Author: coolerinsights

How to Start and Sustain a Movement

January 28, 2012 • Blog • disabled comments

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.

Poke The Box (Seth Godin): A Book Review

January 26, 2012 • Book Reviews • disabled comments

“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.

How To Stick To Your Resolutions

January 24, 2012 • Personal Branding • disabled comments

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.

What Dragons May Teach Us

January 22, 2012 • Blog • disabled comments

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.

The Parable of the Pump

January 21, 2012 • Personal Branding • disabled comments

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.

7 Ways to Use Deep Metaphors in Marketing

January 18, 2012 • Book Reviews • 7 comments

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.

Interviewing Crystal Jade’s Chairman Ip Yiu Tung

January 16, 2012 • Business and Management • disabled comments

Crystal Jade Golden Palace in The Paragon (courtesy of Crystal Jade)

In the restaurant-eat-restaurant world of F&B, few local brands have stood up as clearly as Crystal Jade, one of the market leaders in Singapore.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary last year with a refreshing of its identity that involved extensive refurbishments at its restaurants, Crystal Jade enjoyed a turnover of S$240 million in 2010.

Fearing versus Failing

January 14, 2012 • Business and Management • 1 comment

Lucy wouldn’t have discovered Narnia if she didn’t open that wardrobe (courtesy of WikiNarnia)

As humans gripped by our lizard brain (aka the amygdala), our automatic reflex is to freeze in our tracks when encountering any of the following:

1) A potentially great product or service which does not have any known markets

Three Ways to be Truly Great

January 11, 2012 • Business and Management • disabled comments

Can you compete with the above brands on scale, distribution and price? (image source)

In the world of consumer businesses, there are probably three main ways to differentiate yourself from the hoi polloi.

These form the basis of virtually all forms of competition in marketing.

The Wal-Mart Effect: Book Review

January 9, 2012 • Book Reviews • disabled comments

What secrets does mega-retailer Walmart hold? Is low-price retailing always good for the customer or does it exert other insidious impacts on one’s lifestyles?

The answer to those questions and more are answered in the bestselling book “The Wal-Mart Effect” authored by award winning editor of Fast Company Charles Fishman. Leaving no stone unturned, Fishman’s highly readable volume dived deeply into the massive impact exerted by Walmart, and paints a sobering and sordid picture of its true influence.