Dive deep into business, brand and strategy.
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Starbucks’ Positioning Crisis
Mark Ritson’s analysis of Starbucks’ positioning struggles reveals a fundamental truth about modern business: positioning isn’t about mission statements or marketing – it’s about what a business fundamentally is. The coffee giant’s challenge goes deeper than flowery language; it’s about the gap between aspiration and reality. The Fundamental Misunderstanding Look…
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You’re Asking The Wrong Question About Brand Identity
Dave Gerhardt recently shared insights from CMOs about what keeps them up at night. One response caught my attention: “Positioning. We have a new brand and identity. How do we position the company’s new identity to both our existing customers and the market? While not disrupting everything else in the…
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If you think you’re an expert you’re full of shit
I don’t believe in experts, and neither should you. In a world captivated by expertise, it might seem audacious, even reckless, to question the value of being an “expert.” Yet, calling oneself an expert can be as limiting as it is empowering. It implies an endpoint to learning, a belief…
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How Four Car Brands Own Your Mind
If you think safety, you think Volvo. It’s automatic. Instant. You didn’t choose this association – it’s simply there, living rent-free in your mind. And that’s not an accident. It’s the result of perfect positioning. But here’s what most people get wrong about positioning: They think it’s about marketing messages,…
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How to transform a publicly traded company in three easy steps
TLDR: it’s not rocket science; relax. Recently, I did a live series on YouTube called DesignOver—Business Transformation Live. The goal was simple: Show, don’t tell. In season one, I guided the audience through a business transformation for DCM, a publicly traded company. Throughout the series, we focused on a comprehensive…
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From can to content: selling superhuman
In 1992, a jet-lagged Austrian businessman slumps in a Bangkok hotel room. Dietrich Mateschitz, a toothpaste marketing expert, reaches for a local energy tonic, Krating Daeng. The effect is immediate, almost miraculous. “I was jet-lagged, but suddenly, I was wide awake,” Mateschitz recalled. At that moment, a global phenomenon was…
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Do you have a positioning problem?
In a hyper-competitive business landscape, companies rise and fall based on a single, often misunderstood concept: positioning. Far from being just another marketing buzzword, positioning is the very essence of your business, the DNA that determines your company’s success or failure. In this article, together, we’ll dive head first into…
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Founder mode
In his essay “Founder Mode,” Paul Graham argues that the conventional wisdom about scaling startups — by hiring professional managers and delegating authority — often does more harm than good. He suggests that founders must stay deeply involved in their companies’ operations, even if it means upending traditional org charts…
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How One Woman Flipped the Script on Dating Apps
In 2014, Whitney Wolfe Herd stood at a crossroads, both personally and professionally. A co-founder of Tinder, she had just left the company after a tumultuous departure. The world of dating apps was dominated by a culture that often left women feeling disempowered. Harassment was rampant. Women were inundated with…
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When a Climber Built a Company to Save the Planet
Yvon Chouinard stood at the base of a mountain, both literally and figuratively in Ventura, California back in 1973. An avid rock climber and surfer, Chouinard saw an outdoor industry that prioritized profit over the planet. It was cheaply made gear that wore out quickly. And, companies exploited natural resources…
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How Tesla Outpaced, Outperformed, and Outlasted the Skeptics
Back in 2003, in Palo Alto, California, a group of innovators stood on the brink of a revolution in a small office. They weren’t just dreaming of creating another car company. They were positioning Tesla as the future of transportation itself. Soon, Elon Musk would join them, catalyzing a vision…
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What ‘experts’ get dead wrong about positioning
(And why it breaks my brain while costing you millions) Imagine you’re at a fancy marketing conference. I’ve been there, so follow along. The keynote speaker, a self-proclaimed “positioning expert,” takes the stage. “Positioning is all about finding your niche and crafting the perfect tagline,” they declare confidently. Now, I’m…
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