We have fair-trade coffee and various other ethically sourced and manufactured goods such as non-sweat-shop clothing.

Given most electronics manufacturing is now done in countries like China where labour is cheap and plentiful, and where sweat shops have most opportunities to grow, far from the eyes of Western consumers; is it now time for ethically manufactured electronics?

Read the article about Apple’s iPod factories on MacWorld UK.

Read the …

My friend Stil posted a rather succinct and amusing breakdown of a local politician’s flyer here. There’s a nice photo of the article in question too.

Anything that we can do well, that we enjoy doing, and that there is a demand for, is worth taking seriously as a skill to develop.

Anita Roddick; when asked what advice she would give to a young person who was planning a business career: “…don’t even say the word ‘business.’ Bury it. … Talk about a livelihood you can create for yourself, an honourable livelihood that gives you …

The IOC is worried that they many not be able to “manage” what athletes say about the Games through their personal blogs. They are concerned that blogs “could lead to scurrilous rumours being broadcast on the Internet”.

Welcome to the real world! The Internet gives us (ok, those of us who have the means of accessing it) the power to say exactly what we want to. To express our …

This is the shopfront of a large electrical retailer in central Sydney. Every time I walk pass this shop my first impression is always “oh, they’re shut.”

The blue strips are actually and intentional “design feature” – sticky vinyl applied onto the fixed glass panels. The shape of the holes and the regularity of the pattern strongly suggest a shut gate.

The actual doorway …

We use marketing and PR to influence how people perceive us. We create profiles and elevator speeches. Knowing how people perceive you is always interesting. That’s why we seek out feedback on our marketing material.

It is useful to know how you come across to people; but such insights should not be relied upon as absolute gauges to base your actions upon. You cannot count on marketing and PR …

Walking off a packed train into this gushing forest of brown liquid is not good! Snapped at Sydney Central station. The same imagery is also available for your enjoyment at other quality locations city-wide.

Is this the first time a Coke ad showed the actual product? As opposed to showing desirable and “valid” people in the throes of enjoying life, with the product…

How can a credit union stand out authentically? From the banks, from other credit unions, and from the generic credit union brand?

Book now if you work in the financial services sector and care about branding and differentiation. More info on the workshop brochure. Presented with Swivel: Turn It Around

The Origin of Brands: Discover the natural laws of product innovation and business survival. By Al and Laura Ries. ISBN 0-06-057014-8.

Categories, not product features, are what matters. Categories will always diverge. Create and own your category to win. Al and Laura draw an interesting parallel between brands and Darwin’s evolution of species. Definitely one to add to your library and refer to often….