In business, the solution to every problem is human because every problem is a human problem. We look to technology or economics for answers, but those are simply manifestations of human impulse. The problems with which we are confronted are ...Read More
There is a classic thread of business thought that posits the customer against the profit. Are you in
business to help people or to make money? Because, obviously, it can’t be both.
This thinking exists because of the inaccurate belief that people ...Read More
There are two dimensions to thinking: focus and scope. With creative thinking, many tend to focus as hard as they can on the problem with the hopes that the answer will become clearer. But scope is just as important. Having ...Read More
Creative atrophy plagues all but the driest of minds and organizations. Being an architect is much more glamorous than being a contractor, and brainstorming is much more exciting than writing proposals. But this tendency leads to a surplus of creative ...Read More
An idea is only as good as the result it generates either directly or indirectly. Yet many place value just on ideas. The goal isn't to come up with the best idea, but instead to come up with the idea ...Read More
The economics of attention and dollars are different. There are many similarities in the incentives, actions, and results both currencies create, but they aren't completely the same. And where there are different realities there is an opportunity for professional differentiation.
Digital ...Read More
Just asking ;). But seriously, there is (or there is the potential to be) a digital equivalent to every human action, interest, and desire in the real world. The digital world is still so young that many of these equivalents ...Read More
I’ve gotten a lot of shit for not bowing at the altar of social media. I don’t believe in the miracles or the gods. I don’t think you really need social media experts. And I don’t even like kool-aid.
But, obviously, ...Read More
I'm always amazed when I come across a business with a dysfunctional aspect to their customer experience. In the real world, it could be a restaurant with a wobbly table. In the digital world, it could be a website with ...Read More
Technology gives us the reach in marketing, but personalization is what gives us the weight. In many cases, technology facilitates personalization on a larger scale, but it also offers shortcuts and personalization pitfalls for those who don't wield it carefully.
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Any business is always selling two things: product and brand. The economics are the same for both transactions, just with different currencies. People pay ten dollars for a magazine, and people pay ten seconds to watch an ad.
Most businesses focus at ...Read More
There are two kinds of managers. Those who take responsibility and those who take responsibility with conditions. It's easy to tell the difference. Just listen for the "woulds" "ifs" "becauses" and "buts". "If he had finished his part it would ...Read More
I understand the profit motive. But what about the consumer motive? Airline change fees are evil. Not because of the amount (although that seems a bit ridiculous), but because they are really a convenience fee.
The airlines are protected from the ...Read More
