Last week I attended the relaunch of TPCC Scotland, held at the Scottish Parliament to celebrate the coming together of the charity with The Prostate Cancer Support Group organisation. The combined force is a formidable one in the fight against Prostate Cancer, which is the hidden cause of one man's death every hour in the UK.
Men like me who are under 50 don't know enough about this killer, but I am hoping that this can all change. As in the fight against breast cancer, early detection saves lives, and we must get the message out there.
This is why I am delighted to have been asked to join the development board of TPCC Scotland, and why this November I will be growing a Mo in support. Please help by donating at http://uk.movember.com/mospace/728036/
I appreciate your help, and if you want to know more, please look at the TPCC website - www.prostate-cancer.org.uk.
Sunday, 31 October 2010
Wednesday, 9 June 2010
Business Fitness
Any business about to make a step change of whatever kind, be it a new product, market or acquisition needs to be aware of the fitness of their business for the transition about to take place. Is the brand ready? are the team all behind the project? what will happen to the current portfolio, and how will the change impact upon the company's ability to continue to grow organically?
If the company is approaching a new international market, are all of the pieces in place to enable you to trade and are your bank onside? In short do you have the people, capacity, skills and strength in depth to be able to change gear and accelerate forward?
It was interesting to see that amongst the highly charged atmosphere following the collapse of the Pru's deal to acquire AIA, that they were able to report some very respectable growth figures proving that whatever else they may have got wrong, business fitness wasn't an issue.
Time will tell whether the damage to the Chairman and the CEO from the failure is terminal, but I suspect that whatever the outcome, the company is geared for organic growth which is probably why the shareholders will continue to back one or both of them.
Most companies will not be looking at $30bn+ events, but all need to be aware that the first step in any step change plan must be a business fitness health check. If the Board are unable to tick all of the boxes straightaway, take the foot off the accelerator to get things right before moving on. It takes courage, but just imagine the impact if the deal falls through AND the business has gone into decline.
If the company is approaching a new international market, are all of the pieces in place to enable you to trade and are your bank onside? In short do you have the people, capacity, skills and strength in depth to be able to change gear and accelerate forward?
It was interesting to see that amongst the highly charged atmosphere following the collapse of the Pru's deal to acquire AIA, that they were able to report some very respectable growth figures proving that whatever else they may have got wrong, business fitness wasn't an issue.
Time will tell whether the damage to the Chairman and the CEO from the failure is terminal, but I suspect that whatever the outcome, the company is geared for organic growth which is probably why the shareholders will continue to back one or both of them.
Most companies will not be looking at $30bn+ events, but all need to be aware that the first step in any step change plan must be a business fitness health check. If the Board are unable to tick all of the boxes straightaway, take the foot off the accelerator to get things right before moving on. It takes courage, but just imagine the impact if the deal falls through AND the business has gone into decline.
Tuesday, 1 June 2010
Internationalisation
Last week, I was honoured to be asked to speak at a dinner held by the Entrepreneurial Exchange in Aberdeen. The topic was International Sales and Marketing, and we all enjoyed an evening of discussion around the subject, with a fair amount of banter thrown in!
As I sat down to prepare however, I was able to reflect on the many years that I have spent travelling, firstly in satellite television then telecoms, and then energy. I was able to count nearly 30 countries where I had actually been involved in business, including many where I had started, ran or shut down companies. Obviously anyone working in the energy sector has had to take an international outlook, but I believe that the experience of working internationally has had a profound impact on my business vision. Some of the lessons I have learnt will be topics for future blogs, however today I read about the increasing internationalisation of the FTSE 100 in the FT, and it struck a chord.
http://bit.ly/cHgy21
International businesses are now storming into the FTSE, and this is perhaps the closest signal so far of the shift in the world economy. Companies in the Far East don't think of their home market as the extent of their planning horizon, they think of the world. We have got to get the same mindset into our planning. Scottish businesses have some key advantages; firstly - the world likes us and "Scotland the brand" continues to open doors; secondly - there is a history of entrepreneurship and innovation that continues today; third - there is a heap of information available and a number of exceedingly good programmes that companies can benefit from; lastly - Scotland has always had to punch above its weight, and if we can harness this belief to a vision of an international marketplace then the world is our oyster!
I am not saying it is easy, and undoubtedly there will be failures along the way but I really believe that we have got to rise to the challenge and internationalise our plans to avoid being left behind in the new world order.
As I sat down to prepare however, I was able to reflect on the many years that I have spent travelling, firstly in satellite television then telecoms, and then energy. I was able to count nearly 30 countries where I had actually been involved in business, including many where I had started, ran or shut down companies. Obviously anyone working in the energy sector has had to take an international outlook, but I believe that the experience of working internationally has had a profound impact on my business vision. Some of the lessons I have learnt will be topics for future blogs, however today I read about the increasing internationalisation of the FTSE 100 in the FT, and it struck a chord.
http://bit.ly/cHgy21
International businesses are now storming into the FTSE, and this is perhaps the closest signal so far of the shift in the world economy. Companies in the Far East don't think of their home market as the extent of their planning horizon, they think of the world. We have got to get the same mindset into our planning. Scottish businesses have some key advantages; firstly - the world likes us and "Scotland the brand" continues to open doors; secondly - there is a history of entrepreneurship and innovation that continues today; third - there is a heap of information available and a number of exceedingly good programmes that companies can benefit from; lastly - Scotland has always had to punch above its weight, and if we can harness this belief to a vision of an international marketplace then the world is our oyster!
I am not saying it is easy, and undoubtedly there will be failures along the way but I really believe that we have got to rise to the challenge and internationalise our plans to avoid being left behind in the new world order.
Friday, 21 May 2010
Currency market volatility and SME's
Back in early September, one of the businesses I work with was building a business plan which included purchases from China. We were quoted in Euros, and were aiming to sell the finished product in another international currency. The numbers were relatively small, but the impact of currency swings on the plans were high, although we felt they were fairly unlikely. Wind forward six months and those currency swings are in full flow - if we had gone ahead we could have seen a major impact. We would probably have gone ahead without a treasury operation, after all we were an SME and buying forward is for bigger companies, isn't it?
Just another example of the risks that face SME's venturing into international waters. Currency changes can be an opportunity as well as a risk, but either way, business owners need to be aware of the capacity of the markets to make life more difficult.
Just another example of the risks that face SME's venturing into international waters. Currency changes can be an opportunity as well as a risk, but either way, business owners need to be aware of the capacity of the markets to make life more difficult.
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Brand vs promotion
In my blog "The Future of Marketing" I talked about the need to place the brand at the forefront of planning and execution, and that in the current economic conditions, marketers should look at long term brand growth as against short term promotional campaigns.
Interestingly today, the outgoing Chief Executive of Asda Andy Bond, told 'The Times' that;
"Our brand works best when we have less promotions....We got sucked into a very aggressive promotional battle at the end of last year. That was wrong for our brand"
One of the strengths of Wal-Mart, Asda's parent company, has been its almost religious adherence to its strategic principle which is indelibly linked to its brand. Asda is now going back to its own principle of "everyday low pricing" - a simple and clear statement that says to consumers what the brand of Asda is all about. It will be interesting to see what happens in the second half of the year as the prospect of the new government's austerity measures kick in.
Interestingly today, the outgoing Chief Executive of Asda Andy Bond, told 'The Times' that;
"Our brand works best when we have less promotions....We got sucked into a very aggressive promotional battle at the end of last year. That was wrong for our brand"
One of the strengths of Wal-Mart, Asda's parent company, has been its almost religious adherence to its strategic principle which is indelibly linked to its brand. Asda is now going back to its own principle of "everyday low pricing" - a simple and clear statement that says to consumers what the brand of Asda is all about. It will be interesting to see what happens in the second half of the year as the prospect of the new government's austerity measures kick in.
Tuesday, 27 April 2010
The future of Marketing
I have just taken delivery of my copy of “The future of Marketing” - a publication to celebrate 50 years of the Marketing Society, of which I am proud to be a member. It gets the views of 50 CEO’s from the worlds most successful companies in response to a single question “ What role will marketing play in the future success of your business?”.
Before I read it, I thought I would put down my views on the future of marketing, and then see how much I differ from the collective wisdom of the people in the book. I have tried to distill it down to a few themes, so here goes...
The first thing that should be commented on is the seismic shift that has taken place to bring the book together in the first place. 25 years ago, how many of those CEO’s would have had a marketer on their board or even on their senior team? All that “fluffy” stuff....don’t think so! If nothing else, then marketers today should be thankful to the pioneers of the last 50 years for getting them to the top table, and getting their views heard. Marketers are in the place now where they can be the engine for growth, and we should not waste the opportunity.
The challenge for now is to really drive the focus on the customer to the top of the agenda, and marketers have to take the responsibility to do this. The marketer of today has to realise that they are the heartbeat of the business - the representative of the customer. They need to take the time to understand all aspects of their business because that is how they will understand the real customer experience at every point of interaction - the website, the initial enquiry, the delivery method, the service call; they all have the capacity for a negative experience but the flip side is more important - they all have the capacity for a really excellent, loyalty building, brand reaffirming experience.
Which brings me to the brand - the one visible manifestation of what the company stands for. It is so much more than a visual logo; it is the rallying point, the focus and the strength of an organisation. The team need to be proud of it and proud to be a part of it, customers want to have it as part of their life, suppliers want to have the brand on their roster for the reflected glory; it is the shorthand for the company.
In a muddled world, where the pressures on growth are so high and competition global, the brand must regain its importance. The last decade has seen short term focus at its most destructive, and the rate of change is not going to stop now. It is not just a shift from short term opportunity led campaigns in favour of longer term brand building, it is ensuring that the brand strategy is the most important thing in the business plan, and it is at the heart of everything the enterprise does. This will take courage and persistence but the rewards will be there to see in the next 50 years.
The brand - customer axis will inevitably be the driving force for the future.
Another major impact will be the shift to “personal media” - marketers have to be aware of the huge power this gives as well as the huge risk it represents, and make sure that they harness the first and mitigate the latter. The fact remains that once you hit the send or post button, you effectively lose control. The speed at which damage can be done to the brand is frightening and this is going to place a greater emphasis on the marketer’s ability to turn a crisis into an opportunity. Conversely, this speed can be a tremendous ally.
Where we used to put together clever adverts, put them through focus groups, adjust the communication as a result, place in the mass media, possibly run a research sweep to see how messages were getting across, sit back and wait for the sales numbers to come in at the next quarter - all in all the process could take 6 months. Today, you can put a rough cut on a social network site, get comments back, start an online viral campaign, set up an online panel and monitoring service and sell via your ecommerce site in a matter of days. Simplistic I know but the fact it can be done is of huge importance.
The next major trend - the rise of social responsibility and social enterprise. The next generation of customers will expect us to be part of a more socially aware society - whether this is via true eco friendly policies, philanthropy, team approach, sourcing philosophy or through support for other social programmes. Ultimately this will be part of a company’s basic philosophy and will become a vital part of the brand, but this is not something that will necessarily come naturally, and so marketers will have to champion the cause.
So there it is - absolute customer focus, brand passion, harnessing the speed of the “new” market, and championing social responsibility are the four major themes I feel we should be concentrating on for the future. There will doubtless be other areas that the 50 CEO's will look at, and within each of these headings there are loads of factors, however when we look back in the next 50 years I suspect that these four areas will be near the top of the list.
Before I read it, I thought I would put down my views on the future of marketing, and then see how much I differ from the collective wisdom of the people in the book. I have tried to distill it down to a few themes, so here goes...
The first thing that should be commented on is the seismic shift that has taken place to bring the book together in the first place. 25 years ago, how many of those CEO’s would have had a marketer on their board or even on their senior team? All that “fluffy” stuff....don’t think so! If nothing else, then marketers today should be thankful to the pioneers of the last 50 years for getting them to the top table, and getting their views heard. Marketers are in the place now where they can be the engine for growth, and we should not waste the opportunity.
The challenge for now is to really drive the focus on the customer to the top of the agenda, and marketers have to take the responsibility to do this. The marketer of today has to realise that they are the heartbeat of the business - the representative of the customer. They need to take the time to understand all aspects of their business because that is how they will understand the real customer experience at every point of interaction - the website, the initial enquiry, the delivery method, the service call; they all have the capacity for a negative experience but the flip side is more important - they all have the capacity for a really excellent, loyalty building, brand reaffirming experience.
Which brings me to the brand - the one visible manifestation of what the company stands for. It is so much more than a visual logo; it is the rallying point, the focus and the strength of an organisation. The team need to be proud of it and proud to be a part of it, customers want to have it as part of their life, suppliers want to have the brand on their roster for the reflected glory; it is the shorthand for the company.
In a muddled world, where the pressures on growth are so high and competition global, the brand must regain its importance. The last decade has seen short term focus at its most destructive, and the rate of change is not going to stop now. It is not just a shift from short term opportunity led campaigns in favour of longer term brand building, it is ensuring that the brand strategy is the most important thing in the business plan, and it is at the heart of everything the enterprise does. This will take courage and persistence but the rewards will be there to see in the next 50 years.
The brand - customer axis will inevitably be the driving force for the future.
Another major impact will be the shift to “personal media” - marketers have to be aware of the huge power this gives as well as the huge risk it represents, and make sure that they harness the first and mitigate the latter. The fact remains that once you hit the send or post button, you effectively lose control. The speed at which damage can be done to the brand is frightening and this is going to place a greater emphasis on the marketer’s ability to turn a crisis into an opportunity. Conversely, this speed can be a tremendous ally.
Where we used to put together clever adverts, put them through focus groups, adjust the communication as a result, place in the mass media, possibly run a research sweep to see how messages were getting across, sit back and wait for the sales numbers to come in at the next quarter - all in all the process could take 6 months. Today, you can put a rough cut on a social network site, get comments back, start an online viral campaign, set up an online panel and monitoring service and sell via your ecommerce site in a matter of days. Simplistic I know but the fact it can be done is of huge importance.
The next major trend - the rise of social responsibility and social enterprise. The next generation of customers will expect us to be part of a more socially aware society - whether this is via true eco friendly policies, philanthropy, team approach, sourcing philosophy or through support for other social programmes. Ultimately this will be part of a company’s basic philosophy and will become a vital part of the brand, but this is not something that will necessarily come naturally, and so marketers will have to champion the cause.
So there it is - absolute customer focus, brand passion, harnessing the speed of the “new” market, and championing social responsibility are the four major themes I feel we should be concentrating on for the future. There will doubtless be other areas that the 50 CEO's will look at, and within each of these headings there are loads of factors, however when we look back in the next 50 years I suspect that these four areas will be near the top of the list.
Saturday, 27 March 2010
Prostate Cancer Awareness
I was saddened today to read a story in the Telegraph, written by the Rugby Correspondent Mick Cleary. It was an update on the situation of one of Rugby's finest, Andy Ripley, whose Prostate Cancer has returned with a vengeance and spread to other parts of his body. I cannot begin to do justice to the story, but it brings home to me just how much we need to fight this hidden cancer. Anyone over the age of 40 who played or watched rugby will hopefully remember Ripley as one of the stand out players who played the game in the amateur era, but who was one of the most "professional" athletes, something that continued over the years that followed as he came to wider acclaim through the "superstars" programme, and who narrowly missed out on a seat in the boat race aged near to 50.
As a 47 year old man, I am heading towards the time when risk is at its peak statistically, and having met the guys at the Prostate Cancer Charity I know how hard they are working to get the facts out there and into the hands of men like me and their families. Please go and look at www.hiddencancer.org.uk and get the facts, and maybe get involved. Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, and one man dies every hour as a result. All from a cancer that men don't want to talk about, don't understand, and don't look out for.
Most businessmen conduct risk analysis in their roles, and yet when it comes to their lives many men don't bother to get informed. It doesn't take long, look at the website and understand. And say a prayer for Andy Ripley, a great man laid low by a hidden cancer.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/7528376/Former-England-and-Rosslyn-Park-star-Andy-Ripley-stands-tall-in-face-of-prostate-cancer.html
www.hiddencancer.org.uk
As a 47 year old man, I am heading towards the time when risk is at its peak statistically, and having met the guys at the Prostate Cancer Charity I know how hard they are working to get the facts out there and into the hands of men like me and their families. Please go and look at www.hiddencancer.org.uk and get the facts, and maybe get involved. Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK, and one man dies every hour as a result. All from a cancer that men don't want to talk about, don't understand, and don't look out for.
Most businessmen conduct risk analysis in their roles, and yet when it comes to their lives many men don't bother to get informed. It doesn't take long, look at the website and understand. And say a prayer for Andy Ripley, a great man laid low by a hidden cancer.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/7528376/Former-England-and-Rosslyn-Park-star-Andy-Ripley-stands-tall-in-face-of-prostate-cancer.html
www.hiddencancer.org.uk
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