Note to CMO

Note to CMO: Joe Louis, Billy Conn and the Importance of Focus

Stephen Denny — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:40:31 +0000

Dear CMO: In June of 1941, Joe Louis was fighting a losing fight against light heavyweight champion Billy Conn at the Polo Grounds in New York in what has been described as the greatest fight in boxing history. Louis was at the height of his power and abilities. At 169 pounds – an almost impossible to [...]

Note to CMO: Robin Li, Herman Mashaba and “Being One of Us”

Stephen Denny — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:52:48 +0000

Dear CMO: In one corner, the reigning industry champion, weighing in at a few billion in revenue, with massive budgets, headcount and resources. In the other corner, the local favorite – considerably smaller, home grown, and a dangerous scrapper. The heavy weight versus “one of us.” My money’s on the little guy. The importance of “we” has been [...]

Note to CMO: Eric Ryan, Method and the Joys of Being an Outsider

Stephen Denny — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 15:25:52 +0000

Dear CMO: I spoke with Eric Ryan, co-founder of Method, about how a brand can successfully struggle with internal brand tension and the fun of fighting for retail shelf space against competitors who spill more detergent at the loading dock than you manufacture. There were dozens of great nuggets from the conversation, but one in particular [...]

Note to CMO: Anwar Sadat, the Nobel Peace Prize and the Psychology of Influence

Stephen Denny — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:00:43 +0000

Dear CMO: The Nobel Peace Prize voting committee did something very clever last week. I say this from the standpoint of a marketer - not because of any personal political leanings. What the Norwegians and other assembled delegates did this past week is something anyone who deals with customers, business partners or competitors needs to study carefully. In a [...]

Note to CMO: Rio and The Map

Stephen Denny — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 18:27:24 +0000

Dear CMO: The story goes that Rosser Reeves, ad man responsible for the “unique selling proposition” and slogans like “I Like Ike” came across a man begging in the street one afternoon and offered him a suggestion. Instead of “I am blind,” Reeves added a sub-text to the man’s plackard, so the story goes, that not [...]