The year ahead
A new year. And a reminder of our obsession with linear thinking in the West. For us, time is linear. We conceptualise it as a straight line, with the past behind us, and the future stretching out ahead of us. But, in the East, time is conceptualised as being circular. Everything goes around and around. ...
How to grow your brand
Sunday. Beautiful day, crisp and windless. Jazz under the oaks at Steenberg. The legendary Andrew Ford on keyboard, Wes Rustin on bass, and me. What more could a jazz musician ask for? And an appreciative lunch time crowd. Or so I thought, until we were packing up at the end of the gig. An elderly ...
Brand visibility
The most important imperative for any brand is to be visible. To be seen. In as many places and in as many situations as possible. And yet so many brands are almost faceless, really making it difficult for them to succeed. Do not confuse above the line advertising with visibility. Visibility is about standing out ...
Ad testing gone wrong
Many advertising practitioners, particularly creatives, detest advertising research in whatever form. It has now been conclusively proved that much of their resentment is justified. Most ad testing lacks any form of validity, and is often plain wrong, incorrectly condemning ad campaigns to the scrap heap. Nice confirmation of this was provided a couple of years ...
What advertising actually does
Okay, so advertising is not terribly good at causing sales. So, what now? Is it a complete waste of time? Well, it depends……. The first thing to point out is that our minds are extremely efficient at screening out stimuli considered unnecessary for us to take in. We don’t make these screening decisions consciously, they ...
One is wonderful
Ever wondered why some really big companies continue to thrive, even when their service stinks? And some really good start-ups wither on the vine? The answer is double jeopardy, one of the most valuable learnings for any marketer. Much of the research confirming the existence of double jeopardy is due to Andrew Ehrenberg, an eminent ...
Welcome to Butch’s Blog.
After 33 years in the marketing industry, and endless months of being on the road around the globe, I have seen more than enough to give me a feel of the marketing industry in terms of expertise, ethics, and a willingness to face up to the truth. This blog will feature my thoughts about current ...