Business Strategy, Marketing, Innovation, Technology, New Product Management



Breakout Topics

Photos of the Breakout Topics from our Flickr group

1,000 MPH “Car”

Mar 15th, 2011 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Feature, Innovation

Just for fun……

Check out the embedded video

1,000 MPH Car

YouTube Version



Red Bull Branding — Appropriate?

Mar 13th, 2011 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Brand, General, Marketing, Online Marketing

Check out these videos….

Red Bull Heli

Red Bull Aviation

Torc Series

What do you think about these “branding” efforts?



Great Beer Commercial

Mar 2nd, 2011 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Feature, Marketing, Online Marketing

Lots  of detail?  Why?

Beer Commercial

Effective, why?  Did you like it, why or why not?



Milkshake Marketing + Purpose Branding

Feb 28th, 2011 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Brand, Feature, Marketing, New Product Management

From Harvard Business School Working Knowledge : Professor Clayton Christensen

This blog post hits on so many high points of marketing and new product development, I do not know where to begin.  Check out the ideas of “hiring a milkshake” and the market research that was done to determine the drivers for purchase (no pun intended).  Be sure to check out the video embedded into the text.

Milkshake Marketing

Also check out the comments about the Greatest Tool ever, the Milwaukee Sawzall “Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp. has cornered the market on reciprocating saws with its trademarked Sawzall, which does the job of helping consumers safely saw through pretty much anything. Its Hole-Hawg drills, which make big holes between studs and joists, are also quite popular. The company’s other tools, which rely on the Milwaukee brand, are not nearly as celebrated.

“The word ‘Milwaukee’ doesn’t give you any market whatsoever,” Christensen says.”



Branding and its connection to Happiness

Feb 28th, 2011 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Brand, General, Marketing, Online Marketing

From Fast Company

In our discussions of branding, we talk about the connection to emotions.  The following article about Jennifer Aaker’s work at Stanford is quite interesting.

What do you think?   Is there a strong connection between brand and happiness?

Corporate Pursuit of Happiness



A Day Made of Glass Video

Feb 27th, 2011 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Feature, General, Innovation, New Product Management, Technology Strategy

Thanks for sharing Jodie

Check out this vision of the future from Corning….

A Day Made of Glass Video

What do you think?



700Horse Power Super Car

Feb 27th, 2011 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Feature, Innovation

Thanks Lane.  When do you get yours?

700 HP Car

Cool or what?



New EcoMotors — Efficiency with Opposing Cylinders

Feb 27th, 2011 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: General, Innovation, New Product Management, Technology

Thanks for exposing the “out of the box” (a little).

EcoMotor

Will this be a real option?  What do you think?



Inventions of Donald Duck

Feb 27th, 2011 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Feature, Innovation, Technology Strategy

Thank you Luke for this very interesting and entertaining article.

Donald Duck inventions.  Where does our inspiration come from?

Amazing!  Can this be true?  What do you think?



Nokia R&D Budget Twice Apple

Feb 27th, 2011 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Innovation, Technology Strategy

Thanks Luke.

Nokia R&D Budget

Huge $, but to what result?  19,000 people to take on the competition.



Bike Design Competition/Collaboration

Feb 20th, 2011 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Feature, General, New Product Management

Suggested by Luke

Oregon Manifest Article and embedded videos.

From Luke “Design competition/collaboration of leading design firms like IDEO with bespoke/custom bicycle shops.  Very interesting to see the different approaches”

What do you think?



Movie “Tangled” benefits from Hair Animation

Feb 20th, 2011 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Feature, Innovation, New Product Management

Thanks TK

Tangled Hair Animation Article

Article with Drawings

CNN Video on Tangled Animation

Huge development.   Did you think it took this much to produce a movie with animated hair?



Growth through P = Place

Feb 20th, 2011 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Brand, Marketing

Thanks Lane.

From Crain’s Chicago Business Today

Manny’s Restaurant Growth Strategy Manny’s new move video.

“Low” risk way to grow.  Famous brand growth.  Getting more people to Try the product.

Will it work as well as “Home Run Pizza”?



A tribute to Steve Jobs in Slide Shows

Feb 20th, 2011 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Brand, Feature, Innovation, Leadership, Marketing, Technology Strategy

Thanks TK

Life and Awesomeness of Steve Jobs Check out 1984 Super Bowl Ad

Playboy Interview Tidbits Check out Video of iMac Intro

Is Steve Jobs worthy of such tribute?  Why?



$100K worth of Branding Advice

Feb 17th, 2011 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Brand, Marketing, Online Marketing

From Fast Company

A wonderful, brief, and straight forward article on three words  (steps?) to Branding

$100K Free Branding Advice

What do you think?  Can it be this “simple”?  Maybe, but is that easy?



Lead Users, Not User Lead NPD

Feb 15th, 2011 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Brand, Breakout Topics, Feature, Innovation, Leadership, Marketing, New Product Management, Technology Strategy

From Fast Company

An interesting read  User-Lead Innovation Can’t Create Breakthroughs

It could be “harmful” to listen to users.  Apple and Ikea agree.   From our class, we could also say Toyota agrees.

From the article ” The user is king. It’s a phrase that’s repeated over and over again as a mantra: Companies must become user-centric. But there’s a problem: It doesn’t work. Here’s the truth: Great brands lead users, not the other way around.”

What do you think?



Apple’s Next Multi-Billion Dollar Business

Feb 13th, 2011 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Feature, Information Technology, Innovation, Marketing, Technology Strategy

Thank you for the recommendation Lane

Next Apple BIG Business

Connected TV  — From the article  Apple “will enter the TV market with a full focus, as an
all-in-one Apple television could move the needle when connected TVs proliferate.”  Controlled by iPads and iPhones of course.   I have Apple TV — nice, but expensive IMHO.

What do you think?



Newspaper Extinction Timeline

Feb 13th, 2011 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: General, Information Technology, Technology Strategy

Thank you TK

Newspaper Extinction Timeline

Be sure to check out the second page where the authors go through their thoughts on the key factors contributing to the extinction of newspapers.  Note the role of technology as well as the role of industry structure as well as advertising revenue trends.

Do you agree?  2017 for USA?



Kick Ass Prosthetics — Great Custom Design

Feb 13th, 2011 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Feature, General, Innovation, New Product Management

Thank you Luke for the recommendation

Kick Ass Prosthetics

Now this is wonderful customer driven design.  Great engineering, innovative design and wonderful products.

Check out the video at the end of the article about how and why this has been designed and developed.

What do you think?



Disappearing Car Door Video

Feb 13th, 2011 | By Gene A. Wright | Category: Feature, Innovation

Thank you TK for the recommendation

Check out this video of the Disappearing Car Door

Pretty cool?  Why is it not in production?   Why have things not changed in this area?