“People like us do things like this.” - what marketing is meant to demonstrate / evergreen advice from the irritatingly prolific Seth Godin A big part of the point of organizational storytelling is to encourage your audience to see themselves inside the story you’re telling. You want your audience to…

Why is “poverty porn” so offensive? This was one of the questions we addressed in a recent class I taught, all about storytelling for social good. We were talking about ethical storytelling — an important topic, and one that’s rising in the consciousness of for-profit and nonprofit marketers alike. So…

Imagine this. (Or, as a friend says, “think this crazy thought with me.” I like that.) You walk into a store. A real life, brick-and-mortar store. (They’re hot now, you know. Formerly digital-only brands are starting to really get in on the action.) The salesperson comes up to you, big…

How could we be serving our people better? Is there any more important question an organization can ask? When Anna Marshall, AdoptUSKids Director for Digital Media, asked this question, it led her and her team on a deep dive into customer journey mapping. (Anna led a wonderful session about her…

Question from Naomi: I’ve worked with several organizations and sometimes find myself in the position where I’m taking over an nonprofit’s social media and, up to that point, it’s been stiff and formal. I want to give it some life, add some personality and humor, but I’m concerned about making the…

“Welcome to Ask Me Another, the show that is bar trivia for people cleaning their bathroom…” Oh man did I laugh when I heard this silly little moment fall out of the mouth of Ophira Eisenberg. It was just too real. This is likely TMI, but I have definitely listened…

“What will you miss?” It’s such a simple, sweet, innocent question. And it’s so effective. I’ve wrapping up a video project with the good folks at Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership. A few weeks ago, we captured a series of interviews with current students, with the goal of…

Do you know about this podcast, “You Are Not So Smart”? Highly recommended. Deep, delightful, and the intro music is super wacky and always makes me smile. In a recent episode, “Rule Makers, Rule Breakers,” host David McRaney speaks with cultural psychologist Michelle Gelfand about her book of the same…