In the CEO Afterlife

FEBRUARY 26, 2012

The secret to thriving against mega-company competition comes down to three potent armaments – strategy, creativity, and culture. You leverage your creativity. I should know; I spent 17 years at Jacobs Suchard winning within the intensely competitive coffee and chocolate markets. You be fast. They are bureaucratic. You be nimble.

Creativity 240

Creativity Brand Management Marketing Resistance 240

In the CEO Afterlife

APRIL 13, 2012

Creativity is the last great bargain in business. Creativity is the key to a small company’s success. With the emergence of social media, the leverage of creativity is immeasurable. Remain focused on it to stay ahead. Institutionalize it within your modus operandi and mindset.

Entrepreneur 227

Entrepreneur Bureaucracy Creativity Energy 227

In the CEO Afterlife

MAY 20, 2014

Creativity. This is not necessarily the case for creativity. I spent an entire career espousing the power of creativity, and the companies I touched did very well by it. Just look at their menu – 3 burger choices, fries, shakes and soft drinks. If you want chicken, salad, pizza or wraps, go elsewhere.

Real Estate 215

Real Estate Human Resources Bureaucracy Constraint 215

In the CEO Afterlife

NOVEMBER 13, 2011

It is a great example of creative ingenuity. If you’ll pardon the pun, I suspect we are going to see an extension of this kind of creativity amongst the homeless. Homeless or not, creativity costs nothing – it is the last great bargain in business. Herein is the power of the mind to create the persuasive call to action.

Merchandising 162

Merchandising Entrepreneur Audience Creativity 162

In the CEO Afterlife

JANUARY 8, 2012

The brand and vodka lemonade category was invented by Vancouver’s Dossier Creative and positioned as an emotionally-engaging, anti-marketing, irreverent brand. One of the most creative brand names ever, Mike’s became a phenomenal success years before it was advertised. Mike’s Hard Lemonade.

Brand 252

Brand Advertising Constraint Creativity 252

In the CEO Afterlife

NOVEMBER 13, 2011

It is a great example of creative ingenuity. If you’ll pardon the pun, I suspect we are going to see an extension of this kind of creativity amongst the homeless. Homeless or not, creativity costs nothing – it is the last great bargain in business. As for the pic accompanying this post, I discovered it on-line. Share it: Tweet.

Brand 245

Brand Merchandising Entrepreneur Audience 245

In the CEO Afterlife

NOVEMBER 30, 2011

For example, if it was innovation and creativity that brought revival, chances are high that innovation and creativity will remain a cornerstone of their corporate culture. These folks know the success factors that raised them from their corporate cesspool. Most will continue to leverage the factors with unabashed zeal.

CEO 242

CEO Company Rogers Human Resources 242

In the CEO Afterlife

APRIL 1, 2012

Yet, the one that followed the principles of marketing with outstanding creativity and continued entrepreneurship remains the leader. This is game-changing thinking by new-game entrepreneurs. Two similar products, two strategic paths, two successful energy drink companies. The proof is in the numbers. Sales: Monster – $1.95

Trout 249

Trout Reis Sports Brand 249

In the CEO Afterlife

MAY 1, 2012

Leaders must encourage creativity and teamwork, as well as processes and systems that nurture the concepts and execute the results. One thing is certain; the place to start is the corporate culture. Magic can’t happen in cultures that don’t worship innovation. Innovation starts with leadership. Most big company cultures are not innovative.

Mission Statement 222

Mission Statement Innovation Committee CEO 222

In the CEO Afterlife

JULY 24, 2011

The original concept, created by Art Director Geoff Hayes in a bathtub, and perpetuated by several creative notables, has managed to stand the cruel test of time and create the 3 rd largest-selling liquor brand on the globe. When consolidation and cost cutting becomes the strategy, creativity and innovation erodes quickly.

CEO 100

CEO Advertising Brand Creativity 100

In the CEO Afterlife

DECEMBER 19, 2011

Then call upon logic to assess the implications of that creative solution. If you were successful in solving most of these twisters, you know how to think laterally. In the future, when you face a difficult challenge, seek help from the right side of your brain. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.

Brainstorming 195

Brainstorming Seminar Bottom-up Creativity 195

In the CEO Afterlife

MAY 21, 2012

It’s not that I’m going to do a 360 on the value of strategy in business – strategy is part of my DNA; I attribute much of my corporate success to a strategic and creative mindset. Twenty-five years later, I’m not nearly as dogmatic or single-minded on the topic. So if chess is strategic, what is poker?

Tactics 220

Tactics Strategic Planning Agility Strategy 220

In the CEO Afterlife

JUNE 8, 2016

As Ogilvy’s Ian MacKellar, who helped develop the current creative platform, would say: “For any campaign or creative idea, it helps to have a conflict, a tension, an enemy.” We were big believers in creativity and we had a culture of big ideas. Nabob has seen many during its 120 years in the coffee biz.

Brand 100

Brand Brand Management Advertising Management 100

In the CEO Afterlife

JULY 23, 2012

Devoid of massive budgets, unknown brands can play in the big leagues by competing with an arsenal of creativity, rather than clout. My fascination with social media is rooted in the opportunity it affords the small guy. You’ve likely never heard of Houweling’s Tomatoes.

Media 241

Media Brand Self-aware Case Study 241

In the CEO Afterlife

APRIL 28, 2012

One of my mentors was brilliantly creative, the other skillfully strategic. In the early days of my 40 year business career, I was lucky to work under two gentlemen who instilled several critical success factors that guided me from Brand Manager to CEO.

Mentor 228

Mentor Advertorial Kotter Hamel 228

In the CEO Afterlife

FEBRUARY 4, 2015

Qualitative cultures are about the creativity, the ingenuity, and the innovation created by the human resource, not the financial resource. Be obsessed with creativity and innovation. In America, several specialist retailers who limit their product scope continue to thrive in an environment dominated by 5,000 Wal-Mart stores. .

Competitive Advantage 100

Competitive Advantage How To Human Resources Strategy 100

In the CEO Afterlife

DECEMBER 29, 2013

If HR’s promise is a “nimble, creative, get-it-done” team of employees, there is a host of ways to deliver and demonstrate this positioning. HR defines its own personality as well as the personality of its efforts – the workforce. A brand’s platform often includes a “reason to believe” the promise. What does HR’s brand stand for?

Marketing 173

Marketing Human Capital Human Resources Brand 173

In the CEO Afterlife

JULY 2, 2012

We put our best efforts into creative and strategic maneuvers to tip the scales in our favor. As in war, a common enemy is a great place to unify and motivate a team behind a worthy cause. At the time, our cause was survival. As for sport, the game of market share was an easy way to track success.

Sports 228

Sports Tactics Competitive Advantage Short-term 228

In the CEO Afterlife

JANUARY 20, 2016

Those who thrive on creativity need not be deterred. Engagement is critical, but not at the expense of sticking to brand/company’s character and core positioning. This is what guides content. Inherent in that is content constraint – for good reason. These constraints better define the brand’s relationship with customers.

Strategy 165

Strategy Core Competence Constraint Short-term 165

In the CEO Afterlife

SEPTEMBER 24, 2012

They spearhead innovation by ensuring their organization’s cultural norm is continuous change and creativity. CEOs that understand and appreciate the notion are intensely passionate about innovation as the means to this end. Furthermore, they aren’t shy about challenging status-quo assumptions and encouraging their employees to do the same.

CEO 207

CEO Chief Executive Officer Business Model Competitive Advantage 207

In the CEO Afterlife

JULY 20, 2011

When you forget that the sheer fun of ad making and the lift you get out of it – the creative climate of the place – should be as important as money to the very special breed of writers and artists and business professionals who compose this company of ours – and make it tick.

Advertising 155

Advertising Human Resources Brand Rogers 155

In the CEO Afterlife

SEPTEMBER 3, 2012

I think there is a case to be made when a campaign isn’t working – it is better to stop that advertising, stop putting good media money into bad creative and start working on something better. Having come out of a consumer goods background, I’ve seen many a case of cuts to the advertising budget.

Short-term 232

Short-term Long-term Advertising Hammer 232

In the CEO Afterlife

APRIL 24, 2017

Nimbleness, creativity, and culture go a long way, especially when contraction isn’t feared. More balls in the air do not present more chances of success. Clout is the culture of giants. Surprisingly, the small guy doesn’t need deep pockets to co-exist with powerful multi-nationals.

Company 177

Company Apparel Competitive Advantage Long-term 177

In the CEO Afterlife

DECEMBER 31, 2011

There’s some outstanding creativity amongst America’s homeless. After attending my first American Thanksgiving, I felt compelled to write about the “good” in a country that has come under endless criticism since the days of the Cold War. Homeless, Not Helpless: Entrepreneurship in Unlikely Places [link].

Blog 222

Blog Mission Statement Strategic Planning Brand 222

In the CEO Afterlife

MARCH 26, 2012

Unless you are extremely entrepreneurial and creative, you’d be wise to stick to your knitting and not get sucked into a war you cannot win. Conventional marketers, like Coke and Pepsi, soon discover that their cultural artillery isn’t suited to the cult brand game.

Reis 240

Reis Brand Apparel Energy 240

In the CEO Afterlife

MAY 16, 2011

Those leaders don’t have to be creative or idea-driven people (although many are) – but they welcome change. There’s a difference between what’s needed to run a business and what’s needed to foster creativity. Innovative companies are led by innovative leaders. They unsettle the Organization. They’re hardheaded about Strategy.

CEO 133

CEO Innovation Education Brand 133

In the CEO Afterlife

JULY 26, 2016

They value innovation and creativity, and are eager to lead strategic change. An Entrepreneurial Culture is one in which individuals are motivated to do right things , and are aggressive, action-oriented, and risk accepting. That brings me to this question: How do companies with administrative cultures survive in today’s world of business?

Brand 100

Brand Learning-by-Doing Brand Management Proposal 100

In the CEO Afterlife

DECEMBER 4, 2011

Tags: Amazon , Apple , CEO Afterlife , Creativity , Facebook , Ford , Henry Ford , Howard Schultz , In the CEO Afterlife , Jeff Bezos , Joe Montana , John Richard Bell , Larry Bird , Leadership , Mark Zuckerberg , Martha Stewart , Oprah Winfrey , Starbucks , Vision , Wayne Gretzky.

CEO 235

CEO Bureaucracy Brand Constraint 235

In the CEO Afterlife

MARCH 26, 2018

The truth is this: I’m at my creative best in the morning. I enjoy 3 lattes between 7:30-9:00AM. and that might result in a couple of thousand words or a re-read and re-write of the previous day’s chapter. Do you have any bad habits while you’re writing? My wife thinks so. She says I am temperamental when I’m writing. I tell her I am focused.

Forrester 122

Forrester Film Learning Curve Books 122

In the CEO Afterlife

SEPTEMBER 19, 2011

Creativity was, and still is the last great bargain in business. I’m fascinated by the marketing opportunities afforded by the digital network and I’m impressed with the results achieved by the new medium’s best marketers. Back in my CMO days, I would have had a field day with social media.

Media 199

Media Brand Positioning Marketing Strategy 199

In the CEO Afterlife

OCTOBER 30, 2011

Defining strategy begins with a mind-set that is analytical, intuitive and creative. Competitive advantage is strategy’s ultimate purpose. After that, you migrate to tactics – which battles to wage, when, how and with what resources. Executing the strategy requires the discipline to stay the course and not give in to non-strategic temptation.

Strategy 234

Strategy CEO Marketing Strategy Human Resources 234

In the CEO Afterlife

MAY 23, 2011

Also important: clever creative, brand image consistency, and the ability of the slogan to weather the cruel test of time. In my day, I started with strategy. If a slogan did not communicate the brand’s strategic intent, it was a non-starter. But the assessment didn’t end with strategy.

Brand 196

Brand CEO Marketing Proposal 196

In the CEO Afterlife

MARCH 27, 2011

If you weren’t passionate, creative and competitive, you didn’t do well at Jacobs Suchard (aka Nabob Foods). Dismissal can wake the rest, but changing mindsets takes time. Three years would pass before Jacobs Suchard’s Canadian unit embraced the do right things culture. A director of a competitor’s Board called us a ‘gang’.

CEO 100

CEO Human Resources Bureaucracy Brand 100

In the CEO Afterlife

APRIL 14, 2011

I want to award you the Creative Blog Award for all the hard work you do! About John. One Response to Insider Insight on Price Fixing. Deirdra Eden-Coppel. April 26, 2011 at 11:20 pm. You have a fabulous blog! I invite you to follow me as we have a lot in common, but no pressure. I’m not giving you the award just so you will follow me.

Price 100

Price CEO Brand Discount 100

In the CEO Afterlife

FEBRUARY 5, 2011

Sarah Allen ( my creative writing blog ). One Response to Brand Surgery – excerpts from my Marketing Magazine article. Sarah Allen. February 9, 2011 at 6:09 pm. This is fantastic advice. Not something one typically thinks about, especially me. Thanks for this. Leave a Reply Cancel reply. Your email address will not be published.

Magazine 100

Magazine Brand Article Marketing 100

In the CEO Afterlife

JULY 17, 2011

The senior folks charged with crafting the plan must enter the process with a mindset that is analytical, intuitive and creative. This is the break from day-to-day operations; it is the organization’s future. By its very nature, the 1-pager doesn’t give you much real estate to work with, even with a small font.

Strategic Planning 100

Strategic Planning CEO Planning Real Estate 100

In the CEO Afterlife

MAY 10, 2018

Intuitively, many entrepreneurs and businesses believe that the key to faster growth and success is more products, features, and markets. Since we all have limited resources, and can’t add more hours to the day, the result is usually more things done poorly, rather than a few key things done better than anyone else.

Maturity 159

Maturity Tips Entrepreneur Bottom-up 159