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September 30, 2004
The Apprentice
The Apprentice - Week 4
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 11:29 AM
I was reaching for my aspirin way before the first commercial break last night. Where do I even begin? The women are killing me. They're a total embarrassment. As I said last week, this is going to be one predictable season unless the Apex gals get their act together. They embody every cliche about women in the business world, between Elizabeth (the sensitive cry baby) and Jen (the catty shrew). What gives? They should take a cue from last season's stellar female team, which was the polar opposite.
Jen C. was unbelievably awful last night. I think this is the first time the Donald ever said that a firing decision was "easy." Jen's big mouth has been getting on his nerves for a while. Last night, she proved to be the worst project leader ever. I couldn't believe she thought being a good leader meant glowering at people while they were trying to work. And she was totally annoying the restaurant patrons. I would have been really irked if her motor mouth was running while I tried to eat dinner. I'm not a huge fan of little Stacy, but I started liking her more last night after seeing her stand up to Jen. I'm so glad the Donald criticized her for not taking Sandy into the boardroom. Sandy is so cheesy. I can't imagine her running one of Trump's companies. Go back to the bridal shop, Sandy!
Not all the women are lost causes. Stacy R. is annoying, but she seems hard-working and determined, if somewhat hyper. Ivana is growing on me. I bet she'll be a better project leader if she gets another chance. I think she's the most level-headed person on the Apex team. Maria didn't do anything outrageously dumb last night, but she seems more concerned with her "designer suits" and lip gloss than winning tasks. Plus, I still can't get over her bonehead move that led to last week's budget debacle. Jen M. hasn't done much to impress me, but she hasn't done anything awful, either. Hopefully she can team up with Stacy R. and Invana and try to turn this team around.
Now on to the guys...once again, Raj was a genius. Hiring cleaners for the restaurant was brilliant. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the women mopping the floors at 4 AM while Raj got his beauty sleep. To be honest, I wasn't really blown away by either restaurant. The chef at Mosaic's eatery didn't seem great (who likes warm salad?), and the service was pathetic (Andy served up another mediocre performance as a waiter). The decor and food at both places seemed so similar that it all really came down to the vibe. The guys were having fun and buzzing around, while the women gathered in groups and hovered nervously in their too-chic black dresses and chandelier earrings. I loved it when the guys sent John over to serve the table of gay men. It totally worked, and that stroke of genius may have pushed team Mosaic over the top.
Now for some news from the grapevine. I hear that the Donald may have regretted his decision to fire Stacie J. last week, and may bring her back on the show. That should be interesting. I've been wavering about the decision myself. Even though she was a loose cannon, I agree with Kevin that it wasn't fair for the women to use her "craziness" to save their own hides. I applaud Kevin for sticking up for Stacie J. and pointing out that none of the women were qualified to diagnose her with a mental illness. Nice job, Kevin.
Hopefully next week will bring some surprises, because I'm sick and tired of listening to the Apex women complain. Last season, after the women's team proved so dominant, the Donald mixed and matched to make it more interesting. On the preview for next week's episode, it seemed like he was considering sending Pamela back to her old team. I'm not so sure that will help, considering she's got plenty of her own issues. I'd really like to see Raj or Kevin take the Apex reigns and really lay down the law!
Today's Inc. 500 Company
Posted by Carole Matthews at 8:37 AM
The Inc. 500 countdown continues...
Genscape
Location: Louisville
Growth (1999-2003): 2,094%
2003 Revenue: $6.5 million
Employees: 47
During the big blackout of 2003, all eyes were on Genscape. The company monitors the status of power plants across the country and sells the data to regulators, traders, and distributors. When the lights went out, it was one of the few companies that could offer an up-to-the-minute picture of the nation's power grid, and CEO Sean O'Leary says he spent three days on the phone with government officials.
September 29, 2004
No One Asked Me But...
No One Asked Me But...
Posted by Adam Hanft at 1:23 PM
Doesn't Anybody Care About Health Care?
What's the number? Is it 30 million Americans who are not covered by health insurance? Thirty-five million? Whatever the dismal reckoning, what astounds me is that no major American corporation has embraced it as a cause.
They've line up behind breast cancer and prostate cancer and AIDS and childhood obesity. But I don't know of one company that is making this part of their good corporate citizen mission.
The possibilities are endless. Major corporations could be a voice for communicating the seriousness of the problem and the need for innovative
solutions. They could help fund health insurance for families who need it as part of their corporate giving. They could help their employees "adopt" other families.
The curious silence on this front makes me wonder. Is the subject of health insurance radioactive because big companies don't want to call attention to their own shabby records? That would be a tragedy. The biggest public health crisis in America needs corporate friends, and the fact that they're willing to get behind far tinier problems is troubling, mystifying and a massive lost opportunity.
Where is the company with the courage to come forward?
The Two (Pseudo)-Live Crew
Posted by at 1:04 PM
From the sunny campus that helped make Luther Campbell a 'hood-hold' name, and ironically, an accidental first amendment cause celebre comes the vaguely democratic, sort-of open, kind-of exchange of free ideas known as the first Presidential "debate" tomorrow night from the University of Miami.
If this "debate" is what you've been waiting for to make up your mind, to hear in-depth thoughts, ideas and beliefs on a wide-range of issues, to get a sense of what direction each candidate plans on taking the country, just make sure you pay close attention...for 30 whole seconds at a time. That's how long the "extended discussion" of the "debate" between George W. Bush and John Kerry allows. That's all right though, because the candidates will be going toe-to-toe, eyeball-to-eyeball, hammering out the differences between their platforms...excepting of course that addressing one another is a violation of the 32-page contract that established the rules of said "debate."
Let's be honest: spontaneity, creativity and thinking-on-ones-feet are bad for business and bad for the country. Sticking to a predetermined message is how it should be, because rarely does the President of the United States ever face unscripted events with world leaders who aren't playing by the rules in the 32-page contract. (Osama bin Laden, being the exception of course, the lanky Talibander always stands behind a lectern that's much taller than 50 inches). Like unruly toddlers, W. and Kerry need clearly defined boundaries, lest one of them fall off their handlers, skin their knees, and start bawling like Edward Muskie.
Obviously, the "debates" need a format and a moderator, otherwise chaos would rule, and it might start resembling the Miami Hurricanes locker room during the Jimmy Johnson era with a lot of swearing, testosterone, and nudity (which actually could get people to pay more attention). The "debates" have become rehearsed, artificial, and bland ever since the League of Women Voters bowed out in 1988 over the infiltration of spinsters, on-message lackies, PR flacks, and kid-glove handlers.
The bi-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates is the type of mushy, mealy-mouthed, politically correct organization that is ruining the election process for the citizenry in the name of not making their guy look sweaty a la Nixon. (And yes, like in Francis Coppola's wine cellar, the room temperature is set in stone). The scripting of the most important discussion of our time is a national embarrassment.
No matter how dumbed-down and phony the "debate" gets, they are still of the utmost importance because they at least bring Bush and Kerry into the same room and ask them to explain what makes them different. As business owners, don't you want to hear an honest exchange about issues that pertain to your world...you know, the same issues that pertain to everyone? The candidates constantly reference private ownership while rarely linking it to a plan. Wouldn't a bit more back-and-forth over factual specifics be a good thing? Unfortunately, the format dictates that Bush and Kerry will keep repeating their stump speeches over and over even at the "debate," and that's why there's little chance of head-to-head combat over substantative issues.
So for now, to liven it up, I encourage you to write your representatives in the House and Senate, or maybe just turn the tedium of the "debate" into a drinking game. Break out a case of suds and gather around the television with your wife, partner, best friend, mother, father, mailman and/or random drunkard. Draw either Bush or Kerry out of a hat. Anytime your guy says: "liberty," "freedom," "entrepreneur," "American people," "jobs," or "strength" without tying it to a particular policy plan, take a swig. It's going to make for a long night, but on the upside, you may not recall much from the ersatz sham known as the first Presidential "debate."
Oh, and if your guy explains a solution for Iraq in 30 seconds...break out the beer bong. I think we have a winner.
Today's Inc. 500 Company
Posted by Carole Matthews at 8:57 AM
Each day, check Inc.com for a new profile of one of this year's Inc. 500 honorees. We'll spotlight a new 2004 Inc. 500 company Monday through Sunday until the official annoucement is made in mid October.
Today's Inc. 500 Company
Edge Products
Location: Ogden, Utah
Growth (1999-2003) : 2,937%
2003 Revenue: $9.6 million
Employees: 62
Edge's performance electronic devices are geared toward customers with a need for speed. Says CEO Paul Lehman: "We make diesel trucks go faster." The little gray box that Edge sells (which you may have seen advertised on Spike TV) plugs in under the hood and uploads into the truck's computer to increase velocity and towing capacity. Lehman, a Manhattan native formerly in the Wall Street LBO racket, says it is an ongoing challenge to find R&D engineers who have a passion for the specialized industry.
Click here to read about yesterday's featured company.
September 28, 2004
Inc. 500 Countdown Begins Today!
Posted by Carole Matthews at 11:07 AM
Each day, check Inc.com for a new profile of one of this year's Inc. 500 honorees. We'll spotlight a new 2004 Inc. 500 company Monday through Sunday until the official annoucement is made in mid October.
Today's Inc. 500 company:
MV Transportation
Location: Fairfield, Calif.
Growth (1999-2003): 375%
2003 Revenue: $212.5 million
Employees: 5,821
Husband-and-wife owners Alexis and Feysan Lodde started out with a single van in San Francisco and now operate buses in 98 locations in 22 states. Initially, the company provided paratransit for the disabled, but it has expanded rapidly in the past two years in the general school bus market. CEO Jon Monson, who had a job driving a bus back when he was in high school, says MV thrives in part because most of its competitors are owned by European companies, which tend to be less aggressively managed, especially when it comes to pricing. To take advantage of this situation, MV allows its regional VPs to create and implement individual business plans each year.
September 24, 2004
The Apprentice
The Apprentice - Week 3
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 11:42 AM
I suppose it's best that Stacie J. got fired last night. The Donald was right...she was a major disruption to the other players. And the fact that she hardly even defended her behavior during the first task makes me think she really might have a problem. Or, maybe she's just an eccentric entrepreneur who does better running her own business solo. She kept saying she was the strongest person on the team, but she didn't do anything to prove it.
Stacie was right about one thing: now that she's gone, the other women are going to tear each other apart. If I was on the women's team, I'd be gunning for Maria. She spinned out in the second episode, when she couldn't locate the second ice cream cart, and then she blew last night's challenge by failing to get a written agreement with the flyer vendor. Big mistake. Then, to make matters worse, she tried to blame everyone else but her. That seems to be the modus operandi for the women's team. As soon as something goes wrong, the blame game begins. The fact that Elizabeth didn't even know about the budget problem until they walked into the final meeting with the Procter & Gamble execs speaks volumes. She was totally out of the loop.
Overall, I thought the Mike Piazza stunt was pretty lame. I’m not sure when that actually took place, but Piazza's not exactly the superstar he used to be. The Mets are doing terribly this season, and Piazza hasn't helped. Besides, Mike looked like he had just rolled out of bed, and he didn't seem too enthused to be there. I wasn’t impressed. Plus, he was only around for a half hour...how much buzz could that have created? Granted, it was pretty great that he autographed the toothpaste boxes and the flyers, but, in general, I wasn't impressed.
I'm impressed by the way Mosaic bounced back after their bad news about the insurance policy. The $5,000 sweepstakes was brilliant, and the circus in Washington Square Park seemed to garner a lot more attention that the Piazza appearance. I loved it when one of the Mosaic team members (maybe RJ?) yelled out that the fire breathing lady uses Crest vanilla mint after eating a fire ball. That was priceless. Mosaic really seems to be on a roll, and I’m sure that lavish dinner on the Queen Mary 2 did wonders for morale.
Now that Stacie J. is gone, the women have to reorganize. Kudos to Stacy R. for trying to get the team's hostilities out in the open. That was a step in the right direction, even though it didn't seem to work very well. If they don't start acting like a team, they'll never win. Hopefully next week's restaurant challenge will be a turning point. Otherwise, this is going to be a predictable season!
September 22, 2004
No One Asked Me But...
No One Asked Me But...
Posted by Adam Hanft at 1:29 PM
Disney's executive search is flawed.
Disney just announced it was hiring a search firm to look for Michael Eisner's replacement...and that Bob Iger would be included as a candidate.
Bad idea. That means over the next two years Disney will be led--if that's the term--by a lame duck CEO and a president jockeying for the big job. Not to mention a chairman, George Mitchell, who's expressed frustration over the time HIS job is taking, and would rather be Secretary of State in a Kerry administration.
Could this have been bungled any more? If the shareholders were let down by a committed Eisner and Iger, how will their interests be served by a "Distracted Duo"?
Eisner should be gone in six months with a replacement in place by then.
Shouldn't the board know by now if Iger is ready? A company that can't move that quickly isn't able to compete in today's blindingly fast competitive environment.
Disney has too many challenges to wait...the primary one being that it is a bi-polar red and blue state company. Miramax is its blue side, and its theme parks are red.
It's tough to develop a corporate culture when your brand is so schizoid...but leaving flawed and otherwise engaged leadership in place isn't the answer.
September 21, 2004
Sales and Marketing
Confessions of a Networking Luddite
Posted by Keith Ferrazzi at 3:13 PM
Back in 1994, I was the guy at Deloitte who asked his assistant to print all e-mails and fax them to him. By no means am I claiming to be an early adopter of all technologies. The iPod, I could handle, and now I have one strapped to my shoulder all the time. I do admit to requiring the smallest digital camera. My Blackberry and phone are key tools, but when it comes to cool software for "networking" use, I've never been too keen to jump in. I've always believed that the key to success is developing real relationships with real people, not neat technology. And, until recently, I was dubious of the idea that you could develop real relationships through online social networking tools.
Then I realized that just as I've grown to love speed dialing, cell phones, and e-mail because they can help me connect with other people more efficiently, maybe I could give these social networking sites a trial as a productivity tool, not a networking auto-pilot. So I held back my doubts and, so far, have reached out to Spoke and LinkedIn. Here are some first impressions.
Spoke seems intuitively interesting to me, mostly because of the frustration I've had so often doing sales within big companies (or reengineering sales force processes as a consultant) in the past. Personally at Deloitte, I'd identify someone I wanted to meet for a potential consulting project, let's say, Michael Eisner. My team and I would think of the quickest path to meeting him and do a bunch of calls to friends and friends of friends and conduct strategy sessions on what the quickest path was to penetrate the account through a warm lead from someone Eisner trusts. Then, after we'd done our work and announced the win to my partners at Deloitte, out of the woodwork would crawl some senior manager in the Dallas utility practice who's not only familiar with key decision makers at Disney, but is the godson of Uncle Mikey. This is so unfortunate for companies - they don't know what rich human relationships they have buried within the company. Well, Spoke helps solve that problem. It allows you to find within a closed business system what you don't know. Through some fairly sophisticated technology, it can tell you the most efficient path within Deloitte from person A to whoever the target may be. No more blind relationships for an organization again. Now that's cool.
I also reached out to the CEO of LinkedIn to figure out how their service worked. So far, I'm impressed and excited by the opportunities LinkedIn presents also. One of the coolest things about the service is how easy it is to reconnect with past colleagues. There is a function where you input your past employers. So I typed in Deloitte Consulting and WOW. It's been years and years since I have seen one particular HBS classmate of mine who's now (I just discovered) a partner at Deloitte. I totally lost touch with him, but now I can't wait to see him this Friday night for dinner. Even past employees of mine have been rediscovered. I've also begun to get "invitations" to join friends networks and the opportunities have begun to unfold. The point is, I'm actually looking forward to logging into the system. And, I'm told that there is a fairly compelling group proposition as well, and as a member of Yale's board of alumni governors, I'm certainly interested in helping other Yalies stay connected. The "Old Blue" network can never be too strong from my perspective.
So there you have it, folks. This technology seems to be a great enabler, even for a neophyte like me. What software or technologies have you found that might enhance our networking success and your business/sales? How about contact management? Anyone find a great pipeline management tool that I can use on a handheld device like my Blackberry or Palm?
September 17, 2004
The Apprentice
The Apprentice - Week 2
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 9:54 AM
Unlike Carolyn, who seems to be turning into a total yes-man, I didn't agree with the Donald's firing decision last night. Sure, Bradford made a huge mistake by getting overly cocky and offering to waive his immunity. And, yes, he acted like a total jerk last week when he insisted on that ridiculous football toy. But he performed really well during the ice cream task. Ivana, on the other hand, was a total disaster. I can't believe the second ice cream cart was missing for three hours! And it was totally unfair to blame Stacie J., since, as George pointed out, Broadway is only a half block away from 7th Avenue. Maria should have checked out both blocks just to be sure. Or, she could have simply called Stacie J. to figure it out! It's almost like she wanted Stacie J. to be wrong just to establish a scapegoat.
I agree that Stacie J. is something of a loose cannon. Last week, she completely folded under pressure. This week, she further alientated her team members by calling the temp agency without conferring with them first. That said, I don't like the way Ivana tried to turn everyone against Stacie just to save her own hide in the boardroom. That was really despicable, underhanded, and immature. She should have gotten the boot last night, not Bradford, or even Stacie.
Raj really proved himself last night. Part of me thought he might turn out to be just another quirky weirdo with no brains, but, so far, he's proven me wrong. The fact that he had a dozen bowties to hand out to all the guys was fabulous. I think the bowties really made a difference. Raj's idea to dub the donut gelato a "breakfast icecream" to promote morning sales was also genius.
A lot of credit must go to Kelly, who did a great job as project manager. I'm really glad he kicked John to the curb and gave out $5 food allowances to everyone. John was acting like a total maniac when he insisted that Raj couldn't have any food money. I felt so bad for Raj when he pleaded, "But I'm hypoglycemic...I need a bagel!" Thank goodness Kelly put his foot down. That West Point training really came in handy.
As for Pamela, she's not long for this show. She's too brusque. A good manager has to have the right combination of toughness and charm...she possesses none of the latter. And it really made me ill when she was showing off at Petrossian, asking for creme fraiche and toast points. Wow...that's so impressive. Not really! I'm with Andy...I would have been disappointed with that reward, especially after eating just $5 worth of food all day. Just a couple of weeks ago on the Amazing Race, team members were passing out and crying after being forced to eat that much caviar!
Next week should be interesting. The weak links are Ivana, Stacie, Pamela, and John. One of them is sure to go!
September 16, 2004
No One Asked Me But...
Hanft: No One Asked Me But...
Posted by Adam Hanft at 4:24 PM
Newspapers Need Reinvention
For years now, the newspaper industry has been virtually paralyzed as it has watched its readership age and younger consumers turn to other media.
While they've made a few feeble gestures, for the most part, newspapers have seemed to accept this geriatricizing as inevitable. The argument: younger readers were brought up on television and aren't programmed to consume their news in printed form.
Nonsense. There is ample evidence that younger consumers are readers. As far as men are concerned, witness, for example, the explosion and success of gaming magazines. Or, the rapid acceptance of Conde Nast's “Cargo.” Young women are flocking to “In Style”, “Lucky” and others.
Newspapers simply haven't created the kind of editorial that is compelling to a younger demographic:
Adam Hanft is the Inc.com Marketing Resource Center columnist. Read more Hanft here.
(NOTE: Adam Hanft writes "No One Asked Me, But" as often as a corrective idea strikes him, roughly once a week, and he will be responding to bloggers as soon as humanly possible.)
Leadership
Try Saying It in Person
Posted by Rod Kurtz at 11:45 AM
You're faced with an interesting dilemma when something free stops working. The customer, I suppose, is not always right when he's not paying. Thus, my current conundrum. For the past couple of weeks, my personal Hotmail account has been acting up, inexplicably. Messages that I send, primarily to other Hotmail users, are now delayed at least several hours, and in many cases, several days. E-mailing a friend, to see if she wants to meet for a drink after work, isn't quite as effective when your query finally lands in her inbox at 4:17 a.m. on a Sunday.
There is, as far as I can tell, no support line, and my two e-mail inquiries have drawn responses of "We know, we're working on it, thanks for using Hotmail!" (This is where that paying-customer leverage would be nice.) As the problem continues, I've discovered that several friends who also use Hotmail have experienced delays. So while all users may not be affected, I don't appear to be the only one born under a bad sign.
As I've learned to live with what I hope will be a temporary malady, I've found other means of communication -- work e-mail, text messaging, even the old-fashioned telephone. But the whole matter got me thinking about our addiction to all things electronic, and how the loss of something we lived just fine without a decade ago now seems catastrophic. I'm a young guy, but I'm old enough to remember life without cell phones, e-mail, and -- perish the thought -- blogs. They say we're living in an age of communication, and that's true, but the ability to zap pointless riffs every five seconds doesn't mean we're communicating any better. I'm a little afraid to admit, it's been nice picking up the phone more often lately and talking to a real live human being.
And that gets to my point. Although it's been cathartic, this little rant does, in fact, have a point. As a writer for Inc., I talk to successful CEOs or management gurus almost daily, and when the topic turns to communicating with a staff, one of the first things out of their mouths is "say it in person." Managers, like anyone else, have developed a nasty habit for the electronic communiqué, but nearly every expert says this is a bad way of doing business. Sure, it has a place -- an important one, at that -- but there really is no substitute for the personal touch. Contrary to what I've probably led you to believe, I try not to completely rely on e-mail when I'm in the office. I've always made a point getting up from my desk and walking the five feet it takes to talk to an editor or other co-worker face-to-face, because there is something very ridiculous about e-mailing a person sitting next to you. To be honest, the over-reliance on e-mail in the workplace, particularly in a small office, has disappointed me as my career continues. So I try to counter it in my own little way -- by actually getting out of my chair. And, as former Inc. 500 CEO Bill Gates continues to play mind games with me, I suggest you give it a shot.
September 14, 2004
How Rude!
Miss Management: What Should I Wear?
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 9:18 PM
Each week, Inc. staff writer Nadine Heintz (Miss Management) will help you tackle office etiquette problems both big and small.
Dear Miss Management,
I love wearing sleeveless sundresses to work, even in the winter, when I pair them with tights and cowboy boots. I usually throw on a cardigan in the morning, but, by the time the afternoon rolls around, the office temperature heats up and I feel the need to bare my shoulders. Is that inappropriate?
Bare in Boston
Dear BIB,
While tube tops are a no-no at work, sleeveless dresses (especially those with tank straps) aren't strictly off limits, as long as you follow a few rules. First, don't let your bra straps show. That may be fine for Britney Spears, but it screams "unprofessional" in the office. Second, avoid halter tops. They tend to dip down in the back and bare a lot of skin. Third, refrain from spaghetti straps unless you plan to swelter in your sweater all day. In other words, stick to a plain old tank dress. There's just something about the extra inch of fabric on a regular tank top that makes going sleeveless seem respectable. With your straps firmly in place, you'll be free to run around the office cardigan-free whenever you please.
Have a dilemma for Miss Management? Send her an e-mail and check back here Tuesdays for the answer.
September 10, 2004
The Apprentice
The Apprentice - Season 2 Premiere
Posted by Nadine Heintz at 10:26 AM
First of all, I love Raj and his fabulous cane. Some people have compared him to Sam, but I like Raj much better. Sam didn't wear red pants and a bow tie, after all. And besides having great outfits, Raj was totally right when he railed against the name Mosaic. Not like Apex is so great, either. It conjures images of that bald guy with the moustache from the Apex Tech commercials. At any rate, I thought Pamela made a good first impression with the Donald when she staunchly defended her team's lame choice. Score one for Pamela.
As for the rest of the apprentice wannabes, it was pretty hard to gauge individual people's worthiness based on the Mattel challenge. As a team, I must say that Pamela and the guys blew it big time. Crustacean Nation? When Andy first made that suggestion, I thought he'd be laughed right out of the room. A cheetah with flippers?!? Come on. It wasn't as bad as Bradford's original idea, though. That guy is a total meathead. Plus, considering that, according to Star magazine, he drives a golf cart with monster truck tires, you'd think that he'd come up with something a bit more exciting than a football player on wheels. Thank goodness the Mattel designers shot that idea down. The Meta Morpher turned out to be pretty cool, I must say, and it was obviously a huge hit with the kids. I wish I knew who came up with that name. It was genius.
Part of me was hoping that Pamela would get the boot. It was really unprofessional of her to make fun of that poor kid's hair in front of Carolyn and the Mattel execs. Granted, his hairdo was simply awful, but keep it to yourself, Pamela! Especially considering that the kid looked like a mini Donald Trump. Way to offend the Donald. Luckily, he has a good sense of humor about his complex coif. In the end, though, I think Donald made the right choice when he gave Rob the boot. All that whining about being "underutilized" was pathetic. And his idea about the eel with removable parts was even worse than the underwater cheetah toy. Bye, Rob!
Bradford really got lucky last night. He was an awful team leader. He had no patience and acted like a total jerk. Noboby wants a boss like that. I understand that not all decisions can be made by consensus, but his idea wasn't even good. Later on at the dinner party, when the Donald asked the women how they liked Bradford, they said he was "excellent." Of course. We all learned from Tammi's behavior last season that the Donald doesn't like traitors. I have a feeling that Bradford might be this season's Kwame, riding everyone else's coattails to the final showdown. But I certainly hope not.
I was pretty jealous when the winning team had dinner with the Donald and Melania. The shrimp cocktail looked scrumptious! Jennifer C. was hysterical during the dinner scene. She thought she was being really sly about imitating every move the Donald made, but she wound up looking like she was hitting on him. It was totally weird. If I was Melania, I would have sent her home without dessert.
Last but not least, what is up with Stacie J.? Some may say she's emotionally unstable. I say she's a plant. When I met Omarosa at the finale party last year, she said her contract prevented her from talking about why she lied to Kwame in Atlantic City. That only bolstered my suspicion that NBC is planting actors in the show to spice things up. Hmmm. Star magazine says that Stacie owns a Subway sandwich shop in Harlem. Maybe I should go scope it out.
Overall, I'm pretty excited about season 2. I must admit that I'm a little nervous that nothing will compare to the good old days of Troy, Sam, Omarosa and gang. I guess we'll find out!
September 8, 2004
No One Asked Me But...
Hanft: No One Asked Me, But...
Posted by Adam Hanft at 4:03 PM
Adam Hanft is the Inc.com Marketing Resource Center columnist.
Not enough people are witnessing the rain in Spain. Or the sun. So reported the New York Times last week, in a story about Spain's tourist woes: hotels are struggling, with as much as 40 percent of their rooms going unoccupied. "The model of beaches and sun has been exhausted...we need to look at alternatives" said a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce."
The stakes are high. Spain draws more tourists than any other country except France, and it represents 12 percent of Spain's GNP.
If the Minister e-mailed me, here is what I would tell him:
- The model of beaches and sun hasn't been exhausted. What's tired is the way that it's being offered. Spain needs more spa, more zen -- and yes, I've got to say it -- a trendier take. It's still perceived as an old-school vacation destination, where discount-seekers flock. Give tax breaks to hotels who upgrade their amenities; after two years of declining occupancy it's unlikely that they have the dollars to improve their physical plants.
- Spain needs a handle and a headline. France has romance, style and food. England has history and culture. What should you be? I would argue that Spain is imagination and creativity. It's been true historically and it's true today.
- Be competitive. Particularly against France, your number one competitor. Spain has better food (the hottest chefs are in Barcelona and now Madrid) and nicer people. Why spend your vacation getting insulted? You can have that experience at work.
- Make Spain a lifestyle brand. Upscale travelers -- the kind you need -- make their vacation choices based on brands they want to be associated with. Invest in making hot young Spanish designers and artists visible in the right global circles.
- Use online marketing more aggressively. Your website is an embarrassment. Wouldn't make we want to go. Make it a place where Spain as a lifestyle brand can be built. It should capture the contemporary Spanish culture, its heat and vibrancy, in all dimensions.
- Open "Spain" stores in the hottest urban neighborhoods in New York, Paris, London, Toyko, Berlin and Moscow. They will be designed by the hottest Spanish architects and feature merchandise for sale by the most important designers you've got - plus a restaurant featuring your best chefs. Even if they lose money -- which they shouldn't -- they are the best brand advertising (and sampling) you can have.
- Invest in Iberia Airlines. A national airlines is a mobile branding experience, as British Airlines and Air France have demonstrated. It wouldn't take much to make Iberia the leader in luxury air travel.
(NOTE: Adam Hanft writes "No One Asked Me, But" as often as a corrective idea strikes him, roughly once a week, and he will be responding to bloggers as soon as humanly possible.)
Sales and Marketing
Denial on Steroids
Posted by Adam Hanft at 10:39 AM
So it turns out that President Clinton wasn't asymptomatic at all. He had chest pains and shortness of breath that he wrote off to other factors, including the all-purpose "acid reflux." (I wonder how the marketing of acid reflux has given those with heart disease a convenient excuse, thus dangerously delaying diagnosis?)
It seems to me that now is a particularly challenging time to be asking consumers to focus on their own mortality. Living with the fear of terrorism -- both for oneself and one's loved ones -- requires a carapace of daily denial. When reality is too "real" we want to shut as much of it out as possible, including reminders of illness. We are in an environment, simply put, of bad-news overload.
So for a diabetic to check his blood pressure multiple times during the day is the physiological equivalent of checking the national terror alert with a high level of frequency.
In fact, post 9/11 we have become psychologically accustomed to living in a state of denial. To break through, drug and device manufacturers must recognize this reality and avoid advertising that defaults to the scare and fright tactics. If you want your customers -- Bill Clinton or your grandmother -- to take care of themselves, to check their cholsterol and their glucose, you need to make the world a less-threatening place, not a more frightening one.
September 7, 2004
Branding
Ferrazzi: Stars Need Personal Branding, Too
Posted by Keith Ferrazzi at 1:25 PM
Keith Ferrazzi is the Inc.com Sales & Networking Resource Center columnist.
My friend Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision, recently brought his friend Lionel Richie to one of our regular meetings where we brainstorm ideas and exchange candid advice and a healthy dose of mutual admiration. So, with some of the smartest people I know, we held a personal branding strategy session for Lionel Richie.
Here's a guy who has one of the most successful music careers of anyone alive today. He's a true performer, who, like the greats -- Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis -- really engages the audience in music, personality, jokes and dialog. And, unless you were under a rock, you know that he also has a daughter Nicole, who he cares about deeply and who has become a pop idol in her own right.
Now you might imagine that Lionel isn't short of great advisors and you might therefore assume that he would have already gone through a rigorous personal branding strategy, but, like so many of us, he hadn't.
So we systematically went to work to understand his values and discussed his life mission. We uncovered aspirations -- around education and the inner city, real estate, and other business ventures -- much broader than the launch of his most recent album (which happens to be doing exceptionally well). And we set some short-, mid-, and long-term goals for him to achieve personally, professionally, and for the community that he cares so much about.
Lionel was blown away by such a business approach to managing a personal brand, and the impact it had on him was so significant in his mind that we sat down with Nicole last night as a favor for Dad. She is actually incredibly thoughtful and insightful.
Now you might be saying that this all sounds like a no-brainer, that Lionel should have known better. Well, what I fear is that all of us are guilty of not applying our business expertise to working on our most important asset -- ourselves! -- as much as we put to thinking about our companies' brands.
Come on, don't you personally deserve at least some of the rigor, time, and attention that you devote to your company? And if you do, what have you done so far and what are you going to do about it?
September 3, 2004
Books
Double, Double Vision
Posted by Bobbie Gossage at 2:28 PM
We here at Inc. get a lot of business books in the mail, but I recently received one that made me do a double-take, because I thought I was having a case of deja vu. Not long after getting a copy of Organized for Success, which came out last month, I got this copy of Awake for Work, which is coming out in a few weeks. I try not to judge a book by its cover, but this is just ridiculous. Why both publishers would choose to use the same lame stock photo is beyond me.
September 1, 2004
Sales and Marketing
What Would You Do If...
Posted by Bobbie Gossage at 6:01 PM
Passions run high when it comes to politics, and this year's presidential race stands to be especially heated. However, as the New York Times reports today in its story, "Advertisers Join the '04 Campaign," despite the risk of appearing to embrace a particular candidate, more companies are playing up the election theme in their campaigns. They are also launching these campaigns even earlier than in previous elections. And while, according to the article, Americans are more interested in this election than they have been in a while, perhaps saturating the public with both campaign ads and advertising relating to the election and campaigns could wear on nerves of consumers by the time the election actually rolls around. On the other hand, in the midst of so many serious issues, the public might welcome a little light-hearted poking at the race. What would you do if you were running an ad campaign now? Would you try a political ad?
No One Asked Me But...
Hanft: No One Asked Me, But...
Posted by Adam Hanft at 11:28 AM
Adam Hanft is the Inc.com Marketing Resource Center columnist.
Interstate Bakeries delayed filing its 10-K yesterday, after having twice delayed its earnings reports. The maker of high-carb, over-processed, won't-decompose-in-landfill staples like Wonder Bread and Twinkies seems to be on the wrong side of the trend tracks.
Is there hope? Some say the company may not survive. Here are five things I would pursue in order to reimagine their business and turn the brands around:
• Embrace nutritional bankruptcy proudly. Don't hide from what you are, or try to adopt a mantle of faux wellness. Run ads that say "Some of the most satifying things on the planet can't be found in Whole Foods Market" and "Proudly contains more preservatives than Dick Clark." (Is it too soon for "The people in the World Trade Center wished they had consumed more carbs? We're three years from 9/11; Mel Brooks waited 20 plus years after the Holocaust for the "Producers"...but with today's time compression, we're not that far off).
The key is to think of yourself as tabloid food. Gen X and Gen Y would resonate to this, as would baby boomers who grew up on these petrochemical sins. There is money to be made by taking on nutritional correctness.
• Extend the embrace of food kitsch to the web and event marketing. Sponsor contests for those who can accurately spell your preservatives and chemical ingredients. Search for the oldest sealed Twinkie in America and have the president of Interstate consume it on national TV. Airlift Twinkies and Wonder Bread into Iraq to show them real American values. Work with IFC and set up Wonder Bread Week, movies exclusively about the fifties. Get involved with
Comedy Central.
• Epoxy the brand to the culture. Leverage the fact that an iconic Blue Man Group bit has them unwrapping a Twinkie and eating it with a knife and fork. Find celebrities whose secret sin is a Twinkie. Have Michael Graves design a new vending machine that dispenses nothing but Twinkies, in exclusive flavors found nowhere else -- Twinkie Latte, Tahitian Vanilla Twinkie. Offer them free at Target stores to create a new era of Vending Machine Chic. License the name and likeless to Target for apparel.
• Look into Europe. Twinkies and Wonder Bread can become consumer cults there, simultaneously cool and a mockery of American values and bad taste.
• Market to the hip-hop community. Twinkies are there already -- the term means cool automobile wheels in rap-speak: R Kelly writes: "We used to get money together, phone honies together; Pushin chromed out twinkies in custom coach leather." Also, many rappers grew up on the nutrition of Twinkies; Twinkies and hip-hop are all over the Internet. And then there's Russell Simmons oft-quoted remark: "You can't roll around in the bed, eat Twinkies and drink wine and be a pleasure seeker, and be successful." How about a Twinkie's and wine entrepreneurial seminar? Rap can actually make Twinkies cool.
Is this going to happen? Doubtful. The company is run by bakers, not builders.
(NOTE: Adam Hanft writes "No One Asked Me, But" as often as a corrective idea strikes him, roughly once a week, and he will be responding to bloggers as soon as humanly possible.)
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