Jim Holbrook is CEO of EMAK Worldwide, a family of marketing agencies including Upshot, Equity Marketing, Logistix and Neighbor. He was formerly president of Zipatoni, an independent agency that was sold to IPG. Prior to Zipatoni, Jim served in management and marketing positions at Ralston Purina (now NestlePurina) and P&G. Jim graduated from Washington University and Vanderbilt University. More about Jim Holbrook.
Yeah, no, that’s not a picture of me…. (thank you Google Images)
I left home this morning without my iPhone. This is the first time since August 2005 that I have been without mobile connectivity, seriously. I don’t really know what happened, how I could have had such a mental lapse. I recognized my mistake [...]
Plan the Work and Whack the Mole!
“I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable” – Dwight D. Eisenhower
I am flummoxed at how businesses large and small do planning. I have seen everything from fire, fire, fire to the most rigorous matrixed multi-faceted linked excel workbooks with circles and arrows.
So, what constitutes [...]
This is not exactly a book report. My 21 year-old son was recently assaulted and is suffering from head trauma (showing miraculous signs of recovery), and along the way a friend gave me Jill Bolte Taylor’s book, My Stroke of Insight. (http://www.amazon.com/My-Stroke-Insight-Scientists-Personal/dp/0452295548/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245162989&sr=8-1)
Well, ok but what does this have to do with doing better [...]
I recently had a wonderful, lengthy, wide-ranging conversation with one of our clients. I don’t do this nearly enough, and it’s always a top new years’ resolution for me. Anyway, upon reflection, I think our conversation covered the five universal truths in marketing. I submit them here for your consideration:
1. Good ideas come from anywhere. [...]
Marketing is under siege, and for at least twenty-five good reasons.
Here they are:
1. the definition of marketing has evolved from ‘meeting unmet needs’ to ‘getting rid of the shit we make’… being a pusher sucks
2. terminology like ‘audience’ is a farce- They aren’t your audience because they aren’t watching, sorry… ‘consumer’ is also misdirected, because [...]
With a nod to Edgar Degas, his quote about painting works well for marketing….
“Marketing is easy when you don’t know how, but very difficult when you do!”
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