Recent Articles

I spent twelve of the best years of my life with Pizza Hut as a member of one of the finest regional marketing teams ever assembled. We were good! Shout outs to some other members of this team including industry leaders like Frank Strangis, Dave Reno, Frank Arnone, and Bob... Read more

Last week while I was waiting for an appointment I came across a review of a book titled “The Mobile Mind Shift” on my smartphone. I decided that I wanted that book so I connected with Amazon and ordered it with one click. Earlier this week my daughter Katherine told... Read more

I should have stopped by the restroom before getting onto the plane. By the time we’d boarded, waited for clearance, finally taxied halfway to our destination and taken off I was counting the seconds until the “keep seat belt fastened” light went off. As soon as it did I jumped... Read more

Sometimes to make a game or activity more fun you can just change the rules. In business when it’s almost impossible to compete in a traditional manner you must change the game by changing the rules.... Read more

Everyone has rules. They are the fundamental principles that guide us. If you watch NCIS you are aware of Gibb’s Rules. Gibbs is the team leader and members of his team frequently refer to his rules by Rule Number. They rarely if ever quote the rule so the viewer is... Read more

My friend Clark asked if I’d seen the new Coca-Cola Sixer 6 pack for cans. It is a slimmed down version of the Fridge Pak. He was aware of my connection to the original Fridge Pak and wanted to make sure I saw this new version. I set out immediately... Read more

It was 1991, well before cell phones had made their debut and the front desk attendant had just given me a pink message slip as I was headed out to dinner. A reporter from the Atlanta Journal Constitution had called and wanted to speak with me. I purposed to call... Read more

“We need a go-to-market strategy for our retail channel customers that allows us to leverage our wealth of consumer and shopper behavioral research to their advantage.” My client went on to further clarify the assignment, “We know more about when and why people drink soft beverages and how they shop... Read more

After writing about Taco Bell’s assault of the fast food breakfast daypart and McDonald’s response I set out to get some firsthand battlefield exposure. Heading out with my trusted sidekick Joshua, we set our sights on Taco Bell to get our mitts on some Waffle Tacos, from there we’d go... Read more

Disclaimer: my blogs record history as I remember it. They may or may not be historically accurate but the recollections will be consistent with the sentiment of my topic.... Read more

A recent sidebar in the Wall Street Journal alluded to Wheaties tradition of featuring high profile athletes at the peak of their popularity on their boxes and bemoaned the fact that this brand has fallen dramatically in its performance and value over recent years. I was reminded of this dramatic... Read more

“Got a minute?” Ron asked, “Bo wants to see us.” “Sure,” I said thinking, “what in the world does Bo want?” Bo Batchelder was Hardee’s Sr. VP Marketing and he’d never wanted to meet with me before.... Read more

It was Wednesday and I’d just come back from getting two chicken salad sandwiches to-go from Mrs. C’s Carolina Café. They used to make the best chicken salad sandwiches in the world. As I approached my desk I noticed the proofs from Friday night sitting in the corner of my... Read more

Everyone else left around four to get an early start to their weekend. The phone on Ron’s secretary’s desk had been ringing on and off the hook for the past three hours. I was almost done with the shipping lists for the POS and tray liners for Hardee’s new Big... Read more

As I was introduced to my new team mates a couple of years ago I was referred to as a “seasoned marketer.” That’s a kind way to describe a grizzled veteran of 36 years. I liked it and have come to embrace this descriptive classification fondly.... Read more