Blog

What Are We Doing?

So we’re heading toward the office of a client for a meeting. We were in the historic Halle building in Cleveland. It was a beautiful fall day, and Jeff Mamula, our Director of Business Development and I had just walked up to the third floor on the open sweeping staircase …

Maybe the time for these ideas has come. Or maybe not. What if we had no limits? I was watching the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebrations on TV. Everyone was wearing top hats that had a huge NIVEA logo on them. They were being interviewed under a NIVEA banner …

The Biggest Trends of the Past Decade and One to Watch in the Next

2000–2009 BROUGHT BIG CHANGES Every decade has events and developments that have significant impact on society in general and business specifically. Who would have thought that after the “dot-com” boom of the ’90s, this decade would bring even bigger changes? DECLINE OF NEWSPAPERS Rarely has an industry seen such a …

What High School Football Can Teach You About Marketing

I was cold, muddy and tired as I stood on the sideline next to Don Bucci, the head coach of our football team. He surveyed the situation; it was 3rd down with 4 yards to go.Then, in the ear hole of my helmet, he said, “Sweep right.” I ran in …

The Power of Negative Thinking

Show ’em the down side — and sell more WE DON’T LIKE CHANGE Most humans avoid change. We only change when we must. When we do change, we change as little as possible.For example, let’s say you love pizza and wings. But every pair of pants you own is so …

Which Dog Catches the Rabbit?

FOCUS can be your most effective marketing tool Former head coach Sam Rutigliano was asked why his Kardiac Kids were one of the most successful Browns teams ever — even though they didn’t have the most skilled players. I heard him tell this story at the Valley Impact Awards. BLUE …

Zen and the Art of Lawn Maintenance

TO FIND ANSWERS, SEEK ACTION In the past few weeks, we’ve worked on some challenging projects at Farris — helping people make tough decisions and get their messages out.An Austintown healthcare pioneer retired from a business he had built and loved. In doing so, six beloved employees had to be …

Can a Community Create a New Brand?

BOARDMAN RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES ARE GOING TO TRY“A Nice Place to Call Home” proclaim the signs entering Boardman Township. “A traffic nightmare,” proclaim some holiday shoppers. “You must have a location there,” say most retailers. “The Valley’s new center of healthcare,” say medical experts. So which is it? What captures …