Change its name. I know – the company is already remodeling stores and not exactly swimming in cash. Besides, they went with "The Shack" in a 2009 "rebranding" campaign and it didn't seem to turn things around. Plus, CEO Joe... Continue reading

Some of the "youngest" marketers I've worked with are able to recall the day Batman made its television debut; some of the “oldest” can’t recall a time before Batman Returns opened in theaters. But this isn’t about a Dark Knight.... Continue reading

A friend recently told me about an inbound marketing advocate who called him "old school" for using a mix of inbound and outbound marketing. For those unaware of the difference: -Inbound marketing pulls in prospects and customers via organic search,... Continue reading

Imagine a CEO telling a highly accomplished Sales VP, "I’m giving you one shot at your sales strategy. If what you implement doesn’t work out of the gate, you’re out." Of course, that scenario rarely happens in rational businesses. But... Continue reading

Business-to-business marketers generally enjoy an advantage over their business-to-consumer counterparts. With average lifetime customer value reaching the five-, six-, or seven-figure range in many cases, the breakeven point on B2B marketing programs is often quite low. At our marketing shop,... Continue reading

Talk radio has, for decades, made many advertisers a lot of money. Listeners tend to be devoted to their favorite broadcasters. These personalities often act as talent in radio ads – especially for advertisers making a large commitment. With stars... Continue reading

I launched Freaking Marketing in 2006 to address rarely-discussed marketing topics. Including controversial ones. The blog exposed, among other things, unscrupulous advertisers and absurd practices. No topic or personality was off limits. Not even the sainted advertising legend David Ogilvy.... Continue reading

Surprise! C-suiters like CEOs, CFOs, and CSOs are now among the most enthusiastic marketing advocates. Those endless debates on the need for a respectable marketing programs budget? They’re far less common. And remember the guy who knew half his advertising... Continue reading

"The show we create here has to have people leaving and not being able to turn it off. They shouldn't be able to go to sleep. They have to see the sun come up and still be talking about it."... Continue reading

You're looking at one of the most profitable direct response ads -- ever. It was conceived and written by Joe Sugarman, living legend of our Facebook group. Over the years, Joe sold around 20 million pair of BluBlocker sunglasses. These... Continue reading

"Beating the control" is the art and science of defeating a reigning direct marketing champion: measurable advertising that's been victorious in projectable split-run tests, or advertising that's never been tested head-to-head but has run at an acceptable profit. Some "control"... Continue reading