Psst … I’m on vacation this week so instead of writing a post, I’m gonna redirect you to a noteworthy blog.
It’s Friday, so DUST!N must have something cooking on his Casual Fridays blog.
July 28, 2006
July 27, 2006
July 25, 2006
July 24, 2006
July 23, 2006
JUICING THE ORANGE | Marketing Masterpiece Theatre
For those unfamiliar with Marketing Masterpiece Theatre, it’s my way of highlighting remarkable (and forgettable) business books by doing a dramatic reading of a passage from the book, Yeah, they’re goofy. But hopefully they’ll make you think a little and laugh a little. With that explanation, I present to you the latest episode … a dramatic reading from JUICING THE ORANGE.
July 20, 2006
Vol. 2 | FAST COMPANY’s COLLECTIVE GENIUS
As I was choosing way-worthy articles from past Fast Company issues for Volume 2 of my FAST COMPANY’s COLLECTVE GENIUS series (Vol. 1 here), I started wondering why Fast Company didn’t ask its subscribers to submit a list of articles that had significant influence on their business life. Or, why not simply include a line listing of the most read/downloaded articles from fastcompany.com in the book.
Hmm … there are countless ways Fast Company could have tapped into the collective wisdom of its subscriber base to choose articles for inclusion its book.
Instead, the editorial staff at Fast Company selected articles for inclusion in Fast Company's Greatest Hits: Ten Years of the Most Innovative Ideas in Business. Not including its community of readers signals a missed opportunity that may speak volumes about the magazine losing some of its relevance with its readership.
But wait … this just in … David Lidsky of Fast Company has posted a blog entry on FC NOW asking readers to submit their favorite reads along with a story. It’s a contest so have at it boys and girls.
Anyways, I hope Volume Two of my favorite Fast Company reads from issues #41 to #72 become some your favorite reads. (Volume 3 will be posted early next month and Volume 1 can be accessed here.)
How To Make Your Mark
ISSUE #41 | December 2000 |pg. 205
”Ultimately, making your mark means making a contribution -- to your company, to your professional field, to your coworkers, even to the world -- by making the best use of your talents.” Right on!
Want to Grow as a Leader? Get a Mentor!
ISSUE #42 | January 2001 | pg. 58
I served as a mentor for a young, whipper-snapper Starbucks marketer but unfortunately, I never took the initiative to establish an official mentor/mentee relationship with a super-duper Starbucks executive. Don’t do as I didn’t do. Read this short article and get a mentor!
Rule #3: Leadership is Confusing as Hell [PART 1 | PART 2]
ISSUE #44 | March 2001 | pg. 124
The shrapnel from the Internet bubble burst litters every page of issue #44. With that context in mind, Tom Peters shares 50 Rules leaders should follow in order to thrive during confusing times.
Lead Softly, but Carry a Big Baton
ISSUE #48 | July 2001 | pg. 46
At a Starbucks Leadership Conference back in the day, symphony conductor Roger Nierenberg delivered a killer presentation drawing parallels between conducting an orchestra and managing a project. This article touches upon some of Roger’s crescendo notes.
In My Humble Opinion (Seth Godin)
ISSUE #48 | July 2001 | pg. 84
By this time in my Starbucks career, I was becoming very worried the company had become too big and too ubiquitous. Seth’s article on how and why the authentic becomes inauthentic only added fuel to the fire burning inside me. Thought-provoking stuff!
Marcus Buckingham Thinks Your Boss has an Attitude Problem
ISSUE #49 | August 2001 | pg. 88
This is yet another article I spent time slaving over a photocopy machine autopsying paper jams to produce countless handouts for countless Starbucks middle managers. Starbucks has been heavily influenced by Marcus Buckingham’s great book, NOW DISCOVER YOUR STRENGTHS. And this article shows company leaders how to maximize the strengths of its employees rather than (a) trying to change people and (b) looking to outsiders to solve insider problems. A must-read!
Love is the Killer App
ISSUE #55 | February 2002 | pg. 64
If you haven’t read Tim Sander’s LOVE IS THE KILLER APP, you should. In the book, and in this summary article, Tim muses on why/how we grow as people and professionals by giving generously. Giving of our time, giving of our knowledge, and giving of ourselves will actually give us the opportunity to succeed. It’s the real world business application of the more you give, the more you receive proverb.
Memo to: Media Monopolists
ISSUE #60 | July 2002 | pg. 90
I must have missed this way worthy read from Seth Godin when it was first published. Or maybe the lasting echoes of the Citizen Marketer theory and the Long Tail theory help to make this treatise on how not to think like a monopolist more relevant today than it was yesterday. Good stuff.
Handle with Care
ISSUE #61 | August 2002 | pg. 102
Great profile piece on how UPS delivers the right package to its employees. The advice on “It’s all right to drop a few” is priceless.
SIZE is Not a Strategy
ISSUE #62 | September 2002 | pg. 78
Before Think Big Act Small. Before Small Giants. Before Small is the New Big. And before jumboSHRIMP, there was Keith Hammond’s article scrutinizing the strategy behind bigger is better.
Keith Yamashita Wants to Reinvent Your Company
ISSUE # 64 | November 2002 | pg. 88
Fast Company put Keith Yamashita on my marketing radar screen and once I saw his UNSTUCK book … I knew I HAD to buy it. This is a way tasty and thought-provoking article. Don’t sleep on Keith’s “10 Ways to Reinvent Your Company” sidebar … it makes for great fodder.
Sophisticated Sell
ISSUE #65 | December 2002 | pg. 92
As a marketer, I adore Anthropologie. They do a masterful job of making sure every store is the same, yet different. “The same, yet different” retailing strategy is something we strived to do at Starbucks and because of me, this article found its way on many a chair at Starbucks’ HQ. In fact, I still freely share this article with retailers wanting marketing advice.
Bigger. Better. Faster.
Size and other issues aside, Wal-Mart is a “great” company. This piece has Jim Collins putting Wal-Mart through his GOOD TO GREAT lens and offering up some reasons why Wal-Mart has become truly great at what they do.
Is Your Company Up to Speed
ISSUE #71 | June 2003 | pg. 81
This worthwhile piece includes “10 make-or-break questions to evaluate your company’s performance.” I guarantee if you ask these ten questions, your answers will deliver tens of new ideas to improve your business.
How To Make Your Own Luck
ISSUE # 72 | July 2004 | pg. 78
Maybe you don’t need to read this particular article on how to increase your “luckability.” But you should read this line from the article: ”Unlucky people are stuck in routines … Lucky people always want something more.” Heck, slap that line on a PowerPoint slide, print it out, and post it in your office.
July 19, 2006
Nauseating Advertising from US Airways
First we had CBS deciding to advertise its fall TV season with “On-Egg Messaging.” Now we have US Airways selling adverting space on airsickness bags. This is seriously something US Airways is doing. Really, I ain’t kidding here.
But US Airways must be kidding when a company spokesperson says, "The airsick bag is not used like it was in the past -- primarily with turbo-prop aircraft and cabins that weren't pressurized -- so the negative connotation of the sick sack has gone away." Now that line makes this marketer wanna reach for a barf bag.
Hey … what if CBS had decided to ditch "On-Egg Messaging" for on-bag advertising? Reckon this nauseating advertising would look something like:
July 17, 2006
Creationist WOM Eggs-ample
Last year, CBS promoted its fall television shows on Water Coolers and Prescription Bags. This year, CBS is using “On-Egg Messaging” from Egg Fusion to promote its new shows.
“On-Egg Messaging” is a classic example of Creationist WOM at work. Marketers believing in Creationist WOM contend meaningful Word-of-Mouth Marketing can be an artificially amplified occurrence. These marketers believe they can create conversations between customers through capturing their attention.
According to a Dallas Morning News article, Egg Fusion frames its sales pitch by promoting there are at least four consumer impressions per egg. The first impression happens when you open the egg carton in-store to see if there are any broken eggs. Second impression occurs at-home when you transfer the eggs from its carton to the egg container in your refrigerator. The third impression is when you take the eggs out of the refrigerator as you prep for a meal. And the fourth impression happens when you crack the egg shell. (Impressed?)
George Schweitzer, CBS Marketing Group president, bought the Egg Fusion sales pitch and has high hopes for the effectiveness of the advertising tactic. He’s quoted in the Dallas Morning News article as saying, “It's one of the ways we can be intrusive and inclusive. It's right in your face. You can't avoid it.”
I agree with George … we can’t avoid it. However, we can be annoyed by it. This “On-Egg Messaging” advertising tactic reeks of ad creep to me.
Let’s hope CBS saved some of its marketing dollars to spend on making their television shows worth talking about because if the only thing worth talking about is their “On-Egg Messaging” ... then CBS’s Fall Schedule is in trouble.
July 13, 2006
Reichheld on Employee Loyalty
After reading that quote from Net Promoter evangelist Fred Reichheld, I immediately thought of a lesson I learned first-hand from my Starbucks days …
“Many marketers view employee relations as a job solely for human resources—they see employees as tools. But employees—happy, rewarded employees—can work wonders for the company’s marketing efforts. There is no better spokesperson for a company, product, and brand than someone who is happy with his job and respected by his employer and peers. A happy employee will in turn, make customers happy. [Source: TRIBAL KNOWLEDGE (Kaplan, 2006)]
Marketing Masterpiece Theatre | the LOST EPISODE
Well ... looks like the fake rumors were true -- a lost episode of Marketing Masterpiece DOES exist. Enjoy.
July 10, 2006
Talking TRIBAL KNOWLEDGE with Brian Oberkirch
Brian Oberkirch, of Weblogs Work, was in Austin last week and we sat down and talked shop at one of my favorite haunts—The Ginger Man. Our conversation turned into an interview with Brian asking me questions about TRIBAL KNOWLEDGE, my to-be-released book on lessons I learned from working deep inside the Starbucks Marketing Department.
DOWNLOAD INTERVIEW HERE[20:47 minutes | 23.0 MB]
FAST COMPANY’s COLLECTIVE GENIUS
In July of 2006, the folks at Fast Company magazine gathered 32 of the “best and most enduring articles” and compiled them into a GREATEST HITS book. Fast Company's Greatest Hits : Ten Years of the Most Innovative Ideas in Business does indeed contain some great articles from the first decade of the magazine’s existence.
However, as a long-time subscriber and big-time evangelist of Fast Company, I felt this collection was missing some way-worthy reads. So, in true brand hijack fashion, I decided to compile a collection of articles that have greatly impacted my perspective on all things business-related.
But in compiling my list of way-worthy Fast Company reads I encountered a problem—too many articles! So I decided to put together a three-volume set of what I’m calling FAST COMPANY’s COLLECTIVE GENIUS.
I hope my favorite Fast Company reads become your favorite reads.
(Remember kiddos, this is only volume one … volumes two and three will be posted later in July.)
Handbook of the Business Revolution
ISSUE #1 | October 1995 | pg. 8
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/01/edpage.html
I wasn’t maven-enough back in the fall of 1995 to know about the inaugural issue of Fast Company. But I am smart enough today to know how on-target the founding fathers of Fast Company were when they the distilled the reasons for the magazine’s being.
It Doesn’t Take a Wizard to Build a Better Boss
ISSUE #3 | June 1996 | pg. 10
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/03/boss.html
A solid piece taking The Wizard of Oz and applying the archetypes of The Scarecrow, The Cowardly Lion, and The Tin Man to explain the different types of bosses that exist in the workplace.
Hire for Attitude Train for Skill
ISSUE #4 | August 1996 | pg. 73
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/04/hiring.html
This article on the right ways to hire the right people hasn’t lost any relevance since being published a decade ago.
What Comes After What Comes Next
ISSUE #6 | December 1996 | pg. 73
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/06/wattsnext.html
This was my first exposure to Watts Wacker and his visionary thinking ways. Sure some of his thoughts are kooky, but most times there is brilliance in his kookiness.
The Gary Burton Trio: Lessons on Business from a Jazz Legend
ISSUE #6 | December 1996 | pg. 110
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/06/burton.html
Timeless business leadership advice from a jazz man who has lead duos, trios, quartets, etc.
The Brand Called You
ISSUE #10 | August 1997 | pg. 83
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/10/brandyou.html
I cannot begin to express the impact this Tom Peters article has had, is having, and will continue to have on me. Brand Autopsy, the business nor the blog, wouldn’t exist today had I not read this article many yesterdays ago.
You are the Company! : The Definitive Handbook for Great Customer Service
ISSUE #11 | September 1998 | supplemental pages
[This was a supplement piece that is not available in the archive section of fastcompany.com]
Picture an energetic junior-level marketer at Starbucks buying 15 copies of Fast Company issue #11 and distributing those copies to higher-ups within the company along with a photocopied note explaining how great and actionable the piece is to the Starbucks Experience. That picture is a picture of a younger me.
Here's an Idea That's Not Quite Ripe
ISSUE #11 | September 1998 | pg. 50
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/11/cdu.html
This piece debunking the oft-cited “low hanging fruit” action step helped to fuel the tanks of this part-time marketing contrarian.
This is Brain Surgery
ISSUE #13 | November 2998 |pg. 146
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/13/brainsurgery.html
A classic Fast Company article taking something seemingly unrelated (the pressures and risks a brain surgeon faces) and making perfect parallels to the business world.
Permission Marketing
ISSUE #14 | March 1998 | pg. 198
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/14/permission.html
Before I read Seth Godin’s book on PERMISSION MARKETING, I read this interview where Seth discussed how interruption marketing was dying and why permission marketing was/is rising.
Are You a Star at Work
ISSUE #15 |May 1998 | pg. 114
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/15/star.html
This article is essentially a companion piece to Robert Kelley’s HOW TO BE A STAR AT WORK book. Both are excellent and both helped me to perform better at Starbucks. The notion of building a “knowledge network” of smart, helpful people has stayed with me through these many years.
How to Give Good Feedback
ISSUE #17 | August 1998 | pg. 144
http://www.fastcompany.com/online/17/feedback.html
Can’t say the Starbucks HR department was all that helpful in prepping me for how to give feedback to direct reports. The Starbucks HR department certainly wasn’t as helpful as this FC article was. I just read it again … and it’s still a worthy read.
Great Harvest’s Recipe for Growth
ISSUE #20 | November 1998 | pg. 46
http://www.fastcompany.com/online/20/greatharvest.html
This article awakened me to the Great Harvest Bread Company and their theories for building a proactive learning community with franchisees. Every franchise-based business should allow the ideals from Great Harvest to spark ideas with their business.
Unit of One: BOSS MANAGEMENT
ISSUE #23| March 1999 | pg. 91
http://www.fastcompany.com/online/23/one.html
In Fast Company’s glory days, the Unit of One section, where notables sound-off on a topic, was always a worthy read. This particular Unit of One has notables ranging from Scott Adams (Dilbert) to Warren Bennis to Anita Hill giving their advice on managing up and on how to champion ideas up the corporate food chain.
The WOW Project
ISSUE #24 | April 1999 | pg. 116
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/24/wowproj.html
Throughout my marketing career, I’ve lived in the projects and to a great extent my project experience defines my work experience. I learned so much about project management from this classic Tom Peters piece. It’s an article I still find myself sharing with eager marketers seeking career advice.
The Leader of the Future
ISSUE # 25 | May 1999 | pg. 130
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/25/heifetz.html
This is a quintessential ethereal FC piece on leadership. It’s inspiring. It’s optimistic. It’s thought-provoking. And it’s still relevant today.
Why We Buy
ISSUE # 29 | October 1999 | pg. 282
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/29/buy.html
When I was at Starbucks I hopelessly pitched radically changing the box that our home espresso machines were sold in. Instead of it merely being a functional cardboard box, I hoped it could become an emotional and aspirational gateway like the box that houses an iMac. This article profiling Jonathan Ive, iMac designer, is a MUST-READ for any marketer.
Built to Flip
ISSUE #32 | February 2000 | pg. 131
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/32/builttoflip.html
This might be my favorite FC article of all-time. When this article from Jim Collins was published in March 2000, the Internet hubris was still sky-high. However, with sound reasoning and effective prose, Collins helped to deflate some of the sky-high Internet hubris. This is another article I photocopied a gazillion times and passed around throughout Starbucks corporate headquarters.
Unleashing the Ideavirus
ISSUE #37 | July 2000 | pg. 115
Part One: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/37/ideavirus.html
Part Two: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/37/ideavirus2.html
I have a confession to make. I never bought Seth Godin’s IDEAVIRUS book. I did, however, read this Ideavirus abstract over and over again. This article on how and why ideas spread has become a pillar of modern Word-of-Mouth marketing strategy.
No Brands-Land
ISSUE #38 | August 2000 | pg. 236
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/38/nklein.html
Many times I learn more from a dissenting voice than an agreeing voice. This Naomi Klein profile piece about the cultural perils of strong brands had a profound impact on me. After reading it and after reading Naomi’s NO LOGO book, I began asking lots of questions about the role of brands in cultures both global and local. A thought-provoking piece that is even more relevant today than it was yesterday.
Design Principal and
Mau’s “Incomplete Manifesto for Growth”
ISSUE #38 | August 2000 | pg. 164
Article: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/39/mau.html
Manifesto: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/39/maumanifesto.html
This is where I first read about Bruce Mau and his super-smart Incomplete Manifesto for Growth. Bruce’s manifesto has become a Brand Autopsy tradition where I begin each new blogging year with a post reminding us all of “going beyond thinking different to doing different.”
July 08, 2006
Is Fast Company Out of Ideas?
For a magazine that prides itself on propagating ideas, isn’t it surprising to find Fast Company out of ideas? How else to explain this LOWEST PRICE EVER pricing strategy to goose subscriptions?
I’m reminded of a Seth Godin riff from PURPLE COW where he says a low-price strategy is “the last refuge of a . . . marketer who is out of great ideas.” Aren’t the folks at Fast Company too smart, too savvy, and too dang creative to fall for the low-price strategy trap?
UPDATE (7/9/06): The Head Lemur has applied his "Clown Suit Rule" to Fast Company. Well worth a visit.
Real Bloggers of Genius
Mike Manuel, of the Media Guerilla blog, twists the Budweiser Real Men of Genius radio campaign to salute you—Mister A-List Blogger Unkeynote Speaker. Nice work Mike! Now we just need someone to produce this spot. So, who's gonna be the first blogger to put these lyrics to music?
Background info: wikipedia entry on the Real Men of Genius campaign and downloadable mp3s of these radio spots.
July 07, 2006
July 06, 2006
Marketing Masterpiece Theatre
July 05, 2006
July 02, 2006
CAUTION! Blog Work Ahead
I'm tweaking things on the Brand Autopsy blog this week. Nothing major. Just a few refinements like adding a search feature, whittling down the categories, adding a widget or two, adjusting the page dimensions, plus a few other things. I'm taking requests though. So please comment if you have some easy-to-implement ideas on what you'd like the Brand Autopsy blog to STOP doing, START doing, and/or CONTINUE doing. Thanks.
johnmoore (from Brand Autopsy)
As a marketingologist with the Brand Autopsy Marketing Practice, I give companies “Second Opinions” about the business and marketing activities they are currently doing or considering doing.
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