ideas
169 posts
The 11 Whys Of Product Development
In my work with companies, entrepreneurs and businesses of all stripes, here’s what I’ve found. We mostly get stuck not because we don’t know the right answer, but because we haven’t begun to ask the right questions. Here’s a handy list of questions to ask before you bring your product, service or i
The Difference Between A Good Idea And A Great Idea Is Just One Thing
Actually, the difference between a good and a great anything, (business, movie, hotel, product, blog, book, packaging, design, app, talk, school, song, art…..keep going), is that the great stuff, the things we give a damn about have the heart left in them. Heart the verb, not the hollow muscular org
Your Work Is A Gift. Talking With James Victore
Your work is a gift. Doesn’t this stop you in your tracks for a second? That’s what it did to me when I saw James’s Victore’s talk on the subject (well worth bookmarking to watch later). James runs an independent design studio in Brooklyn, he is known for his original thinking and unforgettable work
Why You’re Stuck And The Perils Of Peer Gazing
There’s so much cool stuff ‘out there’. So many great ideas already being brought to market. And plenty of people who have done the things (or similar), that you want to do. The trouble is you can’t find a way to stop marveling and being just a teeny bit overawed by them. The Internet has…
The Future Of Storytelling And The Currency Of That Future
So there we were gathered together on an island, (the best kind of place to feel that you’re truly gathered) to talk about the future of storytelling. Some of the best and brightest in the storytelling business from Burberry CEO (soon to be heading up the retail story at Apple), Angela Ahrendts, to
What Focus Groups Can’t Tell You
Steve Jobs famously said, “It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” The committee might be able to tell you what they think is working, or what’s broken, but they can’t tell you how to matter. And no…
How To Tell The Story Of Your Idea Using The ‘Value Proposition Hack’
The biggest challenge that many of my clients have isn’t coming up with great ideas, it’s articulating why those ideas should matter, to the right people. Explaining the value of an idea can be tough if you don’t have a place to start. I created the ‘value proposition hack’, so that you would have a
Why People Pay And Why It Matters
The dictionary will tell you that marketing is the activity that surrounds the transfer of goods, from consumer to buyer. This, for that. But we also pay with time, attention and love. And even when we pay with money, it’s rarely a ‘this, for that’ transaction, since all value is subjective. It’s ea
The Purpose Of Innovation In A ‘Needless’ Economy
For the most part in the West we have everything we need. Roofs over our heads, food in the fridge and a lot more besides. Even in the developing world where more people have mobile phones than have access to toilets, it seems that sometimes ‘wants’ trump real needs. So, if we have everything we…
A Better Business In 5 Minutes And 3 Easy Steps
I promised three steps and here they are: 1. Grab a drink, a blank sheet of paper and a pen. Switch off your phone and shut your laptop. 2. Now answer this question. “What will your customer say to her friend tomorrow to recommend you, or your products and services?” Don’t respond to anyone else’s…
Tiny Markets Of Someone
Mr Ryan owned a corner shop in the tiny Dublin suburb where I grew up. It supported his family and employed his children while they studied for over 20 years. He didn’t seem to worry when yet another big supermarket opened close by. Sure, he knew some of his customers would go there for special…
Want To Make And Impact? Just Add Context
The path to success is littered with great ideas that don’t fly. Even a good idea won’t catch on if people don’t see the value in it. It’s not enough to have an idea that might change everything, you have to find a way to help people buy into it. The truth is it doesn’t…
Thinking Beyond Customer Needs
The couple at the cafe order two teas and one cake with two forks. The story the woman has told herself is that they are sharing the cake she ordered. Halving the damage. The guy quietly sips his tea as she slices the cake into squares and begins eating the smaller pieces, picking around the…
Return On Relevance
Have you noticed how you react lately to unsolicited email or a cold call? Our interruption tolerance threshold is decreasing at a rapid rate and businesses and advertisers know it. In Australia we even have a do not knock register. Are people demanding one where you live? The people you want to spe
7 Marketing Strategies That Work Better Than Advertising
Marketing used to mean advertising. If you wanted to sell something awareness on a mass scale was the shortcut. Remarkability or transparency didn’t have to be baked into your product. But we’ve come a long way from the days of Mad Men and the blurred line between getting noticed and being believed.
10 Reasons People Buy Your Product Or Share Your Idea
People buy your product or share your idea because….. 1. It makes them feel…better, smarter, more beautiful, healthier, safe, loved and on and on. Online courses, Jimmy Choo shoes, perfume, gym membership, life insurance, organic fruit. 2. They are looking for a shortcut. Information, more time, eas
Tina Roth Eisenberg On Trusting Your Gut And Following Your Passion
Have you ever had an idea you thought might work that still hasn’t seen the light of day? If you’ve longed to bring something you’re passionate about to life it might be time to watch the video chat I had with Tina Roth Eisenberg. Tina is a Swiss designer based in New York who runs…
The First Secret To Great Marketing
The first secret to great marketing is knowing where to start. “Marketers have to move upstream now. We have to stop being the last step in the process and start being the first step.” —SETH GODIN Most marketers start by thinking about what they want their customers to do. “Buy now”, “click this”, “
2 Questions To Answer Before Bringing An Idea To Market
1. How does your customer want to feel after she’s bought your product or experienced your service? 2. How are you going to get her there? Image by Renato Targa.
Could Your Customers Find You Blindfolded?
When I first watched the video below about Silver Moon Bakery I shed a tear. I love the line where (spoiler alert) Judith the owner says; “You have to love what you do, or at least enjoy it. Unless you have no choice in life and you have to do this because it’s the only…
