Tag Archives: human insight
The difference between a product and a service
In my last post, I shared my experience of pouring hundreds of cans of beer down the drain in Vietnam due the high level of care Heineken take to ensure that every can of their lager meets their strict quality … Continue reading
Strategic thinking: be decisive but keep an open mind
In life, there are only three decisions you need to get right – and one of them is where you live. In a TV programme called Escape to the Country, couples are helped to move house from an urban to … Continue reading
When you don’t know thine own self
Last week, I heard Jeffrey Archer promoting his latest book on the radio. In the light of Chris Huhne’s jail sentence for perverting the course of justice, the presenter insisted on asking Archer about his own experiences in prison. Monosyllabic were the answers. Not … Continue reading
When you need someone to do something they don’t want to do
Cynics might interpret the title of this post as a definition of marketing and, thus, the world we live in today. But, as marketing is my job, how could I agree? One of the advantages of working in creative businesses … Continue reading
What makes a snob?
In Britain, the question is did Andrew Mitchell call the Downing Street police ‘plebs’? Elsewhere it is ‘who on earth is Andrew Mitchell?’ I suspect, at the time of the incident, the police did not know who he was either: … Continue reading
A job that’s forever not just for life
This week, anyone who’s anyone in advertising has been basking in sunny Cannes at the International Advertising Festival. As no one knows what advertising is anymore, which is not great advertising for advertising, the Festival is now called the International Festival of … Continue reading
Whistleblowing – a call for new legislation
On 24 May, when I posted the first of this trilogy on whistleblowing, I referred to a front page article in Management Today on Michael Woodford, ‘the British chief executive who blew the whistle on a $1.7bn (£1bn) corporate fraud at Japanese … Continue reading
What are you special at?
Last night, I watched a TV programme called Safari Vet School with my teenage daughter. The show features a group of young vets helping to protect endangered animal species in a South African game reserve. Whatever panics and dangers they … Continue reading