My very first mobile phone was a Nokia 6110. There were other built in functions for sure but it was a phone, designed as a communications device and shaped like how people perceive a phone handset to be like. No one thought much of it, we chose phones based on form and function and went on with our lives. … Read More
Steve Jobs and the Apple Core Competency – Delivering Happiness to individuals
I really liked this article by Julian Lee in www.theage.com.au – Steve Jobs’s Apple legacy may not be so sweet at the core. He says, ” In the end I suspect Jobs will be remembered chiefly as one of, if not the, best marketers the world has ever known.” N’er has a truer word been spoken. If we look at … Read More
Commodities and Commoditization
com·mod·i·ty [kuh-mod-i-tee] noun, plural -ties. 1. an article of trade or commerce, especially a product as distinguished from a service. 2. something of use, advantage, or value. 3. Stock Exchange . any unprocessed or partially processed good, as grain, fruits, and vegetables, or precious metals. 4. Obsolete . a quantity of goods. 5. A product whose only differentiation to others … Read More
Longchamp and the art of making nylon sexy
A friend of mine just proposed to his girlfriend of 4 years. He did it with a blue box and a blue bag. She said yes. The equation probably looks something like this. So the blue box contained a rock and a metal circlet Which was shiny but the blue bag was worth more than the shiny rock in the … Read More
Happily Ever After
Once upon a time … Happily ever after. This is the essence of the story. One can argue that it is the very openendedness of a fairytale that brings about its endearing appeal. That there is a chance for a happily ever after . After the “once upon a time”, the story becomes a precursor to an enduring connection which … Read More
What are you selling?
How would you answer the question “what do you sell?”. Having asked that question many times to different business owners and the answer is usually a list of items that they carry or services they provide. They usually reply with something like. “I sell, curtains, or speakers, or sound systems, or cars, or tyres.” These are products and commodities. Yes, … Read More
Everything I needed to know about marketing, I learned from a storyteller.
I have very vivid memories of this program about storyteller. He had a distinct voice and I remember watching the program as a child and singing along. Just yesterday I decided to go search for the song and found it on youtube (Of Course). I’d like to share it here. The lyrics go: I’m a storyteller, and my stories must … Read More
Marketing – The Power of the story
I have been known at times to pick up a camera and go to weddings. There have been people who have given me the privilege of sharing the most important day of their lives. People always ask me, (Me holding a huge DSLR, flash, additional lenses, sometimes tripod) ” Are you a photographer?” My reply is always ” No. Im … Read More
Marketing, a working definition
What is Marketing? It does seem like everyone has a vague idea of what it means, usually involving 4 or more Ps. Well, I personally feel a need to jump into the mix and drop in my own working definition so as to form a framework to build the rest of this blog upon. Of course, all the economics I … Read More
Doing it right the first time
As a mantra, it is one of those statements that are meant for the best and meant to inspire. However, The problem is, it is not always applicable. Doing it right the first time, could also be translated as , doing it the way it has always been done, the tried and tested way. Sure, If one were manufacturing parachutes, … Read More