Are you pushing rope?
Activity for the sake of activity, 'busywork' that does not contribute to an objective associated with creating value for that ideal customer group, is as useful as pushing rope. Ever pushed rope? No matter how hard you push your end, nothing happens at...
How big is the Strategic deficit of Australian FMCG retailers?
Strategic deficit is the amount of time, capability, commitment, and energy necessary to bridge the gap from where you may be right now, compared to the most advanced of your current and potential competitors. A few weeks ago, if asked the question of...
The marketing flip, with pike & twist.
The marketing degree of difficulty has exploded, making getting a good score exponentially more difficult. There used to be a few TV and radio stations, newspapers and magazines by which to reach potential customers, and supply them with the information...
Will Amazons venture into book stores rewrite history?
I love books, thousands of them infest my home, and I have spent years of my life browsing. I may be one of the last "heavy consumers' of books, and particularly coming towards Christmas, my local Dymocks and Berkelouw's which have so far survived, welcome...
Is it schizophrenia or just something in the cactus?
For years consumer markets have been relentlessly commoditised by retailers who hold the power over the distribution, and who not unreasonably, have sought ways to divert the proprietary margins available from manufacturers pockets into their own. Short term thinking,...
Is Amazon about to hunt the Aussie retail gorillas?
Amazon has bought Whole Foods in a deal worth $13.7 Billion, around $18 billion Australian. The gorilla of the digital retail troupe has invested in an old fashioned, albeit trendy, bricks and mortar retailer. This Whole Foods purchase makes it very clear that Amazon...
10 point leadership framework for reviving SME manufacturing businesses.
The Modest sized manufacturing sector in Australia has a huge problem. It is being wiped out like an insect pest at your backyard barbie. The problem with that is that they provide the bulk of employment and training in the economy, and without them, we will become...
9 places to dig for great ideas
Ideas are the fodder of our lives these days. Gone are the days of physical labour, even in the professions where labour is necessary, construction, agriculture, and others, the application of technology, the result of ideas is everywhere. So how do you come up with...
How leaders lead
Human beings are attracted to those who are prepared to lead, to be vulnerable, and sometimes alone. Those who truly lead inevitably have a set of beliefs that are the foundation of why others are prepared to trust them, and be led by them. People relate to and...
The 7 mental Models for successful marketing
Creating a successful marketing program is like putting together a 10,000 piece jigsaw, with two significant differences. A jigsaw only goes together one way, every piece fits into its neighbours in a unique way, whereas a marketing program has an infinite number of...