Listen to the consumer, or… not? First up, a clip of Steve Jobs explaining how Apple made a list of things they wanted to build for their customers. By asking them. And not focussing on their competitors. But we also have Adam Ferrier explaining why you shouldn’t talk to customers *gasps* and how research can …

Worshipping the wrong heroes Martin Weigel, CSO at AMV BDDO, says that strategy is in urgent need of reformation, that it has become obscured by myth, misinformation and process.  In noting that 40% of CEO’s think their company will not be economically viable a decade from now, he states: The inconvenient truth for those who …

“The road to hell is paved with good intention” Nick Asbury spoke a metric tonne of sense in his 3 part blog on brand purpose, ticking off what it is, why it leads to worse marketing and the alternatives. From part 2: “The purpose is a just-so story that is retrofitted to the business later, …

Soccer moms and NASCAR dads “A common trick to make a target group sound like it’s worth focusing on is to highlight what is distinctive about them, at the expense of what is important.” I came across that piece of source code in an article about the ‘Mondeo man’ and the myth of such political …

Kicking off with a bang Well, well, well. This is a perspective I haven’t heard before: Malcolm Gladwell on why you shouldn’t start your talk with a bang (does this count as one?!) “I want them [the audience] to be in a different place than they were at the beginning […] So my worry is …

The reaction to the reaction that created more reaction It wouldn’t be an issue of The100 without Ritson’s recent ruminations (apologies for the excessive alliteration). He’s written about the US backlash to a Bud Light ad and how it shows the complexity of mass marketing: “Watching the full interview with Heinerscheid [VP, Bud Light] is …

The real event in London last week Last week we were lucky enough to welcome 200 of you lovely readers to our event in London on liars and lying. There were no crowns, 12th century spoons or grim reapers (ummm, what was that please?), but we did have 11 brilliant speakers and a few scoops …

“Computers and society are out on a 1st date” There’s a metric tonne of gold dust in The Steve Jobs Archive. It’s stacked with memos, emails and interviews. Including this, from circa 1976 – 85: “Apple’s strategy is really simple. What we want to do is put an incredibly great computer in a book that you carry …

What we can learn from priests in a hurry Richard Shotton has delivered many a wise word over the past couple of weeks. First, he was in the hot seat on the Uncensored CMO podcast and made a particularly good point around how removing even the tiniest bit of friction can have outsized effects on …

Averagers Assemble Alex Murrell’s piece on the age of average is spot on. Since when did everything start looking the same? However depressing that is, it does present a huge opportunity to stand out: “when every category abides by the same conventions, when every industry has converged on its own singular style, bold brands and …