![BOOKSMART: Thank You Bear [Greg Foley]](http://colinmangham.com/wp-content/themes/obscure/timthumb.php?src=http://colinmangham.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/1-1024x506.jpg&w=608&h=280&zc=1)
I’ve had a Grove bamboo iPhone case for over a year now, and it remains an eye-catcher that has people asking, hey, what’s that (!) and wanting to hold it, admire it, maybe even quietly thieve it. Not that those are the best reasons to run out and grab one of these, but it doesn’t hurt to note that others are bitten at first sight the way I was. I’ve been through a good amount of cases through the years, … Continue reading
I’m honored to be speaking at Sustainatopia 2012 in Miami Beach, Florida, April 19–25. Attending the event as the Chief Marketing Officer of Biomimicry 3.8, my topics will include the business value of biomimicry and bio-inspired innovation for next-generation sustainability. As recently featured in Forbes magazine, Sustainatopia is “one of the leading annual conferences in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean for social, financial, and environmental sustainability.” More on Biomimicry 3.8 at www.biomimicry.net. More on Sustainatopia at: www.sustainatopia.com
Love this. Especially sitting here looking out my window at Saks Fifth Avenue two blocks from Rodeo Drive. It’s from a filmmaker I don’t know, hadn’t heard of, but dig his vibe. Kudos to Jesse Rosten and the production team behind this, good fun!
There’s a topic that’s been threading in my “Founder & CEO” LinkedIn group the past few weeks: “How can one lead smarter people than himself?” And “As a leader should you sound the smartest in the room or the opposite?” My answer on the second part: “Know thyself.” Mainly be yourself, however smart (or not). Don’t bother trying to figure out “if” you should “sound” smart or not. It’s a waste of time, and it’s inauthentic … which, is decidedly … Continue reading
With Harry Potter’s massive theatrical finale this past week (and yes, I was there, on Day 2, with 3D glasses), thought it fun to revisit a chapter from my MBA thesis focused on “The Luxury Brand and Its Growing Demand in China” (from 2009, so a tiny bit dusty on the data below): One of the more prominent recent examples of archetypal branding can be found in the Harry Potter franchise rooted in tales of witches on brooms, dungeons and … Continue reading
Or in this case, a nut for About.com (though there are several others), which, as I expected to find in my deeper spelunking, upends the JFK donut story as overblown, even frames it as a myth — though I would hardly say this ranks up there with Nessie in Scotland, bubble-eyed E.T.’s in Area 51 or even 30-foot alligators sloshing beneath the streets of Manhattan (let’s not rule that one out just yet). “No one laughed at or misunderstood President … Continue reading
This is a bit old hat to many people, I know, but still fun to revisit now and then. In JFK’s June 26, 1963 West Berlin speech to underscore America’s support of the democratic cause in a free Germany, he famously stated: “Two thousand years ago the proudest boast was civis romanus sum [I am a Roman citizen]. Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’… All free men, wherever they may live, are … Continue reading
Revisiting this from the WSJ a couple of years ago, still relevant and good to ring in the New Year: FEBRUARY 23, 2009 | COVER STORY So, You Want to Be an Entrepreneur First, answer these questions to see if you have what it takes 1. Are you willing and able to bear great financial risk? 2. Are you willing to sacrifice your lifestyle for potentially many years? 3. Is your significant other on board? 4. Do you like all … Continue reading
Phillips Electronics, headquartered in Eindhoven, Netherlands, was until recently very much following a polycentric orientation, which assumes that each country is unique in terms of its target consumer behavior, as well as demos, psychographics, price elasticities, color affinities and associations, etc. Corresponding marketing approaches are intended to be unique and invariably led by in-country managers with a high-degree of autonomy. This worked well for Phillips until more globally/geocentrically oriented companies such as Japan’s Matsushita began competing with them atop multinational … Continue reading
Some additional thoughts on foreign market entries … we’ve discovered that whatever operations a US-headquartered company establishes in a BEM such as, for example, South Africa, should be supported with training programs that not only provide career-building incentives for the workers, but also curry favor with the government in helping to educate and elevate the skills and marketability of the labor force however appropriately. Further, it’s critical in most cases to set up joint ventures with in-country partners — for … Continue reading