One of the best storytellers I know is a nine-year-old. She doesn’t have a PhD. It’s not like clam digging, where you need years of training, a flat-decked boat, spading fork and a strong stomach. All that's needed to truly engage people is an understanding of the human condition — how to surprise, provoke laughter, inspire change. It's as simple as that. No more. We believe the cure for what ails the marketing industry is more likely than not to be found outside of Madison Avenue.

If we’re honest about the walls in front of us, our eyes can begin to focus on the beams of light fighting their way through the cracks. What might a Navy captain be able to teach us about grassroots marketing? How can a Broadway playwright help us reinvent the automotive dealership experience? Does an economics professor have the mental perspective to change the way we think about cause marketing? Can a nine-year-old teach us how to solve problems with renewed imagination? Maybe. Maybe not. But it’d be a shame if we never asked.