BeTuitive: company magazine

Blockbuster Teams

Posted on December 06, 2007 by Kathryn Regina.

According to the book Blockbusters, it’s a company’s innovative product—not it’s price point, customer service or depreciation schedule—that creates value for customers. To discover the key practices required for developing “blockbuster” products, authors Gary S. Lynn, Ph.D. and Richard R. Reilly, Ph.D., conducted a two year study of “blockbuster” product development teams. Here’s what we thought of their findings:

Kathy:

Out of the five “best practices” for new product development, I thought the most interesting one was that successful teams always have senior management that is “intimately involved” with the project. This seems to run contrary to most management situations. It also raises the question as to how these managers have time to be both teammates and management. Nevertheless, the authors insist that “coming up with the ‘big idea’ is only the beginning,” and that when management merely pops in once in a while to check in on things it’s not only unhelpful, it often results in “hit and run” accidents. The authors observed that in successful teams, senior management played one of three roles: project leader, technical guru or coach.

Jeff:

The authors’ observation that successful teams were “not especially concerned about building friendships or even insisting that everyone like each other,” adds a harsh robotic-like element to what is otherwise a set of reasonable best practices. However, upon closer examination it seems like what the authors really observed from the successful teams was that friendships aren’t all that’s needed for a strong team, and that strong teams can exist even if not everyone gets along. That’s a lot different than saying that in order to be successful you have to be unconcerned about building friendships. Because that just sounds creepy, to be honest.

Kevin:

Keep it open. Keep it clear. Keep it consistent. That seems to be the lesson from the book summary, “Blockbusters,” which identifies the five necessary steps to lead a product development team. When I say keep it open, I mean lines of communication, ideas and focus must be open to all possibilities. It never serves people well to be forced down one unwavering path. It is important to be clear about what your product is, what the competition provides, who your audience is and who your competitors are. A clear idea of this allows the unique and alluring elements of your product strategy to flourish. Lastly, maintaining consistent communication and problem-solving techniques between developers, managers and decision makers discourages the occurrence of mistakes, unfavorable relationships and unwanted surprises.

Joanna:

By reading specific accounts of real-life company sagas, it becomes clear that Lynn and Reilly's "5 keys to developing great new products" are vital steps to becoming successful. The summary highlights Iomega's trip to success and teaches the reader that all 5 rules (Commitment of Senior Management, Clear and Stable Vision, Improvisation, Information Exchange, and Collaboration Under Pressure) are not simply step-by-step suggestions. Rather, all 5 must be used tgether from start to finish in a balanced collaberation between all departments of the company.

December 6, 2007 in award winning design, award winning magazine, award winning newsletter, Blogs, build credibility, business credibility, Business editorial, business magazine, Business Marketing, Business newsletter, Business publications, company magazine, company newsletter, Company newsletters, Company publication, corporate magazine, Corporate newsletter, Corporate publications | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Submit Submit Submit

Posted on August 20, 2007 by Kevin G.

A news source that I often link to, DMNews, is in the final stages of accepting submissions for an Email Marketing Guide. If you have the chance, I would recommend taking a look at their site and see if there is anything you could submit.

August 20, 2007 in award winning blog, award winning design, award winning magazine, award winning newsletter, Award winning publications, Brand enhancement, Building B2B Relationships, Building Customer Community, Building Customer Intuition, Business editorial, business magazine, Business Marketing, Business newsletter, Business publications, Business relationships, company blog, company magazine, company newsletter, company newsletter sample, Company newsletters, Company publication, Corporate Blogging | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

ACES in Bloom

Posted on May 21, 2007 by Vinnie Lacey.

It's not often that we get to pat ourselves on the back here at BeTuitive Publishing. But award season is in full swing, and we are proud to announce our first wins of 2007!

Miller Heiman and BeTuitive Publishing scored top honors at the 2007 ACE Awards, sponsored by the Reno-Tahoe chapter of the American Marketing Association (AMA). AMA has been the leading source for information, knowledge sharing, and development in the marketing profession for over six decades, with over 38,000 members internationally.

The Miller Heiman Sales Performance Journal nabbed an Award of Excellence in the category of Comprehensive Marketing Campaign for BeTuitive and Miller Heiman. Miller Heiman also won awards in the categories of Special Events, Direct Mail Campaign, Web Marketing Campaign and Publicity/Public Relations Campaign.

Congratulations to our friends at Miller Heiman, pictured here with their shiny accolades:

Excellence is Contagious!

May 21, 2007 in award winning blog, award winning design, award winning magazine, award winning newsletter, Award winning publications, blog publish, Blogging Tools, Blogs, Brand enhancement, build credibility, Building B2B Relationships, Building Customer Community, Building Customer Intuition, company magazine, company newsletter, Custom publication, Custom publications, electronic newsletter, Email blast, Email Marketing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Grass-rooted Publishing...by Tree

Posted on March 05, 2007 by Vinnie Lacey.

Glancing through the Chicago Tribune on my morning commute, I read a fascinating article about the tumultuous Darfur region in Sudan. Instead of the typical stories of genocide and rape, the article focused on a young woman from El Fasher (the capital of the North Darfur state) named Awatif Ahmed Isshag. Isshag began a handwritten monthly newsletter covering local events, arts and religion nearly 10 years ago, and found a colorful way to distribute her articles by pasting decorated pages to a large piece of wood and hanging the creation from a tree outside her parents' home. These days, the 24-year-old journalist's grass-roots periodical often confronts the often tragic circumstances in the region, with Isshag conducting all her own interviews and information gathering. Passersby eat it up, some traveling several miles to read her installments. Isshag faces pressing issues--threats to her safety, constant insecurity, the loss of relatives--but she bravely soldiers through it all. "Journalism," she says, "is a profession of risk."

I'll refrain from giving any ill-conceived comparisons to custom publishing, but it's interesting how the struggle to accumulate and disseminate important information can bind us across cultures. Isshag has found incredibly creative--and brave--means to deliver her message to the community who needs it. A community that has largely been without a voice, but where one courageous woman is carving out quite the readership.

If only every publication could take such risks. Catch up on Isshag's story here.

March 5, 2007 in audio publication, award winning magazine, award winning newsletter, Blog Outsourcing, blog publish, CMO, company blog, company magazine, company newsletter, Company newsletters, Company publication, Corporate Blogging, corporate magazine, Corporate newsletter, create a newsletter | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

A Strike Against the Beast

Posted on February 15, 2007 by Kevin G.

We’ve all heard the story about the little guy scoring one for his team against an impossible opponent. Movies like The Mighty Ducks or Rocky might illustrate this in the most obvious way, but it is rare to find this in the online or technical world. A hacker might be offered a six-figure salary from a major corporation, but that is about it.

Copiepresse, a Belgium copyright protection group, recently won a court battle against Google. It seems unheard of, but Google can do wrong…for some. Google’s providing of news stories with headlines, article snippets, and related pictures initially got them in trouble with the Belgium group back in February 2006. Many of the articles were available only by paid subscriptions to the 18 French-language news journals.

Though Google has lost the battle, it certainly has not lost the war. Often describing court battles as, “business negotiation being done in a courtroom,” Google will continue to contest the verdict as it pushes conventional wisdom on contemporary business practice.

February 15, 2007 in award winning blog, Award winning publications, Blog Outsourcing, Building B2B Relationships, Building Customer Community, Building Customer Intuition, business magazine, Business Marketing, company blog, company magazine, company newsletter sample, Company newsletters, corporate magazine, Corporate newsletter | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

It's my Truthiness and I'll Stick to It

Posted on January 25, 2007 by Kevin G.

I always make it a top priority to stay on top of news developing throughout the day. Spending time at the New York Times and CNN web pages gives me a good portion of my world news, but I always try to keep myself well-rounded. I’m a little bit country and a little bit Rock’n Roll – but mostly rock.

So, another source I commonly utilize for my news intake is the always credible program, the Colbert Report, on Comedy Central. Ok, I may not use it directly as a news source, but how can you deny a show that counts the times Nancy Pelosi blinked during the president’s recent State of the Union address? A reason why I choose to stay out of politics all together.

Anyways, the show is great, but I was intrigued to see that the Colbert Report now utilizes a blog. It’s is always great to establish relationships in the blogosphere. So how about it Steven? I’ll comment on yours if you comment on mine. Let’s build synergy…for the people.

January 25, 2007 in audio publication, award winning magazine, Award winning publications, Blogging Tools, Brand enhancement, Building Customer Community, bulk email marketing, business magazine, Business newsletter, CMO, company magazine, Company newsletters, Corporate Blogging, corporate magazine, Corporate newsletter | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Time is Right?

Posted on January 19, 2007 by David Borra.

An article on msnbc.com talks about Bob Barker’s retirement.

At this moment, he doesn’t have a successor. I'm sure CBS has thought about this for some time, but will they find someone to fill Mr. Barker’s shoes and still keep the same amount of interest and success in the show? Or will this be the end of the line for "The Price is Right"?

Since Bob Barker has hosted the show for 35 years it will be interesting to see if CBS just finds a replacement or if they are going to rebrand the show's image.

January 19, 2007 in award winning design, award winning magazine, award winning newsletter, Award winning publications, Blog Outsourcing, Blogging Tools, Building B2B Relationships, Building Customer Community, Building Customer Intuition, bulk email marketing, company blog, company magazine, company newsletter, corporate magazine, Corporate newsletter | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

What Can Brown (on white) do For You?

Posted on January 17, 2007 by Kevin G.

I came across an article about the new ad campaign for UPS. Originally harnessing the slogan “What can brown do for you,” the company is looking to express that mentality in a broader way.

Described as the company’s “most integrate communication campaign ever,” the campaign will involve multiple mediums including print, online and television commercials amongst others. The commercial I found below is slightly reminiscent of Apple commercials, if only they decided to use Zach Braff from Scrubs.

The commercial is kept simple and direct, which is refreshing. Bottom line, they aim to make complex shipping seem like a piece of cake. I am convinced, see for yourself.

January 17, 2007 in award winning blog, award winning magazine, Award winning publications, blog publish, Blogs, build credibility, Building Customer Community, bulk email marketing, Business editorial, Business Marketing, Business publications, CMO, company magazine, company newsletter sample, Company publication | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Even Giants Can't Escape PR Rollercoaster

Posted on January 15, 2007 by Vinnie Lacey.

Wal-Mart. Love it. Hate it. Or, like me, have a love/hate relationship with it. But one thing you must respect is the retail giant's extraordinary commitment to health care for all its employees.

Yes, folks, a new year and the same old sarcasm. But I'm just the messenger.

With the Mart often getting bad press from activists, I poked around online to see if I could find some other points of view. The investigation quickly turned into an exploration of the company's PR machine, as I ran into this article from BusinessWeek's "Best and Worst of PR in 2006." Mixed results.

Then I came across this illuminating article on the Mart's new commitment to energy saving lightbulbs. Oprah? Now that's some powerful PR.

After this cursory glance, I give Wal-Mart high marks in the PR department for smart campaigns, access to inexpensive necessities, and admitting wrongdoing sooner rather than later.

Now if they could only halt this slow degradation of American culture.

January 15, 2007 in award winning blog, award winning design, blog publish, build credibility, Building Customer Community, Building Customer Intuition, company magazine, corporate magazine, Corporate newsletter, Corporate publications | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Apple does it again

Posted on January 12, 2007 by David Borra.

Apple has gone through many changes over the years , but what remains constant is its drive to push forward.

For instance, the new iPhone coming out in June features an MP3 player, camera and touchpad screens.

Also, Apple TV is a new gadget that allows viewers to download movies from their iTunes (on either a PC or Mac) and view them on a television. The iPhone and Apple TV make it apparent that Apple is strategically branching out into all forms of media.

January 12, 2007 in award winning design, award winning magazine, award winning newsletter, Award winning publications, Blog Outsourcing, Blogging Tools, Building B2B Relationships, Building Customer Community, Building Customer Intuition, bulk email marketing, company blog, company magazine, company newsletter, corporate magazine, Corporate newsletter | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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