Vegemite: a lesson in brand story chutzpah!
How’s this for a perfect example of a brand connecting with and celebrating a bigger story.
Latest Entries
Why are Australians spending in Zara
and TopShop yet not with our local brands?
Online shopping is not the only reason our local
brands are challenged.
December 2011 was the opening of the first Topshop premises in Melbourne. Hundreds of people waited in line, in the unpredictable Melbourne weather – some for over 17 hours, just to be first into the new Chapel Street store. For their trouble the first 20 die-hard shoppers were awarded with a $100 voucher to be spent in Topshop. Continue reading…
Surrendering to change….
When I was working for a multinational automotive manufacturer in 1998 I attended a seminar where I heard one of my favourite quotes – the only certainty is the constant surrender to change…
A New Understanding of Courage
When I think of courage in the context of leadership, I’m aware of a shifting groundswell of an evolution in emerging leaders. A growing number of people waking up to a fresh understanding around what leadership is and what it requires of them. A realisation that leadership comes from a strong and powerfully intimate connection to within. Self-leadership which spans not only how a person shows up in a work environment but across their whole life because it is who they are being, not any longer a role they play.
Kyle Sandilands furore says more about
consumers than advertisers
The notion of commercial or celebrity brands having any relevance or impact on the reality and integrity of who I really am, seems at first glance superficial and somewhat off-putting…however I contend that our brand interactions everyday reveal a deeper layer of what our values truly are…
Getting personal
How knowing customers well makes your business viable…
So here is the thing – I buy 1 coffee every day, takeaway. It’s my treat. I buy it from the same café everyday, even though there are 3 great cafes within arms reach of each other. I buy it there not only because I like their coffee but because I like the fact that they know me. They know what I like. They make it when I walk in without asking, even when there is a queue. If I walk in with a friend, they will make eye contact and ask if I am having my usual or am I staying today. They know my kids names. They give them a marshmallow.
Your Word is Your Wand
Our language is a symbol of the way we think.
Words we attach to our reality become our reality.
Language shapes our reality and is literally accepted by our unconscious mind. Our beliefs are formed by words and can be changed by words.
Being Language Aware
How ‘help’ and ‘need’ can become the four letter words
of disempowerment
Working with many clients who are experts in leadership, change, organisational culture and transformation, I’ve noticed that often their positioning, on the web, in promotional pieces, in advertising and proposal writing includes the words HELP or NEED.
Rebuilding brand trust
How being vulnerable and admitting mistakes restores
brand credibility
Everyone makes mistakes. All businesses make mistakes. Failing is part of the human condition and yet in business life a lot of energy is spent avoiding admitting our failures. Whether it’s defensively justifying actions or processes that went awry or blaming someone else, another company or an external event, glossing over the truth of what went wrong is the prevalent culture in many organisations.
Trusting the process
Recently I’ve been taking notice of the rhythms of my business. I’m fortunate to have a lovely harmony between paid work and all my other roles – mum, wife, home manager, friend, avid book reader etc. Sometimes it feels like there’s too much work and almost immediately one or other project will push a deadline out or postpone a session for a week or two. When I let go of trying to work it all out, the Universe seems to arrange things perfectly, creating space where needed.
