The future of marketing is incredibly selfish. It has to be. We’re becoming a generation of accidental narcissists who want things our way, when and how we want it. But it’s not as bad as it sounds. It’s just an inevitable effect of technology’s impact on our lives. It’s how marketing responds that counts. The key though is accept that to reach and engage a generation of narcissistic customers, the future of marketing has little to do with marketing at…
Culture is Either the the Roadblock or Gateway to Digital Transformation
Executives underestimate the importance of culture in an era of digital Darwinism. Most cultures are risk averse at a time when taking risks is the most direct path to innovation… Digital Transformation is the act of investing in people, technology and systems and processes to upgrade how businesses work in this digital economy. Technology is disrupting everything. Beyond market shifts, people too are different because of technology. As a result, behaviors, expectations and preferences are evolving. Our business philosophies and practices though…
Building Dragons: Digital Transformation in the Experience Economy
Guest post by Daniel Newman (@DanielNewmanUV), author of Building Dragons: Digital Transformation in the Experience Economy with Olivier Blanchard (@BrandBuilder) We set out to write a book about technology…but after 10 chapters and still very little technology discussion, we realized that we were in the process of writing a book that was about so much more. At the core, we wound up writing a book about change. More specifically, a book about how companies can align their strategy, mindset, human capital…
An Intern’s Review of WTF: What’s the Future of Business
One of the little known stories about my previous book, What’s the Future of Business: Changing the way businesses create experiences, is that I wrote and published it after I had started my latest book, X: The Experience when business meets design. While it stands on its own, WTF is technically a companion book to X and can be read as a part 2 of sorts. One of the lesser known facts about WTF, is that it wasn’t even on my docket….
How Digital Darwinism Changed Customer Experience
What is experience? What is customer experience? Believe it or not, trying to answer these questions is where the future of digital transformation and experience design intersect. While I was in London at an event focused on innovation in customer experience, I filmed a short video for Oracle to explore the topic. A 20 minute conversation was edited down to a a one minute burst. Knowing that this would happen, I spoke in Twitter-like responses. I hope it helps you in…
12 Innovation Imperatives
Innovation suffocates in a culture of mediocrity. Here’s how to breathe life into company culture to compete for the future. Ideas are a dime a dozen. Everyone seems to have one or more. I just wish that more organizations would appreciate how plentiful and beneficial ideas are to the future of their business. The challenges are all too common. Often, ideas are shared in fleeting moments with the same zeal as observing the weather. Once expressed they recede from view,…
How the New Music Moguls Write Their Own Rules
Guest post by David Deal (@DavidJDeal) author of the new [free] ebook, “The New Music Moguls“ How do you succeed in an industry that faces constant disruption? The music industry has been asking itself this question ever since Napster crashed the party. As it turns out, elite musicians such as Rihanna and Taylor Swift, who routinely earn millions year after year, have been providing answers all along. They write their own rules for success, including a willingness to use their music as…
Leading Digital Transformation
Last year, I had the opportunity to speak in Stockholm at Telia’s executive summit on Digital Transformation. After my session, I met with Joakim Jansson to discuss the state and evolution of the digital business landscape. At the time, he was working on a new book, Att Leda Digital Transformation, with Marie Andervin. That book is now available (in Swedish) and our discussion is included. I asked if it would be OK if our discussion was translated and published here to share…
Why Processing Emotions Together Matters in Business
Guest post by Patti Sanchez (@PattiSan), co-author of the new book “Illuminate: Change Through Speeches, Stories, Ceremonies, and Symbols” (with Nancy Duarte @NancyDuarte) In business, as in life, the one thing that’s constant is change. In our personal lives, babies lose their teeth and grow adult ones. We have our first day of school then eventually graduate. We meet someone whom we someday marry and have children with. In our professional lives, we work toward big goals that result in…
We all talk of innovation, but few us start with innovation in our own work
Photo Credit: Brian Fanzo I don’t normally share things like this, but…I’ve had a heck of a week. On Monday, I released what I would consider my most significant research to date on the subject of digital transformation, “The Race Against Digital Darwinism: Six Stages of Digital Transformation.” I also spent traveled to San Diego (SMMW), Las Vegas (SAS) and Huntington Beach (WCPRSA). Not the most extreme mileage in comparison to previous trips, but each event, was in its own way, unforgettable….