It is interesting to note how contrarians thrive better than rule book followers. And Apple is just such a company.
Continuing on my theme of “Zag” as a business strategy, it is interesting to study how Apple differs from other companies. The darling of the digital world, Apple overtook huge oil conglomerate Exxon Mobil to be the world’s most valuable company last year.
“In a world of extreme clutter you need more than differentiation. You need RADICAL differentiation. The new rule: When everyone zigs, zag.”
That, in a nutshell, is what Zag: The #1 Strategy of High Performance Brands is all about.
Courtesy of Lifehack
Ever wondered why some people can accomplish so much while others simply drift by? After all, don’t we all have only 24 hours a day and 7 days a week?
The trick is not in doing multiple things at once. In fact, the more multi-tasked you are – checking your Facebook account, listening to a sermon on iPod, reading the papers, and writing an essay – the less productive you will be.
If you’ve never heard of Sir Ken Robinson, you obviously haven’t followed the TED series of inspirational talks.
A renowned thinker in the the “development of human potential”, Robinson spoke about the need to reinvent education to better develop the diverse talents, aptitudes and passions of individuals all over the world.
On a recent study trip to Universal Studios Singapore (USS) at Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), I had the privilege of learning how the theme park – arguably the most popular in Southeast Asia – creates, develops and manages memorable and delightful guest encounters. While these strategies do not cover all aspects of a world class theme park’s operation, they do form an important component of their visitor experiences. These help to trigger positive word of mouth and generate repeat visits.
Extensive and Immersive Theming
Andy Ridley, founder of Earth Hour
“Dare the World to Save the Planet”
With the catchy thematic message above, Earth Hour 2012 (31 March (Sat) at 8.30 pm) encourages us not only to switch off all power consuming devices for one dark hour but to “dare” our friends to pledge support this movement in return for doing something extraordinary.
Image courtesy of PSFK
By now, everybody who is connected to a screen somewhere with the faintest interest in sport would know who Jeremy Lin is. The Taiwanese American (or Asian American) basketball player for the New York Knicks has become a media sensation, hogging the headlines with an endless series of puns like “Linsanity”, “Lintastic”, and “In Linning Form”.
Despite being a rookie, Jeremy has blazed many new trails in NBA, with a record number of scores, assists and other game statistics to his credit. He has helped a relatively low key team to gain prominence, and wowed Americans of all colours with his court capabilities. Beyond the continent, Jeremy has also stolen the hearts of basketball fans everywhere, especially in the Asian subcontinent region.
Jeremy Lin sure knows a thing or two about scoring (courtesy of streetball.com)
Establishing clear goals is one of the most important things you need to do in any organisation which you work in. Otherwise known as objectives, goals provide an end point for one to aspire and work towards, providing purpose and meaning to any endeavour.
The analogy of sports provides the clearest example of goal setting. With a clear goal in place – kicking the ball through the goal posts, throwing a ball into a basket (who haven’t heard of Jeremy Lin?), or hitting a ball through an opponent’s racket – players and spectators alike would know where to focus their energies and emotions.
Written and illustrated by renowned cartoonist and blogger Hugh MacLeod of gapingvoid.com (he just completed his 10th year in the business), Evil Plans: Escape the Rat Race and Start Doing Something You Love is a business book that reads more like a personal motivation tome. True to MacLeod’s craft, every other page (or more) is peppered with his characteristically abstract and witty cartoons, complete with clever captions.
An example of this is found below:
We all love a good mystery! (courtesy of Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows)
Answer? They love to be teased and challenged. Preferably every step of the way until the bounty is unearthed.
Sadly, however, most marketing efforts today hasn’t matched the rise in consumer sophistication and expectation. Our aggregated abilities to captivate and charm a potential customer hasn’t caught up with the explosive growth in always-on social tools and communication networks.