Diving Into Cannabis Beverages – Wynk™ Case Study

Diving Into Cannabis Beverages – Wynk™ Case Study
Background: Two successful serial entrepreneurs wanted to enter the cannabis space with the category’s first nationally branded THC beverage. They had developed a ground-breaking mobile, co-manufacturing plant to work around the category’s state-by-state legal complexities, but they had no experience building a CPG brand. Although we recommended...

From Positioning to Packaging

From Positioning to Packaging
Situation After buying Amylu Foods in early 2018, the new owner put developing a new logo and revitalizing the packaging high on the brand’s marketing to-do list for the company’s flagship chicken sausage business. Argentum Actions Conducted customer and consumer research to identify core brand equities. Leveraged the research and the...

How to Lose a Lead in Ten Seconds: When Email Marketing Goes Horribly Wrong

How to Lose a Lead in Ten Seconds: When Email Marketing Goes Horribly Wrong
I received an interesting email in the Argentum inbox a few months ago. The subject line was “Invitation For Coffee For Susan Silver.” I almost didn’t open it because I wasn’t even sure what that means. But the marketer in me was curious, and I had some time to kill while I waited for someone, so I opened up the email and...

Warby Wannabes – Direct-to-Consumer 2.0

Warby Wannabes – Direct-to-Consumer 2.0
As a “classically trained” marketing person who believes passionately that the best products solve a real unmet need in a better way than anything on the market, watching the direct to consumer (DTC) revolution has been fascinating. And while I love Dollar Shave Club’s viral video and Warby Parker’s fab glasses, I...

Execute Tactics More Strategically

Execute Tactics More Strategically
Use what you know, or can infer, about your customers’ behaviors to help you make better marketing decisions. Check out this brief video for ideas on becoming more precise in how you execute your marketing tactics.

B2B Featured Tactic: VITO-esque Campaign

B2B Featured Tactic: VITO-esque Campaign
Way back when I was working with one of my very first B2B clients, the CEO’s agency introduced me to the concept of a VITO (Very Important Top Officer) campaign. It was a great addition to my marketing arsenal, and I pull it out when I have a client who is targeting a manageable number of senior-level individuals. VITO is a direct...

The Difference Between Strategies and Tactics

The Difference Between Strategies and Tactics
Many people seem to have a hard time differentiating between strategies and tactics. Here’s a video from one of our Marketing Strategy workshops that lays out our handy rule of thumb and some real world examples.  

Book Launch! Marketing Your Book By Working Your Network

Book Launch! Marketing Your Book By Working Your Network
Occasionally I get asked for recommendations for marketing a book. This email, from my business school friend Sheryl O’Laughlin, is a great example of leveraging social media and your connections to spread the word about a book or anything else you’re personally passionate about. It was written by Sheryl to spread the word about her...

Have I Got an Opportunity For You! Evaluating an Unsolicited Tactical Opportunity

Have I Got an Opportunity For You! Evaluating an Unsolicited Tactical Opportunity
If you’re like me and the companies I work with, you probably get unsolicited emails pitching goods and services every day. Some are worthy of your consideration, but most aren’t. I’ve seen clients asked to sponsor Bears radio because they’re headquartered in Chicago or to pay to participate in a holiday promotion on an obscure culinary cable...

The Care and Feeding of Your Brand Ambassadors

The Care and Feeding of Your Brand Ambassadors
One of the Techstars companies I mentored this summer, Pak’d, delivers healthy custom lunches to your door. Targeted at moms, Pak’d has had a lot of success using a “Mombassador” program in the Chicago area as part of its launch. I was recently having lunch with Rebecca, one of the co-founders, when she asked me for advice about managing and...