One of a Kind

What do Cesar Millan, Yo-Yo Ma, Kenny G, and Jacques Cousteau have in common? They are all famous. At first glace, that may seem to be little more than a cheeky answer, but I'm serious. To me, the fact that each of these figures is famous is nothing short of a huge accomplishment. The reason that is intriguing to me is that each of these people is famous for doing something that very few ever become famous for. In fact, I would argue that these figures are the only famous people for their respective fields.

Think of it, how many famous dog trainers, cellists, saxophonists, or scuba divers can you name? Unless you are in some way linked or partial to one of those categories, you probably can't name more than one. But you're probably familiar with these people.

These people made a name for themselves outside of their given fields, and left an impression on a general population that didn't actively lend their attention or interest. The fact that they did so is remarkable, and something that we should all consider how to do in our own areas of expertise.

The Wallet of the Future (update)

Last year, I wrote about my dream wallet; a gadget that could consolidate my keys, phone, and wallet into one device. It looks like that dream might become a reality sooner than later, as many tech companies are coming out with some pretty cool software, apps, and gadgets. Here are just a couple of examples:

How your phone will replace your keys.

How your phone will replace your credit card.

I still haven't seen anything in terms of a digital driver license and other important document, or a good system that will track purchase receipts and loyalty programs. If anyone has seen a good example of any of those things, send me a tweet @brandbadger.

I used to think that we as a society couldn't possible continue making breakthrough innovations year upon year, but it is definitely happening. It's so exciting to live in this age where technology is only restrained by our imagination.

Expensive But Fantastic!







Keeping Busy!









Personality (Part 2)

- Judy Garland



1) It's easier
2) I probably wouldn't be good at feigning Type A



Personality (Part 1)

People inside the business world love personality tests. Whether it's Meyers & Briggs, DiSC, the Color Code, or another system, I believe corporations love these things because the task of human management becomes much less daunting if you can categorize all of your employees into four buckets. I believe that these systems have varying levels of merit and practicality to them. My intent in this post, however, is not to compare and contrast them, but to comment on a separate, simpler, and more ubiquitous personality profiling system.

In my working career, and ever since I have entered business school, I keep running across the phrase "Type A". When I first heard this in high school, I had no idea what it meant. Although I didn't formally learn about what "Type A" was until much later, I was able to take from context that it was used to refer to someone who was very driven, impatient, and outspoken. A natural leader. I eventually learned that there was another kind of person, "Type B", but no one ever really talked about them, and I didn't really know what they like.

In the mean time, I kept hearing people refer to themselves as Type A, as if it were some sort of badge of honor or medal that proved that they were cut out for business leadership. I started to get worried because I didn't feel like I had these "amazing" Type A qualities. I must be a Type B, whatever that was. At any rate, B was surely not as good as A, right? Just think of a report card.

Then just two months ago, I was reading Daniel Pink's insightful book, Drive. In it, he explains that the origin of Type A/Type B was not even meant to describe business leadership attributes. Rather, it was invented by a couple of physicians (Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman) in the late 1950s to identify patients who were prone to heart disease. Type A's were found to have a set of complex personality traits, including "excessive competition drive, aggressiveness, impatience, and a harrying sense of time urgency".

Type B's, on the other hand, were found to be "just as intelligent, and frequently just as ambitious, as Type A's". They just expressed their ambition differently. I found this to be great news, because it validated that as a Type B, I was just as good as all of the Type A's out there.

But there was still the conflict of perception. In Part 2 of this post, I'll explain my conundrum of being a Type B in a Type A world, my inquiry to Dan Pink for his take, and the advice he gave me in return.

Selling Shovels and Stars

Two of my business heroes are Samuel Brannan and Sylvester McMonkey McBean. Brannan was a pioneer who made his fortune during the Gold Rush in California, not by searching for gold, but by selling shovels and other tools to prospectors. McBean, otherwise known as the "fix-it-up-chappie", capitalized on the pride of Sneetches as they ran around getting and removing stars on their bellies.

In essence, these entrepreneurs not only found and met a customer need, but they also leveraged social disruption to their advantage. It was brilliant of them to tap into something much deeper than a mere want for a product or service. Instead, these two examples show the importance of understanding the motives why customers make the decisions that they do, and then finding a way to help them achieve their desire.

Another interesting point about the Dr. Seuss example is that McBean didn't care a bit about whether the Sneetches wanted to get a star or have a star removed. He simply fed off of their fickleness and facilitated their changing tastes. Greedy? Maybe. But also genius.

Earlier this year, Ian's pizza made a killing feeding capitol protestors here in Madison. No matter pro-union or anti-union, Ian's knew that a hungry protestor = $$$.

Guest Blogger Drew!


Coke vs. Coke Zero





Close, But Not Quite There



Condiments that Polarize

I just read an article about Kraft Foods plan to bump up spending on some of its "power brands". One campaign in particular that stood out to me is Miracle Whip's "We're Not for Everyone". As someone to doesn't care much for Miracle Whip, I don't think that this stance harms the brand in any way, it just acknowledges what millions of consumers probably already know. If anything, it will just foster a closer sense of community for those people who do like the product. I commend Kraft on the maturity that comes with the realization that not everyone loves and wants Miracle Whip, and the initiative to go out of its way to make that a selling point.

Converting Customers

I came across a great article in which author Joe Hadfield outlines four lessons in turning customers into converts. I thought I'd pass along the highlights.

Lesson 1: Design Products to Feel Familiar
This is a seemingly obvious but often forgotten piece of advice. Well-known examples of this include the Nintendo Wii and everything Apple makes. Last time I went to Japan, I visited Toyota's Universal Design Showcase, which also exemplifies this principle.

Lesson 2: Hire a Guide for your Demo
When airlines first introduced do-it-yourself kiosks, participation was lower than expected. It wasn't until customer service reps assisted clients through their first time that they became familiar with a new way, more efficient way of checking in.

Lesson 3: Take Advantage of Technology and Timing
If you offer support for a product, try to time your assistance so that the customer has had a chance to open and interact with the product first. Most people who buy phones think they will be able to figure them out, so offering assistance at the time of purchase may be less effective than offering later when they call to activate it.

Lesson 4: Buy Time with Bundled Pricing Incentives
For products and services with a steep learning curve, this lesson helps customers get over the bump of failure. For example, it is better to offer five golf lessons in a bundled package than to offer a free introductory lesson and hope people stick with it.

The Rise of China (part 4)

Here's a fitting video to go along with the past few of my posts. While I don't completely subscribe to all of his points, Jacques has an intriguing take on China.

Martin Jacques: Understanding the Rise of China

The Rise of China (part 3)

It's always interesting to me to see how government policies and changes in law affect consumer trends and overall shifts in culture. In China, one of the most prominent examples of this has been the institution of a one-child policy in 1978.

The result of this change has been an interesting situation known as the 4-2-1 Problem, where one adult child, having no siblings or cousins, will eventually be left to care his/her two parents as well as four grandparents.

Many of the companies we visited outlined a variation of this 4-2-1 problem, and the incredible opportunity associated with it. Because so many children don't have siblings or cousins, they become the sole target of attention and care for two parents and four grandparents.

Embedded in this dynamic is the evolving cultural attitude among many Chinese families that since they only have one chance, they will do absolutely anything and everything to give their child everything s/he wants or needs.

Whether its diapers, food, clothing, or toys, every choice you make for your child - your only line of posterity - is an important one. Multiply that attitude by six providers per child and 17 million new babies a year, and you've got yourself a significant consumer trend.

The Fresh Smell of Weakness






The Rise of China (part 2)

China has long been known as a copycat country. Watches, clothing, movies, software... you name it, you can probably find a fake version of it in China. The U.S. and other affected countries have tried in vain to curtail Chinese knockoffs. Just yesterday, House Speaker John Boehner pushed President Hu Jintao for stronger intellectual property protections.

While China's method of R&D (rip-off & duplicate) remains strong, several companies I visited expressed that this trend is changing. These companies explained that, more and more, China is learning how to be on the forefront of design and innovation.

John Kao, author of Innovation Nation, agrees. He argues that China's mixture of a state-driven innovation agenda along with a surge of independent entrepreneurs has propelled the country to where it is today.

The Rise of China (part 1)

I just got back from winter break, during which I went to China for two weeks on a study abroad with the Center for Brand and Product Management.

Everyone knows that China is in a state of massive transition. As one example, take a look at this picture of Shanghai in 1990:

This is the same shot in 2010:

No longer a sleeping giant, China has sprung into action with full force. It has dethroned Japan as the world's second largest economy. Counting Taiwan and Hong Kong, China currently claims 11 of the 20 tallest buildings in the world.

Why the surge? Why now? What does the future of China hold and what implications are there for America and the rest of the world? These were a few of the questions I sought answers to as I visited companies in Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong. Over the next few posts, I will share some of the reasons I learned how China is changing the way the world does business.