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The Dutch beer brewer Bavaria caught the international headlines during the Football World Cup 2010, hosted in South Africa, with a brilliant example of guerilla marketing. What happened: 36 attractive blond women, had entered the stadium to watch the match between Denmark and The Netherlands.
Many African countries are still facing serious challenges, including poverty, disease, and high infant mortality. At the same time, the continent is among the world’s most rapidly growing economic regions. Africa’s collective GDP, at US$1.6 trillion in 2008, is now roughly equal to Brazil’s or Russia’s.
Harvard Business Review (HBR) has published an interesting article on how to deal with sustainability as a megatrend. The article starts of to say that although most executives know that how they respond to the challenge of sustainability will profoundly affect the competitiveness—and perhaps even the survival—of their organizations. Yet most are flailing around, launching a hodgepodge of initiatives without any overarching vision or plan. That’s not because they don’t see sustainability as a strategic issue. Rather, it’s because they think they’re facing an unprecedented journey for which there is no road map.
Due to today’s social media growth it is high time companies review their online communication and promotional strategies. The attention of (potential) customers is increasingly fragmented and traditional ways to reach them are becoming less effective.
The world can no longer afford business as usual. Our global economy faces unprecedented challenges, whether from climate change, ever-increasing food and water shortages, surging populations, or myopic financial markets obsessed with short-term gains and growth at all costs.
Just a few days before the start of the Rotterdam Marathon, more than 70 manufacturers of pipe and process equipment from all over the world came to Rotterdam to attend an export marketing and management training of CBI. At the end of the week, iD consultancy was invited to conduct a session on website promotion.
Trade Information Networking or ‘Not working’?
Critical success factors
Notwithstanding the benefits, the added value that can often be identified, establishing a trade information network does not come naturally and is not easy to achieve. A recognition of mutual benefits is absolutely a must, but not the single most critical success factor. The benefits are the justification for making an effort. some other critical success factors are:
In case the TIN is not embedded in the overall, corporate strategy of the organizations involved, there is a serious risk that it will not get the attention and resources it requires. The TIN will never get beyond the stage of good intentions.
The top decision makers need to be and feel involved, and support the initiative otherwise other more urgent or more prestigious projects will claim the scarce resources which are required to make the TIN a success.
This issue is closely related to the embedding in the corporate strategy and the involvement and backing of top management. Another safeguard measure for commitment and prioritization is to make the link to a performance contract. In case staff and management is evaluated (and remunerated) on the basis of TIN targets, commitment and prioritization on the work floor can be substantially encouraged. In case there is no full commitment or sense of urgency, promises made will not be followed through.
It is easy to define network benefits, but it is hard to find successful trade information networks at work. For political reasons, objectives are often overambitious, and hence leading to project failures. It is important to set realistic targets, that can be achieved within a relatively short time span. Once the sweet of success has been tasted, the ambition can always be expanded.
In order to keep or expand momentum, enthusiasm, support and commitment, it is important to realize quick wins; Achievements which are visible and can easily be demonstrated and communicated.
more…
There are more critical success factors which we address in the papers. So, if you are involved in setting up trade information networks and want to know more about the do’s and don’ts, please contact us and find out how we can support you.