Where Science and Art Meet

In marketing (as in baking) there’s always some tried-and-tested recipe that people say works. It comes with the kind of directions that seem too easy to mess up. When it comes down to it, marketing is based on science, but it’s still pretty easy to screw up. Why is that?

Culture, AdvertisingAshley VillarrealMarch 5, 2020marketing, art, cooking, cake, cookies, recipe, entrepreneurship, data, business, degree, pie, directions, how to, science, arts, creativity, creative, advertising, success, TED, difference, campaign, audience, awareness, diversity, brandingComment

For a Stronger Brand, Find a "Black Hat"

As I sit here typing this, Mark Zuckerberg is mea-culping live on CNN about Facebook’s privacy breaches. In parallel, our good friends (forgive the sarcasm) in Russia are endorsing their candidates for the 2018 U.S. elections. Not to mention, the credit reporting agency Equifax has—well, the kimono isn’t just open, it’s gone.

Advertising, Culture, NewsTom GearyMarch 26, 2018advantage, agency, benefit, best, black, brand, business, campaign, company, content, critical, data, Experian, Facebook, failure, finance, hat, headline, impact, important, Mark Zuckerberg, marketing, media, mistake, perspective, Prudential, retirement, Schwab, smart, speech, startup, strategy, success, tech, technology, thinking, tomorrow, transform

A weekend in Tahoe. It's a hard job, but somebody's got to do it.

As Agency of Record for North Lake Tahoe Visitor’s Bureau, our mission is to raise awareness of North Lake as the state’s top destination. The theme of our campaign: Escape to North Lake Tahoe.

Culture, AdvertisingTom GearyMarch 12, 2018ad, advertising, agency, awareness, best, bureau, business, campaign, communication, coverage, creative, destination, event, follower, friendly, growth, guide, hotel, Hyatt, insider, local, marketing, North Lake, photo, professional, promotion, record, Ritz, San Francisco, scale, scenic, ski, small, social, sponsor, Squaw, Tahoe, tech, ticket, top, tourism, travel, vertical, video, virtual, visitor, weekend

Turns Out You Can Buy Love

Recently School of Thought conducted a test of what is unquestionably the easiest way to get Twitter followers. Simply buy them.

Advertising, CultureTom GearyFebruary 28, 2014ad, advertising, age, agency, Bay Area, best, business, buy, campaign, coverage, documentary, easy, followers, growth, local, marketing, professional, San Francisco, scale, sell, social, tech, top, Twitter, web

The Measurement Myth: Humanizing Social Impact

In advertising, creativity is measured to “ensure” the right message hits the right audience. Many times this analysis paralysis is the quickest way to hinder creative expression and innovation.

Diversity, AdvertisingRachel NewellMarch 17, 2013agency, audience, awareness, Bay Area, best, business, campaign, company, connection, difference, ethnography, evaluation, growth, human, impact, initiative, Jack London, market, media, message, myth, potential, product, professional, research, results, San Francisco, scale, small, social, study, top

The census should be this interesting (Hmmmm).

Trade shows are a fact of life. I can’t count the number I’ve attended. No matter the industry, it seems like a virtual certainty that booth traffic is never quite as high as anybody would like.

Advertising, CultureTom GearyJanuary 14, 2012active, arts, attendees, Black Swan, business, campaign, communication, contact, coverage, documentary, economist, engagement, exhibit, growth, hurricane, industry, information, local, market, marketing, press, professional, San Francisco, scale, school of thought, solution, sponsorship, thought, video

Oh, do we have thoughts