A few things I’ve learned or been reminded of lately:

Intentionally digging into the details is one way to get new insight when you’re drawing a blank on a tough problem. Studying an individual case can lead to breakthroughs in understanding.

An experiment with measurable results is a great way to bring closure to theoretical debate about what works better.

It’s easy and useless for marketers to say what they want their customers to do. It’s hard and valuable for marketers to grasp what their customers want them to do.

Giving attention to what customers are promoting might be a better way to get their attention than asking them to pay attention to what you are promoting.

Three questions.

What, really, do our customers come to us to get?

Why, really, do they come to us instead of our competitors to get it?

How do we tell a true and compelling story about that to potential customers?