The Cook’s Economist: Functional Publishing Models
Examining the ways in which structure changes what gets published, and why
Brand Strategy
"People build brands as birds build nests, from scraps and straws we chance upon." – Jeremy Bullmore
39 posts
Redefining the Competitive Set
If you’re reading this, you know that digital technology has changed things. You know that in a single year, humans create more information than they have in all of history up to that point. You know that your customers are inundated with more information than their brains can handle.
Integrating Loyalty
So I’ve been thinking a bit about loyalty over the past few months. More or less, I was thinking that a new, cool perspective on loyalty programs could be made up of three important parts: 1. A part that gets people to do things with and for each other
Make Things for People
This one’s near and dear to my heart. And it hurts when companies get it wrong. So it’s exciting to see it done so, so well. Muji’s just released a set of iPad apps that parallel their products, that align with the values they hold dear, and
Smaller is Better: Web 2.0 2010
Alex and I were fortunate enough to be able to present something at Web 2.0 on Thursday of last week, and I’m happy to report that it went off without a hitch. We spoke about a topic that we’ve both been passionate about for quite some time:
Five Strategy Things N° 1
Publicness is now free; Influencers are fickle; Moscow traffic; Game designs; Playing time is oxygen.
Brand Definition & Flexibility - Skype's Brand Book
I've just downloaded Skype's Brand Book, which they've recently made public on their site. It's a nice piece of work, and offers a rich, flexible and humorous set of guidelines for the use of Skype's brand elements. They allow for
The Social Web and B2B Marketing
So... the following is a draft for a little page-or-so thing I'm writing in re: a position on the social web and its implications for B2B marketing. Warning! There are a few buzzwordy things in the below, and the voice is a lot more professional than
On Super-Users and Self-Selecting Networks
Digital Media isn't Mass Media for Cheap Desire Paths: Branding for Digital Lives Two decks that you probably ought to read. The first is from Bud Caddell. It's about a better perspective for businesses to take in their approach to goal-setting for the web. Key
Narrative Suspense and Your Boring Site
Yesterday I was reading a profile in the New Yorker about Ian McEwan. He's the author of Atonement, among other works, and one of the key features of the profile was his discussion of narrative suspense and how to create it. Narrative suspense is the thing that makes
Enough Brand-Jabber Already
Yesterday I was in a new-business meeting. We were at the offices of a local company looking to make a push in the 4th quarter; their brand has been around for a long time, but recently had some tough times...they're rebounding from their difficulties and doing
Knowing the Tools
This one's for the AEs out there. Last night I was watching "Modern Marvels" on The History Channel. This particular episode was about copper, and the portion that caught my attention was a visit to a bell foundry, where bells had been sand-cast from copper