What were they thinking?
It’s always fun to watch the Super Bowl commercials each year. Some are really good; some are amusing; once in a while, one is really bad. Audi’s “Green Police” ad for the A3 TDI diesel makes my list for one of the all-time worst commercials. Not because of the unfortunate parallels to Nazi Germany’s Orpo, or German Order Police and their green uniforms. Not because it wasn’t amusing—I laughed while watching it. No, this one goes down for mocking the very demographic Audi is targeting for the A3. Audi’s Green Police are heavy-handed, over-the-top, greenie goons. Not the image I would associate with a product I actually wanted to sell.
How to Build a High Performance Culture
April 2, 2010 - 7:45 AM
Nilofer Merchant
Alliance of CEOs
TechMart Santa Clara, Santa Clara, CA
This is a private event.
Za Book Title
Many people have helped me pick the title of my new book in contributing ideas or reviewing options. It seemed only fair to update you now that we've made the decision. (in this case, we means the great team at...
Whitepapers
Online Reviews Second Only to Word of Mouth as Purchase Influencer in US
By Bruce LaFetra on October 23, 2008
A broader investigation into how business can exploit online community underlines the importance of online information in driving purchase decisions, but the most influential information is beyond the direct control of companies selling products and services. Courting the small fraction of Internet users who write online reviews and comments is a very important task for many companies, but one they often neglect.
Many companies downplay the importance of online communities because only a few percent of all Internet users contribute to them heavily. What they don’t understand is that most other Internet users read those reviews and rely on them heavily when making purchase decisions. Taking good care of online communities can be a huge money-saver for companies trying to get more marketing impact from limited budgets.
Download a PDF of this whitepaper.
The Apple iPhone: Successes and Challenges for the Mobile Industry
By Michael Mace on April 1, 2008
The Apple iPhone is easily the most publicized new mobile device in recent memory. But despite all the discussion about the product, there’s relatively little hard information available to the public on its impact. How is it being used? What effect is it having on customers and on the technology industry?
To help answer those questions, Rubicon Consulting conducted a detailed survey of 460 randomly-selected iPhone users in the US. This report summarizes the findings from the survey, and what they mean for users and other companies.
Download a PDF of this whitepaper.
Growth of web applications in the US: Rapid adoption, but only when there’s a real benefit
By Michael Mace on September 25, 2007
The rise of web applications — websites that replace the functions of a software program that was traditionally installed on a personal computer — is one of the hottest topics in the tech industry. Huge numbers of “Web 2.0” startups are competing for user attention, and many observers predict rapid growth for web applications.
But most of the analysts refer to web application growth as something that’s going to happen in the future. The reality is that web app usage has already stretched far beyond early adopters, and is moving rapidly into the mainstream of US home computer users. A recent survey, conducted by Rubicon Consulting, showed that more than a third of them already use at least one web application on a regular basis. Students are moving especially fast, with more than 50% using web applications.
Download a PDF of this whitepaper.
Even Steinways Get Out of Tune
By Nilofer Merchant on November 8, 2006
What’s the difference between an ethical leader and a business leader? Are they mutually exclusive, a subset of each other, or one and the same?
Like the best Steinway can get out of tune, we humans can get slightly off kilter in small ways. The many decisions that lead to “right or wrong” are often more like shades of grey or unclear forks in the road. Ethics are fundamentally about a set of gradual and subtle decisions that lead to a larger impact.
What can people can put into place to make perhaps better decisions? We can move from being experts on facts and novices on values to experts on values, and students of fact.
Download a PDF of this whitepaper.
Solving the Puzzle: Pricing, Licensing & Business Models
By Nilofer Merchant on November 8, 2006
Today, almost all software vendors are doing something in the SaaS arena. Salesforce.com, NetSuite, Yahoo! and Google are well-know SaaS developers, but IBM, Oracle, SAP, and Symantec are all moving that way too. Single-user desktop applications are under the least pressure, and are moving the slowest.
Download a PDF of this whitepaper.
In the Channel: VARs Put a Different Face on SaaS
By Bruce LaFetra on September 25, 2006
According to a 2005 AMR Research study of 500 respondents representing companies of all sizes, more than 78 percent said they are currently using or considering SaaS. As ISVs push SaaS applications into the mainstream, ISVs and VARs need to consider likely changes to the channel economic model. One of these changes is likely to be a shift in the balance of power toward full-service VARs. While ISVs will find some of these changes hard to swallow, they need to keep in mind that this is the cost of extending the reach of their applications into additional market segments.
Download a PDF of this whitepaper.
Archives