Old time factories had a linear layout, because there was just one steam engine driving one drive shaft. Every machine in the shop had to line up under the shaft (connected by a pulley) in order to get power.
That metaphor extended to the people working in the factory. Each person was hired and trained and arranged to maximize output. The goal was to engage the factory, to feed it, maintain it and have it produce efficiently.
Distribution was designed in sync with the factory. You wanted to have the right number of trucks and drivers to handle whatever the factory produced and to get it where it needed to go.
Marketing was driven by the factory as well. The goal of marketing was to sell whatever the factory could produce in a given month, for as much money and as little overhead as possible.
And things like customer…
Pictures from my trip to the Winter Olympics
17 Feb 2010 | 3:32 pm
How to Change the World
Having a great time in Vancouver. If you want to see how great, check out my pictures from Day 1 and Day 2.


10 strategies for building a credible sustainable brand
13 Nov 2009 | 10:06 am
Fruitful
I recently conducted a webinar on 10 Strategies for Building a Credible Sustainable Brand
in conjunction with Sustainable Life Media. While I'll never again
agree to develop an hour's worth of new content with 1 week's notice
(!), I appreciated the opportunity to pull together a fairly
comprehensive set of strategies that help brands build credibility from
the ground up and minimize the risk of greenwashing. The 10 strategies
include:
1. Be proactive
2. Be transparent
3. Know your limits
4. Be relevant
5. Borrow credibility
6. Leverage brand strengths
7. Create a brand strategy
8. Be consistent
9. Educate
10. Engage
This list gives some good fodder for future blog posts, so stay tuned.