Author Archive

Bill A.

What "Counts" on Social Media?

Bill A.
1.12.2011
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But the heart of our question was, for one’s close friends and family, is posting a note on one’s Facebook wall enough? I argued “yes” and my wife argued “no” (or, I should say, she “offered as perspective,” since she isn’t one to argue).

My argument went that as more of our lives move online, our interactions become more seamless between different channels. MORE…

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‘Tis the Season of Predictions

12.1.2010
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Bill A.

If it’s December, it’s prediction time. Ready the pundits, futurists and know-it-alls for their end-of-year forecasts, trends and visions of 2011 and beyond.

The problem with all these predictions is that there is little-to-no accountability for their accuracy. Who ever really goes back to check whether a prognosticator’s prognostications were ever really right? Without this accountability, people are inclined — even incented — to predict more radical versions of tomorrow, as those are the ones that grab headlines today.MORE…

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The Customer Isn’t Boss

Bill A.
11.17.2010
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With apologies to Sam Walton, the customer isn’t boss. Think of the relationship you have with your boss. Is that the relationship you want with your customer? I hope not.*

If you could create the ideal relationship with your customer, it probably would look more like the relationships you have with your best friend, your husband, wife, mother or father. It would be a relationship built on mutual understanding, respect and empathy — not one set in the context of annual reviews and the ever-present threat of being fired.MORE…

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Money vs. Effort

11.4.2010
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Bill A.

In the spirit of Tuesday’s voting, I wanted to change course from my regular beat of “business strategy” and talk for a minute about politics. Before you stop reading, rest assured, this post is not about this party or that; the candidate who won or lost. Instead, this post is about a little experiment I did to look at money vs. effort within our political system.

Abraham Lincoln said, “Our government rests in public opinion. Whoever can change public opinion, can change the government …”

And herein lies the power of interest groups … to influence public opinion and thereby the government. On a whole, interest groups get a bad rap, but on some level they can be valuable contributors to the voice of the people and issues that otherwise wouldn’t get the attention and protection from our government they deserve …MORE…

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Beware the Shiny New Thing

Bill A.
10.20.2010
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There is a human fascination with the shiny new thing. We are attracted to it in every facet of our lives – from politics to business, from the grocery aisle to a used car lot, from Eve’s shiny apple to Heidi Montag’s new, well, everything. Shiny new things grab headlines and our attention by wooing us. By drawing us in and appealing to our innate fascination with all things new and shiny.

The proposition of the shiny new thing is that it’s better. Cooler than what you’ve seen or experienced to date. The shiny new thing does something different. And with that difference comes greater utility. The shiny new thing is usually a functional enhancement or difference, but the very nature of it being shiny and new works to elicit an emotional response.MORE…

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An Open Letter to Our Non-Clients

9.22.2010
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Bill A.

As our CEO, Diane Hessan, is fond of saying, “If you like our client list, you should see our non-client list.” With names on our roster such as Kraft Foods, Bank of America, Microsoft and about 100 more great brands, our clients are only a handful of the companies who would benefit from having their customers at their fingertips. Consider the following companies who are our non-clients:

  • Approximately 462 of the FORTUNE 500
  • Approximately 83 of Interbrand’s list of the top 100 Best Global Brands
  • And not one of the Big Three, four or five automakers

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So What?

Bill A.
8.27.2010
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A recent study conducted by Boston Consulting Group illustrated a disconnect between internal insight teams and their business line counterparts (i.e., their clients). The biggest gap between what the insight teams thought they were delivering and what the business lines received was the answer to a fairly simple question, “so what?”MORE…

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Would You Want to Know Your Competitor’s Strategy?

8.2.2010
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Bill A.

A story surfaced today on TechCrunch.com claiming that a Facebook employee boasted the company “has obtained copies of proprietary Google documents outlining their social strategy.” Besides being way uncool to yammer on about at a cocktail party, it poses an interesting question: Would you even want to know your competitors’ plans?MORE…

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