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1. Rob Marchant on Innovation
It's interesting that most of this discussion about innovation focuses on developing relationships with known/established stakeholders, such as your customers. Yet all the evidence points to the greatest innovations being generated from the most unlikley places. Sure, it's important to develop/maintain relationships with customers, clients and the like....but the most disruptive innovations are more likley to arise from developing relationships with those on the extreme periphery of the organ ›››
May 4, 2006 03:53 PM

2. Allison Trump on Participate in the Reputation Marketplace
This is cool, you have to try it. I guessed 40680, and this game guessed it! See it here - http://www.funbrain.com/guess/ ›››
April 8, 2006 05:23 PM

3. Andres Serron on Participate in the Reputation Marketplace
www.sivcode.com BreakBeat Uruguay ›››
February 28, 2006 11:05 AM

4. Dudley on Create More Satisfied Non-Customers
utggm expond ›››
February 28, 2006 02:01 AM

5. celexa on Brand Humanity: From Processes to People
Very interesting, thanks! :)-celexa ›››
February 14, 2006 07:12 AM

6. Mickael on Brand Humanity: From Processes to People
This is outstanding page you have newer seen.-pissing teen ›››
February 12, 2006 12:02 AM

7. Mickael on Brand Humanity: From Processes to People
This is outstanding page you have newer seen.-pantie pissing ›››
February 11, 2006 06:31 AM

8. Jeorge on Brand Humanity: From Processes to People
Forgive me for this post-extreme anal ›››
February 10, 2006 01:25 AM

9. Chris Lawer on Innovation
Following up Martin's comments, thought I should mention that my company, The OMC Group, is providing Strategyn's outcome-driven innovation in the UK and Ireland. ›››
January 29, 2006 03:01 PM

10. Brian Phipps on Lafley On Marketing
It seems Lafley is edging toward the reality of the "brand chain," the brand equivalent of the value chain. One definition: "The Brand Chain begins where the classic Value Chain ends. While the Value Chain is made up of value-adding inputs along the production process, ending at the customer, the Brand Chain begins with the customer and is largely made up of downstream interactions between customer, product and company." However one defines the effect, the bottom line is that brands a ›››
January 18, 2006 01:49 PM

11. Susan on Participate in the Reputation Marketplace
Great info! Maybe it's offtopic, but i just wanted to say, that O, it's really interesting to read everything this with comments... You,professionals, discuss here a lot of interesting things on different news =). Thanks =) ›››
December 16, 2005 05:17 AM

12. Nishad on Participate in the Reputation Marketplace
just wondering if you meant reputation of sellers at eBay. How since rarely do people who bid auctions have a first hand knowledge of the seller. And that seller reputations are a matter of how buyers rate them. So if a seller has screwed up in the recent past, his reputation takes a hit... ›››
December 13, 2005 03:54 AM

13. Martin Silcock on Innovation
Have a look at white papers at http://www.strategyn.com. There is a very compelling and reasoned critique by Anthony Ulwick about "voice-of-the-customer" Mainly this revolves around not having the right kinds of information for the innovation process. He offers an antidote in the form of "outcome-driven" innovation. This systematic approach has implications for segmentation as well. ›››
December 10, 2005 12:15 PM

14. David Evans on Participate in the Reputation Marketplace
Ebay's reputation system represents the perceptions of buyers and sellers. It does not directly reflect on Ebay's reputation itself. Reputation management sevices like Opinity are working with identity management players like SXIP while others like Identity Commons are leading the "open profile" movement. I think this is closer to what consumers will prefer, not necessarily to be "part of the brand" but to have portable, persistent identities, complete with reputation management, and ›››
December 9, 2005 11:07 AM

15. corn on Participate in the Reputation Marketplace
reputation ! you expressed it pretty good, nice done! ›››
December 5, 2005 11:02 AM

16. Leslie on Participate in the Reputation Marketplace
Amazon is an excellent example of reputation. A survey done at M.I.T. in the U.S. found that even though people can find products for cheaper prices elsewhere, they still choose Amazon because of its reputation for speed, reliability and trust. That is pretty big endorsement for how reputation can be a company's most competitive asset. lgr ›››
December 4, 2005 06:31 PM

17. Rob on Participate in the Reputation Marketplace
The fluid reputation marketplaces, like ebay and Amazon, have certainly challenged the power of branding. Isn't it more that they've managed to embed this into their overall brand strategy, and it's become a greater part of their brand. I'm not sure I'd term it a challenge to the power, but increasing the power of the participants. Each person that particiaptes (especially in terms of EBay) has a stake in their own reputation as well as the other party in the deal. ›››
December 4, 2005 11:00 AM

18. olivier blanchard on Participate in the Reputation Marketplace
Cool post. I like this whole Corante idea! Nicely done. ›››
November 30, 2005 02:18 AM

19. Chris Lawer on Innovation
Whilst slavishly listening and responding to every dissatisfaction and whim of the customer may indeed limit a firm’s innovation potential, the “Ignore the Customer” school of thought tends to miss the point. To co-create with customers requires a deep ability to see past their sometimes short-sighted and superficial inputs. It means asking them different questions, devising new assumptions and finding alternative ways to continuously learn about their problems and unmet needs. Critics ›››
October 31, 2005 03:03 PM

20. Max Leibman on Innovation
I think something else to explain why listening to customers results in failed products is that, well, customers aren't very good at articulating wants or solving their own problems. If they were in a position to do so, they wouldn't be problems any more. Focus groups and satisfaction surveys routinely praise crap and kill great ideas. Guy Kawasaki tells a great story about a focus group where everybody verbally affirmed a brightly-colored design for a portable CD players over a mor ›››
October 24, 2005 10:33 PM

21. john winsor on You, Called the Brand
Wendy - Great point. It's not only those who represent a company that can effect a brand it can also be negatively and positively effected by the customers that buy the brand. Careful selection of customers is something that happens all of the time with youth brands. ›››
October 20, 2005 02:56 PM

22. Wendy Flanagan on You, Called the Brand
What you say is absolutely true... As you articulate the common discomforts of air travel, discourtesy and disregard, the only product you mention just created a mental picture by describing a specific person who happened to use it. Now, your comment on one executive from one brand may have (inadvertently) caused an impact on another company's brand! ›››
October 20, 2005 02:49 PM

23. jennifer rice on Innovation
OK, this is very funny (or sad)... a reader pointed out this statement on Mission Foods web site: "In an industry battling negative trends, Mission Foods has cracked the code, gained valuable insight into consumer desires and applied that insight to the marketplace with much success." Hmmm... ok... ›››
October 17, 2005 04:56 PM

24. Loretta Davi on Brand Humanity: From Processes to People
Your article is on Target and businesses do not practice Customer Service. Being courteous, kind, respectful, thoughtful are missing for me when I walk into a store, a restaurant, talk on the phone, ask for donations for charity, driving. It not only is missing in business, it is missing in every aspect of our communities. And you raised the issue, how to put Customer Service back into existence. The first thing is to do as you are doing, presenting it as an issue to be discussed. And th ›››
October 8, 2005 01:31 PM

25. Chris Draper on Brand Humanity: From Processes to People
Toffler, Naisbett and others wrote about this in the 90's from memory. The point they made was that information inherently has no value unless it is shared. The paradox is the more you share it the more valuable it becomes. ›››
September 29, 2005 04:54 PM

26. Elizabeth Albrycht on Brand Humanity: From Processes to People
Here's one angle into this: People need to gain power (and be rewarded/recognized as powerful) for sharing information vs. hoarding it. When you become an information sharer, you have to be searching constantly for more information to share. You can't stop sharing, because then your power disappears (vs. hoarding where your power is mysterious and can be milked for years without actually doing anything). This information has to be valuable, and you will increasingly need to look for it out ›››
September 29, 2005 04:03 AM

27. Jayme Maultasch on What do you want to know?
Welcome back! I work in account management at a mid-size ad Agency and I'm a regular reader. I like your unique spin on the world of branding. I'm mostly looking for practical nuggets I can weave into my day job. Jayme ›››
September 25, 2005 09:35 AM

28. kris olsen on Brand Humanity: From Processes to People
Nice post. A company's greatest strengths and weaknesses are the same thing - people. Companies tend to talk about empowerment, but act to standardize thought and actions to the point that their people are demotivated to think and act. Instead of talking the walk, however, companies would be much more successful if they conciously profiled the types of behaviour they keep talking about and went out and proactively recruited people who can actually walk that talk. Human nature ›››
September 24, 2005 02:48 PM

29. tim rogers on What do you want to know?
Great questions, each and every one ... I'm not a marketer, not in the traditional sense anyway. I'm a public librarian with a big interest in how people (in library land we nobly call them 'patrons') think about, find, use, and repurpose information. For a long time libraries have focused on access to information, but we're now starting to recognize that another big issue is getting them to the right info. As Barry Scwartz taught us in "Paradox of Choice," the more choices (content ›››
September 24, 2005 01:25 PM

30. kris on What do you want to know?
I'd enjoy some discussion around branding 'perception' in distinct market niches especially for tech products (podcasting, tagging, wikis, etc). Most of the population hears about this stuff and reacts with, "Interesting, but what does it mean for me"? The conventional wisdom seems to be that as the younger audience matures, they will bring these products to the mainstream. Seems like a pretty passive strategy to me and I’d enjoy some commentary along those lines. Here's an ›››
September 24, 2005 01:15 PM

31. Robert Paterson on What do you want to know?
Hi Jennifer Welcome back. I valeu all you talk about. Most of all when you talk about the changes in relationships between the consumer and the provider. Best wishes Rob ›››
September 21, 2005 05:24 PM

32. Phil on Measure this
Dr Ray I would like to send you some information in respect to what ARF is doing, and what you are writing about. If you notice this, please email me at cuatdashow@msn.com Phil ›››
August 6, 2005 12:05 AM

33. SLAPPAman on Brandshift...
Samsung did rise from a no-name brand to one that I see prominently displayed in all the airports I travel through, with the Digit-ALL campaign pretty easy to recall (and I do see many people with their flip phones). Seems Korean brands (ala Hyundai) are starting to take seriously the importance of selling onto markets other then Korea and they are learning that branding is a very important function they need to conquer ›››
July 31, 2005 03:12 AM

34. SLAPPAman on Costco - costs less, pays more
I started a company about 2 years ago, and it's our own branded line of gear. Over the past 14 months we've been using independant sales reps to help us try to get our line placed in the US major retailers and I can tell you, the way they (major USA retailers) see the world would make your head spin. I'm not talking about how they treat potential (and new) suppliers (which is bad enough), but I mean the way they interpret branding/marketing/ employee training and what is valuable to custome ›››
July 31, 2005 02:58 AM

35. Jack Yan on Costco - costs less, pays more
Not to mention the benefits to the brand, saving money in marketing, too. Which begs the question: how dumb are these Wall Street types? And in their world, what colour is their sky? ›››
July 28, 2005 03:05 AM

36. Jack Yan on Brandshift...
What does Sony's logo look like? With Sony Style and all its other sub-brands, I can't follow this company graphically any more. Is this symptomatic of how Sony is within? (Then again, despite this criticism, I can't figure out what Samsung makes that is particularly special.) ›››
July 27, 2005 09:50 AM

37. cindy on Costco - costs less, pays more
again ... short term focus .. I mean the Wall street folks. Imagine the cost of hiring, firing, and training of employees. Just the fact that Costco employees are happy and not wanting to move would have save the company so much more money. Happy employees 'keep' happy customers. Need to say more? Cindy ›››
July 25, 2005 02:56 PM

38. Richard on Cause-related marketing
I think this article by Michelle is interesting and I feel that what she says is the truth, As far as Thinkequity, its all about greed and what a share holder should make. I think Joe is the man and as far as it goes for me here in Houston, I'll start looking for the nearest Costco and just use my Sams Membership as I need it. If I knew this before I read this article I would have been at Costco alot sooner. Thanks to Michelle ›››
July 24, 2005 01:03 PM

39. dr ray on Measure this
Andy, I'm a consultant working for the Advertising Research Foundation on a new book. I'm embedded there, so close to what is going on. Good to see the engagement thing is getting out there. I've been asked to informally track what people are thinking about this. Any thoughts? Our plan, as is typical of professional associations, will be to research this. There are a surprising number of the big players in advertising and media behind this (not evident in the PR). Please fee ›››
July 23, 2005 08:39 PM

40. cam on Internet's Influence On Buying
hava a look at this ›››
July 20, 2005 03:31 AM

41. Jack Yan on The Skype Brand
Jaanus, my mistake. Thank you for correcting me. ›››
June 27, 2005 07:59 AM

42. Dan on More On Skype...
PayPal is hardly flawless to just about everyone using it! ›››
June 24, 2005 08:14 PM

43. Johnnie Moore on More On Skype...
Hi Alex: That's a very good point and I often weary of branding consultancy that relies too much on post-match analysis. There's a saying that success has many parents while failure is an orphan. Far too much advice on branding relies on the artful reinterpretation of success. Maybe my post is an example of this, though I was just appreciating what Skype had to say. But yes, in real life we're constantly challenged to generate something new, not simply go over the lessons of ›››
June 23, 2005 09:19 AM

44. Alex on More On Skype...
A general remark: finding praise for products that are evidently cool is, well, easy. But for a marketing consultant, how many are there who will find all the reasons for products to be successfull, before everyone will nod along in agreement? One thing is to understand why things worked. It might be more interesting to study things that ought to work, before everyone catches on. What more is brand consulting, than talking after the facts? ›››
June 23, 2005 07:49 AM

45. Jaanus Kase on The Skype Brand
It's actually incorporated in Luxembourg (pretty much the same place :) and we have people working for us, besides Estonia, also in London, USA, Asia.. of many different backgrounds and nationalities. A fascinating place to be indeed. ›››
June 21, 2005 06:46 PM

46. Jaanus Kase on More On Skype...
Tom - if you wanna chat me up on Skype (Skype Name "terminuz"), I could look into why the purchases aren't working for you. Global payments are hard to get right from day 1, but we're busy adding payment service providers and improving the service quality. A recent example praised by many users is PayPal where the experience is flawless to just about everyone using it - if you haven't yet tried that one out, I suggest you do that. ›››
June 21, 2005 06:41 PM

47. Andy Lark on More On Skype...
Hi Tom - you can! I buy about $20 of minutes every few months and love the voicemail. It works well for me as someone who makes a ton of International calls. I share your concern though - as a passionate user - that they figure more ways to monetize what they are doing. I'd hate to see them implode or discover I was just being used to make a few guys real rich as they monetize their subscribers. ›››
June 21, 2005 10:11 AM

48. Tom Purcell on More On Skype...
I think Skype is a great product and one can't really complain when it is delivered free to your doorstep. All power to their team. I just wish I could buy something from them! Their purchasing system and/or partner in that regard leaves me very discouraged. I've been trying for a week to get some credit for the first time since joining, but to no avail, and I can't get Skype or their partner to answer e-mails about it either. Shame, as I'd like to be a paying customer. Let's see if they can ›››
June 21, 2005 03:53 AM

49. Jack Yan on The Skype Brand
What I love about Skype is its virtual nature: if I recall correctly, it's incorporated in the Netherlands (good for royalty income) and does its engineering in Estonia (them high-tech Scandinavians!). Hence it is a brand that embodies a virtual organization, which brings it into my territory. It is perhaps less fear than one of a perceived insecurity: that the public won't accept a firm that is virtual. This may be as great a driver—i.e. ›››
June 16, 2005 09:03 AM

50. Bruce DeBoer on Earth To Media Buyers, Come In Media Buyers
Well put Andy. If I were to advocate their position it would be one of media dollar ROI. I'm sure their fear is that their print ads in a publication in which editorials are negative in regards to their industry would be less effective. This is an understandable concern. Yet,to your point, the negatives resulting from a blanket hard edged ad-pull policy will out weigh any of their editorial concerns. Asking for a “heads up” on content is ballsy and in my opinion B ›››
May 25, 2005 03:58 PM