07 Apr

By Chief Executive Optimist of The Life is good Company Bert Jacobs I met BJ 3 years ago at a business conference in Chicago. He led a group of 25 or so CEO's through a workshop. When the session was over, he and I went out for a few beers at a local dive bar. We had some good laughs and a meandering, yet riveting conversation. I found it refreshing that he didn't need to tell me about his accomplishments. I meet interesting people in my travels all the time, and I am sometimes the type that connects instantly, but this was different. Midway through our conversation, it became apparent to me that BJ and I would be friends for the rest of our lives.
13:09 / Leadership
10 Mar

I have observed and quantified the phenomenon of Cult Brands since 2001, and Crown Business published these findings in 2002. One thing that I quickly learned is that Cult Brands have mastered the art of building meaningful, long-term relationships with their customers.
11:24 / Marketing
03 Mar

Ten-Countries-200-Billion-Later By the former Chief Marketing Officer of Walmart, Paul Higham I suspect that most 13-year-olds are curious about their future—I know I was. One day, my mother brought home a little black and yellow hard-backed book called Careers (I’m not entirely sure of the title, as this was nearly 50 years ago). I found a quiet place and devoured the book.
13:37 / Marketing
23 Dec

Last week, we wrote about the power of the individual customers to transform your business. The intensely-devoted customers we highlighted—the Brand Lovers—seek out like-minded individuals to form brand communities. These groups become close-knit with ties that resemble family—or in modern parlance: they become framily. Here’s a...

12:41 / Marketing / Personal Development