Google, in a recent effort to prove that bosses weren’t necessary, ended up finding the exact opposite — managers not only matter, but they can significantly influence the performance of their teams. But they didn’t stop there. After realizing that managers were important, they embarked on a quest to uncover all the behaviours that made some more effective than others.
Category Archives: Work
Ten ways to optimize a workation
Brilliant advice on the importance of taking a working holiday – aka a workation, or time away from the office for the sole purpose of thinking about your business – that can easily include career planning, productivity goals – and, just as importantly, to help maintain your mental health.
It’s so vital to maintain perspective, objectivity and focus – and getting away from the office – and dedicating time to enhancing personal professionalism is time – and money – well spent.
Why you don’t need marketing automation
Automation tools are everywhere within the modern marketing mix. They simplify one of the most difficult and time-consuming parts of marketing – lead nurturing – so that content distribution and lead conversion happen with minimal intervention. In other words: you can connect with prospects and move them along the sales funnel without the grubby business of cold calling. It’s understandably desirable.
But the reality of marketing automation is less idealistic, even for businesses that spend a lot of time creating content for use in their marketing and lead-generation efforts. Most businesses could benefit from solutions that make their jobs easier – but there’s a strong case against going all-in on marketing automation.
Read Doug Plant’s (Mugo Web‘s client engagement manager) article in The Globe on why it’s not always a great idea…
GMG video – 2015
Here’s the new promotional Globe Media Group video. It brings the new GMG brand to vivid life and explores how The Globe delivers a unique client experience that focuses on the intersection of Audience, Context and Performance.
Across the sales and editorial groups, I’m driving a renewed focus on CEM – Customer Experience Management. The goal is to ensure that every source of client contact – from information touch-points such as the GlobeLink.ca website, promotional booklet, new videos and new PPT deck) have consistent messaging impact. The messaging continues seamlessly into the internal proposal development process, focusing on effectively demonstrating to clients that they can form the strongest connection to Canada’s influencers, in partnership with The Globe.
Combined with an intensive training program (building deeper product knowledge and an advanced sales approach), the sales group are now better equipped to deliver fully on a client’s objectives – and grow their business opportunities – than ever before.
Globe Media Group rebrand 2015
The new Globe Media Group brand identity and sales materials are launching in early July. A strong new expression of our brand, the new marketing message focuses on emphasizing The Globe’s core strength and how that benefits our advertising partners.
Exploring the intersection of Audience, Context and Performance, across a new booklet, video and presentation and a redesigned GlobeLink.ca website, we clearly demonstrate how to form a strong connection to Canada’s influencers – accessing a target consumer audience – within Canada’s most influential audience, within our leading, trusted editorial context to deliver fully on a client’s objectives.
The new messaging effectively conveys the next evolution in the GMG sales approach – away from a traditionally transactional approach to developing deep client relationships as marketing consultants. The transition is demonstrated with strong category and product knowledge and in crafting carefully tailored proposals and persuasive communications to initiate productive conversations.
Initial feedback from the sales group is very positive, with reports of clients being highly engaged and freshly impressed in recent presentations. Combined with extensive training to upgrade proposal, presentation and communication techniques, the new Globe Media Group is positioned for strong growth as we approach the next fiscal year.
The Internet of Things
Report on Business magazine’s June issue featured the first time that The Globe has extended a main magazine theme — in this case, the Internet of Things (IoT) – as multi-platform initiative for Globe readers to explore the theme through different lenses.
IoT refers to products that are connected over a network, gathering information, talking to each other and, increasingly, automatically regulating functions to optimize their performance, efficiency and maintenance. These ‘smart’ products are increasingly all around us, from our TVs, fridges, alarm systems and thermostats in our homes to advanced transportation networks and the next generation of technological infrastructure used by multinational corporations.
IoT is set to rapidly affect how we live and how we do business. Our new feature explored an emerging area of interest for The Globe’s discerning readers, who look to The Globe as a leader in delivering quality, insightful business and technology news. It’s also a perfect fit for the sponsor, GE, who took advantage of this ideal opportunity to align for their brand messaging.
Here’s what the IoT series looked like for readers:
In the magazine, we explored how IoT is changing business on an international level.
In Saturday’s Report on Business newspaper section, we investigated how IoT is affecting Canadian business and highlighted some key examples.
On digital platforms, business articles were posted throughout the month, including dedicated video content. One of the videos focused on the most connected house in Canada and how IoT makes that household work. The digital coverage ran for the month on a newly created IOT landing page in our website and new iOS app.
As our flagship sponsor, GE brand ads appeared in the magazine and newspaper coverage and alongside all of the digital content.
Behind this project, I have been guiding our Product team to collaborate extensively with our editorial teams and to create a new series of flagship sponsorship opportunities across our products and business categories. Working closely with editorial, each will weave each main theme across our print and digital platforms in a way that is cohesive and complementary and plays to the key attributes of each platform’s audience – and the needs of advertisers who seek to connect with them.
The IoT project has been showcased across The Globe to highlight how we can use large-scale, cross-platform collaboration to continually inspire and support innovation – and attract significant additional revenue – for the business.
Stuart Thompson 