Get Schmart Conference – Dan Gregory

Dan Gregory is the fat guy off the Gruen Transfer (his words). International man of mystery and advertising guy about town. Here are the notes from his talk.

...

Read More

Get Schmart Conference: Jeffrey Hayzlett

Session 1 notes: Marketing and change

  •  Admits to being one of the 10 people from South Datoka ;-) and being on celebrity apprentice.
  • Lesson from Kodak's demise: They discovered the digital camera, but rejected the idea. Don't be afraid to change.
  • To the naysayers, opportunities and obstructionists who stand in the way of driving change and process.
  • Somewhere in the west or in a company near you change is coming.
  • It is uncomfortable to drive change in any organisation - you have to run the gauntlet
  • Adapt, change or die
  • Change for change sake is bad "There is nothing wroing with change if it is in the right direction" Winston Churchill

...

Read More

How Occupy Lost It’s Moral Authority

[caption id="attachment_1827" align="alignnone" width="550" caption="Has Occupy lost it's moral authority?"][/caption]

I'm not the kind of blogger that rants. Really I'm not.

But nothing gets me more annoyed than people not being paid for what they are worth, or not at all.

What does this have to do with the Occupy movement I hear you ask? I'm glad you did.

Occupy by their very nature are against corporate greed. They are all about everyone getting a fair deal, about not being exploited.

But like any movement that has morphed into an organised body it has dramatically highlighted the syndrome that any organised body can fall foul of:

...

Read More

What I Learned About Word Of Mouth Marketing From An Intern

[caption id="attachment_1537" align="alignnone" width="550" caption="Would you trust this guy?"]Used Car Salesman?[/caption]

How do you tell others about your organisation? If you are a retail business which has a lot of foot traffic outside the store it would make sense to have a guy or girl handing out flyers. I have been walking past one of these stores only to see this person several metres infront of me, I will move to the other side of the footpath to avoid them and try not to make eye contact with them. If they still hold out a flyer for me I will shake my head before they even have a chance to say anything. It doesn't just happen in the profit world. I've seen people in the non profit world at conferences and in shopping centres do the same thing.

...

Read More

5 Simple Truths That Remembrance Day Is Teaching Me About Cause Marketing

Remembrance Day

Today is Remembrance Day and for my generation growing up in the United Kingdom and now Australia the poppy has come to symbolise the sacrifice of millions of men and women in the first world war and other wars.

You will see poppies pinned to the lapels of news readers, businessmen, youthful schoolchildren and ageing war veterans. You definitely won't see any politician in front a camera without one.

What does Remembrance Day and poppies have to do with a marketing, branding and communications blog I here you ask? Good question, lets find out....

Read More

5 Thirst Quenching Marketing Lessons From 7-Eleven

National Slurpee Day

Monday was National Slurpee Day in Australia. I know. I can't believe I'm blogging about a frozen flavoured ice either. But there you go. Today's marketing lesson is brought to you by the frozen flavoured drinks Jedi knights of 7-Eleven. Boy, did they have their marketing light sabers out on this campaign....

Read More