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Archive for July, 2010

Back by popular demand: The Basics of Social Media R.O.I.

Posted in account planning, ROI, Social Business, social media, social networking, tagged brandbuilder, expert, olivier blanchard, R.O.I., ROI, social fresh, social media, supergenius on July 28, 2010 | 17 Comments »

Though the presentation has morphed a bit since this version made its debut at the first Social Fresh conference a scant 11 months ago, this original version still manages to pretty clearly explain the basics of a) defining what R.O.I. (Return on Investment) is, and b) applying that basic knowledge to Social Media endeavors. After [...]

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The Psychology of Failure – Part 2: Leadership

Posted in acts of rebellion, brandbuilder, success, tagged brandbuilder, olivier blanchard, psychology of failure, success on July 24, 2010 | 41 Comments »

“I will tell His Majesty what a king is. A king does not abide within his tent while his men bleed and die upon the field. A king does not dine while his men go hungry, nor sleep when they stand at watch upon the wall. A king does not command his men’s loyalty through [...]

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The Psychology of failure – Part 1

Posted in archetypes, brand consciousness, business, excellence, experience, fix your brand, identity, insanity, insight, inspiration, leadership, psychology, purpose, rainmaking, tagged brandbuilder, cultures of failure, cultures of success, dysfunction, fisher king, leadership, models of failure, models of success, mythology of past success, olivier blanchard on July 22, 2010 | 48 Comments »

On madness, models of failure, and the mythology of past successes I have been thinking a lot about success and failure in business this past week, and about behavioral patterns and common cultural factors I invariably find in organizations that breed either one outcome or the other. I will dive deeper into this topic over [...]

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Apple’s new challenge: Transitioning from David to Goliath – BBC.com

Posted in account planning, acts of rebellion, adaptation, apple, archetypes, brand consciousness, brand culture, brand erosion, brand insights, brand planning, brand relevance, tagged apple, BBC, brand, brandbuilder, microsoft, olivier blanchard, Sony on July 15, 2010 | 22 Comments »

Everyone loves an underdog. We root for them. We identify with them. And for the last few decades, one of our favorite underdog brands has been Apple, and for good reason: They made computers user-friendly. They made computers fun. They made them accessible to kids and artists and creatives. They made computers cool, from the [...]

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More Buyer Beware: Social Media Roles and Titles are Marketing too.

Posted in competence, ethics, experience, false advertising, Social Business, Social Communications, social media, standards, tagged brandbuilder, buyer beware, consulting, Deloitte, Director, Edelman, expert, expertise, New Marketing Labs, Ogilvy, olivier blanchard, social media, validation, VP on July 12, 2010 | 84 Comments »

Before I begin, here are links to the three events mentioned in the video: July 17: Americas Mart International Gift Show – Atlanta, GA July 20 (not July 21, as I wrongly stated in the above video): Gaspedal’s Supergenius conference – New York, New York July 27-28: ADMA Forum 2010 – Sydney, Australia Okay. Now [...]

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My Summer Reading List.

Posted in blogs, book, the brandbuilder blog, tagged BBC, Ben Kane, books, brandbuilder, chris brogan, Chuck Palahniuk, Esquire, Fast Company, GQ, Le Figaro, Le Monde, Mira Grant, nook, olivier blanchard, reading, Sally Hogshead, Simon Scarrow, Suzanne Collins, William Napier, wired on July 9, 2010 | 12 Comments »

You might be surprised to know that I don’t just read blogs and e-articles. I mean… I do. A lot. And below is a list of blogs I have been reading pretty religiously this summer, but I also read books. Real books. Sometimes in analog format (you know… paper, ink and whatnot) and sometimes in [...]

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Help design the new version of The BrandBuilder blog. (Yes, you.)

Posted in account planning, the brandbuilder blog, tagged brandbuilder, crowdsourcing, design, FreshID, olivier blanchard on July 8, 2010 | 41 Comments »

So, we’re finally moving the blog to a real url, and the process of designing the new look, structure and navigation has begun. Before we get too far with the design brief, since you are the ones reading my stuff, it makes sense that you, my readers tell me what types of features and design [...]

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Best Practices for Social Media: The basics of program planning

Posted in account planning, adaptation, management, management lessons, marketing communications, smart business, social media, tagged brandbuilder, development, integration, management, measurement, olivier blanchard, planning, R.O.I., social media on July 7, 2010 | 16 Comments »

No time to write anything new today, so here’s something from the archives that might be worth another look: Now that we’re hopefully beyond the “what is social media and why does my company need to understand it” phase, let’s move into some practical thinking: How to actually start planning for a Social Media program, [...]

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Rule #3: Know your sh*t.

Posted in adaptation, competence, competitive edge, relevance, reputation management, ROI, social media, tagged brandbuilder, chris brogan, competence, confidence, conviction, honesty, olivier blanchard, R.O.I., ROI on July 6, 2010 | 26 Comments »

I was inspired by Chris Brogan’s post today in which he discusses confidence and conviction. Before you read my comment (below), go check out his post and come back. Here are some highlights: The guest at the table next to mine asked their server, “What do you think of the halibut special?” The server replied, [...]

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Stand Out.

Posted in account planning, acts of rebellion, adaptation, brand consciousness, brand elevation, brand planning, brand promise, brand relevance, building value, business, tagged brandbuilder, olivier blanchard on July 6, 2010 | 18 Comments »

Word to the wise: If you don’t stand out in some way, you’re done. You might be able to exist, you might manage to survive, but that’s all you’ll ever have to look forward to. You can be a one-man show and still be corporate. Don’t do it. Don’t waste your time being just like everyone [...]

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Vive la Republique. Vive la Liberte.

Posted in acts of rebellion on July 4, 2010 | 9 Comments »

Happy 4th of July, everyone. (Or 5th. Or 6th. Or whatever day this happens to be.) Between hot dogs, corn on the cob, Budweisers and fireworks, take a minute or two to think about the meaning not just of liberty, but freedom as well. Those of us lucky enough to live in countries in which [...]

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Social Media adoption rates are what they are for a reason.

Posted in adaptation, adoption, business, expectations, Social Communications, social media, tagged adoption rate, brandbuilder, business cultures, Cannes, Cannes Lions, france, olivier blanchard, social media, Suquet on July 1, 2010 | 17 Comments »

I was in France when I shot this video. In it, I talk about differences in Social Media adoption rates between the US and Europe as well as between B2B and B2C companies. Also in this video, some thoughts about understanding your business first, Social Media second, and a quick little visual tour of the [...]

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Which brands do you wish you could help shine?

Posted in account planning, adaptation, brand consciousness, brand culture, brand elevation, brand insights, brand planning, brand relevance, brand strategy, tagged brandbuilder, olivier blanchard on July 1, 2010 | 18 Comments »

We’re all passionate about at least one company. One brand. One little logo or mark that got under our skin in a good way for one reason or another. My father has had a love affair with Aston martin, BMW, Smalto, Cartier, Omega, RayBan and Mont Blanc for as long as I can remember. My [...]

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