Archive for the ‘Leadership’ 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.
“What happens when clients don’t want to pay for information anymore?” This was a question postured by a friend and fellow consultant recently over a Thai dinner as we were discussing all things career, marketing, brand and future-is-now. The notion hit me like a lead balloon and I’d like to think it was the hot chili peppers that made my eye tear a little…. But there it was. The fact that “information is free” was provoking a healthy dose of fear and panic. In my mind, I immediately had visions of the old abandoned factories where my grandparents once worked. Did they see that coming? And, now that the information age is here, what happens to us if the heart of what we provide is available everywhere, for free? I wiped the tear from my eye, listened to my friend and now conclude: information ain’t where it’s at! 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
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
I’m heading off for a few days of action-packed trade show adventure at AUSA, the U.S. Army’s premiere national convention. On Monday night, I’ll participate with Brandstoria’s strategic partner in that industry, JANSON Communications, to unveil a series of events called DefenseUp designed to stir dialogue for effectively communicating during transition (you can follow this on twitter at #defenseup and read more about the service we provide: BRAND/OPS). Let’s look at the scenario: today’s world is evolving and changing at an accelerated pace. Virtually nothing remains untouched: technology, economy, media, and, if you are in the defense industry – policy. Budgets are shrinking and yet, the demands on troops – both those in defense and in the boardrooms across the US – remain unchanged. Give us more with less, is the battle cry. Perform. Make your numbers. Win. Sound familiar? Read More