Stephanie Herdman's Blog

In response to Antoine Masse’s blog post about RIM, I also agree that they need stop trying to muscle their way into the smartphone market to butt heads with Apple.

Just watching RIM, once a major Canadian company on the forefront of technology, reduced to this:

Is a bit sad, even if you’re not a BlackBerry advocate (which I’m not).

BlackBerry needs to realize that at this point, there is no point in competing for market share in the same markets as the iPhone.

There isn’t much questioning that specs-wise Apple’s closest competitor is Android. They have similar app markets and interfaces, while BlackBerry is stuck in their own world.

A lot of people are seeing this as a negative, but like Antoine said, it could be used as a positive. The iPhone app’s could easily be too much of a distraction in the business setting, and BlackBerries have had their niche there.

What RIM needs to do is to stop targeting the young adult market who wants their phones to do everything (GPS, games, connectivity, creative outlet, etc.) and get back to marketing what they’re known for.

They seem to have figured this out, as the new BlackBerry Bold campaign aims to target people who want “tools, not toys”.

Another thing that BlackBerry should get on, is the fact that the U.S. President himself is a huge ‘crackberry’ advocate.

The President has stirred up a lot of buzz with this move with security concerns, but many people are seeing him as the “cool, hip and with it President” that knows technology.

BlackBerry should use this to target slightly older users who don’t necessarily want all the bells and whistles of an iPhone, but want to stay up to date with their work.

In response to Matthew Ho’s blog post about the Budweiser commercial aired during the Super Bowl.

As a hockey player myself, currently playing in the UBC Rec hockey league, I thought the entire ad was very heartwarming. Any amateur sports player has dreamed about playing pro, or at least what it would be like to play the “big game”. Seeing the players reactions to the fans pouring in was just priceless, and my heart just welled up into a pile of goo.

And while I feel many sports players could relate to this, I was surprised they aired a hockey ad during the Super Bowl. Are there people who play hockey and watch football? Yes. But after talking to many people and seeing posts on the internet, it seems like it’s not nearly as popular in Canada as it would be in the States.

I feel that an ad of this scale should have been saved and previewed on a much bigger event for Canadians, like the Stanley Cup final.

I personally know how big the beer-hockey link is (as a goalie, I practically get paid in beers. Every post-game, even drop in scrimmages, are finished with a can of beer) so I just felt that some how Budweiser could waited a little bit more. In fact, the impact was so small I hadn’t even heard of it until I saw it on Matthew’s post.

I am however, thankful to Budweiser for giving those two teams that opportunity, an event that will only happen once in a lifetime.

Saint Nic'

Being the first day of December, people are already posting carols on Facebook and I can’t help but roll my eyes a little.

Costco has their holiday decorations out by late July, may others right after Halloween.

Born a Christian in the United Kingdom, I know all too well what the holiday is about, but I don’t see where in the Christian faith it says we have to buy people presents, share Christmas cards, or set up a Christmas tree.

Yet here we are, Christians, Atheists, Muslims, Buddhists and just about everyone spending our savings on gifts for friends, family, and significant others.

More than one quarter of personal income is spent just on this holiday season.

I applaud the conjoined efforts of marketing everywhere that lured people in to thinking this way, encouraging it, and spreading it to people outside of Christianity.

I’m all for everyone celebrating Christmas, but I definately think we need to step back and realize that it’s no about giving your friend a $60 game that makes him happy, it’s your time and consideration. Despite what companies tell you.

My parents don’t see it this way, unfortunately, so I still owe them a gift.

Logo

As one of the most admired company cultures, and one of the top places to work, WestJet has certainly raised the bar for others for not only in the employee satisfaction area, but in customer service as well.

Using social media, a state of the art building in Calgary, and a lax working atmosphere, employees in WestJet tend to enjoy their experience there.

The employees enjoy their work, more people want to work at WestJet, and the result is that they have a massive pool of people to select from, and people in positions have to keep up standards or they can quite easily be replaced.

I’ve been on several WestJet flights, and my family have always been delighted with them, so we’ve continued to fly with them even if, on the rare occasion, they are more expensive than Air Canada.

WestJet has clued in to the fact that happy, empowered employees are more likely to provide excellent customer service.

Good customer service brings back customers, and that’s pretty important for any company. I know that back at home we switched from Telus to Shaw just for customer service.

I anticipate my flight back home with you, WestJet.

Puma has recently announced their abolishment of shoe boxes and replacing them with their new “clever little bag”.

With companies constantly talking about going “green”, the real question is whether it’s actually morals talking, or something more.

The environment has become a hot topic for everyone, and is constantly in the lime  light. Whether it’s in the news or an argument between politicians, it’s hard to ignore it. Companies are jumping on  the eco-bandwagon left, right and center, so it’s hard to believe it’s all out of good will.

I’d like to believe companies did it because they seriously felt strongly about it, but the fact of life is that they are corporations, and they need to make profit. Saying that you’re going green is a huge turn on for consumers, and aims to make people feel better about buying your brand. Will more people buy Puma’s because they changed their shoe boxes? Most likely, no.

But the positive image they portray to people, and the longterm benefit of saying on paper and electricity makes i a smart decision for the company none of the less. Paying $120 for shoes never made me feel less guilty.

From http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Business/Puma-Trainers-Firm-Announces-End-To-Shoeboxes-And-Reveal-New-Sustainable-Clever-Little-Bag/Article/201004215601678?lpos=Business_News_Your_Way_Region_0&lid=NewsYourWay_ARTICLE_15601678_Puma:_Trainers_Firm_Announces_End_To_Shoeboxes_And_Reveal_New_Sustainable_Clever_Little_Bag_

The previous videos are from Mike Thomas’ blog about the camp conditions in Fort McMurray. Along with the videos, he posted his own personal view about what was happening in the camps, and his few days there.

Of course, this led to him being fired.

The boundary between social media and the business world is increasingly blurring. Business’ are doing background checks on Google, and monitoring your Facebook. There’s been more than one case of people getting fired because of an inappropriate picture or two getting tagged.

But should business’ really be using their time to undermine their employees?

It’s a growing question, and in the case of Mike Thomas, I don’t believe Suncor does. I understand where they are coming from, because they already have enough PR problems; the tailing ponds, cancer in the area, the recent boycott ads from the US, and their latest oil spill out East.

At the same time, firing the employee who spoke his name has only brought them worse press, and more coverage on subject.

What companies need to start doing is listening to complaints from employees and fixing them. It’ll improve PR and bring less bad press for everyone.

From: http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Oilsands+worker+says+fired+over+blog/3651635/story.html

Tod’s Group which specializes in shoes and leather products has decided to disregard the new technology era.

While we talk about company’s like Dell and Starbuck’s using Twitter, or Mountain Co-op using Facebook, Tod’s has decided to stay firmly put in it’s customs.

Despite not joining the technological wave, Tod’s is still making profits.

The reason for this is that their brand is already well established. They simply have no need to upgrade and follow this IT craze that has everyone else struggling to keep up. It’s also a chunk of their company image. They want the image of tradition and vintage. They’re a luxury brand that already is bought by royalty around the world.

So what I have to say, is that while MIS is necessary for every company, it does not mean that they have to all do it in the same way. It all depends on the company image and the target market they are going for.

So hats off to Tod’s who managed strengthens their market by not joining  the new era. Way to fight the technology bandwagon.

From: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/business/global/10tods.html?ref=business