Tag Archives: Corporate Failure
There’s No Crying in Investment Banking, or Don’t Take a Ride on a Snake’s Back
So there’s this mouse who wants to cross a river, and a poison snake who offers the little fellow a ride. “Will you bite me?” squeaks the mouse. “Of courssse not,” replies the snake. The mouse gets on the scaly … Continue reading
Filed under Abilene Paradox, Advertising, Arrogance, Culture Change, Employee Engagement
Prestidigitation and Brand Strength – A Hypothesis
When I was about 10 my father took me to the Magic Castle in Hollywood. What a strange and wonderful place. In every nook and cranny there was something mysterious and amazing (at least for a 10 year old). However, … Continue reading
Filed under Abilene Paradox, Brand Strength, Branding, Employee Engagement, Marketing, Prestidigitation
To HP or not HP, that is the Distraction.
So HP’s new logo is not going to be their new logo. A company spokesperson definitively quashed the rumor by letting us know that “HP is one of the world’s most valuable brands and has no plans to adopt the … Continue reading
Filed under Advertising, Branding, Management Theory, Marketing, Mission Statements
McDonald’s Sign Going Green, Or I Will not Eat Green Eggs and Ham.
I am not without sin when it comes to hamburgers. I don’t care if they are good for me, or for the cows, or for the environment. (Ok, I care a little bit, and I exercise four times a week.) … Continue reading
Filed under Advertising, Arrogance, Branding
Arrogance and Opportunity, Or Fear the Rotting Apple
My multitouch Apple trackpad quietly stares up my nostrils with the malicious muteness of the Berlin wall. I’ve watched the Quicktime videos on how to operate my MacBook Pro with “simple” gestures. A single flick for this. A backwards triple … Continue reading
Filed under Advertising, Arrogance, Entrepreneurialism, Indie, Listening, Management Theory, Marketing
Vintage Wisdom from Young Entrepreneurs, Or Nice Plaid Pants
My wardrobe during my undergraduate education at UC Berkeley consisted of a two pairs of jeans, which both seemed to presage the grunge movement, and a metric ton of used hipster rags from a second-hand clothing store called Aardvarks. One … Continue reading
Filed under Entrepreneurialism, Fashion, Indie, Management Theory
Indie Games, Or Smells Like Teen Spirit
Every now and then I find myself in the depths of MBA depression brought on by reading all of the journals, newspapers, blogs, magazines, and economic reports that I’m supposed to read as a professional. They are all telling me … Continue reading
Filed under Branding, Entrepreneurialism, Gaming, Indie
An Appeal to Baby Boomer Marketers (Do not read this if you are under 35).
I was taken by a comment by Professor Kevin Keller from my alma mater The Tuck School of Business. He was giving his standard lecture to executives on the importance of branding, entitled the The Branding Imperative. (Yes, I know, … Continue reading
Filed under Branding, Marketing, Social Media
How to Start a Meeting: Workability, Chaos Theory, and Imagination
A man steps on a butterfly during a brief time travel safari to the Jurassic period, and changes the course of human history (Ray Bradbury, “The Sound of Thunder,” 1952.) This is a fundamental tenet of Chaos Theory that the … Continue reading
Filed under Branding, Workability
