At an event in Orlando in 2009, the CEO of Harley Davidson heard the same question over and over: when are you going to design a Harley for women?  Now, apparently.  The company’s SuperLow features a lower seat and weighs 150 pounds less than its brawnier counterparts, making it much easier for female riders to…

A study published in the American Economic Review Journal showed that we’re willing to pay more for something we can see.  If your server asks if you “left room for dessert,” chances are you say no.  Get a look at the dessert tray, though, and not only are you likely to opt in, you’ll be…

Every business wants positive media attention.  But most set a goal of getting articles written about their products or services – in other words, free advertising.  Here’s a better idea.  Think of reporters as prospects.  They have a job to do, and one of the things they need is a roster of experts they can…

A recent presentation for online advertising began with – wait for it – a long history of internet usage.  By the time the sales pitch kicked in, the audience was bored out of its collective mind, and no one was buying anything.  The lessons?  Leave history in the classroom.  Know your audience.  Have something exciting…

Watch the intro to any NFL game, and you’ll hear sportscasters debating the merits of the teams about to play, weighing the unique advantages and flaws each brings to the field.  Here’s something worth considering: if commentators were introducing a match-up between you and your competitors, what would they cite as your strengths?  Your weaknesses? …

Webroot, a maker of anti-virus and anti-spyware software, needed a way to leapfrog larger, better-known names like Norton.  The solution?  A free web application that keeps you off social media sites if you’re under the influence.  You specify the hours during which you’re likely to overdo it, and during those times, the software requires you…

The following is an actual e-mail sent from a client (not ours) to a designer, who was being scolded for changing double hyphens to em dashes, fixing erroneous capitalization of articles in headlines, repositioning pictures and words that were crashing into each other, and allowing text to reflow for better spacing.  As a cautionary tale,…

If you market to consumers, you have a couple of things to worry about.  The first is selling to your present market; the second is cultivating the next generation of buyers.  Two-thirds of Americans enjoy at least one cup of coffee every day – but only a quarter of those ages 18 – 24 do. …

Quick – name one company you’d love to have as a client.  What would you do to land that client?  What have you done so far?  If your company’s success is based on a small number of the right clients rather than simply attracting whatever business you can, why not put a scope on your…

Too often, companies try to get more for their marketing dollar by cramming all the benefits they can into every ad.  And while it seems to make sense on the surface, the truth is that people usually retain only a single idea from any marketing message.  What’s worse, when there are too many ideas in…