John Schnatter’s nasty public battle for control of the company he founded may be unresolved, but its lesson on reputation is both printed and bound. In case you haven’t been following the soap opera, Schnatter used a racially-charged word during a training session on how not to use racially-charged words, Read more…
A live band’s recreation of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s album a few nights ago made me sad. Turns out I experienced an affliction called nostalgia, which was first diagnosed in the mid-17th Century to describe the feelings of melancholy among Swiss mercenaries far from home. It can more broadly involve wistful recollections of Read more…
The advocates for freedom of online expression are supporting the very entities that want to control it. Members of the European Parlaiment have voted to continue debating the merits of laws intended to force content aggregators to pay for snippets pulled from news sites (Article 11), and to protect artists’ copyright by Read more…
With Nestlé facing pressure to break up the company and a CPG market that is no longer obediently accepting of its practices, its CEO is committed to buying and promoting the value of its brands. It could disrupt them instead. Here’s why: Brands ain’t what they used to be. To say Read more…
Next time you check into a Marriott hotel, Alexa may join you to mine your questions and behaviors for its data bank. You should be able to charge Marriott for your visit. Of course, you’ll pay instead, as the experience will be sold to you as an opportunity to make your stay Read more…
There’s growing concern about “kill-zones” that exist around huge technology companies, making it impossible for startup challengers to survive. Online search, social media, mobile and e-commerce, and business software are just some of the industries in which new ideas are likely to get crushed (or bought and then crushed, or at Read more…
Participation in “alternative work arrangements” has declined slightly over the past decade or so, leading the New York Times to declare that the hype about it has been overblown. The Times story is based on the US government’s first assessment of gig employment, which was a qualitative survey, so the numbers are dependent on what questions were Read more…
Corporate values are all the rage these days. They’re worthless unless companies are willing to sacrifice for them. I say this because it’s just too easy to spend money, especially on topics that marketers have identified as important to customers. “Doing good” has been a function of communications outreach for Read more…
All the emails you’ve been getting recently about your online privacy are a great opportunity to assess your situation. The good news is that you can opt-out. The bad news is that you can’t. The GDPR (for General Data Protection Regulation) is legislation passed by the EU intended to help Read more…
I kinda like Best Buy’s new ad campaign focused on its employees as problem solvers. I wish they’d gone further. A 30-second TV spot entitled “Talk the Talk” has a politically correct smattering of customer types asking for help choosing electronics gizmos, and the company’s cheerful (and patient) blue-shirted staff Read more…