Monday, June 10, 2013

Disruption Is Good. It's Where Innovation Comes From.


Your competition may or may not finish you. But,
complacency, stagnation and lack of innovation surely will.




Not long ago, a discussion on Twitter got me thinking: What does the 'I' in CIO stand for? Good question. It could mean Information, Intelligence or Imagination. (My reply: I picked Inspiration). But today, the 'I' in CIO stands for Innovation. Yes... Chief Innovation Officer.


 Two questions popped into my head:
* Why Innovate? Pretty straight answer --> Innovation means Growth.
* What does Innovation really have to do with Technology? By themselves, they seem independent enough. But in combination, they drive new discoveries, scientific inventions, and ultimately, markets, businesses and economies. To understand the Tech + Innovation connection, let's analyse the 'Why' in technology.


Why do we use Technology? 

Another good one from the insightful Brian Meredith. Essentially, all technology eases life for users by providing convenience, access, comfort, security, peace-of-mind... in two ways:

  1. Enabling us to do something better (faster, cheaper, simpler)
  2. Empowering us to do something new we did not do before

Thus, technology makes innovation happen. And innovation creates technology. But with 'social' coming in (more ideas, voices, influences), the traditional cycle has been disrupted in many ways:
  • Collective Genius - Crowd-sourcing, Crowd-funding, Twitter Chats, Group Blogs
  • Collaborative Consumption aka Shared Economy (P2P Rentals) - AirBnB, Gumtree, Etsy, TaskRabbit, car pooling
  • Community Intelligence - brand forums, ratings/ reviews (Yelp), consumer feedback
  • Collaborative Creativity - user-generated content, amateur videos, mobile blogging, curation tools, visual web (Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Snapchat)





Embrace The Social Innovation Ecosystem

The guiding principle of today's "social" connected era is: Don't plan for control. Encourage participation. Integrate social technology into the business model. Monitor engagement. Manage co-creation. Measure collaboration. Adopt social business. Disruption is good. It's where innovation comes from.

Social Technology leads to The Social Innovation Ecosystem. And vice versa. This new dynamic is changing the way we live. Go with the flow... even if it feels like going against the tide !! Embrace social. Embrace change. Change is the seed of growth. Disruption, the mother of all innovation.

Inspiration

Two thought-provoking quotes by Charles Darwin and Alvin Toffler - both germane to digital innovation and transformation, and equally applicable to individuals and businesses.

Are you ready for change? Watch: Digital Disruption: Unleashing the Next Wave of Innovation



Recommended: I'll leave you with two excellent articles, ImageThink graphics and TED videos:
If you see any good articles on disruption or innovation, please share. Thanks.

 Lead Image Courtesy: Alison Herzog via Twitter
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Thursday, June 6, 2013

"Good Design Is Good Business." - Thomas J. Watson




Pure wisdom delivered through a legendary quote from the visionary IBM Founder, Thomas J. Watson, "Good Design is Good Business" is an often cited business and design mantra.
100x100 An inspiring film on a century of achievements that have defined and designed our world

One hundred people each present the IBM achievement recorded in the year they were born. The chronology flows from the oldest person to the youngest, offering more than just a whirlwind history of IBM, it's virtually a chronicle of modern civilization, a record of breakthrough innovations and technological developments over 100 years - (1911 - 2011) - and the prospects for the future.






Paul Rand’s popular Eye-Bee-M poster, a rebus was created in 1981 in support of IBM’s motto, THINK.






Update - July 11: Just found a good one. 7 Rules on Design and Designers. Had to share...

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Doing Is More Important Than Defining | Key to Innovation


Business has only two functions: Marketing and Innovation

29 May: Launch of The IBM Innovation Index of NZ 2013...

...a comprehensive, multi-indicator benchmarking study that tracks...

...the shape and rate of innovation in New Zealand, from 2007 to 2011.


The IBM Innovation Index of New Zealand / 2013

On a chilly morning in May, I found myself having breakfast with New Zealand's top business executives at a posh venue on Auckland's sea-front for the exclusive launch of IBM's Innovation Index of New Zealand 2013 - an accurate report of the state of NZ industry and commerce.

 The event was opened by Rob Lee, Managing Director, IBM NZ who officially launched the 2013 Innovation Index, followed by an open mic discussion moderated by Lance Wiggs (who did a great job as MC) featuring an erudite panel:



Event Highlights

With a topic as important as this, the gathering soon became a passionate, all-in discussion:


Melissa Jenner, Head of Better by Design, NZTE came up with this gem of a definition:
"What is Innovation? It is the commercialization of brilliance."

Paul Brislen, CEO, TUANZ, came up with an insightful: "While R&D expenditure has grown steadily, the rate of NZ Innovation rate has flat-lined over 4 years. This means, we're spending lot of resources only to stand still."

 Number cruncher, Keith Ng, got his dataviz geek on explaining how #NZInnovation was measured.
By far, the landmark observation of the event which resonated with the room... 
came from panel member, Paul Adams, Founder & CEO, EverEdge IP: 
"Doing is more important than defining. 
Focus on results. Commercialize."
Other outstanding comments
  • More than 90% of customers do an online search before purchase. Yet less than 50% of businesses in NZ have an e-commerce website.
  • Collaboration is the way forward. Government has a role to play, but we need better (not more) governance.
  • Awareness of entrepreneurial opportunities needs to be ramped up at colleges and educational institutions.
  • IBM will invest in a lab to encourage entrepreneurs, and build a startup ecosystem to harness creativity, and help the brilliant and deserving convert to market success.
  • Plenty of creative ideas in NZ, but there is a culture of holding back. 
  • The energy is there. The missing link is a go-to-market strategy. No scale and commercialization.
  • With so much potential, how come no Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Tesla has come out of NZ?
  • The biggest obstacle to innovation in New Zealand is fear of failure.
  • In Silicon Valley, entrepreneurs don't rely excessively on or wait for Govt. support.

My humble opinion
  • Innovation does not happen in a vacuum. It needs a culture that encourages experimentation. It needs a business community that supports it from inception through to launch, scale and commercialization.
  • Business leaders must step up to the plate (like IBM), and create Innovation Labs in NZ. Not as a part of their CSR initiatives, but as future-proofing to ensure NZ's viability in coming years. 
  • IBM organizes Smarter Commerce Global Summits every year. Business owners, executives and entrepreneurs could learn a lot by following these websites (Overview and Rethink Business) and tracking #SmarterCommerce on Twitter
  • Globally, IBM has identified 4 sectors - Social Business, Mobile, Analytics & Big Data, Cloud Computing (SMAC) which will converge - along with cognitive computing - be the key focus areas of innovation and change, to significantly impact business, government and society in general.


Let's look at the data - the nitty-gritty of the Index 



  • You can download your copy of The 2013 IBM NZ Innovation Report here
  • Find out more about Insights and Key Findings here
  • To dig into year-wise and industry-wise data, check out this smart, interactive data visualization tool. It gives you a good look at 18 NZ industry sectors across 3 broad measures for each: R&D, IP and Business Innovation. What's more, it let's you drill down deeper, industry by industry, into the 12 index components to really understand the drivers of change in innovation rates. Have a play.


The event hashtag was #NZInnovation I fished some tweets out from the stream. Just for you!




















Acknowledgements and Gratitude
  • Thank You, Ebisu. Great Miso soup. Yum nibbles over brekkie. Amazing coffee :-) 
  • Many Thanks to IBM New Zealand for hosting a lavish and generous breakfast in awesome IBMer style! In particular, I'd like to thank: Courtney Allen, Rob Lee, Dougal Watt - Very nice meeting and speaking to you all. 
  • Most importantly, kudos to IBM NZ for creating a forum and starting a much-needed discussion on a business-critical, future-defining question:


The NZ Innovation Index is out. The figures are out there. What next? 

* What does New Zealand need to do? What is the country's innovation strategy? 
* Which business(es) will step up and lead NZ towards the path of growth and innovation? 
* Will NZ innovation break new ground in traditional fields (Agriculture, Dairy, Farming, Fishing, Wool, Honey, Wine). Or will Kiwi creativity shine through in new sunrise technology sectors?

To borrow Rob's words: "Let's hope this study furthers the goal of tending and developing all elements of New Zealand's wider innovation ecosystem... by encouraging continued discussion and, ultimately, action." Wise words well said.
Awesome Start

Success scholarships supporting business students are a great start. Way to go IBM - UnitecNZ!
Historic Day for New Zealand

 29 May, 2013 is a historic day not just because of the launch of IBM's NZ Innovation Index, but also because it marks the 60th Anniversary of man's conquest of the highest summit on Earth. It was on 29th May, 1953 Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay scaled Mt. Everest. (Video)




A great idea can come from anyone, anywhere, anytime!

Start a discussion. Start a movement. Have an idea? Share it. Put it out there. Keep the conversation going... For further information on the IBM Innovation Index of New Zealand:

Visit website: www.ibm.com/nz
Facebook - SmarterPlanetNZ
Follow and Tweet @IBMNZ ... use hash tag #NZinnovation if submitting an idea.


 Parting Shot

 Signing off on a great quote from my good friend and marketing maestro Brian Meredith:

There are 3 types of companies in the world:
1. Those that make things happen
2. Those that watch things happen, and
3. Those that wonder WTF happened !!!

Be it launching a business, marketing project, or a new idea, the best strategy is:
Just Do It. Doing is the key to change and innovation, key to make things happen.

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Friday, May 31, 2013

Social Media Marketing for Small Business Strategy






Last week, I had the happy honour to be invited as Guest Speaker at International Business College of Auckland, New Zealand to make a presentation on "Social Media Marketing for Small Business Strategy". The session went well. We had fun. Here's the slide deck.





Many Thanks to our good friend, the talented Professor Inna Piven for inviting me to present to her Diploma in Business students (Strategy Planning session) - Class of 2013.

Much Gratitude. Thank You for your time!

 

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Monday, April 8, 2013

The Value of Social Media in Business -- Interview with StartUpClub.TV



Happy and honoured to be invited as Expert Guest Speaker on Startup Club.tv's Online TV Show. It was a pleasure talking to the vivacious Madison Stern beaming in live from San Diego, California. I had fun doing the Q&A style interview on "The Value of Social Media in Business".





Here's a timeline of the Q&A to help you better navigate through the video:

 04:00 - Tell us a little about Holistic Social Media? How do Integrated Marketing principles apply in Social Business?

 07:03 - Social Media empowers people... marketers, customers, employees. Can you tell us a little more...

 09:50 - Social media creates markets of one. What are the benefits of having connected customers? How does a company benefit from two-way communication channels and receiving real-time customer feedback?

 11:24 - Call it customization, personalization or mass individualization, what does it cost the company? Is it worth the investment for a company to achieve social scale? Go from social media to social business?

 13:22 - Red Bull Live Jump: an example of break-through marketing, going beyond social media, a brand creating larger-than-life marketing experiences, keeping pace with the evolving art + science of marketing.

 18:07 - Big brands with deep pockets/ huge resources enjoy phenomenal success/ generate customer loyalty via social media. How does the small guy compete? What's in it for newbies/ SMEs/ SMBs/ entrepreneurs?

 20:43 - How big a role does one's personality play in social? Why being yourself is paramount? How does it influence meaningful relationships or relate to creating positive customer experience?

 24:12 - What do you think about the power of Word-of-Mouth on social? (My slightly poetic views :-) How does it lead to creating brand advocates/ evangelists?

 27:43 - Old Spice "Smell Like a Man" - put the fun to marketing, got the brand tone right, the campaign engineered a brand revival, Old Spice is a case study for using YouTube effectively.

 30:00 - How do start-ups/ companies go about choosing the right social platform for their brand/ business?

 32:32 - KiwiYo Frozen Yoghurt Case Study - how they leveraged social media to create a NZ success story, how their Facebook Photobooth app hit it off with customers.

 37:55 - What can companies do to get people engaged/ ensure buy-in using social media? Two stellar examples: At a micro-level: Social Media Club Auckland, At a macro-level: President Obama campaigns.

 42:47 - What challenges do marketers trying to get people in the door usually face? How can they best utilize social media for that first crucial step?

 45:50 - What's the best way to pitch Social Business to the C-suite, OR pitch Social Media to skeptics? Do you recommend the use of "Fear Factor/ Peer Pressure" scare tactics? If you don't join in, then...

 48:54 - Why do companies/ brands need to be on social media and get social savvy? The real reason is... 

 50:00 - Why invest in social media? Why is social listening so important to marketers?

51:10 - How does it lead to insights within all the clutter and noise out there on social?

 52:47 - Big Data: Making sense of incoming information. For eg. What does a Facebook "Like" really mean? 

 54:19 - Using 'humour' as a campaign driver.

 55:40 - What books on social media would you recommend?

 58:20 - The psychology of customer relationships... Why should businesses build relationships/ engage with their customers online via social?

 1:04:00 - Why are you social? How do you "be" social? Is there a mindset that works best in social media?

Social is the way forward, and Social Business is the way to go. I'll sign-off on my top one-liner: "Social is not something you do. It's something you are."


If social business interests you, you may like this slide deck:

Social Business - A Competitive Advantage [DECK] #SocBiz


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Thursday, April 4, 2013

In Social Business, Relationships Matter Most. Think RonR


"In the connection economy, trust and relationships are the new currency. 
It's not a soft thing you do in your spare time, it's the heart and soul of your business."
- Seth Godin


Relationships are the new currency: Honor them. Invest in them. Start measuring your Return on Relationship.
#RonR

Peeped into my mailbox and much to my surprise and delight... what do I see? A US postage parcel addressed to my Twitter name @Mr_Madness. (Imagine the postman's smile Emoji)

Opened it to find Kathryn Rose and Ted Rubin's new book - Return on Relationship. (yay !!!)


2007: Revolution

In the early days of social media, the question on everyone's lips was "What's the ROI?" Slowly, marketers (and C-suites) saw the power of social networks and opened their minds (and budgets).


2013: Evolution

The spread of social technology has led to an evolution where all the dots connect to form an integrated Social Business model.

In today's digitally connected economy, relationships are of essence. As business drivers, they create employee and customer engagement. Relationships are what social business is built on.

Truly, in a business environment where it's not enough to just:
  • grow a community - but grow a community of brand advocates
  • woo customers - but win customers who will win more customers
  • build and promote your brand - but create a collaborative movement
...the million dollar question is: "What's the RonR?" (Can't wait to read the book.)

 

About Ted Rubin

Ted Rubin is the most followed CMO on Twitter, dispenses the most useful marketing advice, and wait for it... owns the happiest collection of coloured socks (socks for jocks) in the world :-)


Knowing him online, I can say, Ted is the real deal. I recommend you own a copy. For more details on the book, check it out on Amazon.com, follow real-time updates via hashtag #RonR
Wait a sec... How did this book reach my mailbox?

In March, I attended a #pmlabs webinar hosted by Pure Matter and was among 5 lucky winners (yay again !!!)

                                                                                                         brand marketing + interactive 



Love the hand-written note. Very authentic. Very personal. Very memorable. Spot on #RonR.


Many Thanks to:

  • The awesome Tami Cannizzaro via whom I came across all these amazing people.


Video Preview: Return on Relationship

The CMO Club Interview: How CMOs approach Social Media (Great insights at #IBM Smarter Commerce Global Summit)


Concluding Remarks

In Return on Relationship, Rose and Rubin focus on the basic unit that defines a business: Relationships, and show us how social media drives --> engagement drives --> loyalty, which directly correlates to --> sales. When it comes to social business, relationships matter most. Think #RonR. So, that's that then. Now, if you'll please excuse me, I have a book to catch Emoji

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Wednesday, February 6, 2013

T'da ! ... Guess who's coming to Sydney in March ???


All the way from America… for the first time in Australia… (drumroll, please!)
the world’s leading names in Content Marketing are flying down under for:




March 4, 5, 6 - 2013
Sheraton on the Park



 

  
#CMWorld Speakers (clockwise from bottom right): Julie Fleischer, Jay Baer, Joe Pulizzi, Robert Rose


Who Will Be Speaking?

An all-star line-up of international speakers including top talent from USA, Australia, Asia Pacific:


Who Should Attend?

Digital marketers, content creators and curators, branding professionals, entrepreneurs, executives from all walks of life… CMW’s pre-event workshops will provide you with hands-on learning and the tools you need to go back and execute content plans on your own. Read the full agenda here.


Why You Should Attend?

Content Marketing World (organized by Content Marketing Institute) is the one event where you can learn and network with the best and the brightest in the content marketing industry. A great opportunity for social networking, fun, entertainment + an amazing 3 days in scintillating Sydney!


And The Really Exciting Bit is…

You can still take advantage of Early Bird rates by mentioning a Top Secret Discount Code to get $100 off your ticket while registering. Your secret code is ILOVECMW Don’t forget to shhhhhhare the ‘mate’s rates’, and be sure to use the clandestine code for yourself as you register here.


Already Snagged Your Ticket? Good Job!

Watch this short video to see the passion, knowledge and energy you will be a part of at Content Marketing World, Sydney in March. [ Hashtags to track and use: #CMWorld  #sminoz  #socsyd ]

Wanna refresh your Content Marketing basics before you go? Quick! Read this:

 7 Steps to Master the Content Loop: If you're not marketing content, you're not marketing.
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