This week's inspiration is a cool partnership betweenLiquid Death (the water brand) and YETI (the cooler company). Liquid Death is known for their edgy "Murder Your Thirst" slogan, and they worked with YETI to make something crazy - a real coffin that works as a cooler. They made it right before Halloween and called it the "Casket Cooler." Someone bought it at an auction for $68,200!

The commercial announcing the YETI x Liquid Death Casket Cooler got around 27 million views on TikTok and Instagram just on the first day. The campaign was covered by tons of publications like MSN, CBS, Fox5, AOL, Yahoo!, AdAge, Food & Wine, and others, generating 1.2 billion press impressions.
When the auction that started at $1,500 reached $68,200 and successfully closed, the brand achieved an estimated $11.5 million in media reach. CBS Network bought the Casket Cooler to use in their show "Ghosts." So the reach continued even after the campaign ended.

Why I think the campaign was successful:

• It's attention-grabbing work in what you could call a boring category.
• The viral effect was huge. It's impossible to see it and not react or share it with someone.
• The partnership outside their category is inspiring.
• A taboo subject like "death" was handled in a humorous way. Bold!
• The timing before Halloween had a high chance of catching the trend.
• The product is real and they used every bit of available technology. (Triple Foam ColdCell™ insulation, hydraulic lid piston, dual drain valves, T-Latch locks.) This point is here because I love engineering. :)
• Doubling the reach with an auction is a cheap move with high added value.

Lessons I Learned

• We shouldn't trap brands in categories. Unconventional collaborations can be opportunities.
• The ordinary and low-impact way of doing real-time marketing during holidays and special days is "making a film." To create impact, "actually doing something" is more successful. (See: Dali Lokması.)
• We shouldn't be afraid to be provocative. Courage is good.

Action Items

1 Suggest cross-category collaborations for your own brand or 3 brands you follow. For example, a GoPro and Airbnb collaboration. Special houses for outdoor-loving GoPro members: cliff edges, mountain peaks, maybe even a cave. Or a simpler idea: "Netflix and a blanket brand collaboration."
2 What exactly sets your brand or a brand you like apart from competitors? Clearly define the differentiation point.
3 What can you do for real-time marketing outside of the usual special days?

📩 Who among your contacts could this post inspire? Send it to the first person who comes to mind!

IKEA’s bold SH*T stunt sent second‑hand sales in Canada up 192 %, pulled in 32 000 anti‑tax signatures, lifted store visits 16 %, and pushed “I’d buy” intent to 81 %. The noise got Ontario’s enviro and finance chiefs—and even the Prime Minister—to say they’d rethink the tax.

The problem

HST is a 13 % sales tax (like VAT) charged in parts of Canada. You pay it on new stuff and again on the same item when it’s resold. One product, two taxes.

IKEA’s fix

They swapped the letters: HST → “SHT – Second‑Hand Tax.” Then they gave a –13 % discount on everything in the As‑Is corner.

Why it worked?

• SH*T wordplay is daring and sticks in your head.
• It shows shoppers a hidden pain—and removes it.
• 13 % off = real cash.
• Tiny production cost, huge PR buzz.
• Matches IKEA’s “green and affordable” story.

What I learned?

1. No guts, no impact.
2. Hunt for customer pains and fix them.
3. Skip vague “awareness.” Solve the thing.
4. Use hard numbers, not fluff.

Try this?

• Talk to 10 customers this week. Find 2 real pains.
• Build one social‑impact idea they’ll act on.
• Send this note to three friends who’d like it 😊

—Burak

💌 Got inspired? Email this to your friends and share the spark!

🧠 Send me more content and premium articles to my inbox.

Links:

IKEA Canada: SHT - The Clios

Check out this Clio Awards 2025 Silver entry

The Clios - A legacy of Inspiring the makers of today & tomorrow

SHT | The ADCC

See SHT in the ADCC Archive

The ADCC

🏁 Introduction

Hello, I'm Burak! In this article, I am trying to answer the question "How do I learn marketing?" by using different learning methods through my own marketing journey. I tried to include my entire learning process in this article, from theoretical courses at the university to real experiences I had while selling in the field; from failed initiatives to agency career and up to today. Along the way I also tackle a few other questions: 
“Why do we have to keep learning all the time?
What does learning marketing give us?
How should we learn?”
Besides practical tips, you’ll also find—in the final section—an actionable learning plan tailored to your level, plus book and podcast recommendations. If you have no idea where to start, this article might be a good launching pad.

⁉️ What?

💬 My marketing learning journey

🎓Marketing Education

I was first introduced to marketing through an "Introduction to Marketing" class during my Business studies. Like many others, I found ads captivating, but I had never really considered the theory behind them. The curriculum revolved almost exclusively around Philip Kotler’s 4Ps. In hindsight, that education did little to shape me into a marketer. 

🏦 Banking Career

My first professional job was in banking—but not in areas like treasury, credit, or investments. I worked on the front-line sales team at a branch, where my main responsibility was to find new clients and sell banking products to both new and existing customers. I wished I could apply what little I had learned about marketing, but there was never a real opportunity to do so.

My second role was in the mortgage marketing department, managing distribution channels. Using what I’d learned in sales, I tried to increase the number of loan applications the bank received from estate agents and online portals. I was reading about marketing, but it was hard to turn what I read into part of my job.

🚀 Entrepreneurship

My life changed completely when I decided to start my own business. Banks were very bad at collecting loan applications online, and this gave me the idea for "Doctor Mortgage." At that time, big banks with many branches didn’t care much about digital. They knew it was important but still didn’t invest. Only a few companies were active online. I had built some websites before, so I thought it would be simple: build a site, get applications, and make deals with banks. But it wasn’t that easy.

Since I had no money, I had to do everything myself. I already knew how to use Joomla, change website themes, and write content—but I had to get much better, quickly.

I also had to learn many new things—how to design a logo, create a brand identity, basic brand strategy, positioning, content management, analytics, SEO, online advertising, CRM, server maintenance, and beginner-level HTML/CSS/PHP—all within three years. I learned because I couldn’t pay anyone else to do these things.

🎨 Agency Career

“Doctor Mortgage” didn’t work out, but I learned a lot and gained strong digital marketing skills. In my last agency job, I used everything I had learned—but this time for clients. Each new client taught me something, and that knowledge helped me get the next one.

Later on, I had time to learn the theory behind what I had done. I already knew what to do from experience. Books and research taught me why it worked. I started writing, talking, and sharing what I learned. This helped me connect practice with theory and become a better marketer.

🔑 Quick Lessons from My Journey

• University—or theory on its own—is never enough to become a marketer.
• Real sales experience—talking to customers—gives you a huge edge.
• Lack of resources isn’t an excuse; it’s a learning opportunity. Necessity is the greatest motivator.
• Failure can teach you more than success.
• Formal education isn’t the direct route to becoming a marketer—but understanding why you do what you do does make you better.

To give you simple and helpful advice, I looked at trusted studies about how people learn and combined them with what I’ve learned from my own journey. I hope they’re useful as you learn too.

⁉️ Why?

📙 Why Should I Keep Learning?

• The spread of digital access is expected to be the most transformative trend—both within and beyond tech. 60 % of employers expect to transform their businesses by 2030. *
• On average, workers expect two‑fifths (39 %) of their skills to be disrupted or obsolete between 2025‑2030. *
• If the global workforce were 100 people, by 2030, 59 would need reskilling. Employers think 29 of them can be upskilled in their current roles and 19 can be redeployed elsewhere in the organization. *
• According to Harvard Business Review, the average shelf‑life of a skill is now under five years—sometimes 2.5. (HBR).
• Average skill lifespans according to a study from 2020, before the AI boom: *
  • ⏳ Perishable Skills < 2.5 years – rapidly updating tech skills, company‑specific policies, proprietary tools
  • 🧩 Semi-durable Skills < 5 years – foundational frameworks in specialised tech & processes
  • 🧠 Durable Skills < 7,5 years – design thinking, project management, communication, leadership

In short, gaining skills isn’t optional; it’s mandatory—especially in fast‑moving fields like digital marketing.

The rest of this article continues under the following headings for paid subscribers:📘 Why Learn Marketing?📗 Economic Data & Experiential Learning👋 My Reasons for Learning⁉️ How?     * ☝️ 1. The 70‑20‑10 Rule     * ✌️ 2. Experiential Learning (Kolb)     * ❓ Which Method When?✅ Action Plan: Start at Your Level📖 Further Reading, Listening & Watching🧩 Closing: A Final Word on Learning Marketing

Become a paid subscriber to read on!

I’ve Worked Both Client- and Agency-Side—Here’s the One-Word Fix

The question I get asked most? Easy:

“Give a proper brief.”

That single move can lift your marketing-budget efficiency by roughly 33 %—a magic wand backed by hard data. Let’s unpack why and how.

Why a Brief Matters

Giving a brief—let alone a good one—has become the exception, not the rule.

Recent research shows only 23 % of agencies and 15 % of brands actually use a brief when evaluating ideas. 

When a brief is missing or sloppy, the fallout is brutal:

• One-third of marketing spend goes straight in the bin—roughly $200 billion every year. 
• The average number of pre-authorisation review rounds has increased from 3 to 5 since 2007. since 2007. 
• 90 % of marketers and 92 % of agencies agree the brief is “valuable but neglected.” 
• Yet 80 % of marketers think they write good briefs, while only 10 % of agencies agree. 

Because agencies rarely push back and marketers often don’t know (or don’t bother) how to fill one out, everyone loses time, energy and money. A clear brief means less back-and-forth, fewer headaches—and better work.

Bottom line: Want stronger ideas with less stress? Write a solid brief.

What Is a Brief, Really?

In its simplest form, a brief is a short document that explains what you want, why you want it, and how you expect it delivered—three questions that link together.

Below is the easiest brief template I’ve ever used:

1. What?
2. Why?
3. How?

Answer those well and your odds of great creative shoot up. Scope can stretch or shrink, but the core stays the same. Check out the sample below.

Sample Brief — Nike

What?

Launch a two-week, social-first campaign to hype Nike’s new “Move to Zero” sustainable running shoe. Primary channels: Instagram Reels, TikTok, and Nike Run Club—where Nike’s eco-minded, under-30 audience already hangs out.

Why?

“Move to Zero” is a flagship piece of Nike’s 2024-25 sustainability narrative.

• Target: 18-30-year-old urban runners who care about fitness and the planet.
• Insight: “I want high-performance gear that feels good—and does no harm.” Gen Z’s eco-filter drives 64 % of purchase choices. 
• Goal: Drive 150 000 product-page visits in 14 days and generate 2 000 UGC posts with #MoveToZero.

How?

• Mandatories
  • Show Swoosh and Sunburst logos together.
  • Every video must include the subtitle: “Made with 50 % recycled content.”
• Tone & Message
  • Tagline: “Run Forward, Leave Zero.”
  • Energetic “challenge” vibe, lean copy, true to Just Do It.
• Timeline
  • Kick-off: 3 June
  • Hero video live: 10 June
  • Daily challenge clips: 12-17 June
  • Wrap report: 20 June
• Deliverables
  • One 30-second hero video (Reels + TikTok)
  • Six 15-second challenge clips
  • Ten IG Story frames (poll + swipe-up link)
• Budget
  • Production cap: $100 000

❤️ Share the Love

Found this useful? Pass it on to a friend. And if you’ve got marketing questions, jump into the premium tier—happy to tackle them there! 💌

Money’s tight, but marketers are wired to squeeze big results from tiny budgets. If no one’s heard of your product, it can’t become a brand—so awareness comes first. We’ll chase organic reach with zero media spend, try, fail, tweak, repeat. Think of it as a three-dollar-latte exercise in creativity.

Note: This isn’t a deep-dive strategy guide. Forget segmentation, positioning or tone frameworks. It’s pure, grab-and-go tactics.

✅ Must-Do Basics

First, cover the table stakes that cost next to nothing but open the door to customers.

• Launch a simple website. One month’s coffee budget buys hosting and a template—max impact, minimal cash.
• Post the essentials: what the product does, how to use it, where to buy—plus online checkout if possible.
• Spin up social accounts and post consistently. Use proper image/video sizes and keep the voice on-brand.
• Match content to the platform: founder updates on LinkedIn, eye-candy on TikTok, quick FAQs on Instagram Stories—and always answer questions.

Nice-to-haves

• Add a blog and build an email list.
• Launch a lightweight podcast.
• Let the founder post in person; a human face fast-tracks trust.

🎣 Traffic Hooks

Now, drive eyeballs to your site and socials—still on coffee money.

• SEO is non-negotiable  .
• Build a “How-To” hub—tutorials pull evergreen traffic.
• Blog + SEO combo funnels readers to the product page.
• Employee advocacy—staff share brand posts; it works and it’s free  .
• Social posts should link back (or point via bio).
• Run micro-contests—“Tag a friend,” “RT to win”—with mini prizes.
• Email your list regularly; tease launches and promos.
• Drop the logo and tagline into every staff email signature.

🧲 Pull-In Plays

Edge past rivals with mid-level, higher-value moves.

• Referral deals: “Invite a friend, both get perks.”
• Free e-books, cheat-sheets or industry PDFs.
• Discount codes, UGC challenges, selfie drives.
• Recurring giveaways or “30-day challenge” campaigns.
• Webinars, livestreams and bite-size online classes.

🪜 Leverage Moves

These take more work but crank up growth.

• Seed the product with niche influencers.
• Guest on podcasts or YouTube shows your crowd already loves.
• Pitch guest articles or interviews to relevant blogs and magazines.
• Speak at industry events and network hard.
• Turn company data into infographics or press releases.
• Cross-promote with brands that share your audience.
• Publish detailed case studies with real numbers.

💣 Bomb-Level Stunts

Rare, bold, viral-ready plays that ignite chatter.

• Kick off a creative campaign highlighting a big industry pain point.
• Stage a pop-up in an unexpected place; film the reactions.
• Orchestrate a PR stunt that news outlets can’t ignore.
• Stick QR-code guerrilla posters at bus stops and cross-streets.
• Drop AI-generated visuals or videos that stop the scroll.
• Jump on real-time trends the moment they break.

🔗 The Power of Community

A tight community is the best long-term awareness engine. Hard to build, priceless once it clicks.

• Launch a Discord, WhatsApp or Facebook group.
• Host regular meet-ups or virtual hangouts.
• Offer members-only perks and content.
• Listen to feedback and fold it into the product.
• Turn members into advocates—and maybe resellers.

🫵 Your Turn—Quick Homework

1. What’s missing from your current home page?
2. Why should anyone follow you on social?
3. Write three crazy guerrilla ideas for your brand.

📦 Want More?

The next premium "⁉️Ask Bruce" drop will unpack these “coffee-budget” tactics with data, case studies and extra resources.
Unlock the archive and ask your own marketing questions—join the paid tier!

Learning what marketing is is easy.
College classes, online courses, books, blogs—you name it.

But if you want to learn how to do marketing, there’s only one path:
Get thrown into it. Better yet—have no choice but to do it.

A few numbers to chew on

• In the U.S. more than half (≈ 52 %) of fresh grads are still stuck in jobs that don’t need a degree a year after finishing college —five years out, the rate is still 45 %. 
• Marketing majors get hit even harder: one Bloomberg rundown put the “stuck in high-school-level jobs” share close to 60 %. 
• In the U.K. only 35 % of marketing graduates land a marketing-type role within 15 months. 

Bottom line: theory is a good starting line—but it won’t win the race. You’ve got to run.

🧠 My advise

Mix book-smarts with at least 50 % hands-on hacking. Knowing about something is cool; doing it is cooler.

💪 Do It Now

Pick a product, a service, a friend’s side hustle—or even a random charity page.

Tell yourself: “I’m the marketer now.”

1. Open an account.
2. Need a logo? Fire up Canva.
3. Stuck? Ask ChatGPT.
4. Still stuck? Google it.
5. Break-fix-repeat until it works.

Yep, that’s marketing in real life: simple on paper, sweaty in practice.

👀 Keep Your Brain Fed

Read, watch, binge podcasts. Steal smart ideas, test them, scrap what flops.

✅Action Checklist

Today

• Volunteer to run a buddy’s brand account.
• Launch an Instagram for your pet project.
• Set a baby goal—say, 20 followers in week one.

Weekly

• Post three pieces of content.
• Run one tiny ad or creative experiment.
• Ask, “Why did this post crush / flop?” Write it down.

Always

• Patch knowledge gaps with free courses or YouTube playlists.
• Read three marketing bits a week and try one in the wild.

Stick Around for More

The next paid “Ask Bruce?” drop will pack extra data, book picks, and five learning paths—whether you’re after a career switch, a side gig, or you just want to decode human behaviour. Subscribe for more!

Your Turn 🫵

1. Answer: Why do you want to learn marketing?
2. Fill in the blank: “The brand whose ads I love the most is ______.”
3. Try this: Come up with a domain, a quick logo and three taglines for “Psychologist Aysel.”

Got questions? Hop into the premium tier and fire away.
And hey—if you know someone who’d geek out on this stuff, forward the email.

Two billion-dollar-plus companies just stole the spotlight this week: Windsurf ($3 B) and Cursor ($9 B).

What interests me isn’t the cash—it’s the copy. So here’s the plan, I will,

1. Size up their taglines.
2. Pick a winner and say why.
3. Hand you three steal-worthy takeaways you can drop straight into your own work.

Cursor

The AI Code Editor Built to make you extraordinarily productive, Cursor is the best way to code with AI.

Why this slaps?

1. Zero guesswork: “AI-powered code editor.” Done.
2. Concrete promise: more productivity.
3. Sub-headline nails both the benefit (“extraordinarily productive”) and the edge (AI).
4. Salesy in the best way—direct, no fluff.
5. Loud AI angle separates it from every other IDE on the shelf.

Windsurf

Introducing the Windsurf Editor The new purpose-built IDE to harness magic.

Why it wobbles?

1. “Purpose-built IDE” hints at a niche, but “magic” never spells out the payoff.
2. Neither the process nor the result is clear. It’s basically “trust us, it’s cool.”
3. “Introducing” shines the light on the brand, not the user’s gain.
4. Mystique? Yes. Clarity? Meh.
5. No AI mention, so the differentiator stays fuzzy.

Drumroll, please…

Before I spill my pick, what’s yours? Which line do you think moves more sign-ups and dollars?

Here’s a tiny teaser so you can’t cheat. 😄

Since I can’t peek at their conversion or bounce stats, I’m leaning on my trusty spider-sense.

My vote: Cursor.

Why Cursor wins?

1. Explains itself in five seconds flat.
2. Category and use case are crystal clear.
3. The payoff (productivity) is measurable and real.

Be like Cursor. 😄

-Bruce

🟢 What happened?

Back in 2016—literally hours after the Angelina Jolie–Brad Pitt breakup hit the tabloids—Norwegian Air dropped a cheeky ad:

“Brad is single.”

…followed by a discounted Oslo-to-LA fare. Textbook real-time marketing.

Before we unpack the “why,” here’s what it delivered:

📈 Campaign results* :

• +32 % sales on that route overnight
• 300 million media impressions
• 53.2 million earned impressions on social alone
• Coverage in 890 stories & blog posts worldwide
• 94 % positive sentiment
• A spike in plain old “Brad awareness” 😄

🔴 Why did it crush it?

⏱️ Timing, timing, timing

The ad went live within 48 hours of the divorce news. Social feeds were on fire; everyone had an opinion.

🎨 Ultra-minimal design

Solid red background (on-brand), giant white letters: “Brad is single.” No clutter—just the joke, the route, the price. Instant click-bait for the eyes.

🔫 One-breath hook

Celebrity name, tabloid drama, killer deal—all in three words. You read it, laugh, then realise “Oh, cheap flights!” The punchline is the CTA.

✅ Steal-this-playbook

1. Catch the train early. Track upcoming news cycles so you’re ready to pounce.
2. One-sentence hook. Tell a whole story in three words if you can.
3. Keep it clean. Bold, readable visuals; nothing extra.
4. Add (just enough) humour. Wit fuels shares.
5. Make it newsworthy. Craft something reporters want to screenshot.

🫵 Your turn!

Pick a headline-making event, pick a brand, craft a three-word zinger.

Example:
Event: Eurovision is coming
Brand: HBO (Game of Thrones)
Line: “Voting is coming.”
Side-note: The throne wars are over—now it’s battle of the bands.

🧠 Subscribe for weekly inspiration!

💌 If a friend could use this spark of inspiration, pass it on!

🔥 Rule of Three + Rhythm + Tone
"Make X. Make more. Make it good."
Short. Punchy. Feels like a drumbeat — and that’s the point.

🚀 Clear Problem + Perfect Fix
Everyone wants more video. Your boss, your audience, the algorithm.
Product offers: “Get off my back.”
(And gives you a way out.)

🥊 Motivate
You can do it, because you already know how.

🤌 Real Talk, Not Textbook Talk
Grammar purists, look away: it’s “make it good,” not “make it well.”
That’s not lazy. That’s human.

❌ Ease > Output
Don’t tell make more videos.
Tell “make it easier to make content.”

-Bruce

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