Marketing
Best Business Books of 2011
strategy&business recently published its annual list of this year's best business books. Whether your focus is management, marketing, economics, leadership, or strategy, an esteemed panel of experts has selected a...
Marketing: Do Today, Ready Tomorrow
McKinsey Quarterly talks with 3 senior execs about the future of marketing, including the CEO of Virgin Atlantic, the CMO at American Express, and the principal research scientist at Yahoo's Human Social Dynamics...
Lady Gaga: CEO Role Model
Likely the only time you'll see Mother Theresa and Lady Gaga compared--and revered--as CEOs! This short Economist article lauds certain of their branding techniques and counts them as leadership role models. Do you...
Brand Dominance: Gold or Tin
Most execs would kill for brand identity that conjures an entire category. But what happens when technology moves on? Rename or re-focus? This interview with Xerox CEO Ursula Burns illustrates the image conundrum...
Do YOU Use the MVP Approach?
HBS is encouraging start-ups to innovate with what it calls the MVP--minimum viable product. This method brings bare-bones new products to market with minimal investment, allowing early adopters to recommend the features they most desire.
Path to Enchantment
Guy Kawasaki's best-selling new book, Enchantment, argues that companies should offer products customers can't wait to buy. Enjoy the recent author interview, or read this
So It's True!
The old adage that all publicity is good publicity--even when it isn't--seems to be borne out by new research at Stanford's GSB. Panned books sold more after the reviews were published. Does that mean CEO scandals...
The Art of Choosing
What do customers really want? According to recent research, ways to reduce the burden of choosing. While alternatives may allow buyers to select exactly and only what suits them, the process can be so complex that...
Bitter and Sweet: Chocolate to China
In Chocolate Fortunes: The Battle for the Hearts, Minds, and Wallets of China's Consumers, the author explores the efforts five firms make to...
The Price is Right
As the economy recovers, attention will increasingly be turning to pricing. The authors of this article recently appearing in Sloan Mgt. Review argue that companies should compete on ...
Attracting Media Coverage 101
Are some firms media darlings? Do you have to hire a PR firm to score coverage for your company? These simple tips could increase your chances of landing the press you desire, whether you engage a...
Google Buzz=Health Care Bill?
This post argues that Google's Buzz launch and Obama's health care bill have more in common than you might think. Great concepts from innovative sources don't always receive the intended reception in practice.
Will YOU Pay?
Next year, the New York Times will begin charging non-subscribers for content beyond a minimum quota. This strategy is an attempt to survive in an era where consumers expect free access/content while traditional advertising revenues evaporate. Will...
Free: The Best Price?
Will the weak economy move business models further from or closer to offering free services? How can firms make something out of nothing? Read full article
Jump-start Your Website--3 Easy Ideas
Take existing social media tools, add a modest investment--and in short order reap revenue growth, enhanced online presence, and increased brand awareness. Which of these tips have you implemented? Any on the horizon?
Site for Sore Eyes?
Does your small business website make one of the common errors cited in this piece? Read on to avoid costly but preventable pitfalls and optimize your customer's experience.
Is Free Your Favorite Price?
Malcolm Gladwell reviews Free: the Future of a Radical Price, the latest manifesto from Wired Editor Chris Anderson (who also wrote the bestseller The Long Tail) in this New Yorker piece. Less a trend than a law of nature in the digital age, Anderson...
Vodka Set Him Free (Truly)
A marketing pioneer in feudal Russia?? In King of Vodka, journalist Linda Himelstein offers a fascinating look at successful entrepreneurship, depicted through the rise of Pyotr Smirnov from Russian serfdom to global spirits magnate. The non-fiction...
Customer Surveys: Want vs. Need
Bain consultants describe a new methodology that reveals in stark relief the distinctions between what customers 'want' and what they 'need' or value most highly. Interesting potential applications in a world where feature-creep is insidious.
More Praise for Free
Is your industry's business model shifting toward more-product/service for less money? Could it eventually go to zero? This Wharton prof argues that the price of products and the costs of production are increasingly separate matters--will this be a...
