Like any change in the “go to market” strategy of a business there is an inevitable change in the alignment of power within the organisation. Just as product siloed organisations typically failed in their efforts to align themselves around customer segments, today sales and marketing executives fear to unleash themselves into the power shift required … Continue reading
Tagged with cultural change …
Invest in brands where CEO’s care for customers
Whenever I hear people talking about the dark side of capitalism, I turn to the principles of Warren Buffet, which remind me, that the best of human nature can bring immense success. In his letters to his investors, Buffet shares that he invests in companies where CEO’s care about customers. Buffet has found the genuine … Continue reading
Why are branded concepts the pointy end of the brand?
One thing every good brand planner knows is, “we do not see with our eyes, we see with our heart”. Our heart and our unconscious mind first see concepts. Branded concepts, which some people call ads, are the nano second take, which draw the customer in. A strong concept is based on the emotional connections to … Continue reading
Brands, not everything that counts can be counted
When the left brainers get near branding, the first thing they want to do is create a system with measurable outputs. So dependent are they on creating a hard science, that they often start to dictate the brand’s destiny. “If we can’t measure it using these algorithms, is shouldn’t be done!”, they argue. They are … Continue reading
The lessons from Kodak’s pending bankruptcy
Kodak created the digital camera, but refrained from investing in it early enough because it made most of its profits from the sale of developing chemicals. Kodak is an example of a business that froze when the market moved around them. Compare the commercial destinies of Kodak and Apple. In 1997 Kodak had a market … Continue reading
“Principles based capitalism for the 21st Century” as touted by Warren Buffet
Does it pay to be good? Once upon a time, business measured customer satisfaction (and some laggards still do) as the universal measure of good. A decade after this had been adopted globally, the penny finally dropped that satisfaction literally means ‘enough’, which is not good, as enough means, no more. Now business uses advocacy … Continue reading
Execution: getting the business to walk its talk
Building emotional connections with employees
When you have the right people in place, you need an internal brand to get them to buy into and support the vision. Mission Statements and operational plans rarely touch the hearts and minds of employees. In order for your team to understand how to walk the talk of the business, you need to create … Continue reading
Thought Leaders Circle 