Great marketing inspires every atom of an organization. It helps pick the dots as well as connect the dots in your business ecosystem. It inspires. It energizes.
And in most organizations – it is trapped in departments like communications, packaging, advertising and sales.
Our goal for the Frog Blog is to introduce more creative marketing thought into everyday business principles. Experience has shown that many times creativity gets boxed into organizational categories that managers consider ‘Appropriate’ for creative approaches. So – if you’re putting together a catalog page be creative – “We need eye candy!” But if you’re examining the production flow of parts from source to installation – ‘Just the facts, please.’
Why does this matter? True creativity is inspired by the facts on the ground, but relies on intuitive and inspired leaps to pass barriers. When the barriers fall into a communication or relationship category, managers feel very comfortable calling in ‘creative’ talent. They are more accepting of taking risks because so much of what is discussed is obviously based on opinion as much as fact and experience. But when dealing with more strategic and operational issues the tendency is towards linear thinking driven by process. That may drive incremental results but often leaves true transformative ideas under the table or in the closet.
Business has always been driven by the great successes. It’s a great way to make a living – see what works for somebody else and then give it a try. That includes products, process, supply chain, anything you can think of. Funny thing is – – the leaders, the successes, the innovators, all get there by doing things differently from what came before. Not just better, different.
So, what’s this got to do with frogs? There are great ideas laying around all over the place. There’s also a bunch of duds. To be successful you have to sift through the opportunities to innovate, looking for those promising marketing, operational and financial initiatives to pursue. Folks have come up with lots of fancy names for stuff like this – – strategic planning, integrated marketing, continuous improvement, synergistic support – – all attempts to replicate the process that drove success someplace else.
We like to call it Kissing the Frog
It’s not always pleasant. But do it long enough, in the right ways and you,re bound to find that prince of an idea waiting to take you to the next level.
This blog is dedicated to delivering ideas that can be implemented as well as thoughts that might help someone break out of the status quo.
– – – – – –
Our Use Policy
– – – – – –
Our Privacy Policy
– – – – – –
Our Disclosure Policy
– – – – – –
About Updates: Most updates involve fixing spelling errors, grammar errors, tags and categories. This usually occurs due to yours truly hitting the publish button rather than the save draft button, or ’cause a kind soul sent a text letting me know I’ve erred in my ways. When a correction does not change the meaning of a post we will not note it. When an update involves a significant correction or alteration of meaning then the correction will be inserted and the original content noted (unless for some reason it was so horrific an error that the world would come to the end if it continued to see the light of day, in which case we’ll just let you know stuff happens and things change, and apologies all around.)
– – – – – –
Fred and LaVonn have worked with companies large and small nationwide, including Sprint, Ameritech(AT&T), Hallmark, Aquilla, Service Guard, GenUs BioSystems, Genova Health Technologies, Health o meter Professional, Pelouze, Wisconsin Energy, Robinson Consumer Products, and Stylemaster.
LaVonn Schlegel is Managing Director of the Indiana University Kelley School of Business Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER). IU CIBER link. Linked in Link.
Fred H. Schlegel is managing partner for JSMI Consulting (a strategic business consulting agency) and Vice President of Business Development for GenUs BioSystems (a biotechnology contract laboratory). JSMI link. GenUs BioSystems link. Linked in Link.