Zoom Teaching – Week Four Observations
I am now in my fourth week of teaching on Zoom; so far I’ve taught 21 class sessions and I’m starting to feel more settled. I also did a round of student feedback. Here are some observations on the transition. It Works My biggest learning is that Zoom teaching works. I can present material, answer […]
Reopening: Conflict Ahead
A month ago I predicted that the world would shut down in a bid to slow the spread of the Corona virus, partly because health leaders did a very poor job explaining why it was important to shelter in place. In the absence of a compelling message, government leaders would have to use force to […]
Making the Transition to Online Teaching
I am a few days away from teaching my first official online class. The past week has been a blur of webinars and Zoom discussions. I am not ready for the new quarter, but I am getting there. Here are four things I’ve learned. Online Teaching is Better Online teaching is an improvement, at least […]
Time to Update the Marketing Plan
Many companies develop annual marketing plans. This is a natural approach – it aligns with the fiscal calendar of most firms, and it matches the natural pace of the year. Sometimes, however, it is necessary to revise the plan mid-stream. This is one of those times. A Different World Things have changed dramatically for companies […]
The Coming Shutdown
We are headed for lock-down. The specifics will vary from place to place, but more and more governments will be imposing regulations preventing people from venturing out. Yesterday Illinois joined many other nations and states and closed all restaurants. When you look at this with a marketing lens, the outcome is quite certain. The Virus […]
Transitioning to Online Teaching – Initial Thoughts
Like many professors, I’ll now be teaching remotely. Northwestern has cancelled in-person classes for a while and shifted everything online. The move brings up a lot of interesting questions about communication and presenting. I’ll share my learnings as I navigate the transition. Here are three initial observations. This Won’t Be Easy A few of my […]
Vail’s Lift Line Branding Disaster
If you are a Colorado skier, you’ve probably seen videos of Vail’s absolutely incredible lift lines. If you haven’t, well, take a look. The videos are terrifying for a skier; waiting in a lift line is always painful, but an epic lift line is astonishingly bad. Imagine being stuck in a line for an hour […]
Results from the 2020 Kellogg Super Bowl Ad Review
Super Bowl LIV featured some terrific football and some equally good advertising. There were some fierce competitive battles on the field and on the television. With a price of up to $5.6 million for each thirty seconds, advertisers invested in some remarkable creative. Overall, the quality of the advertising was high, and only a few […]
Olay’s Debatable Super Bowl Pivot
One of the interesting brands to watch on this year’s sold-out Super Bowl is Olay, the global skin care brand owned by P&G. Olay advertised on the Super Bowl in 2019 but is taking a very different approach in 2020. It is not clear how well it will work. Olay 2019 Last year Olay ran […]
Super Bowl Surprise: Sold Out at Record Prices
The Super Bowl is just over a week away, and one lesson is already very apparent. The Super Bowl remains the most important marketing platform in the United States. Huge Demand The evidence is quite clear. First, the Super Bowl is sold out. You can take that statement with a grain of salt because Super Bowl […]
A Look at the Super Bowl Competitive Battle
Super Bowl LIV is coming up in less than two weeks. Football analysts are now studying the teams – the Chiefs and the 49ers. It should be an intense battle. Marketing analysts are looking at the advertising matchups. There is a lot we don’t know at this point. We don’t know all the advertisers; many […]
2020 Brands to Watch
I just filmed my 2020 list of Brands to Watch. You can watch the video here or you can click below. A lot of intense competitive battles will play out this year – it will be an interesting time for marketers. Here is a review of my 2019 Brands to Watch.