My average article closes in on 1000 words. The impolite diaries are a chance to share bite sized (under 350 words) messages too short or too important to be a footnote in a “bigger” story but not quite large enough to be entire pieces on their own.
I think a lot about what brands that have failed to find their way in the world are missing and 9 in 10 times one critical mistake marketers are making is neglecting to find their antagonist, their ultimate enemy, and the thing they stand against. While it’s fine to say your brand is made of natural ingredients, family owned and passionate about giving back, as wholesome as these sound they are not nearly as compelling as building your brand story around a villain.
The election season will likely transform an already competitive advertising landscape into an even more intense battle for consumers’ attention. The good news is that for forward-thinking, strategic marketers, there are effective ways to overcome those challenges and even turn them into opportunities.
Grief is part of life and so you’d think that marketers would by now have figured out how to respond or at least how not to. But this past week, in the wake of Queen Elizabeth’s passing, we’ve seen fitness chain Crossfit share a workout themed“Queen Elizabeth II,” a combination of jumping lunges and muscle ups, broken up with a “1 min rest in silence.” and bakery chain Greggs in a rather odd marketing move, combed the web for a picture of the Queen that’s most in rhythm with the brand’s colors.
I instinctively feel the need to prefix this diary entry by saying that I enjoy what Peter Obi represents for Nigeria and Nigerians. Now that that’s out of the way, I can also say that the brand custodian in me is not a fan of the “OBIdient” tag and as we move into campaign season…
Like most people, I am often conflicted by my deep sense of nationalistic pride. My firm belief in Nigerianess and in the Nigerian spirit even when my belief in Nigeria as an institution is repeatedly tested.
To be Nigerian is truly something special: it’s to succeed in spite of, to learn to take when you’re never given, to rise in the face of. It’s a very powerful thing.
I entered Uni at 14 and for the first time in my life, I had a (rather large) room all to myself. So, to combat the loneliness, I started watching series to ‘fill the room’ while I slept.
It was always something light: comedy, never drama or horror and so naturally, “Friends” (the sitcom) often made the cut. This backstory isn’t really going anywhere. I just thought it’ll be nice to title the comeback blogpost like I was a main character in one of my favourite sitcoms.
On the blog today, I share what I’ve been up to these past few months, and why I’m ready to blog again.
2020 brought with it a lot of lows, but it also ushered in a wave of opportunities for remote work, new industries and ventures as well as booms to existing ones.
With a ton of people starting out new jobs and imposter syndrome at an all time high, I’m sharing 13 tips to get over your fear of failing at a new job on the blog today.
Bald is the new head, hairy is the new face, hand sanitiser is the new face of fear, veganism is the new “tastes like chicken,” texting is the new talking and embracing a mix of negative and positive reviews is the new face of business authenticity.
If you’re a business owner or brand custodian, you’ve probably been raised on the idea that positive 5-star reviews are all your business needs. It’s not hard to imagine why. Afterall, before you buy something online– whether it’s food at a restaurant, clothes or downloading a service application, you probably check the reviews to see if it’s worth the try.
So you should do everything in your power to try and get 5-star reviews across the board and prevent any negative reviews, right?
Over the weekend, Nigerian musician 9ice released an “apology” video asking fans to intervene in his 3rd marriage by pleading with his wife to forgive his infidelity.
Outside of my initial shock at the sheer manipulativeness of the entire situation, my next thought was just how dodgy it all was– the background music, the trademark patriarchal selfishness of the apology, the camera angles.
Bogus. Like many of the Black Friday deals you’ll be seeing this week.
With all the hype around Black Friday, you’ll be tempted to operate under the impression that every offer is worth trampling over fellow shoppers to get in on– both online and offline with retailers and grocers slashing prices to ‘rock bottom’ levels for one day only.
But research has found that that’s rarely the case.
1. Whether or not you need to, pee before getting in a car. Even if it’s only a short drive, Lagos traffic will humble you.
2. Happiness comes and goes, so aim for contentment. This can sometimes be achieved with a cold bowl of yogurt and granola. Or a cookie.
3. Choose small consistent efforts over sweeping life-changing declarations.