You might think that allowing people to download an episode of a TV show would erode regular  viewership.  But that’s not the case.  Just ask NBC, who announced in December of 2005 that it would make 12 shows available for download on Apple’s iTunes.  The Office, one of the dozen programs on the list, saw…

Apparently so.  As ranked by Business Week, the top 25 innovators grew their profit margins more than eight times faster than the S&P Global 1200.  Read that sentence again.  This isn’t sales growth we’re talking about, but profitability.  Consider the cream of the crop in that Top 25 list – names like Target and Starbucks. …

Do you sell to other businesses?  If so, you’ll be interested in a recent study conducted by Harvard Business Review.  It showed a significant gap between what a business values in its salespeople and what a customer looks for.  While companies who are recruiting salespeople place the most emphasis on social and communication skills, customers…

It’s no secret that it takes a lot of work to have your website or web ad come up quickly when certain keywords are being used.  Larger companies pay tens of thousands of dollars every month for search engine optimization. Before you go down that road, however, ask if the internet is really the primary…

In 1951, Horace Hagedorn founded Miracle-Gro.  Forty-four years later, his son Jim oversaw a merger with Scotts, and began moving the new company into the future.  Hagedorn is the driving force behind the quest for genetically-engineered grass.  Tired of mowing?  Buy grass with a “dwarf” gene that limits its height.  Tired of watering?  Try a…

As the number of women who own thriving businesses continues to increase, more information is available about how they’re achieving success, and especially how they’re doing things differently than their male counterparts.  Of women whose companies generate over $1 million in annual revenues, 73% started their own business rather than buying an existing one, compared…

Say “Marlboro,” and most people immediately think of a cowboy.  But when the cigarettes made their debut in 1924, they were targeted to women with the advertising theme, “Mild As May.”  One series of print ads depicted babies offering statements like, “Just one question, Mom…can you afford not to smoke Marlboros?” and our favorite, “Before…

While a lot of companies are considering how to implement viral marketing, GM has just provided a valuable object lesson in the dangers of the interactive frontier.  In an effort to build buzz about the Tahoe, the carmaker’s website invited visitors to create their own Tahoe TV spot, using clips and music posted on the…

Everyone is aware that 20% of their clients or customers usually generate 80% of their profits.  So think about your “A” clients or customers.  What do they have in common?  How much do you know about them?  How much do they know about you?  Do they know they’re “A” clients?  Once you have some of…

Advertising giant David Ogilvy used to say that your most valuable assets walk out the door every night.  And while we often think of our people in terms of salary levels, policies, turnover and the like, we spend too little time considering the effect they have on our ability to attract and retain customers (external…