What SME’s can learn from Apples trillion dollar milestone
On Thursday last week, Apple became the first trillion dollar company in market capitalisation. I was not even sure what a trillion is. A 'Trillion' is different in the US count to the British system which we in Australia follow. In the US system a...
Culture: ‘People like us do things like this’
So said Seth Godin in a segment of a Q&A session. Articulating culture is really hard, my go-to definition to date has always been 'The way we do it around here' from Michael Porter. This articulation 'People like us do things like this' adds to...
What is the number 1 job of the CEO?
Most would answer 'Financial outcomes' , Share price' or perhaps 'Customer satisfaction' to that question. However, when you think about it, they would all be wrong. Each of the three is an outcome, a result of other things happening, so the right...
The ‘Change Quadrant’
'Death and taxes are the only certainties in life'. Perhaps this used to be true, but no longer, there is now a third certainty: Change. Like it or not, it is happening around you right now. Those charged with the responsibility of running enterprises,...
9 ways to ‘stack the deck’ to win that vital tender
The better prepared the tender, the better the chance of winning. Hard to disagree with that statement, but then what makes for a better prepared tender? While price has a role to play, it is only the deciding factor when all else is equal. Your task as a...
The four parameters of collaborative success.
Collaboration in all sorts of guises, from casual cooperation to formal agreements and even mergers and acquisitions, is becoming more and more common. Digital tools of communication appear to make it easier, which they should do. However, the tools themselves do not...
Economies of technology, not of scale, will be the drivers of success in the future
8 years ago I did a research project that required me to have a look at the future of intensive horticulture. As a part of that project I spent a month in the UK looking at what was happening, and was astonished to see the beginning of a production...
Is data killing marketing creativity?
The credibility of marketing in the boardroom fails the test to be quantitative, simply because it is about the future, about predicting human behaviour and designing experiences and communications that they will relate to. We hope. Businesses are run on...
What is the future of FMCG brand loyalty?
A few things have happened in the last few weeks that made me ask that question. Coles MD John Durkan articulated a clear strategy for house brands, to build them at the expense of proprietary brands. I cannot help wondering if his successor will...
7 Books every marketer should read.
I am a voracious reader, have been all my life, all sorts of stuff from fiction, biographies, and books of ideas, to technical journals that challenge me to come to an even basic understanding. Perhaps it is because I am a bit of a dreamer, but also...