Let’s face an unfortunate truth – American culture is fixated on beauty.

That obsession carries into marketing and design. Some privileged souls work in organizations steeped in a “planning” culture where a project never begins without a clearly defined creative brief. Others wander a busy highway of squirrel-chasers.

In Spring 2016, the history department hosted the seminar “Turning Points in 20th Century America.” Topics included legal issues, economics, marketing, history, music, church history, Christian film making and social activism. Ryan McElhany, MBA, explains the evolution of marketing, advertising and advertising law throughout the 1900s.

How does it feel when someone praises your accomplishments? Do you suddenly feel inspired, sharp and ready to take on new challenges? Science shows that there are many psychological effects of praise. Used correctly, praise can boost self-esteem, increase performance and supercharge productivity. Used incorrectly or not at all, it can tear down and render the most high-powered team impotent.

Consumers today are bombarded by more daily advertising messages than at any point in history. Demonstrated by the Superbowl, watching ads is now a pastime unto itself.

What consumers do not realize is that there are psychological tactics that are the invisible arrows in an advertiser's quiver. In this post, we'll discuss the power concept of anchoring bias on human behavior.

If asked to name the top selling girls children's toy from the past year, what would you guess? One might reasonably (but incorrectly) assume Barbie , Goldiblox , or the continued onslaught of Frozen-themed merchandise. But, if you have young daughters or grandchildren, you won't be surprised when I say Shopkins .

Marketers of small- to mid-sized organizations constantly seek tools to improve efficiency and efficacy of their efforts without breaking the budget. In this post, I provide 6 marketing tools that can make your life as a nonprofit marketer (or small business) easier than ever.