TAISPEAK
Tai speaks on turning customers into Fans, leadership, music, and navigating AI.
The Frontline of Fandom
The people with the most power to turn customers into Fans are usually nowhere near the boardroom. What Taylor Swift, Disney, and Chick-fil-A know about the front line of fandom.
We Loved Dolly for Staying Neutral. So Why Are We Mad at Ed?
Can a personal brand stay neutral in a divided world? The ingredients-and-flavors framework, plus the three rules I use before weighing in on anything political.
Stop Filling the Funnel. Start Building Fans.
Peter Furler gave me a stage when I needed one. A year later, I watched him hand-paint drum heads for his superfans, and it reminded me why marketing should end in fandom, not at the sale.
The Marketing Step You Can’t Afford to Skip
U2 gave 500 million people a free album, and most of them were furious. The step they skipped is the same one most marketers skip, and it costs them.
Crossover Dilutes. Spillover Amplifies. The Marketing Principle That Built a 30-Year Career.
In the late nineties, THIRD DAY was told to soften its edges to reach a bigger audience. Two sentences from John Huie sent us the other direction, and the result sold two million records. The same principle applies to every business I work with.
Your Customers Are Not a Crowd
Eight West Coast shows and tens of thousands of faces. Three of them, a mother in Sacramento, a boy in San Diego, and a man named Big Al in Phoenix, reminded me that an audience is never a crowd. Neither are your customers.
The Goal Is Soul, Even When the Canvas Is AI
The canvas is born of the idea, not the other way around. Here is what U2’s creative director taught me about using AI to elevate a story instead of replacing it.