CGM: Consumer-Generated Media
CGM "encompasses the millions of consumer-generated comments, opinions and personal experiences posted in publicly available online sources on a wide range of issues, topics, products and brands" and originates from: * Blogs * Message boards and forums * Public...
Have you found your "Flow"?
I read this interesting article on the Fast Company website (click here to read the article.) The article talks about "flow" - that state of being when you are completely immersed in doing something you love. And the question: how do we achieve that it business? Hmmm...
The Business Experiment: Watch this space!
Ooooh, this is a goodie. Possibly the best example of the Connection Economy I have seen at work. The Business Experiment is an open-source business adventure. Check out this blog entry from the site which gives a short explanation of the concept. Go and read it, I...
Book Review on Cause Related Marketing – Who Cares Wins by Sue Adkins
I attended a breakfast this morning where Sue Adkins an international expert on Cause Related Marketing did a presentation . See more about her book at Kalahari.net or Amazon.com ISBN 0 7506 4481 8 What struck me was how technology is changing the global consumer . We...
Christopher Walken for President in 2008?
I can't make out if this is for real or a hoax web site? I guess with all the Hollywooders that make the apparently obvious transition from movies to politics you can't be too sure? Check it out for yourself. Would you vote for Christopher Walken? (click here for the...
Multi Occupational Disorder
Darren Rowse, author of the extremely popular Problogger site writes an article (which refers to another article!) about the multi-faceted life of a professional blogger. However, I feel the language being spoken in this exchange is representative of that being spoken...
The end of an era
Yesterday, Dixons, one of the UK's top retailers of electronic goods, announced that they would stop selling 35mm film and cameras in their shops. If we didn't know it before, they know it now - its the end of an era for non-digital photography. Just a few months ago,...
Letting it all hang out
The South Florida Sun Sentinel got me thinking yesterday, with an article on "Disappearing privacy and the generation gap" by Liz Doup (requires free login). In the article, Doup argues that before the Baby Boomers, older generations were quite private about their...
Some thoughts about the future
In the past few months, I have sat through some good (and some boring) presentations on the future. I can't remember where all the following came from, so can't attribute them, but here are a few random thoughts to mull over: Yesterday we kept our customers because...
From Democracy to Bureaucracy?
Ever thought what it would be like to start your own business? Whist one would think the government would encourage the establishment of SME’s, which would create employment, which would create stability and so and so on…… Instead it would appear that the South...
So just how use-able is Linux?
I'm a Windows user. But not necessarily by choice. More like 'is there really another option? Windows user'. Sure, Apple is one alternative, and one I've considered many times, and come very close to moving to. But what of Linux? Is it really a viable alternative? I...
The Crazy Monkey Phenomenon
Benoni. My hometown. Not much to say about Benoni. But despite the stigma attached to it, this enigmatic little city keeps producing exceptional people. Charlize Theron, um... Ok, so Charlize Theron is the only exceptional human being to have originated from...
Microsoft clamps down
It was only a matter of time, and they are fully within their rights. Microsoft are now steping up their efforts to make sure that your copy of Windows is legit. (click here for article) It's been slow in coming, but if you've been downloading patches, add-ons etc,...
Wrong Questions = wrong answers
For many years now, I have been arguing that (South) Africa does not have a job shortage. In a country with (officially) 27% unemployment, this has sometimes sounded a bit crazy. My point is simple - there are thousands of jobs available (just check the newspapers and...
All Respect for Generation X
The UK is suffering a Pensions crisis. We’ve known about it for years and are constantly warned about it by Government and Financial Services. Estimates suggest a growing pension gap of some £27 billion per year. As Charlotte Black, marketing director at Brewin...
The micro multinational
Here's an idea for a global enterprise that can run from your kitchen. The downside is that there are already some big players in this space. The good news is that there is plenty of space to play in. Every day around the world, Really Important People shout out of...
Could sixteen million iPod users be wrong?
The Financial Times (click here - premium content) asked this scandalous question on 28 June 2005. Their point was that Apple's iPod has created a massive new market for downloadable music carried on a handheld digital device. Mobile phone designers as well as cell...
Advertising on/in/by Games
As young people spend less time watching television and more time online and playing games, advertisers have devised a new way to reach them. So says a report in the Economist (11 June 2005 - see here - premium content). "In the 1930s, the sponsorship of radio serials...
An Olympic Celebration!
The Olympics – London 2012… Just fantastic! This is wonderful news for us in the UK. A few years ago, I used to be Vicar of the parish now due to become the Olympic Village. A tough, run-down area of the East End of London, Stratford New Town was statistically the...
Will Brands Create Your Child’s Value System?
Parents and peers shaped the values of previous generations while the most powerful influence on today's children is most likely to be marketers and the media. The power of the brand and the battle for the individual mindset and values will pre-occupy us for years to...