Cooler Insights

The Evolution of Influence

2013-05-20T21:52:00.000+08:00

Courtesy of Helping Psychology

Influence. That's a neat word.

According to Dictionary.com, influence is "the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others". In other words, its how effective you are in transforming others and eliciting change.

In the past, influence was purely vested in large and powerful organisations. Those with multi-billion dollar advertising budgets wield huge impacts on the lives of their customers, suppliers, and distributors.

Historically, influence was also measured by rank and status. Corporate chieftains of MNCs exert tremendous control over their followers. Political leaders of dictatorial regimes could dictate how their citizens lives should be led, armed with policies and the might of the public sector.

Wealth was also a measure of influence. Those with the means could buy their way into the hearts and minds of others. Folks who could afford status symbols like condominiums, cars, credit cards, and carats were also more respected than others.

While the above factors still hold largely true, the winds of change are blowing. Through the pervasiveness of social media, influence is slowly shifting from organisations towards individuals. Its becoming social - and personal.

Consumers are making themselves heard on social networks, magnifying their pleasures - or more commonly, displeasures - a hundred or thousand fold. Niche businesses are punching above their weight class, leveraging on digital networks to cultivate customer relationships, increase visibility, and strengthen marketing efforts.

Influence is also skewed towards the young. Digital natives from "generation-whatever" are making themselves seen and heard a lot more than their parents. These restless purveyors of the "screentastic" lifestyle have always lived in a webbed world without boundaries. Fear isn't in their vocabulary.

Increasingly, influence is becoming personal. We're no longer just defined by our day jobs ("I'm an engineer/doctor/hawker/nurse") but by our night jobs ("I'm an amateur rock musician/artist/food connoiseur"). The "other eight hours" is increasingly defining who we are, and how we're perceived by the world.

In this brave new world, brand influence isn't just a great logo, flashy advertising, or even premium service. Rather, the influence of a brand is now embodied by how its values and beliefs are woven into a compelling and authentic story that resonates with stakeholders wherever they are.

More than ever before, influence is becoming a function of how much respect and clout you can garner in your professional and social networks. Increasingly, however, the lines between the two are becoming blurred.

Leading companies like Coke, Nike, Amazon, LEGO and P&G understand this seismic shift. They create platforms and facilitate customer communities. They involve their customers in shaping their products, interact with them as peers, and focus on their interests and concerns.

Have you thought about your influence lately? How has it changed for you over the years?

Evergreen Themes in Marketing

2013-05-17T07:00:00.001+08:00

Perfume advertisements are guilty of over-exposing celebrities (courtesy of Charlotte Whiting)

Watching commercials on TV is a bit like watching the movie Groundhog Day (or more recently Source Code). The same scenes keep re-appearing, like a never ending case of déjà vu.

Ad after ad, common themes and tropes surface time and time again.

The slick urban professional dressed in a tuxedo by the pool of a luxury condominium.

The harassed housewife whose world is as big as the container holding her laundry detergent.

The roguish yet charming group of young men whose mind is preoccupied with women, football, beer and nothing else.

The beautiful teenage girl whose shiny cascading hair means fame, fortune and a magnet for men.

Naturally, this scourge of sameness applies equally to newspaper, magazine, radio and lately Internet ads.

Of course, nothing beats a diamond advertisement. After De Beers popularised the term "Diamonds are Forever", virtually every jewellery commercial latches onto the same consistent theme. True love has been morphed into a hard shiny rock.

Interestingly, there are reasons why those "eye-rolling" diamond advertisements are repeated over and over again. Apparently, they work.

According to Gretchen Gavett of HBR, the element of surprise and that "gasp" (ie "Oh my gawd, he bought me a diamond!") is so critical to the business of jewellery advertising that replacing it with something more adventurous resulted in plummeting sales.

Hmmm... I suppose we are creatures of habit after all.

Expanding on this idea, one can surmise that evergreen themes and memes do exist. We all want to be beautiful, wealthy, healthy, popular with chicks/hunks, and drive BMW sport cars while wearing tuxedos with every hair in place.

Green eggs and ham may work for Dr Seuss, but I prefer my eggs to be white and yellow, and my ham a healthy pink.

The challenge, however, is this:

Can we hope to stand out in a sea of clones? Are we able to differentiate our product when every video clip, poster, banner ad, or soundbite sounds uncannily similar?

One way to do this is to inject an element of interactivity. Involve your viewers, listeners and readers in the action. Get them to share their stories, or to participate in the grand narrative one way or another. Reward them for doing so. Make it a game that they can play.

Audience involvement helps to break the monotony of mundanity in marketing. It allows them to be a part of the action, and to have a stake in the outcome.

You can also consider ways to make your characters more believable. Give them names. Make them human. In this day and age, nobody (well almost) believes in a knight in shining armour anymore. Where appropriate, root for the underdog. Introduce the anti-hero.

Finally, having real customers (as opposed to reel ones) appear on screen or print may also transcend the fantasy/reality barrier. People trust people more than faceless organisations. Naturally, they need to be reasonably polished (well, depending on the product) and not cringe-worthy.

Evergreen themes in marketing resonate with people because they tap onto deep seated psychological and social roots. Like an old shoe, they are comfortable to be with.

To break through the clutter, however, one needs to find a way to balance inherent bias with audience interest and involvement. Injecting elements of interactivity, humanity and realism may help one to ride on universally comforting themes while connecting with one's audiences in a direct manner. Doing so could perhaps help to bring that love story to life.

10 Commandments of Ethical Enterprises

2013-05-14T21:42:00.001+08:00

Can you guess the name of this actor? (courtesy of Lawson Stone)

In the social era, everybody's becoming an activist.

Don't believe me? Just look at the feeds on your Facebook or Twitter accounts.

Empowered by the social web, everybody's posting, sharing, retweeting, commenting, or liking a political, social or environmental cause these days.

Causes are now mainstream chic. Everybody's got a pet movement (or five) on their belts, and they aren't afraid to let the whole world know about them.

I'm sure you've heard of friends or relatives who are tree huggers, vegans/vegetarians, anti-whalers, re-cyclists, fair trade unionists, anti-sweatshoppers, yadda yadda... (I've got quite a few pet causes myself)

Unfortunately, most companies fail to catch this new wave of conscientiousness. Just look at the number of firms lambasted for being unfair to their workers, exploitative of indigenous tribes, or destroyers of ecosystems.

Operating in the falsehoods of a bygone age of plenty, they do not grasp the benefits of a Triple Bottom Line (ie people, profit, planet). Leeching off their employees, the environment, and the communities in which they co-exist with, they destroy more than they give. Often the end result isn't sustainable from a people, resource and revenue standpoint.

How then should one operate? Perhaps we can consider these Ten Commandments for a start:

1) Thou shalt find ways to reduce thy resource consumption, through fishing from sustainable oceans, recycling of raw materials, mining from renewable sources, or investing in energy saving equipment.

2) Thou shalt reduce thy pollution by ensuring that noxious gases are not emitted to the environment, nor toxic wastes not dumped into rivers.

3) Thou shalt find ways to achieve zero carbon status by purchasing carbon credits, replanting trees, or investing in green technologies.

4) Thou shalt be generous and kind to thy employees, treating them as how thou wishes to be treated. Work-life balance is not a myth. Profits should be shareth widely through stock options, bonuses, incentives and commissions. Welfare is working fair.

5) Thou shalt be a fair employer and not give preferential treatment to staff based on colour, gender, age, beliefs, lifestyles or any other factors. Bigotry is not a sustainable business practice.

6) Thou shalt not exploit thy suppliers nor customers and squeezeth them till they go under. Everybody is in business to make a livelihood, so do be fair to them. Fair trade is a plus too.

7) Thou shalt encourage thy customers to embrace planet friendly options. Thy costs may be slightly higher initially, but thine long-term savings far outweigh the initial investments.

8) Thou shalt practice "eco-office" concepts and discourage/ban thy employees from printing reams and ream of paper. If going paperless isn't possible, seek first sustainably sourced/ recycled paper.

9) Thou shalt participate in thy communities, finding ways to contribute to local causes and concerns. Ye shalt listen to thy families, schools, and residents to determine how thine should act.

...and finally, the most important perhaps...

10) Thou shalt not fudge, deceive, or obscure one's business practices from public scrutiny. The truth shall prevail. In other words, thou shalt not lie (or at least when it impacts thy stakeholders).

Are there other ways we can make our businesses kindler, gentler and more sustainable?

Are you achieving the triple bottom line? (courtesy of One World Social Media)

The Impact Equation: Book Review

2013-05-11T09:49:00.000+08:00

How do you create waves in a world filled with zillions of blogs, Facebook updates, and tweets? Why do some campaigns fly while others die?

If you're clueless about the answer, consider reading The Impact Equation. Authored by social media savants Chris Brogan and Julien Smith, the book on content marketing reveals how you can generate attention, affection and action amongst the people you care about. Namely, your customers and other stakeholders.

Laced liberally with new economy examples such as Skylanders (from Activision), Instagram, DollarShaveClub.com, Dolbeau, and Rachel Hawkins (a chick flick author), The Impact Equation leverages on the authors' experiences as purveyors of podcasts, blogs, and all things social. At its core, the book focuses on a quasi-mathematical formula/acronym which goes like this:

Impact = C x (R + E + A + T + E)

The first component Contrast (C) can be understood as the differentiation, positioning and unique value proposition of the idea. In an attention-deficit economy, the only brands which stand out are those that offer something remarkable - a Purple Cow in a sea of "me-too" products and services. Concepts embodied in Blue Ocean Strategy and The Lean Startup could be used to develop pioneering ideas that can rock markets eg McCafe by McDonald's which is giving Starbucks a run for its caffeine-laced bucks.

Next, we have Reach (R) - the most number of people you can connect with. This is what most social media marketers focus on, and can be calculated by the number of followers, RSS readers, "likes" on Facebook, and so on. Naturally, the higher the better. However, numbers alone isn't enough, and this brings us to our next attribute.

Exposure (E) talks about how often you truly connect to your network. The trick is to hit people again and again until they take positive action - not delete your email/invitations/you from their lives! To prevent over-saturation, seek to understand what your audiences truly want and customise your content for each channel. Done correctly, the right form of exposure leads to stronger engagement.

Articulation (A) is all about crafting content that sizzles - not fizzle. Brevity is an advantage. So is simplicity in writing. Tools such as mind maps can be useful in building a visual representation of your ideas. One should also identify kindred spirits (people more likely to identify with a message), combine emotion with information, and use the "being the X of Y" method (eg Paris of the East) to effectively convey ideas.

Trust (T) is probably the most important dimension (after Contrast). In fact, it has its own equation adapted from The Trusted Advisor:

C * R * I / S = TRUST where
C = Credibility
R = Reliability
I = Intimacy
S = Self-interest

Credibility means what you say is backed by your CV and experience, while reliability is seen in how you deliver what you promise. Intimacy is reflected in the closeness of your relationships and how likeable you are while self-interest acts as a force divider. In other words, the more self-oriented/ selfish you are, the less trust you're likely to get (ie seek to give rather than receive).

Finally, Echo (E) is about generating resonance amongst your followers. Here, we should use the language of our network, find common ground and share our feelings. Being friendly and responsive to fans also helps. Messages should be whittled down to their core essences and enriched with emotional language and relevant examples.

Last but certainly not least, one should also learn how to manage criticisms. Rather than delete all negative comments (a big "no-no" in social media), one could respond to negative feedback and find a way to address genuine concerns. Having said that, trolls who are adamant on damaging one's reputation should be decisively dealt with.

Admittedly, The Impact Equation is more anecdotal than analytical. Several of its ideas are borrowed from the world of pop marketing culture, while others are rather commonsensical. Having said that, the beauty of having an easily remembered equation is that it tends to stick more easily to one's cranium in an "over-saturated" marketplace of ideas.

In summary, The Impact Equation provides a useful guide to how content can be created - and curated - to generate the greatest impact. Laced with examples from the world of content marketing, it teaches us how to raise our ante in the relentless battle for attention. The book is a gem if you're clueless about how you can make a difference with your content.

Marketing in the Age of Social Ephemera

2013-05-08T21:57:00.003+08:00

Courtesy of BostInno

What's the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?

a) Brush your teeth?

b) Wash your face?

c) Visit the john?

d) Check your smartphone?

If your answer is the fourth option (like 95% of us), you'd probably check the time of the day, see if anything interesting was posted on Facebook, tweet (or retweet) something, or Whatsapp your BFF on the other side of the island/continent/globe.

Of course, the more hardcore ones may even snap an Instagram photo (or 3) of your toes, cat, hair or face.

Like it or not, we're living in the era of Social Ephemera. In this age, every bit adds up to one's social experience. This can be anything from status updates, check ins, tweets, "likes", comments, photos, blog posts, to videos.

Serendipity is the name of this game. Life becomes this huge social sport mediated by mobiles, tablets, PCs and the omnipresent omniscient web. We're checking in, logging in, recording, texting and linking like never before.

Who cares if others are watching? On the contrary, we do care if others are NOT watching.

The action never stops. Like a 7-Eleven, the social web is always close but never closed.

With news-feeds that flow continually like an endless river, our consciousness is continually filled with the minutiae of each other's lives.

(No wonder sleep is no longer easy for many of us.)

The ubiquitous presence of smartphones and social networks make us ever conscious of what's happening in the lives of our friends. We're so finely attuned to every online action made by our friends that we can describe them in amazing detail without having met them once.

In a way, we're no longer merely consumers of products, services, experiences or information. We're consumers of each other's lives.

To adapt, companies need to tap into the flow. They need to listen and plug in to the collective intelligence and emotions of the swarm.

Market research is no longer just recording inputs to a survey or a series of questions. Instead, it is transformed into a lifestyle. With your eyes and ears open, you can monitor the buzz - both online and offline - and amalgamate variable voluminous inputs into coherent current insights.

Branding is no longer just logo revamps, design changes, or textual augmentation. Instead, it is about being relevant to one's stakeholders right where the action is, weaving one's wares into compelling content, and being interesting enough to be tweeted, blogged, photographed or shared.

Selling is no longer just organising roadshows, making phone calls or opening retail outlets. Instead, it is about solving problems, being available where needed, and helping others to look, feel, and be good.

In the age of Social Ephemera, grand masterful strokes and big idea campaigns aren't enough. Rather, companies need to break down the barriers and mingle with their markets. Customer loyalty and affection is built through lots of micro-interactions, each and every day.

My Secret Life on the McJob: Book Review

2013-05-06T21:42:00.002+08:00

Jerry Newman of University of Buffalo (courtesy of UB Faculty Experts)

Imagine a 57 year old management professor donning the uniform of an undercover fast food worker for 14 months. Opting for this "hardship" research project during his sabbatical, he goes through seven jobs in burger chains like McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's.

Along the way, the professor discovers "powerful truths about what makes businesses great" and provides lessons from behind the counter "guaranteed to supersize any management style".

Doesn't that sound mouth-wateringly good?

Allured by the delicious premise on the cover, I picked up a copy of My Secret Life on the McJob by SUNY Professor Jerry Newman (photo above). Written in an easy narrative, Newman's behind-the-scenes expose paints a rather sordid picture of life behind the golden arches. In fact, his eatery experience was so trying that the good professor ended up with three herniated discs!

Brought to life by a larger-than-life cast of managers, assistant managers, supervisors and other crew, the book chronicles what life is like at fast food restaurants. Through a wide range of characters - from super manager Kris, people-oriented James, to expletive-a-minute Freddy - one gains an insight into the culture, working processes and management style necessary to survive on the restaurant floor.

According to Newman, there are 7 jobs behind the counters of any fast food restaurant:

1) Front counter (serve customers);
2) Sandwich board (assemble burgers);
3) Fry guy (self explanatory);
4) Runner (ring up orders and fill them);
5) Cook (grill patties);
6) Specialty prep (preparation of non-traditional items like salads, chili, biscuits, etc); and
7) Maintenance and stocking.

Because of the wide range of roles, working in a fast food restaurant is often a test of one's ability to multi-task and multi-skill. Fast food work is often stressful, fast-paced (especially during the lunch rush), and difficult to master. Newbies are thrust immediately into the line of fire, needing to serve irate and impatient customers despite lacking in skill or knowledge.

The industry also suffers from high staff turnover. They range from 100% to as high as 500% per year (based on the author's experience). This is attributed to the high burnout rate of staff as well as the fact that most employees are young school leavers who regard such jobs as stepping stones.

In Newman's eyes, folks who work in the fast food business are often hard-pressed. Paying minimal wages for "dirty jobs" that are "dumbed down" as much as possible (via rigid processes), fast food restaurants recruit any warm body physically able to do the job.

Fortunately, it isn't all gloom and doom. Newman uncovers a couple of "Supersized Management Principles" as key takeaways for us:

1) Good managers are "ego architects" who spend their time building the self-worth of their employees. This improves commitment and productivity.

2) Good managers cultivate a sensei (kind of like an expert in specific tasks) who not only has superior task skills but is equipped with the requisite social skills and leadership ability to informally explain and maintain cultural expectations.

3) Successful restaurants hire folks who can fit into one's culture, especially with their best incumbent employees. Rewards can often be provided through non monetary means like employee awards, birthday celebrations and other intangible motivational tools.

4) Training should be taken seriously and made appropriate to the tasks that one's staff faces. Good managers instill the right behaviours the first time around.

5) To manage diverse teams, strong managers understand what makes each worker different and uses this knowledge to their advantage.

6) Strong managers build social webs and cultivate camaraderie in order to improve staff retention. This is particularly important in volatile industries.

Admittedly, My Secret Life on the McJob is more entertainment than enlightenment. While I certainly enjoyed the book's narrative style, its so-called "supersized" management lessons were less revolutionary than I've imagined.

Having said that, I liked the way the book conveyed simple management lessons through parables which embodied what managers should (and should not) do to build a strong culture of motivated staff. It also opened my eyes to how little practices can make all the difference between success and failure.

Burgers with fries, anyone?

How To Build a Strong Personal Brand

2013-05-04T09:28:00.000+08:00

Courtesy of Black 'n Bougie

What would happen if you lose your job today?

Can you pick up the pieces and move on? Or will your self esteem be shattered beyond repair?

Losing one's job has always been one of the chief concerns of mankind. Most of us identify ourselves more closely with our daytime careers than our other occupations (eg husband/wife, father/mother, chaffeur, tutor, coach, etc).

A good job brings us money, prestige, meaning and purpose in life. It provides interesting learning opportunities, allows us to make good friends, and takes us to fascinating new places.

The danger however, is that job stability is becoming a figment of the imagination. With the global economy as it is, organisations need to be agile. Unfortunately, this sometimes mean sacrificing workers when things head south.

To withstand these forces, it is critical for you to build your personal brand. Invest in your identity and strengthen your reputation in your desired field. Establish yourself as a thought leader and an expert vested with invaluable skills.

Start growing your personal brand by doing the following:

1) Identify what you're truly passionate about and good at. This could be a hobby or a profession. If you're a polymath, consider focusing on the area that is most unique or prized.

2) Develop platforms to share your craft. Promote what you do through blogs, videos, photos, wikis, or other content platforms.

3) While promoting your work is useful, do also invest time to teach others. Provide free lessons online. Share shortcuts, pro-tips, and useful facts as generously as you can.

4) As you're sharing and generating stuff about you're good at, do remember to also learn from others. Read good books about your craft, and follow the leading experts in your field. This ensures that you constantly sharpen your personal saw.

5) Once you've established a certain rhythm and got a nice bit of content flowing, network and promote yourself. Participate in online forums, LinkedIn groups, Facebook groups and other communities. Follow like-minded folks on Facebook and Twitter. Share what you do on these channels, while being mindful not to be too zealous and spammy.

6) Embrace the principle of reciprocity. If in doubt, err on the side of generosity. Do unto others what you want others to do unto you (and maybe a little more). Nobody likes a person who loves to boast about himself or herself continuously. Where possible, encourage others with a "like", retweet, share, or comment. Post about the work of others if they're noteworthy.

7) When you're more confident over time, progress to sharing your craft offline. Organise get togethers, workshops and peer learning sessions. From my experience, I find that face-to-face gatherings are usually more enriching and valuable than online ones.

8) As you "level up" in your craft, consider participating in competitions and contests that are widely recognised as successful benchmarks. Participate in ratings and rankings to see how well you fare. Note that such an exercise can be a humbling one if you're not up to the mark.

The initial stages will probably be the most difficult. After all, what I'm prescribing almost sounds like another job. However, once you get into the habit, it becomes a more natural aspect of your daily life.

Of course, having a strong personal presence alone doesn't guarantee you a job. There are forces out there which we have no control over. However, it certainly allows you to stand out relative to others in your field, and can play a positive role in influencing your eventual career.

Are there other things you can do to boost your personal brand?

The HUB Singapore - Local Catalyst for Global Change

2013-05-02T08:46:00.000+08:00

Coworking space. Connected community. Curated events. Collaborative platform. Change catalyst.

The HUB Singapore is all of the above and more. Part of a global network of 40 HUBs with 6,000 over members around the world, the coworking space for social change agents was founded 11 months ago in May 2012. Funded with a start-up grant of $100,000 from the National Youth Council (NYC), it occupies the first and second levels of the NYC Academy building at Somerset Road.

With the desire to "energise ideas to make a sustainable impact", The HUB Singapore is the first in Asia, with new HUBs now being opened Seoul, Tokyo, KL and Jakarta. Locally, they have managed to gain significant traction amongst socially minded start-ups and NGOs alike. More prominent ones include One Cent Movement (a nonprofit which seeks to turn everyday transactions into "micro giving"), PlayMoolah (an online financial literacy programme for kids), and Start Now (a volunteer to non-profit matching service).

Unlike commercial co-working spaces, the HUB Singapore plays in active role in facilitating the needs of its members while nurturing them. They include social entrepreneurs, developers, investors, creatives, students, policy makers, sustainability ventures, or corporate intrapreneurs. Combining elements of an incubator, innovation lab, membership club, collaborative working environment and cafe, it connects entrepreneurs with funders, co-founders and partners in all forms of collaboration.

The HUB Singapore itself was co-founded by Grace Sai (founder of Books for Hope in Jakarta) and Gouri Mirpuri (strategist of The Learning Farm in Indonesia) with the support of NYC. Apparently, Grace had close to 400 coffee chats in nine months before launching the endeavour together with Gauri who is now based in Washington DC.

Initially drawing a revenue of $3,000 in its first month, the popularity of the space has resulted in revenues swelling to a healthy $30,000 a month after eight months in operation. Membership has also grown rapidly from an initial base of three members in its first week to its current 340.

Also known as "Hubbers" (err...no relation to StarHub ok?), members of The HUB can choose from various permutations of participation:

1) HUB Connect - those who already have a workplace but wish to attend Hubbers-exclusive events, organise events at The HUB (at discounted rates), and be connected to its diverse local and global community;

2) HUB Cowork - those seeking a regular work space at The HUB Singapore. There are 5 different tiers depending on the number of hours required. In addition, HUB Coworkers can gain access to a hosted environment, active connections to fellow cowork members, and coffee at its premises.

More details of the multiple membership tiers can be found in the link here.

Join me now on a virtual tour of The HUB Singapore and see if you're just as "infected" as I was by its positive energy, vibrant vibes and social buzz.

Hubbers can choose from any available space to plug in, work, or discuss stuff with their collaborators.

Chris Cafe (an artisanal coffee joint) is the go to place for your dose of much-needed caffeine.

Some information on The HUB and the changes which it seeks to champion around the world.

The HUB's calendar of events is literally written on the wall here. Some are free while others charge a fee.

Polaroids of the members, so you know who you're talking to.

Spaces like these are available for booking on the HUB Engine - an online application which schedules room bookings, jobs database, directory of members and more.

More spaces for "hubbing".

More "Why" messages on the walls of The HUB. Apparently, its mission is to "create environments that inspire, connect and enable people to realize enterprising ideas for sustainable impact". You can read about The HUB's identity here.

More connected coworking spaces at level 2 of the building. Some organisations like PlayMoolah have "booked" their own permanent spot in the corner, while others prefer to just hotdesk and hustle.

Some prefer a window view, and that's available too. You can tell that there isn't any formal dress code here. :)

A mini-library to inspire, inform and instigate action. "World 3.0" anybody?

If you're tired after a hard day's (or night's) work, you can catch 40 winks in this.

One of the many ideation boards in the premises.Yes, 3M's "Post It" pads are practically mandatory in an ideation heavy environment like this.

Finally, this funky red bus actually houses some members too. Its nice to be surrounded by some urban greenery.

For more information on The HUB Singapore, do check out its website here. If you're keen to change the world (or Singapore for that matter) like these guys, do check out the National Youth Fund launched by NYC.

Epic Marketing

2013-04-30T10:14:00.000+08:00

One of the greatest movie epics of all time (courtesy of The Art of Writing)

Have you watched an "epic" movie which left an indelible mark on your consciousness? What about a book which you couldn't forget years after you're done reading?

Truth is, we all love great epics. Massive in scale and scope, they have the power to inspire us with awe, move us viscerally, and set our imaginations on fire.

Epics can take many shapes. Movies, books, songs, artworks, plays, musicals, exhibitions, buildings... the list is long.

Spectacular, sweeping and majestic, a successful epic is bold and ambitious. Taking years to develop, nothing is left to chance in the conception, development and choreography of an epic. Every single detail is painstakingly crafted to achieve a deep emotional impact that resonates with its audience, readers and listeners.

Businesses can be epic too.

Consider the tale of how Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak created Apple, or how Mark Zuckerberg worked feverishly in his college dorm to build Facebook. Tales of entrepreneurial fervour transforming industries and economies are commonplace in management literature. Often, the towering monolithic skyscrapers owned by corporate conglomerates provide the perfect backdrop for "epic" multi-billion dollar deals.

Naturally, marketing can also be epic. I'm sure we can all recall a particularly moving advertisement or a spectacular PR stunt which generated lots of buzz both offline and online. Like their artistic counterparts, a great marketing campaign moves hearts, stirs emotions, and excites its audience to respond in a positive manner.

What should one consider in an epic marketing effort?

The first thing to craft is your script. What are the main messages that you wish to convey? What are the contexts (environment, issues, socio-cultural concerns) that one should be mindful of? How should the tale be concluded such that the desired effect is achieved?

Normally, most epic stories have the following ingredients:
- Larger than life characters;
- Some form of struggle or conflict;
- A hero and villain (or villains);
- A twist to the plot which surprises and keeps people hanging on;
- A reward/ celebration towards the end.

Apple's 1984 advertisement was certainly an epic one!

To develop an awe-inspiring campaign, invest in the best creative talent that your money can buy. Where possible, ask to see the track record of your creatives and seek their permission to speak to their previous clients. Also, find a way to work with your creative agency such that you can give them as much flexibility as possible to create the most imaginatively inspiring work while remaining within certain business guidelines. (I know it's not easy!)

Next, consider your available assets and resources - intellectual property, physical infrastructure, channels, money, manpower or leaders. How much budget do you have to execute this campaign? What back story can you develop weaving in your various properties? Can you leverage on OPM (Other People's Media) to achieve a larger than life impact? What can you do given your current team of executives, managers and staff?

From there, you should think about the platforms that you'd leverage on to convey the message. Can you afford TV or cinema advertising? If not, what about weaving in an outdoor guerrilla marketing element? Naturally, social media channels are critical in generating word of mouth and viral effects. However, they need to be handled with care.

Do also consider the "props" and interactive elements that can be woven into your epic marketing activity. Is there a way to involve your audience in the action? The more physically and emotionally invested they are in your marketing tale, the better.

Find ways to also make the experience as vivid and immersive as possible. This may entail building a 3D display somewhere, or creating an action-packed event which engages the senses and stirs the emotions. Where possible, every action - and reaction - should be scripted and accounted for.

Once the media channels are considered, think about how campaign success will be measured. Where possible, go beyond just eyeballs/awareness to include engagement, "buzz", sharing, brand affinity, purchase intention, and recall. More importantly, study how other organisations have translated winning epic efforts into ringing cash tills.

Do you agree that epic marketing works in this day and age? What are your favourite epic marketing campaigns?

Can You Spell "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"?

2013-04-28T10:48:00.000+08:00

Well, perhaps these kids can. Especially on a good day?

Thanks to an invitation from Omy.sg, I had the chance to attend the grand finals of the RHB-The Straits Times National Spelling Championship 2013. Running for its second year, this competition for kids aims to raise their appreciation of spelling in language and literacy in a fun and competitive manner. Targeting students in Singapore, it challenges them to out-spell each other through the awareness of phonemes and syllabication while enriching their vocabulary through the study of prefixes, suffixes and root words.

Open to Primary 4, 5 and 6 pupils, this year's event (aka The Big Spell) drew a record 1,400 students in the preliminary round in March this year. After several hard fought spelling skirmishes (the peaceful kind) lasting several weeks - the Preliminary on 9 March and Zonals on 13 April - the field was whittled down to just 31 finalists.

The eventual winner of the final spelling battle was 12 year old Ashvin Sivakumar. This tall Primary 6 pupil of Anglo-Chinese School (Primary) was clear and confident throughout the 10 rounds of the final competition.

With much aplomb, Ashvin calmly spelled his way to the top spot after getting the word "pulchritudinous” (see meaning here) in the 10th round. His wizardy of words helped him to knock out first runner-up Kua Le Yi, 10, from Catholic High School (Primary) and second runner-up Loi Si Xian, 11, from Raffles Girls' Primary School. Ashvin takes home $5,000 and the Challenge Trophy for his school, while the other two top spellers won $3,000 and $1,000 respectively.

Ashvin showing how these champion students cast their spells

Co-organised by RHB Banking Group and The Straits Times, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, this second edition of The Big Spell was backed by iQ-hub with the support of the National Library Board. If you're keen to be a champion speller (like these kids), do check out iQ-Hub’s iSpell program to learn, practice and have fun all at the same time.

Join me now as I take you on a "spellbinding" journey through the morning's event.

As the nation's leading English newspaper, it was clear that The Straits Times seeks to raise the literacy of all Singaporeans.

These mascots helped to enliven the tense and competitive atmosphere that morning. See if you can guess who they are.

Students chatting excitedly while supporting their friends on stage.

RHB's mascot posing with future (or current?) clients of theirs. I'm sure these kids are savers!

What are these parents and students getting all excited about?

Well, they are supporting these kids focusing hard on a special "iPad" spelling round. Yes, parents, there is virtue in letting your kids play the right kind of games.

Mr Warren Fernandez, Editor of The Straits Times, addressing the crowd of pupils, parents, teachers and other well wishers, urged kids to "pay attention to English words, appreciate their texture, structure and idiosyncrasies".

Chairman of RHB Banking Group, Tan Sri Azlan Zainol, hopes that RHB's support will help to "build an informed generation of confident, competitive and motivated individuals who will eventually become successful in their own right".

For the final round, each finalist had to spell aloud words read out by a pronouncer (none other than theatre celebrity Nora Samosir). They could clarify the word further by asking for the language of origin, different forms of pronunciation, and root word. However, they cannot poll the audience, call a friend, or choose 50-50...

Finalists of The Big Spell getting ready for the challenge. The chilly air con in the room didn't really help I suppose.

Spelling is done not just with the word but the hands as well!

If you get the answer right, you're rewarded with a smiley green lollipop.

If, however, you spell the word wrongly, an unhappy red lollipop appears.

Parents, teachers and other adults supporting their kids on stage. I noticed that none of them were attempting the spelling contests themselves. I guess it could be quite stressful to try to spell words like "perspicacious", "prognosticate", and "graphophobia"...

... On the contrary, these kids from Rosyth Primary School were each attempting it while their compatriots on stage were going through the rounds too.

Secrets of Giant Pumpkin Farmers

2013-04-25T22:58:00.001+08:00

Huge pumpkins don't happen by accident (courtesy of Temple Community Garden)

Everybody loves a colossal pumpkin.

The darlings of farmer markets and fairs, gargantuan pumpkins stand out from the crowd. They attract a tremendous amount of attention, win prizes, and reap fame and glory for their farmers.

In a way, products and businesses are like pumpkins. There are tonnes of average ones which people don't give two hoots about. However, the exceptional ones - like huge pumpkins - draw a disproportionate amount of customer interest, revenue and loyalty.

Thanks to a podcast by Inc columnist and life coach Marla Tabaka, I learned about a fascinating business strategy called The Pumpkin Plan by Mike Michalowicz. Drawn from Michalowicz's book, the key idea here is for entrepreneurs to apply "the same few simple methods farmers use to grow colossal prize-winning pumpkins" in order to "grow colossally successful businesses".

So what are the steps behind the plan?

First, carefully select your seeds and only plant promising ones. This process of meticulous and careful screening helps successful pumpkin farmers to to grow winning pumpkins, unlike ordinary farmers who "try their luck" with as many seeds as possible. The focus is on quality rather than quantity.

In a similar fashion, pick the right customers or products to develop. For clients and guests, carefully choose a profitable market segment rather than target the whole wide world. Similarly, pool your resources on the few products and services that generate the greatest bang for the buck.

Next, observe your sprouts and nurture the strong ones. Ordinary pumpkin farmers spend their time propping up the weak sprouts to give them a fighting chance. However, colossal pumpkin farmers pay attention to strong seedlings and saplings, while removing the weak ones.

Likewise, concentrate your energies on customers or products that show the greatest potential. As resources (time, energy, manpower and money) are finite, you need to conserve them for the critical few that matter.

Thereafter, choose to water your growing "crops" frequently in small amounts (ie water, water, water). This strategy runs contrary to what ordinary farmers do, which is to water in huge amounts once a day. Huge pumpkin farmers water their crop up to 10 times a day in smaller amounts that do not drown or saturate them.

This same principle of consistent regular effort applies to businesses. Instead of overwhelming your customers with a deluge of advertising and promotions (equivalent to huge campaigns), spread your attention out but be consistent over a longer time frame. Such endeavours would help build stronger customer relationships over time.

Likewise, product development should take place step by step. Adopt carefully calibrated processes to test your product, learn, adapt and modify. In a sense, this resembles a marathon as opposed to multiple 100 metre sprints.

Big pumpkin farmers also routinely discard any diseased/damaged pumpkins and weed consistently. Paying special attention to the root systems of their prized plants, they ensure that competition for the limited space, nutrients and water in the plots is reduced.

In the same vein, you should minimise or eliminate corporate distractions - be they unprofitable customers, projects or products. Don't let these entities drain your resources. Be willing to cut losses sooner rather than later. Such pruning helps your organisation to be leaner and meaner over the long term.

Finally, big pumpkin farmers lavish their love and attention on the stronger, faster-growing pumpkins. They this as much as possible until they have only one pumpkin on each vine. In other words, they maximise their efforts such that the lone pumpkin has the best chance to grow explosively.

Similarly, concentrate your energies and resources on the few "big pumpkins" in your company. Focus your attention on these customers or products, and nurture them until they eventually bear fruit. Once the burden of sub-par products - or unprofitable customers - are removed, you should channel your full efforts on the ones that matter.

What do you think about the Pumpkin Plan? Can its principles work for your organisation?

For more information, do check out this link on The Pumpkin Plan.

Samsung Unveils Galaxy S4 LTE Smartphone

2013-04-23T21:09:00.000+08:00

Models in Ashley Isham's Capsule Collection with Samsung's Galaxy S4 LTEs

After months of waiting, Singapore finally witnessed the launch of Samsung's GALAXY S4 With LTE. The much anticipated "super" smartphone ups the ante in its contest with the iPhone 5, boasting a larger screen size and battery housed in a light (130 g) and slim (7.9 mm) form factor.

With the world's first full HD SUPER AMOLED display, the GALAXY S4 With LTE has an ultra sharp pixel density of 441 PPI. According to the Samsung, this gives it the best viewing experience for users. The smartphone also uses Corning's new Gorilla Glass 3 which makes it durable for life's adventures (and misadventures).

Armed with a 13 megapixel rear camera (and a 2 megapixel front camera), the GALAXY S4 With LTE has a range of enriched camera features. This includes a new 'Story Album' feature which allows photos to be sorted according to timeline, geo-tagged, and stored in a photo album.

Join me now on a pictorial journey through the trade launch of GALAXY S4, and prepare to drool as I introduce the fabulous features of this striking new smartphone to you.

Trade guests and media patiently waiting the evening's proceedings.

Heavily branded booths showcasing the new Samsung GALAXY S4 smartphone.

These Samsung TV screens show how the S4 is a great companion during holidays. I can imagine, with its awesome photo taking capabilities.

A close-up view of the Samsung GALAXY S4. Apparently, the Group Play allows users to enjoy music, play games, share pictures and documents with those around them without the need for WiFi or cellular signal.

We also had a sneak peek of the new Samsung Note 8.

A close-up view of the new mini tablet which is yet to be launched.

Our emcee for the evening announcing the first item of the night...

...a fashion show featuring models decked in Ashley Isham's latest Capsule Collection.

Samsung is a presenting sponsor of Samsung Fashion Steps Out 2013. The opening segment at Orchard Fashion Runway happens on 4 May featuring capsule collections by Ashley Isham, Joe Chia and Amaya Arzuaga.

Beyond the apparel, exclusive GALAXY S4 With LTE protective covers created by street artist Mazlan Ahmad will also be unveiled on 4 May.

More fashion and phones, complete with man in black and woman in blue.

Yes, those GALAXY S4s sure look good as fashion accessories!

Harry Lee, Managing Director of Samsung Asia, addressing the crowd.

The "Dual Shot" feature allows the simultaneous use of both front and rear cameras. Users can choose 8 different ways to combine the two photos.

You can also capture sound and voice together with the picture in "Sound & Shot" or take multiple action shots in one time-lapse with "Drama Shot".

As I earlier mentioned, its screen is to die for. I hope it doesn't guzzle too much battery life!

This "Share Music" feature allows multiple users to hear the same song being played in sync. That's truly cool in a party, isn't it?

Through "S Translator", instant translation using text or voice is possible for multiple languages - more than just Korean to English too!

Now this feature allows you to control the screen just by hovering your finger. Talk about Jedi tricks!

Wait, there's more. You can also wave to change screens or browse through screens. Yes, no hands needed!

And one more thing. If you advert your eyes while watching a video, the "Smart Pause" feature will instantly pause the video if you look away. If you look back, it will start again. Wow, the force is truly with this smartphone!

With "S Health", apps are synched to personalised body state. This actually monitors your level of activity, food calorific intake and more.

For enterprises, Samsung also offers various solutions for security, information sharing, and networking.

A virtual private network can be created, complete with encryption, exchange of information and security management.

Missing mobile phones can also be tracked and located using the FindMyMobile feature.

After all that presentation, its now time for us to get a hands on feel for the smartphone.

Obviously, these guests are enjoying themselves while a promoter shows how its done.

DK and Joe playing with the "Samsung Hub" feature while a manager at Samsung explains how it works.

A closer look at how "Samsung Hub" looks like. It kind of reminds me of Apple TV, except that its interface is a little... err... less refined perhaps?

Finally, I get to feel the GALAXY S4. Its size is broader than the Galaxy S3, but it feels pretty light.

Scrolling through the various menus is relatively easy. However, I wasn't very proficient with the interface as I'm an iPhone user (unlike my wife who uses a Samsung Galaxy).

Playing games like Sonic the Hedgehog was brilliant on the device. The screen is truly razor sharp and responsive.

Finally, one of the six winners of a lucky draw for the new Samsung GALAXY S4 LTE. Boo hoo, I didn't get it!!

Retailing at S$998 without contract, the Samsung GALAXY S4 With LTE can probably be bought for lower prices bundled with 2-year contracts at Singtel, Starhub or M1. For more information, do check out Samsung's website here.

PlayMoolah Makes Online Virtue Of Thrift

2013-04-21T20:56:00.000+08:00

Audrey (left) and Min Xuan of PlayMoolah

Money makes the world go round. Like charity, however, money management habits should begin at home.

With the world still reeling from the 2008 financial crisis and the more recent European sovereign debt crisis, it is clear that greater financial education is in order. While we Singaporeans (and many of our Asian counterparts) still have some moolah in the bank, it is difficult to foresee what the future may hold.

I guess this is why I like what PlayMoolah is doing.

Founded by 25 year old Audrey Tan and Min Xuan Lee, PlayMoolah is an online platform which teaches kids to manage their money through virtual and real-life activities. Focused on five key activities - Earn, Spend, Save, Invest and Give - the website employs game mechanics to make financial discipline a fun and exciting activity for kids.

As the "Dream Architect", Audrey formulates the business model, develops the business, forges customer relationships, and manages investors and employees. Her partner "Princess of Possibility" Min Xuan explores cutting edge innovation, manages technology, and works with ecosystem partners to champion the cause.

Fueled by the mission of "inspiring kids to take control of their money, and become empowered by using it to live their dreams and create value for the world", PlayMoolah considers itself a financial empowerment company. Through helping kids and their parents to make better money decisions, it seeks to give them the tools to live confidently and freely.

The impetus behind PlayMoolah was triggered by the American mortgage crisis in 2007-2008. Then NUS exchange students at Stamford University, Audrey and Min were hit by the shocking news that checking accounts were so prevalent in the US. Financial literacy was so low in the States that people were spending money they did not have, caught in the wave of consumerism and instant gratification.

An awful realisation then struck the girls. It wasn't the kids who had problems with money. Rather, the problem laid with parents, who weren't providing the right role models to their young ones.

Spurred by their sobering experience in the US, the founders decided to tackle the root cause of financial ignorance by building a portal which teaches families how to deal with their dough. Backed by the firm support of their mentor professor Tom Kosnik in Stamford, it combined their interests in technology, financial literacy and entrepreneurship. With angel funding from Silicon Valley, Singapore and the Philippines, PlayMoolah was eventually launched in Singapore on January 2011.

Screenshot from Save Planet

With Singapore as its test market, PlayMoolah is targeted at global markets in the US, Europe and Asia. The growing enterprise embraces the principles of Lean (see my book review on Lean Startup for more details) and was developed based on the following iterative cycle:

1) Build customer development model by talking to parents and kids in order to understand what their needs and experiences with money were;

2) Create wire frames and mock-ups while seeking usability feedback from parents;

3) Building the system and platform itself while continuing with user experience testing;

4) Testing it constantly by taking in user feedback and refining its products.

A social enterprise with a heart for kids, PlayMoolah was a dream come true for both Audrey and Min. Indeed, speaking to Audrey, I couldn't help being infected by her enthusiasm and passion for the business.

Recounting her childhood, Audrey shared that she used to create a "business ecosystem" at home using "pretend money" when she was six or seven years old playing with her brothers. She also started various small businesses during her teens.

In a similar fashion, Min started a design firm in her younger years. Like Audrey, she loved kids and nursed a passion to nurture and educate them while embracing the possibilities and scalability of technology.

Spotlighted by the National Youth Council (NYC) as an outstanding social enterprise started by youths, PlayMoolah is a tenant of The HUB Singapore - a curated co-work, event and community space in the heart of Orchard Road. Made possible through a S$100,000 grant from NYC, HUB Singapore seeks to "gather the country's best entrepreneurial minds, changemakers and professionals" in a collaborative work and event space.

To encourage more Youth Sector Organisations (YSOs) and Youth Social Enterprises (YSEs) like PlayMoolah, the Ministry of Community, Culture and Youth (MCCY) - parent Ministry to NYC - has recently launched the National Youth Fund (NYF). With S$100 million in its kitty to be drawn over the next 20 years, NYF encourages YSOs and YSEs to initiate the following:

- Capability development projects that improve organisational capability while leading to more cross-sharing and partnerships;

- Public, People and Private (3P) partnerships that promote community engagement, volunteerism, arts and sports; and

- Research studies that contribute towards the youth sector's understanding of youth trends and concerns.

(More details of the NYF can be found here.)

I'm glad to hear that talks are already underway between PlayMoolah and NYC to explore how they could bring the enterprise further. This could hopefully provide greater support to the company's growing initiative such as "Sekolah Bisa" - a community project in Indonesia which seeks to educate kids on financial literacy while serving them.

For the future, the road appears bright for the fledgling financial empowerment firm. To date, they've already won awards like Echelon 2011 (Asia's TechCrunch) and Top Startup of SWIFT Innotribe Challenge 2012. Partnerships with financial heavyweights like OCBC Bank have also been inked.

To find out more about PlayMoolah, do sign up for a free trial at their portal here.

"Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like." - Will Smith

Celebrating 127 Years of Coke's Heritage

2013-04-19T20:29:00.001+08:00

Ted Ryan, the guy in red in the photo above, has a job that many would dream of.

Also known as the Director of Heritage Communications a.k.a. Archivist of Coca-Cola, Ted's work brings him into contact with Coke's significant collection worth US$15 million of artefacts, artworks and antiques. Part preserver, presenter and promoter (he is also a blogger for Coke), Ted's 15 year experience in Coke makes him a walking encyclopedia of this ubiquitous and beloved beverage brand.

Thanks to an invitation from Coca-Cola Singapore, I had the privilege of meeting Ted and hearing Coke's story through the ages. It was fascinating to discover how John Pemberton, an Atlanta pharmacist, created the formula for Coke and peddled it to Jacobs' Pharmacy to be sampled by its customers for just five cents a glass way back in 1886. While much of the company has evolved over the years, it is interesting to see how strongly it kept to its brand values over the past century.

Celebrating its 127th birthday, Coca-Cola is truly a heritage brand. With its huge brand cachet - it is still the number one brand in the world for the 13th year running - it's inevitable that Coke is more than a sweet caramel coloured carbonated drink. Indeed, judging by the number of collectors of Coke paraphernalia (and their sheer enthusiasm), it is clear that many are infected by its philosophy of happiness.

Join me on a visual tour of Coke through the past and present, while feasting your eyes on its delectable collectibles!

This magazine advertisement is more than a century old, but its still charming don't you think?

I'm sure many collectors would love this vintage Coke serving tray.

My personal favourite are these Coca-Cola Yo Yos. I still recall how these were the top-of-the-line ones compared to the "unbranded" varieties (no kidding!).

Another icy cold blast from the past. Can any Tamil speaking friends identify what the words mean?

Naturally, the most iconic item are these bottles of Coke over the decades.

Ted signing some autographs from Coke collectors in Singapore. I'm sure it would be worth lots one day!

Trivial pursuit Coke style. Can you guess the answer to this question?

How about this more recent example?

A lucky winner of a collector's item Coke straw dispenser.

Coke's repository somehow reminded me of NHB's own Heritage Conservation Centre. Of course, most of the items here are splashed in scarlet red!

Ted seemed especially proud of his involvement in creating this line of fashion designer Coke bottles.

This is good advice for any FMCG brand around the world.

Our parents and grandparents were probably Coke drinkers in the past too.

In case you don't already know, the red-suited pudgy Santa was a creation of Coke way back in 1931! Somehow or other, Coke ads always captures the Christmas spirit for me.

I can still remember this advertisement and its everlasting melody: "I like to teach the world to sing....."

Its time for the charity auction (all proceeds to the Red Cross). Ted holds up an age-old Coke thermometer.

Tiffany is next with a collector's item coffee table book (circa 1986/87).

An antique coke-bottle shaped radio for sale. I believe its still working.

Three out-of-print Coke calendars held by June, Laura and Tiffany.

A final item for auction - the original musical notes of a song specially composed by Coke. I wonder how it sounds like? A total of $648 was raised and this was topped up by Coke making it a total of $1,296 for the Red Cross Food Aid. This will go towards feeding 3 families for this year.

A family portrait with Coke collectors, staff, bloggers and Ted Ryan.

Finally a goodie bag from Coke with items to add to my collection. My son immediately rushed to consume that bottle of Coke!

The Lean Startup: Book Review

2013-04-17T20:55:00.000+08:00

Creators of new products in environments of extreme uncertainty, startups face enormous risks. In the US, about 50% of small businesses fail in the first five years. Insufficient capital, over investment, and low sales are just some of the reasons leading to this sobering statistic.

As a startup owner, what can you do to improve your chances?

Enter The Lean Startup, a New York Times bestseller by founder of IMVU (creator of 3D avatars) Eric Ries.

Borrowing heavily from lean manufacturing pioneered by Toyota as well as his own entrepreneurial experiences in IMVU, The Lean Startup proposes that companies can be a lot more capital efficient without hampering human creativity. Through rapid experimentation, short product development cycles, and rigorous measurements of the right metrics, they can ascertain what customers really want. This reduces guesswork, time, money and effort.

Embracing the principle of genchi gembutsu - translated in English as "go and see for yourself" - Ries regaled how Toyota's manager for Sienna minivan Yuji Yokoya went on a 53,000 mile trip around North America to understand firsthand what consumers wanted in a minivan. Such direct experiences allows one to test critical "leap-of-faith" assumptions about what customers like and dislike.

Key ideas from the book include the following:

1) Customer development (the understanding of customer needs) must be married to agile development (a process which drives waste out of product development). Not doing so would end up in wasteful innovations and features that customers do not want.

2) Validated learning should be the goal of all entrepreneurs. Through learning milestones approximated to stages of a company's development, one could achieve positive improvements in a it's core metrics.

3) The Lean Startup's core is represented by the Build-Measure-Learn feedback loop. Here, one should build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) for early adopters, roll it out in the market and measure outcomes via innovation accounting, learn what works (and what doesn't), and determine if one should stick to one's hypothesis or switch course, ie pivot or persevere.

A good way to bring this all together is illustrated by Sacha Chua below:

Courtesy of Sacha Chua

4) As highlighted above, innovation accounting is a way of measuring progress through actionable metrics that help to tie in cause and effect. Unlike vanity metrics often found in standard accounting practices, innovation accounting leverages on an MVP to obtain real market data and uses these to propagate value adding improvements.

5) After learning what worked and what didn't, entrepreneurs need to either pivot or persevere. This moment of truth should be viewed objectively (think scientific experiments). Pivots can take the form of changes to singular product features, customer segments, platforms, business architecture, growth engines, technology and more.

6) Small batches inherently work better than large ones. Changes are more easily made to any step of the process and the costs of rework are far lower.

7) There are principally three engines of growth in any startup. The sticky engine of growth entails retaining customers through minimising attrition while growing slowly, the viral engine comprises exponential growth through word-of-mouth means, while the paid engine looks at advertising and other costs (sales staff) to drive growth.

8) Finally, entrepreneurs should build adaptive organisations which have cultures valuing learning from mistakes while operating with discipline. By asking the five Whys, root causes of problems can be more easily ferreted out. However, one must be mindful not to let it degenerate into a blame game.

In summary, The Lean Startup is an invaluable resource for anybody charged with starting a new business venture - be they entrepreneurs or intrapreneurs. By embracing the philosophy of thinking big and starting small coupled with a meticulous step-by-step analysis of what went right or wrong, startups can improve their chances of success.

Productivity (a huge bugbear here in Singapore) can also be raised as process efficiency can be linked more directly to the market. This is imperative in today's inherently risky and uncertain business environment.

For more information, do check out The Lean Startup website which has many useful links to learning resources.

Heart, Smarts, Guts, and Luck: Book Review

2013-04-15T20:46:00.000+08:00

What are entrepreneurs and business builders made of? Who should you bring to your team at different stages of growth, and why?

The answers, according to venture capitalists and business leaders Anthony K. Tjan, Richard J. Harrington and Tsun-Yan Hsieh, are contained their book Heart, Smarts, Guts, and Luck (HSGL). Tackling the human aspect of entrepreneurship, leadership and management, the book surmised that each of us are biased towards one of four traits - namely heart, smarts, guts, or luck - in our decision-making processes.

Encouraging business leaders to heighten their sense of self-awareness, HSGL blends psychology, entrepreneurship, and business strategy into a compelling new science of entrepreneurial leadership.
The epicentre of its thesis revolves around an Entrepreneurial Aptitude Test (E.A.T.) which determine how much heart, smarts, guts or luck you have. (Try it here - it's quite fun and illuminating)

To supplement the E.A.T. and HSGL framework, the authors have developed "True North" questions for reflection. Spurring deep personal reflection, these probing questions include the following:
- Do you like your idea, but have no idea how it will make money?
- Are you willing to embrace your own vulnerability and humility?
- What is the most pragmatic way you can attack your business intent?

Let me now highlight the salient points of each attribute.

Heart

Three distinguishing traits are found in Heart-driven individuals: purpose (and passion); sacrifice and agape (self-sacrificial love); and nuance (the little actions veering towards obsessive perfection). Idea generators and cultural leaders, these "big picture" individuals have a strong sense of vision and values, helping to differentiate one business from another.

Commonly found in most business founders who take the greatest risks and reap the greatest rewards, Heart-driven individuals are more emotional than logical. They are occasionally blindsided by their obsession for their ideas and need to complement their passion with the right capabilities and market acceptance to succeed. The ultimate True North question here is this: If you have all the money you ever want, what would you choose to do?

Smarts

Four dimensions of what the authors term "Business Smarts" can be found here, namely:

1) Book Smarts: people like the wizards of Wall Street (or Silicon Valley) who are masters at research, analysis, strategic planning, code and number crunching;

2) Street Smarts: the guy who has risen to success through "experience, tenacity and a few skinned knees";

3) People Smarts: folks who can intuit how people will react in particular situations, prioritise relationships and develop talent; and

4) Creative Smarts: geniuses who are phenomenal at predicting and sensing patterns, kind of like Guy Laliberte (founder of Cirque du Soleil).

At its core, Smarts is about recognising patterns and being able to grasp both macro and micro trends earlier and faster than most ordinary humans.

Guts

Epitomised by the icon of a lion, Guts is the courage to make things happen with the will to act, particularly in three critical junctures of an enterprise:

1) Guts to initiate: taking a leap of faith into the unknown and starting something new, despite an uncertain future;

2) Guts to endure: persisting and persevering despite the short-term difficulties, with the longer-term end goal in mind;

3) Guts to evolve: having the self-awareness and readiness to pivot, evolve or reset a business.

Restless and relentless, the Guts-dominant folks are not daunted by trials and tribulations. While some are born with it, others can acquire it through the right training and habits that compel one to face one's fear.

Luck

Luck-dominant people embrace a "Lucky Attitude" characterised by humility, intellectual curiosity, and optimism. They also build a "Lucky Network" where they deal openly with people in relationships characterised by vulnerability, authenticity, and generosity.

While dumb luck and constitutional luck (where you're born, who your parents are, etc) can't really be controlled, the odds for circumstantial luck can be improved. By adopting the attributes of a lucky attitude and a thoughtful and expansive lucky network, the chances for a lucky outcome are higher. Moreover, a positive disposition is always useful as it increases the likelihood of "surprise" encounters of good fortune while downplaying the effects of bad luck.

Bringing it Together

To bring it together, the authors introduce us to three business archetypes - founder, scaler and extender. At each inflexion point in the growth of a business (following Peter Drucker's S-curve), different proportions of HSGL are needed. During the founding and extending stages, Heart and Guts may be more important while the scaling stage of continuous growth may require more Smarts. The book also describes what are known as "iconoclasts" - true geniuses who have it all such as Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos, and our very own former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew.

Towards the end of Heart, Smarts, Gut and Luck, the authors provide a "bonus tips" section comprising eight Wisdom Manifestos. Culled from their years of experience, they include principles such as "Think big, start small, then scale fast", "Be the best at something", and "Accountability makes or breaks your culture".

Written in an easily digestible format, Heart, Smarts, Gut and Luck captures the essence of personal leadership. Delving deeply into the heart and soul of what true entrepreneurship is about, it questions fundamental tenets of our beliefs as business builders, leaders and managers. Highly recommended reading for anybody keen to understand themselves better.

Special thanks to Huijin Kong of LinHart Group for the complimentary copy!

Psst! Wanna Hear the Secret To Success?

2013-04-13T23:20:00.000+08:00

Can you guess what my name is? (courtesy of Film Quest)

Secrets. Mysteries. Codes. Puzzles. Riddles.

These are the stuff of books, movies, television programmes and radio shows. They tease us, allure us, and tempt us, drawing us deep into an enshrouded shrine of enchantment where magic potions and incantations are formulated.

Many Asian societies and cultures are veiled in secrecy. With our heavy emphasis on not losing face, familial scandals are kept hush hush. Traditional family businesses also make it a point not to reveal age-old recipes for success. These are fiercely guarded behind locked doors, kept far away from prying eyes.

In the social age, secrets are no longer treasured and revered. They're also disappearing faster than speeding bullets.

With the omniscient and omnipresent Google, rise of 24/7 cyber-sleuths, and rampant sharing by a generation of digital natives, transparency and openness becomes the order of the day.

If information isn't free, well it probably costs just a few cents now.

Trying to police the Internet for copyright infringements and piracy is like using a bucket to empty a lake. The irony is that the more you try to stop people from spreading something, the more encouraged they are to do so. This is why Wikileaks, The Pirate Bay and numerous other "naughty" websites proliferate, each disseminating data, information, and content freely and unabashedly.

What should one do then?

Should we invest in stronger locks and sterner penalties? Should we restrict circulation of all strategic plans to the privileged few in upper management?

Should we even *gasp* cut ourselves off from the Internet?

There are a few things here.

First, understand that there really isn't a "secret sauce" to personal, corporate or business success.

Winning in any game is not just a matter of conceiving a brilliant strategy or possessing an encyclopedic "all knowing" mind. Rather, it is the combination of smarts with hard work, luck, acumen, emotional resilience, the right networks and perseverance.

Knowledge alone isn't enough to guarantee success in business. If it is, all the university professors in the world should be gazillionaires running huge conglomerates.

Any business that can be so easily "overtaken" by copycats probably isn't worth doing in the first place. In fact, studies have shown that pioneers in many new technologies - the cutting-edge technology leaders and radical innovators - often aren't the eventual market leaders in their industries.

Everybody knows why The Ritz Carlton is such an award winning hotel. In fact, its key processes, service strategies and staff training systems are openly shared at the Ritz-Carlton Leadership Centre.

Ditto with the Disney Institute (for the Walt Disney Company) and Singapore's very own SQ Centre (for our national carrier Singapore Airlines).

Despite being open and transparent with their success strategies, these leading beacons in the hospitality, entertainment and airline industries aren't in danger of being overtaken by competitors. On the contrary, the open sharing of their business strategies actually made these companies more iconic, respected and legendary.

The proof of the pudding isn't in memorising the recipe or knowing in theory how its made. Rather, it lies in gathering the right ingredients, kneading the dough with the right amount of force, and baking it in the right oven, at the right temperature, for the right duration. And of course, tasting it at the end of the process.

In other words, having a copy of Chef Wolfgang Puck's recipe books doesn't mean that you can open a two-Michelin-star restaurant.

Naturally, there will still be privileged information that you need to keep under lock and key. These include customer data, detailed financial information, pricing strategies, and profit margins of key products. You may also want to keep the R&D findings and engineering designs of your next "disruptive innovation" cloaked in secrecy.

While that may be true, there is still a lot of useful information that you should share with your stakeholders. These could include your thoughts on how technology is shaping your operations, what customers are looking out for, or the history of your company.

Indeed, where possible, provide regular news and updates on your company. Share an amusing anecdote about your employees or your CEO. Show that you're human and trying, even though you may be a 10,000 man strong firm.

You could also encourage your communities to share their views and thoughts with you. Engage in an open discussion to let them know what can - and cannot - be done. Be transparent where it matters, which is as much as you can possibly be without giving away critical information.

By openly sharing the story of your business and what it does, you're able to draw employees, shareholders and partners closer to you. Show how your customers have benefited or better yet, encourage them to tell the tale. Doing so allows you to better engage your stakeholders while encouraging them to identify more closely with your vision, mission, beliefs, and values.

What are your views on secrecy and transparency? How can we balance between these competing needs?

Penning a Persuasive Proposal

2013-04-11T21:30:00.002+08:00

Image courtesy of MD Journey

Writing is an art and a science. Often, it involves the right alchemy of formula, focus and flow.

Effective writing of internal "pitch" documents is an important managerial skill. Through well articulated plans, proposals and submissions, one can lobby for much needed budgets, manpower or other resources to support one's work.

Before putting fingers to keyboard, however, do consider the following pointers:

Begin with the End in Mind

The first thing to do is ask: "What problem/problems are we trying to solve?". This should be articulated clearly and succinctly in the Objectives/Aim of the paper.

Paint the Background

Our next step is to provide some context to the issue. This helps first-time readers - especially those who do not work in the organisation - to gain a better appreciation of the situation.

Normally, a Background section of one to two paragraphs (50 to 100 words each) would suffice. Anything longer might just bore the reader.

State the Issues

Next, identify the challenges faced in the form of a Current Analysis. Explain why the status quo won't do, and be as prescriptive and accurate as possible.

In strategic planning, you can further employ tools such as the PEST analysis, SWOT analysis, or scenario planning. Don't go overboard trying to explain your situation though as brevity is an advantage here.

Understand the Competition

There are two schools of thought here.

Some feel that benchmarking helps one to learn from market leaders. Others, however, feel that it may result in a "copycat" strategy.

If you choose to do this, consider four different forms of benchmarking:

1) With industry market leaders, particularly competitors;

2) With organisations from different industries, but clear superiority in specific areas. For example, IBM for employment practices, Google for innovation, or Ritz Carlton for service;

3) With international industry leading institutions and companies.

Propose a Strategic Solution (or Three)

Now that the competitive environment is well understood, one should propose the appropriate Strategies. These can be as complex as an entirely new business model, or as simple as streamlining an existing process.

Occasionally, it may be necessary to propose different Options, explaining each in detail before narrowing down to a preferred approach. People like to make choices, and doing so aids the decision making process.

Drill Down to Tactics

Having a grand strategy isn't enough. You have to make it work.

Here's where Tactics come into play. Unlike strategies, tactics are the nuts and bolts of what you're going to do.

Do be mindful of the following common errors:

1) Mistaking tactics and operational duties for strategy. Describing how many press releases you are going to write, or how many artworks you are going to display aren't strategy. Those are tactics. Strategy would be positioning your enterprise in a different fashion, or allowing your visitors to be curators;

2) Omitting critical details from the proposal. The trick here is to gauge the right level of information for the right audiences.

Timelines, Budgets and Officers In Charge

To manage any project effectively, include the following implementation details:

1) Timelines, which can be articulated in the form of a gantt or timeline chart.

2) Budget/s needed for the entire exercise, as well as the sources of those funds.

3) Officers In Charge of the various components of the projects. Duties and responsibilities should be clearly described to ensure proper follow through.

Measure Outcomes

Finally, consider the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or Outcomes achieved at the end of the exercise. These should fulfill the stated Objectives at the start of the document.

The best KPIs are SMART, ie:

1) Specific
2) Measurable
3) Accurate
4) Relevant
5) Time-bound

Last But Not Least

Finally, include a Conclusion, summarising the key action items. If necessary, reiterate key points from earlier paragraphs and state where approval or decision is needed.

Naturally, not all internal memos need to be this elaborate. There would be some that omit certain sections (eg best practices or current analyses) if they are a continuation of earlier strategic plans.

Whatever the case may be, considering these steps would help you to write more systematically and effectively. Hopefully, it'd help you to achieve greater success in winning over your internal stakeholders while securing much needed resources for your projects.

WTF! The Story of Two Fry Guys

2013-04-09T22:34:00.003+08:00

27 year old Melvin Ong (above) has a vision. And that is to be the king of fries in Singapore.

Together with his partner Steve Tan (also 27), Melvin owns and operates What The Fries! - a snack food outlet located at the basement of J Cube Mall. With the cheeky acronym WTF, the stall has been in operation slightly over a year (it opened on 2 Apr 2012). It serves savoury snacks like Golden Nuggets, Mexicali Wings, Roasted Drumlets, Sunny Hunny Wings, and lots of fries.

Occupying some 23 sq m (246 sq ft) in area, What The Fries! prides itself on only serving premium imported US thick cut fries. According to the partners, these specially sourced fries are supplied only to five and six star hotel restaurants. Cooked only upon ordering, they are served hot and crispy while remaining moist and fluffy on the inside.

Beyond perfecting its potatoes (they do taste yummy!), the outlet also prides itself on its range of dips and sauces, most of which are Asian-inspired. Patrons can choose from original flavours like Wasabi, Sweet Thai Chilli, Nacho Cheese, Beef Bolognese, Herbie Mayonnaise and Chilli Crab.

To provide greater variety to customers, What The Fries! also introduced curly fries and potato wedges. More recently, pasta with cheesy beef bolognese sauce has been added to the menu, catering to those who hanker after something more substantial during meal times.

These fries, wings, pasta and dips are yummilicious!

Naturally, the fries snacking business is a pretty crowded one. When asked how What The Fries! hopes to compete against larger fries specialists as well as the huge fast food chains, Melvin highlighted WTF's unique selling points:

1) The use of premium US thick cut fries as highlighted. These are specially sourced from Steve's family business supplying food ingredients to leading hotels in Singapore.

2) The emphasis on uniquely created sauces and dips made with quality ingredients.

3) The process of frying only upon fresh orders, with no batch frying, refrying or pre-frying. While customers may have to wait for longer periods, Melvin is confident that the better taste of their fries are worth the wait.

Friends since secondary school, Melvin and Steve are both fry fanatics. Before building the business, their penchant for potatoes saw them traveling to Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan in their quest to uncover the perfect Asian-tasting french fry. Their journeys sparked off the idea that fries can actually take centre-stage in a meal rather than be relegated to a side dish. Furthermore, the creation of innovative and flavourful sauces and dips enhances the savoury experience of eating fries.

With this in mind, the partners went to source for suitable locations. Due to the somewhat saucy acronym (WTF) of their outlet, they initially faced rejections from various landlords in shopping malls. Fortunately, the partners persevered and found a suitable partner in Capital Mall which was more amenable to the cheeky brand name. Hence, the J Cube Mall outlet was opened.

Splitting their responsibilities equally - Melvin takes charge of operations and marketing while Steve does admin and product development - the partners are equal shareholders. For the initial stages of their business, the bulk of their start-up investments went to equipment, brand development (logo, signages, posters, menus, brochures), renovations and rental deposits.

For Melvin, his passion for the business spurred him to quit a decent paying career in financial planning to become a full-time entrepreneur. Initially, the demands of both jobs made it difficult for him to juggle his time and energies. When push came to shove, it was the fries which won. Fortunately, the business broke even within its first year.

Like any F&B business, manpower is a major challenge for What The Fries! Recent increases in foreign worker levy made it harder for them to hire foreign help while locals tend to shun such jobs. Over the past year, Melvin had to work retail hours almost seven days a week, assisted by two part-timers. Fortunately, the partners managed to hire a full-timer recently, freeing Melvin to spend more time developing and growing the fledgling fry business.

As a start-up, getting the word out was critical. Fortunately, What The Fries! managed to garner modest success in publicity, with coverage in Straits Times Life!, Women’s Weekly (where it was given the Golden Plate Award) and Teenage Magazine. Celebrity comedian Chua Enlai (aka Pornsak of the Noose) also patronised their outlet.

For the road ahead, Melvin and Steve will open a second outlet at Suntec City in July 2013, followed by a third in August 2013. Optimistic about the future, the partners enthused that they "want to be the leaders in the fries retail industry by providing the best service and quality of food at an affordable cost to our customers."

Melvin and Steve's words of advice to would-be entrepreneurs is to "..never give up, just do it! You'll never know if you never try." To succeed in the F&B business, they emphasised that quality, service and cost are vital.

Tina and Ethan digging into some wings and fries

Do check out What The Fries! at the basement of J Cube Mall (#B1-K09) and indulge in some fabulous fries today.

Tell to Win: Book Review

2013-04-07T22:01:00.002+08:00

Imagine watching a magical performance by David Copperfield.

Rather than dazzle you with his breathtaking acts, Copperfield regales you the audience with his childhood story. He relates how his grandfather - a crusty old man - never gave Copperfield or his father the approval they craved.

Suddenly, the room goes quiet. As Copperfield shares how his father's early dreams of acting were dashed, replaced with becoming a lingerie salesmen, you're transported inside the story. Copperfield next describes how magic helped him overcome his shy gawky youth. How he persevered despite his grand dad's prediction that he would be a failure. And lastly, how he missed the chance to say goodbye when his grandfather died.

With a beginning like, the audience would be doubly spellbound - not just with the tricks but the magic of Copperfield's personal story.

That, according to Peter Guber, is the power of Tell to Win.

Crafted from his decades of experience as Chairman and CEO of Mandalay Entertainment, Sony Pictures, Polygram and more, Tell to Win guides us on the art and science of storytelling as a tool for business. By employing these techniques, we could "move beyond soulless PowerPoint slides, facts and figures to create purposeful stories that can serve as powerful calls to action".

Setting the Stage

The first part of the book - There's No Business Without Story Business - paints the backdrop for storytelling. To be vehicles for emotional transportation, stories need to have characters and heroes that people can relate to, drama to move the heart, and "Ah ha!" moments that click.

Understanding the contexts of one's audience is key, and so is empathy. We should also take control of our own backstory and leverage the backstories of our listeners and viewers.

Here we're taught the three key elements of a story:
a) a beginning which shines light on the challenge or problem;
b) a middle which depicts the struggle around that challenge; and
c) an ending with a resolution that ignites a call for action from the listener.

The Art of the Tell

In the meatier second part of the book - The Art of the Tell - we're walked through a three step process to develop compelling stories of our own:

1) Ready...

Preparation is the key to success. Demonstrate authenticity and congruence, show that you've got "skin in the game", and emotionalise your offerings to resonate with your listeners. Understanding who your audience is - their backgrounds, interests, prejudices, and contexts - is vital here.

2) Set...

Next, identify who your heroes are. They can be you (the teller), the listener, customer, product, location, tribe, or any other entity so long as they're appropriate for the goal. Personal or witnessed experiences provide the best raw material for the story, while metaphors and analogies fuel the imagination of listeners.

You should also leverage powerful narratives from the information obtained, books, movies, and history to transport your audience emotionally to your call for action.

3) Tell...

It's showtime!

To tell the tale, you should get into the right mental and emotional state. High energy levels are critical here. Bring forth vivid experiences to your audiences, demonstrate vulnerability (where appropriate) and be so persistent that you can change a "no" into an "on".

To capture audience attention, be mindful of what messages your body language is conveying. Be interactive, engage their senses, arouse curiosity, listen actively, and be willing to drop the script should the occasion call for it.

Surrender control of your story such that your audience owns it (and is willing to tell it forward). If necessary, deploy the right props, tools and resources.

State-of-the-Heart Technology

The most powerful feature of Tell to Win are its vivid case studies overflowing with the "Who's Who" in entertainment, politics, sports and media. They include former US President Bill Clinton, Wally Amos (of Famous Amos Cookies), Oprah Winfrey, Magic Johnson, Muhammad Ali, Carl Sagan, Michael Jackson, and many more.

Collectively, these voices lent great credence to Guber's ideas. They also made the learning points more memorable and impactful.

Towards the end of the book, Guber acknowledges that storytelling technologies like blogs, YouTube videos, Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms could change how storytelling evolves. However, nothing beats face-to-face telling.

Interesting, this is backed by digital maven Brian Solis who shared that "...social media engagement in general are not catalysts for the kind of critical heart-mind energy that humans share when we're in the same room."

In summary, Tell to Win is highly recommended for anybody keen to craft, deliver and own stories that can move audiences to become "passionate advocates" for their goal. Written in an engaging narrative itself, the book is a compelling read that strikes a chord with its readers.

Is Blogging Going To Die?

2013-04-05T17:54:00.000+08:00

Courtesy of gregsshitlist.org

By now you would have read numerous articles proclaiming the death of the blog. Like this, this, this, this and this.

Friends are also telling me that nobody blogs anymore. Some of their sound bites goes like this:

"Blogs are dumb. They're long, boring, and clumsy to read on smartphones."

"People aren't reading these days. They're scanning information in bite-sized pieces."

"Everybody is on Facebook. That's where you need to be."

"The era of blogs is over. We're now living in a world of mobile apps on Android and iOS platforms."

Admittedly, I do feel a little stupid at times. After all, it isn't easy churning out blog post after blog post every 2 to 3 days, come hell or highwater.

For sure blogs aren't as powerful a platform for influence as they used to be. Compared to social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Google +, blogs are a little "old school" in how they handle discussions.

Comments are not that visible on blogs. Responses often lag compared to the "real time" action on the newer networks. What's more, you can't "like" a comment on a blog (well at least those on older platforms).

Social networks like Facebook, Flickr, Google + and Instagram are also superior to blogs for photographs. With their ability to push pictures right up front, these networks are a boon for photography enthusiasts (which is like almost.. err.. everybody).

These platforms also allow you to tag, share, and organise your pictures into galleries quickly and efficiently, without having to tangle with the HTML re-sizing, cutting and pasting on blogs.

With so much stacked against blogs, why are people still blogging?

More specifically, why am I still blogging?

For a start, I do enjoy the flexibility of blogs in accommodating a wide range of content in any shape or size. I love the ability to write in a fairly largish empty white space, spilling digital ink on a fairly empty electronic canvas.

I also relish how I can embellish my blog post with photos, videos and other content as and when I like. While other social platforms may excel in inculcating interaction, blogs are unparalleled in providing a richer content experience.

Blogs are also far easier to search and to archive old content. I can locate an old blog post fairly easily based on keywords and dates. Try doing that with a Facebook photo or a tweet that you've shared 2 years ago!

Fortunately for social media old fogeys like me, Google still loves blogs. Of course, it helps that my blog is on Blogger - a Google owned platform - but I believe that other blogging platforms can be just as easily optimised for search engine traffic. While Facebook is the most heavily used social network, it is still a walled garden (albeit a humungously ginormous one).

Finally, and most importantly, my blog is a piece of digital real estate that I can truly call my own - without incurring the hassle or cost of my own website. While LinkedIn does a brilliant job in connecting me to other professionals and in documenting my career achievements over the years, it isn't meant to serve as a content platform. Ditto for Facebook, Twitter, Plurk, Path, Instagram or other social networks.

To answer the question in the headline then, I would say that blogs aren't dead. Not by a long shot. While some of their lustre has been dimmed by newer shinier and brighter objects, I believe that blogs will still be a solid anchor of the social age.

In a way, this mirrors the evolution of media - from printed publications, radio, television, website, blogs, social networks, apps and other content platforms. Each successive generation of content platform will diminish the one before. However, I do not see them sounding the death knell of previous platforms so long as these continue to offer value to consumers in their own unique ways.

Do you agree with me?

PS - I actually blogged about the death of blogging almost 6 years ago following a post by Steve Rubel in 2007. The fact that both of us are still actively blogging shows that we're both wrong!

Singapore Invents World's 1st 3D Plastic Film

2013-04-03T21:39:00.000+08:00

Ahh the wonders of 3D. If only we can get rid of those ugly 3D glasses...

Well, apparently, now we can. In a world's first for Singapore, A*STAR's Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), together with Temasek Polytechnic (TP), has developed a new plastic film which empowers your handheld device to display 3D images and videos. This nano-engineered screen protector allows you to view 3D movies and photos using your smartphones and tablets without needing to wear those pesky red and green spectacles!

Representatives from TP, Nanoveu and A*STAR's ETPL signing the licensing agreement

To be marketed by new start-up Nanoveu Pte Ltd as "EyeFly 3D", this pioneering invention led by Mr Frank Chan of TP employs IMRE's proprietary nano imprinting technology to imbue a plastic film with half a million miniscule but perfectly shaped lenses. These nano (ie truly infinitesimal) sized lenses are so minute that they do not compromise your normal "2D" viewing experience on handheld devices. As the brightness of the displays are not affected (and hence there is no need for you increase its intensity), battery life will not be affected.

Complementing the filter, the research team has developed applications for Apple iOS and Android devices which enable users to view 3D videos from YouTube and other sources in the palm of their hands. Unlike other 3D filters, EyeFly 3D allows users to play and view 3D content in both landscape and portrait formats. These apps allow 2D pictures taken with mobile devices to be converted to 3D.

Software development kits and plug-ins will also be developed to enable game developers to create 3D versions of their games. Imagine playing a 3D version of Temple Run or Smurf's Village on your iPhone!

Beyond delivering glass and distortion free 2D/3D videos, photos and games on smartphones and tablets, the nanotechnology deployed for EyeFly 3D can also be used for security applications. One possibility is to explore how security access tokens using this technology can be deployed to decode PIN numbers sent online.

Inspired by nature (think the multiple lenses in the eyes of a housefly), EyeFly 3D uses age old lenticular lens technology that has been around for the last century, modernised it, and patented it using nanotechnology.

To ensure that a strong pipeline of 3D content is made available, partnerships with Tiny Island productions and other content providers are currently being inked by Nanoveu. In addition, the team is also working with Apple's iTunes to see if 3D movies, videos and games can be better aggregated.

This blurry image will be clear (and in 3D) with EyeFly 3D

Made possible by an initial investment of $600,000 partially funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) Translational R&D Grant in Dec 2010, this two-year project was commercialised with further funding support and exclusive licensing from Exploit Technologies Pte Ltd (ETPL), A*STAR's technology transfer arm.

ETPL also provided the gap funding for prototype development, linked the team to investors like Beacon Ventures, fine tune the product for commercial manufacturing, and source for the right manufacturing partner. Plans are underway from the team to secure an additional $1.2 million of funds to reach a total start-up capital of $1.8 million.

For its initial debut in mid April 2013, EyeFly 3D will be available for iPhone 5 and iPod devices and distributed at stores like EpiCentre. Over the next two to four months, new versions of the film would be developed for the iPad and Android devices.

The launch price of the EyeFly 3D is currently estimated to be about US$34.95 (ie S$44.70) per plastic film.

Check out Nanoveu's website for more details of this breakthrough yet affordable technology.

SG Rating - A Tool for Consumer Businesses

2013-04-02T21:19:00.000+08:00

Customer service is one of the most talked about topics in Singapore. Hell hath no fury like a Singaporean customer scorned. At the same time, we have this incredible obsession to share what we eat, wear, buy and do, often with "value-added" comments ("yay" or "nay").

Unfortunately, retailers and F&B operators are often oblivious of what their customers think. While a few do trawl the web to search for answers (good or bad), most continue their operations in blissful ignorance.

With SG Rating, consumer businesses can tune in to what their customers feel as soon as they've completed their transactions. Operating on iOS and Android devices like smartphones and tablets, this mobile app created by iAPPS Pte Ltd allows consumers to vote on their experience onsite while reducing the hassle of filling in paper forms. To encourage greater social sharing, customer ratings are automatically posted on SG Rating's Facebook page.

From a business perspective, SG Rating helps owners and managers to understand what their customers truly think of their service on a "real-time" basis. Reports on service experience can be generated, alerting them on possible "crises" which could be nipped in the bud.

To incentivise consumers to download the app (its free), businesses can reward them with points that can be used to redeem future products or services. They can also offer lucky draws as carrots to elicit customer feedback.

Here's a screen by screen walk-through for merchants to understand how it works.

Logging in is fairly easy and straightforward.

On the home panel, you can see your average rating, ranking in specific sectors, and notifications on surveys made. A summary of service ratings can also be viewed.

For the today notification menu, the time in which surveys are done, and the names of users can be determined (if they choose to identify themselves).

The overall statistics menu allows merchants to see what their average ratings are. This can be divided by industry, category, and time period.

The outcomes of each question can also be determined as seen above. Here, merchants can discern where they do well and where they fail.

While the idea behind the app is great, I felt that its integration with its Facebook page could be better organised. Having an endless stream of customer rating updates on Facebook doesn't really add any value to subscribers - on the contrary, it may irritate them so much that they "unlike" the page.

SG Rating also needs to work with its merchants on ways to encourage shop floor colleagues to nudge customers to provide their feedback. This could perhaps take the form of an incentive for number of ratings collected.

Care must also be taken to ensure that this tool is used to improve standards rather than to track staff performance. Nothing irks workers more than a "Big Brother" app which customers can use to "get back at them".

SG Rating is available in Apple's iTunes Store and Google Play Store, and can also be accessed via Facebook and SG Rating's website.

Would you use a service such as SG Rating?

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You

2013-03-31T21:19:00.000+08:00

Image courtesy of Desk Topped

Screens, screens and more screens.

With smartphones, tablets, laptops, and of course the good old TV (or Apple TV for the gadget geeks) and cinema, everybody is staring at an electronic device. Lifestyles have certainly changed in the hyper-connected new social era, enabled by digital gadgets that are perpetually connected to the web.

Thanks to a blog post by Brian Solis on Google's report The New Multi-screen World: Understanding Cross-Platform Consumer Behavior, we now have a better understanding of how screens dominate our lives.

Let me highlight some salient statistics from the report and what its implications are for us.

First, almost all our interactions with media are screen based. Essentially, this means that we're not only logging on to Facebook or Twitter using our mobiles or tablets, but we're also consuming the news and listening to music on a screen.

With such a huge dominance of the screen over newspapers, magazine and radio, it is clear that marketing content must now be crafted to fit a dynamic rather than static channel. Creative concepts and "big ideas" must be relevant to multi-media platforms, with visuals, narratives and interactive elements that optimise the properties of screens.

Second, our online time is spread between four media devices - smartphones, tablets, PCs/laptops, and TVs. As you can see from the graphic above, our time per interaction is limited to 45 minutes or less. Consumption of content thus becomes one of snacking on bite-sized bits as opposed to full-length features.

The implications of this is that "marketing" content needs to be even more attractive and alluring than before. As there are a quadrillion things that I want to do on my screens, the last thing I want to do is to stare through a boring cookie cutter presentation.

Third, we are using screens in sequence, switching from one to another.

Smartphones are the most common points to start (since they're so convenient), followed by PCs/laptops and tablets. Often, screen switching occurs due to the need to do more complex work that may require a full keyboard to key in details. Interestingly, smartphones and tablets tend to work in exclusion of each other since both offer mostly similar features.

Fourth, many of us are using screens simultaneously.

If we look at the graphic above, we can see that it isn't rare for somebody to email, browse the internet and "like" a Facebook post in quick succession. Often, the "main screen" being played in the background is the TV, while each of us would hold either a smartphone or a tablet to browse the web, tweet, or play a game.

While the TV is largely a passive entertainment device, the three smaller screens have a slightly different focus:

1) Computers keep us productive and informed. PCs or laptops are also the most common place for us embark on more complex activities.

2) Smartphones keep us connected. They are also the most common place to start for online activities.

3) Tablets keep us entertained. They're also great for shopping, planning holidays, or booking of cinema tickets.

With the ubiquity of screens in our lives, it is important for marketers to consider how our content can be made more "screen-tastic", ie vivid (sight, sound, movement), succinct, share-able, interactive and transactional.

Content also needs to be tailored to fit different sized screens, with mobile and tablet friendly versions being the norm rather than the exception. As consumers jump from one screen to another, a common digital memory is needed so that they needn't repeatedly key in the same information for each transaction.

Can't Buy Me Like: Book Review

2013-03-29T06:56:00.000+08:00

Do you know that most TV ad viewers avert their eyes the moment a company's brand appears?

Or that 6 out of 7 "megaviral" branded videos - think Subservient Chicken and Old Spice Man - are jump-started with paid seedings?

Seasoned with startling facts like these, Can't Buy Me Like by long-time journalist Bob Garfield and CEO of MEPlusYOU Doug Levy is a rollicking read. With the onset of what the authors call the "Relationship Era", companies are urged to shift from transaction and campaign-oriented consumer marketing to a more purposeful, trust-oriented form of relationship era marketing.

Like other "social" marketing books of its ilk, the book begins with a sordid scenario depicting the demise of mass-marketing. Ad revenue for print has declined by two-thirds over the last 15 years in the US, while TV commercials are stymied by DVRs owned by 40 percent of US households. These precipitous drops are accelerated by the increasing lack of trust amongst consumers in candy-coated corporate brand-speak.

To arrest this, Garfield and Levy proposes that Trust needs to be brought back into the marketing - and business - equation. Brands with a strong foothold in trust can build richer and more sustainable relationships with their constituents, compared to those focused purely on transactions. This can be represented by the top right quadrant in the authors' Brand Sustainability Map below:

Brand Sustainability Map courtesy of the relationship era

In the book, trust is represented by three "Cs":

1) Credibility: The ability to say what you mean, and mean what you say. "If the M&Ms melt in your hand, and not in your mouth..." ;

2) Care: Actually caring about the lives of your consumers and constructing your business to be as helpful as you can; and

3) Congruency: Ensuring that the intangibles of an organisation - beliefs, values and purpose - are authentically aligned to the wavelengths of consumers.

Before building a sustainable brand infused with the goodness of Trust, one needs to discern one's purpose. Here, we're told how enlightened companies like Patagonia, Zappos, Charles Schwab and even (gasp) Krispy Kreme Doughnuts embraced higher callings while earning lots of consumer love in the process. This can be done by addressing your "Whys" followed by your "Hows" and "Whats" (ala Simon Sinek).

To bring it all together, companies should measure their "social engagement" metrics (think number of shares, comments, likes, reposts, etc) while embracing a six-step process as follows:

1) Listen, particularly on social platforms, to discern what your publics are truly concerned about. Using Venn diagrams, you can draw overlapping circles of interest around topics of relevance to your brand.

2) Define your social personality. How can your brand be portrayed as a living, breathing, warm-blooded person?

3) Join the conversation. Here, you need to be careful not to keep talking about yourself (that'd be abrasive), but instead, listen and share helpful information focused on the needs of consumers.

4) Lead the conversation. Do this using the topics that you've earlier identified in 1). Be careful not to push your brand upfront right now. Instead, solicit involvement through questions.

5) Ignite and invite action. Once you've reached a certain maturity in your level of relationship, you can find ways to trigger participation. Create and curate content which is valuable to your communities, and seek the help of your constituents.

6) Inspire greater collaboration. Finally, find ways to deeply engage and involve your consumers in developing products (eg LEGO Mindstorms).

This shift towards relationship era marketing - termed a "social strategy" - can be represented by the table below:

Courtesy of Can't Buy Me Like

My favourite part of the book is probably the section on Secret. By focusing on "Female fearlessness" as a brand value, Secret worked with athletes like skiier Lindsey Vonn and swimmer Diana Nyad to successful bring its core purpose to life. Its also laudable how its Facebook page "Mean Stinks" encourages kids to be civil and kind to each other while igniting huge growths in fans and engagement (203,000 new fans in one day, with a total of 339,000 text and video engagements).

Written with much journalistic flair, Can't Buy Me Like is chock full of social strategy goodies brought to life by numerous examples and case studies. While much of its ideas are not altogether new (the memes of "likability" and "trust" are much bandied about by new-age marketers), I like how the book presents both the pros and cons of "social era" marketing in a candid and bullsh*t-free demeanour.

Let me end with some choice quotes from the book for your entertainment:

"It is better to be admired than ad-mired."

"In the Relationship Era, your every action, and inaction, is advertising."

"Useful advice in business and in life: Don't be a dick."