The Existential Doom

07/01/2023

In "Contagious: Why Things Catch On", Jonah Berger analyzes a variety of phenomena, such as growing name brands, upscale eateries, and YouTube stars, that become popular through word-of-mouth advertising, drawing on his own brilliant research. The seeming randomness of trendiness hides discernible dynamics: we naturally talk about things that seem to be trending, secretive, useful, or unusual, that evoke our emotions, that pop into our minds regularly in everyday situations, and that wrap themselves in interesting narratives.

He uses these principles to shed light on a variety of marketing mysteries, including why a Philadelphia restaurant thrived by charging $100 for a cheese steak, why "Just Say No" advertisements may cause children to say yes, why people occasionally pay more in order to receive a discount, and why that Budweiser commercial with the dudes saying "Wassup?" was genius.

27/12/2022

Whether you're buying a car, negotiating a salary, buying a home, renegotiating your rent, or deliberating with your significant other, life is a series of negotiations. A book I read this year (although it's much older) made me rethink how negotiations can be handled much, much better. I honestly can't recommend it enough, if you haven't already read it.

Penned by hostage negotiator for the FBI Chris Voss, the book lists out nine effective principles that you too can use to become more persuasive in both your professional and personal life.

17/12/2022

The disruption to normal working life over the last few years has reinforced the critical role HR plays in managing a business's reputation – and, as recent media stories aptly demonstrate, it is the “people” news that can often attract widespread public attention.

The disruption to normal working life over the last few years has reinforced the critical role HR plays in reputation management.

16/12/2022

From the butter board craze to the catchy song “It’s Corn!”, TikTok gave us dozens of new trends this year. https://buff.ly/3YtGmPd

From the butter board craze to the catchy song “It’s Corn!”, TikTok gave us dozens of new trends this year.

16/12/2022

The former CEO, IKEA Italy, and Spain talks about the challenges of localizing while staying true to the brand ethos.

Belén Frau, Former CEO, IKEA Italy, and Spain talks about the challenges of localising while staying true to the brand ethos. At the sidelines of her visit to India, ETBrandEquity caught up with Belén to talk about her journey at IKEA, and understand the opportunities and challenges a global organ...

16/12/2022

The rise in big tech’s activity on TikTok is reflective of a larger cultural movement.

The explosion of TikTok's popularity has pushed it into big tech's focus and companies including Apple, Microsoft and Google can't ignore the platform.

14/12/2022

Five campaigns that used OOH advertising as a perfect PR play.

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For The Drum’s out-of-home Deep Dive, Emma Grace of PrettyGreen argues that outdoor advertising's role in PR is too often overlooked.

14/12/2022

Were they the best campaigns of the year? Arguable. They were, however, regarded as campaigns that gave us the feels – in a good way. Here are 9 marketing campaigns that boosted the mood in 2022.

Watch them here:

Amid persistent economic woes, an ongoing war and a series of controversies, efforts by McDonald’s, Old Spice and Chipotle found a way to cut through the noise.