Book: The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing

Recommended by a colleague, I borrowed this from the library yesterday and finished it this morning. It’s a straightforward book, but has a lot of insight into the way that marketing works in big companies, and what might explain the wrong steps that have been taken. Showing its age in some ways (it’s from 1994) …

what “draw something” can teach you about communication

It’s hard to imagine that the company that makes a free game with an ad-free $1.99 version can sell for $180M. But that’s what happened to OMGPOP, makers of Draw Something (see also the Draw Something Facebook page). If you haven’t played, it’s a multi-player pictionary-style game with a big-button, friendly interface. Using a basic …

reflections on the kony campaign

Having reached 70 million views faster than any previous YouTube video, unless you’ve been living under a rock (or offline), you will have hear of the Kony 2012 campaign video. In fact, you may already have completely moved on – the media coverage certainly has. Kony 2012 is so seductive for precisely the same reasons …

tipple cafe and bar, Surry Hills

Toby’s Estate Coffee. 26 Chalmers St, Surry HIlls. I read about this place in the Toby’s Estate newsletter, and its proximity to Central station was hard to argue with. A converted (and still functioning) pub, now with additional cafe features. Walk into the pub, or stand on the street to place your order, and sit …

Will everything be a coffee shop?

A piece of speculation about the future of a range of businesses and sectors “In the Future Everything Will Be A Coffee Shop“ (via disassociated) makes some excellent points, and a few I disagree with. In America in particular the cost of higher education and student loans is spiralling out of control – it can …