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The Most ABSurd Blog
What helps new brands grow the most?
Launching a new brand is hard—and a deep dive into the 4 P’s shows which ones actually drive growth.
Do people know about your cause marketing program?
Sorry, but most young consumers have no idea your brand even has a cause—DoSomething found 87 big brands shouting into the void.
Why do People Forget About Your Brand?
The first law of brand science: people forget everything—including your brand—because forgetting is literally how the brain works.
Feature: How do you make your brand fit in for the holidays?
Need a logo? Copy your competitors. Need a font? Go with Arial—the universal signal for ‘we are forgettable.’
How Much Do B2B Buyers Really Shop Around?
Bain found that up to 90% of B2B buyers already know who they’ll pick before they start shopping—so if you’re not in the mix early, you’re out.
Should you use ROI to measure your advertising?
ROI—and its sidekick ROAS—still rule marketing dashboards because they’re easy, logical, and instantly boostable, if not always meaningful.
What are the odds your small business will survive?
Starting a business is risky—half die by year five, only one in five hits 21, but if you make it past four years, survival shoots to 90%.
Is first-mover advantage a law of brand science?
Is first-mover advantage real—or just marketing mythology dressed up as science?
Is it time to ditch generational labels?
Should we stop making sweeping claims about Gen Z and Boomers? Yep—most ‘generational differences’ are really just smooth, age-old trends.
How small is your shopper’s consideration set?
McKinsey found shoppers consider shockingly few brands—about four for cars and fewer than two for computers.
What recurring trigger could your brand stick to?
Most ads fade fast—but Geico’s ‘Hump Day’ proved that tying your brand to a recurring trigger can make it pop every single Wednesday.
How much should you fear brand haters?
Marketers fear haters, but the real problem is indifference—most people don’t dislike your brand, they just don’t notice it.
Are you “controlling for size” in your brand studies?
Before freaking out over low brand scores, check your weight class—big brands always rate higher on every attribute. It’s a law of branding.
Do nonprofits follow the laws of brand growth?
Do the laws of brand science apply to nonprofits? Yep—swap ‘customers’ for ‘donors,’ and the banana curve still holds.
What’s the most distinctive brand asset of all?
Ipsos and JKR found your most powerful brand asset isn’t your logo—it’s your product itself, like Oreos, Ray-Bans, and Legos.
Which Pack Test Metrics Actually Predict Sales?
Designalytics and IRI found that when testing new packaging, ‘liking’ doesn’t predict success—but a few other metrics definitely do.
What are Your Assumptions About Consumers?
In marketingland, buyer models range from the rational economist to the spherical physicist—but only one actually fits how people buy.
Should You Let the Public Vote on a Design Project?
Should you let the public design your brand? Probably not—just ask Ulster, NY, where 93% voted for a weird spiderface sticker.
Is There Brand Loyalty to Colleges?
We think college is a loyalty purchase—pick a school, love it forever—but the data tell a much messier story.
Are There Any Niche Brands with Crazy Loyalty?
We love the myth of the tiny brand with die-hard fans—but in kombucha and beyond, the data say big brands win on loyalty too.