The surprising strategic advantages of mild existential panic. Overthinking gets a terrible reputation. People say things like: “You’re thinking too much.” “Stop overanalysing it.” “Just post the content.” Which is all wonderfully easy advice to give when you are not the person responsible for accidentally publishing something catastrophic to the internet at 9:14 on a…
The increasingly modern habit of digging up seeds to check if they’re working. About three weeks after launching a marketing strategy, a certain kind of panic often sets in. It usually starts off quietly. Someone checks the analytics and looks as worried as if they’ve just spotted a comet coming straight for Earth. A meeting…
How to go viral briefly before quietly vanishing into the digital fog. There is a particular kind of panic unique to modern marketing. It usually begins with someone saying, “We need to react to this trend immediately.” At which point an entire organisation suddenly behaves as though it has spotted a rare celestial event that…
Book Review : Brains On Fire by Robbin Phillips, Greg Cordell, Geno Church & Spike Jones. There’s a particular kind of optimism in modern marketing that suggests if we automate enough emails, optimise enough funnels, and post enough short-form video content, customers will eventually fall lovingly into our sales pipeline. Brains on Fire offers a…
Innovation isn’t always loud, disruptive, or wrapped in Silicon Valley buzzwords. Sometimes, it’s hidden in overlooked feedback, awkward conversations, or the idea someone almost didn’t share in a meeting. In this episode of The Overthinker’s Guide to Modern Marketing, host Sean Makin explores the real meaning of innovation in modern business and marketing. From company…
How to spend less money without accidentally spending all of it. There is a moment, usually early in the life of a marketing plan, when someone leans forward and says: “Can we do this… but cheaper?” This is a perfectly reasonable question. In fact, it is such a reasonable question that it has quietly become…