna Sokratov, brand manager at Jeppson’s Malört […]

When considering who to learn from in the marketing space, one brand stands out: Liquid Death. They’ve mastered the art of turning healthy beverages into a sought-after brand, making them ideal marketing mentors. But they’ve done more than reinvent water — in many ways, they’ve reinvented marketing, as well. I spoke with Greg Fass, Liquid Death’s VP of Marketing, to learn how he’s cultivated an anti-marketing approach, why some of his favorite campaigns involve Tony Hawk and Martha Stewart, and his belief that Liquid Death’s success comes down to understanding people aren’t “brainless consumers of products”. How Liquid Death Wins […]

Building brand awareness isn’t just about making noise today — it’s about laying the groundwork for generating consistent demand tomorrow. Also, by reaching a broader audience, your brand can target customers from various backgrounds with different behaviors. Increased brand visibility means more eyes on your products or service, which translates into heightened interest and curiosity. By expanding this starting point, you’re casting a wider net, and scooping up more potential leads who might just turn into loyal customers. The Importance of Captivating Gen Z Audiences This is the era of the tech-savvy and socially conscious Gen Z. They represent a […]

Ever feel like Hollywood is stuck on rewind? Sequels, reboots, remakes — it’s all a bit … well, repetitive. And it’s not because Hollywood is unoriginal or out of ideas. It turns out that we, as the audience, crave the comfort of revisiting what we know and love. Barbie and Top Gun? Enough said. I also noticed that rewatch podcasts have been super popular lately and wanted to understand why. So, I dug into the whole “nostalgia bait” thing and talked to marketers to discover what makes this trend so hot. What is a rewatch podcast? The rewatch podcast is […]

Every year has built-in opportunities to boost sales, increase brand recognition, and bolster customer relationships. Seasonal marketing is the key to aligning your outreach with special times of the year, like holidays and events, to capitalize on increased consumer enthusiasm. A well-executed seasonal marketing campaign will increase sales and strengthen the emotional connection between your brand and your audience, which is a recipe for dedicated, lifelong customers. Pulling off a standout seasonal marketing campaign requires hard work, creativity, and a little know-how — but don’t fret, I’m here to help. Read on to learn all about seasonal marketing, check out […]

The COVID-19 era was notoriously a rollercoaster for marketers, who had to pivot their strategies constantly as the world changed. As if one unprecedented event wasn’t enough, marketers are now faced with a looming recession that’s already having major impacts on their industry. Will the recession shake things up as much as COVID-19 did? While we can’t truly predict the future, one-third of marketers think a recession will have an even bigger impact on their marketing activities than the pandemic, while another 33% say it will be about the same. While you should still take the data above with a grain of […]