A Zero-Calorie Cola in Disguise

The youth of the world always think they are better than the old folks. After all, they are young, fast, quick, smart, savvy, and well... young. So, what happens when young basketball players take on the old folks in a pick-up game on local courts in New Jersey and Los Angeles? It starts as expected with the old guys getting 'schooled' by the youngsters. But something happened midway in the game when old guys brought their game to an entirely new level of play - totally dominating the younger players who can only stare in open-mouthed disbelief at the old players.

Who are these guys? Well, the old players aren't really old - in fact, they are two of the top professional basketball players in the nation. With a little help from Hollywood makeup artists, star players Kyrie Irving (Cleveland Cavaliers) and  Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves) try to get the old team back together on a road trip. The first Uncle Drew video has more than 17 million views, and the second video quickly amassed more than 5 million views in the first few days.

The videos are a big hit for Pepsi Max and illustrate the product's tag line of "a zero-calorie cola in disguise." As a product in the mature stage of its product life cycle, Pepsi brings an "A-game" to the courts. A lesson to marketers: things are not always what they first appear to be.

The Greatest Sponsorhip EVER! Red Bull Stratos project

Wow - like millions of other people in the world, I was glued to the monitor watching Red Bull's Stratos project as Felix Baumgartner took a record-breaking jump from more than 24 miles above the Earth! Sponsorships and events have been taken to a new high (no pun intended)!

On October 14, Baumgartner, an Austrian skydiver and daredevil, made history's highest and fastest jump. After ascending to more than 128,000 feet in capsule tethered to a helium balloon, Baumgartner jumped and became the first human to break the sound barrier as he fell at a rate of 833 miles per hour and had a free-fall of more than 4 minutes! I've watched the video a dozen times, each time with my mouth falling open in admiration and disbelief at the feat.

The event was sponsored and funded by Red Bull - a company known for pushing the envelope of crazy and risky sports. The company doesn't consider this a stunt though, preferring to characterize the program as a professional flight test program. Red Bull spent more than five years on the project with an expert staff of scientists, engineers, and physicians - many of whom had experience with NASA programs. The cost to Red Bull has not been disclosed, but estimates on the return to the company in regards to visibility, branding, and goodwill tops $8 billion.

If you haven't viewed the video yet, you watch it now. By the way, the view estimates on YouTube and the Red Bull site exceeded 50 million in the first 48-hours, setting another new record for viral videos. Once again, wow. Kudos to Mr. Baumgartner and the Red Bull Stratos team!

Fake It Until You Become It!

I like this video. I think you will like it as well. It has a good message about projecting yourself nonverbally. I shared this with you via email.

http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are.html

Design Matters in Product Innovation

Businesses often speak about the importance of design and innovation for new product development. Think about the products designed by Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Samsung, and more. Beautiful designs coupled with easy-to-use functionality are what we think of when considering innovative design.

But is the design the only thing that matters? Does every product that has won design awards and accolades achieve success in the marketplace? Unfortunately, no - innovative design does not translate into market acceptance, or even a good product.

In this TED Talks video, Timothy Prestero (the founder and CEO of Design that Matters, a nonprofit organization that works with entrepreneurs on products for developing countries) discusses his own experiences with product innovation geared for developing countries. Prestero candidly discusses his experience developing an infant incubator for developing nations - a product that won TIME Magazine's "50 Best Inventions of 2010."

Beautiful design - yes. Practical product implemented in hospitals - no. The lesson for innovators and inventors is that good design needs to focus on who will use the product - as well as all the ways that the product can be used incorrectly. As Preston said in his talk, "There's no such thing as a dumb user; there are only dumb products."

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/timothy_prestero_design_for_people_not_awards.html

Primer on proper use of trademark & copyright notice

Here's a quick way to make sure you use proper designations of ownership for intellectual property rights. The author is the attorney I worked with to protect Concordia University's trademarks a few years ago.
http://www.duetsblog.com/2012/09/articles/trademarks/nuts-bolts-of-trademark-notice-symbols/

Global Innovation Index

Interesting ranking of countries according to an index of innovation. Any guess where the USA ranks?

SBA - Small Business Administration

Hi Folks,

Here is the SBA link Bruce shared via email. It has a good competition finder. Some of your students who are working on business plans might find it interesting.

http://www.sba.gov/sizeup 

 

10048 – Manhattan in Silence!

Few buildings have ever been given their own zip code but the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City (NYC)  had its own ~ 10048! Today the area of land where the building stood has become a sanctuary in the heart of the City.

On a hot August afternoon I stood at the former site of the World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan ~ Wall Street.  As I walked up to the 911 Memorial with my ticket to enter the hallowed ground along with thousands of visitors it seemed as though the City was transformed.

It was noontime on this last Thursday of the month.  The streets were hustling with autos, taxis, people and the noise we associate with the financial capital of the world!  As we stepped closer we saw the beginning of the redeveloped WTC that included the Memorial Pools and the spiral new tower (see photo above) that will be the tallest building in the US erected on the eight- acre ground.  As a visitor you see the other rebuilding all around you and marvel at what has been done. However, what struck me the most was the sound of silence.

The two pools set in the footprints of the original Towers are thirty- foot waterfalls – the largest in North America cascading into the pools. Each of the falls then descends into a center void. On the bronze parapets around of the pools the names of the victims are inscribed. Reflecting on the names and looking at the waterfalls all you hear is the gentle sound of the water – somehow the noise of the City is downed out. Zip code 10048 may be silent but once again we are reminded as Mayor Michael Bloomberg says, “this is a symbol of hope for the future”.

If you have the opportunity to visit New York City – do not miss this remarkable place of reflection and remembrance in the spirit of unity.

Get your Razors Online - Dollar Shave Club for Men

It seems that virtually any type of consumer good product can be improved by using the Internet. We've seen it with movie rental, food delivery, floral arrangements, book stores, music, and now…. Shaving! Yes, the Internet has enabled men to get their beards shaved at a cheaper price and without venturing to the local drug store and scaling the walls of the "razor fortress." For as low as one dollar a month, Dollar Shave Club sends its members new razor blade cartridges each month - they even throw in the handle for free.

Choose from three different plans - each of which includes shipping and handling in the monthly fee. The $1 plan provides a basic shaver for "guys who dig simplicity & precision" and delivers five cartridges per month to his home. Want a better shave? Then check out the $6 per month plan and get four cartridges each month with four stainless-steel blades and a 90-degree pivot head. Still want more? Then go for the executive look ("a personal assistant for your face") using six stainless-steel blades at a $9 per month cost!

The company launched its business using a YouTube video campaign that cost $4,500 to make and has generated more than 5 million hits. The video resonated with males around the country and sales skyrocketed. The key to success for this company was a great offer and an entertaining pitch. Watch the video and judge for yourself.

http://www.dollarshaveclub.com/

Here is one of the first photos of the Google Fiber space my son Josh designed in Kansas City. This video also shows, the product hardware, packaging, and more of the space that he designed. For me, it is hard to keep up with the latest developments in technology. The video also previews some of Google's newest products being rolled out now.Google internet in Kansas City 

Innovation is easy at Quirky.com

Do you have the next great product idea? Have you always wanted to be an inventor but didn’t know how to go about it? If so, then Quirky is the company for you to contact. Not only can you potentially get your product manufactured and marketed, you also have the opportunity to join a community of like-minded people to give your input on other product ideas. Each week Quirky produces at least two new products. It’s rapid innovation and community involvement!

The Quirky process starts when you submit an idea (it costs $10 to start the process). The next steps are community input (from the Quirky network) and product evaluation. If changes are recommended, no problem – in fact, it will make your final product even stronger as the idea gains depth and refinement from the review process. And, even if you are not an inventor, you can become an influencer in the Quirky process and also earn money and experience.

The two main steps to selecting a product idea are the community and staff evaluation. During the community evaluation, Quirky members (anyone can join for free) review, comment, and vote on the ideas. Ideas may be moved to an “under consideration” category and be placed on a list of promising ideas. Ideas are analyzed in design potential, marketing potential, and viability. Not all ideas move through into the development process, but all ideas receive valuable feedback.

Quirky products are sold on the Quirky Web site and in national stores including Target, Office Max, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and more.

http://www.quirky.com/

Thomas Friedman - Video C-Span

Hi Folks,

Remember the Thomas Friedman C-Span video to the governors convention we had on VHS on globalization? Well...he addressed the governors again in July, 2011. The video link is now on the web. I will be posting this in a few of my classes as optional viewing. Check it out if you are interested.

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/300480-1

Leadership AND/OR Management

Many debate the difference between leadership and management. John Kotter the author of the popular book Leading Change provides a defintion that provides clarity for me. He states that leadership is about change and management is about keeping order. In fact, several textbook definitions of management state that management is about budgeting, controling, monitoring, etc. On the other hand, leadership is typically associated with establishing a vision and moving forward. When I think about both of these definitions, it is difficult for me to think about a CEO that doesn’t do both. Moreover, it is difficult to find a frontline manager on the shop floor that doesn’t do both as well.  Both need to organize, monitor, etc. AND they need to paint a picture of the future for others. The concept of leadership is not leadership OR management, it is Leadership AND management. I believe the concept of leadership and management is actually a polarity that needs to be managed. This means that individuals with direct reports need to lead and manage. They need to find a way to provide structure AND create movement. John Collins the author of the best selling book ‘Built to Last’ states that outstanding organizations avoid the Tyranny of OR and tap into the Genius of AND. To that end, the concept of polarity leads me to believe that we may need a new definition of Leadership AND Management.  

"Who is tracking you online? Privacy lost."

Earlier this year, Mozilla Corp. CEO Gary Kovacs gave a Ted Talk where he discussed our loss of privacy when using the Internet. Sure, most of us know that companies keep track of us when we visit. They track what we buy, size, color, price and more. Amazon knows what types of books we like to buy, Zappos knows our shoe shopping habits, Nike tracks our sneaker purchases, and countless other sites “remember us” when we visit their sites; many of them are quite happy to suggest future purchases that might interest us. Most of the time, this is fine. As savvy consumers who frequently use the Internet, we expect companies to gather data to use in their marketing and analysis. And, as business leaders, we know there is gold in the databases.

However, has behavioral tracking gone too far? In this fascinating video, Kovacs introduces a new Firefox add-on program called “Collusion.” Collusion gives the user the visual capability to “track the trackers” – in other words, watch how often our online traffic is monitored by parties to whom we have not given express permission to do so. The scope of the behavioral tracking will likely surprise even the most experienced Web user.

View Gary Kovacs speech on the topic at http://www.ted.com/talks/gary_kovacs_tracking_the_trackers.html 

To learn more about "Collustion" - go to http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/collusion/

Then, consider these questions as part of business operations:

• What are the ethical implications of behavioral tracking? When is it useful to companies? Useful to consumers?
• What are the responsibilities of companies to their users? Should they ask permission? Or do users give implied permission just by visiting the site?
• What are the laws or regulations that affect this type of behavioral tracking? What should the laws cover?

Ted.com Video - How To Buy Happiness

http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_norton_how_to_buy_happiness.html

Here is an interesting Ted.com video on Pro-social spending vs. Anti-social spending.

Purpose: Share information related to our Stewardship Principles.
Process: I posted this in my online Town Hall this week.
Payoff: Generate an interesting online conversation about pro-social behavior.