Teams
The article reframes business performance around the concept of interconnected "Teams"—human groups, product categories, and marketing channels—that collectively drive customer outcomes. It argues that traditional metrics like digital advertising ROAS fail to capture the value added by these teams, especially as AI threatens to automate many functions. By highlighting gaps in measurement and leadership accountability, the piece calls for a new framework that evaluates team effectiveness and storytelling. The author warns that without such a framework, organizations risk losing strategic control to AI-driven solutions.
Brawndo
The post uses the 2006 film "Idiocracy"—specifically the Brawndo scene—to illustrate how corporate leaders can become so entrenched in a single narrative that they ignore critical data. It recounts a cabinet member insisting plants need Brawndo and another dismissing factual...
American Top 40
The post revives the classic American Top 40 radio format as a template for modern email marketing. It proposes a weekly “Top 40” list of best‑selling products, ranked by combined sales, units, and conversion metrics, and suggests distributing the list across email,...
I Asked The Question Because ...
A recent analysis shows that mailing catalogs to reactivation candidates is financially unsustainable. With a demand price of $1.30 per book and an advertising cost of $0.90, the profit calculation yields a $0.38 loss per mailed item, translating to a...
A Shift in Leadership
The author reflects on a fifteen‑year evolution from abundant, often chaotic leadership in early retail to a modern landscape dominated by charismatic thought leaders. He argues that figures like Seth Godin have reshaped marketing rhetoric, favoring flashy, low‑effort advice over genuine...