Social Capital at Harvard

It’s kind of cool, this whole interweb thing. Particularly, when you Google yourself, and find an article about an article that you wrote. But it also highlights the way we currently gather information. For example, it would be rare that you would read a book, then open up another book within the book, to find out more information about something that interested you, the way that we use the internet. It really has changed the way we think, and research, and reminds us how incredibly malleable our mind is, and the fact that there is no single best way to find something out.

Mac vs. PC - Part One

This is an extended version of my response to a debate on brandchannel.com.

Microsoft and Apple are two different product classes. Apple is a brand that represent a range of products, based on principles of design, style, and social identity.

Apology

I want to apologise for the lack of postings in the past month or two. During teaching semester, I tend to get a bit overwhelmed by all my other responsibilities. But we are now in Week 11 (out of 13), so I am beginning to see the light. I will start posting again soon.

Dove is not for the sensitive

It seems that Dove have started to become a bit sensitive about their “Campaign for Real Beauty”, with the forced removal of their Onslaught video from YouTube.

Others have responded in an interesting way - Dove Onslaught(er).

Not So Rational

When it comes to the effect of advertising on decision-making, Chris Berg (The Sunday Age, 23 March, 2008), is either naïve or just a bit dumb. Of course marketers use advertising to influence, and manipulate, our behaviour. Why else would they spend billions of dollars a year on it? And they are not, as Berg argues, just trying to inform you “that new products are available in the marketplace”.

Bizarre Experience on North Island

A couple of weeks ago, I had breakfast at a newish cafe in Fitzroy, Melbourne, called North Island. The cafe is in a strip where there is plenty of competition, including Tin Pot Cafe, and Dench Bakery, which have both received excellent reviews in papers such as The Age, and are even mentioned in the Australian Lonely Planet Guide. So, my point is, no cafe can really afford to be dodgy with this much competition.

How Sincere is Dove?

NB. This article was originally published in Deakin Business Review, Vol. 1. (1).

The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty has been one of marketing’s great success stories. However, with the recent release of “Onslaught” on Unilever’s “Dove Campaign for Real Beauty” website, serious concerns have been expressed about the sincerity of the Dove campaign, and, in particular, the brand’s connection to other brands under the Unilever umbrella, particularly the Lynx brand.

Victoria Police tell the community to Get Lost!

News reports that the Victoria (Australia) Police, are using a Hummer as part of their community building strategy demonstrates that the police are completely out of touch with their role as community leaders. Take a look at their Hummer’s advertising campaign - the tag, “Now Get Lost”, combined with a massive grill image viewed from underneath (giving the impression of height and power) feeds into the arrogance, and complete lack of a sense of community, that the Hummer represents. The Hummer is one of the most definitive symbols of the conceited, self-indulgent, and egotistical nature of individualism and economic rationalism.

“Riots” in Melbourne

It would be hard to have missed the story in the past couple of days about “bad boy” Corey Worthington, who threw a party, and had 500 people turn up (plus the Victoria Police to break up a “riot”). Regardless of what happened, the media interest post-party has been substantial, including stories in the local papers , and internet, as well as international notoriety on the BBC and CNN, and in The Guardian.

Don’t trust yourself

I’m going to go out on a limb here, and tell you, my devoted reader that it is highly likely that you are vain, deluded, untrustworthy, bigoted, pigheaded, and easily flattered. But don’t stress, everyone around you is similarly, vain, deluded, untrustworthy, bigoted, pigheaded, and easily flattered. So depending on how you look at it, you are in good (or maybe bad) company.