The New Normal in Strategic Thinking

The term "new normal" started to appear a few years back before the global economic troubles but it has picked up real energy in the past year as many realise that business and organizations will probably never work like they did before the economic meltdown.

I have enclosed a good conversation on the topic that McKinsey recently had with some Chief Strategic Officers from Visa, Boeing and Estee Lauder. What is key to me is the planning cycle mentality moving from annual to quarterly to ongoing, and the flexibility required within organizations to deliver on this new reality and ensure alignment inside the organization can keep up with this new faster pace of planning.

Enjoy the 7 minute video below or click on the link.

www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Strategy/Strategic_Thinking/Navigating_the_new_normal_A_conversation_with_four_chief_strategy_officers_2476

How Web Marketing Can Kill A Relationship

A few weeks back I had my Korean car dealership contact me on the phone and say they were just updating their files and wondered if they could have my email address in case they rarely needed to let me know about recalls and other very important information about our vehicle. On the belief it would not be abused I gave them the details.

Well they blew it. The next day I got two emails about their great service and how they can sell me a new car. I was getting emails almost daily to the point I finally opted out of the mails. I am not interested in a new car, and I am now sure not interested in one from them.

The point is I liked these guys until they abused my relationship with them. So be careful of how often you engage your clients on-line especially if you told them you would not abuse their trust. Be smart and respectful of your relationships with your customers and don't kill a relationship by over marketing to it.

Pranav Is A Game Changer

While sixth sense has been talked about, Pranav Mistry is no longer talking he is doing. What he and MIT labs have invented is just mind blowing, and technology manufacturers must be sweating as he plans to give it out the the world in an open source manner.

Amaze yourself and take the few minutes to see Pranav talk about his inventions that will change the way we communicate and use information technology. You may have seen Pattie Maes talk at TED back in March 2009 about Sixth Sense but you must see and hear Pranav(at TED India this month)explain the future. Now this is smart front end thinking!

Click on the link below to be amazed.

Environmental Consumerism Is All Talk

In the past two months I have been working on some projects for clients that had an environmental angle to them. It was some surprise to me that we have really not moved that far when it comes to commercialising environmental products or services. I remember when green products came into being in the late 1980's in Canada, they were more expensive than traditional products so very few people bought them. It was apparent then that people wanted to talk about it but did not want to be involved if it would hit their pocket book too hard. Well I think we are still in this mindset some twenty years later.

The idea of using environmental products or hosting environmental conferences and meetings is the politically correct thing to do. However many people will not pay more to switch, and for sure will not switch if the trusted results of the status quo are not guaranteed.

We have a long journey ahead to convert the masses to become environmental consumers. The turning point may be generation-Y that truly believes they will be living with the consequences of in action, because the dominant generations of the day do not feel the pain so they are not taking action. Somehow organizations have to personalise the need to take action, as currently the impetus is too vague and big to motivate the average person.

Wonderful Video Presentation Style

I came across an excellent video by the folks at Xplane video in Portland Oregon. Besides the subject matter being timely (even if skewed to US audience), I think viewers should look at the wonderful presentation style. Simple and easy to read graphics and type. My only concern is the copy does not stay up long enough in some cases.

Great example of the power of great presentations and a great update on the changing media landscape.

Surprise WEB 2.0 Is Working!

A recent study by McKinsey, in fact the third year of the study, indicates that "69 percent of (the 1,700) respondents report that their companies have gained measurable business benefits, including more innovative products and services, more effective marketing, better access to knowledge, lower cost of doing business, and higher revenues."

I hope no one is surprised by the finding. What should you expect when you enter into a dialogue with your customers and employees instead of just pushing information you think they want out to them. One of the biggest technology increases and effectiveness, both with employees and customers, has been the use of video. To me this just highlights the need to make communication easy to understand and engage with no matter what marketing tool you are using.

So if you are part of the 30% that do not yet buy into the power of web 2.0 (blogs, RSS feeds, microblogs-twitter, social networking-facebook, wikis, podcasts etc.) understand that chances are your competitor is and probably growing their business because of it.

For a full read of the McKinsey study follow the link below.

http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/How_companies_are_benefiting_from_Web_20_McKinsey_Global_Survey_Results_2432

Do You LEAD On The Web?

Surely by now you have all heard or read about the move from web 2.0 to 3.0, basically preparing to involve and respond to your customers on-line like you never have before. Really you haven't, amazing just amazing. Relax neither have most business leaders.

Well for most of us then the attached article from Donna Hoffman who is a professor of marketing at the University of California, Riverside, and the codirector of the UCR Sloan Center for Internet Retailing, will be a great conversation starter as McKinsey calls it.

http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Managing_beyond_Web_20_2389

In short LEAD (listen, experiment, apply, develop) developed by the Sloan Center is a simple model that will help companies thrive in the ever changing online world. I am no Internet wizard but I am smart enough to know that you have to be engaging with your customers on-line beyond just pushing stuff out to them. I have been saying for a very long time its a dialogue not a monologue with customers that will be build the brands of tomorrow and one key tool in the marketers tool box is web 2.0-3.0.

LEAD reminds us that beyond starting the dialogue you need to experiment with it and continue to stay engaged with your customers as they themselves experiment with the wild and wonderful world of the web.