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Over the last few weeks, stories about the changing role of employees within corporations have crossed my desk a number of times from a few different sources.   I’m reading a great book by Cheryl Burgess and Mark Burgess called The Social Employee, which shares insights from some of the world’s biggest brands on the evolvingRead more

In his book, The Halo Effect, author Phil Rosenzweig asserts that business strategists derive universal truths by synergizing a collection of facts, data, and scenarios, regardless of how related or unrelated they may be. In particular he targets those who establish business trends through their work in business books, magazines, and newspapers, arguing that theirRead more

The editors at Big Think posted an article titled “Is the Internet Destroying the Middle Class?” that introduced an upcoming presentation by author Jaron Lanier at Techweek Chicago on June 29, 2013. Mr. Lanier’s premise is that technology companies are taking over the North American economy, yet employ fewer people than the technology companies ofRead more

Gone are the days of the stand-alone customer loyalty card (or just plain loyalty for that matter)  – we’re now seeing a range of new data, social media feeds and smart phones that are changing the way organisations engage with their clients. We’re in a generational and philosophical struggle between older, closed systems and theRead more

“Survival of the Fittest”, first championed by philosopher Hebert Spencer is an extension of Charles Darwin’s theory on “natural selection”, which describes the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. Spenser’s sociological adaptation of Darwin’s biological theory has been sometimes referenced as “Social Darwinism” (note: the term “social” was not used to referenceRead more

In my last post: Customer Service, Twitter and Why They Fail, I stated that the use ofTwitter for customer service communications may not be delivering businesses what it can or should. I argued that current customer engagement practices are filling up social media streams with public apologies and mea cuplas, which certainly demonstrate empathy, caringRead more

I remember the days when the common response to public criticism of your brand’s product or service was: “as long as they’re spelling my name correctly” who cares? Burying one’s head in the sand was a perfectly acceptable response. How bad could it get? Who could they tell? As recent as five years ago, manyRead more

There is an old saying “It’s better to beg forgiveness than ask permission”. In the realm of marketing, that is both sound and dangerous advice depending on the organization you are in.   More innovative, customer-centric organizations embrace the likes of social for its potential value to the brand while more traditional business is highlyRead more

You have a choice. Take the Blue Pill or the Red Pill. Take the Blue Pill and Run on the Corporate Wheel. Acme’s Sales Executive Ted has a conversation with a prospective customer about industry needs, which sparks an idea for an innovative product upgrade. He e-mails the idea to Susan his Sales Manager, whoRead more

Another battle has begun in the war for our customer’s attention and by extension, our marketing dollars. This war is being fought on many fronts by many content producers and media channels, all of whom are vying for the attention that our Brand’s audiences are giving to television and cable programming. During last night’s #bizforumRead more