Archive for the ‘Change’ Category
At first glance, Peter Shankman’s recent post “Why I’d Never, Ever Hire a ‘Social Media Expert’” had
me a little baffled. I usually like his marketing commentary – but likening a social media expert as no different than someone skilled at “taking bread out of a refrigerator?” Whoa, that caught my attention. I think that’s what he intended, since the analogy plays into a knee jerk reaction to warn about a particular type of “guru/expert” character. This doesn’t really accurately reflect the bigger picture he proceeds to paint for the role of social media or the one that actually exists in many cases. Unfortunately, the cautionary “label” potentially risks undermining the great value that someone experienced in the discipline can bring to your business, with plenty of “experts” that actually do fit the bill appropriately.
Ever see a bunch of five year olds learn to play soccer? Wherever the ball goes, there goes the pack of kids. Following the ball like a little flock, flailing at it and at each other. A good pair of shin guards is a necessity. That’s pretty much how I feel about a lot of social media and marketing activities these days. We’re all competing for what often seems to be not much more than momentary attention. This post is admittedly long, but I think there is another way to play and it’s important to understand to raise our business game. And, frankly, I’m still trying to figure it all out. Read More
Everyone’s grappling with change, seeking to identify and validate a new set of rules for business success. All roads seem to be leading toward a need for businesses to be more “human” and “social.” Seems simple enough. Yet, I think we’re still talking around it all, just scratching the surface for what it really means. My intuition tells me these are Big Thoughts with huge implications for how we market and do business. As I struggle to get my arms around them, I’ve started to realize that the limitations of my thinking — and perhaps the mindset from a traditional marketing background — are holding me back. Read More
When we bury a loved one, the emotions we feel for that person doesn’t usually get buried graveside. Consider the image of a military cemetery, with rows of white crosses lined neatly in a row. The pristine and serene environment can veil the deep feelings of the families, friends and comrades of the soldiers buried in these honored places. This is the image that author, consultant and organizational storytelling guru Annette Simmons used to convey the importance of honoring history and heritage in her recent presentation during the Reinvention Summit, “Deep Roots: Looking Backwards in order to Move Forward.” I believe that Annette’s analogy holds fast and true for our brands, too. Read More
This second post on the topic, my response to the question “what’s my relationship to reinvention and storytelling?” turns a spotlight on a mindset for the reinvention of brand. It also sheds a little light on how to survive it.
I’ve had a front seat to participate in brand reinvention from a variety of perspectives: with recording artists who created new work, products that innovated, and new strategies and vision that led organizations down new paths. They all represent different types of brand reinvention but with a similar backdrop: how can the brand (and associated product/service/business) become more relevant to customers? The end game is, of course, growth. And it all, by nature of reinvention, incorporates change making. Read More