E-marketing at Starbucks: another missed opportunity?
Read moreStarbucks is a brand that, similarly to IKEA, enjoys a strong culture, a loyal customer following, and a compelling “founder and origin” story. As Howard Schultz recounts in his memoirs, the beginning of Starbucks was characterized by a fierce commitment to bringing all the excitement, the passion and the quality of an Italian coffee house to America. To me, it
IKEA and authentic storytelling: Are they missing a great opportunity?
Read moreAfter last week’s blog entry, I got a bit curious about IKEA and went looking for further information. In particular, I wanted to see how good they are at storytelling. Much of the information I found is from sweden.se, the gateway site to Sweden. According to this site, IKEA’s catalog has become something of a style Bible for people all
Telling and embodying a brand’s authentic stories of identity
Read moreAuthenticity comes from finding a true and natural voice, and expressing our beliefs by telling our personal stories of identity. But, telling our stories is not sufficient. We must also make very sure we embody them. As we noted in the previous post, Margaret Thatcher used her personal stories of identity continuously during her election campaigns, stories that demonstrated who
IKEA and authentic stories of identity
Read moreIn August, I had several speaking engagements in Buenos Aires, around the theme of using storytelling in branding and e-marketing. As always, one of my central themes was that many of the principles I use in leadership coaching also apply directly to building and growing a brand. In essence, both leaders and brands lead by autobiography; they inspire others with
Obama as the “great convener”
Read moreA second point I found interesting in “The Great Convener” piece by David Brooks (New York Times, June 27) concerns Obama and authenticity. While I have stated numerous times that I do not wish to do political commentary, or to express views about public officials in my writing or speaking, I nonetheless find it interesting to observe our leaders and
Obama as the “great convener”
Read moreA second point I found interesting in “The Great Convener” piece by David Brooks (New York Times, June 27) concerns Obama and authenticity. While I have stated numerous times that I do not wish to do political commentary, or to express views about public officials in my writing or speaking, I nonetheless find it interesting to observe our leaders and