Posts by Elizabeth Robinson
Storytelling Versus Storymaking
Anyone engaged in business has heard about the import of employing storytelling as a means of selling. Stories are a tool scientifically proven to boost sales, and are highly effective not only for short-term profit, but for brand loyalty and advocacy. According to Yesware’s The Exchange, Neuroeconomics pioneer Paul Zak says that, “Stories are powerful…
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Change or Die: A Corporate Bulletin From Jacob Marley
In Charles Dickens’ beloved novella A Christmas Carol, the ghost Jacob Marley visits miserly Ebenezer Scrooge to warn him of his impending doom should he continue in his selfish, loveless ways. “ I am here tonight to warn you that you have yet a chance and hope of escaping my fate,” moaned Marley. For the…
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The Digital Country Club
Exclusivity and high society aren’t just for smoking rooms and golf courses anymore – the upper upper class has moved to the web. The following offer a glimpse into the ways that those with thousands (or more) to spare can connect. Netropolitan It is Facebook for the 1% – an extremely niche market. According to The…
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They Speak Our Language: Millennials, Personal Branding, and the Need for Authenticity
If only Dorothy hadn’t looked behind the curtain. She would never have realized just how powerless the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz really was; she would never have seen through his theatrics. But she did. And there was nothing there but a man. Though she certainly doesn’t qualify as a millennial, Dorothy may as…
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#Fantographer: Advertising With Your Followers
Social media has already massively dispersed the reach of major brands in recent years. Now a trend toward user-generated content is putting on display even more of social media’s advertising muscle by placing more of the creative burden on consumers themselves. Major companies like Frito-Lay, Coca-Cola, and Applebee’s have launched initiatives which have fans submit…
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A Peek at ‘Big Data’:Target, Walmart, and Your Kids’ Christmas Wish-Lists
We hear a lot about ‘Big Data’ these days. With mountains of information about the lives and behaviors of consumers, voters, residents, activists, companies, etc., firms in virtually every industry can make shockingly accurate predictions about what we’ll spend money on this holiday season or how we’ll vote in 2016. Big data is the alchemy of…
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Nostalgia Marketing
The difficult and essential job of marketers is to create a need or want that resonates with consumers. And in today’s increasingly dynamic marketplace, marketers are interminably adapting to consumer behaviors. Recently, cereal companies have found themselves fighting against the rising tide of health-conscious millennials and gluten-free eating by providing new, healthier offerings and repacking…
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Cheez-Its and Netflix: Confessions of a Young Mom
I was in the grocery store with my daughter and my 17-year-old sister, Kate. A woman walked up to Kate and asked, “How old is your daughter?” I was tongue-tied. After all, Kate is seven years my junior. This summer at the pool, a lifeguard asked me if I was on swim team. Mind you,…
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