by Mark O'Brien | Feb 26, 2015
According to dictionary.com, hype is a derivation of hyperbole: Origin: 1925–30, Americanism; in sense “to trick, swindle,” of uncertain origin; subsequent senses perhaps by reanalysis as a shortening of hyperbole That’s easy enough to imagine. A hyperbolic pitch...
by Mark O'Brien | Feb 23, 2015
I read an article in Inc., “It’s Official: Networking Makes People Feel Sleazy”, over breakfast the other morning. Its psychological premise engaged me fully, especially this: Just the thought of saying “find me on LinkedIn” is enough to...
by Mark O'Brien | Feb 16, 2015
Why does marketing inspire anxiety? I don’t know. But I have two theories. The first is that we possess a fundamental distrust of brevity and simplicity. The second is that we don’t recognize effective marketing is simple storytelling. Most of us think the...
by Mark O'Brien | Feb 13, 2015
When my three siblings and I were children, Mom and Dad took us to dinner at the historic Griswold Inn in Essex, Connecticut. The place was bustling, as always. Young members of the wait staff hustled from table to table, tending to their patrons. After a few minutes,...
by Mark O'Brien | Feb 3, 2015
In the late ’90s, I was invited to pitch the annual report business of the now-defunct Outpost.com. While there, I asked the Communications Director about the results of their recent television spot. She said, “Oh! The spot won all kinds of awards! The...
