Magic is in high demand and short supply.

As usual. While we shelter in place/self-isolate/self-quarantine/work from home/maintain social distance, we hear the familiar plaintive outcry for magic. Instant solutions that will get everything back to normal by Thursday. Wouldn’t it be pretty to think so. That prudent position — accept what you can’t change, change what you can’t accept — requires a clear-eyed examination of both “can’t” realities. …

Want to hear the simple secret of a branding miracle?

Ever notice how many clickbait headlines online  invoke the words “trick,” “secret,” or “simple”? (Yes, we’ve all clicked on them.) The simple secret of a branding miracle, of course… does not exist. Nor, may I add, is there a “trick” to weight loss, home buying, marriage, public policy, child raising, investing, radioactive waste , wine pairings, religion or elections*. No …

Research Firm Ranks Top 25 Branding Agencies of 2019…

And we’re #11. Not at all bad, since the list is international in scope. According to the press release we saw: “DesignRush.com, a B2B marketplace connecting brands with agencies, discovered how the best branding agencies build unified brand identities across many channels. These strategies help growing companies capture consumers, increase awareness and recognition, and ultimately improve revenue.” Read more here.

Grammar’s stupidest rules – and when to obey them

Many rules of grammar, usage, and punctuation make sense. But others are questionable, such as not starting a sentence with “but.” Why are grammar rules often stupid? They were the artificial creation of purists (many in the 19th C.) who admired Latin grammar so much, they tried to shoehorn English into it. The effort was and is a continuing clusterfail. …

Clutch.co honors our Chicago office… again.

Killian Branding Identified as a Top Advertising and Branding Agency Marketing partners are crucial to any business in today’s rapidly changing competitive world. Killian Branding specializes in branding strategies to grow businesses to their highest potential.  So how can you find a great partner? Every month, Clutch.co researches and announces the top-performing companies for a given focus on their platform. …

Shorten your sales cycle with two kinds of insight

Is a long sales cycle a fact of life for you? Nobody makes an impulsive decision to buy from you. You must nurture the people in your pipeline: from suspect to prospect to lead to hot lead to customer to brand enthusiast*. (Don’t neglect that last one; they’re big-time influencers on social media.) The Buyer’s Journey can seem endless, but …

7000 to 1

There are technology tools to help you in every phase of marketing. In fact, almost 7000 of them. Your marketing stack is likely to be unique: choose database A plus email program B, then add analytics tools C … soon, you may be tempted to add Shiny Objects D and E, and things can get very Rube Goldberg* in a hurry. …

The animals go #uncaged!

I was quoted in USA Today, commenting on the branding impact of this redesigned snack package: The article, which you can read here, says the change to #uncage the animals was urged on the maker (Mondelez/Nabisco) by PETA activists. USA Today wanted me to assess whether there would be any resistance to the change from traditionalists. Maybe. Every change to …