The Idea Blog

Kenny Perry’s decision to skip The OPEN (that’s the British Open for some of you) due to his commitment to the US Bank sponsor for the event taking place the same week seems a bit odd. Kenny’s goal this year was to make the Ryder Cup team as the Ryder Cup is taking place in [...]

The Boston Celtics are relevant again and for that the NBA and I are grateful. I know two people who consistently have watched the NBA since Jordan retired both times, my in-laws. Other than that can you honestly say the NBA has meant anything to you? Probably not. But by the grace of god the [...]

Dunkin’ Donuts has pulled an online ad starring Rachael Ray after conservative bloggers suggested the scarf she wore in the ad looked like a keffiyeh, a traditional headdress worn by Arab men that some associate with jihad. “In a recent online ad, Rachael Ray is wearing a black-and-white silk scarf with a paisley design. It [...]

This past week marked the Spring Furniture Market in High Point, NC. It was also when much of the work we’ve been focusing on with Stanley Furniture made its appearance in their showroom and sales meetings.
The work, which included 5 videos for the showroom (and for use on the web down the road) were part [...]

As many of you may know, Starbucks recently launched a new online community at mystarbucksidea.com where customers can submit and share, discuss, vote and see ideas in action that are aimed at improving and enhancing the Starbucks experience. It’s a fantastic online idea where you can witness the power of brand loyalty taking a [...]

Forrester Analyst Oliver Young gives three reasons why he thinks 2008 is the year that “IT departments will take their heads out of the sand and embrace web 2.0 technologies.” First, IT guys are already using these tools. Second, just try to get employees to stop using them in a business setting - the stuff [...]

I am a huge John Ashworth fan. I have always loved the Ashworth golfman logo and the way the brand projected itself in its infancy. When John Ashworth left his company and founded Fidra Golf I was even more impressed by the brand presentation. From advertising and apparel tags to the website, things were classy [...]

Large companies often could use a dose of simplicity injected into their day-to-day business operations. Simple is not easy though. Simple is hard. Everyone wants simple, but often it’s too difficult to get after what it will take to get there.
Take the Harvard Business Review’s simplicity test and see where your organization rates.
Last January we [...]

Did you know that “more than half your customers hate you”? A new report shows that about 62 percent of Americans say companies “don’t care much” about their needs. That’s up from 52 percent in 2004. Today’s savvy consumers are onto you. 67 percent “say marketers care more about selling existing products than really helping [...]

Fewer than four out of 100 Africans currently use the internet, and broadband penetration is below 1 percent, but by 2012 the goal is to drive dramatic change. The World Bank, the World Health Organization and United Nations, as well as companies like Intel and Microsoft are supporting an initiative called Connect Africa, aimed at [...]