Posts Tagged ‘authenticity’
Is It Time To Stop Advertising?
Last week I passed a moving kid at the side of the road, where cars sped by at 80km per hour. He was wearing a red sandwich board that screamed, “BUY ONE GET ONE FREE,” and had clearly been given instructions to dance about to attract more attention. I was 200 metres past him when…
Read MoreWhy Is Giving Easier Than Taking?
From my first day at school (the day after I turned four,I don’t think my mother could wait a minute longer), we were taught that giving was a great thing. It was a convent school and every day Sister Collette would come around with a box and collect our pennies for babies in Africa. They…
Read MoreOne Trick Pony
In the 1800’s small travelling circuses without big headline acts or a menagerie of exotic animals were known as dog and pony shows. The very average acts on the programme were derided as ‘one trick ponies’. When I was growing up conventional wisdom said that you must strive never to be a ‘one trick pony’.…
Read MoreWhy Belief Matters
Five years ago, just before Polaroids began to make a comeback, the owner of the Dublin camera store reluctantly allowed the sales rep to create a tiny, top shelf Christmas display. She spent a whole afternoon arranging then re-arranging the cameras. At last she stood back to admire her handiwork, slipped a digital camera from…
Read MoreWhat Don’t You Do?
It’s easy to rattle off the features of your product or benefits of your service. Which means it’s not hard for the competition to do that too. Far more difficult to stand for something and be willing to stand out because of what you don’t do. It turns out that time and again telling the…
Read MoreWhy I Stopped Working For Coffee And 12 Reasons Why You Should Too
Are there still days when people ask to “pick your brain” and offer to buy you a cup of coffee? It’s tempting to take people up on those offers and flattering that they think you’ve got something valuable to contribute. I know. I’ve been there, done that and got the t-shirt. I understand the allure…
Read MoreThe Only Reason You’re In Business
The reason you’re in business is to make peoples’ lives better. Every word you write, coffee you serve or pixel you paint is nothing without an audience to consume it, and more importantly care about it. So here’s the question you need to ask. How does what you do, make, serve or sell make life…
Read MoreWhat For What
I gave, now it’s your turn. Quid pro quo. Now we’re even. That’s how business is supposed to work. Exchanges of like for like. A trade. Transfer of ownership. Profit and loss. Transactions that can be measured. There’s no room for generosity in business. Unless it’s your business. Because that’s how you’ve designed it and…
Read MoreWhat Makes A Good Tagline?
As entrepreneurs and brand builders we like to think that our tagline could be the thing that positions our brand uppermost in the minds of clients and customers. We want something original and unique, a brilliant one liner that will make us unforgettable. I am asked what makes a great tagline a lot. I could…
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