I love marketing: the ability to develop a story, weave that story through media and watch it resonate with an audience. The chance to follow that story through to a conclusion, potentially resulting in customers: this is a highly engaging activity for me, and one I thoroughly enjoy. It's not unlike watching "Breaking Bad," to be honest. There's a parallel in marketing that echoes the struggle of Walter White, if you know where to look (not that I am in any way comparing advertising to cooking meth in a trailer).

Last week I went to my daughter's kindergarten parent-teacher orientation night. My wife and I met the other parents, and our teacher reviewed the curriculum, customs and rules of the classroom. One of the weekly customs is Sharing Day, when a selected child stands in front of the class and tells a five-minute story about something that happened recently. It can be a story about anything, but preferably one she's passionate about. The only limitation is that she can't use any physical objects or props. The teacher explained that this method makes children accountable for creating and rehearsing their narratives …