Rohit Bhargava's Blog, page 95
March 1, 2013
Do You Have The Snowflake Mindset?
There are exceptions to every rule. That’s what we like to think, isn’t it? We are all unique in our own way. No two people (or snowflakes!) are alike. There’s no shortage of cliches to describe the same thing.
The Snowflake Mindset says that everything is unique and we should never forget our differences.
The mindset works particularly when when you are teaching or encouraging someone to grow self esteem. It is why we often hear this advice directed at children. The Snowflake Mindset works to...
February 26, 2013
The Script Of Improv – What Is (And Isn’t) Real Time Marketing
A theater show happens in real time. It’s live on stage and the actors are actually saying the lines as you watch them. And if it’s well done, it can seem spontaneous and real and unscripted. But of course, it is scripted. They are memorizing lines and performing them.
Improv, on the other hand is completely UNscripted. It is based on themes and constructions, but the actors follow the scene. They react to one another, and build a story before the eyes of the audience. Sometimes it works – and...
February 25, 2013
How The Oscars Remind Us To Fix Our Dysfunctional Relationship With Human Resources
Daniel Radcliffe never auditioned to become Harry Potter. At least, not at first. Instead, it was a fateful moment during intermission at a theater show in London where Producer David Heyman spotted Radcliffe sitting in the audience and asked his father about letting Radcliffe join auditions.
Of course, he did – and was eventually chosen. Isn’t that how we like to think casting always works? A visionary Director or Producer looks at a crowd of people, magically points one actor out and boldly...
February 21, 2013
Why Being REAL Matters More Than Being Perfect
Logically speaking, it shouldn’t really matter whether Dr. Seuss is still alive or he isn’t. But it does. Yesterday my five year old asked me about him. It’s the sort of thing kids always ask. Is this real, or isn’t it? Wondering whether or not something is real is a commonoccurrence In fact, it’s a filter that we sometimes use for trust and believability as well. Last week on the reality show the Shark Tank, one of the sharks (Barbara) decided not to invest in a company because their present...
February 18, 2013
The Alignment Gap, Concierge Marketing And The Future Of Agencies
Summary: The story of why I decided to start the world’s first true “Concierge Marketing” service for large and mid-size brands.
It all started because I knew the one thing I didn’t want to do.
About three months ago I left my role at one of the biggest marketing agencies in the world and the only thing I knew for sure was that I had no desire to start my own agency. I hated billing by the hour. I didn’t want to build a team of my own. But most of all I knew that there was something missing in...
February 14, 2013
Why Your Brand Should Sit Out Valentine’s Day (And Shut Up)
I’m not a Valentine’s Day hater. In fact, I love celebrating the fact that I’m married to an amazing woman. Reading all the happy posts from friends and family is a great feeling. I even don’t mind the usual marketing for flowers and jewelry or exotic vacations all day. But just because today happens to be a holiday (kind of), doesn’t mean it has to be YOUR brand’s holiday. Buying new tires isn’t romantic – and neither is your super sale. No, Valentine’s Day isn’t a great day to sell anything...
February 13, 2013
Inside the Greatest Online Product Launch Since Gmail
Looking back, it’s fair to say the launch strategy Google used back in 2004 has become legendary. When the new platform first came out offering an unheard of 1 GB of free storage space, it was only available to an extremely limited group of people. As a result, having a Gmail account became an early adopter badge of honor – and limiting new registrations to those who were invited by an existing user also created a unique buzz that drove millions to lust after Gmail accounts. Today Gmail is th...
February 12, 2013
7 Magical Marketing Lessons From Disney World
Disney World isn’t just a magical place for families or kids. It’s also pretty magical for marketers too. The Disney Institute has been around for more than two decades teaching business people from any industry how to apply techniques that have been honed at Disney Parks over years and years. Last week as I took a theme park adventure with my family through two of those Disney Parks (Magical Kingdom and Animal Adventure), the marketing was all around. And, of course, I was taking photos of i...
February 3, 2013
Best and Worst of Super Bowl Marketing Strategy: 2013 Edition
Every year there seems to be another Admeter/Adbowl/Adrank type of contest that lets anyone register and vote for their favourite ads. Sure it’s nice when everyone has an opinion, but as any designer will tell you – opinions are like butts … everyone has one, but usually they stink. If you’re reading this, though, you probably care more about marketing strategy than entertainment value. And so, for you my fellow marketer, here’s a roundup of the best and worst from this year’s Super Bowl Adve...
January 31, 2013
David Hasselhoff, Pinterest and the Upside of One Hit Wonders
Marian Gold probably never met David Hasselhoff.
Back in the 1980s, Gold was the lead singer for a band called Alphaville that produced one of the best known songs of the era. The single “Big in Japan” was a chart topping hit, and has been featured in many films and compiliation CDs since it’s first release in 1984.
Hasselhoff, on the other hand, managed to take his early career as the star of the television show Knight Rider and propel himself to rock star status in Germany and across much of...
