Scandalous! Late blog on Beirut

I've simply been enjoying my holiday instead of updating my blog. Alas for you!

Got back two days ago. Beirut was a great experience (as was Istanbul) but the contrasts were clearer in Beirut. In comparison to Istanbul, Beirut is far less Europe-like and the sense of being in The Middle East is there - with a twist though, because it still is the Monaco of the region and it IS a highly developped place!

In Libanon you are indeed dealing with a multicultural market (or call it a multi-religious market), eventhough there are only about 6 mill. people in the whole country. You find a handfull of different kinds of muslims, a dozen of different kinds of cristians plus a number of other minor religions. Neighbourhoods are beginning to mix more, but previously each religion's followers would live in very well bordered areas to clearly segregate the numerous faiths from each other.

The former civil war clearly influenced consumption patterns (parents would consume in ways that would encourage their children to stay at home and indoors to protect them from guns and bombs), but as I see the Libanese people today, they want access to everything that the world has to offer. I saw the newest and most expensive cars there, as well as what I'd call beat up and sorry excuses for cars. That the latter exist is no surprise judging by their way of driving. There seems to be no rules for traffic there - it is all Jungle Law!

I met a lot of interesting peole there, and I hope to get one of them to write a little post for the blog. He works as an English copywriter for the advertising agency "Leo Burnett", and hopefully we will share some marketing insight with us on the region.

Shops and Brands in Istanbul

This morning I went for a strole in one of the more posh neighbourhoods (I am told) in Istanbul. Honestly I wasn't surprised to find the same chains of shops and the same brands as I would find in Copenhagen, London, Glasgow, Brussels, Budapest or Marseille.

As I passed by TGI FRIDAYS I had a look at the menu, and though they do market themselves with at standardised concept worldwide, they had removed the spare ribs from their menu.

I actually started writing on this post 3 days ago now, but I can safely say that my view of marketing in Istanbul hasn't changed. I just haven't been nearly good enough at writing down the little differences that I have noticed. It is however very similar to other major cities around the world. I am looking forward to experiencing Beirut!

Marketing in Turkey and Lebanon

I'm in Istanbul and the moment. Wednesday next week I'll fly to Beirut in Lebanon, and I hope to be able to post some stuff about how I perceive marketing differs here from what I am more well acquainted with (Western Europe and the US). Provided that I get some time in front of a PC now and again, I will. My blogs shouldn't sleep. Not even while I am on holiday. For now you have to wait though.

I love exploring. Cultural differences are so exiting! Yeah!!! :)

Originality: Are you original?

I often wonder if the ideas we present today are truly original? All right, inventions are plentifull but I am thinking more in the lines of marketing. What strategic, tactical or even operational moves of today are truly innovative? Are we simply re-inventing ourselves time and again?

A dream, is what I believe originality is. Though I strive to be original, there are never any guaranties. Only the second best thing is more easily achievable: incremental creativity. On a day to day basis, very few if any are able to come up with original ideas that change the way we marketeers operate. However, if we force ourselves to tweek and improve our work and present new but "small" ideas on a constant basis, then we can achieve success.

The backside of the Big Idea (read: truly original idea) is that getting it is so hard. As I write under my post "What is AMOK IDEA" I believe that:

Ideas come from within. Some are spontaneous, some come from inspiration. Only an open mind will spring unique ideas and embrace the multifaceted. The best are products of genius and serendipity.

But once an idea is public, it is up for grabs. Your Big Idea is likely to be imitated almost as fast as the little creative hops forward that you do every day. In other word you are likely to be in a better position if you are a little creative all the time, than if you hold back until the Big Idea finally revelates itself to you.

If you wait around for the Big Idea you risk lagging behind as you wait, and the advantage your idea might have given you will be unsustainable. First of all because you were laggin behing in the first place and second of all because others (e.g. competitors) will easily be able to exploit your idea in a very short time.

So you'd like to use storytelling in your marketing strategy? A guide on Amazon.com - by Kim M.

Make sure you are aware of your options! Seth Godin’s way, is far from the only way. Though I welcome Seth Godin writing about storytelling, I feel I must say this: "He is not the first to do so! Not by far."

In his most recent book Legendary Brands: Unleashing the Power of Storytelling to Create a Winning Market Strategy Godin writes: 'This is a whole new way of doing business."

If it is such Seth, then surely You aren't the first marketer to spot this.

I have researched profoundly into the available literature on 'storytelling in marketing', and here are the authors I feel have something genuine to offer. They should not be passed, nor for Seth Godin. (Sorry to say so but good stuff on storytelling is hard to come by.)

Legendary Brands: Unleashing the Power of Storytelling to Create a Winning Market Strategy, 2002

Laurence Vincent's book grasps the powers of storytelling, and conveys it in an appetitely manner. He reaches deeper than most and brings forward many of the essential points of building a powerful brand narrative. Seth Godin's book 'All Marketers Are Liars : The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low-Trust World' is in many ways surprisingly similar to Larry's.

The Invisible Grail: In Search of the True Language of Brands, 2003
We, Me, Them & It, 2002

John Simmons' focus is bringing creativity back into writing, to reach out, touch and engage audiences. He just so happens to think storytelling is the best way. His books are pleasant pieces of inspirering literary craftsmanship.

Gonzo Marketing: Winning Through Worst Practices, 2002

Christopher Locke already caught our attention in 'The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual', but elaborates in Gonzo Marketing on how he finds storytelling should be used. His thoughts are unique and he gives ‘biz as usual’ a good shake.

The Springboard : How Storytelling Ignites Action in Knowledge-Era Organizations, 2000
Squirrel Inc. : A Fable of Leadership through Storytelling, 2004
The Leader's Guide to Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative, 2005

Steve Denning quit his job with The World Bank to devote his life entirely to storytelling in business. He has developed many different story templates for different objectives, which made it to the HBR: 'Telling Tales', May 2004.

I would also like to recommend various academic articles, by David J. Snowden (See www.cynefin.net) Of the four mentioned here he is my no. 1 favourite, but since his book isn't out yet, I couldn't really put him up top. He is in a league of his own and focuses on narratives, sense making and complexity, in a way that may fundamentally change the way we perceive strategy all together. Here is a selection of these articles:

Kurtz, C. F. and D. J. Snowden (2003) The new dynamics of strategy: Sensemaking in a complex and complicated world. IBM Systems Journal, Vol. 42, No., 2003.

Snowden, David (1999) Story telling: an old skill in a new context. Business Information Review, 16(1), pp. 30-37.

Snowden, David J. (2000a) The Art and Science of Story or “Are you sitting uncomfortably?” Part 1: Gathering and Harvesting the Raw Material. Business Information Review, 17 (3), pp. 147-156.

Snowden, David J. (2000b) The Art and Science of Story or “Are you sitting uncomfortably?” Part 2: The Weft and Warp of Puposeful Story. Business Information Review, 17 (4), pp. 215-226.

I have been in personal contact with 4 of these 6 authors and see them as the leading authorities in the field of storytelling.

In future I will post some of my own research on how storytelling might be used in 'international marketing communications'.