This post is part of the weekly series Marketing Quotes by Marketing Greats, posted every Thursday at MarketingInProgress.com (beginning January 1, 2009). Read them all here. 
Authentic marketing is not the art of selling what you make but knowing what to make. It is the art of identifying and understanding customer needs and creating solutions that [...]

So, as of December 6, 2008, I am a daddy. My son, Mason Merrick Duncan, was born at 3:43 pm on that day, and things have been a ‘changin’ ever since. And it’s been great. 
Predictably, the blogging marketer in me can’t help but harvest some timeless lessons learned in caring for this new human that [...]

Mark has posted an excellent article on enhancing creativity by increasing your limitations. In essence, he explains that the blank page approach to creativity and innovation usually isn’t the most productive way to capitalize on our creative juices. Rather, limit yourself in certain areas and see what happens. 
I completely agree with his belief, and think [...]

Below is part 2 of my email interview with Phil Bernstein. Be sure to check out part 1 of the interview here, and come back for the final piece of this enlightening time with Phil. Also, all apologies on not posting last week: I managed to get a little sidetracked with having a baby last [...]

Brett’s note: One of the first blogs I read when I dipped my toe in the blogosphere’s waters was Portland’s Finest Advertising Blog by Phil Bernstein. I still read it today. Phil Bernstein was gracious enough to entertain my own curiosities a few months back, interview-style, and I wanted to share it with you in this [...]

Brett’s note: The Vault is a look back at some of the more profound posts on MarketingInProgress.com. This one was originally posted on Sept. 5, 2007. 
Progress vs. Inertia
Does a day go by at your office that you’re not reminded of the system, or process, or procedure, or protocol? Yes, they’re all important, but they also [...]

I just got this in my inbox and thought I’d share. I don’t know if this is the origin of it, but it’s the top link in the Google Search. 
Happy Thanksgiving! - The Management. 
A Modern Parable.
A Japanese company ( Toyota ) and an American  company (Ford Motor) decided to have a canoe race on the [...]

Jim has collected an amazing collection of concise marketing tips here worth looking at. Plus, he did it all through Twitter. 
Here are a few of my favorites:
Marketing is like a snowball. You have to keep rolling to see results. You can’t start and stop and start and stop.
     - Cynthia Powell www.ChicksAndCubs.com
Think, do you need [...]

After reading through the book summary of Relentless in Marketing Gurus, something simply struck me:
When you consider marketing to your customers a privilege, everything changes. 
The book, as best I can tell, focuses on the differences between Western marketing and Japanese marketing, whereas Western marketing relies on research and testing, while Japanese marketing relies on intuition and [...]

Great reading from the past week:

Fatigue is a much better teacher than autopilot. Too often we strive for coasting, when it’s actually the worst thing we can do. 
Are Your Eyes Bigger Than Your Budget? The thought-provoker: “For a media mix to be effective, each element in the mix must be substantial enough to establish retention.  [...]