Tag Archives: advice

Won’t Get Fooled Again?

There are so many things about which to write this morning and yet I find myself reverting to a few common themes expressed in this space over the last few years.  It just amazes me that Santayana‘s maxim about the past is given so much lip service and yet ignored in practice.

I’ll apologize upfront if I sound kind of angry but I kind of am.  You see, things such as earthquakes, which we can’t control, are very different from things such as knee-jerk reactions to malicious underhandedness, which we can.  In this and other cases it costs people their jobs and embarrasses their organizations for absolutely no reason.  I’ll also tell you upfront that this is NOT a political rant because in this case although the incident was politically motivated the business implications could not be more clear. Continue reading

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Filed under Reality checks

Shooting The Messenger

One of the things I discuss fairly often with clients is measurement.  We chat about things such as “What do we measure”, “why do we measure it”, and “what constitutes success.”  As you might imagine, with every marketing dollar being scrutinized (rightfully so), figuring out ROI is job one for folks like me who are gone with the wind if the results aren’t there.

Well, sometimes the results aren’t there, despite the best efforts of everyone involved.  I’ve always felt that marketing, and digital marketing in particular, is a process of continuous improvement rather than a series of one-time events.  However, that view isn’t always shared, especially in light of “fix it NOW” thinking on some senior management‘s part.  That’s short-sighted and misdirected in my book.  Let me explain. Continue reading

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Filed under Consulting, Helpful Hints

The Forest And The Trees

Forest

Image via Wikipedia

We went to the movies over the weekend and saw “Unknown.”  It’s an interesting film in many ways although it won’t be up for Best Picture next year.  Like me, it’s entertaining for the most part!

I bring this up because there’s a great visual at one point.  Imagine yourself in a forest (birch trees in the movie) and you’re walking.  The trees are somewhat impenetrable – a solid wall with very few gaps in between.  As you move forward, suddenly the trees line up – they’re in perfect rows.  You realize that you’re actually in a forest which has been planted by man and what seemed so impenetrable a moment before was, in fact, very accommodating as long as you found the point where everything lines up.  Isn’t that an executive’s job? Continue reading

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Filed under Helpful Hints, Thinking Aloud