Never take anything for granted
Time flies. Yesterday my parents had their 54th wedding anniversary. It was a anniversary different from all previous ones. It was their first wedding anniversary in separation. My dad’s still doing fine and continues to live in the house where I grew up. My mom is staying in a retirement home because she is no…
Since last Saturday, the nameplate at the top of the Montreal airport terminal shines in alternating red, white and blue. And to underline the importance of ice hockey, the O has been stuffed with the “Canadiens” hockey logo. Gohabsgo ! It is an internal idea, they say. Yes, I can see that from a distance.…
Hi Mr. Trump, Hello from Belgium, the most beautiful country in the world. We totally understand it’s going to be America first, and The Netherlands second. Fair enough. But can we say Belgium third? I couldn’t resist to add some thoughts to this great Dutch clip. Have a look at it first. Can we say…
My desk companion made me smile yesterday. His name? Sempé, the calendar version. I adore Sempé for his simple and subtle way of bringing messages across. This time: showing danger situations… some a bit more dangerous than others. Make it real Make things real to get people’s attention. Communicate in their language if you want…
We stopped doing marketing. We didn’t stop just now ; we stopped already a while ago. Because marketing the way we know it, is no longer relevant. The 4Ps are no longer a big help because they tell you to promote products to people at a set price at the places you pick. And that…
Stories are meant to make an emotional connection with your audience. However, you cannot do so by telling people how great or special your company is. Interesting stories are always about people in the first place. Great stories focus on the future and on what is important to the hearer. They pull people into a dialogue… and are…
Harris Academy in Upper Norwood (south London) has banned popular slang words used by pupils in an effort to improve standards of English. No longer will words and phrases such as ‘you woz’, ‘bare’ and ‘innit’ be tolerated at . The school has put up signs with a list of ‘banned words’ – including ‘extra’, ‘innit’ and ‘like’,…
If we may believe Matt Warman in The Telegraph today, Google Glass “is the computer that has both excited and worried millions. Forget the next iPad or the Samsung Galaxy S5 – Google Glass is the hottest property in today’s overheated world of technology, despite the fact that almost nobody who is talking about it…
Brand building, the old school way, doesn’t work anymore. As a brand, you can no longer tell others what your brand is going to be for them. People decide for themselves, take action and if they are pretty serious about the issue, they let the world know what the brand really means to them.Since Abercrombie…
In the course of 2012, we heard quite a few CEOs and managers say they really like the idea of “listening more to customers”, of becoming more “customer-centric” and of wanting to “excel in customer intimacy.” That’s a good start because thanks to the digital age, customers have become very powerful: they can make…