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...
The ethical underpinning of strategy & marketing is being eroded.
Marketing is about adding value, finding innovative ways to solve problems. Sometimes marketers set out to 'solve' problems that around the BBQ would be termed a '1st world' problem. 'Which dog manicurist' rates in my mind as such a problem, the...
The ‘Benjamin Button’ effect of digital
In the film, Benjamin Button does not age, as those around him do, but he does accumulate the memories and knowledge around him as time passes. Pretty cool, unless the love of your life is stuck in the present, whatever that is. For years we have...
When is the best time to sell?
Clearly the best time to sell is when the customer is ready to buy. The challenge is that you have to know your customers well to be able to create some sort of relationship that evolves as they become more ready to buy, they are looking for some...
Pharmacists: Amazon is coming for you!
My mother lives by herself in a large regional city in NSW. At 90 she is pretty remarkable, although some of the bits are wearing out, so she has a pharmacological regime that would make your average teenage party-goer green with envy. Her pills...
10 considerations to make better pricing decisions
Setting the price is always challenging, the decision often left to the last thing. Wrong. Your pricing strategy should be a part of your overall strategy as decisions in other places have a huge impact on the best way to maximise your return from your...