Stand The F*ck Out

I wrote a medium article seven years ago following my first interview with Seth Godin. The article went "viral" with over 28,000 reactions. Let's revisit it... Most of the so-called marketing “influencers” out there are celebrities. They’ve made it. They’re not in the trenches anymore. They forgot how to “do” marketing; their employees promote their new books for them, build their new websites, launch their new products… All they have to do is sign their name under whatever new projects and...

9 - Hillary Weiss Contagious confidence, slick social selling, and disco balls. 8 - Cindy Gallop "I like to blow shit up. I am the Michael Bay of business." Cindy is a fierce advocate for gender balance in the marketing industry. 7 - Amelia Dimoldenberg Okay, she's pretty well-known, but I really like how she balances her real identity and her alter ego (as the creator of Chicken Shop Date). 6 - Amanda Natividad The "iron fist in a velvet glove" marketer. She gives marketing a better name. 5...

A couple of weeks ago, I got a question from the Head of Marketing of a fintech startup. Biggest problem… we are focusing on building organic growth. Starting to focus more on SEO content, linked back to personas, distributing content where the audience is and testing content via social media before going deep on content themes/topics. My biggest problem is how long this strategy will last with the launch of Searchgpt and AI search engines. Will there be much value left in broad-term...

Last Thursday, I shared a picture of ENGINE's super distinctive gin bottle container: Source. Newsletter reader Paul sent pictures of three additional bottles that grab his attention whenever he sees them. I recently started reading your newsletter, and I'm a big fan! This latest email really hit me on the head because I'm a gin drinker and have always been surprised/shocked/impressed with Engine's container. Talk about standing the f*ck out and having the courage to do something truly...

Let's play a little game. First, read this: "ENGINE is a distilled gin (42% vol.) hand-crafted by master distillers, produced in small batches and bottled by hand in the Alta Langa region, in north-western Italy." Ok, now open your eyes. Ah, yes, sorry I never asked you to close them. Anyway. Second, what do you imagine this gin bottle to look like? Where's the label? What's its color? What about the shape? The cap? Try to visualize it as best as you can. Ok, cool. I don't know about you, but...

Bonjour bonjour Reader, I got an interesting reply from yesterday's email about Lilas Louise's grey hair. I am going to let you read it first: Not sure you are willing to offer free advice, so I understand if this email goes unanswered. I have a big nose. It's the one feature people notice about me right away. Adults generally don't comment on it, but I know behind closed doors, I can imagine conversations like: Rick: "You mentioned [redacted]. Who is he?" Suzie: "You know, [redacted]. The...

Bonjour bonjour Reader, Meet Lilas Louise Maréchaud: She's a former lawyer who now owns a hiring agency for... lawyers. We met "virtually" a few years back and "for real" last year during a private workshop I ran in Paris. But that's not what I want to discuss today. Lilas Louise started getting gray hair when she was only a teen. When it started to spread, she quickly decided not to dye her hair—too much hassle. Little did she know that this decision led to a competitive advantage years...