Based on JP’s 35-year career in marketing and experience building brands, growing small businesses, and navigating B2B and B2C strategies, we are launching short blog posts and podcasts under the theme "100 Things I Learned About Marketing in 35 Years That AI Won't Tell You." We are planning on highlighting human intuition, long-term wisdom, and the art of marketing that transcends data-driven algorithms.
These are the topics that will be tackled in these short posts.
The Human Element: Customer & Team
Why listening is the most powerful marketing tool.
The one metric that truly measures customer loyalty.
The art of the handshake: Why relationships still beat algorithms.
Why you can't automate empathy.
How to sell to people, not personas.
The difference between customer data and customer insight.
Why a great marketing team is more than the sum of its parts.
How to spot a marketing "yes-man" and why you shouldn't hire one.
The importance of "front-line" marketing: what your sales team really needs.
The lost art of writing a compelling story.
Why good marketing feels like a conversation.
The unexpected lessons a customer complaint can teach you.
How to build a brand that people want to belong to.
The power of a simple "thank you."
Why word-of-mouth is the original viral marketing.
The gut feeling: when to trust your intuition over the data.
The value of a strong referral network.
Why your brand is not what you say it is, but what they say it is.
The emotional connection: why people buy on feeling, then justify with logic.
The 3 things every great marketer has in common.
The Art of Strategy & Branding
Why brand development is a marathon, not a sprint.
The biggest branding mistake I ever made and what I learned.
The one question you must ask before starting any marketing project.
Why a marketing plan should fit on one page.
The power of simplicity in a complex world.
How to find your true brand story.
The difference between a logo and a brand.
Why being different is better than being better.
The secret to growing a brand with zero budget.
The power of consistency in brand messaging.
The one thing every great brand has in common.
The importance of knowing when to say "no."
Why a great brand is like a great friend.
The strategic value of a great marketing crisis.
How to build a brand that endures.
Why the best marketing is often invisible.
The difference between a trend and a movement.
Why a good strategy is simple to explain.
The importance of knowing your enemy, and yourself.
How to get out of your own way to build a great brand.
B2B and B2B2C Specific Insights
The subtle art of B2B storytelling.
How to sell to the C-suite without a single buzzword.
The real difference between B2B and B2C marketing.
Why the hero in your B2B story is the customer, not your product.
The importance of making your B2B marketing personal.
Why B2B marketing requires a long game.
How to navigate the B2B2C maze.
The one B2B marketing tool you can't live without.
Why you're not selling to companies; you're selling to people in companies.
The secret to marketing to a service-oriented industry.
The role of trust in every B2B transaction.
How to turn a one-time client into a lifelong partner.
The power of a great case study.
The importance of a great first impression.
The one thing that will always close a deal.
Operations, Execution & Growth
Why the best marketers are also great project managers.
The secret to a lean and agile marketing team.
How to get big results with a small budget.
Why a pilot program is a marketer’s best friend.
The one metric that will kill your marketing plan.
The power of "test and learn."
How to measure what really matters.
Why the last 10% of a project is the most important.
The unexpected lessons a failed campaign can teach you.
How to scale marketing efforts without losing your soul.
Why your marketing plan should never be finished.
The importance of a post-mortem: what went wrong, and why?
How to turn a marketing problem into a growth opportunity.
The strategic value of a great spreadsheet.
The power of a great follow-up.
The Future of Marketing (That AI Won't Tell You)
Why AI is a tool, not a strategy.
The rise of the empathetic marketer.
How to future-proof your marketing career.
The one skill you need to survive the next 5 years.
Why marketing is becoming more human, not less.
The ethical side of data: why trust is the new currency.
Why the best ideas still come from the shower.
The importance of being a curious marketer.
Why marketing is a liberal art, not a science.
The strategic value of a great relationship with your CEO.
Why you can't automate creativity.
The one thing AI will never replace.
The power of a great question.
Why the best marketing is often counterintuitive.
The future of brand building is personal.
The Unexpected Lessons
The lessons I learned from a car wash.
Why a great convenience store is a masterclass in marketing.
The power of a good cup of coffee: marketing lessons from a cafe.
The unexpected wisdom from a gas station attendant.
The most important thing I ever learned from a competitor.
The lessons from a marketing mentor.
The one book every marketer should read.
The best marketing advice I ever received.
The secret to a great marketing presentation.
Why marketing is like a great chess game.
The lessons from a marketing failure.
How to make a big idea small enough to sell.
Why your marketing is only as good as your product.
The one thing I would do differently if I started today.
The most important thing I learned in 35 years: it's all about people.