For everyone who has ever messaged me and asked my opinion on whether college is worth it and what you should major in...I hope you read this.

These graphics from Britain's UK Home Office about designing and writing for accessibility were shared yesterday on Twitter by Jason Bradwell . I am re-sharing them here because, in truth, following these recommendations will make for a better experience for everyone. So, as Jason said yesterday, print these out and tape them to your wall. #design #uidesign #UI #uxdesign #UX #ukhomehoffice #accessibledesign #accessibility #copywriting …see more

You might think that, given the pandemic, any provider of entertainment would be absolutely crushing it right now. But as much as over-the-top offerings like Netflix , Hulu , and Amazon Prime may be doing so, traditional providers like AT&T clearly are not. Similar to other trends that have been accelerated by the pandemic, like grocery delivery, so too is "cord-cutting." #ATT #Netflix #streaming #cordcutting #Hulu #amazonprimevideo #quibi #OTT …see more

Very interesting, if not oddly late. Walmart is rolling out an Amazon Prime competitor. And it’ll include discounts on gas. So, you think this is: 1/ A retention play to keep people from switching from Walmart to Amazon? 2/ More of play to steal market share from Amazon? 3/ Both? #amazon #amazonprime #walmart #etail …see more

This is an excellent reminder as I, too, have met companies that mistake execution and goals for strategy. #strategydevelopment #strategyplanning #strategyexecution #strategy …see more

I saw a “brand ad” on a bus the other day that really should have been a “brand-driven ad.” What’s the difference? Brand ads lose effectiveness the minute a campaign is turned off unless a company has high brand awareness. So, how do we make the ad brand-driven so that it reinforces the brand and potentially drives acquisition/conversion? 1/ Headline: Use a benefit-led headline that is consumer-focused. Don’t say what you do functionally, say what’s in it for them. 2/ Support Copy: This too should be benefit-driven. Avoid talking about the company unless the information is relevant to benefits (e.g. No Late Fees - Ever!) 3/ Imagery: Ideally, you want the viewer to engage in "rehearsal" wherein they envision themselves enjoying that same benefit. If that’s not possible, the visual should support the overall value-prop. Oh, and make the logo big enough. 4/ Call-To-Action: Always add a call-to-action or URL. If someone has been piqued by your benefit-driven headline and support points, tell them where to go and what to do next. Especially if you don’t own the .com for your company name. It wouldn't look radically different but would be set up to potentially play a role in actual customer acquisition AND be brand-driven. #copywriting #marketing #brandadvertising #advertising …see more

Expanded a bit on my earlier post about the Food Network 's new Kitchen app and what it could mean for streaming. #streaming #business #foodnetwork #cookingschool #strategy #ott …see more

Twitter's top execs have never understood the value of Twitter. Now it wants to be a live TV network. It's a very bad decision for what is unique service without competition.

I see a fair amount of hand-wringing over how Burger King Corporation constantly trolls McDonald's . But them doing so actually aligns perfectly with a challenger brand position. Which is something I'll be discussing in my upcoming, free, bi-weekly series, "Barry on Brand and Business" over at ConsultBWE.com #brand #business #marketing #burgerking #brandpositioning #fastfood #mcdonalds …see more

First off, when we see articles like this, it is easy to forget that tone and voice should be developed in support of a brand position so that it can have the biggest impact across everything a company does, not just social media. Also, it's not "tone of voice." Voice is the personality of your brand as guided by brand attributes. Tone is the mood you express with that voice at a particular time and place. #brand #brandpositioning #toneandvoice #brandpromise #socialmedia #marketing #business …see more

Congrats to Propy Inc. for not only demonstrating a real-world use for blockchain but also for creating an end-to-end platform for buying property online. I’ve been working with them over the last six months and am moving to an advisory role as I think they have tremendous potential. Especially when it comes to virtually eliminating fraud in real estate (which is a big problem, as in billions big) and opening up real estate investing. #realestate #propy #blockchain #realestatebrokers #realestateinvestors #realestateinvestment #realestateagents #realestatebroker #realestateagent #realestatetrends …see more

AT&T is providing a masterclass on how to erode trust as a brand. First, they co-opt language to essentially trick their customers into thinking they're getting 5G (which they are not). Now it turns out their fake 5G is slower than competitors existing 4G. Oh, and by the way, this is precisely the kind of thing people think of when they say they hate marketing. #marketing #brand #brandamage #atandt …see more

Let’s recap this week’s activities at Tesla : - Chief Accounting Officer leaves after 1 month on the job - Chief People Officer won’t return from a one-month leave of absence after having been on the job for just 15 months. - VP of Communications last day is today (planned) - Mr. Musk goes on a podcast, smokes weed, and sips whiskey Don’t get me wrong, I am not anti-Tesla not anti-Musk. I am impressed with what he has accomplished and really want Tesla to succeed (we’ve even been discussing getting a Model X and the solar/house battery for our home). I’m also not anti-weed nor anti-whiskey. But none of this on its own, let alone combined, bodes well. So, I'm just going to leave this here once more. #businessandmanagement #leadership #startups #tesla #elonmusk #management …see more

This potentially market-opening move by Netflix shouldn't come as a surprise. In the mid-2000s, we introduced a $4.99 plan for the DVD-by-mail service. Turned out there were people skeptical of the free trial but were willing to check out the service for a lower price point. And naturally, a subset of those migrated upward. #netflix #streaming #pricingstrategy #marketopening # …see more

Stoked to be asked to participate. Should be a fun conversation with Joanna Wiebe , Jon Henshaw , Vinayak Ravi , and David Markovich . Thanks, Shruti Khaitan , Freshworks , and Online Geniuses #marketing #customeracquisition #customerconversion …see more

By now, it should be pretty clear that direct-to-consumer brands are gaining traction. Target is going to carry quip. Btw, this is not the first d2c company Target has stocked. They recently announced that they'll start carrying Native deodorant and have carried Harry's, Inc. razors as well. #directtoconsumer #target #retail #harrys #nativeco #changingretail #cpg #cpgindustry #brand #quip …see more

I find it odd that companies still call people who give them money in exchange for goods or services “users.” Likewise, that a discipline that extols the virtues of empathy in design still calls what it does “user experience design” and “user interface design” This is distancing language. A form of othering that, while not intentional, works against empathy no matter where it is used. At a bare minimum, I would start by calling them "customers" or maybe refer to them by how they interact with your product or service (e.g. readers) or their profession (e.g brokers). And I would do so internally and externally. #language #customerexperience #userexperience #userresearch #userrequirements #usercentereddesign #userfriendly #userstories #userexperiencedesign #userinterfacedesign #userinteraction #usergeneratedcontent #usergroups (I was trying to add in all the hashtags LinkedIn suggested that had "user" in them but there are just too many) …see more

An interesting counter-argument to the Lean Startup methodology. My personal take is that an MVP can be used for validating an idea on a small scale but you only get one chance to make a first impression. So launching at scale with an MVP always seemed off to me. Curious to know what you think? #startups #leanstartup #productdevelopment #productinnovation #product #validation …see more

I wish all startup founders would share their experience as  Nick Kim  has done in this great article. Rather than retreat into the shadows, he lays it all out there so others might learn from his experience. It breaks down their process of spinning up the business, what went well/not so well, and ultimately, why they are shutting down. #business #startups #startuplife #sharingknowledge #startup …see more

Cadillac is trying a new, Netflix -like (DVD Netflix, not current Netflix) subscription. For $1500 a month you can swap out new cars apparently at will. Clearly not for everyone but interesting to see some innovation in the car industry that's not from Tesla . …see more