Deliver Archives

Here you’ll find a collection of articles published under the Deliver category.

Don’t Throw Your Influencers Under the Bus Just Yet

By Michael Mace on February 19, 2008

One thing the marketing industry and the tech industry have in common is that they’re both periodically swept by fad ideas (call them memes if you want to sound hip) that enchant everyone to the point of obsession. That obsession then produces a backlash that causes everyone to swing the other way and completely dismiss the original idea. We’re going through one of those cycles right now with the idea of influencer marketing. As usual, the reality is somewhere in between the hype and the backlash—influencer marketing is not the be-all that some people made it out to be, but it’s not bunk either.


A Maturing Business Model

By Bruce LaFetra on February 18, 2008

Dial back a year or two and there were lots of questions about whether mashups supported a viable business model. Concerns centered around: low barriers to entry, copyright issues and the risk of someone else owning the data. While all are legitimate concerns, none seems to have derailed the mashup phenomenon.

So what’s going on? Do developers no longer care about making money? Hardly.


Know When to Send in the Lawyers

By Bruce LaFetra on February 16, 2008

A winning business model requires a unified and all-encompassing approach that goes far beyond how monies are collected and products or services are delivered. In an earlier article, I mentioned a long list of functional areas that must align around a winning business model, but neglected to include Legal. How the legal eagles affect business models is critical and deserves an article of its own. That’s right—even the legal team is part of a winning business model.


Winning Business Models: Innovation vs. Invention

By Bruce LaFetra on January 7, 2008

Invention is the classic way to build a successful company. However, invention is much harder for a mature company or a mature technology. Business model innovation is an attractive option in many cases as a way to differentiate an offer, improve profitability or both. Below are five emerging business models.


Winning Business Models: New products or markets often require new business models

By Bruce LaFetra on November 30, 2007

While SAP’s brand and development resources are enormous assets, SAP’s operations—the very way it does business—must be re-thought for BBD and the changes required for success are fundamental in every sense. SAP needs to re-think its sales, services, integration, support, development and revenue models. The enterprise sales force is too expensive to address mid-sized customers and the R/3 eco-system is ill-suited to address BBD deployment. Even the SaaS revenue stream will require major adjustments.


Can We See More Green? HP’s Print 2.0

By Marsha Keeffer on November 28, 2007

With their printing division bringing in 30% of HP’s $91.7 billion in revenue in 2006 – and more than half its operating profit – it’s easy to see why new printers and services are being rolled out to encourage printing. We’ve all known for years it’s the goose that lays the golden egg for HP.

Now the company is backing that contention with a $300 million ad campaign in which it introduces a slew of new printers and devices that allow users to print without the use of a PC. In partnership with Yahoo, HP has created a printing toolbar that makes creative projects easier, giving users how-to tips.