I’ve rummaged through all my ramblings from the past year on Brand Autopsy and like I did in 2004 and 2005, I’ve compiled a listing of my favorite posts. Enjoy.
1 | The Downside of Upside | Jan. 16, 2006
My quick take on some risks Starbucks faces as it expands into areas far outside its comfortable home of coffee … like movie deals.
2 | Starbucks AudioBlog | Feb. 2, 2006
I added some spicy insider commentary to the February 2006 earnings call Starbucks had with Wall Street analysts.
3 | Super Bowl Advertising Insanity | Feb. 10, 2005
A short, spoken word-like riff about Commercials, The Super Bowl, and Cheesy Pick-Up Lines.
4 | Hey Dunkin’ … Accentuate the Hate | Apr. 8, 2006
I’m talking Starbucks again. (Surprise, surprise.) This time, I’m admonishing Dunkin’ Donuts for not fully embracing the differences that exist between itself and Starbucks. Newly remodeled Dunkin’ stores are looking a lot like Starbucks stores.
5 | jumboSHRIMP Marketing | Apr. 17, 2006
I condensed my jumboSHRIMP marketing presentation, recorded some audio, sync’d it to my slides, and posted it on YouTube. In this video, you'll learn five rules jumboSHRIMP businesses are following to get bigger by acting smaller.
6 | Advertising’s Punch in the Face | May 9, 2006
Hugh MacLeod thought it, scribbled it, and posted it. I just linked to it. Hugh’s brilliant cartoon on the ill tone of advertising we, as consumers, endure is a MUST-READ for every marketer.
7 | WOM Presentation on YouTube | May 17, 2006
Do you believe in creationism or evolutionism as it relates to generating Word-of-Mouth?
8 | Treasure Hunt Treasures | June 5, 2006
In his sequel to the way-worthy read of TRADING UP, Michael Silverstein sheds light on why consumers are deliberately trading down and how companies can take advantage this TREASURE HUNT trend. I share some tasty tid-bits from the book. Good stuff.
9 | Chrysler's Addiction to Discounting | June 22, 2006
I’m back on the horse ranting about how Chrysler is caught up in the Circle of Addiction … again. Chrysler, and other automakers, can’t free themselves of their destructive addition to discounting. It’s a shame. Somebody please hold a Marketing Intervention!
10 | Mimmicking Whole Foods Market | June 29, 2006
Conventional grocers must learn they can replicate the products that Whole Foods sells but they can’t replicate the people Whole Foods has selling the products.
11 | FAST COMPANY’S Collective Genius | July 2006
This year, FAST COMPANY published a book with 32 of their favorite all-time articles. I decided to also publish a listing of my favorite FAST COMPANY articles on Brand Autopsy. However, I had so many favorite reads to include that I packaged the articles into three volumes … VOLUME ONE … VOLUME TWO … VOLUME THREE. There are some VERY GOOD reads in these volumes.
12 | TRIBAL KNOWLEDGE Manifesto | Sep. 6, 2006
Regular readers are probably tired of me hawking my TRIBAL KNOWLEDGE book which shares my insider perspective of the business principles Starbucks has followed in becoming an endearing and enduring business. (Sorry.) But for those of you wanting to learn some Starbucks business wisdom, I recommend you start by reading my manifesto published by ChangeThis and then picking up the book.
13| The Results of Refuting Versus Relishing | Sept. 8, 2006
Read what happens when a mega-corp refutes Word-of-Mouth and a minor-corp relishes Word-of-Mouth. This is a case study for any business grappling with the “Not Invented Here” syndrome.
14 | Do Talented People Need the Organization? | Sept. 13, 2006
Given today’s environment where tools are inexpensive and widely available, the organization needs talented people more than talented people need the organization. That’s the smart take of author, Dan Pink.
15 | Simplifying Simplicity | Sept. 16, 2006
Simplicity ain’t easy but somebody gotta do it. And MIT Professor John Maeda has taken a few steps to simplify simplicity for all us business, technology, and design-minded folks. Smart thinking!
16 | Success Built to Last | Oct. 13, 2006
One of the most important business books published in 2006 is SUCCESS BUILT TO LAST. Advancing angles from the best-selling BUILT TO LAST book, Jerry Porras (and others) apply the BUILT TO LAST concepts of building an enduring business to individuals striving to become enduringly successful people. It’s a powerful book chock-full of thought-provoking “money quotes.”
17 | Business Growth Roshambo | Aug. 28, 2005
I thoroughly enjoyed Marty Neumeier’s ZAG book. I pimped the heck outta it on Brand Autopsy. I especially enjoyed his playful and intelligent explanation how growing businesses go through the stages of SCISSORS, ROCK and PAPER during its maturation. Every businesspeople needs to read Marty’s unique perspective on this. It’s some of the most thought-provoking business writing I read in 2006.
18 | The “I” Exam | Nov. 1, 2006
How can you distinguish between “Assholes” and “Likeables” during the job interview process? Conduct an “I” EXAM.
19 | A Citizen Marketer Hater | Nov. 14, 2006
David Jones (ceo at EURO RSCG) poo-poos the idea of everyday people creating marketing messages and sharing them via social media means. Instead, he believes advertising agencies must be the entity to create brilliant ideas and consumers should just consume the ideas agencies create. Dig deeper in this post to read some smart and spirited comments.
20 | Money Quotes From Business Books | Nov. & Dec. 2006
I went a little crazy this fall sharing money quotes from business books. I created slideshows on slideshare.net sharing these quotes from a few biz books I had read. I also posted many money quotes directly on the blog. Just riffle through my Business Book Musings category to access these money quotes
21 | The Biggest Challenge Facing Whole Foods Market | Dec. 4, 2006
I laugh when Wall Street thinks market saturation is an issue for Whole Foods Market. It’s not. Market unsaturation is an issue though. And in this post, I offer up thoughts on why the biggest challenge facing Whole Foods might just be its inability to open new stores.
22 | Is it Making Money or Making Meaning? | Oct. 25, 2005
Which matters more when hiring and retaining employees: making meaning or making money?
23 | The Elements of 12 ELEMENTS | Nov. 4, 2005
I’ve read lots of books on managing people but none as actionable and meaningful as 12 ELEMENTS. Seriously, 12 ELEMENTS is a VERY IMPORTANT book for any businessperson responsible for managing people. In this post I breakdown each element to showcase its “WHAT? | SO WHAT? | PROVE IT!” relevance.
There's been some great stuff in 2006 John. I particularly liked your You Tube clips on jumboSHRIMP and WOM.
Keep up the great work in 2007.
Thanks, Ben
Posted by: Ben Rowe | December 27, 2006 at 11:00 PM
Very nice, didn't have time to read every post of 2006 so this collection is a real help ;) check out my quotes website!
Posted by: David Webb | May 11, 2008 at 06:00 PM