our thoughts
Thought Leadership
Why not?
October 12, 2026
Twenty-five years after 9/11, why are too many governmental agencies and businesses still unprepared for crisis? Time to institutionalize our imagination.
Why the Dolly Parton International Airport?
September 4, 2026
It has been a brutally hot summer. With the Labor Day holiday approaching, this is your chance for one last trip. And there's a good chance you'll be visiting an airport. If you are traveling to Nashville, you'll be flying into an airport that will be rightly renamed after Dolly Parton. She deserves that honor, and so do others. We need to honor more heroes this way. That's what this article is about.
I am a ... jelly donut?
August 7, 2026
The worst thing you can do when you are crossing borders is to cross up your audience. As they say, you can run, but you can't hide.
Life, liberty … and the pursuit of a clean restroom
July 10, 2026
Nationwide poll on the cleanliness of America's top travel hubs.
Post-advertising age? Not to tomorrow’s agency’s leaders
June 4, 2026
Post-advertising age? Take it from tomorrow's agency leaders: Don't believe it.
Thinking Up a Great Event? Remember the Memory
May 7, 2026
What makes great event marketing? A great time. A great memory. And something that is almost entirely intangible -- a giant boost to brand value. This article explains what it's like to experience a great event ... and what it takes to put one on.
Give Your Business the Kick It Deserves
March 12, 2026
Welcome to the Summer of Soccer ... Capitalize on it.
Dinner, Dinner, Sports Sponsorship Winner
February 11, 2026
Sports sponsorship -- it's what's for dinner.
What a State-of-the-Art Website Really Means (And Why We’re Relaunching Ours)
December 10, 2025
A tangled web? I don't think so.
Seasonal Marketing Is a Race — and the Finish Line Is Closer Than You Think
October 6, 2025
Summer may be over, but mentoring (and being mentored) is always in season
September 4, 2025
School is again in the air -- and so is mentoring. Though mentoring is always in session. Are you mentoring someone? Do you have a mentor? I challenge you to get to yes for both. Enjoy.
Yes, yes and yes: In the unsettled world of marketing and communications, freelancers are more of a necessity than ever
August 7, 2025
Do you need to staff up quickly for a project but lack the internal resources to do so? Freelancing may be your answer. The following piece discusses the benefits of using outside contractors.
Words of Wisdom from Pope Leo … Journalists are Essential to the Free World
June 3, 2025
The power of communications ... Who wields that power? World leaders? Despots? Global powerhouse countries? I'd agree, but I'd add one more person to the list. There are 1.4 billion Catholics in the world. That equals the population of China. So it makes sense that the head of that church, the pope, has a voice that touches more people than just Catholics. He's got credibility and sends messages of compassion, empathy and reason. In such a volatile world, people will be listening to Pope Leo. And the verdict so far has been good. He is an unflinching advocate of the free press.
My graduation advice to you, 22-year-old self: Go best, young man, go best.
May 1, 2025
It's that time of year again. Forty years later, would you choose the same major in college if you had a chance to do it all over again?
There’s right and left… but where is the middle?
April 1, 2025
A look at the deep division in our society between left and right. Everything is black and white. What happened to the gray ... the MIDDLE? And how do we get back to that in our communications, our politics and our society.
You want a happy workforce in the office five days a week? Be intentional.
March 11, 2025
Five years after COVID-19 kept us at home, the pendulum has swung back. How do employers keep employees happy and productive at the office five days a week?
Our PODCAST
On The Offense
On the Offense Podcast — Episode #39 — Are You Crisis Ready? What Happens When You're Not Prepared?
October 1, 2026
This week, on On the Offense, we discuss how companies need to institutionalize their imagination to ensure they are properly prepared for a crisis. We also offer our battle-tested recommendations for the key steps that every crisis communications plan should include.
The Latest updates
News
All in on World Cup fever | The Dallas Morning News
April 7, 2026 -- Long before the first kickoff, North Texas businesses are already working the World Cup.
