Is your brand qualified to pass the Brand Tattoo Test? Independent of whether or not you actually like tattoos, the Brand Tattoo Test examines your employees’ desire to permanently etch a representation of your brand on their body, regardless of whether they plan to stay forever (which of course they can’t anyway). It’s a courageous question that I suggest serious marketers need to ask.

This pandemic has been a tale of two sides.

On a temporal basis, there were the two halves of 2020; and we have seen dramatically different experiences around the world. It’s also been obvious that some companies have rocketed during the pandemic while others have plummeted. The rich are seemingly getting richer [see the Guardian article, Billionaires’ wealth rises], while at the same time we are seeing dramatic forecasts for increased poverty and starvation as a direct result of reduced economic activity worldwide.

With consumers and businesses suffering hardships – that include illness, mental health and financial woes – it will be evermore important for marketers to be courageous in...