Open Windows Where Others Are Closing Doors.

In my opinion, opportunities are once in a lifetime, one may choose to take it, or leave it. Some come again, to present themselves, others don't.

However, many times, we see the storm come, and as approaches come, we plan for the future. However, in between the planning and prediction, we tend to blind ourselves from what is really going on, I imagine it is triggered psychologically, and sometimes this can prevent us from seeing the opportunity presented.

"As the bad things in life sweep by, they are surrouned by the good things to come" Does that ring a bell?

What I am trying to say is, we shouldn't dig deeper into the hole. I know bad times are present, and they are to get worse, before it gets any better, but it will eventually. But what better time to see the opportunities that are around us. Many businesses don't see the opportunity to dig deeper into their mission statement or invest in things that could better the business because they are too busy cutting down on cost and predicting what is to come. Opportunities are all around in these times. Analyse first, internally and externally, and then predict.

Open Letter to Mexican mogul Carlos Slim from Denise Dresser

Open letter written by Denise Dresser (pictured left) to mogul Carlos Slim, referring to the development of the Mexico.

The letter was published on a Mexican newspaper on the 15th of Feburary, 2009.

Open letter to Carlos Slim: By Denise Dresser

Dear Sir: I write this as a citizen, a consumer, a Mexican worried about the destiny of my country and about the role you play in its present and its future. I have thoroughly read every word you pronounced in the Forum “What To Do To Grow” and I have reflected on their implications. Your position about diverse themes made me remember that famous phrase attributed to the president of General Motors that said: “What’s good for General Motors is good for the United States." And I believe that you think something similar: what is good for Carlos Slim, for Telmex, Telcel and Grupo Carso is good for Mexico. But it is not so. You perceive that you are part of the solution when actually you are part of the problem; you think yourself a statesman with the capacity to diagnose the evils of the country when you have actually contributed to produce them; you see yourself as an indispensable rescuer when you are actually a critical obstacle. There the contradictions lay, the lapses and distortions that plagued your speech. You say that it is necessary to transform an urban and industrial society to one tertiary society, of services, of technology, and of knowledge. That is certain. But in Mexico, that transition becomes difficult in proportion with costs of telecommunications that are so high: where telephone service is so expensive, and penetration of broadband Internet is so low. That is the result of the dominance that you and your companies have in the market. In a few words, in the speech, you propose something that you are actually dedicated to prevent. You emphasize the imperative to foment productivity and competition, but throughout the years you have fought and been protected in courts before regulatory efforts that look for precisely that. You applaud competition, but only as long as it is not promoted in your sector. You say that it is not necessary to worry about the growth of the Gross Domestic Product; that the most important thing is to take care of the jobs that people like you provide. But it is indeed the lack of economic growth that has been behind the low generation of jobs in Mexico for years. And the lack of growth is directly tied with the persistence of anti-competitive practices that people like you justify. You send a message that foreign investment must be viewed with fear and ambivalence. You say that “the modern companies are the old armies; armies that conquered territories and received tribute." You hope that we do not enter a stage of “Sell Mexico” to foreign investors and you lobby so that foreign investment is not allowed in fixed telephone services. But at the same time, you have just invested millions of dollars in the United States: in The New York Times, the Saks stores, and Citigroup. From this incongruous perspective, foreign investment is worthy and must be applauded when you invest in another country, but it must be rejected in Mexico. You reiterate that “we need to be competitive in this society of knowledge and we need competition; I am in agreement with competition." But at the same time, in recent days, you have shown your open opposition to an effort to foment it, disqualifying, for example, the Plan of Interconnection that looks for a level playing field. You say that it is indispensable to help small and medium-sized companies, but simultaneously, your company - Telmex - imposes high costs of telecommunications on those same companies that impedes their growth and expansion. You say that the middle-class has grown smaller, that “people do not have income", that there must be better distribution of income. The diagnosis is correct, but it is surprising to see the lack of understanding on how you contribute to that situation. The president of the Federal Commission on Competition explains it with great clarity: consumers spend 40 percent more than they would through the lack of competition in sectors like telecommunications. And the poor pay an even higher price. You suggest the main reasons for Mexico’s troubles reside in the government: the inefficiency of the governmental bureaucracy, corruption, the inadequate infrastructure, the lack of access to financing, the crime, and the public monopolies. Without a doubt all of this contributes to the lack of competitiveness. But private monopolies like yours also contribute. You speak of the necessity “to review an economic model imposed as if it were ideological dogma" that has produced mediocre growth. But indeed that model - of regulatory insufficiency and governmental collusion - is the very one that has allowed people like you to accumulate the fortune that you have today, estimated at 59 billion dollars. From your point of view, the model is bad, but it is not necessary to change it in whatever particular form it allows you to accumulate wealth. A precise review of your words and of your performance for more than one decade reveal a serious problem: there is a breach between the perception that you have of yourself and the injurious impact of your performance; there is a contradiction between what you propose and how you act; you suffer a myopia that lets you see the straw in other people's eyes and to ignore the beam in your own. You see yourself like a great man with great ideas that deserve to be listened to. But that day before the deputies, before the senators, and before public opinion, you did not speak of the great investments that you were going to make, of the fantastic projects of infrastructure that you were going to promote, of the jobs that you were going to create, of social commitment in the face of the crisis which you would engage, of the characteristics of the new economic model that you would promise to support. In place of it, you threatened us. You spoke – in words more or less to the effect – that the economic situation would get worse and that in the face of that, nobody should touch your business, nobody should regulate it, should question it, should force it to compete. And, since on the following day the government published the Plan for Telephone Interconnection that would seek to force competition; you, in response, announced that Telmex would trim its plans for investment. You, of a whole body, acted like someone ready to do damage to Mexico if he does not obtain what he wants, when he wants it. You had the opportunity to grow and instead you shrank. Without a doubt, you have a right to promote your interests, but the problem is that you do it at the expense of the country. You have a right to express your ideas, but given your behavior, it is difficult to see you as an altruistic and disinterested actor, who only looks for the betterment of Mexico. You, without a doubt have a singular and praiseworthy talent: you know when, how, and where to invest. But another, less attractive characteristic unfolds: You know when, how and where to press and to scam the legislators, the regulators, the media, the judges, the journalists, the leftist intelligentsia, which allow themselves to be guided by a misunderstood nationalism and for that reason, accept the exploitation of a Mexican because – at least he is not foreign. You will probably shrug off this letter in a thousand ways, as you disqualify the criticisms of others. You will say that I am one of those that envy your fortune, or that I have some personal problem, or that I am resentful. But it is not thus. I write with the annoyance shared by millions of Mexicans tired of the exorbitant accounts they pay; tired of the tiresome contracts they sign; tired of the rents they transfer; tired of the rapacious companies they suffer; tired of the government employees who from time to time criticize the monopolies but do little to dismantle them. I write with sadness and frustration, and the disappointment that it produces, to be witness to conduct which could better be - conduct that could be dedicated to innovate instead of blocking - that could compete successfully but prefers to protect itself constantly – a person who could give much to the country but who chooses to keep milking it – one who could become a more influential philanthropist but who instead insists on being an insensible plutocrat. John F. Kennedy said that great crises produce great men. It is a pity that at this critical moment for Mexico, you insist on showing us that you do not aspire to that.

- Denise Dresser

Social Networking and the World

For those who might not know, Facebook is now the number one social networking platform in France.

According to the statistics by comScore, the social network grew at an amazing rate of 443% since the French interface was implemented in Febuary 08'.

This is just an example of how social networking is growing everywhere. Needless to say, the social media boom in Asia is rising more and more. Nearly 456 million users have embraced social networking in Asia, that is close to one third of the online population of the world.

Marketing agency OgilvyOne Asia Pacific performed a study on the adoption and use of social media in 12 Asian countries.

Read OgilvyOne Asia Pacific's Study, "Can Brands Have A Social Life"

Back to Basics: Content Marketing Tips

Last week I decided to do a post on content marketing, so I decided to return to the topic and include 5 good questions to ask yourself when implementing a content marketing strategy.

For those who haven't heard the term "Content Marketing" - keep your heads up, you soon will.

Content marketing is catching alot of attention at the moment, and it has become quite popular among marketing teams due to the growing influence of social media. Altough content marketing "MAY" sound new, it has been around for quite a while now.

Pretty much, if you are creating content around a particular subject, it adds value to the information you possess. If you can influence someone to purchase it or implement word-of-mouth for you, then you are doing a good job. Moreover, the question lays whether you are implementing strategical changes to make it even greater.

1. What is the question you are trying to anwser? Succesful content marketing revolves around the idea of providing a key solution or anwser to a business/organization.
   
   So pretty much what I mean by this is, you aren't trying to launch a marketing campaign for the business, you are trying to focus on key issues regarding it.
   
   
2. How to make it less about YOU, and more about THEM? If you read my last post on generation g, I mentioned the fact that people are fed up with sales pitches. In other words, the context of the solution you are providing needs to be USEFUL, and the context needs to go beyond the greatness of your product.
   
   Listen to what the client's problem is. Simplified; If you have a problem, and you have to deal with it, people do not want to hear about how great you are and how wonderful your solution is, then want to know IF that solution can SOLVE their problem or not, and do not want to WASTE TIME dealing with something that is not going to provide them any help.
   
   
3. Who's going to read it and share it? First of all, it must be interesting. Moreover, "interesting" is what is going to make people share it. How many of the people you know, can't help sharing a really interesting article with you? The same rule applies to your content.
   
   
4. How will you promote it? In modern times, promoting something is by far quite easy, however, the problem lays in who you are promoting to. Social networking can be of great help in this area. Moreover, spend some time thinking of who you would like to share that information you possess with, and find out how to do it.
   
   Remember your content is "INFORMATION" by promoting it you are implementing the process of "Communication". It is useless if you possess such valueble information and no one can access it.
   

Reading Your Mind With Infrared Brain Imaging

In Canada, a variety of technologies are being introduced into service, these technologies can actually read your mind.

The researchers have found that they can determine the subject's preference with 80% accuracy using Infrared Brain Imaging.

According to Sheena Luu, who led the research,

“This is the first system that decodes preference naturally from spontaneous thoughts. Preference is the basis for everyday decisions.”

The research was published by the Journal of Neural Engineering. According to the Press Release the main idea behind the technology is not to enhance neuromarketing, but to create a non-invasive brain-computer interface for use by handicapped individuals.

The 80% was obtained from a study performed by researchers who asked subjects to choose between one of two drinks. Four out of five times they were able to predict the subject's choice from the IBI's.

Interesting stuff huh? I couldn't help blogging on it after I read it this morning off the Neuroscience Marketing blog.

David Coldewey of Crunch Gear commentted,

"Patients are trained to think of something that lights up a certain area of their brain — a strong memory, a song sung in the head, or a particular image — and this is picked up by the sensor and the patient can decide whether that’s a “yes” or “no” answer. That’s about the limit of things, but consider that it can be used by someone with absolutely no motor control in their body, including eyes and mouth, often the last resort for getting information through. Being able to say “yes” and “no” may sound basic, and it is, but it’s the basic things we take for granted. Hopefully this relatively straightforward and inexpensive method of thought detection will see a rollout sometime soon in hospitals and long-term care facilities."

Generation G: A Mindset For Marketers and Business

In recent times, when the global economy is flooring, and people are sickened by the greedy (financial intermediaries) businessmen and politicians that caused this downturn, a new generation has taken the stand; Generation G.

This generation is not defined by date of birth nor traits that have been passed on. This generation grows on GENEROSITY and is deeply repulsed by corporate and political GREED, which is the main reason the global economy is tumbling.

Recently Trendwatching.com, conducted a huge study on Generation G, one of the main reasons why the research was conducted is because they see the need for this generation and find it vital for businesses and marketers in these bad times of economic climate.

"GENERATION G captures the growing importance of ‘generosity’ as a leading societal and business mindset. As consumers are disgusted with greed and its current dire consequences for the economy—and while that same upheaval has them longing more than ever for institutions that care—the need for more generosity beautifully coincides with the ongoing (and pre-recession) emergence of an online-fueled culture of individuals who share, give, engage, create and collaborate in large numbers." - Trendwatching.com

Moreover, the theory behind Generation "G" is not something new, and according to my theory many people throughout history and in present times have employed it.

Content Marketing Through These Times.

In these times, there is an on-going war for attention online. Thus the fight continues and for those who have been aware, people are not looking for a sales pitch right now and I don't blame them. People are looking for information which is valuable to them and will make an aspect of their lives better.

If you want attention, that is what you have to give them...

However, here's is the win-win situation. If you can provide this information in a smart way, not only do you receive that attention you wanted, and not only are you seen as generous, but you are demonstrating your expertise, rather than just proposing it.

You are building an authority with your prospects, they in return amplify your authority with word of mouth. If you have managed to attract great attention from your customers or clients which view you as a generous expert, you are way ahead of the competition.

Moreover, you can amplify your authority EVEN MORE thanks to social networking.

Amplifying Generosity Through Social Networking

Thanks to social networking platforms such as Twitter and Linkedin, the interaction between people may grow more personal, by doing so, one of the fundamental things of business grows; TRUST.

By proving your credibility, your value stands stronger because now you are not only valuable for the information and knowledge you possess, but you can be trusted as well. This, in my point is the main objective of social networking.

The main idea is to let your network know who you are, that there is a face behind that (expert) mask, that is what will bring you even more success. Communicating with those who follow you will allow a stronger bond to be built, allowing more trust to come in. For example, By posting other relevant data from other sources and promoting those who have helped you along the way will demonstrate generosity, the main thing supporting the idea and your strength.


This is the main thing which people are now looking at. However, don't forget about the value you possess, and continue to make it "valuable". Even though you are exposing your real Persona, it is still about your public at some point.


What I mean by this is, don't go out there and forget about the people who believed in you at first, start with the people who have followed you at first, they will open you network even more.

Generosity Vs. Greed

As I have, Trendwatching.com was fast to point out the the main thing about the study they made. In these times, it is hard to know who to trust and who not. What people are looking for is people want to work with people who's generosity gleams rather than people who are known to be greedy. The main point is to draw attention for yourself by sharing your knowledge and creating value for it by being generous.

Using Surprises to Generate Word-of-Mouth

I know this may sound funny or perhaps even awkward, but it is true, surprising your customers can help generate word-of-mouth.

When we go to our favorite shops, we tend to go through our habitual shopping style. We view, select and purchase items with a neutral point of view. We may be excited about purchasing an item, because perhaps you finally rounded up the cash to buy it, but more or less our emotions are neutral. Moreover, none of the actions or experiences encourage us to promote the experience with others. But perhaps, adding the element of surprise can encourage us to do so.

Think of it this way, if you went wine shopping to a wine shop, and unexpectedly right after your purchase they gave you an attractive wine bottle holder along with your bottle of wine, this would create a sentiment of surprise, and you are more likely to talk about the shop and share the experience with others, and you are most likely to return to that shop.

The goal of this is not to give away free bottle holders, but to enhance the experience of the customer positively and in an unexpected way. By making your customer feel special in a unique situation will encourage them to share or recommend your business. Invest time understanding your customer and what could make him/her recommend YOU.

It is always important to understand our customers. When I first began college, I used to work as a sales representative at a mobile phone accessory kiosk at the local mall, I remember a specific client who always stopped by to look at the accessories we offered, When I finally convinced him to buy a flashing battery from me, I threw in a car charger which wasn't a big deal. A couple of days later, some of his friends stopped by, and they ended up recommending some other friends. I did not know what WOM marketing was, but I did learn that surprising (positively) your customers can help generate word-of-mouth for your brand/business/service.