Somewhere in America, a business leader is standing in front of an audience prepared to use the phrase “Our most important asset is our people.” Do you think they really mean it? What about other key assets, for example: 1. Real estate 2. Rights to natural resources like oil and gas 3. Cash reserves 4. Patents 5. The corporate brand OK, that’s not really a fair question because people are [...]

Let’s recognize that age has little to do with ability. You’re never too young or too old if you’ve got talent. In the marketing world, Advertising Age and Direct Marketing News have their 40 under 40 lists. Forbes has their 30 under 30. This blog post counterbalances with 50 who are over 50 because to my knowledge a list of this nature has never been published. Now, before I present [...]

“In Search of Failure.” That’s the title of chapter seven in Frederick Reichheld’s book The Loyalty Effect. In that chapter, Reichheld points out that an investor who built a stock portfolio out of the companies profiled in the book In Search of Excellence (Peters and Waterman) would have seen their returns trounced by the mediocre performance of the S&P index during the ten year period following the book’s 1982 publication. [...]

  You weren’t expecting that title to kick-off my first post for 2011 were you?  Funny thing, it’s the title of chapter seven in Frederick Reichheld’s book The Loyalty Effect (©1996).  In that chapter Reichheld points out that an investor who built a stock portfolio out of the companies profiled in the book In Search of Excellence (Peters and Waterman ©1982) would have seen their returns trounced by the mediocre [...]

  “I’ve been in this business for 30 years and I’ve never seen it like this.”   I can recall hearing that statement three times over the course of my career.  The first time I heard it I was in my 20’s.  My boss at the time had been a part of the Texas oil field service industry for over 30 years and the mid 80’s oil crash was taking [...]

In 1915, Cadillac, which had previously stressed its dependability, suffered quality problems with its V8 Touring model. Rival Packard was quick to jump on the numerous defects attacking the Cadillac brand image. Cadillac marketing man Theodore MacManus responded with a simple print ad called “The Penalty of Leadership”. The ad ran only once, in the January 2, 1915 Saturday Evening Post, and never mentioned Cadillac by name. It might surprise [...]

CREW WANTED FOR HAZARDOUS JOURNEY Small wages. Bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger. Safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success. ** Sir Ernest Shackleton’s recruitment notice for the 1915 Endurance Antarctic expedition (some 5,000 applicants were rejected. For the record … the entire crew did return!) I welcome each of my new marketing classes with the Endurance help-wanted advertisement. It’s always an attention grabber [...]