Chapter six:
Deep Thoughts

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Uneasy Sunday: Brand Values Aren’t Meant to Be Easy
So much has already been said about the Bud Light issue I’d decided I wasn’t going to write about it. But then I was watching
Carrots, Candy, and Category Conflict
Conflict is an engagement engine. I’m not saying people like conflict. Most don’t. But it does capture and compel our attention. That’s why conflict is
The Party’s Over: Conflict and Cookies
“You’re wrong, Jim,” my friend Jim said as he bit the head off of a Santa-shaped and frosted Christmas cookie. Jim is kind of a
The Magic of Holiday Magic
“You’ve noticed what’s going on with Macy’s story?” Sara asked me. You remember Sara. We work together. She does jujitsu. “How they forgot to put
Extra Extra! Where’s the Story in your Press Release?
I was on a video conference with a friend from a well-known brand the other day. Let’s call it ShopLand. We were talking about how
Lost Soul: The Bones of the Hamsters
I was watching Hulu with my daughters when the new 2023 Kia Soul commercial, “Built for Whoever You Are,” came on. It features a trio
Insights, Outsights, and Oversights
This Heineken ad just came on, it’s called “The Closer.” On the surface, it’s about how they’ve built a bottle opener that is also a blue-tooth enabled
Information versus Story
My partner Jim and I disagree about very little, but over the years, we have debated the weight he is willing to grant to information
Out of Context: How not to test a brand character
“What was that movie you worked on with Stephen Spielberg that one time?” my friend Jim asked me out of the blue. Not the Jim
Ted Lasso and Other Well-Designed Brand Characters
I was eating popcorn and watching the Emmy’s with my friend Jim. Yes, we are both named Jim. Anyway, we were watching the Emmy’s when
Jeff’s Parting Gift: The Value of Conflict
My daughters and I just finished reading Jeff Bezos’s final letter to shareholders as CEO of Amazon. Not for fun. We’re a weird family, but we’re not
“Alexa, who’s the wife?”
I was streaming a show the other day with my daughters when a commercial for Amazon’s Alexa came on. I remember that brief golden age