My Fave Brands

I love my brands. True marketing aficionado.  Here are my top 5 fave brands and why  & in no particular order.

 

1.      Nivea – the customer engagement (online and offline), the freebies, the good products and range. Just wish their soap/body wash lines was better.












 

2.      Apple – not for the products, purely from a marketing angle. Different colours, the business model of bringing out something ‘must have’ every year/ two years, the in-store customer service & dedication, engagement with customers (tribalism).












 
 

3.      Aesop – Love the products but also they are seen as understated. They don't do a whole heap of marketing so you feel you use something exclusive and natural yet ... they are stocked in quite a few places so its easy to access it now. (they shouldn’t do too much more though cos then its everywhere). I like how they are GLOCAL.... they have product packs called Melbourne, Tokyo etc.
It’s an Aussie company with great sense of design and aesthetics.






 

4.      Ikea ... really LOVE their business model, the idea of design and buy in bulk and pass it on to average consumers. I like how they move away from the stereotypical “Ikea look” over the years. Now you can walk into a room and not see that immediately that everything is Ikea. I love it how they lure the customer in for a day long experience, you cant escape/ leave early, you cant really leave without buying something, its family friendly – something for the whole family, lots of unique/cheap food items.  No matter where in the world – it looks and feels the same. 






5.      YKK – good quality zips.  They are EVERYWHERE! (check your fly right now!)   What advertising they do create, it makes you feel that unless you use YKK in your zips, you're zip is not quality and good. Good push for the environment .They are understated again as a brand but great market penetration.  As a consumer of fashion, if my product has a YKK zip ... respect!

Pictures taken from:
http://www.notcot.com/images/niveacreme.jpg 
http://www.theaustralianeye.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/apple_rainbow_logo.jpeg 
http://www.polli.com.au/Blog%20Images/2011%20Feb/Aesop.jpg
http://images.smh.com.au/2009/04/03/452787/ikea_lead_gallery__598x400-420x0.jpg 
http://adsoftheworld.com/files/ykk_ad-1.jpg 
http://attachedtocreativity.ykkeurope.com/attachedtocreativity/winners/file/size/image/300/390/4.jpg

Hindsight or Regret?

Isn't hindsight funny?
It makes you think that if you had a take 2, things could have gone better.

I know, I have been a bit AWOL recently. I'm back though.
My absence has given me a bit of clarity about a few things, particularly about what you would change if you could do it again.

Do I have any regrets? Maybe, yeah.   I wish I called XYZ more often or that I told ABC that I loved them more. But ... is that really a regret? Isn't that just a misalignment in my priorities? I try to enjoy everyday, to live in the moment (with few looks in the rear and a few more to the front).  Should I fault my life or live with regret? No. The choices were mine, I take responsibility.  Would I change things from here on in? Well, yeah - in whatever way is sustainable.

Of course it is the relationships you have with people that matter & of course, you will always wish you spent more time with them or appreciated them more when they were around.  We're all here for a finite period. We have to make it count and learn from our mistakes.  We can't spend 24/7 with someone, we'll neglect someone else, even if that person is ourself.

If I had my take 2 on certain things, I don't know if I would actually do anything too different. There are things I could handle better second time around but then I may want a third of fourth go of it and inertia would inevitably set it.  However, what I need to do is to keep going. Learn the lessons quick, apply what you can. Live life, don't wish what could be or should be and remember the good, happy times - they're what you take away from most things anyway.

Kiss or Tell?

Yesterday was a very historical day. Our Carbon Tax passed. It's important news.It's a major win for the Labor party, Tree Huggers & Gen Y.

 But was this the biggest news of the day?  No. Of course not.


Fact and celebration were trumped by hypothesising, guess work and assumption.

The biggest news story and plastered all over today's newspapers were not the fact that we
have a Carbon Tax.

No, the biggest news story was the fact that Kevin Rudd walked up to Julia Gillard to congratulate/share in the triumph of passing legislation that has been years in the making.

 
Is it the "Kiss of Death"?? or "Kiss of Deceit".

Julia Gillard's double victory - passing her carbon tax legislation and a kiss from Kevin Rudd - The Australian 

Global warming to political warming: Rudd's 'Judas kiss' - The Newcastle Herald.

It's such a shame. We're pioneers, one of the first countries to do this. We're taking a punt & giving it a go but all the gloss has gone. The celebration and limelight of what should be a defining time for us is overshadowed by two colleagues getting along. 

Yes, note worthy because it is Gillard & Rudd, however, it should not be front page news. Shame to all mentioned above. 

Photos taken from: 

http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2011/10/12/1226165/314999-julia-gillard-and-kevin-rudd.jpg

http://resources0.news.com.au/images/2011/10/12/1226164/651584-gillard-rudd.jpg

Acknowledgements:

The Australian, 13/10/2011

The Newcastle Herald, 13/10/2011

Australia Matters, 13/10/2011

Connections

Nokia had it right. Connecting people.
What makes me happiest are the connections I form with people. Meaningful connections, fleeting connections, a connection over a laugh.


It's the connections I make with people are what makes me get out of bed in the morning. It's why I enjoy going to work, it's why I sometimes take a sneaky long lunch.

It's fusing bonds with people - understanding them better. By understanding people better, you get to understand yourself better.

Getting drunk & disorderly, being Face book friends, going to so&so's party cos xyz is there doesn't cut it.

I had a long chat with someone from work today. The deeper connection I made with them today made up for all the little annoyances during the day to make it a good day. 
Our differences were not exposed, only the similarities were highlighted.



Photo taken from:
http://www.evolutionminute.com/00-adamgod-lg.jpg

Maturity

I’ve had an Oprah, Ah-Ha moment over the last few weeks. I’ve realised, I’m not 23 anymore.  I actually turn 30 this year and it does make me wince a bit. (I choose 23 as it’s the first full year out of university and into the world).

I’ve been an adult now for well over a decade and still don’t view myself as how old I really am.
Yes! The years just seem to pass by so quickly.  I still get a massive smile on my face when the ice cream van drive’s by.

But yes, I need to realise I’m not fresh out of uni any more. I’m not a grad. and I’m not the youngest in the company/department/team.  I don’t need as much guidance, I can do things on my own, I don’t want to be boxed in ... However, the irony is I do still want it at the same time. Maybe it’s some sort of transitional phase where I am (hesitatingly) realising my contribution & am averse to the risk is in making errors or mistakes.

I want credibility, I want to be working on important projects and make bigger decisions. However, who would give this to someone who sees themselves as 23? Someone who doesn’t want too much responsibility but wants the perks?

I see myself a fast learner but what am I really learning?  How am I adding value? What am I doing in life that is mature? Can I even ask that? Does making a massive purchase like a car or house make me mature? What about having kids? Does that bring out maturity in people?

These are the phases people go through when they learn something. 
I guess I'm still learning about life. 

Novice
Advanced Beginner
Competent
Proficient
Expert

Hmmm, I'm sure I am competent but when all the doubts and questions enter my head, I want to say advanced beginner.

I need to be ... more mature. I need to up my game. I need to ... BRING IT ON.

Governments Operating like Business

In short, no they shouldn't. However ... there are principles they need to follow in order to make good policies and decisions.

With the collapse of the Australian Governments Malaysia solution, there are a few things I thought would be no brainers and things that ANY professional organisation should have followed.

1. Check that you are not breaking any laws, contracts or obligations.
I know ... a bit of a Captain Obvious, but how can you spend millions of dollars, do deals with other countries and not check if you are in breach of the constitution, legislation or any human rights agreements you have signed?

2. Have an exit clause.
Ok, I am still happy that we are receiving more refugees, however, now that the deal is down the gurgler, we still have to take all 4000 refugees from Malaysia. There was nothing in the contract to say, if things go pear shape, we won't be out of pocket. Companies would never sign a contract when there is no way out and there is a possibility they may be out of pocket.

3. STOP WASTING MONEY!
Work out you're ROI (Return on Investment). Is the deal worth it? Will we be better off after the deal? How much do we have to spend before we see a benefit? Is there a benefit? If the deal doesn't return on average a positive outcome, don't do it.


Photo taken from:
http://www.ralphrobertsrentals.com/images/clipart-man-reading-a-contract-with-magnifying-glass.gif

Learnings from the Census Form 2011

So it is Census night.

Are you:
a) Holding onto your pen or pencil
b) Completing it online?
c) Oh shizer. That's today?

I have just filled it out for our household.
This is what I learnt.

1. If you are employed ... you have to answer so many more questions.
Agghhhh! I'm already tired from work. Shouldn't some of the info from the ATO trasnfer over? You're all the one government right?
2. If you are retired, there is no radio box to indicate this fact.
Considering the babyboomers are in that area ... you would think that retirement would be an option. Maybe it's assumed, but should the ABS assume?
3. Indian is now pre-listed on the What's your background question.
4. The Salvation Army is regarded as part of Religion.

Filling out the form online really was SO much easier than filling out the form.
One had on the tab button and one hand on the keyboard. Yep, it's the way I roll.