Archive for the ‘On Values’ Category

If You Had Only a Few Months

I attended the calling hours of my good friend’s father this week. He’d tragically lost a two-year battle with Cancer. I couldn’t help but be reminded of how lucky Nick and I are to still have mom here after over 14 years since her diagnosis. I’ll never forget the morning I was stopped in my tracks after reading Derek’s last blog post on my smartphone. While I never met Derek, he was a devoted dad and husband just like me. If You Only Had a Few Months What if you knew your end was near? What would you do? How would you spend the time you had left? What priorities that you have today that would be displaced by things in life that suddenly seemed more important? Would you spend time wondering why those were not as important all along? Would you blog your last days or spend more time on Facebook reconnecting, sharing your thoughts and aspirations for those in hopes that some digital legacy of your own existence might be left to comfort those who would morn your passing? Or, would you shut off the internet all together, hoping to remove distractions and devote more attention to the immediate and real? What would you do if you suddenly learned you only had a few months left? photo by: donebythehandsofabrokenartist nateriggsLike what you just read and want to get my posts delivered to your inbox? SUBSCRIBE HEREMore Posts Follow Me:

Read This Post

How Spotify Reduces Backlash and Retains Customers for the Long Term

Try as we will, one thing is certain — no business, no matter how wonderful the product or service — will deliver perfectly, all of the time. Things will eventually happen that will breach the trust of customers and potentially their taste for what they are buying. Case Study: How Spotify Reduces Backlash and Retains Customers for the Long Term Earlier this week, I checked-in to my local Urban Active Fitness location to get in a fast and furious workout before hitting the work grind. I’ve written about my usual routine of plugging into old favorites like Green Day, Rage Against the Machine and other motivational bands to help get my blood flowing during workouts. This routine is important to me, and helped to has breed my sincere love affair with the one of the hottest music apps on the market. Except … this time, it didn’t work. Try as I might with resets, power down and a few cuss words, I just couldn’t get the Android app to play my workout tunes. Bummer. And, since I ma an Android user, plugging into my iTunes library was not an alternative option. I went about my lifting and running with somewhat of a sour taste in my mouth, especially since I’m a premium customer of the brand. Milk had been spilled, but with a busy day ahead, I moved on and all but forgot about the incident. A day later, I received the email below in my inbox. Due to the size of the font and my commentary, it’s been broken into a few pieces for this post. Hook Attention by Leading with an Offer This immediately got my attention.  I receive a few emails per month from Spotify, usually suggestion new music or potential friends I might connect with inside their music sharing network. I’ll admit that most of the time, I delete [...]

Read This Post

Joe Paterno: The Tragic & Swift Death of an Iconic Human Brand

I started to learn about brand early on in my career by working in a retail design agency. One of the mantras of that company has always stuck with me over the years. “It can take years for you to build a brand, and only an instant to destroy it.” Sounds pretty serious, huh. The truth is … the statement wasn’t simply a brochure scare tactic designed to make clients and prospects think. It’s absolutely true. Lasting Impressions Are Hard to Come By Joe Paterno’s death is on the mind of millions today, saddened by the news late last night that the famous JoPa had passed away from complications with Cancer.  His career and legacy at Penn State is, and shall always remain legendary. Not many coaches (or leaders in general, for that matter) have worked across generations of players, even developing father and son player legacies. Aside from the emotions shared online today by hundreds of thousands of Penn State fans, marketers will remember this nearly Shakespearean tragedy as one of the most brutal unraveling of an iconic celebrity persona in the history of human brand. Consider the timeline of major achievements and events that made up the essence of Joe Paterno’s brand as teatherd to Penn State University and the Nittany Lion football program: 1950 — Joe Paterno and is named an assistant coach at Penn State University 1969 — Nearly 19 years later as head coach, Joe Paterno hires Jerry Sandusky to be Penn State’s defensive line coach. 1983 — Penn State claims it’s first national title defeating Georgia in the Sugar Bowl. 1984 — Joe and Sue Paterno establish the Paterno Libraries Endowment with gifts totaling $120,000. 1986 — Sports Illustrated names Coach Joe Paterno its Sportsman of the Year following Penn State’s undefeated regular season. 1987 — Penn State defeats Bowling Green, staking claim [...]

Read This Post
  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11