For me, Tiffany Shlain is a source of great insight and hope on culture, communication, technology, and life, so I’m pleased to share my recent interview with her: Honored by Newsweek as one of the “Women Shaping the 21st Century,” Tiffany is a filmmaker, founder of the Webby Awards, and co-founder of The International Academy of Digital […]
brand as business bit: “A strong concept that has the potential to evolve into a brand” is among the five criteria for a successful fast casual restaurant concept, according to Don Fox, CEO of Firehouse Subs. Speaking at an education session at the National Restaurant Show earlier this week, Don shared his insights about growth. […]
When a B-school professor starts a talk by saying he doesn’t have answers, only opinions, that’s certain to raise a few eyebrows. But then, Harry Kraemer is not your average B-school prof — and his approach isn’t standard B-school proclamations from on high nor are his teachings your average B-school material. […]
brand-as-business bit: In my inaugural piece as a regular contributor on OPEN Forum, I talk about how attempts to define a brand make me think of the elephant parable. You know the one in which different blind men describe an elephant based on what different body parts feel like. I referenced a few brand definitions […]
brand-as-business bit: I’m interested in the Komen/Planned Parenthood situation from a brand point of view, not a political or moral one. That’s why a piece by James Gregory, CEO of Core Brand, a brand valuation consultancy, piqued my interest. He says the Komen organization should have done things differently by focusing on: “basic ‘brand alignment.’ […]
(The following is the first in a two-part blog-exchange I’m doing with Stephen Denny, author of Killing Giants: 10 Strategies to Topple the Goliath in Your Industry. Because Steve and I are among those teaching the upcoming Marketing Profs University course, Marketing Your Small Business, we decided to address retailers’ issues and opportunities in these […]
2012, according to the Chinese calendar, is the Year of the Dragon. In Chinese tradition, each year is dedicated to a specific animal and predictions for 2012 are for a dragon-like year of excitement, unpredictability, exhilaration, and intensity. With this expectation in mind, I’ve selected several brands to keep my eye on. They’re likely to […]
In the spirit of New York Times Magazine’s annual Year in Ideas, I’ve compiled an alphabetical digest of ideas, from A to Z, that I wrote, spoke, and passed along over the past 12 months. The following are excerpts — the original pieces linked. […]
Culture is quite the hot topic in business these days. The adage “Culture eats strategy for lunch” has been acknowledged for ages, but it seems the importance of culture is being emphasized now more than ever. […]
Jason Fried, CEO of 37signals, knows a thing or two about small business. His company has been developing apps for small businesses for seven years. But it’s how he runs his own company that reveals his keen insight for how to be a successful small business. […]