Marketing can be seen as telling your brand's story to an audience that wants to listen.

Is Your Marketing Worthy of a Sequel?

I recently watched 3 movies in a row (the only way to fill time flying across an ocean), and the best one was Despicable Me 2. It was simple, mindless entertainment that made me laugh out loud (which meant I got some funny looks from other passengers.) I assume it was my memories of the…

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being in the know, being in on a secret, makes a person feel special.

Being “in the know” makes you feel special

During Prohibition, speakeasies were supposed to be secret. You had to be “in the know” or know someone, in order to get in the door. Today, prohibition may be long gone, but speakeasies aren’t. There’s a speakeasy in East Village New York that’s hidden behind a phone booth in a hot dog joint. You heard…

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humor is part of our experience as humans, and credit unions need to be as human as possible.

Seriously, go for the grin.

If ever there was an industry that could use some help in not taking themselves so seriously, it would be financial services. So why are so many credit union Boards and CEOs against using humor in marketing and branding? It can’t be because humor is unpopular. From court jesters to comedians, humor has always been…

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what my generation wants and needs from credit unions, and the world in general.

Five things credit unions need to know about my generation

  As a college student, apparently I am a demographic that lots of credit union marketers are eager to reach. So I have been asked to write about what my generation wants and needs from credit unions, and the world in general. Okay. You asked for it: 1. We want to be treated like adults.…

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an object or element of design that serves no real purpose

Are blasts from the past holding you back?

As a Wordsmith (that’s the official title I put on my business cards, anyway), I’m a big fan of new words. I recently ran across a doozy: skeuomorph, an object or element of design that serves no real purpose, but only echoes some past object. For example, many calendar applications on modern-day computers and mobile…

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our minds naturally want to make sense out of all the randomness

Hot hands? Too easy.

Anyone that follows basketball knows about the “hot hand.” That’s when someone gets on a roll, making several baskets in a row. Teammates pick up on it and start feeding him the ball. Defenders start double teaming. The audience gets louder with each consecutive basket, and everyone expects him to make his next shot. Yet…

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Know what to give away in order to make more in the long run.

Jerry Garcia could teach you a thing or two

The Grateful Dead may not have been the best band musically, instrumentally or lyrically, but they may have been the best touring band ever. They were considered the “pioneering Godfathers of the jam band world” known for songs that went on and on, experimenting and mixing rock, folk, bluegrass, country and various other music genres.…

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It's time for credit unions to stand for something better.

I’m tired of “anything goes” – aren’t you?

Derek Jeter was found guilty of overacting when he was supposedly hit by a pitch — which instant replay showed hitting the handle end of the bat instead of his wrist. Later, Jeter claimed he was just doing his job, which was to get on base any way he can. Fans howled and sports commentators…

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