As Seen In… 2007 Archives
Here you’ll find a collection of articles published during 2007.
bMighty
Strategy Matters: Harnessing Crowdsourcing
December 19, 2007
Crowdsourcing is a powerful new Web 2.0 business model any company can take advantage of — not just software companies
If you’ve used Mozilla’s FireFox to browse the Internet, you’ve used software developed using crowdsourcing. The Mozilla Foundation’s Manifesto states, “The Mozilla project uses a community-based approach to create world-class open source software to develop new types of collaborative activities.” What the manifesto doesn’t state is that Mozilla has engineers working on their projects who aren’t on the payroll. Like other open source projects, Mozilla uses crowdsourcing to lower their cost of doing business. We all know what that can do to profit.
The original publication can be found at this link.
Practice: Deliver
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Wall Street Journal
For CEOs, Off-Duty Isn’t An Option
November 7, 2007
For priests, police officers and doctors, it isn’t really possible to be completely off-duty. They may enjoy uninterrupted breaks when times are calm. But if a big enough crisis arises, it doesn’t matter whether they are holding a tennis racket or taking a nap…
Tags: CEO, Harry Max, Rubicon
Practice: Define
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SandHill
So, Here’s a Statistic
November 6, 2007
So Bain has done a growth survey that shows “senior managers spend less than 3% of their time on the long term view of the future.” In comparison, the same study shows, they spend 40% of their time focused on…
The original publication can be found at this link.
Tags: Andre Delbecq, Bain, Bill Gates, customers, Santa Clara University
Practice: Optimize
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MarketingProfs
The New Rules of Internet Marketing
October 16, 2007
Understanding how the Internet changes the rules of marketing is a huge challenge for CEOs: Which practices are obsolete? What new opportunities should be pursued? How do we define success in this new scenario?
Practice: Deliver
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MarketingProfs
Business Aikido: Gaining Strategic Advantage Through Leverage
October 2, 2007
In Aikido, martial arts students study and practice katas — pre-arranged movements that enable them to deal with an opponent successfully. The centuries-old art teaches practitioners to use the force of an opponent against the opponent. This strategy gives the student a definite advantage if attacked.
In a similar way, what were strengths in Web 1.0 have become weaknesses in Web 2.0. Remember when companies had to have legions of developers, dozens of people manning the help desks, and big was best?
Practice: Deliver
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Wall Street Journal
Microsoft, Adobe Widen Data Services
October 1, 2007
Microsoft is rolling out a free service that lets users of its Office software create and share documents over the Internet in new ways. The move comes as Google Inc., Microsoft’s nemesis in Internet search, has been trying to popularize Web services that handle key functions of Office.
That trend has yet to fully take off, said Michael Mace, a principal at technology-consulting firm Rubicon Consulting Inc. In a survey of more than 2,000 adults who have a computer at home, conducted this past summer, Rubicon found that while 34% of computer owners have used Web based email services and 20% have played games online, Web-based services for word processing and spreadsheets have been used by just 5% and 3% of computer users, respectively.
Practice: Define
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The Pragmatic Marketer
Even Steinways Get Out of Tune
October 1, 2007
What’s the difference between an ethical leader and a business leader? Are they mutually exclusive, a subset of each other, or one and the same?
The original publication can be found at this link.
Practice: Optimize
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SandHill
Web Strategy Needs to Create an Experience
September 28, 2007
For each era, there are new rules. In the web world today, marketing online has new rules. Marketing is no longer about awareness online, but about creating an experience for the consumer or customer.
The original publication can be found at this link.
Practice: Deliver
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WITI
Getting a Seat at the Table
September 26, 2007
Women In Technology International National Conference
Using cases, Nilofer reveals the three decision traps of good decisions, how the game changes as you rise in the organization, tactics that take you up the ladder, strategic decision-making to move ahead, the right time to use each toolkit and the four things you must do differently to continue your momentum and impact on the organization you lead.
Attendees learn why, contrary to popular belief, their promotion is far more about peer-to-peer relationships than superior-subordinate relationships. (1:40)
The original publication can be found at this link.
Tags: Leadership, Strategy Design
Practice: Deliver
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bMighty
Top 5 Small and Midsize Business Myths — Busted!
September 26, 2007
We know that small and midsize businesses are a varied, quirky, interesting, and unpredictable bunch. But does the world really understand the realities of running a smaller company?
Apparently not. A recent proprietary survey by Rubicon Consulting revealed some surprising information about how small and midsize businesses use technology and how they prefer to be regarded. We talked with Bruce La Fetra about separating SMB myths and realities.
The original publication can be found at this link.
Tags: Bruce La Fetra, Bruce LaFetra, small business, SMB
Practice: Deliver
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ars technica
Web apps: e-mail and games remain hot, office apps cool
September 26, 2007
The use of web applications is taking off, according to a recent survey, with over a third of home computer users in the US using at least one web app regularly to replace software that they once used on the desktop. The survey was conducted on roughly 2,000 US computer users this summer of this year by Rubicon Consulting. It found that while average users are more than willing to try out Web 2.0 apps, certain applications are still having trouble breaking through to the mainstream and security concerns loom over the industry.
The original publication can be found at this link.
Practice: Define
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Read/WriteWeb
Web Apps Hit hit the Mainstream
September 26, 2007
A new study by Rubicon Consulting released today at the AJAXworld Conference in Santa Clara, California indicates that web apps have spread beyond the so-called “early adopter” set and have made their way into the consciousness of a majority of web users. “Most industry observers talk about ‘Web 2.0’ applications as something that’s coming in the future, but our research showed that some web apps are already spreading rapidly through the PC user base,” said Michael Mace, a principal at Rubicon Consulting of the report.
The original publication can be found at this link.
Practice: Define
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The Advertising Show
If You Think You Know the Rules of Effective Online Marketing, Nilofer Merchant CEO of Rubicon Consulting Suggests You May Want to Think Again
September 21, 2007
Co-host Brad Forsythe interviews Nilofer Merchant, CEO of Rubicon Consulting.
Nilofer Merchant is a consultant, writer, conference speaker and the CEO and founder of Rubicon Consulting, a strategy and marketing consultancy designed specifically for the needs of tech companies. She and her team of principals and staff have launched nearly 100 products, created five developer platforms, designed 18 channel vendor programs, run numerous user influencer marketing initiatives and defined more than 30 new markets.
The original publication can be found at this link.
Tags: online marketing
Practice: Deliver
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Vistage View
“Murder Boarding”: How to Float the Best Ideas to the Top — and Kill the Rest
September 15, 2007
Vistage member Nilofer Merchant was recently interviewed by Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal about her leadership techniques. To give her marketing consulting firm an edge over the competition, she said she uses a technique called “murder boarding,” a process to ensure her clients get only the very best ideas. But, in the interview, she stopped short of revealing exactly how this process works.
Lucky for us, she’s willing to reveal her technique to the Vistage community. Here’s what she told Vistage View…
Practice: Deliver
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Vistage View
Expert Insight — An Interview with Nilofer Merchant
September 1, 2007
Do you need new media as part of your marketing mix? Before you allocate valuable budget dollars creating videos for YouTube or community forums on your site, like any strategic plan, it’s a good idea to consider the million dollar question: Why?
To find answers, our Vistage executive web editor caught up with Vistage member Nilofer Merchant, CEO of Rubicon Consulting, a strategy and marketing consultancy designed specifically for the needs of tech companies. You may not have a tech company, but Merchant’s advice could be considered forward-thinking for any industry.
Practice: Deliver
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The Pragmatic Marketer
2 Parts Enlightenment, 1 Part Truth
September 1, 2007
Building a really strong defense strategy means building a common, clear vision of what is, then creating alternative scenarios for what could be, then developing a plan for defensive moves and offensive pushes.
The original publication can be found at this link.
Practice: Defend
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The Pragmatic Marketer
Don’t ask what they say, ask how they feel
September 1, 2007
Why do so many companies keep trying to get under the PC market? And do they have any chance of success? The answer is a lesson in the right and wrong ways to think about product strategy.
The original publication can be found at this link.
Practice: Define
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MarketingProfs
The New Market Power
August 7, 2007
Market power used to be much like a big castle surrounded by high walls and a moat to control access. If the old-school world was the castle and the moat, the new model is more like an aerial view of San Francisco — lots of paths in and out.
Practice: Deliver
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Rain Today
Creating Rich Client Relationships In A Digital World
August 1, 2007
While no one can argue with the incredible efficiency of Customer Relationship Management (CRM), sending automated voice messages, direct mail collateral, and doing email marketing often fails to bring you closer to clients, doesn’t it?
The original publication can be found at this link.
Tags: client relationships, CRM, digital world
Practice: Optimize
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The Pragmatic Marketer
Customer Affinity: How to get it, what to do with it
August 1, 2007
Affinity! That illusive icon in the distance that every company wants to attain. When you have it, you’re golden. When you don’t, everything’s a struggle. Here are some basic ingredients for creating customer affinity.
The original publication can be found at this link.
Practice: Defend
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MarketingProfs
Value Creation in the Age of Collaboration
July 24, 2007
Back in the day, value creation was very different from what it is today. Large organizations (think IBM, P&G, General Motors) were needed to build something of value. Lots of engineers, lots of quality-assurance (QA) people were involved. That weighty size and scale formed the traditional corporate hierarchy.
Practice: Deliver
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AdAge
Rethink Your Web Strategy or Fail
July 9, 2007
Let me paint a picture of the world today as a company sees it and then again as a customer experiences it.
A company, maybe yours, has a home page on its website where it organizes the user experience so that users can learn more about the company, its products, its vertical solutions and so on. The idea is based on going from the highest “levels” of content to deeper and deeper levels based on specificity.
Practice: Deliver
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MarketingProfs
The “Freemium” Business Model
June 1, 2007
Can you make money by giving away your product? Absolutely — and companies like Adobe (PDF Reader) and Adobe acquisition Macromedia (Shockwave Player) have proven it. With Web 2.0, consumers have gotten a lot of things at no cost due to various monetization practices — and that’s good.
But should you give away your product? That’s another question entirely.
Practice: Define
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San Jose Business Journal
Will think (strategically) for money
June 1, 2007
“People underestimate me because I’m a woman,” says Nilofer Merchant, who displays a Wonder Woman montage in her Rubicon Consulting office.
The original publication can be found at this link.
Practice: Define
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The Pragmatic Marketer
Five Slices of Segmentation
June 1, 2007
Segmentation has always been a key part of marketing. Sorting customers into appropriate segments allows business and marketing types to filter ideas, glean intelligence, set prices, and decide what to offer and what to toss.
The original publication can be found at this link.
Practice: Define
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AdAge
HP, Fulfill Your Promise to Make It Personal
April 19, 2007
At its foundation, great advertising is about demand creation. It’s about filling an unfulfilled need, or creating a need and then filling it. When done correctly, it’s a magical experience. There is no connection between HP’s personal-computer attributes and the advertising campaign’s messages.
Practice: Deliver
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MarketingProfs
Segmentation in a Web 2.0 World — and Beyond
April 10, 2007
Imagine using a piece of technology from 1964 and expecting it to be relevant. Is anyone still using an IBM System/360? No? Then why are you still using customer segmentation that’s as passe as old hardware?
In 1964, in the Harvard Business Review, Daniel Yankelovich introduced the concept of “non-demographic” segmentation. Before that, the common classification of consumers was by rough cuts of attributes like age, home ownership, income levels, and others that could generally be found in census-type information.
By moving past demographics, Yankelovich’s goal was to look at things that mattered more — customer usage and adoption patterns. This meant that marketers could craft better messages and develop improved channels to reach them.
While this revolution helped us to understand customer requirements and interests, it has its own limits.
Practice: Deliver
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Chief Marketer
The New New Brand
March 29, 2007
A colleague had a great description of brand: The brand is the solution.
The brand is not the final output of graphics and logos but the clear and consistent value proposition that comes through the “what,” to the way it’s delivered, all the way until the experience matches the promise that the company makes via its brand.
The original publication can be found at this link.
Practice: Define
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SandHill
Reaching the Holy Grail
March 27, 2007
Software vendors now have the potential to deliver enterprise-class solutions to small and mid-sized businesses — but they’ve got to believe in the Web formula for success.
The original publication can be found at this link.
Practice: Deliver
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Chief Marketer
Marketing Leadership
February 5, 2007
If leadership is an art, then following is an art too.
I was reminded of this recently when I wanted our team to do something different with our corporate newsletter to kick off the new year. Embracing a thematic model featuring the top 10 things to watch in the high-tech industry for 2007, I let the team know during the editorial meeting that our process had changed. We were leaving behind our status quo discuss-and-collaborate-then-write-about-hot-topics format. The purpose? To allow our team to come together, coordinate the high-powered thinking we’re known for, and move in a clear direction together. The objective? Focused thinking that creates more value.
The original publication can be found at this link.
Practice: Deliver
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Multichannel Merchant
The Three Goals of a Successful Strategic Meeting
February 1, 2007
Many high-tech firms experience an interesting phenomenon: Executives go to meetings to make a point. They don’t come together to explore a subject so much as to try to gratify their egos. People often end up spouting off rather than exchanging ideas.
In short, a major strategy session must have three overriding goals: enlightenment, truth, and creation.
Tags: creation, enlightenment, marketing strategy, meetings, truth
Practice: Deliver
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MarketingProfs
Five Ways to Develop a Dialogue With Key “Influencers”
January 16, 2007
When you want to buy a new BBQ, whom do you ask? If you want to know which smartphone to buy, what blog do you read? And if you’re looking for a school in which to enroll your child, whose advice do you seek?
Practice: Deliver
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The Pragmatic Marketer
Product Managers are Really Super Heroes in Disguise
January 1, 2007
There are two really hard jobs inside a company. One is being a CEO, and the other is being a product manager.
The original publication can be found at this link.
Practice: Deliver
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