The latest assertions on how we can bend workplace culture toward greater creativity and innovation.
I'm working on a client presentation for next week. In the process, I've developed what I call the 5 Es of Branding: Management must Establish the brand. Employees must Extend the brand. Customers should Experience the brand. The public should Experiment with the...
I'm breaking a rule and updating on a non-Friday. Well, I upgraded WordPress today and lost my customized header code. Jens had recommended a new image anyway, so I'm in search for a new "Casual Friday" photo. I thought I'd try going Open Source and see who could...
I participated in a volley of comments over at Church of the Customer earlier this week on the dimnishing returns of traditional advertising. Ben McConnell made this statement: ...advertising isn't dead; it's been commoditized. That renders a lot of its value...
Seems like everyone is getting into the "act" today. Author Dan Pink wrote a short article for Fast Company entitled How To Act Like A Designer. Stating, "If you're in any business, you're in the design business." he gives 5 tips on sharpening your design acumen. Now,...
Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba point out that most of what defines today's conventional marketing wisdom is derived from E. Jerome McCarthy's introduction of the 4 P's in 1960. Product, Placement, Price, and Promotion. That's a 45 year old model created during the...
I'm a superhero. Don't let the bald head and soft waistline fool you. I may not look like a superhero, but I am one. I've been a superhero since I was a kid, though they were humble beginnings. When I was six years old we couldn't afford a cape, so I just...
An actor looks for events in the scene he/she is playing. Events are changes. Could be a revelation of knowledge, a burst of anger because of careless words, or a number of other elements. I was directing two actresses this week in a training exercise. The scene began...
Here's a great example of marketing mystery. The box below was sent to owners of ISPs. Inside was a fortune cookie with the URL "whatsmyfortune.com" imprinted on its slip of paper. No salesheet. No business card. No fancy graphics (yikes! designers). How mysterious....
Relationship In his book Audition, Michael Shurtleff gives twelve guideposts for actors to follow in order to "get the part." The first guidepost mentioned is relationship. Shurtleff stresses the importance of understanding your character's relationship with the other...
I'm sitting at my desk with a stack of industry pubs intimidating my lineup of project folders. I have a perennial backlog of marketing advice and business tip emails clogging my inbox. There seems to be an endless sea of blogs devoted to marketing and branding, some...
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