I spent a few winter months of my childhood living in an 1800s watermill on a small farm in England. Inside the traditional farmhouse kitchen sat a large, blue, four-oven Aga cooker. Little did I know when I first experienced the warmth of that Aga stove that one of the most famous Madison Avenue advertising men of all time – “The Father of Advertising” – got his start in his early 20s as an Aga … [Continue reading]
About Josh Reed
What to do when your competitors are all screaming for attention
I’m sitting here on the plane about to take off from Vancouver, BC where we just presented messaging and positioning ideas to a great technology client in a very hot space. As always, we took a look at their competitors’ messaging. It turns out, almost all their competitors are positioning as the leader. No surprises there. We see this pattern across a lot of industries. What was surprising were the grandiose superlatives rampant in the … [Continue reading]
For Google’s head of marketing, it’s still all about the message
What’s top of mind for the marketing head at one of the world’s top three brands? It’s not what you’d expect. In a company known for its emphasis on data, analytics, and new technology tools – Lorraine Twohill, SVP of Global Marketing at Google, says great marketing still comes back to the basics of creative messaging. Here are a few key takeaways from her recent interview with McKinsey Quarterly*. Creative fundamentals are vital – even … [Continue reading]