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  • The Deeper Genius of Apple’s “1,000 Songs in Your Pocket”

    The Deeper Genius of Apple’s “1,000 Songs in Your Pocket”

    Apple’s iPod ad —“1,000 songs in your pocket”— has been dissected and praised for its simplicity, benefit-driven messaging, and emotional resonance. But we’re not just looking at a great ad. We’re looking at how Apple engineered a market shift, reframed consumer perception, and strategically owned a category before anyone else knew it existed. So, what…

  • Embark Consulting

    Embark Consulting

    From happiness to sustainable performance – a new category in consulting. Traditional consulting firms extract human capital like an industrial resource, grinding talent through long hours, overpromising results, and optimizing for short-term client gains rather than sustainable success. Embark Consulting challenges this burnout-driven model, positioning itself as “The Happy Consulting Firm” and as the pioneer…

  • The Myth of “Brand Positioning” and “Product Positioning”

    The Myth of “Brand Positioning” and “Product Positioning”

    And Why It’s Just Positioning Most people don’t realize that “brand positioning” and “product positioning” are misguided marketing myths that distort what positioning actually is. Even Al Ries, the co-author of Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, has stated that positioning isn’t about the product or the brand. It’s about the space you own in…

  • From Order-Taker to Trusted Advisor: The Key to Buyer Experience Design

    From Order-Taker to Trusted Advisor: The Key to Buyer Experience Design

    Does any of these sound familiar? “We keep saying we’re different, but when clients compare us to competitors, we sound exactly the same.” “I Just Walked Out of a Client Meeting, and I Have No Idea What They Actually Want.” “I feel like I’m competing on price instead of value.” If this thought has ever…

  • Positioning isn’t new

    Positioning isn’t new

    It didn’t start with Al Ries. It existed long before business books, ad agencies, or marketing jargon. Long before companies fought for market share, civilizations, religions, and empires fought for mindshare. They used positioning to shape beliefs, rally people, and define their place in history. Here’s how positioning shaped the world long before it had…

  • DeepSeek’s Real Battle Isn’t AI. It’s the Interface War

    DeepSeek’s Real Battle Isn’t AI. It’s the Interface War

    In every industry, a moment comes when an outsider challenges the status quo so effectively that it forces incumbents to rethink their foundations. That moment has arrived for AI with DeepSeek, the Chinese startup that has upended expectations by delivering a high-performing AI model at a fraction of the cost. At first glance, DeepSeek’s breakthrough…

  • Why ‘Software’ Positioning is a Dumpster Fire

    Why ‘Software’ Positioning is a Dumpster Fire

    Every software company falls into the same trap: They build powerful features, stack them up like a Jenga tower, and then wonder why customers don’t care when it collapses. This is what I call the Feature-Resonance Trap — where companies obsess over what their product can do instead of why anyone should give a damn.…

  • What DeepSeek Teaches Us About Positioning

    What DeepSeek Teaches Us About Positioning

    In every industry, there comes a moment when an outsider rewrites the rules, challenging incumbents to rethink their very foundations. For the AI industry, that moment is DeepSeek. The Chinese AI startup has burst onto the scene with a powerful combination of low-cost, high-performing models and an open-source ethos, challenging the dominance of giants like…

  • WHY I DISAGREE WITH FLETCH’S ANTHONY PIERRI ON POSITIONING

    WHY I DISAGREE WITH FLETCH’S ANTHONY PIERRI ON POSITIONING

    Positioning is not just a business buzzword but the foundation upon which companies build their identity, strategy, and long-term success. Yet, despite its importance, positioning remains one of the most misunderstood concepts in business. According to research, 70% of startups fail to scale beyond $10M ARR, with misaligned positioning as a primary culprit. This isn’t…

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