Being a modern Western person, you probably subscribe to a linear perception of time. What I mean by this is that you see time as a straight line, stretching into the future, along which you...
Read moreSpotting opportunities for brand differentiation that others can't see Nobody likes to think of themselves as a follower. A sheep. As someone who slavishly adheres to the rules and...
Read more“I would rather be governed by the first 2,000 people in the telephone directory than by the Harvard University faculty.” This quote from William F. Buckley summarises an interesting...
Read moreWhy brand purpose isn't what you think Nobody is more dangerous than people who think they’re the good guys. Every great atrocity of human history was fuelled by people utterly convinced of...
Read moreSuccess and effort, we're assured, are inextricably linked. There is no success without effort, and (short of some cruel misfortune) there is no effort without success. You want something?...
Read moreWhat lies at the root of all strategic thinking? Strategy is a word a lot of people have problems with due to its muddled usage over the years, particularly in business, however in essence its...
Read moreMany of us are fond of using natural allegories in business. Most of these (such as “viral” or “organic” growth) are so embedded in the vernacular that their natural origins have been...
Read moreThe counterintuitive behaviour behind great strategy There is a surprising driving force behind great business ideas, and successful business strategies: Refusing to compete. This is the theme...
Read moreA few weeks ago Apple were hit by a 10% slump in their quarterly profits, thanks largely to a decline in sales for the new iPhone. Not ideal, certainly, but not wholly unanticipated either....
Read moreWe’ve now had about a decade of the “big data” craze. Data, we have learned, is the answer. It’s the ultimate competitive advantage. It doesn’t lie. The business of the future will...
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