Game Over?

Most of you know that I am a huge fan of industries/companies/individuals that are awake to the fact that the world has changed, and will continue to change at a faster and faster rate.

Whenever possible, I try to bring you examples wake-up calls in various industries. The lastest one I came across was from Cory Doctorow, blogspert from boingboing.net who pointed to a keynote presentation to the Video Game industry from game designer Greg Costikyan.

Click here to open the presentation.

Is your company awake? Are you? If you're not, you'd better sound the alarms.... if not ... it could be game over...

For Sale!!!

You probably arrived here just now as you probably just received our latest newsletter (if you didn't, and would like to subscribe, look to the left of the screen, maybe just scrolling down a bit, to sign up FREE of charge). Anyway, where was I.. oh yes, the newsletter, on stories. Well, just seconds ago my wife forwarded me this entry from Craigslist.org that is a wonderful example of how a story certainly beats a drab, engineered sales pitch.

Here is the listing.

Now compare that to this traditional real estate ad.

Which one do you prefer?

My thoughts exactly.

I'm thinking of making an offer.. I just have to sell my Hummer first..

Sonysung

I came across a very interesting article yesterday, from the International Herald Tribune:

"...in a twist emblematic of the companies' shifting prospects, Sony has increasingly been looking to Samsung to revive its sagging fortunes. Samsung, long seen as a low-end electronics maker, is now being courted by Sony for its manufacturing prowess and innovative technology.

And with good reason. For the first time, Samsung's brand is now worth more than Sony's, according to an annual Interbrand-BusinessWeek survey of the top 100 global brands, released Thursday. The poll, which compared the profits those brands were expected to generate, showed that Samsung was ranked 20th, while Sony fell to 28th.

Rather than shrinking from its role reversal with Samsung, Sony has embraced it by forging a series of deals that have turned the tables on a relationship that Sony used to dominate."

I guess the moral of this story is that you have to be honest about where you are standing, and in turn, act accordingly. Great move Sony.

Wanna Buy A Suit..?

I'm just putting the finishing touches on our next newsletter, and a great memory came back to me, and I thought.. hey, I'm a sharing kind of guy.. The newsletter is on the power of stories in business, so here's my story..

As a kid, my father would only buy his suits from one place, Tom's Place in Kensington Market. If you haven't been there, it is a great clothing store with racks and racks of suits. However, there is one thing missing - labels.

Every suit is essentially blank. You like a suit, the salesperson will quickly tell you the name of the manufacturer usually Armani, Ralph Lauren, etc.. but, you - the customer - have no way of knowing for sure.. But, you believe the story, you WANT to believe the story. I have to believe that the suits actually are made by the designers as billed.. Tom has the trust of many of Toronto's most prominent business people to 'prove' it.

But, there is something powerful about a tiny store in the middle of a crowded fish market that sells fantastic suits at great prices.. something that a huge retailer hasn't challenged for decades.

R and R...

Well, it's that time of year again, off to the cottage for my allotted 3 days of vacation a year...

Seriously though, as someone that pours their life into their work, I find myself needing this time off to recharge, and come back to work with a clear head.. so I thought I'd do some reasearch to see if you're in the same headspace as me..


















So, 74% (only 74%???) plan to take some time off... but...













Leave your blackberry at home.. get a good book, and go sit on the dock.

Be Like Mike...

Be beige, be boring, soften the edge... don't stand out...

Too many organizations are falling into this trap.. similar ads, tag lines, mission statements, products, and logos...

Want to stand out from the crowd, don't do what these companies are doing...

2005 Logo Trends

Don't believe me that the world is blurring... try this...

Retail Alphabet Game

Customer-Centric Solutions

Now, in previous posts, I've mentioned the fact that I am not a big fan of um.. (finger quotes) jargon...
Whoops.. I used jargon... well, last time..

Anyway, in my travels across the internet this morning, I came across two sets of business jargon. One from Business Week, and one from the blog Fouroboros...

Engagemints...

Yesterday a colleague and I were putting together a series of articles for a client, and one of our challenges was coming up with an appropriate article for Employee Engagement surveys..

These days, many of our clients are conducting engagement surveys, and it always gets me thinking of the follow up to the survey.. you know.. the hard part.. how does the organization fix the problem areas?

Now, typically I'm not a big fan of gimmicks.. Employees are intelligent, they can smell a sell job a mile away.. so in our business, we have to really work to tap into the wants, needs, and desires of employees to ensure that issues are dealt with effectively, and employees are truly engaged at work...

Ironically, I do collect 'theme' items that relate to my job... you know.. just to keep my head in the game 24-7... so I don't eat Altoids, I eat Dilbert Improve-mints, I don't brush with Crest, I use Aquafresh Empower-mint toothpaste.. as a tribute to Blue Ocean Strategy I don't use Mennen deodorant I use Ocean Blue... you know it keeps things fun, but also keeps me focused on my job...

Anyway, last night I was out at my local supermarket, and I came upon my favourite Organizational Development themed item yet.. Just Light The Box Charcoal... now, if you are a Tom Peters fan, you know that his take is that you don't want to push the envelope, tear it up, and you don't think outside the box... you BURN THE BOX...

So, if you're looking to get your employees engaged.. think of unique ways to subtly make them challenge the status quo.. after all, it's all about Employee EngageMINT...

Off the cliff...

Well, it was bound to happen.. FORD just joined GM and Chrysler by matching the employee discount program for everyone..

Pressured.. yes.. smartest move.. probably not..

Now Toyota will keep pushing hard with great new products, that sell even at full price.. continuing to out distance the weaker North American companies..

Will this discount strategy work.. short term.. yes... long term... probably not...

EPIC

Well, I've been holding on to this one for quite some time, so it wouldn't lose it's 'punch' when we presented it in a workshop last week. However, at long last.. I'm pleased to present one of the best 'What If.." depictions ever..

http://www.robinsloan.com/epic/

This 8 minute reel is a wonderful example of what every industry should assume will happen to it at some point.. somewhere in the future..

Enjoy... while you still have time...