Story Behind the Strategy I Marketing Insights

I once maintained a list of businesses we absolutely should NOT approach for sponsorship. It started with two columns: advertisers who would appreciate the unscripted chaos of a Facebook Live show, and businesses our hosts had already made fun of on camera. Guess which column was longer? Sometimes the smartest sponsorship strategy isn't finding another advertiser. It's knowing which ones to avoid.

When a creator recommends your product, you aren't just buying access to their audience. You're borrowing the trust they've spent years building with it. From Ray Narvaez Jr. to Fyre Festival, what happens when marketing becomes dependent on someone else's reputation?

Did you generate 200 leads, or did 200 people let you scan their badges? From hula hooping at a radio station booth to B2B trade shows and client dinners, measuring event marketing ROI starts with knowing what you showed up to accomplish.

Marketing data gives us more numbers than ever, but collecting data isn't the same as knowing what to do with it. Sometimes the most useful marketing question is also the simplest: “So what?”

When executive opinion becomes a directive, marketing strategy can quickly turn into compliance. But who actually has the authority to push back? A look at power, customer insight, and why silence doesn't always mean agreement.

Companies already employ people with expertise worth sharing. Employee thought leadership gives those people room to develop a recognizable point of view—building credibility for the organization while creating a professional reputation that can travel with them.

Experienced professionals aren't always looking for a new career when they explore another course, certification or degree. Good continuing education marketing recognizes what they've already accomplished, understands what they're trying to learn next, and gives them a reason to keep exploring.

B2B events are more than booths, badge scans and lead lists. The real value comes from meaningful conversations, stronger relationships and content that continues working long after the event ends. In 2026, the best events aren't just lead generators—they're trust engines.

A recall, wildfire, canceled event, or global crisis can make yesterday's marketing plan irrelevant overnight. The strongest strategy isn't always sticking to the calendar—it's knowing what purpose to protect, what format to change, and when it's time to abandon the plan entirely.

Nostalgia gives brands something incredibly valuable: emotional equity. But lean on the past too heavily and a brand can become afraid to create new memories. Modernize too aggressively and it can erase the things customers loved in the first place. From Spider-Man and Google to Cracker Barrel and Pokémon, where's the line between preserving brand history and becoming trapped by it?

FOMO is more than the fear of missing out. It's the art of helping customers imagine a future they don't want to miss. Discover why urgency can accelerate decisions, why Disney's influencer ecosystem is so effective, and why long-term trust always outlasts short-term scarcity.

Viral campaigns create awareness, but do they build loyal customers? Learn why great brand marketing strengthens awareness, recall, preference, and loyalty instead of overshadowing the brand.

Over the past week, my LinkedIn feed has been filled with talented marketers from Sprout Social announcing they were looking for their next opportunity. Many loved what they were building. Many had spent years strengthening the company's brand. Overnight, they became a cost reduction—a line item on a spreadsheet. Thomas Barta and Patrick Barwise discuss this challenge in The 12 Powers of a Marketing Leader. Marketing is one of the few departments that is routinely expected to

Everyone deserves a voice. Not every opinion becomes the strategy. One of the biggest misconceptions about marketing is that everyone should get an EQUAL vote.