Back in my advertising days, there were certain clients that were considered prize accounts. Every agency wanted their business. Agencies would do whatever they needed to win them. That usually meant cutting commissions, reducing fees and throwing in freebies. One…
I was gazing at a bottle of whisky recently (as is my wont). It’s a favourite whisky from a favourite distiller. It sells in the USA for about US$95 a bottle. I love the whisky, but I hate the label….
Next time you’re walking down a busy city street, I want you to do a little experiment. Let’s say that every pace you take, you pass a person. If it’s 100 paces to the end of the block, you have…
It’s every brand owner’s dream to have his or her brand verbified. That’s the sure sign of popular acceptance and category dominance. Dyson products are admired and popular. Nevertheless, people still Hoover their carpets. One day we might Dyson our floors. But…
Every street, every town, every country has 2 kinds of people. Those who want progress and those who don’t. The progressives reckon the antiprogressives cripple economic development. The antiprogressives reckon the progressives ruin the place. Progress is a battle. Preservation…
I will start by telling you what Clachan a Choin means. The dog’s bollocks. It’s Gaelic. Now that you know that the post’s title means dog’s bollocks, you might be expecting an article on bravery. Or anarchy. And in a…
The host places a rack of test tubes in front of each participant in the experiment. In each test tube is whisky. The participants are instructed to add a specified amount of water to 3 of the tubes – 2…
In the town of Hope there is the usual mix of small businesses – butchers, bakers, real estate agents, fashion boutiques, cafés, motels, accountants and dentists. Every one of the business owners works hard at his or her business. Every…
This is a story of two business principals, one principled, the other not. The story starts with Rachel. Rachel owns a consultancy. A short time ago, Rachel was approached by a business principal to help with his business. Later that…
Bed and breakfast. Could you spell that, please? B-e-d-a-n-d-b-r-e-a-k-f-a-s-t. B-e-b? No. B-e-d. D for Duck. Bed. D-e-d? No! BED and breakfast! This exchange is from a recent call to an Australian company’s service centre. Many businesses in countries such as…