Patricia Poon's Blog

Ethiopia is the only African country that has never been colonized, a fact the people are extremely proud of, and rightly so. Walk down the street and you will not see ONE foreign owned enterprise or big box retailer. That means no Walmart, no Target, no Forever 21, no McDonalds, and no, not even a Starbucks, even though Ethiopia’s own “Kaldi’s” is the copycat version. Other than the large banks, almost every business is either government owned or family owned.

Indeed, it is painful to imagine foreign retailers pasting a templated store into the heart of Addis. Businesses having success in Kenya or South Africa often do not have a market here.

In almost every market, the barriers to entry are low but there is little support and business infrastructure to be found. Therefore, every business is under funded and is heavily hindered from being scalable. The pain points are clear. Talk to any business owner, manager, CEO, or entrepreneur in Addis and they will tell you the same thing –

1. Rent

2. Financing

The shortage of not only money, but also capital available in Ethiopia is astounding. Due to government regulations capping foreign investment in most sectors, Ethiopia has one the lowest amounts of credit available in the private sector in the region – about 14%. However, generous government subsidies are available to certain businesses, often covering cost of materials and even rent.

The biggest hindrance to private sector development and innovation is a “government blessing”. In most cases, success largely depends on government policy. For example, if a company wanted to import raw materials not produced in Ethiopia, regulations state that it MUST also export Ethiopian produced goods in amounts equal to or greater than the value of the imported goods.

And a lot of things are not made in Ethiopia. For example, medical devices such as syringes, urine or stool cups, and surgical masks. An entrepreneur named Abeba has secured a government grant, government demand and highly subsidized land to be the sole producer and manufacturer of these products in Addis Ababa.

Some are getting restless. They see the homogenous and low quality products and services that are being distributed in Addis and know there is a huge gap between what could be offered and what actually is. Currently the government owns all telecom, electricity, water, utilities, and heavily restricts banking, transport, and retail sectors. It refuses invitations to join the WTO each year and will continue to.

But, it seems the government will change its mind for good reasons. Mr. Fitsum Gezahegn, is the owner of Paradise Ethiopia Travel and an Arc graduate. Under his suggestion, the government formed the Ethiopian Board of Tourism, resulting in tourism becoming a private / public sector. The government now funds only 40% of the industry, allowing for greater expansion opportunities from private parties. Fitsum is now Ethiopia’s international tourism representative.

Speaking of tourism, depending on who you ask, customer service is either “everything”, or “not a thing”. During our workshop, we asked the question, “What do your customers want?” – and each entrepreneur had the same answer: High quality and customization. Business is so humble here that products and services are customized by the nature of the start-up (clothing design, honey wine production, security, landscaping services). Almost all small businesses will be quick be use this as a point of differentiation, but it is really intrinsic of their business, a realization that was felt by many in our group.

Because of this, many grow to distrust large corporations, imported products, and even the news on TV, preferring locally made products, and information heard through friends and family. Our team was surprised when many participants wanted to start local manufacturing businesses for basic materials such as plastic bottles or juice, which would enter the market to directly compete with low cost, low price, huge volume imported goods from China. However, in Ethiopia, such “audacity” is actually feasible because there is such a demand for locally made and produced products – it is not only heavily encouraged by the government (in the form of subsidies) to boost the economy, but also by the local customers who trust locally made products rather than the chemical and questionable quality of Chinese imports.

Therefore, almost all business marketing is primarily done through word of mouth, making awareness of each again, difficult to scale. Surprisingly, TV advertisements are not taken with a grain of salt; the logic being that if a business had enough cash to advertise, they must be reputable.

Most foreign corporations have mastered ongoing customer service. However, the laissez-faire attitude of the habesha culture, despite the friendliness of most citizens, certainly infiltrates the corporate world. According to our participants, support through the buyers’ process, and especially product maintenance and upkeep is almost non existent. The looming threat of foreign corporations in Ethiopia concerns some entrepreneurs who believe the superior customer service may crowd out and replace local businesses if they cannot adapt.

Despite this, Ethiopia’s “closed door” policy has many merits. I have never seen targeted groups or people. Although the disparity between rich and poor is extreme, (a man told me last week, “There is no average. There is rich and there is very poor”). Locals are accommodating, helpful and friendly, and in some ways because of the people I feel safer in Addis than in many places I have travelled.

Although the country is split almost exactly 50/50 religiously (Christian and Muslim), the two groups live in such harmony it is difficult to believe that their brothers and sisters in faith in surrounding regions have gone to war for millennia over differing beliefs.

Bright and hopeful minds we met believe the country plans to change drastically. The pace of wealth creation is impressive for a country with an average GNI of less than $500. Surely it is a country that cannot close its doors from the world forever, and when it finally changes it policies, we might see a new and formidable player in the game.

-P

“If people protect the environment, it will be kind to us.”

I am inspired to blog today after meeting Mr. Tesfaye Mekonnen (Tes-fai), an Ethiopian entrepreneur who designs, produces and sells eco-friendly, recycled paper products. Currently all paper products are handmade. He invited us into his factory to see the paper production process. The materials are collected from the vast excess resources in Ethiopia, including recycled paper, cotton, and banana or coconut husks. Tesfaye makes postcards, bookmarks, notebooks and folders of different sizes, wedding cards/gifts, and even custom orders.

Tesfaye has been involved with the Arc Initiative since its inception in Ethiopia. Since attending the first conference in 2010, he has developed international partnerships, resulting in the procurement of German and Chinese paper press machines, attracted international academic interest – and most recently, submitted a 40 page business proposal to the government for a $50,000 grant, beating out almost 90 other applicants for the award.

I am honoured to work with Tesfaye over the next 2 months.

Tesfaye’s dreams are indeed grand. “In one month, this will not be enough”, he says, gesturing around his factory, which still has plenty of open and empty space.

“We can change our lives in Ethiopia. The right time is coming”, he says. “My colleagues, they always talk about going to Canada, to America. Why go? We can make a change here, in Addis. In our own community. I believe we can change: first ourselves, then everything around us.”

And as my finance friends fly off to Toronto, to New York, to London to join and work for big firms, Tesfaye’s strong words sincerely moved me. His commitment to his own community was powerfully genuine. Why go? Why not improve our community? Why not our city?

Tesfaye also does not take no for an answer. He recalls when his application for imported equipment was denied. “So”, he recounts with a sparkle in his eyes, “I camped outside his office for 2 months”.

Do you think your work would be easily copied, we ask? We know that competition becomes fierce when you start seeing success. Tesfaye agrees. He recently turned away offers of millions from businessmen: “Many rich businessmen, they say, Tesfaye, I want to see your factory. I want to know about your production. Why? I have spent 6 or 7 years learning and creating this process. Why give it away in minutes? I have tested the waters. I know the ups and downs.”

We are growing quickly, he says. In just two weeks we can make over 100,000 bags per year. I need you.

No problem, I say. I will make you a beautiful website. His eyes smile and he clasps his hands together. “Thank you”, he says. It is such a warm and generous show of gratitude that a grin splits my face from ear to ear and I feel as if I almost cannot accept it.

Tesfaye invites me to sit. He carefully explains that some friends have made suggestions to his current website and requests changes. No problem, I say. I already have some ideas in mind.

What about Facebook? He asks. He has heard about Facebook. No problem, I say. I would love to.

And LinkedIn? And Twitter? He is now getting more and more excited. I cannot stop from smiling. Not a problem, I say. To find such a great person, whose business needs fit my skill set perfectly is rare.

He is unsure how to ask the next question. And coaching or training, he asks?

Tesfaye, I say, smiling widely now, this is exactly what I do in Canada. I design and create websites. I help businessmen like yourself use technology to grow your business. I teach workshops for LinkedIn, for Facebook, for web design. I know what you need. I am so excited to work with you.

After, we walked around the city (like normal teenagers), grocery shopped for junk food, visited Edna Mall and an amazing bakery. We cracked open our first beers as a team sitting on small purple stools at a tiny beer stand outside our guesthouse.

I spent the rest of the evening creating financial management practice questions for our entrepreneurs. They had to be useful, they had to be understandable, relatable to the business landscape in Ethiopia, and most of all, they had to be easily explainable to someone whose first language was not English.

I aimed to answer 5 crucial questions:

• Should I Invest?
• Which Project?
• Should I Borrow?
• Should I Sell?
• Should I Buy?

Our conference is in 2 days. I cannot wait to learn and teach.

Last week, we walked around the city and I felt overwhelmed. Quietly observing and absorbing was enough for me. The cultural differences were immense and I was intensely aware of my foreign appearance, my foreign actions. After having visited the museums, some businesses, and very friendly locals during the first few days, I felt as if Ethiopia had much more to teach us than we had to teach Ethiopia.

After all, who am I to visit a new land and begin pushing our foreign business concepts on people who know more about running a business than I do?

But this is why I love technology. Because, more so than any other field, I have been fortunate enough to spend time building websites, learning code, implementing software, using Facebook, and using LinkedIn – not only for my own pleasure but also to grow businesses rapidly. I was extremely humbled to be asked to be the team web lead and asked to design and create websites for many of our key entrepreneurs.

Being wholly against “voluntourism”, “donations”, and foreigners who do more harm than good in developing countries, I was apprehensive about what I could have offered as a stranger in a strange land. The way foreign aid has been given to countries in Africa helps perpetuate poverty and hinders economic growth. This is the opposite of what Arc stands for.

Meeting Tesfaye today was the beginning. I began to believe that I could help enhance his business in small ways. The Arc Initiative ultimately gives a small number of Ethiopian entrepreneurs something many charities do not: governance over their own future in hopes of working towards governance for their country.

So many entrepreneurs are on the cusp of something great, and my goal is to help guide them towards this enormous success. My work is my passion, and I am SO excited to share this passion with the entrepreneurs in Addis.

This week, I am inspired to help make small changes as a visitor in this world.

“You have come at the right time”, Tesfaye said in an email to me. With such conviction that I almost believed that I had.

Signing off, with passion,

Patricia

Dear UBC Blog, I know I have been neglecting you. I haven’t written since freshman year – partially because I am learning so much that my thoughts couldn’t possibly keep up with all of it, and partially because I wouldn’t be able to do the topics justice. However just recently I took a course titled business communications, and thought this would be the perfect space to gather my thoughts about the course. 

I have always believed that I was a good presenter.

I am by no means an introvert. My parents retired in 1996, when I was 2 years old. Therefore, I began working at just 14 years of age, part time at a local movie theatre after school and on weekends. The hours were often long and the environment stressful. Eventually, I began serving at a popular restaurant, and from this experience I thought I knew about engaging my audience.

In grade 10, I was invited to coach and mentor high school students to judge local science fair projects and conduct workshops and seminars, after my own experience as a Gold Medalist at the National Fair. So, I thought I knew about informing, coaching and training others.

In grade 12, the BC teachers’ strike meant that support for our graduation ceremonies were completely abandoned. I scoured the halls to recruit over 100 amazing student volunteers, spearheaded fundraisers, organized school talent shows, and pitched my own design proposals to the school board staff. So, I thought I knew about assuming responsibility, addressing a wide audience, and giving persuasive proposals.

Now, here at UBC, I have many opportunities to address a wide audience. From the President of the Hong Kong Students’ Association, to being a Campus Ambassador, I frequently and comfortably chat with my peers, represent them on relevant issues, and drive my team to success.

As a Project Manager and Consultant at Linked Into Leads, a LinkedIn training and lead generation company, I have worked with CEOs, Presidents, Founders, and B2B Sales Professionals to manage their e-business strategy. So, I thought I knew about informative presentations, corporate training, business meetings, and the professional world.

I was so wrong. (And I had a big ego). Although these experiences were crucial in helping me develop a public speaking mindset, and alleviate the nervousness many peers my age have when confronted with the exercise, I was far, far, away from a polished and impressive speaker. In retrospect, I am really pleased that UBC offers this mandatory course for each of their business graduates.

A particular topic I enjoyed was “audience focused presentations”. It is easy enough to see that presenting, there is often only one opportunity to “get it right” – and audiences can be unforgiving. Through our discussions, I eventually learned to take accountability – realizing that I bear the sole responsibility to convince the audience of my purpose, while keeping them engaged. We learned a neat technique – by structuring the presentation around the triple bottom line (People, Planet, and Profit), we can speak to 3 things that matter to any audience member.

We also discussed the importance of structure in alleviating audience doubts. I had a wonderful corporate finance professor who introduced corporate structure by first stating that she would ensure we understood the simplest model first – an all-equity firm in a world with no taxes or bankruptcy. Then, she explained that we would “add” a different type of complexity to the previous concept, such as debt, interest tax shields and the risk of default. Eventually, before I knew it, we were discussing the impact of senior and junior debt in a leveraged buy out timeline, and valuing IPOs for large companies. This class has taught me a lot about the types of presentations that work for a variety of people.

This class also had us prepare and deliver presentations, all of which were recorded. Though they were difficult to watch, I found that I have a very soft and flowing voice. Therefore, certain “strong” or emotional statements do not marry well with my natural tone and I must take this into account, whether by being extremely conscious of changes in pitches and tones, or carefully planning and choosing appropriate fillers and pauses. This leads into my next takeaway – That confidence is not a belief, but also a projection. It is not enough to be feel confident, but I must also act and be confident.

Our class introduced several techniques to portray confidence. The first was to know your audience well – segment them and conduct serious research. Know what their lifestyle is, what biases they have, what their priorities are, and what they may already know about your topic. Secondly, we aimed to answer the following questions: How can I help? How can I increase their confidence and show them helpful tools? Crafting a presentation knowing that I can truly address my audiences’ concerns certainly encourages me to speak effectively.

It was interesting to learn that some Toastmasters had actually “broken” down even impromptu speaking down to a science. I was surprised to find that the structure of a great speech is very similar to that of a formal presentation, and that one of the key aspects was not only the passion and delivery of the presenter, but also their structure. Many tips, including using a personal story, referring to current news, or using comparisons, allowed me to learn how to organize my thoughts.

But how can I transform mere ideas into meaning? Information into stories? I certainly did not expect to emerge from this class a TED Talk Speaker. I began this class believing I was a good presenter, and perhaps, in some ways, I was. However, I realized quickly that I was far from being an adequate speaker. I learned many valuable lessons along the way. I have always believed strongly in connecting with my audience, but striking the balance of emotional and analytical appeal was extremely foreign and a technique I felt should be reserved for inspirational speeches. Regrettably this is an aspect I must heavily work on going forward.

I learned to NEVER overgeneralize, even when introducing an argument or giving a strong persuasive speech. Rather, a well-structured, carefully researched, logical presentation will sway more audiences than passion well. However, I also learned that CONVICTION is important. Regardless of well-researched facts, or reasonable context, material must be delivered to the audience in a trustworthy and confident manner.

But most importantly, I have learned to be an active listener in order to truly understand my audience’s pain points and needs, such that I can ask relevant questions and offer insightful solutions. My professor led by example when she taught us that good speakers are also good listeners, and I truly admired this. No matter how repetitive discussions may have been, her body language and facial expressions always ensures us that we are offering an excellent contribution. This resonated with me. As an audience member, if I expect the speaker to give the best presentation possible, I must encourage them to do so by giving them my full attention.

Listening to my classmates’ presentations was incredibly eye-opening. How often do you get a chance to hear 30+ presentations on a variety of topics, from a variety of unique people? From excellent to lackluster to everywhere in between, each allowed me to reflect on my reaction as an audience member. For example, during our impromptu presentations, slow and steady cadence, with lots of “intended” pauses, was a technique many used to contain their nervousness and allow their brains to catch up with their voice. On the other hand, other speakers tended to overcompensate by outwardly raising their voices and speaking quickly, which amplified their obvious nervousness. Accounting for my own uncomfortable reactions to certain speeches allowed me to reflect on my own shortcomings as a speaker.

There are many challenges that lie on the road ahead; however, I have learned that there is no end to improvement. This class showed me the many ways speaking is truly an art, and I am sure there are many more. This summer, I am honoured to have been chosen as a delegate to conduct an MBA-type workshop for business owners and entrepreneurs in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, through a program at Sauder called the Arc Initiative. The Arc Initiative delivers a conference that truly stands for everything I believe in, challenging conventional ideas of “foreign aid” to provide true education, and foster business skills and management mentality, and economic well-being in developing countries. The book “7 Habits of Highly Successful People” was recommended during our class, and I look forward to purchasing it for in-flight reading!

In addition, we discussed speaking to international audiences. In the past, I had refrained from adjusting my presentation style when speaking to such audiences in fear that they would feel offended. However, our professor coached us into accepting that subtle and carefully chosen changes in tone, demeanor, and even relatable examples can make a presentation much more effective, without offending my audience. We agreed that these techniques, particularly examples which resonate (ie. Refraining from using Starbucks or Lululemon as case examples in Ethiopia, instead, use local market), helps the audience retain new information and “warms” them to a level where they are comfortable enough to speak up and clarify misunderstood information.

When I lived in Yokohama as an exchange student, I did indeed adjust to the high-context culture and appreciated the honorifics, small gestures, and the customary (“ittekimasu/tadaima/okaeri” I’m leaving/I’m home/Welcome home!) greetings. When I was in Greece, I noticed the phenomenon known as “GMT” (Greece Maybe Time) – doing business with the laid-back, friendly Greeks would certainly be a vastly different affair than with the Scandinavians (though it is one country I have regrettably never visited.)

I am so pleased to have taken this business writing course when I did – the concepts introduced have allowed me to reflect significantly on adding value to my audience when delivering a speech. I have become even better at conveying complex information and concepts in simple, concise terms. I have learned to deliver audience-focused presentations that are interesting, informative, and engaging. So, as I chat with my friends in passing, as I sit down for coffee with a new connection, as I make phone calls, chair meetings, give business strategy presentations, or even consultations and training sessions, I know each opportunity is a chance for improvement. And I will never stop learning.

Upon finishing our marketing video for Lululemon, I am extremely pleased with our results. Firstly, we chose a good team. We were similar and relatable enough to get along well throughout the course, but different enough to bring different dynamics and personalities to our project. In our section, we were one of the more diverse groups in terms of personality and skillset.

Although none of us were proficient in movie or audio editing, each of us learned a new skill in order to complete this project. Skills learned included:

• filming using a DSLR, including focussing on the subject and blurring the background
• planning/timing a storyline and script
• using movie editing software such as Final Cut Pro
• how to position yourself in front of a camera

Throughout the project, there was a comfortable and casual group dynamic. Some members contributed creatively, by helping edit and film, while others wrote the script and voiced many of the parts in a professional manner. Our group successfully worked to finish the written assignments together; every member made a conscious effort to be present at meetings and to pull their own weight, even asking if there was extra work to be done. I found this project enjoyable and would work with this group again.

This week I will be responding to a post from a classmate in my marketing 296 class. Lydia Choi recently highlighted thetransformation of marketing tactics throughout the past century. Firms have moved from a logical marketing strategy – simply stating the specifications of the product, to appealing to emotions to empathize with consumers, to creating an interactive environment for the consumer from the marketing campaigns to the shopping environment.

I would like to commend Lydia on her insightful observations. While reading her blog, I began to ask myself what drove entire groups of marketing firms to change their tactics on such large scales, and came to realize that her statement required a slight adjustment. In fact, quite a few brands today still use a logical marketing strategy – for example, ThinkPad still operates under the notion of robust, dependable design, as do many other PC brands who brand customization. So, some select niches with loyal customers can continue to see success under a logical strategy.

However, in today’s competitive markets, with many well-established firms in a variety of industries from retail to technology to beauty products, emerging firms must adopt an interactive marketing strategy to differentiate their brand. This could include cliffhanger advertisements which prompt the viewer to visit their website to find out what happened next (GoDaddy, SuperBowl commercial), to the more popular social media campaigns on Facebook and Instagram. For example, Vancouver-based tattoo and piercing studio Adrenaline frequently holds contests on their Facebook page, offering a free simple piercing to the first customer who visits the store and completes a given challenge.

You know you’re a business student when you giggle out loud reading a Forbes article. This particular entry by Paul Brown caught my eye – he argues against the notion of creative new products. He is not discouraging outlandish and impractical ventures, but is blatantly disapproving unique entrepreneurship.

Paul argues that creativity, though a valued trait, is not profitable. In that sense, an ‘innovative’ product will likely not be successful if it aims to create a new market. Entrepreneurs should first analyze the primary needs of a given target market and shape a product around these needs. From my marketing course, I know that this eliminates one of the largest problems of aspiring entrepreneurs – finding a market who will want to buy their product. By aiming to fulfill a need rather than creating an entirely new product, we already have an identifiable, reachable, and feasible target market, as well as a product that we know has a high probability of achieving profitability. The marketing strategy, process becomes dramatically easier.

The 2DS is Nintendo’s entry level iteration of the 3DS  and the 3DS XL – ‘a DS capable of playing 3DS games, but not in 3D’. How useless, you say. What is the point?  Nintendo’s marketing schemes suggest it is a product to introduce younger kids (7 years and under) to their gaming network. I disagree. I think the Nintendo 2DS – considering its release date – is made for consumers like myself.

Let me explain the 2DS’s  actual target demographic. It is oddly specific but will be widely successful. The console is catered towards older students (or even adults) such as myself, who have grown up with the Pokemon series and who are looking to purchase Pokemon X and Y, the new version released on October 12.

The series has a nostalgic replay value, yet the games constantly improve and expand to a point where I will, without a doubt, purchase the next iteration. And I am not alone. In the first 2 days, Pokemon X and Y has sold over 4 million copies. This statistic represents much more than parents buying the game for their children. And Nintendo’s release of the 2DS on the exact same day is no coincidence.

At $129.29, the 2DS is an attractive option for parents to purchase for their young child. However, it is also a great option for those who have grown up playing Pokemon and who are not willing to spend over $250 on a 3DS to only play one game.

Nintendo has been extremely clever. Pokemon X and Y has constantly been marketed as ‘the game to change all Pokemon games’. The iteration features many new ‘firsts’ for Pokemon, encouraging those who have fallen out of interest to pick up a copy and resume playing. It is the first of the series to be rendered completely in 3D – making it only playable on the 3DS, and no other previous console. Trainer customization and various aspects of RPG have been completely redone, resulting in an entire game engine and new levels and tactics of play.

IGN raves: 

Game Freak has really outdone itself this time, and Pokemon X and Y will be remembered as great transition point for the series’ transformation into an even more social, beautiful, and strategic game. Building on five generations of games, a digital menagerie of captivating creatures, and a wide range of diverse regions to explore, Pokemon X and Y proves this formulaic portable role-playing series can still deliver an innovative experience.

I hope I have made my point clear. So who is the 2DS for? Nintendo is not creating anything new. It is not for the serious ‘gamers’ who have a 3DS XL or even the older 3DS. The 2DS is for the entry level-buget gamer. It is catered specifically for the older audience seeking to play one game and one game only –  oddly specific audience, yet I expect this console to be extremely successful. I applaud you Nintendo.

As you probably know by now, I tend to write about technology and cell phone trends – today is no different. This article caught my eye on Forbes, and I just had to add my two cents.

Now, I’m aware that, as a Canadian, my perspective of Verizon is a bit skewed – they definitely do not have a great brand name here, except for the quirky commercials showing their coverage maps. We can establish that Verizon is most definitely one of the top players of the cell phone market in the US. Another significant aspect of the US cell phone market I need to point out to the Canadian layman is that it has significantly less entry barriers; however, certain phones are only available on certain carriers, and carriers have the power to charge up to $100 more or less than their competitors. Keep this in mind. Great, now we can begin the discussion.

Quick facts:

• Verizon has been developing an ‘Innovation Centre’, targeted towards companies looking to invest in new and unique technologies, for over 2 and a half years. The goal: “augmenting Verizon’s role as a connectivity pipe for more machines.”
• Re-opened its San Fran Innovation Centre just today
• Has worked with about 300 companies and accrued costs of over $10 million

The bottom line – and Forbes words this excellently – so I will just quote the article and save us all a bit of trouble:

“Verizon is capitalizing on a trend for large companies to launch projects with the word “Innovation” in the title and end up doing wildly divergent things.”

So, why is Verizon doing this? Recently (in the past 3 years or so), there has been an overwhelming trend seen in ‘green’ corporate culture. Companies, especially publicly traded companies, are quickly realizing how an environmentally friendly AND innovative company culture appeals to consumers – yes, their employer brand DOES matter. A prime example would be Dove’s new marketing campaigns geared towards womens’ self esteem. Google strongly emphasizes the fact that employees are allocated flex hours, solely dedicated to working on their “own projects”.

Many players in the cell phone market are following suit. Earlier this year, Samsung also created an ‘Open Innovation Centre’. Companies are largely and blindly investing in start-ups, planning to buy them outright. This also fulfills their need to constantly fuel growth – how else are companies of their size meant to continue to make money for shareholders?  (I’m finding there are more and more problems with this issue. But, I digress.)

At this point – I should say the title of the article is a bit misleading. Verizon is, in no way, attempting to breach the privacy of households (that would be a whole ‘nother can of worms); its plan is to swallow all start up tech companies in the hopes that their products will eventually connect to Verizon’s expansive network. The bottom line is this: Verizon is wrongly branding their planned acquisitions of start-up companies as ‘supporting innovation’. 

It saddens me to see companies taking hopeful intangibles such as ‘innovation’ and ‘green culture’ and modelling a formula for reaching these goals – when the reason they are so valued by customers is that true innovation does not come out of a corporate toolbox. True innovation cannot be created.

A screenshot of a tweet is often now used as incriminating evidence for many controversial news stories – from suicides to teenage bullying, and now, even in the business world.

In fact, business journalists have been advocating the importance of twitter since 2008.

Taco Bell shows us how Twitter can be used successfully – in less than 140 characters, the company has conveyed a remarkable sense of humour and wittiness.

As of today, Nokia’s day-old tweet towards Apple, mocking its new line of 5C phones, has gone viral, and has been recorded as the ‘most retweeted brand tweets ever’.

If Twitter really is a gold mine – the widely accepted platform for companies to market their product – how should they go about doing it? Should they broadcast quirky quips to connect with the intended audience? Or should they remain professional? Is banter allowed between companies using the ‘@’ symbol? How far can they go until a tweet is seen as ‘mud-slinging’? In fact, this is not a one-time strategy by Nokia – I’m sure everyone remembers their ‘colour commercial’ earlier last year suggesting that iPhones were plain – which raised eyebrows at questionable marketing schemes. Should advertising really be centred around casual insults? Old Spice and Taco Bell share witty, but casual banter over Twitter in another popular viral thread:

Kenneth Cole recently argued that offensive tweets are ‘simply good business strategy’, after he tweeted about the Syrian conflict lightheartedly. In fact, the Business Insider CTO himself was forced to resign earlier this month due to a similar issue.

So, what do we think? A topic of ethical interest… Or good for a chuckle with your morning coffee?

http://www.businessinsider.com/windows-users-plan-to-switch-to-apple-2012-11?utm_source=Pulse&utm_medium=App&utm_campaign=partner&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pulsenews