Imagine you’re on a dating app. Two profiles pop up (pick a camp): Tom: “I’m 6’2″, love hiking, and have a great sense of humour.” Emily: “I’m a yoga enthusiast, foodie, and passionate about sustainability.” If finding a match worked the way some people (won’t name them, but you’ll know) think it does, you’d compare…

Let’s talk about EQ Bank, not from a purely analytical angle, but from the bigger question of what this bank truly means to people and where it might go next. The Canadian banking landscape has long been dominated by a few massive players, leaving most customers with limited choices and outdated systems. Institutions like EQ…

I recently spoke with a marketing leader who said something that stuck with me: “Our marketing team feels like 10 separate departments speaking 10 different languages.” Their performance marketing team focused on CTRs and ROAS. Their product marketers are fixated on features. Meanwhile, their brand team pushed storytelling—but it wasn’t clear how these efforts connected.…

You know what’s fascinating? Watching brilliant founders make the same positioning mistake that’s been happening since… well, since the first entrepreneur tried to sell a wheel as “like legs, but rounder.” (Sorry, ancient wheel inventor. You could’ve owned “effortless movement” instead.) Here’s what usually happens in my conversations with founders: Them: “We’re crushing it! We…

In Part 1, we explored how Calendly’s decision to compete head-to-head with other scheduling platforms risked trapping the company in a commoditized feature war. We introduced Peloton’s $40 billion meltdown as a cautionary tale of what happens when an innovative brand reduces itself to “just a product” instead of owning a bigger (deeper and resonant)…

(Dale’s post got me thinking. I highly recommend reading it and also following him on LinkedIn.) Many companies fall into the “brand awareness” trap, assuming that getting their name in front of customers is the silver bullet for driving sales. It’s a compelling idea: if people know who you are, they’ll buy from you. However,…

“Are you really an expert in positioning?” The question came during a client meeting. Before I could answer, I remembered something fascinating about Microsoft’s transformation. When Satya Nadella took over as CEO, he did something counterintuitive. Instead of flaunting Microsoft’s expertise, he pushed for a complete mindset shift from “know-it-alls” to “learn-it-alls.” The result? Microsoft’s…

Positioning isn’t about your product, features, or even your brand. It’s about something far deeper—a singular, human emotion that connects your audience to what you represent. Think of the world’s most iconic brands: At its core, positioning is the space you own in someone’s mind—the idea that defines you, differentiates you, and makes you unforgettable.…

Here’s the truth: the best CMOs don’t just market—they think like CFOs. That might sound counterintuitive, but if you want a seat at the table, you need to stop leading with campaign metrics and start speaking the language of business outcomes. CEOs and boards care about revenue, profitability, and market share—not clicks or impressions. The…

(Note: For over two decades, I’ve been leading rooms filled with CEOs, founders, and top executives. Time and again, people ask me the same question: “How do you win them over so quickly?” It’s not magic—it’s a mix of subtle strategies, genuine curiosity, and a touch of fun. Here’s the breakdown of how I make…

As we close out 2024, I find myself reflecting on the fundamental shifts we’ve seen in how businesses position themselves and create value. Here are the key themes that defined the year and lessons we can carry forward. The Liberation of Pure Perception Perhaps the most profound realization of 2024 was understanding that positioning operates…

As a CEO, I’ve worked with all kinds of CMOs—some who excelled at aligning marketing with business strategy and others who struggled to move beyond campaigns and tactics. Over the years, I’ve learned that the difference between a good CMO and a great one isn’t their creative genius or their knowledge of the latest marketing…