My lovechild with Queen Elizabeth I

by Sally Hogshead on January 16, 2012

Queen Elizabeth I was known as “The Virgin Queen.” Yet now, ladies and gentlemen, it’s my pleasure to introduce our lovechild.

blackshirt headshot twitter 236x300 My lovechild with Queen Elizabeth I

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The Queen face disk My lovechild with Queen Elizabeth I

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hogshead elizabeth My lovechild with Queen Elizabeth I

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How did this Elizabethan portrait My friends Steve and Patrick took my Twitter icon, and added the Prestige trigger (along with a wallop of Photoshop sorcery).

Patrick described how he created the image: “The secret is almost do a forensic layering process – ghosting layers and changing angles so that all the facial planes are the same.” Ooooh. I think that sounds every bit as cool as it looks.

Voila! Royal fascination.

How Marketers Would Relaunch the Christmas brand: Part II

by Sally Hogshead on December 24, 2011

iStock 000002475114Small 150x150 How Marketers Would Relaunch the Christmas brand: Part II

Start by eliminating wasteful frivolity!

How could a marketer squeeze every penny out of the Christmas brand?  Earlier this week, I proposed a number of delightfully ridiculous suggestions. Now in Part II, let’s see how far a marketing company might go to monetize the Christmas corporation.

MEMO
TO: The Santa marketing team

Team, here are our recommendations for maximizing profits for the Christmas brand.

PARTNERSHIPS WE’D LIKE TO SEE:

1. Extra-Strength Mistletoe, brought to you by Viagra

2. “Super Silent Night” made possible by Bose noise-cancelling headphones

3. Mangers with crib-rocking feature, by Babies ‘R Us 

4. Frankincense bath soaps by Body Shop

5. Virgin Mary cocktails for all ages, by V8


HEY! IDEAS FOR REVENUE:

1. Sell ad space on Santa’s sleigh to Expedia.com

2. Bethlehem theme ride at Disney

3. Have our network of mall Santas to build database of toy requests, and sell as trendcasting data to Target

4. Toy delivery merger with Fedex

5. Instead of handwritten letters to Santa, charge for calls with Skype

We look forward to discussing this with you. Please note: Our offices are closed this week for Christmas.

Sincerely,

Acme Marketing Company

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Okay, your turn. What do YOU think should be reinvented from the Christmas brand? 

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Cut and paste these retweetable bits for your holiday cheer:

How Santa can increase profits for the Christmas brand (chock full of hyperbole!) » http://bit.ly/rOMLRc by @SallyHogshead

Christmas products we’d like to see: Extra-Strength Mistletoe, brought to you by Viagra » http://bit.ly/rOMLRc by @SallyHogshead

Christmas products we’d like to see: Frankincense bath soaps by Body Shop » http://bit.ly/rOMLRc by @SallyHogshead

Should Santa sell ad space on his sleigh to Expedia.com? » http://bit.ly/rOMLRc by @SallyHogshead

How Marketers Would Relaunch the Christmas Brand: Part I

December 22, 2011

Imagine if a marketer tried to update the Christmas brand for 2012. Would eggnog be mixed with RedBull? Would elves be outsourced to India? Let’s find out, in this (very tongue-in-cheek) look at Christmas through the eyes of a marketer.

Read the full article →

QUIZ: Are You a Fascinating Leader?

December 5, 2011

Do you have the ability to influence the ideas and actions of others? Do you build strong emotional connections? You will, once you apply your natural fascination advantages. This short quiz will help you see the ways in which you can more effectively persuade employees, customers, and the world around.

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Find a goal that scares the crap out of you

November 14, 2011

What do you stand for, really? Once you figure that out, and then steer your life toward it, you can start to realize your true potential. Here’s my own goal: I want to help you become your most fascinating. Because when you fascinate, your biggest ideas can actually make a difference.

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The fascinating Harvey Mackay

November 4, 2011

Few professional speakers have achieved the cult-like status of Harvey Mackay. And no wonder. His readers can be found in corner C-suite offices, around management conference rooms, and throughout entry-level cubicles. His best sellers include Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive, which was a New York Times #1 best seller for 54 weeks. Everyone, it seems, can [...]

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You are the shiny object killer.

October 3, 2011

Your customer is distracted by a thousand shiny objects. Each one has the potential to sabotage everything you’re doing to communicate and connect. You can fight against distraction and captivate your customer. And, you can do it using your personality’s own natural strengths.

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Refuse to castrate your career.

August 26, 2011

With the economy freaking out, we all want to play it safe to protect ourselves. But don’t play it so safe that your spirit– and your options– get castrated. Take your career out to stretch its legs, to exercise and explore. Send it out on adventures. Let it fail, so that you can succeed.

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Does the best person always win?

August 24, 2011

The “best” person doesn’t always win. But you can. If you can harness something about yourself– if you can identify and isolate a competitive advantage within yourself, it’s better than being THE BEST. In this video nugget, I’ll share why.

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Stop trying to be BETTER.

August 18, 2011

“Better” is a flimsy advantage that can be toppled in a millisecond by someone with a bigger following, a fancier degree, a lower price, a more convenient location, a shinier award, or newer technology.

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