"Fast trends get all the attention; slow trends have all the influence." (via Dan Pink)Especially true if attention spans are diminishing don't you thi...
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Products You Didn't Know You Needed.
Many customers are buying one for both sides of the bed! (via Ze Fran...
Monday, October 29, 2007
Rarefication Is The New Decommodification.
Decommodification is an awkward word to say and simply not assertive enough to describe the underlying differentiation problem.To avoid being a commodity in a fast-moving world of shared technologies and replicable ideas, you need to be actively different, noticeably remarkable and consequently scarce and of value. After all, you're seeking to charge a significant and sustainable premium.It's not enough just to try to not be a commodity. That way lies mid-level mediocrity and trivial distinctions supported by white-washing advertising. You don't...
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Wake Up And Smell The UGC.
Four weeks ago, an 18 year old English student in his first year at Leeds University put a video on YouTube.Three weeks ago, the second person to leave a comment wrote "wow you should send that to apple. you can make so much money if they air that!!!"Tomorrow, a professionally produced version will be shown during NFL games, Desperate Housewives and the World Series.Do you still think user-generated content is a jo...
Friday, October 26, 2007
Plasticine Rabbits And Drumming Gorillas.
When I read Scamp's riposte to the claims of plagiarism in the Cadbury ad, I was inclined to agree with him. But then I saw the Kozyndan rabbits and today this shot from a 1999 Michel Gondry video leapt out at me. It certainly made me pause (which was irritating as I was on a cycling machine at the tim...
Thursday, October 25, 2007
One World Everybody Eats.
An intriguing combination of the "pay what you will" pricing of the new Radiohead album and the general desire to eliminate waste is to be found at the One World Cafe in Salt Lake City where everybody chooses how much they want to eat and pays according to how much they think the meal was worth. But it's not that simple.By encouraging people to savor the meal, Ms. Cerreta is attempting to help people see the value of food as more than a mere consumable...
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Social Activities Beget Social Objects.
It may be because I'm struggling to think of anything to write today but, having just read Hugh's latest offering, I was struck how I unusually couldn't agree with one of the points he made.2. Social Networks are built around Social Objects, not vice versa. The latter act as "nodes". The nodes appear before the network does.I think there is an intermediate element and would contend that social networks are actually built around social activities. The activity exists before the network does (as I suggested when I wrote recently that you can't fake...
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
So You Want to Start a Painting Business...?
So You Want to Start a Painting Business?If you've ever seen one of those “Top 10 Small Business to Start” lists then you probably know that the house painting business opportunity has been a contender for years. One of the nicest things about owning a painting business is the flexibility it can offer. The income potential is so high that it is quite possible to work just three to four days a week and still make $50-$60,000 a year. House painting is one of those rare business opportunities that is nearly recession proof and can put financial...
Thursday, October 11, 2007
2008 Essential Guidance for CMOs
Marketing investment across the IT vendor community will increase by 6.1% for 2007. This increase in marketing investment will lag behind the growth rate of global vendor revenue, which is forecasted by IDC to be 6.7% in 2007. Tech marketers should watch this trend closely, and monitor their marketing budget ratio (MBR) and marketing investment change (MIC) data versus the industry. My research within IDC on marketing ROI has consistently shown that tech marketing leaders tend to expand their budgets at a rate equal to or greater than their revenue...
Tech Sales and Marketing Execs: Avoid Negative Attention from Your CEO!
By Richard Vancil, Vice President, IDC's Executive Advisory GroupA long-standing rift exists between sales and marketing in the IT vendor community. We all recognize the tired observations: sales is more tactical and marketing is more strategic; sales is all about the short term and marketing is about the long term; sales brings in the money and marketing just spends it. And we all know that the finger-pointing from the "two sides" gets sharper from there!Just as these misalignments and strained relationships have been long-standing, so has the...
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Product, Solution and Industry Marketing. . . the Next Evolution
Product marketing needs to undergo a significant evolution in the technology industry. It must no longer be marginalized as a content creation role or simply included as part of product management. Companies have an opportunity to lead this evolution by leveraging product, solution, and industry marketers to drive innovation in the organization and better meet the needs of their customers. Here are some key insights and guidance for tech marketers:Companies should conduct a comprehensive audit of their product, solution, and industry marketing...
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Field Mktg. . .The Missing Link for M&S Alignment
CMOs and their organizations continue to fall short in optimizing alignment with their sales organization, and the field marketing function offers significant opportunity to improve the linkage with sales. Based on the results of a study I completed as part of IDC's CMO Advisory Practice of the field marketing function and related processes, I'd like to offer the following key insights and guidance:Conduct a comprehensive audit of your field marketing practices, and apply a consistent definition of roles and responsibilities across the organization....
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