How to spot the upturn early…

If you, like me, are keen to spot the green shoots of recovery then where will you be looking?

I spotted this interesting blog over at Harvard Business Review where the editors blog has been discussing the subject – click on the following link to  go to the article: – HBR Editors Blog

What signs will you you be looking for? I’m watching for private sector executive jobs to come back into the Sunday Times recruitment section.

Share your suggestions below with other readers…

James

On-line Video : The marketing tool for 2009

 

 

 

 

 You may have noticed that more and more leading brands are using on-line video as a key marketing communication tool as broadband speeds get faster, WiFi ever more accessible, and with everyone having a PDA or phone with fast internet capabilities.

This isn’t suprising.  Video has many advantages as a communication tool.  Messages can be conveyed quickly and in an entertaining way.  Everyone watches TV and increasingly that is delivered via the web.  In a recent survey I noticed that Generation Y consumers watch more TV delivered on-line than via terrestrial/satellite/cable television. They also spend increasing amounts of time on-line using sites like Facebook, MySpace, etc. On-line video meshes neatly with social media as it can be delivered via complimentary platforms such as Youtube, Vimeo, or iTunes.

I also read a really great blog about this subject by renowned social media guru Scott Monty, you can read this too if you click on this link:

http://www.scottmonty.com/2008/12/why-video-will-be-so-important-in-2009.html

This trend is also evident from the increasing amount of enquiries I am receiving from customers who are starting to understand the powerful capabilities of marketing via social media. This is something Cultivar can help clients with via our video and website production partners. Contact me if you would like to learn how we can help you to do this.

James Rock

email: james.rock@cultivar.co.uk

Corporate Social Responsibility – Pangea Day 10 May 2008

What is Pangea Day? Pangea Day taps the power of film to strengthen tolerance and compassion while uniting millions of people to build a better future.  In a world where people are often divided by borders, differences, and conflict, its easy to lose sight of what we all have in common.  Pangea Day seeks to overcome that – to help people see themselves in others – through the power of film. On 10 May 2008, Pangea Day sites in Cairo, Dharamsala, Kigali, London, New York City, Ramallah, Rio de Janeiro, and Tel Aviv will be videoconferenced live to produce a 4 hour programme of powerful films, visionary speakers, and uplifting music.  The programme will be broadcast live to the world through the internet, television, digital cinemas, and mobile phones. Of course, movies alone can’t change the world.  But the people who watch them can.  So following 10 May 2008, Pangea Day organisers will facilitate community-building  activities around the world by connecting inspired viewers with numerous organisations which are already doing groundbreaking work. For more information watch the short video clip below and  visit the website :-”“This is an opportunity for you to encourage friends and colleagues to participate in what should be an inspiring day, and become engaged in wider social issues afterwards.  I am trying to organise a group screening of the Pangea Day worldcast live in Birmingham.  If anyone would like to become involved and help me to do that then please contact me at: james.rock@cultivar.co.uk

The China Impact

The rapid rise of China is beginning to impact most areas of UK trade and industry in one way or another. A Warwick Business School research project recently completed the largest survey of its kind ever on foreign investment and innovation alliances between multinational firms and their counterparts in China. The report highlights how Western firms are benefiting from synergies with Chinese firms, but also appear to be breeding their future competitors. The report contains strategic lessons for UK firms and for UK policymakers about how to adapt to the China impact.

Full copies of this report can be obtained from our website Articles page : www.cultivar.co.uk/articles.php

How investment in Creativity, Innovation and Design can make a difference.

In the context of rapidly changing consumer tastes and aggressive competition from foreign firms, UK companies are recognising that they can no longer derive any kind of competitive advantage simply by reducing costs. In order to compete on a global scale it is now necessary for them to gain an advantage by creating and exploiting intangible intellectual assets.

Investment in design can help companies compete more on quality and less on price, making them less vulnerable to competition from low cost producers. However, to be successful good design must be incorporated across all aspects of the business; its products and services, company processes and systems, its working and retail environments and its brand management and marketing. Design should act as an interface between a company and the international customer, ensuring that a company delivers a product or service that the customer wants and in a way that adds value to both.

Out of all these intellectual assets, creativity, innovation and design are the most vital sources of competitive advantage. According to the Cox Review of Creativity in Business,

Creativity is the generation of new ideas – either new ways of looking at existing problems, or of seeing new opportunities, perhaps by exploiting emerging technologies or changes in markets.

Innovation is the successful exploitation of new ideas. It is the process that carries them through to new products, new services, new ways of running the business or even new ways of doing business.

Design is what links creativity and innovation. It shapes ideas to become practical and attractive propositions for users or customers.

Design may be described as creativity deployed to a specific end.

You can download the Cox Review in full here: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk./independent_reviews/cox_review/coxreview_index.cfm

Netwalking… the new trend in Networking?

Last night I hosted a networking event where Glenn Watkins, CEO of on-line network phenomena Ecademy talked about some of the future trends in networking.

In his talk Glenn described a recent trekking trip to Peru with a number of Ecademy members, where they not only took in some fantastic sights such as Mechu Pichu, they also jointly undertook charity work with a local school. We discussed how this type of activity really provided an opportunity to bond closely with network members. This supports Glenn’s theory that “networking leads to trust, which leads to trade”. Glenn called this trip “Netwalking” and suggested it might be a new way of developing relationships that lead to work and business opportunities, the reason why networking has developed rapidly within an increasingly self-employed community.

On a similar vein, I recently went on trips to Brussels, and seperately to Amsterdam, with combined groups including potential clients. Over an extended visit we met at the airport and travelled together, had breakfast, lunch and dinner together, and worked and socialised together. The result has been a high number of mutual business opportunities. Maybe we can call this “Netourism”?

What do you think? Is this a new opportunity we can mutually exploit?