The Engaging Brand

Show 246 - Lessons From Fast Company Founder

Anna Farmery — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 06:17:11 -0400

An interview with Alan Webber the founder of Fast Company and who has just written a fabulous new business book called Rules of Thumb.

On this podcast we talk about

How Alan Webber saw the Fast Company experience
How there are teachers everywhere in the world
Learn to see the world through the eyes of the consumer
What business can learn from the film industry
Creating a company of friends
How you need to reframe the picture for the consumer
The importance of relational thinking

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Show #245 - How to make work optional

Anna Farmery — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:48:12 -0400

n interview with Frank Armstrong of Investor Solutions who has written about the retiremenet challenge and talks us through how to gain financial independence. His site Sink Swim is a wealth of tools to help you plan for your future. In this interview we talk about

What is the retirement challenge?
How to calculate what you need to make work optional
Why people don't think about retirement
The need for companies to educate their employees
How engagement comes from financial independence
How to plan for retirement
How do you pick a retirement expert to trust
How do you define risk
Has the global rescession affected our risk

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or join me on twitter.

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Show #244 - Make Your Customers Stick

Anna Farmery — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 15:07:27 -0400

An interview with Jim Champy, one of the leading modern management and business thinkers. Also worth checking out a previous podcast interview I did with Jim on How to Gain Competitive Advantage. We talk about concepts in his new business book Inspire!

Why Jim feels it is great news for business that the web has given control to customers.
How successful business models are often a case of back to the future
How old fashioned values are returning
3 concepts: customer collaboration, big risk and 'cheap luxury'
How creating an emotional connection is often based on 'old values' such as simplicity
How brand premium can be created through removing complexity.
The need for fearlessness and seeing business risk as an everyday part of business
If risk is critical how will the financial meltdown affect small business
How lay offs encourage entrepreneurship
Create a crusade to engage customers - a marketing campaign is not enough.
The need for truthful marketing

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Show #243 - Creating an Innocent Brand Pt2

Anna Farmery — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:41:36 -0400

The first part about building the innocent brand was published earlier this week and this second part of the podcast interview covers the social media aspects of brand building

How did Innocent Drinks approach social media?
How do Innocent approach customer feedback from social media?
How did corporate social responsibility become part of the brand strategy?
Why social media is an important part of the customer relationship.
How does Innocent maintain the fun vibe during the recession?
The relationship between creativity and cash
The Simon Cowell trick to management! (Didn't see that one coming :))
What did he think of the Walkers advertising campaign

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Show #242 - Creating an Innocent Brand Pt1

Anna Farmery — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 09:44:52 -0400

Richard Reed of Innocent Drinks a truly inspirational entrepreneur, speaks about branding and social media.

How does the brand stay innocent as the business grows?
Are there difficulties internally with a brand called innocent?
How has the company nurtured the 'talkability' factor of the brand - do they have a gossip marketing strategy?
Is Innocent a brand, a business or a dream?
How does the lifestyle element of the brand, help the brand?
How an entrepreneurial spirit is helped by creating the dream rather than just making money.
How is the web changing the way Innocent looks at value?

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Show #241- The Story of the Playboy Brand Pt2

Anna Farmery — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 13:49:44 -0400

Today is the second part of the interview with Susan Gunelius about her research into a new book about the growth of the Playboy brand (The book is not out until Septemeber so don't tell anyone about the podcast!) and how Hugh Hefner created such a powerful global brand and marketing success. You can listen to the first part of the Engaging Brand podcast here.

In the second part we talk about

The irony of Hugh Hefners daughter taking over at Playboy
How Playboy was not about the exploitation of women.
Is there a time and place for brands?
Is there a disposable brand or business lifecycle?
Has the brand come to an end - and now its success lies in iconic brand status?
What happens when Hugh Hefner is no longer part of Playboy?
The importance of understanding the environment the brand has to perform in.
Is Playboy an example of just because a brand can extend - it shouldn't go too far?
The marketing opportunity for Playboy with women.
What lifestyle brands offer business

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Show #240 - The Story of the Playboy Brand Pt1

Anna Farmery — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:38:51 -0400

Anna Farmery talks to Susan Gunelius about the Playboy story and how Hugh Hefner created the brand. Susan has written a new marketing book - not out until September - which outlines the impressive brand story.

The Engaging Brand podcast is sponsored by Gotomeeting and you can check out the latest information at www.theengagingbrand.com

Show #239 - Growing Business Dominance of India

Anna Farmery — Tue, 26 May 2009 12:01:55 -0400

Nirmalya Kumar is Professor of Marketing, Director of Centre for Marketing, and Co-Director for Aditya V. Birla India Centre at London Business School. Nirmalya has just written a business book on India as a global powerhouse and talks us through his perspectives on how India is growing.

Sponsored by Gotomeeting. Find out more about Anna's work at The Engaging Brand Blog

Show 238 - Making Money on a Global Scale

Anna Farmery — Fri, 22 May 2009 11:33:31 -0400

Today I talk Omar Khan of Sensei International, a global leadership development and consulting firm that operates all over the world. Omar has just co-written a book called The Global Consultant - How to make seven figures across borders. You can also read Omar's blog called The Global Consultant. I ask Omar

You can intellectually learn about the world but you must emotionally experience the world as well.
What is the difference between emotional connection and research?
How your aim must be to have a virtual presence and as Peter Drucker said "Presence does not rely on physical proximity"
How problems are global when human dynamics are involved.
Should you message transcend borders or be tailored - and tips on how to create the right message.
How you uild momentum after an event?
What is the diffference between energised confidence and arrogance?

You can listen to my previous discussions with Omar on Global Leadership or Liberating Passion within Business.

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Show #237 - Marketing Online Tips and Trends

Anna Farmery — Tue, 19 May 2009 13:06:40 -0400

Today I talk with Sabrina Parsons, CEO of Palo Alto Software and blogger at Mummy CEO. Sabrina has a wealth of knowledge on advertising, marketing, and business development. If you have any specific questions for her then you can email her directly at sabrina@paloalto.com. I talk to her about

Is there such a thing as marketing online?
Have the marketing principles changed over time?
What are the trends with online advertising?
Why is the level of consumer analytics so important?
Why small companies are challenging larger companies?
Is there a difference between marketing and advertising?
Is marketing owned by the brand or the consumer?
How to stay focused when so many new marketing tools are appearing?
Which trend do you see in advertising that companies need to address?
The link between customer service and social media.

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Show 236 - How to turn your life around

Anna Farmery — Tue, 12 May 2009 14:41:19 -0400

Today I talk with Loren Slocum an accomplished inspirational speaker and business coach, We talk aout her new book Life Tuneups: Your Personal Plan to find Balance, Discover Your Passion, and Step Into Greatness. You can see Loren in action at www.Lobella.com.

Loren’s book looks at how people can change their lives in fundamentally positive ways, not through drastic, painful sacrifice or expensive remedies, but through small, inexpensive, permanent life adjustments. So you know me...not one not to miss out on an opportunity so we talk about

How can we cope with stress and negative news.
What is a personal tune up!
How do you bounce back from adversity?
How do you start to look forward?
How to work out what is important to you?
Are there routines that we can build into our lives to stop us from falling into a rut?
How the first person you need to surround yourself with...is a positive you!
How negative people can be a good thing!

Don't forget to subcribe to the show in iTunes or on the Blubrry site.

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or join me on twitter or check out my new site Buzz Networker which looks at how social networking can help your brand.

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Show #235 - Customer Experience For Profit

Anna Farmery — Wed, 06 May 2009 11:57:53 -0400

Today I talk with Linda Ireland who is co-owner of Aveus LLC and has 20 years experience in developing businesses - known as the "build this or fix that" person!. She writes about customer expereince for profit here. She has recently written a book called Domino which is how customer experiences can tip everything in your business toward better financial performance.

What is the purpose of a business?
How putting the cutomer at the core of your strategy links to increasing profitability.
What is a customer experience - can it be defined as it is so personalised?
How customer experiences are often not WITH you, often in this global world they are outside the direct contact with your brand
Is globalisation good or not good for brands in terms of communication with social media?
Customer experiences are not one off events they are linear and often a layering of experiences.
How customers are influenced by outside factors and people - how you need to create a virtual reality for customers?
How a purchase is more than buying it is a commitment from the customer
The secret to driving revenue growth
The secret to driving profit growth

Don't forget to subcribe to the show in iTunes or on the Blubrry site.

Show #234 - Is Management in Crisis

Anna Farmery — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:51:28 -0400

Today I talk with Nick McCormick who is a delivery manager for an IT services company and who has written a great little book on tips and practical advice for managers called Lead Well and Prosper. What I loved about this book was the realism...he talks about moving from mediocre to great!! Nick and I discuss

Is management as a skill in crisis?
The importance of managers having a realistic look at their own development and skill level.
Why is management so difficult?
Tips on moving from reading about management to becoming a better manager.
How change is uncomfortable.
How to make time for development in your busy schedule.
How power does not come from a title
What would be the best tip that Nick could give to improve your management skill?
How it is not difficult to stand out as a good manager as there is so many mediocre ones out there!

Don't forget to subcribe to the show in iTunes or on the Blubrry site.

Show #233 Digital Body Language for Marketing and Sales

Anna Farmery — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:18:31 -0400

Today I talk with Steven Woods who is the CTO of Eloqua a computer software company. He has just written a book called Digital Body Language to help us understand consumer behavior on the web and how we can read their 'body language' to improve our sales and social media techniques.

What is digital body language?
How a company is joining the sales process further down stream. Does the customer needs a sales person less?
If the customer is more in control is there any point in reading the digital body langauge!
How do we know what to track and the buying process of the consumer?
Are all customers rational in their buying process?
How the asset has changed from a sales list to an understanding of the customer behavior and the strength of the relationship.
How the website can track where the customer is in their buying process.
How you can use different social media tools at the different parts of the consumer buying process.
The importance of understanding the metrics and how we should be developing data management skills within our team

Don't forget to subcribe to the show in iTunes or on the Blubrry site.

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Show #232 - Taking Risks and Adapting to Change

Anna Farmery — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:52:59 -0400

Today I talk with Stuart Avery Gold who is a best selling author and who has written the business parable books called Ping. We all know how much I love the business parable format and enjoyed discussing with him

Why business parables are so successful
How we are all on an heroic journey - we just need to realise it!
The importance of choice in our life.
The difference between the fear of success and the fear of failure.
How we need 'goal models' in our life.
How happiness is a skill
How we should aim to become someone not something
How we figure out what is right for our life
The fine line between feeling comfortable and feeling in a rut.
Does age affect the way you look at change and risk?
Is it more diffiult to decide what your dream is or how to achieve it?

Don't forget to subcribe to the show in iTunes or on the Blubrry site.

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or join me on twitter !

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Show #231 - The Truth Behind Blogging

Anna Farmery — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 14:12:13 -0400

Today I talk with Stephane Grenier the nationally known founder and CEO of LandlordMax Software Inc., a longtime builder and promoter of numerous blogs (including his own, FollowSteph.com), a seminar speaker for "Website Promotion and Traffic Generation", and the author of the critically acclaimed ebook, How to Generate Traffic to Your Website.We talk about his latest book Blog Blazers in which 40 of the top bloggers share their social media secrets. We discuss

Why write a book about blogging - isn't that traditional vs new media?
Difference between niche and general blogging
Is there a standard success formula for blogging?
Importance of having an opinion on your blog
The difference between having an opinion and being opinionated.
Can you make money blogging?
Why most blogs fail within 3 months
How overnight blogging success takes time....
The balance of needing to cope with loneliness as a blogger yet be an extrovert at the same time.

Don't forget to subcribe to the show in iTunes or on the Blubrry site.

Show #230 - Ultimate Lesson of True Leadership Pt2

Anna Farmery — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 12:17:15 -0400

This is the second part of the interview with the wonderful Steve Farber who is one of my favourite business authors and who has just written a new book called Greater Than Yourself- (see the site for interviews and free resources on the concept of helping others become greater than yourself). Check out the first part of the interview before listening to our conversation about

How we can change the world by encouraging others to develop the greater than yourself concept
The importance of reflection time
How to use downtime for your own self development
The importance of storytelling and how reading books can help your storytelling ability.
How leaders can learn to rely on their subconscious knowledge when facing business problems
The importance of being willing to take on experiences
How complex films are created
How a leader needs to live inside their business story
How in your own life it is important to develop the characters around you

Don't forget to subcribe to the show in iTunes or on the Blubrry site as the second part includes a fascinating insight into the development of an author and of storytelling.

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or join me on twitter !

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Show #229 - Ultimate Lesson of True Leadership Pt1

Anna Farmery — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 11:02:32 -0400

Today I interview one of our old friends of the show - the wonderful Steve Farber who is one of my favourite business authors and has just written a new book called Greater Than Yourself. Check out the site for interviews and free resources on the concept of helping others become greater than yourself. This is the first part of the interview and we cover

What do we mean by helping people become greater than yourself?
Is a recessionary time a good time in business to be thinking about others, what about looking after your own development!
What can we give people if we can't give money?
How coaching is like parenting - with many of the same problems!
How to find the right person to invest your time in.
The importance of self development

Don't forget to subcribe to the show in iTunes or on the Blubrry site as the second part includes a fascinating insight into the development of an author and of storytelling.

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or join me on twitter !

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Show #228 Essential Wisdom Of The Greatest Entrepreneurs

Anna Farmery — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:25:11 -0400

Today's epsiode is an interview with Todd Buchholz, former White House director of economic policy, who has written one of my favourite books of 2009 - Lasting Lessons From the Corner Office.

This book looks at the business lives of entrepreneurs such as Estee Lauder, Walt Disney, A.P Giannini ( Bank of America), David Sarnoff (RCA) , Ray Kroc (MacDonalds), Akio Morita (Sony) and more, who have changed the world we live in forever. This book is a fascinating insight into the minds and lives of entrepreneurs and I ask Todd

What did it take to be a successful entrepreneur?
Are entrepreneurs led by a gut instinct?
How Giannini knew the importance of knowing your customers business even more than your own!
The importance of strong values
We discuss the idea of advertising and how it was seen a "bad thing" - driving down profits
The amazing "bouncebackability" of the entrepreneurs
Have we lost that intense passion from the business world?
Tips and tricks from Estee Lauder on how to gain customers

Show #227 - Leadership Tips in a Changing Volatile World

Anna Farmery — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:45:19 -0400

Today I speak with Alexander Grashow of Cambridge Leadership who has just co written a new book called The Practice of Adaptive Leadership, which gives tools and tactics for leading in an ever changing world. The book looks at both individual and corporate development techniques. We talk about

What kind of leadership is required in this changing world?
How we need to engage people above and below the neck?
How people are afraid of loss not change.
How social systems are defined by the people in them
How to approach an organisation when the leaders don't want to change
How leadership is a verb not a job
Is the idea of risk the same at both the individual level as well as the business level?
How leadership is about challenging expectations.
How to deal with the blockers!
What you need to solve a business problem
How to orchestrate conflict!
What are the basic needs of an individual?
Three areas which Alex challenges you to do ; Take more risk, extend your authority and display your incompetence

Show #226 - Emotional triggers and why customers really buy Pt 2

Anna Farmery — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:22:22 -0400

This is the second part of my conversation with Linda Goodman and Michelle Helin about their research into emotional triggers that helo you understand why customers buy. If you haven't listened to Part 1 then click this link to find out more about the emotional triggers and why customers really buy.

I have just read their new book Why Customers Really Buy and in this second part of the interview we talk about

How you can benchmark emotional conversations and the emotional triggers of your customers.
Examples and case studies of how emotional triggers have helped companies engage with their customers.
Is there a way of triggering positive emotions in customers in these difficult times?
Is there a need to review emotional triggers over time?

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or join me on twitter !

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Show #225 - Emotional triggers and why customers really buy

Anna Farmery — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 13:09:27 -0400

Today I talk with Linda Goodman and Michelle Helin about their research into emotional triggers hat drive sales. I have just read their new book Why Customers Really Buy and wanted to explore how to understand more about

How does the context around the customer affect how they receive communication
Can you build rapport when you are not face to face?
How to recognise emotion in your customer
Are negative emotional triggers better than positive emotional triggers for engaging with the customers emotion?
How do you gain insight into consumer behaviour?
How to phrase questions to find out what is really important to the customer.

This is the first part of the interview, the second part will be available either later today or tomorrow - enjoy!

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or join me on twitter !

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Show #224 - Internal Branding and Employee Engagement

Anna Farmery — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:24:39 -0400

Today I talk Tim McCleary, an expert on internal branding and employee engagement. Tim was previously a Global Brand and Design Director at GE and is now principal of The Involvement Group. We discuss

Findings from the latest internal branding and employee engagement conference
How has employee engagement evolved over the last few years
Is employee engagement a fad or does it have real business benefits?
How developing employee programs has a benefit to the leadership team
Does internal branding relate to all functions across the company?
Why should we spend time and money on engaging employees - after all they are paid to do their job aren't they!!
Examples of how to link the external brand to individual employees
What can we do tomorrow to take internal engagement forward?
How employee engagement is not a soft management skill
The link between employee engagement and bottom line profitability

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or join me on twitter !

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Show #223 Tips on Business Writing that Engages People

Anna Farmery — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:28:53 -0500

Today I talk with Susan Gunelius,CEO of Keysplash Creative who is an expert and author on business communications. You can find her books here.

Has business writing changed over the last decade?
Has business writing itself become more informal or is it that business people have brought their personal style to the commercial world?
How words are now important but it is harder for those words to stand out from the crowd.
Tips on how to develop your writing skills
How creating the message is like building a house!
Is it about the words you use or how you construct the message?
The importance of writing as though to your best friend.
Which marketing trigger words work?
How do you develop your writing style?
Where does creativity come from - is it from the tools, the person or the message?

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or join me on twitter !

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Show #222 - Obama Leadership and Community Lessons

Anna Farmery — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 13:58:18 -0500

Today I talk Barry Libert of Mzinga who is a pioneer in using communities, web 2.0 technologies to help businesses grow. He has just written a book on Winning Business Lessons of the Obama Campaign and we talk about

Insights into the leadership style of Barack Obama
How Obama copes with pressure
The need to perfect your leadership style
The importance of empathy and personal leadership
How to keep in touch with how people are feeling
The importance of creating a talented team
How to create an engaged community that will sell the message for you
Did the internet cause change or was it a way of demonstrating change?
How the community communication was about building relationships not a pure communication tool
How Obama used mobile technology
The idea of customer managed relationships
The importance of bridging between the past and the future in your communications

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or join me on twitter !

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Show #221 - Free Market Madness

Anna Farmery — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 11:15:33 -0500

Today I talk with Peter Ubel about Free Market Madness, his new business book which looks at both the economics and the behaviourial aspects of free markets. I ask Peter

Whether free markets are still great in concept, despite the flaws.
What are the illogical forces that affect human behaviours
The importance of helping people with the choices they face.
How rational sides can win over the irrational sides of our personality
Is there a danger of the economic crisis preventing free markets in the future?
What do you need to develop to be able to prioritise better?
The ability to draw motivation from each other
Scarcity, novelty and price - the 3 factors that affect consumer purchasing decisions.
How regular small gains are better than one big gains.
Which promotional sales strategies work better - small and often or big and infrequent?
The importance of unpredictability in consumer happiness

Show #220 - 10 Golden Rules of B2B Social Media Marketing Pt2

Anna Farmery — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 11:40:10 -0500

This is the second part of the interview with Jay Berkowitz of Ten Golden Rules Internet Marketing company and if you haven't listened to his podcast of the same name it is well worth checking out - here is the link to the Ten Golden Internet Marketing podcast.

This podcast is in response to a listener asking "Is social media relevant in a B2B marketing context?" For the first 4 social media rules then listen to Part 1 of The Engaging Brand podcast - Show 219.

Today we talk about the next 6 rules which are

How podcasting or podcast sponsorship can help your business.
Promoting your products and services strategy. Jay mentions David Meerman Scott - here is a link to an interview I did with David on New Rules of Marketing and PR. I also had a conversation with David on Creating Breakthrough Ideas for your consumers
How to use search marketing
Web optimised public relations
Subscription marketing
Ratings and reviews and how it can help build business

During the discussion we wondered whether marketing is different B2B and B2C? Here are my thoughts - would love to hear your thoughts.

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or join me on twitter !

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Show #219 - 10 Golden Rules of B2B Social Media Marketing Pt1

Anna Farmery — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:46:45 -0500

Today I interview Jay Berkowitz of Ten Golden Rules Internet Marketing company and if you haven't listened to his podcast of the same name it is well worth checking out - here is the link to the Ten Golden Internet Marketing podcast.

This podcast is in response to a listener asking "Is social media relevant in a B2B marketing context?" Jay gives us 10 golden rules and this podcast is the first 4 rules...watch out tomorrow for Part 2!

Today we talk about

Is social media relevant to B2B marketing?
The importance of great social media content.
How to generate revenue from your business blog
The marketing concept of microselling and how it can generate business for you. Jay uses Woot as an example of this marketing strategy.
Customer service as the new marketing

In part 2 we talk about product promotion, search marketing, web optimised public relations, podcasting, subscription marketing and the important role of ratings/reviews. If you don't want to miss out you can subscribe to the show which is described below.

During our discussion we wondered whether marketing is different B2B and B2C? Here are my thoughts - would love to hear your thoughts.

Show #218 - Its Not What You Sell...

Anna Farmery — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 13:45:25 -0500

Today I interview Roy Spence about his new book, Its Not What You Sell, It's What You Stand For which looks at how successful companies are driven by a strong sense of purpose. Roy has worked with some of the major global brands and shares some great business anecdotes with us on this episode of The Engaging Brand podcast. We talk about

What the company stands for is more important than what it sells

How you keep the business purpose alive

Importance of repetition in creating a strong business purpose

Are consumers totally price orientated?

The 'art' of discovering your business purpose

The need to have both doer's and dreamer's in your leadership team

How advertising is like an uninvited guest

The importance of design consistency

Does a purpose relate to a commodity business?

The importance of marketing for business -2 - business companies

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or join me on twitter !

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Show #217 - Why good leaders make bad decisions

Anna Farmery — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 15:38:28 -0500

Today is a wonderful interview with Sydney Finkelstein who has just written a fantastic business book called Think Again. This is a follow up to Why Smart Executives Fail. Sydney is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business and Director of Tuck Executive Program. If you want to boost your career this is a great podcast interview as we talk about

The key to effective decision making
How do we check our sub conscious thinking patterns?
Is a good decision impossible!
How to choose the right people to help you make the right decision.
How to free up your sub conscious minds
Can you be in a job too long?
How to make the right decision rather than an emotional decision when downsizing or making redundancies
The difference between reducing costs and retaining value
The emotional effect of decision making
How do you recognise the difference between good and bad self interest?
How do I build safeguards to ensure that my own self interest doesn't become a negative aspect of my career?
How do you differentiate between intuition and a preformed judgment?

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or join me on twitter !

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Show #216 - Face the Fear and Do it Anyway Pt2

Anna Farmery — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 13:13:58 -0500

Today is the second part of the interview with the truly inspirational eco-adventurer and writer Roz Savage who has - wait for it! - rowed the Atlantic Ocean and who is now rowing the Pacific Ocean. You can follow her journey over at Roz Rows the Pacific. if you haven't heard the first part of the interview then podcast 215 is here. Today we dig deeper into the emotinal aspects and Roz talks to us about

How isolation affects the human mind
How you react to isolation as a human being
The importance of how you feel about yourself
Recognising the importance of the negative talk in your brain
How you need to be your own best friend
Which are harder - physical barriers or emotional barriers?
How to prepare for the emotional side of life
What would Roz's motivational tip be?

Remember if you want to back Roz's environmental journey then visit the Roz Savage website.

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Show #215 - Face the fear and do it anyway Pt1

Anna Farmery — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 14:27:33 -0500

Today I talk with the truly inspirational eco-adventurer and writer Roz Savage who has - wait for it! - rowed the Atlantic Ocean and who is now rowing the Pacific Ocean. You can follow her journey over at Roz Rows the Pacific. Roz talks us about

How we can change our own lives by doing something extraordinary rather than succoming to a mid life crisis!
The role of fear in our lives and how we can use fear positively
Finding the balance between feeling comfortable and being bored
How you keep stretching yourself - how to keep achieving extraordinary results
How Roz is using storytelling to bring attention to environment issues
The role of persistance in achieving your goals

Watch out for the second part of the interview next time and if you don't want to miss it then why not subscribe - explained below.

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Show #214 - Using audio and video to promote your business

Anna Farmery — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 12:44:24 -0500

Today I talk with audio and video expert Penny Haynes who talks to us about her research on how to use audio and video to promote your business. Penny has issued all her research which is packed with case studies in an ebook which you can download at 101thingsaudioandvideo. I ask her

About the research on why businesses are not using audio and video
Reasons why to use audio and video to promote your business
Isn't video and audio about entertainment rather than growing a business?
How to turn your audio into a video
Why video ranks well in google
Is video for tech products rather than other marketing sectors?
But does video actually drive profitable growth?
What makes a video entertaining?
Simple tools for video production.
How professional does your video have to be?
Creative ways people are using video in marketing.
Should you consider your bandwidth as a problem?
Video is memory hungry so how can companies avoid the storage problem?
The balance between making the video entertaining and marketing the brand.

Penny has given me some links that may help

A quick audio that shares some recent proof in my own life that marketing with audio and video works

Quick Brainstorming Techniques

Creating a Script That Sounds Natural (Part 1)

Creating a Script That Sounds Natural (Part 2)

6 Web Cam Video Tips

Professionalism vs. Perfectionism In Your Videos

Viral Video Lessons from a Video Without Any Talking

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or hop over to Facebook group for The Engaging Brand. or the new room set up on Friendfeed

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Show #213 - Are we facing the death of the brand?

Anna Farmery — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 08:03:39 -0500

Today I talk with Costas Kataras who has written a fascinating new book called Nice Capitalism which asks are brands dead. We talk about

Are brands in decline?

What do we mean by the death of a brand?

What is the significance of the rise of own labels?

Have brands developed personality disorders?

Why do many of the global brands come from small countries?

How employee engagement relates to creating a brand.

Evolution of brands towards fragmented brands.

Impact of depression as a major illness and how effect depression and their role in coping with depression

Show #212 Human Capital Measurement

Anna Farmery — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:09:42 -0500

Today I talk with Bay Jordan about human capital measurement. Bay has developed a system that helps companies understand the value of people, you can read more at Zealise a company with "a simple mission..enhancing the value of the people within our clients’ businesses" We talk about

Why human capital measurement is important.

The relationship between measurement and engagement.

How you can measure human capital

Why people don't measure human capital.

Show #211 - 12 Ways to Step into the Spotlight Pt2

Anna Farmery — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 12:26:13 -0500

Today is the second part of the interview with the unsuppressable, friend of the show Tsufit who wrote one of my favourite books of the year - Step into the Spotlight (Check out Show 159 for a discussion around the ideas in Step into the Spotlight)

If you haven't heard the first 6 steps then listen to Show 210 here first!

We thought we would have some fun around the theme of 12 days of Christmas and have 12 ways to create your own personal success in 2009. This is the second part of the interview and continues on from the previous show

Here were the first 6 ways to step into the spotlight

You are no one, until somebody hates you!
Tell the truth
Start a movement
Speak in your own voice
Position Yourself
Find your story and connect it with what you are selling .....And today we talk about
Learn how to tell your story well - don't be boring!
Start your own fan club, start building your own audience - including lessons from Barrack Obama.
Name everything.
Aim high, start early and work hard to make it happen.
Promote yourself from salesman to expert
Leave them wanting more....

Show #210 - 12 Ways to Step into the Spotlight Pt1

Anna Farmery — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 19:21:53 -0500

Today I get together with a friend of the show Tsufit who wrote one of my favourite books of the year - Step into the Spotlight (Check out Show 159 for a discussion around the ideas in Step into the Spotlight)

Now how can I describe the singer, actress, speaker, comedienne and wonderful personal coach to entrepreneurs who want to publicise their dream business! ...indescribable and unmissable!

We thought we would have some fun around the theme of 12 days of Christmas and have 12 ways to create your own personal success in 2009. This is the first part of the interview and I will publish the second part after I have recovered from my Christmas dinner :)

Here are the first 6 ways to step into the spotlight

You are no one, until somebody hates you!
Tell the truth
Start a movement
Speak in your own voice
Position Yourself
Find your story and connect it with what you are selling

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Show #209 - A Brand Called You

Anna Farmery — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 06:24:39 -0500

Today I talk with Peter Montoya, advertising expert and marketing specialist who has written a book called A Brand Called You which is an action orientated insight into not only how personal branding can help you but also how you can use it to grow your business. The book is a step by step guide to growing your business. Tonight we cover

Difference between personal branding and the brand of a small business
How a personal brand creates influence
How a personal brand is about increasing the quality not the quantity of your customers
How specialisation is the most important part of personal branding
How closely personal brands and small business brands are linked to their owners or leaders.
Are individualisation and specialisation the same thing?
How the visibility of the brand is more important than raw ability of the person.
Tips on how to market yourself
Tips on how to create an "engaging" business card

Show #208 - Truth and Lies About Why We Buy

Anna Farmery — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 17:46:53 -0500

Today I talk with Martin Lindstrom about the research he undertook to understand how the brain reacts to marketing- fascinating insight! It is well worth checking out his website not only for the content but also how he engages all your senses. He has written about his research in a great new book called Buyology, and tonight we cover

What is "Buyology" and what the research taught us about consumer behaviour
The importance of combining the senses to create customer engagement
Which is the most important sense for marketing?
Why paying attention to more than one sense is key to marketing?
The role rituals play in consumer lifestyles
Neuromarketing for small business
How the logo is dead, long live the image!
Explore whether sex sells as part of your advertising.

Show #207 - Is there such a thing as perfection? Pt2

Anna Farmery — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 04:18:16 -0500

Today I is the second part of my talk with Dr Ellen Weber , who is "an entrepreneur who describes herself as a pathfinder for change" and who has developed "MITA, a model to increase motivation and achievement, for leaders and learners." To listen to Part 1 please follow this Engaging Brand podcast link. Here are links to the two earlier shows that I recorded with Dr Ellen many months ago, and which over time have constantly been in the Top 5 most listened to Engaging Brand podcasts,

Show 67 - The Brain and How Motivation Works Pt1

Show 68 - The Brain and How Motivation Works Pt2

Today we continue our talk by discussing

How excellence is not a destination but how we live everyday.
The role of emotion in how your brain responds
How to inspire others around you by rewiring your brain
The importance of "building forward" to create change
The importance of learning to see the whole picture.
How by using the name of a person, you can create engagement

Show #206 - Is there such a thing as perfection? Pt1

Anna Farmery — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:45:48 -0500

Today I talk with Dr Ellen Weber , who is "an entrepreneur who describes herself as a pathfinder for change" and who has developed "MITA, a model to increase motivation and achievement, for leaders and learners." Today we talk about perfection and whether it exists but if you may also want to check out two earlier shows that I recorded with Dr Ellen many months ago, and which over time have constantly been in the Top 5 most listened to Engaging Brand podcasts, here are the links

Show 67 - The Brain and How Motivation Works Pt1

Show 68 - The Brain and How Motivation Works Pt2

Today we talk in the first part of the interview we talk about

Is there such a thing as perfection?
If perfection is subjective can we ever deliver on our idea of perfection?
The concept of being perfectly imperfect!
The difference between perfect and excellence
The role of fear of failure in our lives.
If we were perfect would we be less human?
Is leadership an impossible concept in the moden business world?

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or hop over to Facebook group for The Engaging Brand. or the new room set up on Friendfeed
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Show #205 Blogging, Advertising and Making Money

Anna Farmery — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 13:07:00 -0500

Today I talk with Ted Murphy Ceo (Just love the fun aspect of these sites) and founder of Izea a social media marketing company that I have on my watchlist as I like how they are developing. I invited Ted to talk about

The importance of colour in brand engagement
Do blogging and advertising really go together?
What value does advertising have for the blog reader?
How can pay for post work for your brand, and what is the risk of paying people to talk about your brand negatively!
Cloudshout....Are we moving from adverts to sponsored web walks, people can see the sites I visit and if I bring people with me, I get paid?
Are bloggers almost in danger of exploiting the consumers just like firms did with "in your face" advertising?
Is the recession great news for web companies, does it give you the "excuse" to start monetarising the web?
Why Ted believes that advertising in social media is a great return on investment for companies.

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Show #204 - The Power of Self Actualisation

Anna Farmery — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:12:45 -0500

Today I talk with Jonathan Cunningham of LetsReflect.com about his inspirational personal story from despair to developing an online business. I met Jonathan through my writing at Widows Quest which is a blog dedicated to helping people through grief or major change in their lifes. You can follow Jonathan at Lets Reflect and here is a link to his mother who he mentions in the interview.

We talk about

How self actualisation helped turn his life around.
The steps of self actualisation
The importance of being grateful for what you have in your life, rather than what you haven't....
How to deal with employees who are feeling down and negative about life.
The importance of goal setting and setting stretching targets in order to reach your full potential.
The 'role' of 'role models' in your life.
The need to reflect on your life to move forward and the process of reflection
The importance of public commitment for your goals

Show #203 - Marketing and the Need to Span Silos

Anna Farmery — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:56:15 -0500

Today I talk with marketing expert David Aaker, who not only is the Vice Chairman of a strategy consulting firm, Prophet but also Professor Emeritus of Marketing Strategy at University of California, at Berkeley. David has written over 100 articles and 14 books giving him true "expert" status and I have just read David's new book, Spanning Silos so I wanted to discuss with him

How the structure of silos has evolved.
Are silos a good or a bad thing for business?
Can you afford to outsource your marketing to a 3rd party these days?
Are successful companies about the type of corporate structure or the leadership?
Thoughts on matrix organisations
Thoughts on the importance of the culture
Which comes first business success or marketing success?
How do companies balance the idea of brand standardisation and yet allowing freedom of ideas and freedom to adopt different cultural aspects?
The balance between the rational benefits of the brand and the emotional sell to the consumers?

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or hop over to Facebook group for The Engaging Brand. or the new room set up on Friendfeed
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Show #202 - Bringing brands to visual life

Anna Farmery — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:49:12 -0500

Today I talk with Thomas Clifford who I met at Blogger Social earlier this year in New York. Tom is a wonderful producer of films for corporate clients and someone that I wanted to talk about how corporate films can create engagement. Tom blogs about how to bring brands to life at Director Tom. We talk about

How do you turn an idea into a visual brand story
How you work out what is the brand story
How do you reconcile the making of an engaging visual with ensuring the "corporate message" is communicated?
How Tom thinks of the answers first to know what questions to ask!
How the brand narrative needs an intro, a hook and an ending.
Is there a way of ensuring that the audio and visual leave the consumer remembering not only the story but also the brand?
How important are consumer demographics in ensuring that the right visual is produced?
What difference does it make if the customer will be watching the video on their computer compared to in a traditional setting?
Is You Tube devaluing film or making film more accessible to individuals?
Are companies switching from professional short films to less professional short video to engage consumers?

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or hop over to Facebook group for The Engaging Brand. or the new room set up on Friendfeed
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Show #201 - Spotting Trends for 2011

Anna Farmery — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 13:41:57 -0500

Today I talkwith Richard Laermar who has written 2011: Trendspotting for the Next Decade, which is "packed with eye-popping predictions (and realities) on how you’ll live, work, play, buy, sell, talk, text, laugh and more."

We take a look at what trends will help shape the next decade and talk about

The difference between trendspotters and trendsetters
How to learn to spot trends.
Why this decade has been "bad", so bad it has not even been named!
Has emotion been taken out of our world and the implications for the next decade?
How we live in a world of concepts
How people are will learn to reconnect with the human side of relationships. How it will not be about mental ability but mental agility.
Will the next decade see a return to personal responsibility?
How business will look for horizontal growth, and how the personal element will increase in importance for branding
How lying will become fashionable again!
How brands lifecycle will be finite.
How teens will remain narcassistic
How to look at trends and use them for your own personal development
The importance of understanding that business is allabout people

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or hop over to Facebook group for The Engaging Brand. or the new room set up on Friendfeed
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Show #200 - Brand Bubbles- A Crisis In Brand Values

Anna Farmery — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 13:18:12 -0500

Today I talk with John Gerzama, the Chief Insights Officer for Young and Rubicam and who has just written The Brand Bubble. In the interview I ask

Is the brand bubble linked to the financial crisis?
Do brands exist anymore?
Has the word brand, itself, become commodotised?
Have intangilble assets now become tangilble! Now worth 99% of global GDP?
Who determines the brand value - the customer, company or financial commentator?
Are brands recessionary proof or are they a problem during for the recession?
The role of energy in brand management
The importance of brand velocity.
What people look for in brands.
Are we in a new dictatorships - a consumer dictatorship?
How there needs to be a return to traditional marketing methods?
How tactics and strategy are no longer separate ideas.

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or hop over to Facebook group for The Engaging Brand. or the new room set up on Friendfeed
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Show #199 - Is Syndication in Business, the New Black

Anna Farmery — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:12:33 -0400

Today I talk with Alex Konanykhin who has built his successful business career on revolutionay innovation. Alex, born in Russia, now fimly establised in the USA, has been chosen as the New York Businessman of the Year and also before the age of 30, had built a banking and investment empire worth an estimated $300 million. So my head turned when I say The Syndicated News, and I wanted to know from Alex

How is Syndicated News changing traditional media?
Is the business world evolving from producing/servicing to a facilitation model?
The importance of retaining professional journalism.
How is the news world affected by social media?
Is syndication another form of outsourcing?
Can the internet be likenend to a stock market as an exchange forum?
Success tips for business entrepreneurs.
How watching trends can help your business?

Don't forget to vote daily until 6 November for your favourite podcast at The Podcast Awards!

Show#198 - Managing the Hype Cycle

Anna Farmery — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:03:38 -0400

Today I talk with Mark Raskino of Gartner research who has written the book Mastering the Hype Cycle which "addresses this crucial issue of innovation adoption by presenting the only model of its type to move beyond general observation. The Hype Cycle has been used as a predictive management decision tool, tracking thousands of innovations over more than a decade". I talk to Mark about

What is the hype cycle?
Is a hype cycle purely related to the technology sector or is it rooted in consumer behaviour?
What should be on the vertical axis of the hype cycle - visibility of brand or brand expectations?
How the trough of disillisionment is still saying that the innovation is growing.
The importance of how you approach innovation during the trough of disillisionment.
The disannonce between internal confidence and training, and external expectations for the innovation.
How consumers want to be seen as individuals but not to be seen as too different!
Is there really such a thing as innovation or are all "innovations" evolutionary?

Don't forget to vote fdaily until 6 November for your favourite podcast at The Podcast Awards!

If you have feedback for me on the show or topics that you would like me to cover then e-mail me at anna@theengagingbrand.com or hop over to Facebook group for The Engaging Brand. or the new room set up on Friendfeed
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Show #197 - Business Internet Strategies

Anna Farmery — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:19:24 -0400

Today I talk with Don Philabaum who has written Internet Dough which you can download for FREE here.

Internet Dough helps you to "do more on the Internet" with

30 plus case studies
10 social media tools you need
Dozens of practical examples to copy"

Don is a passionate expert on internet marketing expert and talks us through

How the financial crisis should not bring an end to your internet marketing budget.
Should you have an internet strategy that includes marketing or a marketing strategy that includes the internet?
Is the internet relevant to every business?
Are consumers changing behaviour and business is following or are businesses changing their behaviour with consumers having to follow?
Can socialising be taken from an individual level to a business level?
Is it harder now to stand out on the web with your internet marketing?
Is there a best practice for internet sales growth?
How the technology is the transport system for ideas
How to balance your marketing strategy for internet users and non internet users.

Don't forget to vote from 23 October for your favourite podcast at The Podcast Awards!