Are we really that gullible that we just believe what people tell us when it comes to products and services, things we part with our hard earned for?

In the biggest twist of fate I have seen for ages Coca-Cola say NO WE ARE NOT!

WHY, would the one of the worlds biggest consumer brands say that when it spends more than the GDP of a small country on marketing?

Check out this article being circulated on Twitter today – The Dark side of Vitamin Water

In a staggering feat of twisted logic, lawyers for Coca-Cola are defending the lawsuit by asserting that “no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking vitaminwater was a healthy beverage.”

I completely agree with John Robbins who says I still can’t get over the bizarre audacity of Coke’s legal case. Forced to defend themselves in court, they are acknowledging that vitaminwater isn’t a healthy product. But they are arguing that advertising it as such isn’t false advertising, because no could possibly believe such a ridiculous claim.

My mind (that likes to process map everything) will not let go of this thought. Coke spend money convincing us their product is healthy, when all the time they know it’s not and believe we know it’s not. Is this the next raft of marketing innovation? Or is it that Coke believe that they just could not say “hands up your right and we are guilty as charged”

” Noting that the soft drink giant wasn’t claiming the lawsuit was wrong on factual grounds, the judge wrote that, “Accordingly, I must accept the factual allegations in the complaint as true.”

It will be interesting to see if this kills the brand or Coke are right, the one thing that has not changed is that through whatever channel, we will decide.

I can’t help but think that the constant threat of strike action, especially as they approach the busy Christmas period can only be compared to a ritual of self-harm.

Change is Necessary

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has agreed that ‘change is necessary’ – So what’s the problem?

In short they would like…

• Job security
• No redundancies
• Higher pay
• Shorter working week
• More quality time
• More say in job roles

I wonder, during this time of economic recovery, how many other businesses are maintaining the status quo?

Unfortunately the reality is there will be a price to pay for modernisation whether that is job cuts due to automation, higher prices to customers or privatisation.

Royal Mail has a lot to live up to, they are a ‘British institution’, and both employee and customer will have a perception of what this means. Has our relationship with Royal Mail forced them to hold back on radical modernisation? Or did it make them complacent?

Is it too Late?

The price of a stamp is a bargain, for 39p you can send a standard letter 1st class to anywhere in the UK, it’s incredible that they have been able to offer this service for so long. Personally I would like it to continue and would be happy to take a price rise on the chin if I knew that my letter would arrive when I needed it to. Solutions are rarely this simple, the postman is still delivering my mail but the envelopes are marked ‘UK Mail’, they offer the same service for just 32p.

It seems all are agreed on the fact that change is inevitable, for Royal Mail and their competitors this is ‘consumer led’ and as a result ultimately needs to lead to increasing customer satisfaction. For Royal Mail it’s a game of catch-up, will they do or die?

“He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.” – Harold Wilson

“We are not paid to think, just do – copy, paste, print”

I read this on Nina’s twitter, wayofthemonkey and it got me thinking about the mentality behind the statement, why people would feel this way and wondered, are they missing out?

Why?

• Most of us ‘need’ to work; does this ‘need’ limit our enthusiasm?
• When an activity is non-negotiable do we switch to auto pilot?
• If we imagine what is ahead does it look too hard?
• Does thinking everything through slow us down?
• Will thinking force new and uncomfortable experiences that could lead to change?
• Will our wider network support new ideas?

When you consider the reasons why a person would feel more inclined to just ‘put their head down and get on with it’ you begin to wonder ‘is thinking a trap’?

“Just Do It”

In 1988 one of the most famous advertising slogans was coined for Nike – “Just Do It”. The campaign has been a remarkable success given that 80% of trainers sold in the USA are not used for the purpose for which they were designed. The ads rarely focus on the product, but on people, they give an insight into the intense, inwardly focused competitor. Nike has attracted those who want the image without incurring the pain.

The truth is success is rarely nurtured in isolation. The sporting icons that Nike focuses on are undoubtedly great, but are they made greater by reaching out and utilising the talent of a combination of resources?

Reach out

When we focus on ourselves we are in danger of becoming detached from what is happening around us. I am not just talking about our immediate team of people, company or community, but also the wider social network that we now have the ability to reach out to in so many ways.

Reaching out is an opportunity to increase knowledge. Extending our network of resources helps us to unlock untapped potential and access what is inside people, be it stories of success or failure.

Are You Missing Out?

One person can not be great at everything. Thinking and engaging opens up everything we do in the world, its like ‘magic’.

If we can set aside our fears of the changes our thoughts may bring, we will discover that every day holds the potential for something new.

Think about it – Don’t miss out

“Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction” – Picasso

Why was Picasso so successful, sought after and inventive? He was not afraid to challenge what had gone before.

How many times do you hear the statement ‘there is nothing new or original anymore’?

Is it true?

Surely everyday little pieces of original creation go missed by the world at large. In fact, have we all become desensitized because we are bombarded with so many things at such speed? Do we take enough time to realise how things knit together?

21st Century Originality

It is the knitting together that creates the 21st century originality. As an example, over lunch with Ralph Ardill from the Brand Experience Consultancy he was talking about the science project he had launched in Dublin, The Science Gallery. Building an experiential science centre is not original, but the key to the success of that project is that disenchanted teenagers who don’t know what they are into (art, media, science, music, porn, etc.)? will walk through the door not to be a spectator, but to be the creators of the projects that go on inside that building.

It is their hope that one of those participants will ultimately become a Nobel Prize winner.

It is the creative and inspiring knitting together of old and new that will enable that to happen.

Move Forward

We have to look back to move forward. The art is to deconstruct something that has been successful and be bold enough to push that vision so that it creates a new legacy.

This art of deconstruction creates disruption. This process un-nerves people, pushing them outside their comfort zone, but only by doing this can we hope to create something of substance and originality.

What are you going to knit today?

Congratulations to PZ Cussons who today celebrate the unveiling of their £26m Innovation Centre. To Cheeky Monkey the Innovation Centre was much more than a building project, it was the bringing together of 3 businesses onto one site.

The Cheeky Monkey team had the honor of directing the wider Innovation Centre project, overseeing CBRE and Bennetts Architects as the construction team who were one of four main streams that contributed to the overall delivery of the PZC Innovation Centre.

Nothing makes us happier than to see this vision being unveiled and we would like to congratulate all employees of PZ Cussons for having the courage to invest in such a venture, swimming against the tide of businesses no longer investing in the UK.

Desperation is a great call to action!

The recession is forcing people to think the unthinkable. Considering new markets, new processes, new ways of working and new terms. Everything is up for grabs again. Positive or negative, it’s an adrenalin rush and we are thinking in basic terms again.

• Stay Positive
• Work Hard
• Innovate
• Think Big & Take Action

My favourite case study of the recession is Brawn GP. In March 2009, Ross Brawn announced a last minute buy-out of Honda F1 under the new name of Brawn GP. Almost half the workforce was made redundant, Jenson Button took a significant pay cut and they didn’t have an engine until Mercedes stepped in. I have listened to Nick Fry talk about this experience and it is clear that things got pretty desperate; they were a hair away from going down the tubes.

The success they are now enjoying is shared by all the people who put themselves out there getting a car ready in the shortest possible time ready for the first race. It is testament to the following characteristics:

• Belief
• Courage
• Determination
• Motivation
• Commitment

Even Jensen Button admits that “It felt impossible because I wasn’t positive myself”, the people around him reminded him that they needed to be positive or no-one would want to buy the team.

Of course a number of elements have to come together, held together by sheer hard graft. A friend of mine works alongside the Brawn GP team and he confirms that it is half the people doing twice the work and its better. There is a different attitude and normal rules don’t apply.

Normal rules don’t apply!

Sometimes we need help to think the unthinkable. Braun GP are working towards a vision of making Jensen Button the best driver he can be.

Who is helping you? What is your success story going to be?