by Johnny | Apr 6, 2007 | Marketing
Yes … Second Life … The NextBigThing. Everyone’s been writing about it frantically. Except for me. Because I’m not a believer. I have seen hypes come and go, I have seen companies rise to fame and disappear into oblivion. And I am not convinced by SL. Sure, it has the majority of they hype now, but there are others out there, working diligently to take its place, biding their time.
People tend to forget that online communities have been around in one form or another over the years. BBS, IRC chat, ASL pages, online communities … SL is just another 3D virtual world that builds on the desire of humans to form communities and interact with one another. And there are others out there. Some have even been along longer, like ActiveWorlds. Look also at There, whose engine is being used by MTV to create their own virtual world. Even the owners of gaming consoles will now get their own virtual world, with Sony’s Home coming to the PlayStation.
As for me, I simply don’t go into SL because I can’t even get all the things done in my First Life, including the online part of it like IM, games, keeping up with all the mails, RSS feeds, blogging and more. No reason for me to spend even more time in my Second Life. Personally, if I had some time I’d play World Of Warcraft because I’m more into adventures than just building myself another “second” life.
For those interested in more, have a read at Björn Joos‘ vision here (sorry, it’s in Dutch only).
And if you do want to hang out in virtual worlds, take your pick from the list on Virtual World Review.
All this made me think of The Matrix again, the biggest virtual world of them all… a red pill, anyone?
by Johnny | Mar 20, 2007 | Marketing
23.2 months. That’s how long a CMO (Chief Marketing officer) tends to survive in a company. That is less than 2 years… doesn’t seem long at all does it? More on that here.
If you’re a CMO, you might want to go read BtoB’s take on how to survive: Be indispensable. Increase financial focus. Be willing to experiment.
by Johnny | Mar 25, 2006 | Marketing
I read the book, I’m using the software, and it really keeps my inbox clean and myself organised. What am I talking about? “Getting Things Done”, the system of David Allen, which offers a system to get organised and get the clutter out of your head, into what he calls your ‘trusted system’.
Getting Thing Done, commonly referred to as “GTD” has built a loyal following over the last months (years). Go check these out on the net:
But whatever you do, Just start by reading the book first.
For avid Outlook users (like myself), there’s also an outlook plugin to use the GTD method.
David Allen also wrote another book, called “Ready For Anything (52 Productivity Principles for Work and Life)“. One interesting thing in the beginning of that book is his ‘challenge’:
SOMETHING IS COMING—probably within a few days—that’s going to change your world. You don’t see it yet. You don’t know what it’s about. But it’s there, rolling inexorably forward, destined to throw you a curve that you do not expect. It could show up sooner or later—but it will show up. Trust me. Write down these words exactly four weeks from today on your calendar: “David Allen said a month ago that something was coming I couldn’t foresee that would affect me significantly.” Prove me wrong.
by Johnny | Aug 11, 2005 | Business, Marketing, Recommended reading
Value Based Marketing for Bottom Line Success: 5 Steps to Creating Customer Value (Nicholas, Debonis, Balinski, Allen)
Marketers get too caught up in selling features and competing on price. Because, when all is said and done, customers buy and and will pay well for value. To be successful in today’s marketplace, a company must integrate its traditional business functions to provide superior value to targeted customers. This means creating an offering that echoes in the customers’ consciousness. Why? Because the value provided serves customers best interests. Value Based Marketing for Bottom Line Success provides a 5-step model and critical tools necessary for creating and managing a successful Value Deliver
marketing strategy. Customers buy value, not product or features. They buy from the company that provides the most value. And they buy what’s in their best interest.
by Johnny | May 18, 2003 | Marketing, Recommended reading
Advanced Brand Management (Paul Temporal)
If you’re into branding, read this book. It reveals the sophisticated branding techniques implemented by some of the world’s leading companies. It covers up-to-date strategies such as brand stretching and brand architecture.
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