Learnings from Teaching a Hybrid Course
I recently wrapped up the winter quarter and this week I’ve been reflecting on what I learned. It was a new experience because I was teaching my Marketing Strategy course in a hybrid format, with some students in the room and some elsewhere. Back in the fall I had a mix of in-person and Zoom […]
The Problems with Student Debt Forgiveness
One of the most intriguing ideas floating around Washington these days is student debt forgiveness. Some politicians are arguing that the U.S. should forgive $50,000 of student debt per person. Other people think it would be better to forgive all the debt. It might be possible for Joe Biden to make such a move because […]
Joe Biden Embraces the Power of Marketing
Joe Biden last night delivered a sober, thoughtful address looking back on a difficult year and promising hope for the future. The speech was remarkable for its tone. There was no boasting, no declarations of victory, no personal attacks on his opponents. It was simply a credible review of where we are now in the […]
The Kellogg Super Bowl Ad Review: 2021 Results
The 2021 Super Bowl was notable for some great football but, for advertisers, the more interesting challenge was the complex environment – a struggling economy, a raging pandemic, political conflict. Many of the core Super Bowl advertisers took a pass this year: Coke, Pepsi, Audi, Hyundai and others. One reason was likely the creative challenge; […]
A Pandemic Super Bowl
We are days away from the Super Bowl, the biggest marketing event in the world. It will be a very different game this year, with few big parties, not many people in the stands and no vast fleet of corporate jets winging in with big spending executives. The advertising will also be different. Watch for […]
A Case Competition Adapts to a Zoom World
COVID19 has turned the world of education upside down. The classroom experience has changed in profound ways; some instructors are teaching completely on Zoom, others are wearing masks and speaking to small, distanced classes, others are working to figure out a hybrid system. Still others are experimenting with asynchronous content to complement synchronous classes. Of […]
2021 Brands to Watch
The year ahead promises to be interesting for lots of brands. Politics will certainly dominate the headlines. Can Joe Biden unite the country? What will Donald Trump do next? What happens to the Republican party? Many other brands face an uncertain year, too. Here is my list of 2021 Brands to Watch.
Looking Back at my 2020 Brands to Watch
Every year I identify some brands to watch. Here is a look back at my 2020 brands.
Learnings from the Kellogg Classroom – Fall 2020
This is an off week for teachers all around the world, and a great time to reflect. The few remaining Christmas festivities are largely behind us and classes have not yet started up. So I sat down with all the student feedback I received from the fall quarter to reflect on what I learned. The […]
Three Learnings from Election 2020
Donald Trump seems reluctant to believe it, but we are now well past the election. It is a good time to consider what we learned. I think three things stand out. The Democrats Need Better Marketing If you’ve been following this blog, you know that I’ve been unimpressed with the marketing efforts coming from Joe […]
Political Ad Review: The Final Spots
We are heading to the finish – people are voting, Trump and Biden are crossing the country to rally support, and the final ads of the season are coming out. Today I want to look at two of these spots, ads that could not be more different in tone and style and effectiveness. Trump’s Law […]
Political Ad Review: Biden and Dogs – The Election’s Defining Ad
Every once in a while you come across a piece of advertising that somehow perfectly fits the moment. These usually aren’t the most rational ads, or the most entertaining. For George Bush, it was Ashley’s Story, a simple yet remarkable spot that somehow made sense of an entire election. Why vote for George Bush? Because […]