For decades, Jo-Ann Stores seemed like a fixture of the American crafting. It was a community hub for quilters, home sewers, and DIY enthusiasts. Its recent announcement of a complete shutdown, however, serves as a case study in how shifting consumer habits, business mismanagement, and an outdated retail model can topple even the most recognizable…
Between the castle hats and country crossovers, between the local heroes and global superstars, we caught glimpses of where culture might go next. The real show was just as much about how culture might change in 2025 as it was about the awards themselves. As Beyoncé stunned the country music world, a small LA folk…
One of geometry’s most fascinating open problems is the inscribed square problem: proving that every simple (Jordan) curve in the plane must contain four points that form a perfect square. This result, often called the “square peg problem,” has been proven for specific classes of curves but remains unresolved in its full generality. In this…
The most dangerous phrase in advertising isn’t “the client hates it.” It’s “the client is uncomfortable.” Uncomfortable isn’t the opposite of great—it’s the prerequisite. But the type of “discomfort” that clients often complain about isn’t because of big ideas or even the risk of poor performance. It’s often about something deeper: the overwhelming scale of…
Literature Review In the soft glow of her smartphone screen, Sarah finds herself caught in a familiar late-night ritual. Despite the late hour and her body’s need for rest, she continues to scroll through her social media feed, her thumb moving almost autonomously as she refreshes the screen again and again. This scene, replicated in…
The Problem Cricket. Beer. Rivalry. Victoria Bitter, an Australian beer brand, faced a classic marketer’s dilemma: driving more sales with less money. They needed to stand out during a major sporting event and didn’t even have an official sponsorship to help them. How do you leverage a 142-year-old cricket rivalry to cure declining brand awareness?…
In a world where digital meets reality at terabyte speed, BMO, a Canadian Bank, made a daring move to improve checking acquisition with a younger audience that no one saw coming– and it worked. A Canadian bank known for its history, tradition, and extensive branch network dives headfirst into a space few would have predicted—a…
The Problem CeraVe faced a classic marketing problem. How do you stand out in a crowded category and leverage a Super Bowl ad buy to generate as much buzz as possible? More importantly, how do you make people care about dermatologist-developed skincare when it’s become category table stakes? A traditional Super Bowl approach wouldn’t cut…
The Problem & The Landscape In 2020, Burger King faced a significant issue: the perception that its food contained artificial preservatives. This was not just a PR problem but a consumer trust issue. Consumers reported craving ingredient transparency, and specifically, natural ingredients. More broadly, the fast-food industry was under scrutiny, and new premium-positioned entrants were…
When selling a product, it’s important to know the difference between features and benefits. Simply put, Features are the “what.” Features are facts about the product. Benefits are the “why.” Benefits are reasons why someone would want the product. In order to persuade customers, you need to focus on the benefits of your product, not…
