Listen: Three Over Four Polyrhythms!
We asked the composers/musicians/board members of the music nonprofit Playground Ensemble to interpret and record three over four polyrhythms for us. We're releasing them one at time and collecting them in this post. Check it out! Why? Every year, we ask our community to join us in celebrating Three Over Four Month (3/4 - 4/3... yeah, we know we're running late, but when you're talking about polyrhythms, linear time can be a flexible thing) by supporting a nonprofit with a music education focus. Music means a lot to us, and we think it’s good for the world, too. With budget…
Our Market Position = Our Values
We'll get to these awesome pieces of art in a second. First, though, some thoughts on positive marketing agency thinking: What a year. We (gratefully) continue to be busy at 3o4, working with some wonderfully fulfilling clients and projects. We were also able to filter out a few clients that weren’t working for us these past months, clients we just weren’t able to add value to. This is something that every business deals with—letting go of paying customers or clients—but isn’t much talked about. It isn’t easy. This was on our minds when I came across a blog post from…
Another Marketing Profs Published Piece
I was fortunate to be published again in Marketing Profs. This time, I co-authored with the brilliant Nicole Gravagna, a neuroscientist and behavioral design sage. What a thrill to reconnect with Nicole. I always learn so much from her mind. The piece excerpts some concepts from my book, Leading in a Social World. Social media marketers are in (literally) a different head space when engaging in social media, and this biases them to how social constructs actually generate value. It also contributes to strong biases when evaluating the data related to social media marketing's effectiveness, which when you really dig into…
Aaron Templer Published In Marketing Profs
MarketingProfs was kind enough to publish a piece of mine, “Why Social Media Should Leave Your Marketing Department—And Where It Should Go Instead".” It's a distillation of a few chapters in my book, Leading in a Social World. In the piece I basically deconstruct social media marketing, and reconstructs it in a customer care space. TL;DR: Social constructs generate value by way of social capital. Leaders interested in generating this kind of value need to think about social groups very differently than marketing segments. It's about reciprocity and democratized relationships, very different than funnel-conversion thinking. Check it out! Aaron
Marketing in the time of COVID-19
The American Marketing Association reached out to several branding and marketing people and firms (including yours truly) and asked what we're seeing and how we're adjusting our approach to our work amidst the pandemic. You can see the quotes here. It's an interesting time. Like all of you, I'm sure, I'm hearing stories from agencies whose business has fallen off a cliff, and some with an increase in activity. Three Over Four is feeling incredibly fortunate and grateful to be in the latter category. I'm not sure what to attribute it to, but client work has increased since COVID-19 really…
Our Unique Approach to Professional Services
It was a privilege to deliver a Professional Services Marketing course at the Chicago headquarters of the American Marketing Association recently, and I’m really stoked to boil it down for a presentation at a Michiana American Marketing Association event next week. Professional services continues to be an important market segment for Three Over Four, and as we all know: if you truly want to solidify a concept or area of expertise, understanding it well enough to convey it to others is great way to get there. These engagements are great opportunities to share value and also return it to our…
Stop branding. Start leading.
Brand management and leadership share a common space: Influence. Can a brand share the characteristics of a good leader? Or should it? Picture a brand that you would go to the ends of the earth for. We all have at least one. Something you’d always buy. Someone you’d always vote for. Something you'd travel far to see in concert. Something you'd tell your friends about without their asking. What are the characteristics of that brand? I'll give you a list and we'll see how close it matches what you have in your mind’s eye. It’s transparent and honest. It does…