Digital Agencies Get Back to Business†

Can i-shops play the reinvention game?

Adweek, March 8, 2010 — Jeff Dachis may have been ahead of his time. Back in February 2000, the then-Razorfish CEO sat down with 60 Minutes II and, in a moment he'd live to regret, struggled to answer correspondent Bob Simon's simple question about what Razorfish actually did. "We've asked our clients to recontextualize their business," he stammered.

That answer came to symbolize the hype of the dot-com era. The Web-shop vision of acting as management consultant and innovation expert, using technology not just to help clients communicate with customers but also to invent new businesses, fell short of reality. To many it seemed like a grandiose aspiration for businesses that mostly built Web sites. The dot-com crash appeared to validate those critiques

But over a decade... continue reading

Blippy.com gives the world a peek inside your wallet -- and that's the point

The networking site's users say they get valuable information by exchanging intimate financial details

Los Angeles Times, March 5, 2010 — The site's converts say they discover new products and good deals while connecting with their friends. Los Angeles-based Web celeb and self-described iPhone applications addict Justine Ezarik, 25, said she got hooked on Sleep Cycle, a popular Swedish-designed app that tracks her sleep patterns, after she saw a friend buy it on Blippy.

Soy-Sauce-Flavored Kit Kats? In Japan, They're No. 1†

With 18 Other Exotic Flavors, Nestle Takes Product Localization in Country to Culinary Extremes

Advertising Age, March 4, 2010 — Western marketers are adept at catering to the tastes of Japanese consumers, with quirky products such as McDonald's Filet-O-Shrimp burgers and a cucumber-flavored soft drink by Pepsi.

In Japan, Kit Kat comes in 19 flavors like baked corn. But Nestle has upped the ante for the most creative only-in-Japan product by creating 19 unique flavors for Kit Kat, one of the best-selling chocolate candy bars in the world and the No. 1 brand confectionery brand in Japan.

U.S. Loses Innovation Crown to ... Iceland

BusinessWeek, March 3, 2010 — Once upon a time—actually it was just last year—the U.S. was the world innovation champion, according to an annual report by INSEAD and the Confederation of Indian Industry. In this year’s study, the nation slumps to 11th place. Perhaps even more surprising is the new No. 1: Iceland.

Healthy Choices Aid ConAgra Resurgence†

Marketing Chief Joan Chow Ups Marketing and Innovation by Getting C-Suite On-Board

Advertising Age, March 2, 2010 — In her three years at ConAgra Foods — maker of Hunt's, Healthy Choice and Orville Redenbacher — Joan Chow, exec VP-chief marketing officer, has reenergized several of the company's once-tired product lines, opened lines of communication with senior management, championed strong increases to the marketing budget and developed a dedicated team to partner with retailers, among other things, known internally as the "centers of excellence."

Ms. Chow grants that her enviable working relationship with CEO Gary Rodkin has made many of these advances possible. She has time on his schedule every week to update him on various marketing initiatives. And keeping her door open to the entire executive suite has made champions out of those who might have otherwise... continue reading

At 3M, Innovation Comes in Tweaks†

CEO Buckley Urges Staffers to Find Improvements 'at the Bottom of the Pyramid'

Wall Street Journal, March 1, 2010 — In corporate research and development labs, staffers dream of creating sexy products. But at 3M Co., Chief Executive George Buckley is rallying his team to make cheaper respirator masks.

It's part of a strategy for innovating in a weak economy at the maker of Scotch Tape, Post-it Notes and sandpaper. In addition, the CEO is under pressure to cut costs.

So rather than push a few grandiose inventions, Mr. Buckley is asking staffers to improve products with tweaks and snips. Find innovations "at the bottom of the pyramid," he says. Many people "ask, 'What can I add?' Sometimes you have to ask, 'What can I take away?'"

Condé Nast Is Preparing iPad Versions of Some of Its Top Magazines

The first magazines for which it will create iPad versions are Wired, GQ, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker and Glamour, the company plans to announce in an internal memorandum on Monday.

New York Times, March 1, 2010 — GQ will have a tablet version of its April issue ready. Vanity Fair and Wired will follow with their June issues, and The New Yorker and Glamour will have issues in the summer (the company has not yet determined the exact timing for those).

Having Ideas Versus Having a Vision†

Harvard Business Review, March 1, 2010 — In the past decade, firms have been praised for ideas. Experts have celebrated the power of brainstorming and idea-generation techniques. Eureka light bulbs have populated the covers of many books. Businessmen have been asked to improve their creative attitudes. And 2009 was named the Year of Creativity and Innovation by the European Union.

One consequence of a decade focused on idea generation is ideas are now more easily accessible, which has also made idea generation less of a differentiator in competition than it has traditionally been. When more than 30% of the population belongs to the creative class, as Richard Florida suggested in his 2003 book The Rise of the Creative Class, ideas are not in short supply. And with the diffusion of open... continue reading

The North Face To Begin Texting Customers

In an attempt to increase foot traffic, outdoor gear brand The North Face will now send text messages to customers when they are within walking distance of its stores.

Brandchannel.com, February 25, 2010 — The proactive marketing strategy launches this month and implements a new technique called “geo-fencing” – which really isn’t as confining as the name sounds. In fact, the campaign is designed to inform people, not incarcerate them. Consumers sign up for notifications and, after doing so, are notified via text messages of branded updates whenever they enter into a virtually targeted area.

In Facebook age, fewer colleges printing yearbooks

For the first time since 1887, students at the University of Virginia won't have a hardcover memento of their college years.

Associated Press, February 22, 2010 — The student publishers of "Corks and Curls" decided to scrap this year's edition because they didn't have the money - an edition can cost more than $100,000 - or the student demand. Student apathy and the financial realities of publishing makes the chance of reviving it slim, editor Michelle Burch said.

The Charlottesville university joins schools such as Purdue, Mississippi State and Old Dominion that no longer publish yearbooks as more students share memories through social-networking Web sites.