David Pullara
Jun 30, 20214 min
Not including this one, I've written 250 posts since I began this blog in early 2020.
Admittedly, some entries are better than others.
So if you were to recommend this blog to your friends and wanted to give them an idea of what it's all about, here are the posts I'd argue best represent my work.
Marketing Posts:
I'm a career marketer who's worked with some of the world's most beloved, consumer-focused brands. Those experiences have shaped how I think about marketing in general, and these five posts provide some insight into that thinking.
1. Why Brand Marketing Matters
Too few people these days seem to focus only on "performance marketing" (a term I despise) and believe brand marketing is a nice-to-have instead of a need-to-have. That's a short-sighted, self-defeating approach... and this post explains why.
When Shopify President Harley Finkelstein asked Twitter what brand was best at storytelling, I decided to reply with a full post instead of a tweet. If you're interested, he subsequently shared my reply with his followers, calling it a "great analysis".
3. "Daddy, put the show back on!"
Kids say the darndest (and most insightful) things sometimes, don't they? A comment from my (then) three-year-old daughter helped me realize just how drastically the media landscape had changed in just a few short years.
4. On Coffee and Brand-Building...
If you can believe it, brand-building is a lot like making a great cup of coffee. You can decide for yourself if the analogy works or not... but I think it does.
5. My ADdicted features
There's a lot of them, but in each, I try not only to showcase a great piece of creative work but also explain why I think it's great. If nothing else, you're almost sure to be entertained.
Business Strategy / Leadership Posts:
I'm a strategist by nature, and I enjoy thinking about how businesses and people can operate more effectively; these posts provide a few examples of that.
1. Open Access
A powerful response from one of my students underscored the importance of having a diverse group of people in every room where important decisions are made.
When companies put their customers first, it shows.
Different companies are thinking about work in a post-COVID world very differently; those who can best adapt are most likely to thrive.
4. All of my text-talk interviews
While I haven't done one of these interviews in a while, this archive of text exchanges between myself and people far more interesting than me provides some great insights.
Career-Related / Candidate-Experience Posts
By most measures, I've had a fairly successful (albeit unconventional and non-linear) career to date. Working with some extraordinary organizations, I've learned a few lessons along the way about how to attract, hire, and retain great people... as well as what NOT to do.
I've seen too many job descriptions list industry-specific experience as an absolute requirement. But that's a mistake, and in this post, I explain why.
This brief post is intended to raise a yellow flag whenever a company won't consider you for a role because you have "too much leadership experience".
3. Even Better... Job Applications
Hopeful job applicants are often forced to spend unnecessary time and effort applying to roles in which they're interested... but it doesn't have to be that way, and Netflix provides an example of how a company can provide a better candidate experience.
Analytical Posts:
Every so often when I can make the time, I'll write lengthier posts that allow me to stretch my analytical muscles and present more structured arguments or break down a business model, strategy, process, or promotion. Here are a few examples:
1. My Sipscription / Sipcription Revisited
When A&W announced they would be testing a coffee subscription program, I wrote a post on what would likely need to happen for it to be considered a success. After participating in the test for a month, I wrote a second post about my experience and what I thought about the future of A&W's coffee subscription idea.
When I tried to cancel my MasterClass subscription, I was treated to one final MasterClass on customer retention.
3. A Tale of Two Cereal Promos
In this post, I compare two different cereal promotions and explain why one was likely to be far more effective than the other.
Life-Lessons / Inspirational Posts:
I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, but I've managed to learn valuable lessons from most of them. And as I'm fond of saying, life is too short to make all the mistakes yourself. In that spirit, these posts are intended to inform, educate, and inspire.
The importance of asking questions illustrated with a simple puzzle.
Years ago, I learned an important leadership lesson from a man unloading a dishwasher.
I learned about the importance of being prepared the hard way, and it's a lesson I've never forgotten.
This is a very personal story about how a teacher once showed me some compassion when I really deserve any, and how years later I was able to pay his kindness forward.
Here are a few words of encouragement for anyone waiting for the "perfect time" to start something important.
If there's something you've been nervous to try for fear of failing, you may want to read this.
7. Dream Job
I've wanted to work for Disney since I was a kid, so when I saw a "dream job" posted, I decided to do more than just apply and hope for the best.
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And there you have it: my favourite posts from the time this blog was created until today!
Did I miss one of your favourites in the list above? Did I include one you didn't particularly like, for whatever reason? I'd love to hear about it.
Because that feedback can help inform what I write about for my next 250 entries.
And the next time I create a "favourites" list, I'd certainly take it as a good sign if I have a more difficult time choosing what I feel are the best examples of my work.