Hyper-truth:
The power of speaking plainly
Sometimes being “hyper” is a good thing. Hypersonic speed! Hyperbolic growth! Hyperscale data centers! But not when it comes to pure, unadulterated hype. You always know it when you smell it: Manure. Confection. Froth.
When copywriters start to embellish … to stretch … to beg for attention, they can slip into a sinkhole of hyperbole. And alas, cast into the land of click-bait, they no longer speak with a calm, credible voice.
How will your story be told?
Have you ever played connect-the-dots? There are many different ways to interpret the same data points and build them into a narrative. How does this story unfold? It’s written in the stars. (1:15)
The Name Game: Capturing the essence of your brand
People sometimes ask me about the name Ten Nine Eight. What was the inspiration?
It’s really no mystery. I was a child of the early NASA years, watching those epic missions on a flickering Zenith® TV as we clutched our breath through that moment of truth: “Ten ... Nine ... Eight ...” Technology was taking us places we could barely imagine.
That countdown echoes in other ways, too. Just think: Where were you on New Year’s Eve at the turn of the millennium? Probably with someone you love, chanting, “Ten ... Nine ... Eight ...”
Marketing Best Practices:
Follow the yellow-brick road
When you start a new marketing job, it can feel like you’ve landed in Oz, surrounded by a cast of strange new characters and customs.
Sure, you’re experienced and adept — agile, analytical and leaning in like the Tin Man. But what you really need now is a map to guide you over that troublesome rainbow.
The Curiosity Shop:
How to ask smart questions
and discover new directions
What gives someone the gumption to jump into a totally new industry — with a new ecosystem, new technologies, new products and a whole new lexicon?