Digital transformation is only becoming more prominent in driving business modernization. Yet today, it is rarely designed, led and managed as one, sweeping, coordinated effort across the enterprise. Eventually companies get there as outlined in “The 6 Stages of Digital Transformation.” But, most of the time it starts disparately in pockets across the organization. Many business units learn and progress independently before regrouping with the rest of the organization to then move in unison and with purpose. This is why the…
Insights on the Future of the Internet of Things (IoT)
I once referred to the consumer-facing Internet of Things (IoT) as the Internet of Sh!t. My point was that the entire ecosystem of IoT devices was created through technology-centered devices that were limited in scope, breadth and compatibility. I was and still am an advocate for something more universal, platform approaches that are human-centered and optimized for cross-device collaboration and optimization. The Internet of Things is a mess with too many products and apps competing for consumer attention. This creates…
Culture is Either the Roadblock or Highway to Innovation – We Need Leadership not Management
After studying customer experience, digital transformation and innovation for so many years, I’ve found that the next big thing in business (r)evolution is culture. The other most interesting thing I’ve learned is that while businesses are readying or investing in change, the definition of meaningful culture is elusive or inconsequential. Yet, company culture is either the number one catalyst or inhibitor to progress. Culture needs a champion. As Peter Drucker once famously said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast…” Like most aspects in business, management…
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LinkedIn: Why We’re Hungry for Remarkable Content [Infographic]
Did you know that 4.6 billion pieces of content are produced daily? In the last 30 years, we as humans have produced more information than in the previous 5,000. We check our phones 110 times a day and email 30 times every hour. Social media has overtaken everything to become the number one activity on the web. Getting attention has never been harder or more important. Yet many marketers continue to contribute to the content glut rather than lead the…
The New Marketing Contract and Why Context is the Future of Marketing
We live in a time of great technology evolution and revolution. Innovation is not only upon us; it affects, even disrupts, us as marketers and as consumers of other businesses. Your customers are more connected than ever before and they’re always on. The number of touchpoints between businesses and customers has exploded. Technology is everywhere and something new is always on the horizon. Wearables. Smart watches. The Internet of Things. Everything is changing. Indeed, today’s consumers are more empowered than…
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The 7 Success Factors of Social Business Strategy [INFOGRAPHIC]
Over the years, my partner Charlene Li and I authored a series of research papers and also a short book on the evolution of social businesses, from philosophy to strategy to practice. Along the way, we also produced an effective maturity model and infographic that documented the six stages of social business transformation. This work would eventually pave the way toward my focus on digital transformation and innovation today. Now, after all this time however, I wanted to share the…
Insights: Interviews on The Future of Social Media as Curated by Anil Dash and Gina Trapani
I’ve long admired the work of Anil Dash and Gina Tripani over the years. In many ways, each has shaped my perspectives in new media and its impact on our professional and personal lives over the years. It came as no surprise that Dash and Tripani collaborated on yet another project. This time, they created ThinkUp, a social media service that offers daily insights about you and your friends on Twitter and Facebook. To celebrate the launch of their latest…
Crossing the Experience Divide: Creating positive, lasting experiences is a crucial mandate for any brand
The Technology of Us I’ve been in the technology business for a long time and what I can tell you is this: Technology enables us to invent new products and services at rates that humans never before experienced. Whatever the next big thing is in tech doesn’t matter as much as the fact that anyone today has the power to disrupt entire industries with a single, smart idea. In fact, resilient companies, whether they’re startups or they merely acting like…
A Manifesto for Building Relationships in the Digital Era
Not too long ago, my dear friend Hugh MacLeod (@gapingvoid) and I set out to explore a new world of visual communication that combined an intentional form of written storytelling illustrated through clever yet pithy cartoons. That work was originally brought to life in #WTF (What’s the Future of Business). The engagement around Hugh’s work eventually spilled over from print to online with readers sharing their favorite Hugh cartoons via Tweets, Instagrams, Vines, Pinterest, et al. We were inspired to…
Q&A: The 7 Success Factors of Social Business Strategy
Last year, my Altimeter Group colleague Charlene Li and I published a series of research reports on the state and evolution of social business. In our research, we discovered that the most advanced businesses shared seven success factors in developing, launching, and measuring social business strategies. Our friends at Jossey-Bass asked us to turn it into an ebook and that we did! The Seven Success Factors of Social Business Strategy During the launch, we were interviewed by the Amazon team…
