By Francis Moran
I love working with young technology companies, and that’s part of the reason I volunteer as a mentor at startup accelerators like Montreal’s Founder Fuel. I was there yesterday, putting on a session I do for each cohort that teaches these budding entrepreneurs a framework for the strategic planning of their marketing function.
I was reminded yesterday of a conversation I had with a Founder Fuel CEO a couple of cohorts ago. It was just a few days before Demo Day, that high-pressure moment when each cohort company presents its investment proposition to a room full of angel and VC investors. I had been working with the CEO on his messaging for his investor deck, and the revised deck he was reviewing with me and another mentor reflected some of that work.
Then the other mentor said, “You know, this is too high level. Half the people in the room aren’t going to understand what you’re talking about.”
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By Hailley Griffis
As a regular feature, we provide our readers with a roundup of some of the best articles we have read in the past week. On the podium this week are Convince&Convert, VentureBurn, Kim Garst, TechVibes and Commander Chris Hadfield.
Contagion, social media, and why things catch on
Jonah Berger, marketing professor at the Wharton School, discusses setting realistic goals with a viral marketing campaign and the science behind it.
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By Francis Moran
The aphorism that a camel is a horse designed by committee is usually attributed to Greek-born British car designer Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, who was responsible for British Motor Corporation’s popular Mini. I never quite understood why Sir Alex would disparage a camel’s design — the animal, while unusual in shape and function, seems perfectly designed to be the ship of the Sahara that it eventually became. I take no issue whatsoever, though, with his sentiment that it is a very bad idea to ask a bunch of people to try to work together to design anything.
And yet, it is still too common an activity.
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By Leo Valiquette
OK. I must confess off the top to be being a diehard Trek fan. (And no, I do not attend conventions wearing prosthetic Vulcan ears or Klingon foreheads, nor do I even own such things.) But even if I were not, I’m sure I would still be praising the latest celebrity ad campaign from Audi.
If you haven’t seen it, do not read further until you’ve watched this first.
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By Leo Valiquette
Last month’s lineup featured great posts on how established companies should innovate, a startup CEO’s tips for wooing investors, the risks of discounting your product and the need for philanthropy to be a natural part of doing business. And of course, there was plenty of sage advice on what it takes to make marketing work.
In case you missed any of it, here is a handy recap of our posts, as ranked by the enthusiasm of our readers:
April 18: In search of that Entrepreneurial Spark, by Maurice Smith
April 23: What have you done for someone else lately?, by Leo Valiquette
April 11: Want more business from your website? Here are 6 things your customers need to see, by Tim Peter
April 24: A startup CEO’s tips for wooing investors, by John Hill and Leo Valiquette
April 25: The folly (or possibly the wisdom) of discounting, by Francis Moran
April 10: Best of: The saddest marketing story I’ve ever heard, by Francis Moran
April 17: My top travel tips, by Francis Moran
April 8: When is it time to say, ‘Our CEO’s got to go?’by Denzil Doyle
April 16: The imperatives of leaders, leadership and leading, by Bob Bailly
April 29: In it until everyone crosses the finish line, by Leo Valiquette
April 15: What an entrepreneur can learn from a literary conference: Part III, by Leo Valiquette
April 4: Trademark hygiene: A cautionary tale, by David French
April 30:Patent harvesting versus mandated innovation, by David French
April 3: ‘You can’t cross a canyon in two leaps’, by Francis Moran
April 2: Best of: Just the facts … no, these facts, by Leo Valiquette
April 9: What an entrepreneur can learn from a literary conference: Part II, by Leo Valiquette
Image: April 2013 Calendar Printable
