I’m fascinated by the recent flurry of activity of designer PCs. Having worked at Sony during the early years of VAIO (perhaps the first fashionable PC line, launched with its distinctive violet color and sleek features and all), it’s pretty amazing to me to see how the category has developed. […]
Recently Ad Age published a list of what it considered to be “America’s Hottest Brands.” The list featured 40 brands that are “setting the pace for innovation — and getting results – right now.” Although their selection criteria wasn’t clear and I can’t say I agree with all of the choices, I did find some […]
Yesterday’s New York Times’ article, Apple’s Game Changer, Downloading Now, was a fascinating read. I’m not knowledgeable enough about the technology behind mobile apps to evaluate the story as a representation of the programming and development challenges and opportunities of all the different companies. But I found it a provocative report on the different brands’ […]
This week’s BusinessWeek features two stories back-to-back that together make an important point for all businesses trying to navigate today’s recessionary times. First is a piece on Target’s apparent move down market, “Look Who’s Stalking Wal-Mart.” It outlines several moves by Target that seem to be taken from Wal-Mart’s playbook. Then there’s the article, “Why […]
I just finished listening to Chris Anderson’s latest book, Free, and I was particularly fascinated by the portion which discussed the changes in music distribution in China. I’ve been thinking a lot about how the book publishing business is experiencing some dramatic challenges and I believe there may be some important takeaways for book publishers […]
Earlier this week I had the opportunity to hear the leaders behind four of the most exciting brands in action sports talk about their journeys as entrepreneurs. They were brutally honest about their struggles and gave some great advice. I’ve compiled my notes into the following presentation. Thanks much to the entrepreneurs: Brian Enge, CEO […]
Last Sunday’s New York Times included a piece, “At MoMA, ‘Permanent’ Learns to Be Flexible.” It outlined how the museum’s new chief curator of painting and sculpture, Ann Temkin, is challenging the rules of museum display. In the piece, I found some instructive parallels for struggling retailers. […]
Today I’d like to do a little experiment. I have an idea for a new brand tool but my thoughts aren’t fully fleshed out. So I thought I’d use this blogpost as a way of reaching out to like-minded folks who might be interested in refining and fleshing out the idea. The following post outlines […]
Earlier this week I attended one of the best conferences I’ve ever been to – Brand Managecamp. Billed as the “elite conference on branding,” and featuring some heavy hitting speakers like guru Guy Kawasaki and marketing professor/legend Phil Kotler, I had quite high expectations going into it – and they definitely were met. Len Herstein […]