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I recently read about an article that shows a perfect example of the power of social media in marketing. A young girl created a Facebook event for her birthday and neglected to make it a private event. Unfortunately, shortly after posting the details that were available for everyone to see, instead of the expected 15 guest responses, it seemed like she was about to have one of the largest 14th birthday parties in history. 21,000 people had responded, some of which included fake profiles of celebrities such as Justin Bieber.

Thankfully, the event was taken down and now police must monitor the area on the date in question, Oct.7, to make sure thousands of people don’t try to cram into that poor girl’s home. While I’m sure she’s learned her lesson, I looked at this story from a different perspective, but of course I don’t have to worry about my mom grounding me for life.

If a young girl could unintentionally send a message, reach thousands of people and see an amazing response, what’s to stop any one of us from tapping into the same social media channel on purpose and doing the exact same thing if not more? As well, this situation provides us with the reminder to be clear on our target market. Not just how to identify them, but how does one connect and send the intended message. However, in some scenarios getting an exponentially larger result is not necessarily a bad thing. Social media is such an important tool in the area of promotion, and can be used by any organization/individual. Now I know this subject may seem like old news to some, but all you have to do is google “facebook” or “social media” and you’ll find a mass amount of results.

To see the original article:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1313565/Facebook-blunder-sees-21k-guests-agree-turn-schoolgirls-party.html

As organizations are recovering from the recent economic crisis they need to take a long hard look in the mirror. Massive layoffs and budget cuts may have been necessary to stay afloat in the short term, but if they don’t pay more attention to the health of their organizational culture none of it will matter in the end. Employees recognize that a company needs results and some may be immediate, but if the company doesn’t put in an effort for its workers they in turn won’t be as efficient.

In a recession, organizational behaviour is usually shoved aside for more “important” issues, but in the time period after those things must be brought back into the spotlight if companies truly want to recover. Managers need to make sure there is a strong support system in place that encourages employees to have the desired company behaviours, whether it’s innovation, efficiency, cooperation or just hard work. Especially after laying off a bunch of people, it’s important to strengthen or rebuild the working relationships to give the remaining employees a newfound sense of belonging and mutual respect. It is in an environment where one has the desire to work and feel a part of the community that companies will find true long term success.

To read more:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/managing/on-the-job/prescription-for-health-organizations-need-a-checkup/article1537201/

While I believe we all realize and understand that our planet is suffering from overuse and that the environment will not be able to sustain us for much longer, not many people are actually willing to change their current way of living. When carbon emission facts are thrown at us like: 18% of Global GhG emissions…, British Columbians use more than 150 litres…. and in industrialized countries from 1990 to 2005 emissions increased….., it doesn’t allow us to feel personally responsible for our own carbon emissions.

This is why websites that allow one to calculate their carbon footprint in a few simple steps are so valuable for the change necessary to become sustainable. When I calculated my carbon footprint I wasn’t surprised to see that my total was 5.445 tonnes of CO2 per year, but having it clearly laid out forced me to really reflect upon my current lifestyle. One particular aspect that impacted me was the fact that the majority of my emissions come from the type of food that I eat. I admit that I am a very happy carnivore and I’m not likely to become a vegetarian anytime soon, however, I’m going to try to cut back on my livestock consumption (except bacon..mmmm!) and look to eating more organic foods.

For anyone who wants a good look at their own personal footprint there are many places you can go, but here is the website that I went to, which I can guarantee is easy to use:

http://go-beyond.ca/carbon-footprint-calculator

Not only is the volcanic activity disrupting the flow of goods, but it has stranded over 750,000 passengers across Europe and has, to date, cost airlines over $1 billion. Airlines are already asking for government compensations and if this situation persists smaller airlines may even have to ask for bailouts. I have no doubt that this is one of the major issues that has derived from the ash cloud, however, we can’t forget about the smaller costs of having so many people stranded. While airlines are losing millions of dollars every day, companies with employees on business trips are also losing money. Although it may seem insignificant in the big picture, business trips that were supposed to last two days and only cost some hundreds in dollars are now turning into thousands of dollars in costs which is important to that particular business. These costs are adding up and seriously effecting financial statements across the board.

On the other hand, there may be some benefits to this natural disaster and while I’m not saying they outweigh the costs, it is important to see the silver lining in every ash cloud. Some people have just been given the opportunity for an extended vacation and those that are on business trips now have a vacation while still getting paid for work. As well, local businesses in the effected areas should see some economic activity as all of the stranded passengers need something to do. It will be interesting to see how all the costs add up in the end and what the long term effects of this disaster will be.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2010/04/19/ash-cloud-airlines-cost.html#ixzz0lZK14klq

In business as in life you can always count on the unforeseeable. You may have the most money or the best technology, but there is always something out there more powerful that can get in your way. Such is the case with the eruption of a volcano in the Eyjafjallajoekull area in Iceland that has produced a huge ash cloud, spreading over northern Europe and creeping closer to Canada. Many business’s that ship products from Canada to Europe are scrambling because a vital component in their supply chain has been taken away, their ability to fly. While other options are available such as ships and trains, a disruption such as this would make it almost impossible for companies such as Canadian Fishing Company that ship fresh fish to their customers in Northern Europe and Russia as other transports would take too long.

This image is from April 17, 2010, a few days after activity started. The blue x’s represent cancelled flights.

It is in circumstances like these where it’s important for supply chain manager’s to have a firm grasp on transportation and logistics as well as communication. While it’s no one’s fault that deadlines may have to be pushed back or shipments postponed, how someone reacts to this information is what matters. As soon as the airports close they should be asking themselves what are the other options? Do we have a back up plan? Many quick decisions need to be made. It’s amazing that Mother Nature can still cause so much chaos in what we consider such a technologically advanced society.

There are many different factors that determine a consumer’s spending habits, but perhaps one of the most powerful is that of human nature. One of the psychological processes that consumers go through in making decisions is perception and a part of that is association. Many people will associate fame and fortune with a product merely because of the fact that a celebrity uses it.

This means they are more likely to buy the same brands, so it is fairly common for entertainers, whether they are athletes, singers or actors, to become a spokesperson for a specific brand. For example: Beyonce with L’Oreal, Michael Phelps with Speedo, and even Ellen DeGeneres with Cover Girl. This occurrence allows marketers to prey on a person’s desires- higher social status, “the American Dream”, future security- to create a need for almost any product they so chose.

In an extreme take on using peer influence, a new movie is due to come out called, The Joneses, which is about a seemingly perfect family in an upscale community. This “family” actually consists of employees from a stealth marketing organization hired to make everyone else want the goods that they have. The entire neighbourhood begins to change their purchasing habits to that of the “ideal family” in the hopes of attaining that success as well. While this may not portray the field of marketing in a great light, it does provide a clear example of how human nature can drive our decisions.

When bidding to host the next Olympics, countries hold the future economic possibilities in mind that come with such international publicity. Which is one of the positive outcomes that Vancouver hoped to have going in to these 2010 Winter Olympics. Looking forward to the years after where an increase in tourism and travel will boost both provincial and national economies, they may have failed to look at what bad publicity might do to the Canadian image.

In an industry such as tourism one of the main appeals is the environment, but unfortunately the usual unpredictable Vancouver weather patterns have not made these Winter Olympics very seasonal.  While I’m proud to call the lower mainland my home and all that goes along with it, the snow shortages, fog, rain and sun, have made our climate more of a liability than an asset in this business venture.

In addition mishaps such as ticket cancellations and multiple injuries due to Olympic setups have created a bad and embarrassing image of Vancouver, just as the massive Toyota recalls have damaged their brand.

Hopefully, in both scenarios, immediate apologies and attempts to rectify the situation will repair any damage done and British Columbia will be able to use the full power of the Olympic brand to our advantage.

There’s no one who can deny that the world is in bad shape and that something has to be done to save it. After centuries of polluting the environment we have finally realized that in order to survive, we must change. Awareness of Global warming has caused a shift in the demands of consumers and while this does not cause the same problem of life and death for industries, it may feel that way for some businesses.

To meet the needs of their consumers all companies, not only those who have a direct connection to pollution such as car and oil industries, are being forced to address the threat of Global Warming and become more sustainable. “Green” products are being created to appeal to customers and show how companies may be environmentally conscious.

While the economic impact on changing trends requires companies to adapt in a competitive market, it is essential that the business community communicates with one another to help each other solve the environmental repercussions of this growing issue. This may go against some of the many unwritten rules in business such as staying ahead of the competition, but sharing knowledge and solving a global problem does not mean that industries can’t capitalize on this new opportunity.

I’m not embarrassed to admit that I’ve never been one to immediately connect with technology. However, as channels of communication increasingly rely on the internet and wireless networks, I have been forced to adapt and change. In fact I didn’t start to text until just a few months ago and up until a few weeks ago I had a discman instead of an iPod. I was never against social media I was just slow on the uptake and finally decided to get connected. Just as I chose to accept this evolution of technology so has the business world.

Social media is not just a fad, it has become a way of life and in order to survive and succeed in their industries, businesses have had to adapt. With products like the iPhone and Blackberry which enable easy on-the-go access to the internet, people are able to buy almost anything at anytime merely on a whim. This demand has opened up new markets and created a bigger playing field for competition. While some things may never change, such as the fact that a good paperback is preferable to reading an online novel, the medians in which our business transactions take place have evolved to create more opportunities.

While the retail and computer industries are completely separate entities they both share a common problem of ever changing trends. In order for companies to grow and sustain themselves in these fields they must have an effective and flexible supply chain.

Companies such as Dell and Zara both follow similar strategies in order to adapt and keep up with customer demands. Zara’s first step is to gather as much information from their store counters and send it back as quick and direct as possible to their design teams. Even though Dell operates online they still manage to accumulate just as much customer interaction through their own social and media events as well as customer panels.

With inventory that can go out of style within a week, constant communication between the customer and the designer/engineer is essential to fixing technical problems or completely changing a fashion line. By being a part of every step in the supply chain both Dell and Zara gain uncorrupted information, much faster than if a third party was involved, that they can then use to predict future demands and react immediately.