News:

Since its inception, there as been disagreement and/or confusion as to exactly what constitutes “Web 2.0″. Regardless of what Web 2.0 is or isn’t, by and large it has failed to become a financial success. In fact, there are those who see 2.0 as history and 3.0 as having already arrived. Check out this post on Fortune’s website: http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/07/technology/hempel_threepointo.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2009010815

In this case, IQ refers to your imagination quotient. According to an article in the latest edition of Fast Company, companies that out-imagine and out-create their competition will have a decided advantage in the marketplace.

Furthermore, companies will only prosper if they constantly innovate while creating “elegant, refined products and services.”  This – according to the article – is the emergence of the design economy.

To meet the demands of this new economy, companies will have to change how they handle workflow. There’ll be fewer fixed permanent assignments, instead work will flow from project to project.

The design economy will also impact strategic thinking. Instead of using just the two types of logic: inductive (proving something operates) and deductive (proving something must be) – a third type combining these two – abductive will play an important role. Abductive thinking suggests something may be and reaches out to explore it.  In other words, designers act on what’s probable, instead of what’s certain; they learn by doing, identifying weaknesses and making corrections along the way.

The design economy is sure to have far reaching effects that are just beginning to be felt – from business school curriculum to how successful companies interface with their customers.

You can read the entire article at http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/93/design.html?page=0%2C1

Recently attended the BtoB NetMarketing Breakfast (Thursday, November 6, 2008). Kudos to BtoB Marketing’s David Bernstein and Robert Felsenthal for pulling together a very informative panel. The VP’s of Marketing presented their company’s current integrated marketing plans and strategies. From shoes strings to deep pockets, the examples covered the spectrum of budgets while each made smart decisions. One quick takeaway is the surprising cut in trade shows from the marketing budget – almost completely – while the Internet and “new” tools (podcasts, webcasts, webinars, blogs, etc…) are in the budget.

Take a look at Stratix Corporation – Paul Shiman, VP of Marketing & Strategic Alliances, and his team are reshaping the entire brand of this company and taking it to the next level. Working with a few Internet agencies around town, he’s staying cutting edge and testing his methodology as he goes – one smart marketer. Watch this company. Great site – informative and easy to navigate.

Another company to watch is ControlScan. Heather Foster, VP Marketing, is getting the job done there while keeping a tight rope on her budgets. She’s making sure there’s value added and integrating her message throughout all marketing channels. She’s focused on keeping the information fresh and is doing a great job.

The behemoth that is Randstad is updating their web site. God bless Ann Lally, the Digital Strategist who is heading up this endeavor. I caught up with Jiri Vala, JWT, who is working on the project. I’m sure it takes a village (JWT) to rebuild a village (Randstad). I can only guess at the budget, the time it has taken and the number of layers and pages on that site…and those are just the accessible pages.

Takeaways
- Keep your site information fresh and relevant
- Integrate throughout all marketing channels
- Be a thought leader in your area of expertise

Until next time,
Wendy