Writing

Long-form essays on technology, business, design and human behaviour.
Shorter, rawer notes live on the Journal.

Latest writing

28 Aug 2024The Real Cost of Fast FashionFast fashion made clothing cheaper and faster by externalising the real costs onto workers, waste and the environment. Cheap clothes are rarely truly cheap.Marketing
3 min 23 Aug 2023Name Change Tanked X App DownloadsRenaming Twitter to X caused a sharp fall in App Store visibility, showing how much discoverability and accumulated brand equity can disappear with a single.Marketing
2 min 11 Jun 2022McDonald’s De-Arched.After leaving Russia, McDonald’s arches disappeared but much of the menu remained. The replacement identity shows how recognisable a brand can be even when.Marketing
2 min 09 Jun 2011English is not Good for MarketingWhen everyone is told to market themselves through social media, simply speaking English is not enough. Distinctive communication is what makes expertise.Marketing
3 min 26 Feb 2011Social Media is the bane of Civil Marketing?Kenneth Cole’s infamous Cairo tweet shows how quickly opportunistic social marketing can backfire when a brand mistakes a human crisis for a promotional moment.Marketing
3 min 05 Feb 2010Apple averages $200 per iPad soldA look at the economics behind the original iPad, Apple’s healthy hardware margins, and how pricing and carrier subsidies could shape what buyers ultimately.Marketing
3 min 04 Dec 2009The Curious Pricing Case of the Apple 27″ iMacApple’s 27-inch iMac bundled a remarkable display with an entire computer at a price that made the economics of the machine surprisingly difficult to explain.Marketing
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