Courtesy of Choo Yut Shing
Wonder how LEGO manage to rule the roost as one of the world’s most successful brand?
On a recent visit to Toys “R” Us at VivoCity with my kid, I observed that there are more and more interlocking brick toys filling the shelves these days.
Inspired no doubt by LEGO, brands like Mega Bloks, Coko and Tyco Toys are now emulating the same success strategy employed by the 80 year old Danish company, albeit charging a lower price for their bricks.
Patagonia is the new yardstick for ethical and social businesses (image from Fortune Magazine)
Of late, I hear a common clarion call amongst leading thinkers for companies to pursue a more humane, ethical and sustainable business strategy. These proclamations allude to the fact that the current system of profit and GDP growth at all costs is broken, and that a more holistic and considered approach is needed.
The first is renowned management guru Michael Porter, who urged companies to adopt shared values when crafting their business strategies. Porter cites that the capitalist system which much of the industrial age economy is built on has been the cause of much social, environmental and economic woes, with companies (and their leaders) prospering at the expense of the rest of humanity.
You can still buy Kodak Film these days! Source of image
Do you know that Kodak went through bankruptcy proceedings and have re-emerged?
Repositioned as a technology company focused on imaging for business, Kodak is a far cry from its halcyon years. Today, its main business segments are Digital Printing & Enterprise and Graphics, Entertainment & Commercial Films.
With the subtitle “A Masterclass in Modern Marketing Ideas”, British marketing consultant Kevin Duncan’s Marketing Greatest Hits provides quick summaries of what he considers seminal or interesting titles and their key ideas in marketing. Touted as a “definitive compendium of everything you need to know from the best minds in modern marketing”, the book attempts to encapsulate key lessons from the discipline’s thought leaders.
Neatly organised into six chapters, Duncan’s book systematically dives into the essence of 40 books covering major themes, principles and philosophies, branding, consumer behaviours, creativity and personal organisation. Each section provides a book summary that is further crystallised into an elevator pitch of sorts called a one-sentence summary – the core idea behind a book. Examples of these include the following:
Student volunteer guides Jessie and Janet from Naked Hermit Crabs
By now, you’ve probably heard how social technologies can transform social, political and environmental movements. Globally, one can find numerous examples of causes given an online shot-in-the-arm through Twitter, Facebook, Youtube videos, shared photos, and other platforms. These channels have been further accelerated by the ubiquity of mobile apps on smartphones, tablets and other devices.
While the tools for making a difference have expanded tremendously, the core principles of creating and sustaining a cause are less well understood. Through a recent guided tour of Chek Jawa led by the Naked Hermit Crabs, I had the privilege of speaking to Ms Ria Tan, a passionate nature activist and founder of the Wild Singapore website. A close associate of my good friend Siva (another legend in nature circles), Ria provided useful insights on her journey.
“When was the last time you did something for the first time?”
With a secondary title like that, you can bet that Poke the Box – Seth Godin’s first title under The Domino Project – is going to be all provocative and punchy. And boy, the renowned marketing cum motivational blogger sure doesn’t disappoint in that department.
Happy New Year! In time-honoured fashion, the start of the year signifies a time for us to make our new year resolutions.
These can be as massive as writing a book, scaling Mount Everest to something more manageable like losing 10 pounds, exercising every week, or having dinner with your family every fortnight.
Courtesy of Hong Kong – a Visual Research Blog
As we celebrate the arrival of the Black Water Dragon this Chinese New Year, the fengshui masters and economists have given varying prognoses of what it’ll bring for the year.
Taking a different trajectory, I thought it’d be fun to look at the traits of this mythical beast and propose what it could possibly mean for us, with a few lessons by the side.
Zig Ziglar (courtesy of Decisive Minds)
Zig Ziglar (Hilary Hinton) may be 85 years of age, but he sure packed a lot of punch in his speeches.
A highly respected motivational speaker grounded in Christian values, Zig is known for his fiery workshops and power-packed programmes focused on motivation, success and salesmanship. He is also a champion sales trainer, having mastered the art of selling.
In a recent podcast I listened to, Zig spoke about the story of the pump.
Have you used metaphors for your marketing efforts? What were the outcomes of your attempts?
An integral part of your everyday life, Analogies and Metaphors are popular storytelling methods which simplify complex ideas and imbue them with meaning. They help to make your advertisements, articles, and brand stories come alive.