Simon Mainwaring

We First provides consulting and training to help companies tell the story of their good work in ways that build their business

Posts

 
August 25, 2010

“The products are original. It’s the brands that are fake.”

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The title for this post paraphrases a quote from a Chinese salesman featured in a story on counterfeit products in the New York Times magazine last weekend. While the salesman was speaking directly to accusations regarding the legality of selling counterfeit sneakers, he touched on a much larger issue for marketers. Since the birth of […]

The title for this post paraphrases a quote from a Chinese salesman featured in a story on counterfeit products in the New York Times magazine last weekend. While the salesman was speaking directly to accusations regarding the legality of selling counterfeit sneakers, he touched on a much larger issue for marketers. Since the birth of …

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August 23, 2010

Good-bye “What’s Next”, hello “What’s Now”

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As anyone who works in the advertising or entertainment business will tell you, their industry is undergoing seismic changes in the face of new technology that enables both business and consumers to create content at virtually no cost. This means old business models no longer apply, job titles are changing and most businesses are being …

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August 19, 2010

Facebook (re)Places: What it means for Foursquare and Gowalla

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Yesterday Facebook announced its much anticipated entry into the location based services. Unlike Google Places which is a search tool, Facebook Places is a check-in service focused on social interaction. You simply use your phone to tell people where you are, who you are with and find out others nearby. This then can also be …

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August 17, 2010

How social networks reshape business by reshaping us

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httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwbX4HUOdE8&feature=related I wanted to share with you this video of a speech by Nicolas Christakis from the Harvard Dept. of Sociology, on the shaping powers of social networks. He does a wonderful job of explaining stastically the forces and dynamics that drive social networks. In this case he uses the case of obesity to demonstrate …

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August 13, 2010

Worldnomads Footprint Projects: Lessons in smarter business and effective community building

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I think the World Nomads Footprint project is super smart on many levels. It’s premised on the fact that when you visit a community you make an impact. As such, you have a small responsibility to give something back. So when you purchase one of their travel insurance policies, you choose a project and get …

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August 11, 2010

Dear Brands, no amount of damage control can match no damage at all

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Nestle’s PR disaster over  palm oil harvesting continues to damage the brand. Despite the fact that Nestle  dropped the  palm oil harvesters responsible for the deforestation that threatened the survival of orangutans, a company called Sinar Mas, it’s Nestle’s handling of the issue on Facebook that keeps backfiring. The most recent issue is the fact …

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