The Myth of the Home Run

It seems that every time we talk to someone these days, they’re looking for the home run. The big score. The thermonuclear event. The Big Deal That Changes Everything. This isn’t just in the course of business, either—I can’t tell you how many twentysomethings I’ve heard repeat the phrase, “I want to do something huge, [...]

Posted by May 4th, 2011 | by Jason | Permalink

The Parable of the Ice Cream Man

There should be a saying that goes something like, “Beware the ice cream man in January: what he sells may seem tasty, but it ain’t what you need on a cold Toronto night.” What does this have to do with marketing? Okay. Let’s say it’s another perfect day at your office. As head of marketing, [...]

Posted by February 7th, 2011 | by Jason | Permalink

The App Deluge (and the Voice of Reason)

“There’s an app for that.” On hundreds of millions of iOS and Android devices, that’s the rallying cry. Want to identify the tune you just heard on the radio? Get free directions on a 3D rendered cityscape? Scan barcodes for comparison shopping? Play Angry Birds? Measure EMF? Perform audio analysis? Make music? Amuse your cat? [...]

Posted by January 13th, 2011 | by Jason | Permalink

Instead of Social Media . . .

Okay, if you’re a consumer marketer, skip this post. We ain’t talking to you. This is for the B2B marketers in the room. For you guys, we have one very simple message: Resist the siren call of social media! By now, you’ve probably heard about Facebook’s traffic surpassing Google. You’ve been barraged by dozens of social [...]

Posted by January 3rd, 2011 | by Jason | Permalink

The Next Big Thing

So, it’s that time of year again. Clients and partners start asking us, “So, what’s the next big thing?” Sometimes I think they’re hoping we’ll say something like, “Well, it’s this new platform, OMGWFTBBQ.com, that combines auto-generated creative with positive-only social commentary to spread the word about your new product completely free! Even better, it [...]

Posted by December 20th, 2010 | by Jason | Permalink

Should Creative Be Strategic, and Vice-Versa

Here at Centric, our creative team isn’t headed by a creative director. Yes, you read that right. We don’t have a creative director. Instead, our creative lead’s title is “Managing Partner, Strategy.” This sometimes gets us some funny looks. But it makes complete sense. Creativity in the service of business is strategic. How do you get [...]

Posted by December 1st, 2010 | by Jason | Permalink

Partner Showcase: McHale Design

Well, now that we’ve launched McHale Design’s new website, it’s time for a new kind of showcase: our partner showcase! The Importance of Partners Why are partners important? It’s simple. When you’re working with a boutique agency like Centric or McHale, you need to know the agency has a roster of trusted, proven partner relationships [...]

Posted by November 18th, 2010 | by Jason | Permalink

A: None of the Above

When we meet a new client, many times we’re the last agency in. And, in the meeting, you can see it in their eyes. That glazed look that says, “Please, please spare me from another Powerpoint deck. Don’t show me another demo reel. Stop telling me that social media is the future. Or that traditional [...]

Posted by November 8th, 2010 | by Jason | Permalink

How to Tell When An Agency is BSing You

Admit it. You don’t have time to keep up with everything that’s going on in marketing. You don’t know what the latest and greatest mobile social app is for the iPhone, you haven’t heard that McDonalds and Farmers Insurance have started advertising in Farmville, hell, you may not even know the latest bulk rate for [...]

Posted by October 20th, 2010 | by Jason | Permalink

Can’t Write It? Steal It.

We’ll pause our blogging for a moment to highlight some content that has been stolen from our blog by a competing company. We won’t name names, but you know who you are! Blogposts stolen include: 5 Reasons to Revamp Your Website What’s your Why? Go Mobile, Young Man The Whys of Social Media: Facebook Website [...]

Posted by October 20th, 2010 | by Jason | Permalink