Posts tagged as:

principles of persuasion

Note to CMO: Context is King

by Stephen Denny on February 25, 2008

Dear CMO: My nine year old son told me last week that he reluctantly had to fire his math teacher. His class is split into two groups, one the advanced group he was originally assigned to and the other moving at a standard pace. His work was fine — he was getting good grades and [...]

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Note to CMO: Starbucks, Sharper Image, and The Tao of Focus

by Stephen Denny on February 20, 2008

Dear CMO: It has been said that the jackrabbit knows many things, while the hedgehog knows one thing — very well. Multi-tasking notwithstanding, recent news items seem to show the virtue of the hedgehog in newer light. Sharper Image is declaring bankruptcy. I don’t follow Sharper Image anymore, as they never figured largely into any [...]

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Note to CMO: The Hardness of Soft Skills

by Stephen Denny on February 11, 2008

Dear CMO: Soft skills aren’t soft. They’re bloody hard. “Hard” means, “I can measure the return on investment, the incremental lift in unit sell-through, and the increases in customer loyalty, and therefore, it’s true.” ‘Hard’ skills mean I have mastered four-function math. “Soft” skills require an understanding of human brain science, the psychology of influence, [...]

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Note to CMO: The Social Psychology of Blogging

by Stephen Denny on February 4, 2008

Dear CMO: The CMO Council’s 2008 Outlook asked its readership what sources they trusted most for marketing insight, information and best practices and found that “peers” were the most influential. Word of mouth usually comes in #1. And blogs? Blogs were dead last. This is very interesting stuff. Let’s take a deeper look (unless you [...]

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Note to CMO: Contrast, Framing, and the Cynic

by Stephen Denny on January 24, 2008

“Our Assumptions Determine Everything.” Monimus the Cynic The Cynic was right. Our assumptions determine everything, from the prices of commodities to whether we like the third ad concept the agency has shown us. What comes first is our frame of reference; what follows either looks bigger or smaller by comparison, depending on where our understanding [...]

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