Articles

You’ve seen Pulp Fiction, right? It’s the classic 1994 dark comedy crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The film is highly stylized, presented out of chronological order, and filled with eclectic dialogue that reveals each character’s perspectives on various subjects. And yes, it’s profane and violent. Pulp Fiction was nominated for seven Oscars, including Best Picture. …

Digital marketers have been guided by six powerful principles of influence that have been at the foundation of offline sales and marketing for a century or more. Reciprocity, linking, authority, social proof, consistency, and scarcity are influence elements that your content marketing should consistently reflect. Those six elements were defined and backed up by social …

Scarcity. In a nutshell, opportunities of all kinds seem more valuable to us when they are less available. We are often more motivated by the prospect of losing out than by gaining something of the exact same value. For example, studies have shown that physician’s messages that encourage people to stop smoking are more effective when stating …

No, that’s not a typo in the headline above, as we’ll soon see. But first, some disturbing news. It’s become fairly well-known that unfortunate events reported heavily in the media lead to other similar unfortunate events due to copycat behavior. Suicides, murders, and school shootings tend to occur in alarming clusters once the news about …

If you have kids (or have been a kid), and celebrate Christmas, you’ve likely witnessed an interesting phenomenon. Every year, there’s that one “it” toy. Starting way back in the mid-80s with the Cabbage Patch Kids, and followed by Beanie Babies, Furby and Tickle Me Elmo, there’s at least one crucial toy that every kid …

One of my favorite episodes of South Park is when crass little Eric Cartman puts on a police officer’s uniform. He trolls around on his Big Wheel, screaming “Respect my authori-tie!” before bashing people with his baton. In his quest for authority, Cartman knew what he was doing by putting on that uniform. And given that he …

At the 1985 Academy Awards, actress Sally Field won Best Actress for Places in the Heart, after having won the same award in 1980 for Norma Rae. She never actually said the exact words I use in my headline, but everyone thinks she did. Regardless, Sally nailed it. Liking matters. In my previous life as a litigation …

What do you think would happen if you sent out a large batch of Christmas cards early in the month of December — to complete strangers? Nothing? Maybe a few confused phone calls or letters? Nope. Most likely you would receive an avalanche of Christmas cards in return, from people who don’t even know you. …

Once upon a time, before there was digital anything, creative types used to haul their freelance portfolio around in a binder or folio box to show their work to prospective clients or employers. Luckily for all of us, scrapbooking prowess is no longer a prerequisite for successfully going freelance. And the opportunity to strut your …