Facebook & Skype, the “twins of free” meet old economy
The fun and games predicted are starting! Facebook has added Skype to its services, in an expanding collaboration with Microsoft , and in response to the competitive threat of to Facebook by Google+ launched recently. This collaboration will not make the integration...
Social media will win the next election.
I'm thinking ahead here, to the next federal election, the one Tony thinks is already on. I suspect the communication mix of this election will be different to those that have gone before, Social Media will play a significant role, perhaps even a deciding role given...
Tesco pushes e-media boundaries, again.
I have praised the way Tesco has adapted to the emergence of smartphones as a marketing tool, particularly in the UK by combining Loyalty card use, Dunnhumby data mining and smartphones. Sensibly Tesco are migrating this technology elsewhere in their growing global...
Switching costs and social warfare
Every marketer tries to build in switching costs into his product, something that makes the decision to change a bit more difficult. These switching costs have 2 elements: Real costs, like contract penalty clauses, loss of use of some useful feature that needs to be...
Product optimisation challenge
When a product is at the point of being launched, or upgraded, the last minute improvement, cloaked as product optimisation, is often a stumbling block. Two points about product optimisation: It is better to have a good product today, learning about the dynamics out...
The team Vs the individual
A great team is better than a team of greats, an oft quoted maxim, I suspect coming originally from Vince Lombardi, the legendary Green Bay packers coach and cliché source. We pretty much accept this, but what happens when there is an exceptional person, is his...
I miss the mob
I miss the mob Derek Sivers has an oblique take on things, he seems to be able to see perspectives most of us miss. This short "I miss the mob" video should be shown to all who get confused about why things are done.
6 rules for Strategic Alignment.
Every strategy book and article I have ever read talks about "alignment" as the holy grail of effective strategy implementation, but rarely have I seen it articulated in simple terms that are easily communicated. So here goes: Ensure there is an open, widely...
Presenter or Mentor
Presentations happen all the time, most are boring, usually because the presenter is talking about his favorite subject, "me, me, me" when the reality should be all about the audience, weather that be one person, or a thousand. Successful presentations create in the...
Assumptions become facts
How often have you seen assumptions, either made in the early stages of a project, or as a result of a long association with a product category blinding people to alternatives, gradually become accepted as "fact"? I have seen it often, as has everyone who ever sought...