What kind of marketing is the most effective?

sneezr.ca Have you ever asked yourself that question? I did. In fact, many years ago I spent countless hours trying to figure it out.
The answer turned out to be quite simple: word of mouth marketing. Or as I call it: the art of cultivating recommendations.

Surprised? Probably not. With recommendations, there is no sales pressure and no credibility issues. When your friends, family members or trusted co-workers recommend something or someone to you, they are genuinely trying to help you. That means a lot, which is why you usually remember it for a long time. But here is the catch: recommendations must be earned. How do you do that? Where do you start? How do you give people a reason to talk about your products/services? How do you nudge your story into every day conversations? I launched sneezr.ca to help you answer those questions.

Why IKEA’s Australian Recruitment Campaign is Brilliant

Image via http://bit.ly/vHiEo7

What’s the secret behind IKEA’s business success?
In a word: simplicity. Case in point: continue reading

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A simple idea that shines

Watch the above video to see how young inventor Richard Turere invented “lion lights,” a simple and elegant way to protect his family’s cattle from lion attacks.

continue reading

The Journey of Story

A good story can lead us to answer our own questions and reach into the realm of our own most intimate thoughts, to places endeared, guarded or forgotten. —Lon Parker

Does this ever happen to you?

How often do people come to you for advice or suggestions?
a. always
b. frequently
c. occasionally
d. seldom
e. never
If a., b., or c., could you turn your tips into products?

The road to success – simplified

Drawing by Demetri Martin from This Is a Book

Mar 25, 2013

How does UNI QLO offer the product we can’t stop buying?

UNI QLO offers the product we can’t stop buying. And what’s that product? It’s a good experience.
How do they do it? The long continue reading

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It’s easy to forget that…

In the 21st century, seniority doesn’t trump performance.
Case in point: The Khan Academy, a small team of non-traditional educators doing something big.

Have you ever heard this one?

“We love our template website!”
—Said no one, ever

The advertising business, what’s it really about?

The business of advertising, done right, is more about making things understandable than about persuasion.

Mar 21, 2013

A good name is the first step to fame