Columns
The new interface - What a brand is
- Columns
- Published Date
- Pierre Mare
- Hits: 226
In the Sixties, Seventies and Eighties business media talked about ‘products’ and ‘services’. From the Nineties onward there was a shift to using the term ‘brand’. Today that word is pervasive, but it is still not well understood, not even by business media.
During the Eighties and even beyond, the widespread perception was that a brand was a visible trademark, and it was valued as the sum of investments in accounting items such as spend on advertising and packaging. This approach featured in textbooks of the time.
What the approach did not take into account was the concept of the premium over and above cost, that consumers would pay for products and services, and the differential that investors would pay over and above the value of shares measured in real asset values.
In an attempt to understand the differences, and find ways to manage them for profit, a new concept of the brand began to emerge. In its most concentrated form, the brand was defined as ‘a relationship between a product or service and a consumer’.
If the relationship is strong, the premium between cost and retail price will be high. If not, consumers the brand will be less desirable, and the premium will be lower.
Hardfacts on Software - IT trends for 2013
- Columns
- Published Date
- Immo Bohm
- Hits: 225
Concluding article in this series. The Economist pays tribute to Immo’s enlightening contributions over many years. He is now based in South Africa as the Operations Director of Vaimo SA.
So – back in the saddle after some hot but good holidays! I hope that you are feeling rested and ready for the challenges of 2013!
One thing about 2013 is that changes in the IT industry will be faster than ever. The new products and technologies that await us will be even more amazing than before. If you are not on the bandwagon to keep up with this yet, the window is closing fast!
So lets have a look at what some of the predictions on the internet as to what we can expect this year.
Ultra HD TV.
Everyone is clear about this one – our TV’s will continue to get bigger, clearer, thinner, lighter and smarter.
Cord Cutters
We will begin to see some households cutting their DSTV subscriptions. It is now possible to stream enough content over the Internet to be able to have enough to watch that you don’t need to spend a few hundred Dollars on only a few channels. People will start spending this money on data rather and then consume from gazillions of options that they can access at any time they like.
Crowd funding
Ever heard of this? It’s an ever more popular way for small companies to raise cash to grow. Find a crowd online where everyone is willing to invest a few bucks, and – voila – you have enough cash to grow your business!
The new interface - Challenges for communicators
- Columns
- Published Date
- Pierre Mare
- Hits: 228
Some years ago, I wrote a column, ‘On the Brand’ in this newspaper. Since the last of that run of columns, a lot has changed. Communication channels have multiplied, particularly in the form of mobile devices and social networking. The parameters of corporate responsibility, its governance aspects, have either expanded or are being vigorously questioned. ‘Sustainability’ has become one of the most bandied pieces of jargon. And environmental aspects of business are (still) becoming the next big issue.
A number of global events have shaped perceptions of what business should be or become. These include most notably, the credit crunch and the sovereign debt bubble. The issue of the environment manages to raise its head from time to time, but it remains primarily a matter of effects, and inroads on its causes are rare, due to economic and political contingency.
Before the crunch and bubble, two major crises emerged: the food crisis and the fuel crisis. Neither of these crises has ‘gone away’: they have been submerged in immediate coverage of the crunch and bubble. Their impacts are felt daily by the vast majority of people around you, the poor. There is a long list of additional complications.
This Week in The Khuta - Pocketful of Emptiness
- Columns
- Published Date
- Daniel Kavishe
- Hits: 229
Greetings to all the respectable readers of the Economist. It is good to be back after a long period of vacation characterised by all forms of merriment. I’m sure most of us had the opportunity to spend time with loved ones which is a way to recoup after a long year of drudgery. Looking back at 2012 there were definitely enough fears to warrant “the end of the world” prophecy. But alas it’s January 2013 and we all look hopefully to what this year has in store for all of us. I for one am excited but BROKE.
Yes it is true. I fell into the trap that most of us often do and now micro-lenders are looking quite attractive. Let me rewind a bit to the events of December 16th when I had a conversation with a taxi driver who at the time seemed selfish and inconsiderate. After the simple pleasantries that we exchanged as I got into his taxi, I asked him how he was going to spend his holiday. He looked at me and said he’ll be spending his time in Windhoek. He could not afford to travel home as he had to save up for the usual expenses of the first few months of the following year (2013). He further explained that going home meant he would have to spend most of the money he had earned on cows, goats and all sorts of presents for relatives he didn’t really care for. “I would rather send some money home and spend this holiday making more money. Windhoek is getting expensive” he uttered.
Innovation - Innovation goals
- Columns
- Published Date
- Waldo
- Hits: 248
Background
Last year I set the stage for innovation by looking at what it means and by focusing on some of the key issues and concepts of innovation. I want to kick of this year with a discussion around setting innovation goals and planning for innovation in the organisation. Serendipity and “a-ha” moments with regards to innovation is a myth, it is a factor and plays a role in innovation, but if you want to make innovation a core competence of your organisation, you cannot only depend on luck, you have to plan for it and set goals, just like for any other business function.
Innovation goals
If innovation is important to your organisation, then what are your innovation goals? If you have not got any goals beyond innovating for innovation’s sake, or if those goals are not clear, then your organisation has serious problems with its innovation process. Innovating for the sake of innovating is a pointless and expensive exercise doomed to failure. This is absolutely critical to bear in mind.
