Strategy & delivery / Selected essay
Why recommendations fail
(and what to do instead).
A good recommendation is a proposed change. What gives it somewhere to land?
Read the essayInsights / Jay Mandel
Question the promise.
Look at the evidence.
Writing on the gap between what organizations say and what people experience—and the decisions that can close it.
Explore the articles
A place to start
Thinking you can put to work.
Why recommendations fail
MarTech / Growth & Innovation
The cost of silence in marketing is too high
Read on MarTechMarketing Accountability Council / Data & AI
How Bad Math and Synthetic Empathy are Ruining Customer Service
Read on Marketing Accountability CouncilThe article library
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13 articles in Trust & Ethics
MAC · May 28, 2026
The Special Education Paywall: How New York Charges Families to Access Their Children’s Rights
I'm sharing this now because systems meant to serve us no longer uphold human dignity.
MAC · May 18, 2026
The Sirens of Modern Marketing
An essay on how leaders can recognize ethical drift, realign incentives, and give teams the judgment and support to choose responsible marketing practices.
MAC · March 3, 2026
The Platforms Aren’t Broken. That’s the Problem.
A conversation with Omar Oakes on fraud, trust, and what the industry keeps getting wrong.
MAC · February 13, 2026
How the Marketing Accountability Council changed the way I see marketing, trust, and the systems behind them.
Two years ago, I started the Marketing Accountability Council because I couldn’t ignore the widening distance between what institutions claimed to stand for and how they actually operated.
MarTech · January 30, 2026
No means no, even when the system refuses to listen
Silence is a signal, and ignoring it damages trust.
MAC · January 8, 2026
When Marketing Becomes Indistinguishable from Fraud
How Personalization, Influence, and Assumed Trust Power Modern Scams
MarTech · August 22, 2025
Marketing leadership asks for radical candor but wants compliance
Candor becomes useful when leaders reward thoughtful challenge, respond with curiosity, and turn honest feedback into better decisions and stronger trust.
MarTech · August 13, 2025
Why the grift economy is killing both marketing and marketers
Examining the incentives behind misleading marketing practices.
MarTech · May 16, 2025
Crumbl’s legal trouble shows the risks of shortcut marketing
The brand risks of taking marketing shortcuts.
Popular on MarTech
MarTech · February 14, 2025
Target’s DEI retreat: Inclusivity was never more than a marketing stunt
Testing the gap between inclusion promises and company decisions.
Popular on MarTech
MarTech · November 14, 2024
Why marketers must move from retention tactics to customer respect
Replacing retention pressure with customer respect.
MarTech · July 19, 2024
Planting seeds and building trust in a world of overnight wins
Building trust through consistent work rather than quick wins.
MarTech · March 22, 2024
Ethical marketing in the age of hidden fees and deceptive pricing
Recognizing the harm caused by hidden fees and deceptive pricing.
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The book / Kogan Page · 2023
Brand Strategy
in Three Steps.
Identity. Intention. Implementation. A framework for connecting your values, your offer, and the way you deliver.
Explore the book and sample chapterKeep exploring
From reading to doing
Bring your question
into the room.
Tell me what you are working through. We can decide together what needs to happen next.