Radical Thinking

Start with the end

Covey advices us to start with the end in mind. Especially when it comes to internal communications, this advice is so right. Too often employee communications is business as ussual - a not very reflected upon category. The value is more often than not related to business goals. Discussions are about mechanics: what channels, what messages - and are very rarely about what behavior employee communications should help to evoke. I wonder why.

Must see

Just learned that one of my favorite books, Fast Food Nation, will hit the cinema's later this month.  Featuring Kris Kristofferson and Avril Lavigne - admitted, not exactly on my top thousand of favorite actors but since the book truly made me think both about my own consumption pattern (I typically tend to favor food from the meat part of the food pyramid) and the way the food industry treats people, I will definitely see the movie. I'd recommend everyone who did not read the book yet - reserve your seat in the cinema and think again when on a shopping tour next time and Maslow's law is kindly reminding you about a prime need: FOOD NOW.

Mind the lemmings

Lemmings are small rodents, usually found near the Arctic. They have a reputation as mindless creatures who will unhesitatingly run off a cliff, heedless of the danger. Lately, it seems, their natural habitat is eroded and you can actually find lemmings here in Denmark.

Or at least you're able to witness the lemming's close relatives: the homo ridiculous, in a business suit. They mindlessly adopt and adept to novel buzzwords representing the flavor of the day. In the nineties, management guru's told us to live and breath customer service. Regardless the relevance to your job. After all, it was all about attitude. The guru's said. What is left are a couple of meters redundant management literature and half an attempt by IT nerds to catch the philosophy into dixysoftware: CRM.

In the beginning of this century, the E-tsunami hit us: all words that did not start with an E (E-business, E-zine. E-money, E-commerce, E-solution) were banned from strategic business planning. E-nough already. Language, we learned in the after math, acts as a marker of history, reflecting back culture as it changes.

The E-guru's now have a new gizmo: innovation. The lemming effect is kicking in once more and this time the public environment is infected too. A tremendous amount of EU money is being allocated, schools are being restructered and national strategies overhauled - all to honour the new buzz. Self respecting men in suits accept innovation to be the business yang in contrast to globalization, the ying. What to think?

Last time I checked, innovation meant 'anything new'. The only thing 'new' I can see in al this is the hype itself. Innovation has been an applied science for many decades. The Japanese in the seventies and eighties cut some rough edges when developing Kaizen, and re(de)fined the process of innovation. Not that it can't be re(de)fined again, not that I'm disagreeing that organizations can become better at applying innovation - what bothers me is the 'me too' hysteria.

It seems to me like a fear driven development in a response to the essence of globalization: things are being produced where there's an optimal balance between costs of raw materials, labor costs and distribution facilities and sold where people are willing to pay most. So China's economy grows. It was about time we 'allowed' new players into the business arena. We see jobs dissapearing (at least for the time being) to be re-established in China and our response to 'win the war' is innovation. Clearly, what really needs to be innovated is our perception of business: them against us. Cause once China's role is played, we can be sure Africa is in postion to become the next superpower. We have an obligation the help these regions on their way and share the insights we have so they avoid the stupid mistakes we made. It might be we loose a few jobs - but we get to keep the planet. Together. Nothing new under the sun, but nevertheless the only innovative process worthwhile investing in. Let's not be lemmings.

Free newspapers

Denmark since last week is two news sources richer: Dato and 24Timer. A third one is threatening to enter the market later this year. Whether it from a journalistic point of view is an enrichment, I dare to challenge. Whether this helps, this at least is what the editors claim, more people to start reading newspapers again, is doubtful and I'd like to see the living proof of that. If anything, it clutters the landscape since it is additional information sources people have to relate to.

It of course is a great medium for advertizers that have been blocked from my mailbox with a 'thank you for not sending me any advertisement' badge, since these papers do not have the same restrictions. Yet, I must add. I just ordered a badge which will also ban these free so called newspapers  from my box (link to the website where you can order your badge). So did 23.000 others until now. Admitted, that is less than 5% of the total amount of receivers but this is within a two weeks time frame. Besides that, this is the 23.000 who actively refuse to receive these advertisements in a news coating. That means that most likely at least five time the amount of people are to some level irritated by these papers. What does that tell the advertizers? (Do they care?).

What I also doubt is the economic model - and this is my biggest problem with the development. The two new newspapers on the streets are both published by traditional newspaper publishing houses: Berlingske and Politiken. Both serious dailies with both their unique share of readers. The money that is being pumped into these free newspapers, I'm affraid at the end of the day can and will threaten the traditional newspapers as well. I figure that it will cost between 6 and 10 DKK every day to get these newspapers on the street (inluding print, editorials, distribution and what have you). Times 500.000 - that is 3 million. Times two free newspapers. That is six million extra advertiement DKK these papers have to find: every day. How long can they do that? Especially once there's 60.000 people who ban them from their mailboxes? Why are we cutting perfect wood for printing papers where - if you ask me - even the piece of paper this business plan has been written upon has not been worth cutting a single inch.

ps - there's right now a delivery time of four to sex weeks on the bann free papers badges. If you can wait that long, print your own.

Daddy does Dalmatia

There's an endless source of travel magazines and books. All of them, I am sure, most relevant and very helpfull. There's one travel series though I am lacking: the city survival guide for dad's! Think about all those divorced dad's that take their kids along on a holiday. What on earth do you do with your kids after you have been to the zoo, have eaten thirteen ice creams and have had the simming pool now for three days in a row? And what about the nights where you can't leave your rented appartment, the tv set only receives Croatian public television and the worldwideweb has passed this part of the world? What do you feed your kids, where can you take them where both kids and yourself have fun? How can you give your holiday with your kids an extra twist? I'd definitely would buy that guide for any city. In fact, I'd like to produce it for Amsterdam and Copenhagen - if any publisher out there is interested.

Tagging Tivoli

Tivoli is one of Europe's eldest amusement parcs (1843), located in Copenhagen (The oldest amusement park of the world (opened 1583) is Bakken, at Klampenborg, north of Copenhagen, Denmark. Another long-standing park is Prater in Vienna, Austria, which opened in 1766). One of its big charms is that it is in the middle of the city center. This makes Tivoli an easy 'target' both for planned trips and/or spontaneous visits. What it lacks though (in my humble opinion) is proper branding. Especially abroad. What about a sexy tagg line for example?

This holiday, as always, we visited Tivoli with the kids (they love it, so do we) and on our way out, seeing the entrance with the name from behind, it struck me: they already have the perfect tagg line. In reversed order Tivoli reads: ilovit or rather I LOVE IT.

Tivoli - I love it --- admitted, it ventures straight into McDonalds lap and  that might be for all the reasons in the world not the association Tivoli is looking for. However, it is too obvious to not stmble over it and I hope they will consider using it. Soon. Cause it does come close to the warmth the brand is connected with.

Cheers,

Pat