How grateful do you feel each day? To what degree do you express your gratitude and appreciation to others around the office? If the answer is “not a lot,” you’re not alone. The Blessings of Gratitude We’ve previously discussed negativity bias—the brain’s predisposition to favor negative experiences, thoughts, and...
Harley-Davidson, Nike, Coca-Cola, and Apple logos have been permanently etched into the skins of customers worldwide. Why do they do it? Why do these raving fans, or what we call Brand Lovers, scorch their bodies with a company’s mark? And what can marketers and brand managers...
Heaven's Gate, Jonestown, Scientology, Manson Family ...
As human beings, we have many different kinds of relationships. The relationship you have with your boss is probably very different than the relationship you have with your romantic partner, and both of these relationships are different from the relationship you have with your favorite...
In 1901, Ivan Pavlov rang a bell and a dog began to salivate. His famous experiment explains much of the mystery behind branding: connect a product or service with the customer’s need and branding occurs. Said another way: create an association in your customer’s mind...
Management guru Peter Drucker coined the term “knowledge worker” in 1959.[1. Peter F. Drucker, The Landmarks of Tomorrow, 1959.] He differentiated knowledge workers from manual workers, forecasting that new industries will employ mostly the former. Late in his life, Drucker wrote, "The most important contribution management needs...
All brands want more loyal customers. The reasons are clear: more repeat business, more positive word of mouth, and greater customer lifetime value. Customer loyalty for many national brands is in decline. Switching brands in the digital age is easier than ever before. But, that’s not...
Remember Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs? Biological needs. Safety and shelter needs. The need to belong and to feel loved. Self-esteem and the need to feel good about oneself in relation to others. These are basic human needs. Every human being has them. Every customer is constantly...
The hero starts out in an ordinary world before venturing into a special world. He meets friend and foe. He undertakes quests. He faces challenges. Winning a decisive victory—realizing his final goal—the hero returns from the adventure, transformed, bearing wisdom and new powers from his journey. This hero’s...
Brian is a 40-year-old executive at a software company. He’s married with two kids. Between work and family life, Brian hasn’t had much free time. But, Brian has a warrior in him screaming for actualization. He wants to train and complete a triathlon. Brian is married...