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Blockbuster Teams

Posted on December 06, 2007 by Kathryn Regina.

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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.

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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

The BI Marriage: Accuracy with Strategy

Posted on October 17, 2007 by Kevin G.

I was reading a great article today about setting up a solid BI system for mid-to-large sized companies. 

Garry Garis, author of the article notes, “You do not get a second chance to be wrong and these companies know that their credibility is vital to sustaining customer relationships and ultimately, profitability.”The foundations of a BI system must be solid if anything is able to be built upon it.  The accuracy of information is key. 

Being able to effectively leverage information to make better business decisions is a powerful strategy if done correctly.  Knowing where you get your information, how it is processed and to who it should go to is only half of the battle.  Garis offers some key points on how to ensure you have a solid strategy with your accurate information.

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October 17, 2007 in Brand enhancement, build credibility, Building B2B Relationships, Building Customer Community, Building Customer Intuition, business credibility, Business editorial, business magazine, Business Marketing, Business newsletter, Business publications, Business relationships, company newsletter, company newsletter sample, Company newsletters, Company publication, Corporate Blogging, corporate magazine, Corporate newsletter, Corporate publications | Permalink | Comments (3) | 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.

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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

8 Ways to Boost Your Click Through Rates

Posted on June 05, 2007 by Kathryn Regina.

From product reviews to information sharing, the Medquoda Daily shares tips from the "Creating Great Free Email Newsletters" session of SIPA's 31st annual conference in Washington D.C. Read the article to learn valuable information about copy writing for promotional-based emails.

These eight techniques will boost your click through rates

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June 5, 2007 in Blogs, build credibility, business credibility, Business editorial, Business Marketing, Business newsletter, Business publications, company blog, company newsletter, Company publication, Corporate newsletter, create a newsletter, create email newsletter, create newsletter, creating company newsletter, creating newsletter, custom newsletter, Custom publication, Custom publications, E-Marketing, Email Marketing, how to publish online, how to write a newsletter, how to write and publish a paper, magazine marketing, Marketing Communication, Newsletter content, newsletter creation, Newsletter Marketing | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Obama Focuses Attention on Telemarketing and the FTC

Posted on May 23, 2007 by Kevin G.

It may not be the topic of global warming or the war in Iraq, but presidential hopeful, Senator Barack Obama, offered his concern on telemarketing to the elderly.  The FTC and databases like Infousa.com are mentioned in his statement.  Read the full article here.

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May 23, 2007 in blog publish, Brand enhancement, build credibility, Building B2B Relationships, Building Customer Community, Building Customer Intuition, Business editorial, Business relationships, Company publication, Corporate Blogging, create a newsletter, creating newsletter, Custom email, Custom publishing, Customizable publication, electronic newsletter, email marketing solution, email service, grow relationships | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Reinforcement and Challenge: The Components of Strong Branding

Posted on May 16, 2007 by Kevin G.

I have been thinking a lot about branding lately and came up with a couple ideas about it.  Branding is all about the relationship a consumer has to a company and its products.  This relationship is enhanced through new experiences, better quality, and improved reputation.

Often a relationship is strengthened by reinforcing the positive qualities.  This is found in reward points for a certain amount of purchases, excellent customer service around trusted products, or improved stores or website to better serve customers.

Brands are also strengthened when they challenge their consumers into thinking differently about their product, service or company.  Apple did it with computers and Starbucks did it with coffee.  By challenging the consumers, they learn to refocus their view of a brand in an effort to improve the relationship.

These two commercials for BMW seem to do just that.  Watch both and see which is more effective for you and how you see BMW as a brand.

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May 16, 2007 in award winning design, Blogging Tools, Building B2B Relationships, Building Customer Community, bulk email marketing, business credibility, business magazine, Business relationships, CMO, Company publication, Corporate Blogging, Corporate newsletter, creating company newsletter, Creative emails, Custom publisher, Customer Intuition, Educating Clients, Educating Prospects, forbes magazine, grow relationships, magazine design, Strategic Internet Marketing | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Measuring ROI, What a Pain

Posted on April 04, 2007 by Kevin G.

It seems like it gets harder and harder to measure ROI with marketing campaigns.  John Federman explains the pains and potential with measuring ROI.  It may be easier than you think, just think beyond convention and more customer-centric.

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April 4, 2007 in Blogging Tools, build credibility, Building B2B Relationships, bulk email marketing, Business Marketing, Business publications, Company publication, E-Marketing, e-newsletter, Email Marketing, email marketing campaign, email tracking, How to do a Newsletter, marketing solutions, Newsletter Marketing, Newsletter ROI, newsletter solutions, online marketing, Strategic Internet Marketing, Weblogs | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Words Glorious Words

Posted on March 07, 2007 by Kevin G.

I think it’s always great to be precise with wording.  Though I don’t consider myself a wordsmith, I try to: bestow the lexicon of my colloquies with consummate exactitude.  But even statements like that don’t phase vocabulary-prodigies like Robert Marshland.

He is the winner of the National Vocabulary Championship, hosted at the New York Public Library.  Here, the contestants must have a clear understanding of uncommon words and their differences; like the difference between what is simply underrated from a clear example of floccinaucinihilipilification (the estimation of something worthless).  This competition is intense for contestants to not only know a plethora of words that are not commonly used in social discourse, but to react quickly with their answers to proceed to the higher rounds.

The winner, 18-year-old Marshland from Wisconsin, was awarded $40,000 towards college tuition and the title of “Most Challenging Person to Play Scrabble Against.”  Read further about the competition and Robert’s road to success.

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March 7, 2007 in award winning newsletter, Blog Outsourcing, Blogs, Building B2B Relationships, Building Customer Community, Building Customer Intuition, Business Marketing, Business publications, CMO, company blog, company newsletter, Company newsletters, Company publication, Corporate newsletter | 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.

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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

Reviving Stewardship

Posted on February 19, 2007 by Vinnie Lacey.

In the business of custom publishing, we here at BeTuitive always have to be mindful of copyright and plagiarism. After all, word-smithing is part of what we do, day in and day out.  Not to mention that a crucial aspect of our credibility is ensuring the originality and authenticity of the work we produce, both for ourselves and our clients.

But are we, as the model of capitalist societies, too obsessed with the claims of private ownership in our created works?  Has the rush to stake claim to their seemingly inalienable rights destroyed the public domain that these works also naturally reside in? 

The author Jonathan Lethem gives an excellent treatment of these questions in this month's Harper's Magazine.  Lethem's mini position paper, "The Ecstasy of Influence," got me thinking about what we are quick to deem worthy of protection these days. The article does get rather heavy at times, as a good position paper should, but I found some of his ruminations very interesting and worth the time.  One of my favorites is Lethem's distinction between a market economy and a gift economy.

Check it out.

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February 19, 2007 in audio publication, award winning design, award winning magazine, Blog Outsourcing, blog publish, Blogs, Brand enhancement, Building B2B Relationships, Business newsletter, CMO, Company publication, Corporate Blogging, corporate magazine, Corporate newsletter, create a newsletter | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack