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Blog / ChangeThis
By Rob Walker
Thorstein Veblen introduced the idea of "conspicuous consumption" in The Theory of the Leisure Class, in 1899. And it's still being recycled today. Veblen gave examples like the man who parades down Main Street in "stainless" linen, with a superfluous walking stick. These objects supposedly told a story—"evidence of leisure"— to an audience of strangers. Today's consumer is supposed to be a little more sophisticated than that. So it's puzzling how many marketers still talk about how a certain beer or sneaker or handbag functions as a so-called "badge. " Even hybrid cars are said to be eco-status markers that show "conspicuous concern" about the environment. More scholarly observers call this "signaling. " But in the end it's all repackaged Veblen: The idea is that we buy stuff mostly to impress other people. Perhaps this was true in the past. But the time has come to retire the conspicuous consumption idea. Observers of consumer culture (marketers, to name an example) need to understand that as a concept, it's inadequate.
June 04, 2008
By Porchlight
"How can you tap the transformational power of the truth? How can you use it to turn ordinary relationships into extraordinary ones? The answer is to grasp the truth in its fullest sense, and then practice using it skillfully, with discretion and wisdom. [...] Before developing our truth telling skills, we must first explore why we lie. Understanding the causes of our temptations will help us overcome them."
July 09, 2008
In the following manifesto, we will explore our present relationship with speed and examine four behavior profiles that can help you determine if you (A) embrace speed and (B) harness the power of it. By the end, you just might discover that our 24/7, CrackBerry, more-faster-now world is not threatening to eat you alive, but rather, to set you free.
September 11, 2008
By John P. Kotter
In a turbulent era, when new competitors or political problems might emerge at any time, when technology is changing everything, both the business-as-usual behavior associated with complacency and the running-in-circles behavior associated with a false sense of urgency are increasingly dangerous. In bold contrast, a true sense of urgency is becoming immeasurably important. Real urgency is an essential asset that must be created, and re-created, and it can be.
By Don Berg
"We are losing the potential for entrepreneurial, vocational, and artistic genius in children and teachers around the world because the majority of schools navigate by academics alone. Academic schooling facilitates only a partial liberation of the human spirit. We have liberated some people, in some places, in some ways by making due with the limited academic tools available. [...] Parents today have already chosen to launch their children into a world of challenging conditions. The question is whether their suppliers—schools—are providing the right stuff to get the job done."
October 08, 2008
Welcome to the 21st century. What motivates young people isn't the promise of a distant retirement check thirty or forty years after they've given all they have to a company that doesn't let them have a piece of the pie. The first thing you need to keep in mind is the fundamental idea of ownership. You don't have to give up stock in your company, to give a young worker a feeling that s(he) is contributing to themselves, as well as the firm's bottom line. But you do need to invest in their sense of desire to contribute in meaningful ways to institutions that matter. To them, coming to work is an exercise in mutual benefit.
November 05, 2008
By John Gerzema
Today's housing bubble and the tech stock bubble from the last decade reveal a widening gap between market speculation and how typical Americans value things. If you thought those bubbles were bad, get ready for another, even bigger one on the horizon that represents over $4 trillion dollars in S&P market capitalization. That alone makes it twice the size of the sub-prime mortgage market. But, unlike other bubbles, the assets that are at risk cannot be traded away or hedged against uncertainty. Rather, they are the fundamental drivers of competitive advantage for most companies—their brands.
November 06, 2008
By Joseph Jaffe
Jaffe declares that marketing organizations need to foster and adopt an aggressive and intense culture of experimentation. But how to take the risk? He'll present 10 critical components to take on the journey, and a 5-step process to guide the way.
January 10, 2007
January 1st comes around and we've all made a resolution or two. By February 1st, we've failed more than we've succeeded and are back on last year's track. Stuart Levine has the antidote. Here are 11 of his 100 rules for changing your life and making more of your work/life balance.
By Chip Heath, Dan Heath
The Heath Bros. walk the walk in this manifesto about three straightforward ways to make your strategy work. They preach the power of concrete language and stories to communicate your strategy effectively. Missed the Heath Bros. on "The Today Show" or NPR? Get to know them here because these ideas stick.
February 07, 2007
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