Lochhead on Marketing

America is in the middle of something extraordinary, and most people are not paying attention. Since 2021, Americans have filed more than 20 million new business applications. In 2024 alone, the U.S. averaged roughly 430,000 new business applications per month, which is approximately 50% above pre-pandemic levels. This is not opinion. This is data, and it points to one of the most powerful entrepr...

On this episode of Lochhead on Marketing , the Category Pirates talk with Gina Bianchini about how AI is changing the way we work faster than most people expected. In just a few short years, it has transformed how we access knowledge, complete tasks, and think about productivity. For many professionals, creators, and business owners, that shift raises a pressing question. If AI can do more and mor...

Most people assume the great race in artificial intelligence is about making machines smarter. Bigger models, better reasoning, faster outputs. But a recent conversation between Christopher and ChatGPT accidentally uncovered something far more important than intelligence. It revealed the real frontier of the future of AI, and it has nothing to do with writing poems or passing exams. It started wit...

There are two kinds of people in this world. There are those who find their place, and there are those who have to make one. The story of Anika Nilles and her role in the return of Rush is one of the most compelling examples of category design, elite preparation, and radical originality that rock music has ever seen. It is a story about refusing to compete on someone else’s terms and instead...

Most people watch politics the same way they watch sports. Your team, my team, win or lose. We wear our colors, red or blue, and cheer accordingly. But that framing misses something profound about how real change actually happens in political landscapes. There is a different lens worth considering, one borrowed from the world of business strategy called category design. This lens doesn’t just expl...

This week, we sat down with marketing royalty Laura Ries , the daughter of Al Ries and Chairwoman of RIES, on Follow Your Different to unpack what makes for truly powerful brand building. We thought that it was so good, it would be a shame if the folks here at Lochhead on Marketing were to miss out. So let’s get everyone caught up while we wait for part 2 to drop! The discussion, sparked by...

In a special episode from the  DisrupTV studios , marketing visionaries Christopher Lochhead, Ray Wang, Vala Afshar, and guest Sunil Karkera dive deep into the themes of Christopher Lochhead’s latest book,  The Existing Market Trap . The conversation is a masterclass in modern marketing strategy, category design, and the seismic impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on business. If you’re a marke...

Welcome to Lochhead on Marketing  2025 ! In this New Year’s episode, we reflect on the past year and look forward to 2025, with a focus on significant career trends and the impact of AI on the workforce. With 60% of Americans considering job changes, the episode highlights the diminishing value of traditional knowledge work and the rise of “creative capitalists” who leverage AI f...

On this episode of Lochhead on Marketing , we dive deep with fellow Category Pirate Katrina Kirsch into the critical importance of clarity in marketing. We explore the common pitfalls that entrepreneurs and marketers face when trying to articulate their points of view (POVs) and the challenges of standing out in a crowded marketplace. This episode will break down the key insights from their discus...

On this episode of Lochhead on Marketing , we engage in a thought-provoking conversation with Fernando Labastida , an innovative thinker in category design and a proponent of businesses creating their own unique markets. The discussion centers on the transformative role of writing a book as a strategy for businesses to carve out their unique markets and establish themselves as category leaders. We...

On this episode of Lochhead on Marketing , Category Pirates Christopher Lochhead and Eddie Yoon talk about the power of simplifying business strategies into a One-Sentence Strategy. They discuss how successful companies, from large enterprises to solopreneurs, leverage concise strategies to drive focus and alignment. Highlighting examples like Gillette’s “revenue per user per year&#822...

On this episode of Lochhead on Marketing , Christopher Lochhead, a three-time CMO and a leading figure in category design, gives his Pirates Perspective into the critical concept that “the category makes the brand, not the other way around.” This principle underscores the importance of understanding and defining a category in marketing, as it can profoundly influence consumer perceptio...

On this episode of Lochhead on Marketing , Christopher Lochhead and Eddie Yoon dissects Apple’s latest announcements from the 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on an all-new Pirates Perspective. The conversation centers around Apple’s introduction of Apple Intelligence, a cutting-edge AI-driven personal intelligence system, and their strategic partnership with OpenAI. They br...

On this episode of Lochhead on Marketing , I would like to share with you a very special tribute to a man who’s not only a legend in the world of basketball but also a cherished friend of mine—Bill Walton. Join me as we take a walk down memory lane, revisiting the first time Bill graced my podcast with his presence and the indelible mark he’s left on my life. A Meeting of Minds in San...

On this episode of Lochhead on Marketing , the conversation takes a deep dive into the complex and sensitive situation in Gaza, Palestine, Israel, and the broader Middle East, and how our perception here in America is being warped by misinformation from different sides. Welcome to  Lochhead on Marketing . The number one charting marketing podcast for marketers, category designers, and entrepreneur...

On this episode of Lochhead of Marketing , we review a powerful strategy that has the potential to revolutionize how you approach marketing and demand creation for your product or service. We call this strategy “damming the demand,” and it’s all about redirecting existing consumer desire to carve out a new category that you can dominate. If you’re not convinced, check out how the...

On this episode of  Lochhead on Marketing , let’s talk about why thinking about thinking is the most important kind of thinking. This isn’t just another buzz phrase; it’s a fundamental practice that can revolutionize the way we approach entrepreneurship, marketing, and business strategy. So we thought that it would be a good idea to refresh new listeners minds and remind the old heads...

Today on Lochhead on Marketing , we want to share some insights from a riveting discussion we had with Eddie Yoon, our category pirate brother, about a monumental move by Apple. We’re talking about a colossal $110 billion stock buyback and what it means for the tech giant’s innovation trajectory, particularly in the realm of artificial intelligence (AI). Welcome to  Lochhead on Marketi...

On this episode of Lochhead on Marketing , it’s time again to shave that Marketing Dog with Christopher Lochhead. If you’re an avid listener of the podcast, you probably think you’re experiencing déjà vu. But we think that people still don’t get this simple concept, that it merits a replay. It is also a good reminder for others who may be falling into the trap of overcomplicating their marketing s...

On this episode of Lochhead on Marketing , we are presenting Christopher’s partner, friend, collaborator, and brother from another mother, Eddie Yoon, breaking down how to do a legendary marketing lightning strike with the Tesla Cybertruck as a textbook example. Eddie Yoon is the category design guru to the S &P 500, and he’s written more about category design in the Harvard Business Rev...

On this episode of Lochhead on Marketing, we talk about why marketing the user’s problem works, but marketing only your brand/product/solutions doesn’t. Welcome to  Lochhead on Marketing . The number one charting marketing podcast for marketers, category designers, and entrepreneurs with a different mind. The Importance of Understanding Consumer Problems in Marketing Market your brand/product/solu...

On this episode of Lochhead on Marketing, we enjoy the first of many visits from Al Ramadan in 2024, as we talk about moving from being a Category Contender to a Category King. We’ll dig into what is a category contender in what it takes to win the 18-to-36-month epic category battle that every tech startup faces. So if you’re an entrepreneur or marketing leader who wants to go beyond compet...

Today is a fun conversation with my fellow Pirates Eddie Yoon and Katrina Kirsch, as we talk about the importance of Framing, Naming and Claiming a problem, to create a different solution for your business. From time to time, we drop these video discussions that three of us have in Category Pirates, and this one I thought you might also enjoy. If you do enjoy this kind of content, you can check us...

On this episode of Lochhead on Marketing, let’s talk about a trap that most budding Category Designers fall for, and that’s thinking about competition. Welcome to  Lochhead on Marketing . The number one charting marketing podcast for marketers, category designers, and entrepreneurs with a different mind. Feature Battle vs Category Battle Christopher shares a story of a company who consulted with h...

On this episode of Lochhead on Marketing, let’s talk about why it’s time to stop trying to fit in. Welcome to  Lochhead on Marketing . The number one charting marketing podcast for marketers, category designers, and entrepreneurs with a different mind. Everyone Wants to Fit In There’s an ongoing trend in the business, startup and marketing world of companies trying to fit in. There hav...