Those of you who know me and are familiar with my role and responsibilities as “Principal of Practicality” at Insight180 will chuckle at how NOT surprising it is I would coin the phrase or espouse the concept of “Practicality Marketing.” (Well, some things should be predictable in life, shouldn’t they?)
American entrepreneurs may have a well-earned reputation for risk taking, but once we have a modicum of success, we tend to turn into a timid bunch—or maybe the better term is reluctant. We’ve figured out what works on our own for initial growth, so we start relying on that status quo experience, often refusing to recognize changes appearing on the horizon, reluctant to see what’s right in front of us.
There aren’t many organizations where the leader is just as famous as the brand itself. Sir Richard Branson, the Founder of Virgin Group, a collection of more than 400 companies, the most notable of which: Virgin Records, Virgin Mobile, Virgin Atlantic and Virgin America, has created an energy and excitement around the Virgin Brand that is unparalleled. Virgin Group has created more billion-dollar companies in more sectors than any other company.
“Are we like late Rome, infatuated with past glories, ruled by a complacent, greedy elite, and hopelessly powerless to respond to changing conditions?” — Camille Paglia
When you think of a meaningful brand you might envision an organization that is philanthropic, transparent, socially and ethically responsible. While these are all pieces of what it means to be a meaningful brand, the relationship between the audience and brands are changing and in a nutshell, it means brands need to work a lot harder to be meaningful to their audiences. In order to beat the competition, a brand’s products or services not only must meet their customers’ needs, they also need to appeal to the things that their audience cares about and can implement into their daily lives.
Insight180 has been in business for almost 15 years, and during that time we’ve worked with so many different kinds of clients. From startups, restaurants, brewers, retailers and solopreneurs to large membership organizations, public-private partnerships, Fortune 500 companies and international nonprofits, we have been very fortunate to work with some truly great ones. Lately we’ve been focusing on advisory firms in the business-to-business arena, or those who sell the “invisible” — a complex service, consulting, program or idea.
Hard to believe the first month of the new year has come and gone. With one twelfth of the year over, are you following the vision you set out for the year, holding to your resolutions, meeting your goals? Actually, this year in the onslaught of posts about planning, predicting and creating visions to start off right, I was struck by the number of people who were abandoning the idea of resolutions altogether and trying something different. Instead, some are working on creating new habits slowly and gradually, choosing a word or theme for the year, or choosing a book (or three, like in Chris Brogan’s Three Book Diet) to read and truly implement to influence leadership or success in their lives.
As a continent strategist, nothing bothers me more than seeing selling miss aches in professional writing. Moreover, today almost every1 sends lots of time txting, and they begin 2 carry over the the short-hand language from txt messaging to their work pace. Be care full to remember ur audience and right appropriately. Sell check does not pick up everything, and auto correct sometimes choses the wrong word, so poof read your writing!
It’s the end of August, often thought of as a slow time for advisors and consultants –– and, well, business in general, as people take vacations and prepare for school. Interestingly, this year, we haven’t really noticed a let up. Networking events have been packed to the gills, clients have been calling with new projects, and we all seem to be busy. Even some of the lucky few who have been able to get away manage to answer emails or take calls. One colleague joked that he wasn’t in a hurry for a proposal because he had one more day to collect sand between his toes (yet he responded to my email in record time). So we’re on vacation, but are we really on vacation?
