Looking for goofy, bizarre, or just plain interesting stories about marketing in the real world? Check out Weird Marketing Tales. I mean, you clicked on a website called “Weird Marketing Tales” – this is probably what you’re wanting!
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XFL 4.0 Is The Spring Football Revolution
Video transcript provided courtesy of Descript AI. May contain minor errors. The peak of Gridiron glory has been the NFL for what seems like forever. And while other leagues have changed drastically to avoid the NFL’s scope, the XFL has continued to step onto their field with ambitions as big as their touchdowns. However, their…
We Open A Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza In 1988
Video transcript provided courtesy of Descript AI. May contain minor errors. Have you ever thought, what would it be like to open and run a Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza in real life? We did, and it drove us kind of crazy, as this iconic horror game, and now film location, has so much lore that we…
Game Freak’s 3 Stage Evolution Of The Pokemon Franchise
Video transcript provided courtesy of Descript AI. May contain minor errors. Pokemon is a legendary gaming franchise, developed by Game Freak back in 1996, and has been going for almost 30 years. He has released 122 games in total, and collectively sold 480 million copies worldwide, making it one of Nintendo’s top 3 earners and…
This Is Why People Find Super Mario 64 Conspiracies Scary
Did you know every copy of Super Mario 64 is personalized? Well, at least that’s the theory. It’s said that even back in 1996, Nintendo was able to create an AI that adapted to a player’s skill level, playstyle, and even desires. It’s so subtle you’d never notice it, until you try someone else’s copy…
How Christopher Nolan Beats Hollywood At Its Own Game
Step into a realm where reality bends and logic unravels. Picture a metropolis folding onto itself, an inverted tale of retribution. A relentless duel in a gravity-defying corridor and a heart-pounding race against the clock on a ravaged shoreline. These awe-inspiring spectacles transcend mere celluloid, for they are the distinctive trademarks of a rare visionary—Christopher…
Bombs, Barbies, & Blockbusters? Why Barbenheimer is a Thing.
Barbies and bombs. Normally you wouldn’t pair those two together. Unless you’re that kid from Toy Story. Or apparently, a movie exec. If you’re paying attention to summer blockbusters, you know that Barbie and Oppenheimer are coming out on exactly the same day. Which resulted in a loving dubbed media phenomenon Barbenheimer. These two films…
Ticketmaster, Or: How To Fail Every Marketing Class (& Every Swiftie)
It’s me. Hi. I’m mad at Ticketmaster. It’s me. That’s right – Swiftie Maria is back again, here to bring you a marketing breakdown of how Ticketmaster failed Swifties, its customers, the world, and every basic marketing class ever taught. If you’ve followed the news recently, you’ve probably heard about the upcoming Taylor Swift Eras…
This Is How Nostalgia Marketing Works So Well
In today’s fast-paced world, it’s no secret that nostalgia holds a special place in our hearts. Just ask basically anyone doing marketing right now – you’d be hard-pressed to find someone not learning heavily on the concept to push their product. But nostalgia is a powerful tool, no matter how you slice it. Nostalgia has the…
How The Room Made $30 Million by Being a Terrible Movie
Released in 2003, The Room is widely considered to be one of the worst films ever made. It holds a score of 3.7 out of 10 on IMDb and an astounding 9 out of 100 on Metacritic. Film critic, Marg Mohan, claimed that the film “oozes sincerity, which is then slathered in a thick coating…
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This is How Buc-ee’s Turned Gas Stations into Tourist Traps
“If you know you know.” So said the billboard in yellow block capitals on a stark black background as I was passing through my hometown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was advertising Buc-ee’s, a gas station about an hour away. Weird marketing move, I thought, but only briefly. I’m no stranger to seeing billboards for places…
How Markiplier’s Iron Lung Could Make YouTubers Movie Stars
If you’ve been on YouTube in the past decade, then there’s a good chance you’ve heard of Markiplier. We even covered him in our previous article talking about Unus Annus. He can’t stay out of the spotlight, as he recently released a teaser trailer for his horror film Iron Lung. Now If you don’t know what…
Trauma-Informed Marketing: Or, What Happens When You Put Empathy First
You’re a pretty regular person, right? Special in your own ways, to be sure. But you’d likely refer to yourself as pretty normal. And that’s awesome! Because we all have our own intricate way we’re put together. And in that web of what makes us unique, no matter how normal we may be, sits quite…
Wendy’s Social Media Is Completely Unhinged & Probably Successful
“Yum. Chocolate so fake, it couldn’t kill a dog and cream so fake, vegans can eat it. Team Hydrox, forever!” – Wendy’s TikTok, on Oreos. You don’t have to go far to find marketing disasters in the world of fast food, or really, food and drink more broadly. Marketers in the industry are so desperate to have their companies…
Daft Punk, or: Building a Massive Brand by Anti-Marketing
Imagine building one of the most culturally significant bands of the 21st century. Now imagine doing that while experimenting radically in a genre where copying others is a proven path to success. While never showing your face. Daft Punk did just that, and their success has been remarkable. Their sophomore album, Discovery is considered the…
3 Massive Marketing Failures From The Fast Food Industry
The food industry is a highly competitive and constantly evolving landscape where marketing plays a crucial role in driving consumer demand. And while sometimes it can be a fun place filled with silly drinks aimed at kids, there are also plenty of instances where marketers have stumbled and fallen after taking what seemed to be…
How To Throw A Successful Event: A Recipe
I love events. It is no secret and has been a passion of mine since I was a wee child. My favorite part of my birthday as a kid was planning my party’s itinerary. I loved a good theme. And you can bet your bottom dollar that there were party favors. Flash forward to my…
Why Gen Z Is Obsessed With Shrek 22 Years Later
“Shrek is love, Shrek is life.” – Famous meme from 4chan (NSFW) The original Shrek movie came out all the way back in 2001, over two decades ago. And yet even to this day, it remains a remarkably popular movie, especially among Generation Z. Despite being 22 years old, Shrek is – at the time…
How Sesame Street Has Stayed Relevant For 54 Years
Imagine you’re five years old again, sitting in front of a TV one morning. Suddenly, a giant yellow bird comes on screen and starts singing about how to get to a place you’ve never heard of called “Sesame Street”. You have no idea why, but you’re hooked! Sesame Street has been a staple of childhood…
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5 Practical Ways Marketers Can Use ChatGPT Right Now
“Welcome, marketers, to the fascinating world of ChatGPT! In this post, we’ll take you on an exciting journey to explore the inner workings of this AI wizard and its seemingly magical text generation abilities.” – ChatGPT Wow, ChatGPT – self-aggrandizing much? But if you’ve been on the internet lately, you sure wouldn’t blame ChatGPT for…
The Incredible Downfall of Rax Roast Beef in 1991 (A Ghost Story)
“We had access to too much money, too much equipment, and little by little, we went insane.” Originally spoken by Francis Ford Coppola about the filming of Apocalypse Now, I think this statement applies just as well to the marketing misadventures of Rax Roast Beef circa 1991. I’ve been fascinated with the downfall of Rax…
How Gaming Supplements Like GamerSupps & G FUEL Make Millions
Gam·ers | ˈgā-mərs (noun): a subcategory of the species Homo sapiens that sits upon gaming chairs of varying colors and sizes. They are known for playing games for hours on end, often into the dead of night. Due to this, gamers are often deficient in vital vitamins and minerals needed so desperately by the body. Hence the…
How The Rock Is Breathing New Life Into The XFL
Listen up, brother! This blog is gonna be bigger and more epic than any wrestling match you’ve ever seen! It’ll take you on a wild journey through the XFL, where the biggest names in the game, like “Tater” and “He Hate Me”, have battled for dominance. I’ve been in the ring with the greatest of…
How Does Terrible Trash TV Make So Much Money?
Trash TV is a whole genre, right up there with serious drama, crime thrillers, and game shows. You either love it or you hate it, and both of those are good for marketing. It’s no secret that strong emotions are great for business, regardless of what those emotions actually are. Joy and anger alike mean…
How RollerCoaster Tycoon Made $19.6 Million in 1999
In 1999, Scottish video game developer, Chris Sawyer, chased a pipe dream. He was fascinated by amusement parks, and he wanted to create a game that captured the joy of being in one. Despite the fact that there wasn’t clear market demand for it, he went on to create RollerCoaster Tycoon, coding it by hand…
Vinyl Records Are Objectively Inferior (& Why People Love Them Anyway)
Vinyl records are, objectively speaking, inferior. Stack them up against streaming services or CDs and all the glaring problems emerge. Seldom will you find a vinyl record with no pops or clicks, even if it’s brand new. Even with regular upkeep and good equipment, vinyl records are prone to skipping and damage. The sound gets…
This is How Critical Role Made Dungeons & Dragons Cool
What happens when you gather a bunch of nerdy voice actors and one badass Dungeon Master, then have them all roll a natural 20 in showmanship? You get Critical Role, the show that has made over $9 million dollars playing Dungeons & Dragons on Twitch alone. (A shocking statistic, since Twitch is not even their…
Why Game Theory Took Over YouTube & Why It’s Now In Decline
“But hey, that’s just a theory, a game theory!” If you were on YouTube 10 years ago, or if you’re a part of the gaming community on YouTube now, you know this phrase. It’s the really widely recognized catchphrase coined by famous YouTuber, MatPat, who said it with gusto at the end of all his…
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How Everything Everywhere Actually Made The Oscars Wholesome
A movie where characters have hot dogs for fingers won 7 Oscars. Even weirder, it was completely heartwarming and may have just saved the Academy from dying of its own elitism and creeping irrelevance. Yes, I’m talking about the legendary Oscar sweep of Everything Everywhere All At Once. The Academy Awards have a lot of…
This Is How AI Presidents Gaming Quickly Took Over TikTok
Imagine opening up TikTok and immediately seeing Joe Biden playing Minecraft with Donald Trump. They bicker about whether or not it is acceptable to grief Obama’s house, their aged voices spewing forth profanity and gamer slang on a Discord call. If you’ve seen something like this recently, then congratulations – you have stumbled across “AI…
Stop Forcing Bad Ideas: A Taoist Approach To Marketing
“The minute you start hard selling, you’re losing.” – Laozi, Tao Te Ching OK, obviously, that is not a real quote. But that thought popped into my head when I was reading Laozi’s work for the first time. Ancient philosophy texts from around the world are great repositories of wisdom. But philosophy isn’t just something…
How Fortnite Weaves Brands Into The Game & Makes Billions
Fancy vacationing on a cartoon island dressed as John Wick? What if I told you that you’d have to fight with Spiderman with a lightsaber and Ariana Grande with a grenade launcher? Well, you are in luck, because Fortnite is the getaway you’ve been looking for. Fortnite is packed with brand names from bottom to…
8 Ways Marketers Are Using Generative AI Right Now
The person who wrote this is human. But how can you be sure? We live in the age of generative AI. That means computers have entered into the realms that we previously believed to be unique to the human experience. What does it mean for the writer, now that ChatGPT can write long blocks of…
Money Heist, Or: A Great Example Of PR Strategy
I’m going to teach you how to use marketing to rob the Royal Mint of Spain. With marketing. What, you haven’t seen Money Heist yet and you still clicked on this? Go check out another post. I’m about to spoil the entirety of seasons 1 and 2. Also: the videos you see in this post…
How Gorillaz Is Still Popular After 25 Years
If you’re under the age of 40, you probably know who Gorillaz are. For those in middle or high school in the mid-2000s to early 2010s, it’d be hard to miss them. These darkly drawn cartoon characters are responsible for massive singles like Feel Good Inc., Clint Eastwood, Rhinestone Eyes, On Melancholy Hill, Dirty Harry,…
Why Did Silly Little Marketing Jingles Ever Work?
Have you ever thought about why you say the things you do? I’m not talking about the transactional, necessary sentences you speak to live life. I mean the phrases you use, the outdated references, and the inside jokes that now seem to only be between you and yourself. This is something that has been on…
St. Valentine’s Revenge: The Rise Of Singles Awareness Day (SAD)
SAD. Also known as Singles Awareness Day. Also known as Valentine’s Day. I don’t remember the details of when I first learned about Singles Awareness Day, but I do remember the feeling of acceptance to my very core. For a perpetually single woman, I finally felt like there was a new way to celebrate the…
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8 Reasons Why Willy Wonka’s Golden Tickets Are Amazing Marketing
Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory is a chaotic, absurd movie. The 1971 version seemed to run all the time on TV in the 1990s and 2000s, becoming – against all odds – a staple of Millenial culture, even getting turned into a popular meme. Because we’ve all seen it as kids, it’s easy to…
How Unus Annus Succeeded On YouTube By Being Deleted
What would you do if you had one year left to live? What would you leave behind in memory? These are the questions that Mark Fischbach (Markiplier) and Ethan Nestor-Darling (CrankGameplays) asked their viewers when they created the channel, Unus Annus. The idea was simple: every day they would post a new video. Then after…
Wall Drug, Or: How To Make Something Out Of Nothing
If you cruise along I-90 in South Dakota for long enough, two thoughts will cross your mind. First, “could this road be any more boring?” And second, “good God, how many Wall Drug signs are there?” Over 300. And that’s just the official ones found in South Dakota, Wyoming, and even Minnesota. If you’ve never…
This Is Why Buying Furniture In 2023 Is Actually Preposterous
Nothing says “I’m about to be 30” like buying furniture by the truckload. It seems like every day, I’ve got a shipment coming in from IKEA or Wayfair. From big box chains to scratch and dent stores, the sales staff know my face. And it got me wondering: why is it, wherever we go, that…
Why Arcane is The Perfect Brand Expansion
You have probably heard of the popular video game, League of Legends. At a minimum, you’ve heard the distant screams of someone losing a match. It’s unavoidable because League It is an insanely popular game with a mountain of dedicated players willing to buy figurines and other merchandise. But have you heard of Arcane? If…
How On Earth Do You Make Kansas Look Attractive?
Here’s a marketing challenge for you. How do you take the 50th most beautiful state in America and turn it into a tourist destination? What can you say to compel people to appreciate the rolling plains and immense cornfields of Kansas? It’s a tricky marketing challenge, but the stakes are high. The total travel and…
This Is What Marketing Looked Like For Each Generation (Then & Now)
Marketing has existed since the dawn of time. It’s just changed with each generation. OK, that’s a bit dramatic. But one could argue that it has been around since people started hocking goods at one another. After all, word of mouth is an early form of marketing (and the bedrock of modern marketing today)! My…
Ya Boy Kongming: A Crash Course in Social Media Marketing
What do ancient military tactics and social media marketing have in common? Apparently a lot, according to anime Ya Boy Kongming. You might be surprised to know how much, in fact, as both have been refined and honed over years (or millennia) for maximum effectiveness. Ya Boy Kongming is a bizarre and brilliant anime about…
This Is Why Red Delicious Apples Are Terrible But Popular
Imagine biting into a beautiful dark red apple. It looks so appetizing, resplendent in color, and free from bruises and imperfections. But upon biting down, you find the skin crumbly and coarse and the inside somehow mushy and flavorless. Congratulations – you’ve just eaten a Red Delicious apple! Guess what? Red Delicious apples are actually…
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How Dinosaurs Made Me Love Best Western Hotels
If you told me I was going to sleep in a Best Western and like it, I’d probably have laughed. Why do I say this? Well, you know how you’re little and you just accept whatever is placed before you? “Santa bought the same wrapping paper as Mommy this year.” OK. “Don’t touch the stove,…
Why Formula 1 is So Popular Right Now
Watch video version on YouTube. Every nation has its great past-time. For the USA, it’s baseball. For the UK, it’s football (soccer). Getting people to pay attention to a new sport is a tall order – and that’s why Formula 1’s recent success is so stunning. On ESPN, 548,000 people tuned in to watch Formula…
This is How Critical Role Made Dungeons & Dragons Cool
What happens when you gather a bunch of nerdy voice actors and one badass Dungeon Master, then have them all roll a natural 20 in showmanship? You get Critical Role, the show that has made over $9 million dollars playing Dungeons & Dragons on Twitch alone. (A shocking statistic, since Twitch is not even their…
How Steve Harvey Got Popular & Won the Hearts of Millions
Auto mechanic. Boxer. Insurance salesman. Carpet cleaner. Letter carrier. These are just a handful of the odd jobs that Steve Harvey, the famous comedian, and host of Family Feud, worked before he became a household name. It’s a pretty amazing resume! Before Steve Harvey became famous, he had been homeless and lived on the streets…
This Is Why Black Friday Sales Are A Thing
Almost 85 million shoppers. That’s how many people poured into retail stores across the United States on Black Friday 2019. Americans everywhere barreled into department stores to snatch up the best deals like lions taking down prey in the single busiest shopping day of the year. Indeed, it may have been the busiest shopping day…
This Is Why Bob Ross Is Still Relevant Even Now
“We don’t make mistakes. We just have happy accidents.” These are the words of Bob Ross, arguably the most recognizable painter in the United States. It’s an astounding accomplishment to become as popular as Bob Ross, the host of The Joy of Painting, a PBS show that ran from 1983 to 1994. He passed away…
How The Great Milk Industry Went Down The Drain
Do you remember in your childhood, when there was always milk in the fridge? You could always add it to a bowl of overly sugared cereal. You could find it with every school lunch, where you’d inevitably get a carton. Pretty much every American over 20 knows exactly what I’m talking about. And yet milk…
How Losing Millions Of Dollars Made Mattress Mack Famous
If you’re a sports fan, you probably know Jim McIngvale. But you probably don’t know him by that name. You know him as “Mattress Mack.” He sells mattresses for a living, but you don’t know him for his bedding. You know him for his betting. Never heard of him? Still read on – this is…
How Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary Became A Tourist Trap
Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary was not a place you wanted to live. Until 2009, it was home to the hardest, worst criminals in the southeast, including the man who killed Martin Luther King Jr. In this nightmare of concrete and steel in the middle of the impassible, god-forsaken mountains of east Tennessee, many a man…
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Why Fantasy Football Is A 20 Billion Dollar Industry
The game is a fantasy, but the money is all real. “Maria, can I come over and borrow some movies? Your father is going to be busy all week with fantasy football drafts.” It’s that time of the year. The season of crunchy leaves, pumpkin spice everything, and football. But for many people, my father…
How Chainsaw Man Will Tear Up The Anime World
Chainsaw Man. It sounds like a cheesy horror film you would get from B-movie Hollywood, but it’s far from that. In fact, Chainsaw Man is a Japanese manga that is getting a full-blooded anime adaptation this October. The anime community is as hyped-up as the torque on those blades. The community is justified in their…
How Spirit Halloween Works & Why It’s Absolutely Brilliant
Deep in the heart of every city in America, there lie the desiccated remains of malls from a bygone era. Beached upon parking lots like shipwrecks, these boarded-up buildings remind us of the halcyon days of brick-and-mortar commerce. And yet every October, some transient force haunts these old crypts, bringing back some semblance of glories…
How BTS (& K-pop) Grew So Enormous In The West
To say that Bangtan Soneyondan – better known as BTS – is a popular band is a massive understatement. In the US alone, BTS has landed 26 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, 6 of which soared all the way up to #1, with one song (Butter), managing to stay #1 for 10 consecutive weeks.…
Stop Blaming The Algorithm When Your Content Doesn’t Rank
You know what drives me nuts? People who blame “the algorithm” when their content doesn’t take off. Now I know that sounds like a personal attack, but I don’t mean it that way. Content creators who blame the algorithm are, for the most part, not lazy or even bad content creators. They just don’t understand…
How To Navigate The Labyrinth Of The YouTube Algorithm
The YouTube algorithm. Never before has there been such a complicated labyrinth for content creators to navigate. It doesn’t help that there’s no exit. Every social media platform uses an algorithm to decide what to show users. There’s too much content not to. As much as I’d love to write a post about every social…
This Is How The Vlogbrothers Built A Super-Friendly Empire
On the first day of 2007, John and Hank Green started Brotherhood 2.0. The idea was simple – send each other video blogs back and forth every day for a year. The mission was simple but heartfelt: deepen their bond through the power of new media. When the year ended, they kept making videos, dubbing…
How IKEA Makes $43.6 Billion While You Build Furniture
If you’ve been to IKEA, then you have a strong opinion on it. It’s impossible not to. IKEA stores are five times the size of a football field, arranged like dense mazes with thousands of furniture items all available for reasonable prices. Everything from the quirky Swedish names of the designs to the infuriating process…
How To Prepare Your Business for AI (GPT-3 & Midjourney)
The machines are taking over! AI is going to replace us all! If I only had a dollar for every time I heard some version of that. Even in its early stages, artificial intelligence, or AI, feels like an imminent threat. After all, intelligence is what has truly set human beings apart from the rest…
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Why People Are Adding REDDIT To Their Google Searches
Have Google searches felt…off to you lately? A lot of people think so, and you likely know someone who adds the word “Reddit” to the end of Google searches to get better results. Just look at some of these recent headlines: Fast Company: Is Reddit a better search engine than Google? Android Authority: You told…
What Middle Class Fancy Tells Us About Consumer Behavior
“It’s not the heat that’ll get you, it’s the humidity.” Such are the words of wisdom spoken by Rand, an American suburban white man in his 50s, and a recurring character on the Middle Class Fancy Instagram account. In addition to being an accurate statement about how we perceive temperature, it also serves as a…
6 Reasons to Treat Your Business Like Wikipedia
Reasons for hope seem to be in short supply these days. Politics are a mess, everything is getting expensive, and the modern internet built on social media seems to only inflame these tensions. Yet there is a website where people put aside their differences and work toward a common goal to great effect. That website…
Marketing Alignment Chart: Lawful Good to Chaotic Evil
In 1977, Dungeons & Dragons created the alignment chart – a simple two-axis where characters could be classified as good or evil, lawful or chaotic. Sometime in the 2010s, the idea of the alignment chart went far beyond its gaming origins, and became a piece of pop culture in its own right. Everything from people…
How Karen’s Diner Serves Up Awful Customer Service & Makes Millions
Do you dream of being a massive jerk to people around you? Well, of course, you do. We have all had moments where you want to speak your mind or simply get stuff off your chest because you had a crap day. Thankfully, there is a magical place where you can be accosted by mean-spirited…
How on Earth is SpongeBob SquarePants Still Relevant in 2022?
If you spend any amount of time on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Reddit, odds are, you’re going to run into at least one of these SpongeBob memes. These memes along with the fact that search engine traffic for SpongeBob SquarePants has slowly but steadily increased for the last few years could fool you into thinking…
5 Practical Lessons from the Absurd Career of Sam Raimi
Ever try to get away to a quiet cabin in the country, only to have to fight with your demon-possessed hand as the house itself laughs at you? Well, I hope you brought along a double-barrelled shotgun and a chainsaw, buddy, because you – unfortunately – are in a Sam Raimi horror film. If the…
This is the Difference Between Marketing, Advertising, & PR
A few years ago I was filling out some paperwork and it asked for my job title. I remember asking, “do you want my actual job title? Or just my field of work?” At the time I worked in insurance and my job title was unnecessarily complex. Fast forward a few years and I’m filling…
How Coffee Transformed From Common Commodity To Weird Hobby
Of all the meetings, I have, my morning meeting with Mr. Cup Of Joe is the one I never miss. It’s a warm welcome to the morning and has always been a delicious and dopamine-inducing way to start the day. I am talking about coffee – a staple of modern life, something we can’t live…
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How Costco Manages to Be Both Classy & Cheap
In a logical world, Costco would suck. Low prices, spartan settings, and immense crowds. That’s an unholy trinity that should ruin just about any shopping experience. But it doesn’t, and I think that’s remarkable. Costco is a freakishly well-run business. Over the last weekend, I slipped into the store by avoiding eye contact with the…
The Twisted Reasons for Freight Shipping Delays & Shortages
Have you seen the images of empty store shelves lately? They’re all over social media and the news. You might think that it’s the result of people panic buying, but the problems run deeper than that. Maybe you’ve seen some terms like “supply chain disruption” or even “supply chain collapse” lately. Or perhaps you’ve tried…
To Understand the Metaverse, Look at Minecraft & Fortnite
Metaverse. Web3. NFT. The year 2021 introduced the world to a lot of really complicated new technological ideas. In February and March 2021, people started talking about NFTs. Then chatter about the “metaverse” started to really take off in October, right around when Facebook changed its name to Meta. A couple of months later in…
How to Sell the Bubble Bots from Ron’s Gone Wrong
Ron’s Gone Wrong is a film about the friendship between socially awkward middle-schooler, Barney, and his friend Ron. But there’s a twist: Ron is a Bubble Bot, produced by the Bubble Company, which is basically Apple. Bubble Bots, B Bots for short, are designed to be your best friend. Your extroverted best friend, at that,…
Coming Soon – We’re Rebranding Ourselves as Weird Marketing
Exciting news! Having seen the success of the Weird Marketing blog posts, we are going to be rebranding our entire website within a month. New title. New URL. Complete commitment to the article style that the vast majority of readers are coming to the website for. Why change? When we initially started Marketing is the…
How to Be a Wrestler, According to a Marketer
Wrestlers put their life on the line in the ring, day in, day out to make their audiences happy. They live larger-than-life lifestyles because they want to make captivating TV with their stunning wrestling moves. They’re experts at self-promotion because they want to make you buy into the kayfabe of modern wrestling. In other words,…
How James Bond Has Evolved & Stayed Relevant for 60 Years
Few movie characters are as iconic, controversial, contradictory, and enduring as James Bond. It doesn’t matter who’s playing him because you recognize the character immediately. Handsome man, sharp suit, smoking gun, vodka martini in hand, and an attractive woman on his arm. James Bond has been the poster child for the spy and action genre…
How Taylor Swift Took on the Music Industry & Won
Taylor Swift might not have a college degree, but she has been working on her Master’s in Marketing since she was nine. And when I say “you could argue” I mean “that is what I’m going to spend the next 5,000 words pointing out.” Swift has been the driving force behind her career. Yes, she…
See How A Rambling Redhead Went From Instagram to HGTV
Redheads only make up 2% of the world’s population. And the recessive gene jackpot of a redhead with blue eyes is even smaller, at 0.17%. So what would you call someone with red hair, blue eyes, and a hilarious heart of gold? You might call her a Unicorn, but we call her Jenn Todryk –…
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WWE vs. AEW: The Wrestling Brand Smackdown of a Lifetime
John Cena. The Rock. Hulk Hogan. The world of wrestling has cemented these names into the minds of kids and adults alike. Their names are known worldwide as are their spider webs of wrestling moments, movies, and controversies. If you pay attention, the wrestling world will teach you a masterclass in branding. All these wrestlers…
4 Marketing Lessons from Jingle All The Way
What do Christmas, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and action figures have in common? If you guessed Star-Lord (or even The Terminator for us older peeps), you are only half wrong. The real answer is the “classic” Christmas Movie Jingle All The Way. Totally recommend watching it if you haven’t already. But for the purposes of this article,…
How Old Spice Came Back from the Grave with One Commercial
Hello, ladies. Look at your man, now back to me, now back at your man, now back to me. Sadly, he isn’t me, but if he stopped using ladies scented body wash and switched to Old Spice, he could smell like he’s me. With just 43 words, Old Spice did the impossible. Back in 2009,…
Millennials Spend $33 Billion On Their Own Toys. Why?
We all have fond memories of playing with toys when we were young. Whether it’s trading Pokemon cards or snuggling a favorite stuffed animal, it’s hard not to have at least one happy childhood toy story. Toys have been in the hearts and homes of kids for decades, centuries, even! But what might surprise you…
See How Cult Classic Movies Teach Us About Branding
Do you have a favorite movie that not many people have heard of? Or do you go to a coffee shop that you wouldn’t substitute for anything else? Or, perhaps, do you have a favorite product your rave about to everyone you meet? Well, you might be in a cult – knowingly or unknowingly. Cults…
See How Peter Thiel Destroyed Gawker with Hulk Hogan
Facing a $140 million legal judgment, the leaders of Gawker had to face their sins. Perhaps it wasn’t a good idea to out billionaire Peter Thiel as gay in 2007. And maybe the world would have been a better place if they hadn’t released Hulk Hogan’s…private film in 2012. But it was too late for…
How Anime Won the West & Why You Should Care
Anime. You know it in one form or another. Maybe you watched it when you were young, or your kids watch it, or you’re watching it now. It’s a universal and ageless media that caters to everyone, and due to that immortality, it has expanded and evolved into every corner of media. Nothing can escape…
How American Girl Built a Multigenerational Business Empire with Dolls
It was 21 years ago when I got my first American Girl Doll. As any typical 10 year old does on a July summer day, I was curled up behind my bed doing some summer reading (The Secret of Nimh, in case you were wondering). The doorbell rang, and my older brother came running up…
Outreach: 9 Proven Ways You Can Grow Your Business
Drawing attention to your business is tough! Or at least it can seem that way if you’re not well-versed in the art of outreach. We talk a lot about customer retention, customer experience, and consumer behavior. But none of that means anything if you can’t acquire customers in the first place! Speaking from personal experience,…
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This is How Cat Cafés Took Over the World
Imagine you walk into the bar and you order a beer. Something brushes up against your leg. You hear a meow. No, it’s not Mardi Gras and you’re not in New Orleans. You are in one of many cat cafés around the world. Yes, this is a real thing. Cat cafés are magical places where…
How Delta Air Lines Has Survived 96 Years of Aviation
The airline industry is an unspeakably difficult one. As of 2021, there are 18 major passenger airlines in the United States. The list of airlines that have died is so long that it takes up four separate Wikipedia articles for the US alone. Yet Delta Air Lines has been operating continuously since 1925. That’s so…
15 Easy Ways To Improve SEO & Rank Higher in Google
The marketing world is full of strange jargon and acronyms. One of the most common acronyms you’ll see people use is SEO. The internet is full of articles telling you that you should improve your SEO to grow your business. There’s good reason for that. Search engine optimization – SEO – is one of the…
How Minecraft Made $2.5 Billion From Scratch
Minecraft was created by a solo developer with a day job in 2009. The graphics are 8-bit and servers will boot you for no reason sometimes. By all accounts, Minecraft should have crashed and burned early. It is the best-selling video game of all time. Over 200 million copies have been sold. Microsoft bought it…
Training New Pangea Teammate – Will Have Fresh Content Next Week!
If you’ve been following the podcast lately, you know that Pierson and I are seeing an unprecedented amount of work with Pangea Marketing. This is a great problem to have, to be sure, but it means that we need to grow our team! I’ll cut to the chase: we’re going to skip this week’s article…
The Unusual Rise & Fall & Rise of Aeropostale
I was shopping with my wife at the gardening store, looking – in true millennial fashion – for plants we can’t kill. Suddenly, apropos of nothing, I wondered “what the hell happened to Aeropostale?” Aeropostale was everywhere when I was in high school from 2006 to 2010. You couldn’t go ten minutes without seeing someone…
How to Use Product Distribution To Grow Your Business
If you build it, they won’t just come. Your small business needs a product distribution strategy if you want to make sales. This is so important, in fact, that one of the 4 P’s of marketing is “place” as in “the place where people can buy your products.” But how does a small business owner…
14 Easy Ways Your Small Business Can Handle Public Relations
Public relations! The phrase conjures up images of spin doctors working for evil megacorporations or politicians conspicuously pretending to be folksy in an effort to win voters. That first impression is definitely not wrong, but it’s for sure not the whole picture either! At its heart, public relations (PR, for short) is about guarding your…
Why Supply Chain Management Is Important To Marketing
Leaders win through logistics. Vision, sure. Strategy, yes. But when you go to war, you need to have both toilet paper and bullets at the right place at the right time. In other words, you must win through superior logistics. Tom Peters, Quotes from Universal Cargo I find this quote pretty amusing. Sure, it might…
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Use Influencer Marketing to Quickly Grow Your Small Business
Influencer marketing is a relatively new way for companies of all sizes to market their products. Today, we are going to dive into all things influencer marketing. We’ll answer questions like: What is influencer marketing? How to find and hire influencers? What influencers can do to help you sell your products? What is Influencer Marketing? …
How Your Small Business Win Big With Online Reviews
How do people find your business? Vague question, I know. But take a moment and really ask yourself the question. Is it through outbound marketing? Do you have a steady stream of organic traffic coming to you? Or, are you taking a more “old-fashioned” approach and marketing specific client opportunities directly? Regardless of how people…
This is How Instagram Revolutionized the Tattoo Industry Forever
Tattoos are just about everywhere you look these days. Whether you are in a hospital, library, or even on a college campus, odds are, you can find someone who has a tattoo. A recent Ipsos poll showed that 30% of Americans had at least one tattoo in 2019, up from 21% in 2012. That’s a…
How To Use Small Business Advertising To Grow Quickly
When you’re marketing your small business for the first time, advertising is just plain intimidating. Effective advertising requires you to understand both complex marketing ideas and the ins and outs of software like Facebook and Google Ads. Figuring out where to start with small business advertising is a difficult task in and of itself. When…
Fight Island: The Weird Way UFC Thrived in a Pandemic
I’m glad 2020 is over, and I’m not alone. We’ve all been tested in every aspect of life in the last year, right down to the cancellation of sports. There was only one shining exception: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). They took the drastic step of moving the ring all the way to Yas Island,…
How To Grow Your Business with Relationship Marketing
Relationships matter. There are a million ways to say this simple fact, and a million ways to prove it too. Good relationships lead to customer retention, partnerships, referrals, and – ultimately – a big payday. That’s why well-run companies put so much emphasis on relationship marketing. Deep down, successful small business owners want to make…
How Coronavirus Will Affect the Convention Industry
This is the final post in the Coronavirus Case Studies series. Every post in this series has talked about how the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 will affect different businesses for years to come. We’re all still processing this massive, life-changing event. This week, in this last post, we talk about how coronavirus will affect the…
This is How You Provide a Great Customer Experience
Have you ever walked into a restaurant and waited forever to be seated, only to be treated rudely and have your food served cold? If so, it’s safe to say that you’ve had a bad customer experience. Odds are, you probably told others about it too. Maybe you even left a one-star review online! Likewise,…
How Coronavirus Will Affect the Retail Industry
This is the Coronavirus Case Studies series. Each post in this series will talk about how the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 will affect different businesses for years to come. We’re all still processing this massive, life-changing event. This week, we talk about how coronavirus will affect the retail industry. Retail sales bring in A LOT…
3 Simple Ways to Set Up A Website for Your Business
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or an aspect of business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway contest for an Echo Dot. Today, we will answer the following question: “how do I set up a website?” The Basics of Setting Up a Website I’ve been working…
How Coronavirus Will Affect the Auto Industry
This is the Coronavirus Case Studies series. Every post in this series will talk about how the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 will affect different businesses for years to come. We’re all still processing this massive, life-changing event. This week, we talk about how coronavirus will affect the auto industry. In 2017, there were over 225…
Is it hard to start your own business?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or an aspect of business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway contest for a smartwatch. Today, we will answer the following question: “is it hard to start your own business?” Yes. Yes, it is. End of article. You’ve heard the…
Spotify: A Love Letter to Great User Experience
Up until June of 2017, I had always used iTunes / Apple Music. It was all I knew. I went through various iPod models, transferring music from my laptop to my iPod, making new playlists as I went along. I knew what Spotify was but never paid much attention to it. Honestly, at that time,…
How Coronavirus Will Affect the Live Music Industry
This is the Coronavirus Case Studies series. Each post in this series will talk about how the coronavirus will affect different businesses for years to come. We’re all still processing this massive, life-changing event. This week, we talk about how coronavirus will affect the live music industry. There is not a feeling in the world…
How do I get more likes, followers, and comments on social media?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or an aspect of business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway contest for a Fire Stick and Echo Dot. Today, we will answer the following question: “how do I get more likes, followers, and comments on social media? By far,…
Trending Products Your Small Business Can Sell Online in 2020
Hi there! I’m Maria and I want to help give you some ideas for trending items to sell during the upcoming holiday season. What are my qualifications, might you ask? I. Love. To. Shop. Plain and simple. I have separate “present bins” for each family set that I add gifts to year-round. I have a…
How Coronavirus Will Affect the Cruise Industry
This is the Coronavirus Case Studies series. Each post in this series will talk about how the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 will affect different businesses for years to come. We’re all still processing this massive, life-changing event. This week, we talk about how coronavirus will affect the cruise industry. The coronavirus has been showing its…
Why is there so much unclear information in marketing?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or an aspect of business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway contest for a smartwatch. Today, we will answer the following question: “why is there so much unclear information in marketing?” Let’s face it: when you take your marketing questions…
This Is Why User Experience Makes & Breaks Businesses
As technology continues to improve, people will spend more and more time with products, systems, and services. This can be very good, too, since technology removes irritation and inconvenience from day-to-day life. But ultimately, systems need to feel like they’re made by humans for humans. In other words, it’s really important to provide a good…
How Coronavirus Will Affect the Sports Industry
This is the Coronavirus Case Studies series. Every post in this series will talk about how the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 will affect different businesses for years to come. We’re all still processing this massive, life-changing event. This week, we talk about how coronavirus will affect sports. At the time I’m writing this, we’re about…
How to stay productive while working from home
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or an aspect of business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway for an Amazon Firestick and Echo Dot bundle. Today, we are going to be answering a different type of question: “how do I stay productive while working from home?”…
How Your Small Business Can Provide Excellent Customer Service
Hundreds of millions of businesses exist. At any given moment, hundreds are vying for your attention in subtle ways. Yet as we’ve adjusted to the ubiquity of logos and branding in our everyday life, it’s all become background noise. The one thing that really stands out – genuine human connection, or, put another way, excellent…
How Coronavirus Will Affect the Film and Television Industry
This is the Coronavirus Case Studies series. Every post in this series will talk about how the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 will affect different businesses for years to come. We’re all still processing this massive, life-changing event. This week, we talk about how coronavirus will affect the film and television industry. In the months that…
What are some effective marketing strategies?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or an aspect of business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway contest for a smartwatch. Today, we will answer the following question: “what are some effective marketing strategies?” If you have followed the Quick Questions series, then you probably have…
How to Streamline Product Returns and Generate Revenue
The title of this post may seem contradictory at a first glance. How can product returns become a source of revenue? The very act of handling returns means not only giving up revenue, but also incurring additional expenses in labor, supplies, and – for eCommerce companies – postage. Yet good returns management can actually make…
How Coronavirus Will Affect the Order Fulfillment Industry
This is the Coronavirus Case Studies series. Every post in this series will talk about how the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 will affect different businesses for years to come. We’re all still processing this massive, life-changing event. This week, we talk about how coronavirus will affect the order fulfillment industry. What is the order fulfillment…
What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or an aspect of business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway for an Amazon Firestick and Echo Dot bundle. Today, we will answer the following question: “what is SEO?” When you are thinking of ways to help grow your small…
How to Give Your Customer a Great Post-Purchase Experience
Think about the companies you most admire. Odds are, when you do that, you don’t just think about the products or services themselves, though they may be very good. You probably think of all the pleasant interactions and little acts of generosity that define your business relationship. In other words, you probably had a great…
How Coronavirus Will Affect the Gambling Industry
This is the Coronavirus Case Studies series. Every post in this series will talk about how the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 will affect different businesses for years to come. We’re all still processing this massive, life-changing event. This week, we talk about how coronavirus will affect the gambling industry. What is the gambling industry? No…
How can I get sponsors for my small business?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or an aspect of business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway for an Amazon Firestick and Echo Dot bundle. Today, we will answer the following question: “how can I get sponsors for my small business?” You know your business’s value.…
16 Ways to Make Your Small Business Look Professional
The world is a big and noisy place. As a small business, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of megacorporations, left unable to make a real impression. Many businesses need help looking professional in a competitive market. Fortunately, it’s not hard to look professional! The modern internet is full of software, tools, and…
How Coronavirus Will Affect the Fitness Industry
This is the Coronavirus Case Studies series. Every post in this series will talk about how the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 will affect different businesses for years to come. We’re all still processing this massive, life-changing event. This week, we talk about how coronavirus will affect the fitness industry. What is the Fitness Industry? The…
How do I capture leads for my small business?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or an aspect of business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway for an Amazon Fire Stick and Echo Dot bundle. Today, we will answer the following question: “how do I capture leads for my small business?” You have a great…
Product Mix: How to Boost Your Sales and Keep Your Business Fresh
Products come and products go, but businesses stay around for much longer. That’s because most businesses that succeed in the long-run don’t sell a single product or service. Indeed, successful businesses often rely on a unique product mix that keeps their business lively and fresh as the years go on. What is Product Mix? “Product…
How Coronavirus Will Affect the eCommerce Industry
This is the Coronavirus Case Studies series. Every post in this series will talk about how the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 will affect different businesses for years to come. We’re all still processing this massive, life-changing event. This week, we talk about how coronavirus will affect the eCommerce industry. What is the eCommerce Industry? When…
Can I pursue a career in marketing after working in another field?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or an aspect of business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway for an Amazon Firestick and Echo Dot bundle. Today, we will answer the following: “can I pursue a career in marketing after working in another field?” Marketing is one…
How to Design Packaging for Your Small Business
People judge books by their covers. They judge products by their covers, too. It’s no secret that packaging affects whether people will purchase your small business’s products. That’s why we’ll be talking about how to design packaging for your small business’s products. Basics of Branding for Small Business Before we can talk meaningfully about packaging…
How Coronavirus Will Affect the Aviation Industry
This is the Coronavirus Case Studies series. Every post in this series will talk about how the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 will affect different businesses for years to come. We’re all still processing this massive, life-changing event. This week, we talk about how coronavirus will affect the aviation industry. What companies make up the aviation…
What resources should I use when starting a business?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or an aspect of business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway for an Amazon Firestick and Echo Dot bundle. Today, we will answer the following question: “what resources should I use when starting a business?” One of the most challenging…
How to Brand Your Small Business
When asked to define marketing, many people think of advertising. They talk about how marketers use different tools to make money. Yet the job doesn’t stop there – marketing isn’t just about making money. It’s about spreading ideas. That’s why we’re going to teach you how to brand your small business. What is Branding? According…
How Coronavirus Will Affect the Hospitality Industry
This is the Coronavirus Case Studies series. Every post in this series will talk about how the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 will affect different businesses for years to come. We’re all still processing this massive, life-changing event. This week, we talk about how coronavirus will affect the hospitality industry. What is the Hospitality Industry? Two…
How to Register a Business in 6 Steps
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or an aspect of business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway for an Amazon Firestick and Echo Dot bundle. Today, we will answer the following question: “how do I register a business?” When starting your small business, it is important…
Why It Takes So Long to Build a Great Business
To succeed in business is the dream of many people around the world. Becoming competent and making a lot of money is deeply satisfying on a number of different levels, so it’s no wonder that people pursue success with such motivation and vigor. Few really “make it,” though, and a large part of that is…
How Coronavirus Will Affect the Restaurant Industry
Welcome to the first post in our Coronavirus Case Studies series. In each post, will we talk about how the coronavirus pandemic of 2020 will affect different businesses for years to come. We’re all still processing this massive, life-changing event. This week, we talk about how coronavirus will affect the restaurant industry. The Restaurant Industry…
What are some underrated ways to advertise?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or an aspect of business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway contest for a Fire 7 Tablet. Today, we will answer the following question: “what are some underrated ways to advertise?” Advertising looks different for each product or service you…
How to Avoid Burnout as a Small Business Owner
Sometimes you wake up in the morning and you don’t want to do anything. It happens to everyone. If you wake up every morning and don’t want to do anything, then something more sinister could be going on: burnout. It feels awful. That’s why we’re going to talking about how to avoid burnout. If you’re…
Why is everybody buying toilet paper?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or business. This week, we want to address one of the craziest things going on in our post-pandemic world. This week, we are going to answer that burning question on your mind: “why are people buying toilet paper in bulk?” Yes, seriously. I will be the…
How to Recover from Failure as a Small Business Owner
Fifty percent of small businesses fail. Or maybe it’s 66% or 70% – depends on who you ask. Failure – on a small scale or a grand scale – is a part of doing business. When you run a business, you need a plan not only to succeed but also to recover from failure so…
The 3 Best Things About Working In Marketing
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or business. This week, we are changing things up a bit. Many of you have asked some version of “what are the best things about working in marketing?” Today, we’re going to answer! 1. You get to help other people. One of my favorite parts about…
7 Important Factors to Consider When Pricing Your Products
When creating the perfect product for your customers, you have to ask yourself a lot of questions. What do they need the most? How can you best meet those needs? For whom is this product designed? One of the biggest questions, though, comes up when pricing products and services: how much should I charge? Pricing…
5 Ways to Increase Online Engagement
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway contest for a Fire Stick. Today, we will answer the following question: “what are five ways to increase online engagement?” Having an actively engaged online community is one of the most important…
How to Find a Market Position for Your Small Business
It’s difficult to find your place in a noisy world. This is even truer for small business, where competition abounds. As if crafting the perfect product or service wasn’t hard enough, you have to craft great messages as well. In other words, you have to find your market position. Don’t let the complexity catch you…
How can giveaways help my small business?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway contest for a Firestick and Echo Dot. Today, we will answer the following question: “how can giveaways help my small business?” You have been running your small business for a while now…
Why the 4 P’s of Marketing Remain So Important
For a small business owner, wise use of marketing can tremendously improve the odds of meeting big goals. After all, the main goals of marketing are to improve customer satisfaction, generate profit, find or create demand, and craft a brand with a specific public image. All of these benefits and more can be neatly summed…
Should I outsource social media management?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway contest for a smartwatch. Today, we will answer the following question: “should I outsource social media management?” We have talked in-depth in the past about social media and all of the different…
Here Are 35 Factors That Control Your Consumer Buying Decisions
When you walk into a store, you are surrounded by different products. As you traipse down the aisle, you make thousands of tiny decisions. You purchase some items and pass on others. Sometimes you stick to your list, and other times you don’t. Do you ever wonder what’s behind your consumer buying decisions? As customers,…
How can I reach more people?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway for an Amazon Firestick and Echo Dot bundle. Today, we will answer the following question: “how can I reach more people?” In business, reaching your target audience can be tricky. Growing your…
This is Why Product-Market Fit is So Important in Business
If you want to make money, you need to sell something with good product-market fit. There is no way around this. It is an essential truth of business. If you searched through our entire blog for the phrase “product-market fit”, you’d find it in at least 70% of our articles. That’s how important it is.…
How do you stand out in a crowded market?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway contest for a smartwatch. Today, we will answer the following question: “how do you stand out in a crowded market?” In an increasingly globalized world, it can feel tricky to set yourself…
Why You Should Segment Your Market and How to do it
Last week, we took a closer look at the importance of finding your target market. This is the first step in being able to execute marketing plans effectively. Now we are going to take this concept one step further and talk about market segmentation: what it is, how to do it, and why it is…
What are some easy ways to market your products?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway contest for a smartwatch. Today, we will answer the following question: “what are some easy ways to market your products?” There are a thousand different ways to market your products. Every business’s…
How to Find a Target Market for Your Small Business
Finding a target market is critical to success in business. Focusing on a specific group of people helps you pursue clear goals and make excellent products or services. This week, we are going to talk about target markets at length. In this post, we’ll talk about: What a target market is Why they’re important to…
7 Funny Marketing Moments
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or an aspect of business. In one of our contests, someone simply sent us the phrase “funny marketing moments” when we asked “what confuses you about marketing?” They misunderstood the question, but we’ll run with it! This week, we’re going to shake it up a bit.…
Services vs. Products: What You Need to Know
Every small business owner asks themselves the same question at some point. “Should I sell services or should I sell products?” The battle of services vs. products has no clear victor. In this article, we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of both options so that you can make an informed decision. What is a…
How do I start a blog?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or an aspect of business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway for an Amazon Fire Stick and Echo Dot bundle. Today, we answer: “how do I start a blog?” Blogging is a great way to build a platform to reach…
Why Product Lifecycle is So Important in Business
Pet Rocks. Tamagotchis. Fidget spinners. Some products become very successful very quickly, only to fade in prominence after a short period of time. Fads are remarkable because of how quickly this happens, but the simple fact is that all products have a product lifecycle. Understanding this simple truth and all the complicated things it implies…
Should I use cold calling to grow my business?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway contest for a Fire 7 Tablet. Today, we will answer the following question: “should I use cold calling to grow my business?” Cold calling is a very unique way to market and…
How to Develop New Products: A Guide for Small Business Owners
Businesses develop new products to grow and thrive. That means developing new products well is one of the most important things a business can do. Fortunately, no matter what business you’re in, the process of creating new products is pretty similar, even if the outcomes are different. Wikipedia even has a term for this process:…
How do I analyze marketing data?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway contest for a Fire 7 Tablet. Today, we will answer the following question: “how do I analyze marketing data?” Finding Your Marketing Data Analyzing your data is a stepping stone to improving…
Why Do New Products Matter for Small Businesses Anyway?
Ah, the bliss of creating new products. Many small businesses live and die on their ability to make new products and services to delight their customers and meet unmet needs. Yet when we see other more established firms like Spanx and Roku lean on a single product, we can find ourselves asking “why do new…
How do I convince people to buy my products?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway contest for a smartwatch. Today, we will answer the following question: “how do I convince people to buy my products?” Convincing people to buy: where do you begin? Convincing people to buy…
What is a Product Anyway? This is a Detailed Answer.
“What is a product?” This question can be found in every business or economics book from elementary school onward. The answer seems obvious, but the truth, as often happens, is a good deal more complex. Ask yourself the question once more of “what is a product?” This is not a question of petty semantics, but…
How do I start marketing my small business?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway contest for a Fire 7 Tablet. Today, we will answer the following question: “how do I start marketing my small business?” Find Your Target Market First The first step to marketing your…
15 Ways to Research Your Competitors & Grow Your Small Business
Researching your competitors is one of the most valuable things a small business can do. To succeed in business, you must be able to create products that fit market needs. This is borderline impossible to do without understanding what else your customers might be looking at. That’s why we’re going to teach you how to…
Why is marketing so sleazy?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing, or an aspect of business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway contest for a Fire 7 Tablet. Today, we will answer the following question: “Why is marketing so sleazy?” (Going for the easy questions, huh?) Welcome to the world of…
A Crash Course in Setting Up Small Business Social Media
For businesses big and small, customers expect businesses to have a social media presence. In fact, 63% of customers expect customer service through social media. An online presence has gone from being the frontier to being the norm in a little over a decade. As such, small businesses, in order to compete, need to have…
How do I advertise my small business on Facebook?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered a contest to win a Fire 7 Tablet. Today, we will answer the following question: “how do I advertise my small business on Facebook?” Why Advertise on Facebook? Facebook advertising is one of the best…
How to Build a Mailing List for Your Small Business
Email is one of the most effective marketing tools you have at your disposal. Many find this to be surprising at first, but the value of building a mailing list to grow your small business cannot be understated. In this article, we are going to talk about how you can use email to spread the…
How can email marketing help my small business?
Every week, we will be answering a common question about marketing or business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway contest for a Fire 7 Tablet. Today, we will answer the following question: “how can email marketing help my small business?” Why Email Marketing is so Effective Today You’re a…
How to Build an Online Community for Your Business in 7 Steps
Many businesses are beginning to understand the power of creating online communities. The Holy Grail of all marketing is to make it where customers really like and trust your business and they buy everything that you make. But that kind of success must be earned, and it takes a lot of work! First things first:…
What’s so great about social media marketing?
Understanding marketing can be difficult, especially when you’re learning. Knowing who to market to is hard enough. Then you have to figure out what approaches, social media marketing or otherwise, to use to execute your master plan! There are so many good marketing options available that it’s overwhelming. While there are countless ways you can…
15 Market Research Methods to Grow Your Small Business
We’ve had market research on the brain lately! A few weeks ago, we wrote about what market research is. Shortly thereafter, we wrote about how you can do market research cheaply and made a long list of questions you can ask your customers. Now we’re going to talk about all the ways you can use…
Which marketing metrics are most useful?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway contest for a Fire 7 Tablet. Today, we will answer the following question: “which marketing metrics are most useful?” What are marketing metrics and why do they matter? Marketing metrics are data used to…
23 Excellent Questions to Ask Your Customers
Want to know what your customers really think of you? Sometimes, the easiest way to find out is to just ask! In many cases, market research is really that simple, though it helps to go in with a list of questions to ask your customers. Over the last two weeks, we’ve focused heavily on market…
How do I advertise my small business on Instagram?
Every week we answer a common question about marketing or business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway contest for a Fire 7 Tablet. Today, we will answer: “How do I advertise my small business on Instagram?” Instagram is HUGE Instagram has one billion active users every month. It is one of…
14 Cheap Market Research Methods to Grow Your Business
Conducting quality market research is one of the best ways to ensure the long-term growth of your business. Just last week we talked about exactly what market research is and how it can help your business grow. From crafting perfect products to finding new audiences, the benefits are clear! But let’s be real for a…
How do I engage my target audience?
Every week, we answer a common question about marketing or business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered to win a Fire 7 Tablet from Pangea. Today, we will answer the following question: “how do I engage my target audience?” Understand first, then engage your target audience Your target audience is made up…
A Crash Course in Market Research for Small Business
Building a small business for the first time is really difficult! You have to create a product or a service that’s perfect for your audience. Then you have to tell people you exist. These two tasks are the essence of marketing. While they sound simple, anyone who’s tried them knows how tricky and nuanced it…
Do I need digital marketing?
Welcome to our first Quick Questions post! Every week, we will be answering a common question about marketing, or an aspect of business. This week, our question comes from a fan who entered our giveaway contest for a Fire 7 Tablet. Today, we will answer the following question: “do I need digital marketing?” What is…
Don’t Be Evil: Ethical Marketing for Small Businesses
Ethical marketing may seem like a paradox. The whole reason for marketing, after all, is to sell more products. It’s easy to cast aside the very real problems that marketing can create. Marketing deals with the intangible emotions of other people, pushing their buttons to make them take certain actions. Just because you can be…
How To Craft the Perfect Products and Services
Every small business wants to sell big. The desire to earn a lot of customers is deeply ingrained into business culture. However, to do so, you need to create products and services that people are really enthusiastic about. Dedicated readers of this blog know that we refer to this as product-market fit. What we have…
This is Why B2B & B2C Marketing Are So Different
On this blog, we’ve talked almost exclusively about business-to-consumer marketing so far, also known as B2C marketing. This doesn’t reflect the whole truth, though, because business-to-business (B2B) is a significantly bigger market than B2C. As you’ll soon come to see over the course of this post, marketing to businesses is an entirely different animal than…
The 4 Cs of Marketing: Make Your Customers Comfortable
The 4 Cs of Marketing are a newer marketing model that helps us to understand the “set of marketing tools that a firm uses to pursue its marketing objectives in the target.” You may also hear this refer to as the “marketing mix.” This is not just some exercise for out-of-touch academics, though. Like the…
Here Are The 7 Ps of Marketing
The 7 Ps of Marketing is a classic marketing model that helps us understand the “set of marketing tools that a firm uses to pursue its marketing objectives in the target.” You may also hear this referred to as the “marketing mix.” This is no mere academic exercise, though. Each one of the 7 Ps…
How to Craft a Small Business Marketing Strategy That Works
Crafting a small business marketing strategy can seem awfully complicated. Many business owners have to be convinced that marketing is worthwhile in the first place. Among the converts, many more struggle to choose a coherent philosophy of marketing, find a lucrative niche, or even simply understand their customers. Today, we’re going to take much of…
How to Use Competitive Analysis & Make Your Small Business Richer
No business is an island. Competitive analysis is vital to the success of your small business. If you’re not able to read the competition, a lot of doors start closing. How can you find a niche, craft a strategy, compete on a global scale, or even understand your customers without understanding your competition? The purpose…
How to Find a Niche & Make Your Small Business Memorable
For many small business owners, finding a niche is a daunting task. For many of us, our small businesses are a form of self-expression, and focusing on small business marketing forces us to answer two deceptively complicated questions. Who is our target audience? How are we meeting their needs? If you’ve been reading this blog…
Globalization: Your Small Business vs. the World
Globalization is one of the defining forces of our era. As the world becomes more connected, we find our small businesses competing in a bigger arena than ten or twenty years ago. In some ways, this is thrilling. In others, it’s terrifying. No matter how you feel about globalization, it’s so big that you can’t…
Here Are 5 Marketing Philosophies for Small Businesses
Marketing philosophies change how we approach marketing as a whole. No matter which one you subscribe to, marketing is all about crafting the right experiences for the right people. This objective is deceptive in its simplicity, though, and raises many questions. How do you define the “right” experience? How about the “right” people? Even if…
The 7 Important Market Forces That Shape Small Business
As small business owners, we like to imagine ourselves immune to market forces. After all, we have the willpower to run the show. Why should we have to answer to anyone else? The truth, as always, is more complicated than that. We’re captains of ships in choppy waters, skilled and determined but at the mercy…
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