Jason Feifer

This tweet went viral.

But the reason isn’t as obvious as it appears.

Yes, Chewy delivered great customer service. That deserves praise.

But this tweet went viral because tons of OTHER people had similar experiences — so when they saw it, they replied and shared with their own experiences.

Consider:

🎨 Chewy makes 1,000 oil paintings of its customers’ pets PER WEEK, and sends them out as gifts!

🌸 Chewy regularly sends flowers to people when their pets die.

😊 Chewy has a team of more than 2,500 trained customer service reps who respond quickly and kindly.

Delighting one customer is great. But when you delight ALL your customers, they'll join together to shout your praises.

THAT is how you go viral.

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Siete just sold for $1.2 billion — because the founders pivoted AWAY from their original vision.

Siete makes tortillas and chips, but it started life in 2014 as a brand called Must B Nutty.

The name referenced its main ingredient and differentiator: It uses almond flour, not grains. That was unique at the time — so they emphasized it on simple plastic bags.

But as the brand took off, large competitors followed — and being grain-free was no longer as special.

So, what set them apart next? AUTHENTICITY. This tortilla brand is made by a regular Mexican-American family, the Garzas of southern Texas!

They leaned into that: They rebranded as Siete (named after the seven family members who run it) and adopted bright, bold patterns to emphasize their heritage.

That became the foundation for their success. Before, the PRODUCT told the story. After, THE BRAND told the story.

Last week, PepsiCo announced that it’s buying Siete for $1.2 billion. Could you imagine that deal for Must B Nutty?

It’s important to ask: “What makes me different?”

But it’s critical to KEEP asking that question — because the answer may change over time. And you must change with it.

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🍏🥤 Are you an early-stage CPG founder? I'm working on something to help you grow — get in touch here: https://lnkd.in/eus58752

This BMW ad made worldwide news — but its real genius came with one tiny detail at the end.

Here’s what happened…

Mercedes-Benz and BMW are longtime rivals. So when Mercedes-Benz CEO Dieter Zetsche retired in 2019, it was a big deal.

BMW hired a Zetsche lookalike, and filmed this ad showing “Zetsche” on his last day at work… then going home, and secretly speeding off in a (lol!) BMW i8 roadster.

The ad ends by thanking Zetsche “for so many years of inspiring competition” — and THAT is when it succeeds.

Here’s why: Consumers love competition, but they hate aggression.

It’s why we love sports, but especially love sportsmanship — seeing competitors respect each other, help each other off the floor, or hug when it’s all over.

Bitter rivalries feel personal, and push people away. Good-natured rivalries feel fun, and invite consumers in.

Don’t hate your competition. Thank them. They make you better every day.

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🚀 Every week, I share one way you can improve your work — and build a career or company you love: jasonfeifer.com/newsletter

This insurance company started sending unusual bills — and it’s part of a strategy every brand should follow.

I loved this story: A woman named Melody got bills from her insurance company, and the envelopes were elaborately decorated.

She loved them and looked forward to them. One day she called to ask: Who’s decorating them?

It was accounting clerk named Emily, who explains: “I like to make people happy.” Now she and Melody are friends.

Here’s why this is powerful...

Most companies stop at “functional.” They think: Did the product ship? Did the payment go through?

But brands create emotional loyalty by asking something more: “How does this make people FEEL?”

The hold music, the confirmation email, even the envelope — if you think those are “just details,” you’re missing the point. They’re not support systems; they ARE the experience! And they’re all opportunities to impress.

Sometimes it just requires imagination... and a company culture that empowers people like Emily to make others smile.

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Free stuff sucks.

Now HERE is how to be memorable, according to behavioral economics!

🍺 THE CONTEXT:

In 2015, the microbrewery Farnham Ale & Lager set up these machines at beer festivals.

On the front, it said (in French): “Shout out your bitterness and we’ll replace it with ours.”

When people screamed, the machine dispensed a beer — the louder they were, the more bitter the beer!

🧠 MARKETING GENIUS:

If you give people something for free, they’ll take it — and forget it. No value was exchanged, so they don’t value it.

Instead, make them pay — but in a non-monetary way.

Behavioral economist Dan Airely writes: When you attach meaning or a social element to an incentive, it FEELS MORE REWARDING (and is more memorable).

By asking people to scream, Farnham turned a giveaway into a joyful shared experience — and THAT is what lasts.

To increase your value, don’t just decrease your price. Increase your meaningfulness!

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Now THIS is how you speak to young people — and turn them into customers.

When Uber launched its student membership, its agency Special US looked at how other tech brands talk to teens.

It saw Gen Z slang and TikTok dances, desperately trying to be “relatable.”

So while other brands tried to speak LIKE students, Uber decided to speak TO students — as intelligent humans who can spot pandering from a mile away.

That’s why they cast 78-year-old Brian Cox as a college freshman, who’s there just to get his student discount. Because it’s that good.

The results:

• Students became Uber's FASTEST-GROWING membership segment
• Awareness jumped 7% in US, 15% in Canada
• They exceeded ALL acquisition targets
• Oh, and the ad just won an Emmy

The lesson is brutal but simple: Stop trying to BE your audience. Start RESPECTING them.

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I’m posting this so others copy me.

I just emailed a colleague and got her OOO — she’s on vacation. I didn’t realize that.

But I know two things:

1. When I’m on vacation, I still feel obligated to reply to emails that seems pressing.

2. Emails from me probably seem pressing.

That’s why, after getting her OOO, I quickly sent a second email to say: DO NOT REPLY!

If you don't need someone immediately, please let them know.

Most things can wait. Time is precious.

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This video got 3.2 million views — because this small-town restaurant owner knew something critical:

Entrepreneurs should create content... but that doesn’t mean they must be “content creators.”

I HEAR THIS A LOT:

Entrepreneurs say they understand the importance of content — but they're intimidated. “That's not what I'm good at,“ they tell me.

My reply: Don't worry. Your job isn't to rack up likes and followers like an influencer — that's not your business!

Your job is to build awareness and relationships.

So be human. Be relatable. Experiment. Show people who you are.

This guy John brandt-lee runs Bar Avalon in West Chester, PA. Population 18,000. Frankly, he didn't need 3.2 million views — he just needed 18,000.

But he got more, because he was willing to put himself out there — all in the name of trying to make his restaurant stand out.

Want help with what REALLY matters? My newsletter can help — each week, one way to improve your work! jasonfeifer.com/newsletter

This Pepsi Max ad is perfectly written.

I’ll prove it with a second-by-second breakdown:

People often forget: The best writing is spare. Every word must count, like this…

⏱️ FROM 0 TO 9 SECONDS:The boss says: “Mr. Goodman” and then (with disgust) “What makes you think you’re qualified for this job?”

In two lines, we’ve created a mystery. What’s Goodman doing there?

⏱️ FROM 9 TO 33 SECONDS: We establish a pattern: Goodman’s antics lead people to leave. It repeats three times, to escalate the comedy.

But it’s also classic misdirection: We think it’s BAD that people are leaving. When in fact…

⏱️ AT 33 SECONDS: There’s one candidate left. Playful music begins, telling us we’ve reached a resolution. But what is it?

⏱️ AT 36 SECONDS: The reveal: Goodman was a plant, scaring away every candidate to clear the way for his friend.

This isn’t a story of anarchy. It’s a story of true friendship!

In short: Pepsi Max wrote a comedy in the form of a mystery, with a humanizing payoff — keeping audiences hooked and emotionally satisfied, all in 46 seconds, with very few words.

Can your writing do that?

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A fan broke Convene's sign during the Knicks parade — and the company’s response was fast and perfect.

Here's what happened: A fan climbed up to get a better view of the parade, accidentally knocked the "n" off Convene's building sign, and the video went viral.

Convene quickly updated its Instagram logo to show the "n" falling off.

It highlights the most important skill for any brand today: speed.

Culture moves fast. Today's viral moment is tomorrow's forgotten history. So if you want to join the conversation while it still matters, you must structure yourself for speed.

That means having a plan for rapid response. You want minimal and clear layers of approval. Go from idea to execution as fast as possible.

Because the faster you can move, the more relevant you can be.

🎉 STAND OUT! In my free course, I teach you how to grow (and drive sales) on LinkedIn https://lnkd.in/eRumk4Mw

IKEA got global attention for hosting a giant sleepover — and here’s why every marketer should take notes.

This all started organically…

In 2011, someone made a Facebook group called “I Wanna Have A Sleepover at IKEA.” It got 10,000 members.

It was obviously a joke, and most companies would ignore it — but IKEA saw opportunity.

The company held a contest, and 100 winners were picked for a sleepover with treats, giveaways, spa services, a celebrity bedtime storyteller, and more.

Here’s why this is so genius:

Most companies RESPOND to conversations — fielding customer support tickets, replying on social, etc.

But you should also ADVANCE conversations — by hearing your customers, then going a step further.

Everyone wants to feel heard. When you show people that you’re listening — really, closely listening — you turn conversations into relationships. And those can last a lifetime.

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I’ve never shared this before.
 
Guy Fieri cancelled his 2018 cover shoot with us — for the most incredible reason.
 
A fire broke out a few hours from his home, and he wanted to cook food for the firefighters and people impacted.
 
Of course, we were THRILLED to accommodate. A few days later, we had an awesome shoot.
 
That moment told me everything about Guy, and why people love him so much.
 
When you truly act with others in mind, you always understand your priorities.
 
And in turn, you become someone that other people prioritize.
 
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And here’s the cover story we ran about Guy in that issue: https://lnkd.in/gHKhviuD

This Uber driver offers a “menu” of conversations — and everyone in customer service should take notes.

Consider this…

The best customer service does one thing: It makes people feel heard and in control.

There aren’t many opportunities to do that in Uber/Lyft, which is why this driver’s menu is so genius.

The driver takes something that feels random — the conversation in the car! — and turns it into a controllable experience.

It’s funny. Lighthearted. Relatable. And it probably invites a lot of great conversation — which creates connection and makes the ride more memorable.

Makes you wonder:

How can YOU make others feel heard, in ways they didn’t expect?

How can YOU create experiences in places that others overlook?

How can YOU give your customers a feeling of control?

Answer those questions, and you win.

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ESPN’s marketing was funny and viral — but here’s the CAREFUL, NUANCED STRATEGY that everyone misses:

ESPN made a brilliant strategic choice:

❌ Don't be the OWNER of sports
✅ Be the CHEERLEADER for sports fans

Brands often want to say, “I’m the authority on this.”

But fans feel like THEY are the sports authorities — and anyway, ESPN isn’t the only place to get sports.

In a competition with other channels, the winner isn't who claims to “own” sports — it's who best understands the sports fan.

That’s why ESPN’s marketing wasn’t really about sports. It was about BELONGING.

The company told sports fans: “You make sense here.”

Now rewatch this 2012 ad, but with that in mind: When fans saw themselves in it, they saw themselves as ESPN’s kind of people.

So ask yourself: Are you positioning your brand as an authority OVER your customers — or as a champion FOR them?

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Carlos Watson was convicted of fraud yesterday — and years ago, he told me something that still haunts me.

Back in 2019, I was writing a feature for Entrepreneur mag about the “old rules” that founders break.

Carlos, then the CEO of Ozy Media, told me this: “Ignore your schedule and win the moment.“

He said he’d often rearrange his schedule last-minute, so he could go longer on meetings he thought were important.

“You can't be so tied to your schedule that you're afraid to go deep,” he said.

That sounded wise to me at the time… but when he was arrested in 2021, reports came out about how terrible his company culture was.

Staffers were always on call, because they never knew when he’d be free to meet. They’d lose entire weekends waiting for him.

“What was an hour of your Sunday then turns into like four hours of your Sunday because you have to be around and be available that whole time,“ a former staffer told CNN.

I felt awful. I’d celebrated him for creating time for big ideas, but hadn’t considered the terrible impact that had on everyone else.

The truth is, a great leader respects EVERYONE’S time as much as their own. Trust is built upon respect and consistency, not constant destabilization.

Now Watson will go to jail — for defrauding investors, not wasting people’s time. But this lesson will stay with me always.

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Anything can be faked and people know it.

That’s why the best marketing is no longer about how nice something looks, or its level of “quality.”

Instead, it has to be about things that only YOU can have — it’s your story, and how well you understand your customer.

Why are you compelling, and why do you understand customers better than anyone else?

What’s their vibe? Their needs? Their pain points? Their desired outcomes? What and who do they care about?

When you communicate these things, you don’t need to fake your way through a photo shoot. Your value is clear — and unfakeable.

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Stella Artois wants to change its image.

Here’s its very smart strategy.

I call it The Handoff.

For decades, Stella positioned itself as fancy. Its 2010s tagline was “She is a thing of beauty”, and remember its chalice thing?

Then tastes changed. Today’s young drinkers hate snobbery, and Stella seemed out of touch.

So Stella did The Handoff — you build continuity during a shift, so legacy audiences stay with you while new ones come in.

This ad is a perfect example: David Beckham’s long-lost twin is… Matt Damon, playing a totally ordinary guy.

But wait! They both drink Stella! Beckham stands for Old Prestige, Damon for New Authenticity, and they meet at the same beer.

Every brand will need to pivot. But as you do, be mindful of who you’re bringing along. Never abandon people. Include them in what's next.

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They hid beer bottles in the back of the fridge.

Here's why sales jumped so high.

Harbin is a Chinese beer. Most of its sales come from small shops, where refrigerators are often junky or placed in direct sunlight.

Consumers want the coldest beer, which is in the back. But the back is hard to reach.

So Harbin (and agency BBDO China) asked themselves: What if we OWN the back?

They installed special racks that made it easy for consumers to reach deep into the fridge. Suddenly, the coldest beer was also the easiest to grab.

Results: 18.7% increase in sales. 20.27% higher foot traffic to the fridge display.

Remember: The best opportunities aren't hidden. They're just in places no one else bothered to look.

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Now THIS is how you drive sales.

It’s a psychology trick everyone should know.

BUT FIRST, context:

In 2018, Burger King wanted people to download its app… so it made a crazy offer:

On the app, customers could order a Whopper for 1 cent — but only if they did it near a McDonald’s.

The results were bonkers:

🍔 Mobile sales TRIPLED during promotion
🍔 1.5 million downloads in 9 days
🍔 App rocketed from #686 to #1 on iPhone

But here's what most people miss about the campaign:

It wasn't about the penny burger, or the trolling. It was about turning procrastination into participation.

BK understood: If they didn’t give people a reason to download that app NOW, they’d forget.

Because your biggest competitor isn't another brand. It's customer inertia!

So ask yourself: What would make your customers drop everything RIGHT NOW? That’s your sales strategy.

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You people are not that impressive.

I mean that in the best way.

A founder recently called me, panicking about pitching to a major CMO. "I'm so nervous," he said. "What if I blow it?"

"Pull up their LinkedIn," I told him.

"Now scroll way back. Before the fancy title. Back to their first job."

"See that junior marketing associate at some random company? That's who you're talking to. Same person, just with more meetings now."

He laughed. The tension broke.

Two weeks later, he texted me: "Got the deal. Turns out the CMO started in customer service. We bonded over nightmare customer stories."

Here's what I've learned after thousands of meetings:

The higher someone's title, the more they miss being treated like a regular person.

So stop pitching their position. Start connecting with their humanity.

They're made of the same stuff as you. They just have fancier business cards.

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PepsiCo paid $1.2 billion for Siete.

The brand was verrrrry different at the start.

It began in 2014 as Must B Nutty. That was a reference to its clear differentiator: It made tortillas from almond flour instead of grains, and sold in clear plastic bags.

But as the brand grew, large competitors followed. Being grain-free was no longer special.

So the founders, the Garza family of southern Texas, asked themselves: What else makes us different?

The answer: them! A Mexican-American family of seven, making food from recipes they grew up with.

They rebranded as Siete (Spanish for seven), adopted bright, bold patterns, and leaned into their heritage.

Before, the product told the story. After, the brand did.

Could you imagine PepsiCo paying $1.2 billion for Must B Nutty? (Deal happened last year.)

What makes you different today might not be what makes you different tomorrow. Keep asking the question.

🎉 STAND OUT! In my free course, I teach you how to grow (and drive sales) on LinkedIn https://lnkd.in/eRumk4Mw

Nike pulled this ad after massive complaints — but it’s a cautionary tale for us all.

The ad ran during the 2000 Olympics. In it, runner Suzy Favor Hamilton outruns a chainsaw-wielding murderer. Tagline: "Why sport? Because you'll live longer."

NBC received thousands of complaints. They yanked it.

Was it tone-deaf? Yes. But from a branding perspective, the problem was this: Nike broke its own brand promise.

Nike built an empire on one concept: CHOICE.

"Just Do It" means you CHOOSE to struggle. You CHOOSE to push harder. You CHOOSE greatness.

But this ad? She ran because she HAD to. Nike removed the autonomy, turning aspiration into desperation.

Remember: Your brand isn't what you sell. It's what you stand for. And once you establish that, you must never stray from it.

Otherwise, you’ll hear it from your customers.

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This ad was made by a 26-year-old amateur.
 
That’s why it blew up.
 
This ad was the result of a 2012 contest: Chevy invited filmmakers to submit their own Super Bowl ad. The winner was Zach Borst, an aspiring filmmaker from outside the ad industry. His ad cost $500, mostly to rent the Camero.
 
Most importantly: Borst didn’t work in advertising or cars. So he was willing to break all their rules…
 
The average Camero owner is male, early 50s, middle-to-upper class. Ads for them treat cars as gifts or indulgences, and say: “You’ve earned it.”  
 
But Borst’s ad spun things around, showing the excitement of someone who WON’T get the car. It’s like Camaro telling its buyers: “You’ve earned what THEY want.”
 
The ad was a huge hit… and that’s the power of an outside perspective.
 
Sometimes, insiders know too much. They don’t ask wild questions, because they think they know the answers.
 
So, consider it: Are you making room for people with outside perspectives right now? You should. Because they'll see what you can't.
 
If you found this useful, share it and follow Jason Feifer for more.
 
🎉 STAND OUT ON LINKEDIN! In my free course, I teach you how to grow (and drive sales) right now https://lnkd.in/eRumk4Mw

Want to be funnier? Study this beer ad.

It nails the three rules of comedy.

In 2008, Bud Light (with agency DDB Chicago) made this Emmy-winning ad.

Premise: A boring office puts out a swear jar. The money will be spent on Bud Light. So everyone starts swearing.

It’s funny, but watch how the joke builds by following these three rules:

1. ORIENT. Jokes feel random without stakes, so your characters need a clear goal. Here, everyone wants beer — so their behavior makes sense.

2. ESCALATE. If you go too absurd too fast, you lose people. This ad builds step by step, so each moment feels earned.

3. TWIST. After a series of smaller punchlines, the final one must land harder… and different.

Why’s this important for everyone? Because the internet is your best marketing vehicle, and comedy travels fast. This Bud Light ad never even aired on TV; it went straight to YouTube, back when that was a novel idea.

When you understand comedy, you understand consumer engagement. That’s modern marketing!

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Jersey Mike's sold for $8 billion — and its new CEO has an unusual way of earning trust.

He answers questions he's never seen before.

Here's what I mean:

Charlie Morrison became CEO after Blackstone acquired Jersey Mike's Subs. Major growth was expected. Employees and franchisees were nervous.

So Morrison put a question box outside his office that says "Ask Charlie."

He never looks at what's inside — until he's standing in front of the entire company. Then he answers every question on the spot.

No filter. No prep. No dodging. He wants to prove: He’ll always be honest with them.

Similarly, he meets with franchise operators alone. No team. No buffer. Just him asking: "What concerns you most?"

Most leaders say they want honest feedback. Morrison created systems that force it.

That's the difference between talking about trust and actually building it.

And TRUST, Morrison told me, is the foundation for any team to thrive.

👉 Jersey Mike’s is #1 on the Entrepreneur Media Franchise 500, which just dropped! Read more of my interview with Charlie at https://lnkd.in/eckvPSrA

Study this ad — because it achieves something most brands NEVER do:

It makes people literally WANT to hear the brand's tagline.

This was State Farm's 2024 Super Bowl ad. In it, Arnold Schwarzenegger keeps mispronouncing the brand's tagline — "Like a good neighbaaa, State Farm is there."

It happens repeatedly. It's funny every time. The entire ad is just a repetition of a marketing slogan.

Of course, advertising is full of repetition — because it helps people remember things.

But most of that is unrewarded repetition. Brands are afraid you'll forget, so they try drilling ideas into consumers' heads.

State Farm did it differently: It made its core message so enjoyable, people wanted to hear it on repeat.

When you create a joyful experience, people will follow you anywhere — even into your own marketing copy.

Remember: Make your marketing rewarding. And suddenly, people will want to hear it again.

👉 Small improvements, huge results! My newsletter helps you succeed faster and more confidently jasonfeifer.com/newsletter

In the 1990s, Nintendo did something radical — and every brand should be thinking about it today.

Back then, Nintendo launched a hotline. If a kid got stuck playing a game, they could get help from a real human.

Imagine how revolutionary that felt. Nintendo was massive! But a gamer could still reach a human. That built trust and loyalty.

I think about this a lot as AI automates our world.

Chatbots and auto-replies can be useful, but they don’t build trust. That only comes from knowing a real person is accountable.

When we buy from a brand, we want to know: Does a real person stand behind this? And if something goes wrong, who actually cares?

Now more than ever, visible humans will be a competitive edge. We represent accountability and trust.

So think about where humans can show up in your experience. Social media. Events. Answering the phone. Whenever you can insert a human, do it.

Humans = trust. That's the equation going forward.

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Southwest Airlines recently did NOT hire someone for a senior job — and the reason is awesome:

This person was great in interviews... but they were rude to the receptionist.

"You can tell when someone's not a fit," said Southwest CEO Bob Jordan. (He told this story at a recent Axios event.)

I've seen this play out myself.

I produce content with celebrities, and there are two very different ways they enter a room:

Some speak only to the top person, then stay on their phones.

Others — like The Rock, Megan Thee Stallion, and Kevin Smith — greet everyone in the room individually, and stay engaged throughout.

From that alone, I can tell who'll make the best interview. And who I want to work with again.

Southwest's CEO calls it "low ego" and "seeking to serve others before yourself." I call it the real interview.

Because anyone can perform when they know they're being evaluated.

The true test of character is what you do when you think nobody's watching.

And here's the thing: Someone's always watching.

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Want to change people’s behavior?

Study this ad, which follows a time-tested formula:

Here it is:

Don’t TELL people what to do. That triggers reactance, where people push back against any loss of control.

Instead, just show them the gap between their BELIEFS and their ACTIONS… then let them make the decision.

That’s what this new Irish ad does. It shows a creepy scenario, in which strangers know way too much about this young girl, Ava.

Eventually we learn why: They’re all seeing her dad’s social media posts.

This strategy isn’t new. Years ago, Thailand used it to combat tobacco.

They filmed children asking to bum a cigarette from smoking adults. When the adults explained that smoking is bad, the child handed them a card that read: “You worry about me, but why not about yourself?”

The ad drove a 40% increase in calls to Thailand’s quit-smoking hotline.

This same strategy can be used in marketing — to drive healthier, more premium, or more responsible purchases.

So, ask yourself: What gap could YOU reveal to your audience today?

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This Pizza Hut had a problem — and this stunt solved it.

Study it closely, because it's a masterclass in changing people's minds.

In the Middle East, consumers believed Pizza Hut uses frozen crust.

In response, Pizza Hut’s agency (Publicis Middle East) created a line of frozen Pizza Hut pizzas — then placed them in stores and sent them to influencers.

When people opened the box, all they found was a note: Pizza Hut "doesn't do" frozen pizza. Plus a QR code for a fresh, free one.

When brands are misunderstood, they usually go quiet or issue forceful statements. Both just reinforce mistrust.

By playfully engaging, Pizza Hut’s stunt became proof. If it had something to hide, it wouldn't invite the scrutiny.

Plus, it changed the conversation. Now people were talking about the STUNT, not the “frozen crust” RUMORS.

The lesson: Don't squash consumers' conversation. Invite them into yours.

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Nobody cares about your product.

Here's what they actually care about:

Their experience.

This Volkswagen ad nails it. The company wanted to promote it cars’ acceleration — which most brands do by talking about torque and horsepower.

But consumers don't 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 about acceleration. They 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 it.

So Volkswagen made an ad purely about experience. Just two guys whose beer bellies flatten from the G-force.

Simple. Funny. At the end, Volkswagen just needs to say: “Powerful acceleration.”

Two words, and everyone gets it.

Now ask yourself: Are you telling your story in your language… or in theirs?

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IKEA held a sleepover for 100 people…

All because of a silly joke on Facebook.

This was 2011. Someone created a FB group called “I Wanna Have A Sleepover at IKEA”, and 10,000 people joined.

IKEA saw opportunity. They held a contest, and 100 winners got a real sleepover — treats, giveaways, spa services, a celebrity bedtime storyteller.

Here's why I love this:

Most companies RESPOND to conversations. They field customer support tickets, reply on social, etc.

But IKEA did more: It ADVANCED the conversation, by taking a silly fan idea and making it unforgettable.

In 2026, as chatbots and auto-replies take over customer interactions, responding to things is easy.

But advancing is a fundamentally human response. It requires listening close, turning your customer's ideas into action, and building bonds that last.

So, ask yourself: Are you just responding, or advancing?

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This is the worst mistake a manager can make.

Many bosses obsess over INPUT — how much time someone sits at a desk, exactly when they come in and out.

But what actually matters is OUTPUT — the value that person delivers.

And remember: People optimize for whatever you measure.

If you measure hours, they'll move slower and care less. Because they know you're not measuring what they produce.

That's why I tell my team at Entrepreneur mag: I don't care when you work. I just care that your work is great and you're on top of it.

When you obsess over the wrong thing, you get the wrong thing.

So show people that you value what matters. Then they'll deliver what matters.

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My boss sent me this letter 22 years ago.

I quit the next day.

The letter was kinda crazy (read it!), but he was right — I WAS the problem. And here’s why:

I hated that job, but I stayed for a year and grew bitter. I kept waiting for someone to notice my potential, or for a better opportunity to appear.

When I got this letter, everything shifted.

I realized: I couldn’t wait for my career to happen TO me. I needed to make it happen myself.

Quitting led to hustling. I worked on myself, my skills, and my network. And that’s how I grew.

Bitterness is not a strategy. Waiting is not a plan. The only thing that changes your trajectory is action.

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You can now report people for posting AI slop.

Here’s why.

LinkedIn is plagued by low-quality AI posts, and in May, the company announced an effort to fix it: LinkedIn trained an AI model to recognize AI slop and depress those posts’ reach.

Now it’s going further. LinkedIn chief product officer Hari Srinivasan just shared a few new moves…

1. The “looks like AI slop” report. He writes: “Slop is hard to define and the definition changes; this lets us tune our models and make better feeds.”

(To report AI slop, just tap the three dots on the top right of any post.)

2. If your work is accused of being slop, you’ll now get a private message about that in your analytics, so you can adjust.

3. LinkedIn removed the “enhance your post” feature, which used AI to rewrite posts, and replaced it with a new feature that just proofreads your post.

And to be clear, LinkedIn isn’t targeting ANY use of AI. It wants to hit what it considers to be low-quality, generic content — not unique insights that someone used AI to help craft.

Many people complain about LinkedIn’s efforts, saying it’s not enough. My take: This is fascinating to watch, because it’s a company trying to work out complex issues in real time.

There’s no perfect solution to this. People have always gamed social feeds, and their use of AI will constantly evolve. People both love and hate AI. They use it, but often resent others for using it.

So the best we can do online is constantly adapt and evolve — on a never-ending quest to create the most human and connective conditions possible. LinkedIn won’t get it perfect. But I’m interested in watching it try.

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Now THIS is how to get attention — by making something people love to debate.

Here’s the background:

In 2013, K-Mart wanted to advertise its new delivery program. Its agency FCB had a funny idea: use the phrase “ship my pants”. (Because, y'know...)

Risky? Maybe. But if you want people to talk about you, you must give them something to talk about.

It worked: This ad lit up the internet and was all over TV news. People debated if it was too profane. (So quaint!) And that helped drive 10M views in a day.

Some people do controversial things for attention. That’s short-sighted.

But disagreement DOES attract attention — so if you have a great idea that’ll spark debate, ask yourself two questions:

1. “Will the people who disagree still respect me, and not feel personally affronted?”

2. "Will the people who love this REALLY love it?"

If the answer is yes (as it was for K-Mart), then start the conversation. Nobody remembers the brands that play it too safe.

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Now THIS is how you grab attention — and drive millions of dollars of sales.

In 2013, Poo-Pourri was just an obscure and weird product that hid bathroom odor.

Then they hired the Harmon Brothers, who created this wild ad:

An elegant British woman sits on a toilet and says: "You would not believe the motherlode I just dropped." Then talks frankly about poop odor for 2 minutes.

It was taboo. Nobody was doing it. And this revealed a marketing truth:

If you START the conversation, then you OWN the conversation.

The attention was (uhhh) explosive…

💩 Poo-Pourri sold out of product
💩 It had a $4 million backorder
💩 Its revenue doubled in a year

And it became a household name.

The lesson is simple: When YOU proactively create conversation, you shape how people think about it — and who they turn to for a solution.

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Yes, I asked a random employee to photograph me in the lobby. No regrets.

I had an amazing time speaking at LinkedIn’s San Francisco office yesterday.

They invited local small business owners to come learn the platform better, and get advice from folks who know it well.

The founders I talked to were SO appreciative. And just a little giddy to be there.

It’s a model everyone should follow, in some way:

Want people to make the most of your offering? Don’t just sell to them. Invite them in. Show them how much you’re dedicated to THEIR success.

They’ll feel heard. And appreciated. And that’s how you create LTV.

Thank you to Suzi Owens, Laura Lorenzetti, Jessica Jensen, and everyone at LinkedIn for the great time!

And hey — want to grow on this platform? I built a FREE COURSE just for you: https://lnkd.in/eRumk4Mw

This Volvo ad got 100+ million views — by solving marketing's biggest challenge:

The BELIEF GAP.

Which is to say: What DON'T your customers believe about your message?

You need to know. And then address it fast.

Case in point: In 2013, Volvo wanted to promote its dynamic steering system for trucks...

But every competitor promises “precision engineering," so why would consumers think Volvo's was special?

To answer that, Volvo created a series of “live tests” — the most memorable of which involved Jean-Claude Van Damme riding between two trucks.

Consider what this accomplished:

1. It makes the invisible visible, turning “steering precision” into something we can see.

2. It raises the stakes, because any imprecision would have serious consequences.

3. It borrows credibility, because Van Damme wouldn't do this unless he trusted Volvo.

Now ask yourself: What might your consumers doubt — and what will help them believe you?

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I just embarrassed myself in front of billionaire.

I was interviewing him by video chat, when my computer suddenly announced: LOW BATTERY.

That’s when I realized: I forgot to plug my laptop in!

I apologized, plugged the cord into the wall, and… nothing. After 20 seconds, I realized I hadn’t plugged the cord into my LAPTOP either! Oof.

But here’s how I saved the moment: I said, “Please tell me you’ve done something like this too.”

He laughed. Absolutely, he said, and he told me a funny story. Our conversation got even better from there.

I used to be afraid of things going wrong — when something breaks, or my kid runs into the room.

But those moments don’t break a connection; they MAKE them! Because they allow us to set aside our roles and agendas, and to just connect as humans.

Don’t be afraid of your humanness. Lean into it. Even billionaires forget to plug in the laptop.

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This is the classiest competition you'll ever see.

Mercedes-Benz and BMW are longtime rivals. So when Mercedes-Benz CEO Dieter Zetsche retired in 2019, it was a big deal...

And BMW spotted opportunity.

BMW hired a Zetsche lookalike, and filmed this ad showing "Zetsche" on his last day at Mercedes… then going home, and secretly speeding off in a BMW i8 roadster.

The ad ends by thanking Zetsche "for so many years of inspiring competition."

That last line is what made it so special. (And made it go viral.)

Here's why: Consumers love competition, but they hate aggression.

It's why we love sports, but especially love sportsmanship — seeing competitors respect each other, help each other off the floor, or hug when it's all over.

Bitter rivalries feel personal, and push people away. Good-natured rivalries feel fun, and invite consumers in.

BMW could have mocked Mercedes. Instead, they honored their rival — and won everyone over.

Don't hate your competition. Thank them. They make you better every day.

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I have a strategy to drive newsletter subscribers — it often works, but this person HATED it!

The strategy is simple:

When someone sends me a LinkedIn connection request, I accept and send them a DM.

The DM shares a little about me, invites them to subscribe to my newsletter, and asks what inspires them lately.

Many people DO subscribe. They also reply, sparking nice conversation!

But this person (who organizes retreats) was NOT having it.

That’s ok — if you’re going to promote something, you can’t expect everyone to like it.

Here’s my attitude: Make your ask. Be a little shameless. The worst that can happen is… well, this message.

And that isn’t so bad.

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Heinz tested a stupid idea — and it worked so well, they turned it into a Super Bowl campaign.

Last fall, Heinz posted an Instagram reel: A guy carrying a keg of ketchup, called a KegChup. It got more than 1M views.

Now Heinz is rolling out a real keg — available for a limited time, hyped around Super Bowl.

It's a great example of something Gary Vaynerchuk told me this week, when we were talking marketing...

"We're redefining the mid funnel," he said. "It's now organic social media."

Here's the playbook, in order:

1. MID FUNNEL: Post lots of content and see what performs.

2. LOWER FUNNEL: When a post works, tweak it for performance and amplify it to drive sales.

3. UPPER FUNNEL: "Send it up to brand land," Gary says, where the idea can become the basis for a national campaign.

With Heinz, I'm seeing this idea in action. They tested a silly idea, saw results, and gained confidence to go big.

Social media isn't just a place to post. It's a place to TEST.

Your next big campaign might start as your dumbest post.

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I get a lot of pitches like this now.

Here’s why I think it’s smart.

Across industries, people are leading with "I did this without AI"...

Online ads are getting intentionally ugly. It’s a way to stand out from the polished perfection of AI-created images.

You're seeing it on LinkedIn, too. I recently used a bunch of em dashes in a post, then pointed out that I (a human being) used them because I like em dashes. That got a huge reaction!

And you'll see it more in text and email, where writers find ways to flag: "This is actually me."

It's worth remembering: Every action prompts a counter-reaction. Every moving crowd leaves white space behind.

The "I'm not using AI" flex won't last forever. But for now, AI has allowed human connection to feel like a competitive advantage.

So it’s worth asking yourself: How can you consistently remind people that they're hearing from YOU, personally?

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I ordered from the top shelf at Home Depot.

I was not prepared for what came next.

I felt bad asking for the product. It seemed like a lot of work, and I hated adding to the team's workload.

But the employee smiled, said it was no problem, and asked me to wait a few minutes.

Then a whole forklift operation unfolded in front of me — efficient, elaborate, clearly practiced, and done with a smile.

As she handed me my product, she said, "Thank you for shopping at Home Depot."

Here's what Home Depot understands: Guilt is friction. If a customer feels bad asking for something, they might not ask at all.

So they clearly trained their team to make it feel effortless.

The best customer service doesn't just solve problems. It removes the emotional barriers that stop people from buying in the first place.

🎉 STAND OUT! In my free course, I teach you how to grow (and drive sales) on LinkedIn https://lnkd.in/eRumk4Mw

This CEO challenged flat-earthers — and it's helping to save his company.

Here’s the story…

Columbia Sportswear sales were sagging. Then its CEO Tim Boyle realized something:

His industry may be crowded, but everyone sounds the same. Outdoors brands take themselves seriously, focusing on epic adventures and self discovery.

That’s what happens in crowded spaces — the crowd moves like a crowd. One company wins with a strategy, so everyone piles on...

Meaning they all compete for the same positioning, leaving a wide-open white space.

Columbia spotted it: They could pivot away from seriousness, and focus on the JOY of the outdoors!

The campaign began with this “flat earth” challenge, and it now rolling out in other ways. After a few months, the results are notable: Its Europe business is up 35%, and its stock just bumped up on a positive earnings report.

(It's also rethinking product and partnerships; it's not JUST about messaging. But that's important.)

Ask yourself: Where are your competitors clustering? And what would it look like to go the other way?

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I’ll tell you the future of media.

It’s not what you expect.

Steven Bartlett just made a huge announcement — closing a funding round at a $425M valuation. But it's not that simple.

Right now, we’re in what I call the “great unbundling” of traditional media.

People used to trust a brand name. That brand bundled many individual voices. (Ie: You subscribe to Time, and Time has the writers you know.)

The internet un-bundled that, meaning...

1. Creators can reach audiences directly, so don’t need established brands.

2. Audiences now trust people more than brands.

BUT: Everything that unbundles will once again bundle. That’s life.

SO: Here’s what happens next…

1. As creators seek scale, they start media companies (like Bartlett).

2. Growth requires launching other creators’ work (like Bartlett's company does)

3. Eventually, the main creator will get tired and step back — leaving a brand name with its bundle of creators.

At that point, “Bartlett” is the same as “Forbes” or “Bloomberg”.

In other words: The creator economy will literally BECOME the traditional media it is currently challenging.

It’s not a shift. It’s a cycle.

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I caught a guy stealing my work on LinkedIn.

His response revealed a bigger problem.

First, he apologized. He took "full responsibility" and deleted the post. I respect that.

Then he explained: He'd hired a LinkedIn ghostwriter who'd been terrible — and would now be fired.

Here's what's happening: People think, "I'm supposed to post on LinkedIn, but I don't have the time. So I'll find someone else to do it."

But they forget something critical: "Content" isn't disposable filler. It's the tool that shapes your reputation and future relationships.

When you let someone post as you — whether a ghostwriter or AI — you give them full control of your voice and reputation.

Their mistakes become YOUR mistakes. Their dumb ideas become YOUR dumb ideas.

You wouldn't let a stranger represent you in a business meeting. So why let them represent you here?

Treat your voice with care. Personal brands are built slowly — and can be destroyed in a single post.

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