Last week of school

Well, it is this week, or last week, depending on what school we're talking about.. but, in case you missed the ceremony, here is Steve Jobs' commencement speech to this years graduating class at Stanford.

Print it out, read it, read it to your kids, and post it at work.

When Stanford's server cools down.. you can listen to it here.

There are Five Senses...

Use them.

Last night, I was re-reading the June edition of Fast Company magazine. One of the sections titled - Building the iPod Killer was very intriguing. Here were designers from Apple's leading competitors Rio, Dell, among others... talking about how they plan to dethrone the mighty iPod.

Strangely enough, the 'theme' of this month's issue is the power of Design. Throughout the article the 'designers' talk about cost savings, features, and quality of materials.. not how to better the design.

The iPod moves us. It is a Lovemark. It is not a digital media player, it is the iPod.

Too many companies fail to notice the value of utilizing the senses when designing a product or service.

Look at what the designers of Apple's competitors are saying - the iPod is too expensive, is made of poor quality materials, and lacks functionality. BUT IT STILL OWNS THE MARKET!

Open your eyes and ears...smell the roses, feel it deep inside, and taste - like an Apple.

Gather around...

I want to tell you a story...

Last night my wife and I had dinner with a friend of ours who happens to be a copy editor, and an aspiring writer. We talked until midnight, telling endless stories...

Ironically enough, I received All Marketers Are Liars - The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World yesterday afternoon, and buried my nose into it for an hour...

Stories are powerful. Stories capture us. If they're good they capture our emotions. Businesses need stories. How many of your employees know how your organization started? Who started it? Why did she start it? Once you have the answers, tell the stories to your customers, and prospective customers...

Would you rather buy your new software system from a company that "focuses on zero defects, and zero down time, maximizing the value to the end consumer.." or from a company that was started by one guy that had a dream of revolutionizing the software world by providing a new software format, that was free to use and modify... like Linus Torvalds did with Linux?

Stories are powerful, they allow our imagination to fill in the blanks...

To quote the back of Seth's book:

Marketers aren't really liars...they are just storytellers....

I'll add that storytelling should be a core leadership competency for all organizations....

Want to read a sample from the book click here.

I happen to have an extra copy. Want it? Tell me your story and it's yours.

Want to actually buy it? chapters.indigo or Amazon.ca your choice..

The End

Do you know this man?

I grew up like most kids.. you know street hockey, popsicles, Cheerios, and Sesame Street.

Over the weekend, I was shopping at my local Loblaws with my family. I passed through the children's clothing section and pointed to a shirt with a kids character on it. I asked my son "Who's that?" He stared blankly at me and said "I don't know?". The character in question? Ernie. You know of Bert fame... Can you believe it!! My son couldn't pick Ernie out of a line-up.

Things change, they always do.. some find ways of adapting, others don't...

Anyway, this month's Canadian Business Magazine features Canada's top brands. The top... Tim Hortons.. the bottom JetsGo... check it out, and hope your organization is on the right list. Then figure out a way to make sure you stay on that list for the next generation or so. Good luck.

Today's post brought to you by the letters "B-R-A-N and D" and the number "1".