My average article closes in on 1000 words. The impolite diaries are a chance to share bite sized (under 350 words) messages too short or too important to be a footnote in a “bigger” story but not quite large enough to be entire pieces on their own.
I love words. Some of my favorite books are my favorites for the simple reason that I walked away from them with an army of new words and phrases to infuse into everyday life. Now, there’s a downside to my preoccupation with words. I hold a grudge when they’re used carelessly. Even worse? When a…
Naming is part of marketing. To hang a dog, you must first give it a name. You don’t have a brand – company or product until you have a name. My favorite way to think about naming is as hooks to hang stories and ideas on. But names are more than that. Rob Meyerson defined…
1. Life is what you negotiate. It’s cute to think you get what you deserve but more often than not, life will give you what you ask out of it.
2. No matter what people will have you believe, the presence of emotion is not the absence of logic. Never be ashamed of being a person that feels.
3. Life is long. You live long enough to see heroes become villains and villains turn into heroes.
4. Your family loves you. No matter how many times they ignore your saying “It’s in the fridge doesn’t mean you can help yourself”
5. The tension between security and adventure is a paradox to manage, not a problem to solve. You can’t choose between inhaling and exhaling – you have to do both.
I think a lot about what brands that have failed to find their way in the world are missing and 9 in 10 times one critical mistake marketers are making is neglecting to find their antagonist, their ultimate enemy, and the thing they stand against. While it’s fine to say your brand is made of natural ingredients, family owned and passionate about giving back, as wholesome as these sound they are not nearly as compelling as building your brand story around a villain.
The election season will likely transform an already competitive advertising landscape into an even more intense battle for consumers’ attention. The good news is that for forward-thinking, strategic marketers, there are effective ways to overcome those challenges and even turn them into opportunities.
Grief is part of life and so you’d think that marketers would by now have figured out how to respond or at least how not to. But this past week, in the wake of Queen Elizabeth’s passing, we’ve seen fitness chain Crossfit share a workout themed“Queen Elizabeth II,” a combination of jumping lunges and muscle ups, broken up with a “1 min rest in silence.” and bakery chain Greggs in a rather odd marketing move, combed the web for a picture of the Queen that’s most in rhythm with the brand’s colors.
I instinctively feel the need to prefix this diary entry by saying that I enjoy what Peter Obi represents for Nigeria and Nigerians. Now that that’s out of the way, I can also say that the brand custodian in me is not a fan of the “OBIdient” tag and as we move into campaign season…
Like most people, I am often conflicted by my deep sense of nationalistic pride. My firm belief in Nigerianess and in the Nigerian spirit even when my belief in Nigeria as an institution is repeatedly tested.
To be Nigerian is truly something special: it’s to succeed in spite of, to learn to take when you’re never given, to rise in the face of. It’s a very powerful thing.
I entered Uni at 14 and for the first time in my life, I had a (rather large) room all to myself. So, to combat the loneliness, I started watching series to ‘fill the room’ while I slept.
It was always something light: comedy, never drama or horror and so naturally, “Friends” (the sitcom) often made the cut. This backstory isn’t really going anywhere. I just thought it’ll be nice to title the comeback blogpost like I was a main character in one of my favourite sitcoms.
On the blog today, I share what I’ve been up to these past few months, and why I’m ready to blog again.
2020 brought with it a lot of lows, but it also ushered in a wave of opportunities for remote work, new industries and ventures as well as booms to existing ones.
With a ton of people starting out new jobs and imposter syndrome at an all time high, I’m sharing 13 tips to get over your fear of failing at a new job on the blog today.