Chapter six:
Deep Thoughts
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Feel the Blur: The 2020 Year in Review
Of course, this past year was not your average year. It’s not every year you find businesses encouraging their would-be consumers not to buy. Like
Finding Your Brand Voice
By brand voice, we mean the tone and character in which a brand communicates—the qualities that convey its distinct and, ideally, engaging personality. Many brand
Stories of Fear and Stories of Hope
Four days after the murder of George Floyd, my community was still in a lot of pain. Personally, I was experiencing a kind of emotional
I Get by with a Little Help from My Friends
Over the roughly twenty years that Jim and I have been doing this work, we have often found ourselves talking story strategy with friends who,
Who we are in crisis is who we are
Trying to reschedule projects, conduct meetings by video-conference and deal with getting my freshman daughter home from a college that is suddenly shutting down, I’m
Trust Me
In 2010, I did a TED Talk, titled “Is it Better to be Loyal or Honest?” My talk was based on the idea that humans subscribe to
You Can’t Have It All: Embracing the Conflict in Food
I heard a sharp intake of breath, quickly stifled. It’s the kind of thing that being a parent has taught me not to ignore…but also
Tony Rogers and Kurt Kane on Courage and Storytelling
Two of my favorite marketers recently did an episode of the CMO Moves podcast together. Among other things, they do a great job of describing
Walking Away from Facebook
I have been watching the “Walking in Memphis” commercial from Facebook’s More Together campaign, and I think it’s an interesting case study in storytelling for
Chicken Nuggets of Truth
On Saturday, my seventeen-year-old daughter surprised me by suggesting that she’d like Wendy’s chicken nuggets for lunch. You may need a little more information to
The Data Dilemma
Building a competitive advantage that is sustainable over time depends on the interplay between data and story. Data alone is just table stakes these days.
Escape from Beacon Rock
While you’re waiting for the next essay on data and story, I have a more personal piece to offer. It might particularly appeal to you