Reading Time: 3 minutes What is the right pace for a brand to transform in an iterative economy? So often we’re told that success will stem from pushing the innovation accelerator flat to the floor. As proof, we hear about those companies that failed to innovate or didn’t respond quickly enough – and were buried. But is that true? […]
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Perspectives
30 things likeable brands do
Reading Time: 4 minutes Being likeable is not about being liked by everyone. Likeable brands actually need to be very clear about who likes them and why and how they need to behave in order to continue to appeal to their community. 10 ways to build a truly likeable brand states the principles of likeability and is one of […]
How do you write a great purpose?
Reading Time: 3 minutes A sizzling purpose sets out how a company intends to change the world for the better. Its role is to unite customers and culture alike in the pursuit of that intention. It’s a statement of belief, of hope, of pursuit. It’s born of a wish to see the world put to rights. Having fielded a […]
What do you have: a brand or an identifier?
Reading Time: 2 minutes Identifiers may look like brands but in reality they have just a small part of what it takes to be a true brand. Here are six reasons why brands need to be more than identifiers.
Every pitch is a story
Reading Time: 3 minutes The purpose of a pitch is not to sell what you do. It’s to explain in the clearest terms why someone should look forward to doing business with you. Don’t pitch to your prospect’s greatest wish. They already know that. Pitch to their greatest fear. Tell them the story of how you will help them […]
The new traceability
Reading Time: 2 minutes Affordable “beef” that’s actually made of horse. Professional athletes who haven’t won what they’ve won legally. Acclaimed investors who turn out to be running Ponzi schemes … The great threat to claiming achievements going forward isn’t credibility. It’s incredulity. It’s disbelief that what one sees, that what has apparently happened, is true. It’s nagging scepticism […]
9 things you should know about branded language
Reading Time: 3 minutes 1. Language is one of the most important definers of any brand. The language you choose, the language you don’t choose and the language you choose to replace are a reflection, and in some senses a definition, of your priorities. 2. Language underpins perspective: it not only reveals how an organisation feels about a matter, […]
CSR has failed. Now what?
Reading Time: 4 minutes That’s the question being asked by Wayne Visser in this thoughtful and searching paper that raises significant concerns about how companies pursue responsible ideas. But, alongside those areas that he has identified as needing to be addressed, Visser proposes his vision of CSR 2.0. I was keen to explore what some of the ideas mooted […]
Talking a culture through change
Reading Time: 2 minutes Change programs are so often about actions. So much so in fact that the dialogue that surrounds and informs those changes can be dismissed as “just talk”. Time and time again, in working on transformation projects, I have faced an uphill battle in trying to persuade decision makers to give their proposed changes the air-time […]
Whose buying – and whose purchasing?
Reading Time: 2 minutes At first the question appears nonsensical. But only if you assume that buying and purchasing are synonyms. Most financial systems treat them as exactly that because, from their perspective, the result is the same. Income. But there is a difference – and being able to define and quantify that difference is important. Semantics doesn’t just […]
My creative gallery on Behance – a start
Reading Time: < 1 minute After much encouragement (and no small amount of help) from my friend Di, I’ve finally published a profile on Behance that shows work I’ve done as a writer. Nine projects are showcased so far. I’ll add more as and when. If you have a moment, please take a look. Anything I can help with, please let […]
The global challenge of doing business openly
Reading Time: 4 minutes Congratulations to All Good Organics, the first New Zealand company to make the prestigious Ethisphere Institute’s World’s Most Ethical (WME) companies list. All Good may be tiny but this ranking puts them in some great company – one of just 145 companies, chosen from more than 5000 entries. Judge for yourself. In the light of […]