I was saddened to learn of the death of marketing guru Jack Trout this week. Trout rewrote the rules on marketing with the books "Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind" and "The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing."

Although those books were published in the '80s and '90s, most of the lessons within remain true to this day. In fact, you would find strands of DNA from Jack throughout the strategic research, brand analysis and other research services we provide to radio and TV.

I last visited Jack in 2007 at Jack's home in Greenwich, CT. I dug up notes from our conversation and find much of his analysis of and advice for media brand development is apropos to this day.

If we could all go back and start our life as an artist with a blank canvas, how many of us would repaint our self-image? Interacting with large numbers of radio people from corporate officers to freshmen air talent, it's our burden to match-up with them instead of ...

One morning, Randy Lane woke up in San Diego and began listening to KSON in preparation for his workshop with morning hosts Tony and Kris. Randy was an hour into listening to the show when he noticed an overlooked email. Tony and Kris were both sick. They were not going ...

Oh, the joys of putting together the perfect aircheck: Sifting through hundreds of hours of audio until the sound of your own voice sends you dangerously close to the brink of insanity; finding just the perfect few breaks that balance your awesome personality with ...

Or is that irrelevant? FAST COMPANY asked an interesting question recently: Are you proud of your company? Most of us don't work for Pro Publica or Doctors Without Borders, organizations that purposefully attract the altruistic. Most of us work for companies that ...

When it comes to disruption, there are two sides of the coin: risk and opportunity. While doom and gloom about the future has become a cottage industry, the driverless car represents a transformational opportunity for radio as we strive to achieve $20 billion in annual ...

This month marks the sixth anniversary of the largest natural disaster visited on the American landscape in the new Century. At 5:34 on Sunday, 22 May 2011, an EF5 tornado's 200-mph winds cut a mile-wide swath through Joplin (Missouri's fourth largest metro), killing 158 ...

By Doug Erickson Personal and vulnerable in one package. I love so many things about this ... just watch, and then I'll share: Jimmy Kimmel, as you may know, started in radio. It takes courage to cry in front of millions, to bare your heart for all to see. It takes ...

When you think about it, many air personalities are rude. In the interest of brevity, we rush into content to get off to a quick start. And when we reach a high point, we suddenly bail on the break. Those are important principles, but not if it comes at the expense of ...

Just like listeners, not all mobile users are created equal. According to researchers at Dscout, the typical mobile user taps or swipes her phone 2,617 times per day, which generates 2.5 hours of screen time. Meanwhile, heavy mobile users - the top 10% overall - tap and ...