Hot Shots - Firey Little Rants On Marketing

Hot Shots - Firey Little Rants On Marketing


Latest Episodes

HOT SHOTS REPRISE: More Blowing Holes In Nonsense From The Experts
January 01, 2018

REPRISE FROM JANUARY 2017: A fan from Romania asks how to brand a business--and says that many people say small businesses should not brand at all, but do only direct marketing--which makes us CRAZY. We review what brand really is and give a...

Happy Boxing Day To The Middle Of Somewhere
December 25, 2017

Ready to learn something interesting about small business in the middle of somewhere? On this Boxing Day, it seemed like a good idea to wish a Happy Boxing Day to any folks who celebrate it. But we have scant few readers and listeners who do celebrate...

Finding Resonance Beyond Brand In Unlikely Places...
December 18, 2017

Once again, a brilliant example of big-business brand advertising demonstrates the power of artful storytelling in a way that's useful and informative for the owner of a small-business brand. 

A Scary, Profitable Advertising Lesson For The Small Business Owner?
December 11, 2017

It's that time of the year when Best Of lists are being compiled, and advertising is no exception. And one of the year's "best" advertisements is a striking example for the small business owner. But...of what?

A Giant Brand, Giant Hilarity, And A Giant Lesson For The Profitable Small Brand?
December 04, 2017

Yes, we're talking about beer branding this week, and a likely publicity stunt by a craft brewer that ostensibly drew the ire of a big mega brewery--and provides a few laughs and a couple of good lessons for the small business owner...

Building A Brand In A Bottle...
November 27, 2017

As we continued our Napa tour as part of the CoupleCo interviews, The Fabulous Honey Parker and I came across an interesting and dynamic couple who operate a brewery. And they produce extraordinary brews that you may never get to taste. And that's OK....

Love, Poetry & Profit In An Oaken Barrel
November 13, 2017

Visiting the largely unscathed Napa Valley in the wake of the fires (and finding that it really is open for business), we had a chance to sit down with a couple who makes fabulous wine, whose business is a product of love and balance, and who...

Thing One Is Essential For Profit
November 07, 2017

Napa after the fires has provided none of the apocalyptic strife predicted by so many in the wake of the Bad News about big fires. But what it did offer us was an interesting and cautionary tale of two brands and now you can get everything else...

DOES THE NEWS MEDIA REALLY MEAN TO UNDERMINE A BRAND?
October 30, 2017

The news media may not have as its goal the undermining of an entire region's brand and livelihood--but the 24-hour all-devastation news cycle can do it--and has done it again. We almost became victims of it ourselves until someone told us we needed...

Personal Brand In An Aluminum Tube
October 24, 2017

Yes, it might sound crazy. but it's worth considering: What is your personal brand as a customer. And there may be no better place to examine the benefits of that than in the milieu of contemporary air travel.