“What else is there to live for? food and women”

And so I did it: I just became partner in a restaurant.
This is a long story.
I have always loved the idea of a restaurant, probably it's in my dna: my grandfather was a maitre in luxury hotels aroud the world.

Anyway, along with my consulting career, I'm now working on the marketing for the restaurant.
Go there and have a look:

http://www.dunerestaurant.it/main_Eng.html


And if you are in Rome or plan to come to the eternal city, send a mail.....

Technorati Tags: restaurant, food, wine, rome, marketing, gianandrea facchini

It's no longer the new news but the relevance of the news

When I first started to blog, my focus was on the latest news and on writing something with strict connection to marketing (or at least the serious side of marketing) because the blogs I read was consistent in this approach.
But lately this way of blogging has changed and shifted from marketing to relationship.
Wait, I'm not saying we are no longer writing on marketing. The approach has changed: we blog about personal aspects of life, about relationship.
We do not forget that the job of the marketers is to advice on how to sell brands and products to customers, but they are no longer customers only but human being.
And the relationship between our bloggers has followed this path.

I'm more confident that there is a way to sell brands and products which is smart and transparent and honest.
A way where customers are not only grps or clicks or whatever measure you need to use but persons.

And across this path, this group of bloggers, I'm linked to, became a community.
We don't consider ourselves for the number of links but for what we are and what we say.

My approach has changed too:
it's no longer the new news but the relevance of the news.
Being the first to write about is not important to me is I have nothing relevant to say about.

Technorati Tags: marketing, blogger, blog, customer, commmunity

*@###§^^!!!!!!!!

I'm in a battle royal with technology!
Next update coming soon!

Technorati Tags: tachnology, quicktime, plugins

Better work few minutes more

A quick update on The 4-Hour Workweek.
I've got a mail by Tim Ferriss who probably did not get my question (of course, it may be a fault of mine as I write in a foreing language).
Anyway my question was:

tim,
i'm very curious to read your book but, as i live in italy, no chance to get the audible version.
any suggestion?
thanks,g.

The answer is:

Hi Gianandrea,

Thank you for your email. You should be able to download the audiobook at www.audible.com, or you can download the ebook at www.powells.com .

Thanks so much!

Tim

The problem is:

at Audible the book is not available for outside the US
at Powells it is in pre order and I did not spent other time to check is there is the same problem

It is the same problem I detected by myself and which made me send a mail.
After three days, I got a mail with a useless answer.

Technorati Tags: 4-Hours Workweek, Timothy Ferriss, word of mouth, marketing, Tim Ferriss, customer care

Customer care and the 4 hours work week

You have heard about a clever guy who is selling his method to work 4 hours a week and still living healthy.
I heard about him yesterday at Steve Rubel's place.
At first I was amazed by how smart is this guy : the book, five minutes conferences, a blog, some advice on how to measure your life quality, how to save money with a more rational standard of living, etc.
Wow, sounds great. Let me buy the book.
First problem: the book is not yet available for Italian market. Ok, such a smart guy, I send him a mail telling how i wish to understand more and we'll find a solution. So I did and I got an answer in five minutes. The most disappointing answer I, as a customer, can receive:

Hi All,

In an effort to actually get work done, I am checking email once every 2-4 days. If you need a response soon and have my number, please call me. I actually prefer phone for quick decisions.

If this is media, speaking, or interview-related, please find
appropriate phone info under "contact" at www.fourhourworkweek.com.

Cheers, and here's to life outside of the inbox!

Tim

P.S. I read all e-mail personally, but I cannot always reply, especially with involved how-to questions. Please don't be offended if I don't respond, and be sure to check out the blog, forums, and 4HWW communities that are popping up online. Thanks for
understanding, and I appreciate your e-mail!

Wait a minute:

1. to save your time you just do not check email?
2. to save your time, I have to phone to you?
3. you read all email personally but do not answer because you can't?
4. I have not to be offended, if you do not answer?

What about customer satisfaction?
You sell a product, your book, and to sell more you build up a story around it and to live with your story you tell to a customer to not send mail, better a phone call and if you should not answer just take it easy?

Is it me or there is something wrong?

Technorati Tags: 4-Hours Workweek, Timothy Ferriss, word of mouth, marketing, Tim Ferriss, customer care

Any new news?

The world lives with the paranoia of the latest news: we must be updated, we have to know the latest piece of information and the first who get it is the winner. Wait, the winner of what? If by chance I should be the first to know about a new way to cure a disease, this means that I could be able to use this information appropriately? The winner still should be the one who use it better and smarter.
A post from down under Servant of Chaos (ok, it's Gavin) talk about the chaos of influence.
A post create some ripples that seem to disappear and then, all of a sudden, an influencer get into the playground and make the post live and spread, no matter how old it is.

Blogs do not necessarily live on the latest news but on the content relevance.
It's content and analysis that bring in readers and commenters and eventually create your social network.

Technorati Tags: Servant of Chaos, David Armano, Malcom Gladwell, Scott Monty, Social media, Influencers, chaos

Who's setting the pace in the advertising market?

We all know and say that the world of advertising is going to change dramatically, that mass media are on the verge of a nervous breakdown, that viewerships and media fruition are shifting from a passive to an active mode (Marketing Charts) with an overlapping of different media fruition.
Well, this is probably the time when we can check if the above is correct or if we have been foolished by our desire. This the time of the year when next year budget are deployed and bigger media choice discussed: this is strategy time.
It's interesting to see the gap between the development of the strategy for the advertisers and the development of the programming for the editors and publisher of the main media.
In this Ad Age article, the Unilever Media VP, Laura Klauberg, says that's going to be tough to negotiate right now with no clear mind on the need from a programming point of view. And she is lucky enough if the TV sales houses know which programs they are going to broadcast.
It seems to me that advertisers need to be strategic while media tend to be tactical and to unveil their programs at the very last minute. This is true in Italy, where the TV programming can change very often. What about other countries?

Technorati Tags: marketing, advertising, media buying, unilever, laura klauberg, ad age, marketing charts, mass media

the copyright issue for the 100th times

two good news this morning.

the first one is that some smart guys are getting into sort out the copyright issue without making lawyers benefitting of all the revenues.
fast company reports of this model that may help in producing revenue for any stolen video.
i see some clear benefit here:

1. stop useless and expensive legal action
2. stop trying to face the tech evolution with last century approach
3. contribute to spread the creativity
4. make some positive pr to the industry

how it works?

"PodZinger's spiders will in time be able to track down specific video content on command--a clip from last night's Daily Show, for example, or everything that belongs to Comedy Central--and insert an ad into each segment, no matter where it is playing"

does it work?

we should hope yes, because it can be the first step to a newer and smarter approach to the unstoppable evolution of the web.

for the full article:
podzinger

the second news is the this is my post #100.
i wish to thanks all the readers and everyone who just passed by.

Technorati Tags: marketing, bizandbuzz, fast company, podzinger, youtube, viacom, copyright

alphabet city

other two letters just added to the meme.
well done.
here the links:

I am Blog with B

The Diet Pulpit with S

Technorati Tags: Valeria Maltoni, David Armano, Mark Goren, Grigor, IAmBlog, Bizandbuzz, The Diet Pulpit, Alphabet meme, blog meme, alphabet meme

green is the colour of money

Enviroment is becoming a business and, if it will succeed, we have a higher chance to keep our world alive.
Italian newspapers are filled with adv from major utilities company, such as Eni, Sorgenia, and manufacturers of lighting systems, such as Guzzini, Beghelli. All these ads have in common the message: save on electricity through a responsible and efficient lighting system.

Advice such as: do not leave appliances on stand by, adoption of low intensity light bulbs, computer assisted light system, etc.

What I find interesting in the approach is that no one of the company lose time talking about the future of the world, the eco system, etc. They go straight on the saving concept.
The eco concept is in the bodycopy, as an additional benefit.

Is it the same in the US or in other European countries?
Is that a new trend?

Technorati Tags: marketing, environment, eni, sorgenia, guzzini, beghelli

alphabet city

It's time to turn this story into a meme and see what happens.

Valeria Maltoni posted her 4As about blogging.
David Armano did it one year ago with his 4Cs.
Mark Goren set up his 4Ps.
Grigor at Behind the glass describe his 4Ls.

My proposal is to build an alphabet with four words for each letter describing what blog is about.

My letter is I

1. Innovation - to be one step ahead with the latest information
   
2. Information - to get information about the rest of the world and keep my mind open and facilitate the integration
   
3. Integration - to approach others without prejudices, to have conversation with them and share thoughts that generate ideas
   
4. Ideas - to produce ideas that can really have an impact in my business as well in my life

What about you?

Technorati Tags: Valeria Maltoni, David Armano, Mark Goren, Grigor, Alphabet, meme

habitat for humanity

It's almost one month that this community established the badge.
please, go ahead in donating.
click on the badge, make yours a better day.

Technorati Tags: ck, christine kerley, habitat for humanity

a greener apple

i know, and you should know, too: i'm an apple addict.
but you must admit it: this is a bold move.
for the first time ever, steve jobs is addressing the company policy to be a greener company, and a more transparent one.

a greener apple

Technorati Tags: marketing, apple, a greener apple, steve jobs, environment

Age of conversation, the eBook

As you may know, two smart guys (Gavin and Drew) came up with a great idea: to build a book together with 100 bloggers, from all over the world, about conversation.
This has been a favourite topic since a while now, I had my own post about it, too.
But the interesting thing is to gather 100 persons and ask for a contribution.
I sent my two cents about it, titled about conversation.
What I tried to do is to define the structure of a conversation through my own thoughts and some quotes of writers, artists, philosophers.

The proceed goes to Variety, the children's charity

Technorati Tags: eBook, marketing, Age of conversation-the eBook, bizandbuzz

Rome, May 12, 2017

Few years ago, the devil in the internet world had one face. This one:


Scaring, isn't it?

Today, we live in a perfect world where some wise and nice looking guys have made our life easier and better.

This guy has put his hands over the music system, the movie market. Any song you want to download, any movie you want to see, you owe him a royalty. The box office is no longer based on the ticket sold but on the download from his network of web sites. He manages the most important artists and organize their tours around the world and the merchandise. (Rumors say he is keeping Mickey Mouse as a hostage but, as shown in the picture, they are very good friends!!!)

These two guys just bought internet. A stated in this latest news, google just made an offer in cash to buy the whole internet with huge benefit to the end users.

Seriously, don't you feel a little uncomfortable with the power that all these guys are concentrating in their hands?

Technorati Tags: internet, apple, google, doubleclick, youtube, bill gates, page, brin, steve jobs

at home with books

reading is one of the pleasure of life. buying books, too.
then the problem is to make a catalog not to buy two times a title or to get quick reference when you write an article or a document.
this morning i want to spend this space to talk of a software, Delicious library, which make this catalogue in a smart way.
when installed, you turn your webcam in a scanner, pass the book in front of the cam, it reads the barcode and the book in recognized and catalogued with all the details.
it works with the amazon database for us, uk, france, japan, germany and france.
you can catalogue cd and movies, too.
as it is a smart piece of software it work on mac only ;-))

Technorati Tags: books, reading, mac, amazon

to whom pay the royalties?

this morning i saw this smart post by maurizio goetz.
and it make me think about the issue of the copyrights and the battle between the majors and the web.

1. the business of the majors was to invest money to produce a singer or a group and to earn from the lp, cassette and cd sales
2. singers and bands were getting most fo their money from the live acts
3. some of these singers and bands made up a form of pension plan with the right to reproduce their music
4. everyone was living a happy life until technology broken the game

now, my question is should we turn down technology or it's an issue of the majors to change their business model?

Technorati Tags: copyright, peer-to-peer, web 2.0, youtube, ipod

CK's love

This is what i mean when i write about being part of a community.
Check this out.
It's for a special friend and her family.
God bless them.

buddhism and the sharing attitude

since years i've been truly fascinated by the buddhist attitude towards life.
i also attended an introductory course to buddhism in a monastery here in italy, the place where the dalai lama stays when visiting my country.
and in my google page i linked to a site providing daily meditation thoughts.

i wish to share with you the one for today.

Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. - Buddha


several reasons to do so:

1. i feel we are part of a community even if a non declared one
   
2. when something happens to one of "us" the support from the rest of the community is immediate and strong
3. this community is based on the rule of sharing
4. it goes beyond any personal believe
5. it grows through the six degrees of separation rule (a link to another link to another link.....
6. it's for a friend of "us" living a tough time
   

am i a bit too transcendental?

Technorati Tags: marketing, buddha, buddhism, six degrees

a quick comment about the annoucement of the deal between apple and emi. you know i'm a huge apple fan and i strongly believe that this company has the leadership is the major changes in the music market as we knew.

with this last move, apple is helping the music majors to save their own business, if the majors will get the message.
if not, i suppose that soon we'll see some business to shut down their premises.

anyway, this deal is a smart move for a reason that many commenters in the us may not have seen.
lately, the european commission on behalf of some european countries warned apple to remove the block to reproduce the songs bought on itunes.
this warning could have driven to serious trouble to apple with huge fine, as it happened to microsoft.

apple move was smarter than it seems: the deal was closed with the major european music label.
a sign of good will to gain some more time.

Technorati Tags: apple, emi, drm, itunes

the dark side of the moon

We do all believe that blogosphere is a pleasant place where meet friends and learn useful stuff and, yes, eventually make some business and money.
Well, that's no longer true to me.
Not after what I read this morning.
At Steve Rubel's place I got this post about a blogger, Kathy Sierra, who received serious death threats.
This is the link to her original post: it's disturbing and scaring.
But do me a favour: read it and think about it.
This seems no longer to be a game.

Technorati Tags: blogosphere, kathy sierra, steve rubel, micropersuasion

Gigamiles or thousands of bytes

This is the kind of a moment when you wish that sci-fi was already reality and you can get transferred across the ocean in seconds.
That kind of stuff that you can see in Battlestar Galactica or Startrek.

Like this one:


Why?
Because last Friday, in New York City, some of the best brains around (and some of them are charming ladies, too) met for a party.

So, what?
I was several thousands miles far from.

And?
Still I'm a lucky guy because when we blog i do not feel the distance.

But?
NEXT TIME LET'S HAVE A WEBCAM!!!

want pictures?

the manhattan connection: it's a fact magic can happen

Pedro and the customer attitude

(Clone, one of my dogs)

Few days ago, before I left for few days out (sorry, no vacation) I saw a small dog known in the neighborhood. He carries a small tag with written on: My name is Pedro, I live in the parking area and I'm not lost. He is used to go around by himself. Well few days ago, he was following a young lady (dog, of course) very far from home. I saw him from the bus and got worried about his chance to get back home alive: he was crossing a very busy street.
The day later I saw him walking close to home in very good shape and safe.

Pedro has the customer attitude, the new customer attitude:

1. he goes by himself
2. he follows his instinct
3. he looks for new experience
4. he knows what he want
5. he doesn't get lost

Do you want to get new customers? Leave your desk and talk to people.
Do you want to retain your customers? Engage them in new experience and keep conversation alive.
Do you want to lose them? Try to put a leash on them. They will bite you.

Technorati Tags: marketing, conversation, customer engagement

Spring cleaning

Next week it will be 5 months since the first post, here at Bizandbuzz.

But as the spring cleaning time is approaching, I decided to self celebrate ( sounds a lot pretending, I know) and got a new layout.

Do you like it?

Technorati Tags: Marketing, bizandbuzz, spring

Jean Baudrillard R.I.P.

Jean Baudrillard has died aged 77.

Thanks for all his writings.

Technorati Tags: Baudrillard

Time is on our side. Or not?

originally updated by Livornoqueen, via Gavin Heaton

We are always running out of time, pushed, pressed and squeezed like juiced oranges.
We do fight to keep the qualitative standard of your job as high as possible.
We do struggle to defend our revenue.
Sound insane, isn't it?
Why it seems so dificult to sit down and think about what we do?
I believe that we would probably be scared of our conclusion.

1. Stephen Denny at Note to CMO published this post about the information overload and its impact on our daytime
2. Luc at Mindblob had this post on the Production trinity and how going short of time impact on its quality
3. Valeria at Conversation Agent had this post on how all our stuff lifetime is shorter than it used to be: better replace than fix

Three different approach but the same question:

where has it gone all our time?

Technorati Tags: time, marketing, web 2.0, Valeria Maltoni, Stephen Denny, Mindblob

The age of conversation

In my own blog, and in most of the others that i read, to open and to manage a conversation is a key issue.
Without a conversation there is no engagement, no share of information, no transfer of knowledge.
Without a conversation, we cannot learn to listen, to give qords their own meaning and not the one we would like them to have.
Without conversation the essence of blogging would be lost as well as the newest trend in a customer centric marketing.
But when we talk about conversation, we should know to whom pay tribute for having created the modern art of the dialogue.
This great book from Benedetta Craveri covers this topic, describing when, where and who was behind this fascinating art.


You can find the book here Amazon and here Barnes & Noble

In the early 17th century, conversation was the newest form of art in the French aristocratic circles. On personalities and gossip as well as on intellectual arguments, conversation came from several prominent women. The most prominent was the Marquise of Rambouillet, whose Blue Room was the most important circle.

Conversation had, at that time, the power to influence writers, their style, their themes.

Is it still true today?
Are we still able to have a conversation with friends, parents, customers?
Do we write as we talk or it is the opposite?

Technorati Tags: Conversation, marketing, customer, Valeria Maltoni

Get into real life (revised version)

When I used to travel intensively to the US of A, I was fascinated by some companies such as The Gap, Starbucks, etc. What do they had in common? They represented the American myth: wearing their stuff or telling about these coffee shops meant looking like the discerning traveller.
Italian tourists were landing in the States with empty luggages and fill them with goods from these companies.
Some of these brands have lost their appeal as of late.
No longer able to identify themselves with the cultural changes in society, they started looking only in their backyards for inspiration.
The Gap launched a division for women 40+ in a country where age is a taboo: something like "my dress is my ID".
Starbucks sold its "third place" experience to save one or two minutes to people in line. What it communicates: take your coffee and run when coffee is a pleasure that takes time to enjoy.
Many others followed the same path.


Some suggestions:


Get clued in -- read marketing books, but read newspapers and magazines as well
Observe -- go shopping and see what people look for and buy
Interact -- don't stop looking around and listening to people
Drive -- those changes, if you can
Experience -- be part of the world outside your office, your facilities
Adapt -- to the social and cultural changes

This is a revised version: thanks to Valeria

Technorati Tags: Starbucks, The Gap, marketing

Money, freedom and the web

“Money won't create success, the freedom to make it will.”

Nelson Mandela is one of the person who made of his life a living manifesto for human rights. He spent most of his life in jail and was eventually released after the South African government decided to change its policy about racial issues.

This quote of his is to me a warning that is becoming more and more important to Web and the Blogosphere.

We do all remember when Internet was a land of total freedom: freedom to surf, to write, to share, to discuss, to meet.
Lately, with big money around, everyday there is a sign that this freedom in endangered.
And politics play its role, too.
Think about YouTube, since it has become GooTube and Napster, long time ago.

And yesterday, two news:

1. the European Community published a recommendation to all its members to keep traffic data for security reasons. Now, this security issue is the perfect reason for any government to give a look into our stuff, any kind of stuff;
2. a new content recognition software able to identify stuff copyrighted even if mashed.

I do not blame the commercial side of the Web, nor the advertising world which feed me. But there are too many grey area around which provide good reason to limit the freedom of the Web users.

Do you feel the same as me?
Or I'm a bit paranoic?

Technorati Tags: Internet, freedom, web 2.0, YouTube, Napster

The new Z-list

This picture has been taken in Rome, at Ponte Milvio.
Someone, few months ago, began to close a lock with their initials on: the lovers' names initials on a lock to seal the love between two persons.
Then another couples added their own lock, and another one and another again and again and again: this is the actual image.
How it was born, no one knows, how it was spread, no one knows, but it worked and it works. The Z-list has probably many parents as every smart idea but we know how it spread around. And now is back: visit these blogs, leave a sign of your appreciation if any and spread it. Let's make it bigger and bigger as the locks at Ponte Milvio: a sign that love is in the air.

My Marrakesh
The Viral Garden
BizandBuzz
Choice at Your Fingertips
Ruminate this site
Evolution...not just a theory anymore
Travel And Vacation On Blog
Through the Lenses
A Free and Decent Blog Host
What is Brand?
Asyuu @ Forest
Employment Law Colorado
Current World news
World Blog Collection
Girls Swimsuits
Asia Inspection Community
Business Garden
Dipping into the Blogpond
The Best Guides to eCommerce with Favor
SEO Blog
Energy Blog
Dosh Dosh
Daily Blog Tips
Forged Euphoria
Above Popular
Deepak
Gangster Sonny
Connected Internet
Blog-Op
Mike's Money Making Mission
Time to Budget
Can I Make Big Money Online
Blogtrepreneur
Flee the Cube
Blogging Secret
Blogging to Fame
Million Dollar Experiment heads Down Under
Quest to make money on the internet
Kumiko's Cash Quest
Calico Monkey
Internet Bazaar
Shotgun Marketing Blog
BrandSizzle
bizsolutionsplus
Customers Rock!
Being Peter Kim
Pow! Right Between The Eyes!
Billions With Zero Knowledge
Working at Home on the Internet
MapleLeaf 2.0
Two Hat Marketing
darrenbarefoot.com
The Emerging Brand
The Branding Blog
CrapHammer
Drew's Marketing Minute
Golden Practices
Viaspire
Tell Ten Friends
Flooring the Consumer
Kinetic Ideas
Unconventional Thinking
Buzzoodle
Conversation Agent
The Copywriting Maven
Hee-Haw Marketing
Scott Burkett's Pothole on the Infobahn
Multi-Cult Classics
Logic + Emotion
Branding & Marketing
Popcorn n Roses
On Influence & Automation
Bullshitobserver
Servant of Chaos
converstations
eSoup
Presentation Zen
Dmitry Linkov
aialone
John Wagner
Nick Rice
CKs Blog
Design Sojourn
Frozen Puck
The Sartorialist
Small Surfaces
Africa Unchained
Perspective
gDiapers
Marketing Nirvana
Bob Sutton
｡Hola! Oi! Hi!
Shut Up and Drink the Kool-Aid!
Women, Art, Life: Weaving It All Together
Community Guy
Social Media on the fly

Technorati Tags: blogosphere, Z-list, marketing, Rome

Nothing Can Stop It, Janey Girl!

In answering a comment from BobG to my latest post about five reasons why we blog, I found myself defining the blogosphere as a fluid environment. And, as any fluid environment, it can be a friendly one or a mortal one. As it was for Blob, yes that Blob.


When entering into the blogosphere, the first feeling is to be in someway lost, without a compass nor a scout to drive you around.
It' s not easy to admit it, but I'm rather confident that this was the first feeling for almost all of us. And if it is difficult for us as individuals, let's figure out how challenging should be to a company. I believe that this is mainly why we see so many different approach to this fast changing world.

• companies acting as landlord of the coal mine to defend feudal rights
  
• companies hiding themselves behind their history and brands
  
• companies trying to stop sea waves with a wall made of sand
• companies jumping on the bandwagon when it's already late

and

• companies brave enough not to be scared by the changes
• companies understanding the Darwin laws
• companies perceiving the add-ons

One thing is very clear: nothing can stop it, Janey Girl!

Technorati Tags: blogosphere, web 2.0, The Blob

Bridge over troubled water

Valeria Maltoni in her latest post about why we blog made me the honour to be one the five bloggers mentioned.
I tell you that this is a great reward to me for some reasons:

- Valeria run a great blog, very well written
- she is a skilled professional and has a terrific professional profile
- the other blogs mentioned are top class

I left my previous job on May last year to learn more on the Web 2.0 and purposely went to explore the market in the US and the English speaking blogosphere.
I found a fascinating world made of professionals in marketing, advertising, pr.
At the very beginning, I pose, as the title of a book from my favourite write, Bruce Chatwin, a question to myself: " What I'm doing here?"
The answer was, and is, that all my way into blogging is driven by learning.

At Lewis Green's place, I've learnt about integrity and ethic in this business. Most of the time conversation with Lewis turn over the transparent and honest approach to clients, their (and our) business and, in general, to the others;

at Tim Jacksons's place, I've learnt about pure passion. It seldom happen that someone get the gift to work for the company of his/her dream. Well, Tim is one of this lucky few and everything in his blog delivers the passion for his job and his company. Something that we should all feel in our everyday life;

at Mack Collier's place, I've learnt about the social media. His blog is a real catalyst and we do share the passion about the strange way the music majors try to stop the world going round and round;

at Gavin Heaton's place, I've learnt that the miles are no longer a factor when you share a common language (and the by the way, he'got the book earlier than me!!);

at Simone Morgagni's place, I've learnt the beauty of writing. His blog (unfortunately it's only in italian) is a great place where to discuss of linguistic, politic, philosophy for the pleasure of the discussion, something as what the ancient Greeks called the Agorà.

One goal, five places.
But many others are around, some of them I've already linked and I'm grateful to, some of them I hope I'll know in the future because when to get into the blogosphere, you begin a journey.

Technorati Tags: Conversation Agent, communications, execution, meme, blog, bloggers

why i'm not going to see these movies

in a world jammed with visual experience, different ways of entertainment fruition, peer-to-peer, dvds, etc., the movies majors try on one side to drive us to theatre to see their products and on the other side to block the circulation of the same products.

in all these efforts money focussed , it seems they have lost the creative push to differentiate, to create engagement, to thrill the audience.

this morning in my feeder i got this image of new movie trailers.
five out of fourteen movies have the same display: black background, one or two words in silver or gold and that's it.

1. disturbia is about a serial killer
2. rescue dawn is the story of an american pilot in vietnam
3. hot fuzz is the story of a policeman detached in a place where he discover that the local hero is not such a hero
4. live free or die hard is the fourth episode of the die hard saga
5. sunshine is the about a space mission
   

with plots so different how comes that the ads are so equal?
yes, probably one or two of these movies will earn big money but it won't be for this creative approach, no doubt about it.

Technorati Tags: marketing, advertising, movie majors

Luxe, calme et volupté (part 2)

If we look at the revenue figures of leading fashion groups, we may find some surprise.
Valeria Maltoni, in a recent post, was posing some questions about luxury brands and the need to grow:

• Can a company really go for high-end and mass market under the same name brand? Ironically, what appeals to mass market is what high-end customers shy away from.
• Would you rely on customer focus groups to make a decision on which end of the market to preserve? Tiffany did after complaints about crowding were beginning to appear in internal consumer research.
• Would you be willing to sacrifice sales growth while you recalibrate the brand one way or the other? In publicly traded companies investors may have you for dinner.
• We often talk about how spreading ideas can be fantastic in exposing people to your brand story. Is overexposure the price you're willing to pay?

If we look at the figures mentioned above, apparently most of the luxury brands are able to balance between aspirational and mass market.

Gucci revenues are generated for a 55,7% from leather goods ( wallets, keyrings, bags), 13,8% from shoes, 12% from women and men wear, 3%from royalties and licences, 15% others;

Bulgari revenues are generated by 45% from the entry level ring;

50% of Richemont sales are from jewellery and 50% from watches, leather and writing instruments (which are the fastest growing business).

Where are they so clever? Selling one bag at 10.000 usd to the high end consumer, create a hype for the brand, the halo effect and then selling tons of wallets at 150 usd each to the mass.
It's the call for being part of a world of dream.

But some other significant difference is in the way luxury companies use their brands portfolio.

Some of them use the same brands for products with different price range: Tiffany does so, and Gucci, Bulgari, Montblanc, Louis Vuitton.

Some others differentiate brands for price range but making clear the holding they belong to: Armani and Emporio Armani, Pomellato and Dodo, Dolce and Gabbana and D&G, Prada and Miù Miù just to name a few.

In any case brands are not endangered by the mass market products diffusion but, on the contrary, revenues are soaring.
The mass market products have definetely higher margins because it's the brand and the logo and not the product itself to make its value.

Technorati Tags: luxury brand, luxe, louis vuitton, gucci, lvmh, ppr, richemont, valeria maltoni, marketing, giorgio armani, prada

Saturn should looks inside

Do you remember the story of Tim Jackson's Saturn, the car which stop itself in the middle of the streets, etc.

Do you remember the poor response from the car dealer and the manufacturer?

Do you remember the buzz going around the blogosphere?

Well Saturn took a bold move and fired the ad agency.
Account was moved by Goodby to Deutsch without a review and the given reason is that sales of GM's Saturn brands were flat or only up slightly in 2006, and the inability of Goodby's campaigns to raise those numbers were likely a major factor in losing the account.

Gentlemen at GM and Saturn, are you really confident that changing the ad agency will move sales if you do not look into yourself? Or maybe it was the easiest thing to do, transferring the responsibility outside the company?

Technorati Tags: Advertising, marketing, Tim Jackson, Saturn, GM, Goodby, Deutsch