Now, more than ever, we need to shake things up. With tough times we need a different way of thinking and the energy to turn things around. International marketing guru Seth Godin, author of bestseller Purple Cow & Tribes, has recently released his latest ebook What Matters Now – which is available as a FREE download right here.

It’s jam packed with  terrific ideas from ‘70 BIG THINKERS’ each sharing their ‘one powerful idea’ with you to think about as we head into the new year. This exciting ebook also contains groundbreaking ideas from some top business gurus like Tom Peters and best selling author Elizabeth Gilbert.

Share it with your staff, share it with your colleagues – it contains some inspiring ideas that could change the way you think, change the way you work and maybe even change the world!

Ebook Download – WhatMattersNow.pdf

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London based Econsultancy recently published research which looks at the extent to which companies are gearing up internally to deal with the paradigm shift brought about by social media and the ever increasing power of the customer. The research was based on a survey of more than 1000 companies and agencies. It shows how social media is more than just a marketing tactic -and that  it has far reaching implications on internal organisational structures, processes and communication as they support customer service.

Headline findings from the Online Customer Engagement Report show: (more…)

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The travails of Tiger’s have created a firestorm with revelations and reports of the world’s Number 1 golfer clocking up more birdies off the course than on!  A peculiar mix of voyeuristic glee and disappointment abounds as the ultimate, squeaky clean role model and robo-golfer stumbles and his private peccadillo’s are put on public display.

With today’s instant 24/7 news cycle where nothing is off the record, Tiger’s personal life has exploded across news channels and the Internet. The man who has always been in  total control on the golf course has become living proof that the traditional corporate branding illusions of control are dead and everything is up for public consumption.

What are the branding lessons to be learned from Tiger’s precipitous fall from grace?  Will it make him more human and by implication more relatable and marketable or will it tarnish his billion dollar brand forever? (more…)

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Trendwatching.com, a fantastic resource for spotting emerging trends around the world, recently released their “10 Crucial Consumer Trends for 2010” which highlights just how the recession is changing behaviour and consumption patterns. You can read all about it in greater detail right here. We have included a brief summary of the Top 10 trends below:

1) Business as Unusual – Forget the recession: the societal changes that will dominate 2010 were set in motion way before we temporarily stared into the abyss.

2) Urbany – Urban culture is the culture. Extreme urbanization, in 2010, 2011, 2012 and far beyond will lead to more sophisticated and demanding consumers around the world.

3) Real-Time Reviews – Whatever it is you’re selling or launching in 2010, it will be reviewed ‘en masse’, live, 24/7.

4) (F)Luxury – Closely tied to what constitutes status (which is becoming more fragmented), luxury will be whatever consumers want it to be over the next 12 months.

5) Mass Mingling – Online lifestyles are fueling and encouraging ‘real world’ meet-ups like there’s no tomorrow, shattering all cliches and predictions about a desk-bound, virtual, isolated future.

6) Eco-Easy – To really reach some meaningful sustainability goals in 2010, corporations and governments will have to forcefully make it ‘easy’ for consumers to be more green, by restricting the alternatives.

7) Tracking & Alerting – Tracking and alerting are the new search, and 2010 will see countless new INFOLUST services that will help consumers expand their web of control.

8 ) Embedded Generosity – Next year, generosity as a trend will adapt to the zeitgeist, leading to more pragmatic and collaborative donation services for consumers. More »

9) Profile Myning – With hundreds of millions of consumers now nurturing some sort of online profile, 2010 will be a good year to introduce some services to help them make the most of it (financially), from intention-based models to digital afterlife services.

10) Maturialism – 2010 will be even more opinionated, risqué, outspoken, if not ‘raw’ than 2009; you can thank the anything-goes online world for that. Will your brand be as daring?

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In the wake of the recession ThinkTank is proud to celebrate our 1st year in business. We started with an idea to build a new type of business and branding consultancy – one that creates new profit opportunities for our clients by applying different kinds of thinking to how they operate. Like architects we add to the vision of our clients by developing bespoke strategies that help them shift their thinking, drive growth and improve performance. 2009 has been an exciting year for ThinkTank as we partnered with both local and international clients to help them build strategies and create new brands. We hope that you enjoy our new web site and blog, where we will be sharing our thoughts and ideas in the areas that we are most passionate about – strategy, marketing, branding and innovation.

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