Understanding a problem is the most crucial step in solving it. So wrote Clayton Christensen in his famous 2000 Harvard Business Review article, “Meeting the Challenge of Disruptive Change” (co-authored with Michael Overdorf). A legitimate response might be: “Well, duh.” The necessity to properly frame the problem before proceeding to the solution is the kind… read more >
Digitally empowered consumers and the subsequent imperative for customer experience management have profound implications for technical writers and other documentation professionals. Next week, I have the pleasure of taking part in SDL’s event in London on the Future of Technical Documentation. In my presentation, I’ll first review how the forces of digital disruption (especially mobile… read more >
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal prior to their mid-January 2015 IPO, Box’s CEO Aaron Levie was asked, “Is online file sharing a commodity?” Levie hedged the answer, offering only that “the storage component of what we do is a commodity product.” But, in truth, storage alone has long been undifferentiated. (Thumb drives, anyone?)… read more >
Mobile, always-on internet access, and social platforms have empowered consumers by making information open, sharable, and ubiquitous. But if the web and other digital channels still consisted exclusively of text and small, grainy photographs — ala 1997 — it’s unimaginable that we would be talking of the imperative for every company and brand to offer compelling, engaging experiences. Rich media… read more >
April 2015 – The empowered consumer of today wants more than offers; they want a satisfying experience. Because of this shift in buyer behavior and many other disruptive changes, most organizations are or should be embarking on projects to transform the marketing organization and/or transform the customer’s digital experiences. But in some industries undergoing massive change,… read more >
[In a few hours, Apple will report earnings for the calendar year Q1 (Q2 of their fiscal year 2015). The numbers will not exceed the record-breaking previous holiday quarter, but analysts are predicting solid returns. There are even some signs that Wall Street’s on-going and obstinate blindness to what makes Apple tick (tock) is on the… read more >
April 2015 – Connie Moore and Robert Rose discuss better practices of the 7th era of marketing – Experiences. Listen in as the DCG analysts discuss where marketing has been, where it’s going, and how you can benefit from staying ahead of the curve.
In a recent piece on his Asymco blog, Horace Dediu tackles the question of how to predict what category Apple might enter next. (Specifically, whether they will build a car.) However, I think the piece exposes some essential but overlooked elements of customer experience management. It ought to be required reading for anyone involved with… read more >
It has not been a great 18 months for Target. The retailer announced earlier this month that it would close down its entire Canadian business, shutting 133 stores and laying off nearly 18,000 people. This will cost the company pre-tax losses of $5.4 billion for Q4 2014, not to mention to-be-determined continued losses into 2015…. read more >
[Note: This is a long one – but worth it! So get your beverage of choice and settle in.] Admit it. You overindulged during the holidays. Oh, I don’t mean the liquor and libations, the decadent deserts, the game day gorging – after a long, strange 2014, you deserved all of that, and more. I’m… read more >
