Category Archives: Business
Why News “papers” Will Lose
It’s not hard to see that printed news will go the way of dinosaurs, typewriters and 8-Track Tapes. Much has been written about the demise of newspapers. Much more will be debated as daily “print” journalism craters and moves to … Continue reading
Filed under Business, Communications Society, Competition, Markets, News, Web
Twitter: Chaotic Addiction
So much has been written about Twitter, it’s a bit silly. Here’s a small private company with annual revenue surely south of $100 million, and headcount well below 100. Many companies meet these criteria. Many companies are barely known. Twitter … Continue reading
Filed under Advertising, Blogs, Business, Communications Society, Free, PR, Sharing, Social Networks, Twitter
You Gotta Believe
I’ve never made a putt I didn’t visualize. Never struck a ball I didn’t watch to the barrel of the bat. Never swished a 20-footer I didn’t see in my mind’s eye. Each takes belief. With enough practice and repeated … Continue reading
Filed under Advertising, Blogs, Business, Competition, Productivity, Work, Writing
Cupcakes and Comfort
I’ll admit, I like Starbucks. Yes. I’m loyal. It’s a choice. So it’s been with increasing interest I’ve watched the company struggle through the U.S. recession. Shorter lines. Fewer stores. Layoffs. No one has been immune. America, we long for … Continue reading
Markets and Psychology
Advice from James Surowiecki in the Nov. 10 New Yorker: “Markets work best when investors are thinking for themselves, and tend to go awry when obsession with what everyone else is doing becomes a dominant concern. Maybe what investors really … Continue reading
Filed under Brand, Business, Creativity, Markets, Technology, Viral, Visibility
Change for the Better
This short hit in the Harvard Business Review blog is a tall latte with an extra shot. When Swiss company Nestle reduces a layer of management and empowers line staff, you realize it’s not just a U.S. economic hangover that’s … Continue reading
Filed under Business, Productivity
What’s Your Mission?
One of the best books on telling a good marketing story is Seth Godin’s All Marketers Are Liars. Upshot: If a company’s messaging doesn’t match its product or customer experience, there’s confusion, distrust and lost opportunities for repeat business. Which leads me … Continue reading
Filed under Business, Customers, Ideas, Language, Value Proposition
Chinese Baseball: A Numbers Game
Saturday’s game between the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers in Beijing shows that Major League Baseball is smart enough to spot a market. But it needs Chinese players to get fans in the country of 1.3 billion inspired. A check of the Baseball … Continue reading
Intimate vs. Impersonal
Remember when music concerts by successful artists were stadium-style events? I mean Rolling Stones-thank-goodness-we-have-a-Jumbo-Tron-to-see-what’s-going-on productions? Sure, summer “tours” that combine several popular acts remain so fans can have a quasi-Woodstock experience. But they are rare. I took in an Angels and Airwaves show at … Continue reading
Filed under Angles and Airwaves, Business, Creativity, Customers, Music, Viral
A Month Devoted to Madness
It’s that time of year: A college basketball tournament with a registered trademark, the obssession over “bracketology”, and new sales or manufactured events. March Madness has become an unofficial-almost-end-of-winter mantra — and reason to buy something, anything. Tax refund checks are in the mail, … Continue reading
Filed under Advertising, Awareness, Blogs, Business, Shopping
