Alex Macura

Great marketing campaign

2010-08-15T20:03:00.000+02:00

Great example on engagement marketing. What do you think?

Some outside-the-box thinking please!

2010-02-17T10:16:00.000+01:00

In Sweden, selling medicine has been a state owned monopoly up until recently. A couple of companies jumped at the opportunity to start selling and providing the Swedish population with medicine. Nothing wrong with that.

Now when it comes to market share and marketing-almost all of the new pharmacy owners are trying to build their brand and gain recognition by using TV, again nothing wrong with that, besides that all the other owners are doing just that!

Come on, here is the opportunity of an lifetime. Get some with creative ideas going that speaks to your customer.

Be bolder then the others and you will see a good ROI.

Dare it, Try it, Test it, tweak it!

Inspirational words for 2010:

2010-01-15T07:25:00.000+01:00

I feel that to start a new year and a decade I like to inspire myself and I thought about sharing these words that I in various ways alter and mix to inspire myself and I believe the people around me. Enjoy!

Generosity

Vision

Fearless

Enrich

Excellence

Always be the most of what I do

Regain and retain the power

Spread ideas-find the sneezers and tell them the story

Adventure

Good dumb ideas

Contribute to the Thank-you economy

Put information in the right context

Show-don’t tell-take the grand leap

Always be a student of life

Don’t just do things-make the right things happen

Balance

Be the type of leader that empowers the people to feel that they pulled it of themselves

“I can..!”

Have courage and faith

Things are changing

2010-01-12T07:02:00.000+01:00

I have over the last 6 months completely changed the way I consume information and great/gifted people’s thoughts.

I have over the years been divulging various management and leadership books such as “Good to Great”, “7 Habits of Highly efficient people”, “Purple Cow”, “The Goal” and “Think and Grow rich” etcetera etcetera.

It’s been great learning from these masters and guru’s but not optimal in the way I live my life.

I just realized the other day though that my behavior consuming information has shifted completely. I no longer read management books, I now follow great peoples blog’s and their share their thoughts, I learn and it gets me inspired. I like it since it’s to the point- I get so much more out of the time I put in.

Here are some blog’s that I follow and that inspires me:

http://michaelhyatt.com

www.tompeters.com

http://sethgodin.typepad.com

http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/taylor

http://whatstheidea.com

How do you take in information? Any bloggers to recommend?

Private vs. Govern owned

2010-01-06T11:27:00.006+01:00

I had some problems with my lungs a couple of days ago and a private clinc and 10 minutes later I was done with check-up, blood sample and a subscription on medication if needed in future.

I went directly to get my medicine at a government own pharmacy, after waiting for 5 minutes to get to speak to someone and another 25 minutes to actually get the medicine. A total time of 30 minutes to collect medicine, something that in my world should have taken maximum 10 minutes.

According to me this is why all for-profit enterprises should be managed like a private one with focus on time and bottom-line.

Alex little helper

2009-12-29T13:50:00.001+01:00

I like to read interesting articles, blog’s and thoughts online! However, many times when I actually stumble across one, I’m not in a space or I don’t have the time to read. I use to bookmark it (with the intention of coming back to read it) and later forget all about it.

I recently came across Instapaper that has changed the way I engage and go about this! Great little helper!

New Year great thoughts

2009-12-23T14:09:00.002+01:00

2009 has rushed by, been an interesting year with many many key lessons and experiences. As a wrap-up of this year I would like to share a great e-book put together by some great people that I follow. Down loaded it here and tell me what you think: Download here

I will take some time off to reflect and get ready for 2010!

Merry Christmas and good fortunes in 2010!

no service=bad company experience

2009-08-25T20:37:00.005+02:00

I was traveling the other week from Copenhagen airport and I of some reason had some problems with my ticket (I was flying with SAS), I of course go over the SAS "SERVICE" center to ask them to assist me with my issue, since I did not know what it was and couldnt solve it with out their assistance!

I got a direct answer from the bitter lady behind the desk directly told me that she couldn’t help (read: dont wanted to help me and give me the service she was hired to give).

I insisted and after about 10 minutes of not giving up she finally took my ticket and makes the phone calls needed and wham the problem was solved and she finally became friendly (read: she realized that the problem was on SAS side). Do you think I got an excuse or apology? No no but I at least check in!

Wow how important service is (we live in an experience economy people)-to have the right people working for you as a company-they are really an extension of what the company and the brand stand for no matter if you are a small or stock listed company!

Good cause no engagement? I say no no!

2009-07-30T17:22:00.006+02:00

I was at a fair the other week in Sweden and I got really surprised of how organizations with a really good mission and vision, really lacked a way to engage the people.

Come on-to be able to act with the principle of doing well by doing good you need to do something to engage people!

Come on, we live in a world with a lot of blur and messages coming from everywhere at any given time or place-we are never left alone which is both good and bad!

Come on, if you as an organization with a great mission completely miss the fact that for people to see you-you need to engage in a interesting way-come on people we live in the experience economy and that’s a fact!

Come on, next time-think and engage and I promise you that you will have more people paying attention to you!

Service-the thing you need

2009-07-27T21:27:00.004+02:00

After spending years in South Africa experiencing great service both in restaurants, café’s, stores- you name it-great service was always at your hand-a real experience. It was something that I grew used to and really appreciated.

Now 6 months in Sweden I can now confirm, service is long gone forgotten-you pay too much for most of the services and products from rude employees that don’t feel that they are required to go that extra mile-its an experience but not the type that I want to support-I really hate the none-existence of service and I speak loud of these to people around me every time they occur.

Here is a great business opportunity - open a restaurant that got good quality food to a fair price and extraordinary service-blow them away, given them the experience they never expected and they will be happy, they will come back, and they will speak about "Restaurant Service” and more people will come.

Go service go!

illusions-is that the world we live in?

2009-07-21T14:24:00.005+02:00

Back in the day magicians and similar artists of trade blew their spectators away with great tricks of illusion - simply great entertainment!

Is this the world we live in today any different? Is it that we simply buy into a particular marketing message (illusion)?

Or has it changed and we as a group is now hearing the word of mouth and adjusting our desires and needs of something dependent on what people that we trust tells us? Or do we act as individuals and do what we want and how we want it? Should the marketing message continue to be an illusion? If not, to whom should marketers communicate with and how?

My observations tell me that the word of mouth effect surely applies to certain aspects of the modern person-other areas are true necessities and we buy into it anyhow whatever is being said about it! So what does one do to find the holy grail aka. the ones that start the word of mouth effect may it be in a small scale or larger scale?

Rebel with a cause!

2009-06-22T19:14:00.006+02:00

There are so many grand examples of companies and people that have changed they way we think about various stuff by making a point of being a rebel and what really made them different from so many other rebels is that they have a cause that was so so strong that they will not think twice and change their entire belief system just because. They have set their minds to something that is greater then what their peers understand at that given time. Here are some companies and people that comes to mind:

Today’s short list:

Nokia - from tire and rubber boot company to world’s nr. 1 cell phone company

Steve Jobs - don’t need to say more-wow!

Zappos - nr 1 Culture Company.

Seth Godin - why? Exactly that- question why is so crucial! also he is a really good storyteller!

Facebook - the way we keep track and keep up with people around us

Jimi Hendrix- one goal and that was to go from rumor to legend and change what music was all about

Skype - now a verb...that’s it!

Google - simple is their first name

Pandora - changed they way people listed to music (now just in the US)

Amazon - data mining, who wouldn’t buy a book from them?

Tom Peters - Keep It Simple Stupid

ING Direct - it’s all about what the consumer wants and needs to be simple (different from other banks

Twitter - less is more

IKEA - economics of scale on furniture (that buyer puts together)-brilliant!

Jan Stenbeck - where ever there is a monopoly there is an opportunity

If I were to...

2009-06-22T19:00:00.004+02:00

Launch an music album that is more alternative, I would make sure to have a "hit", a mainstream song that would get that song to be played at clubs, at peoples parties, at dinners and out in summer parks get people to talk about it and get the full viral effect going strong.

Before it must have been more difficult to get a good distribution going of an album, either you made it or you didn’t (you were as an artist more dependent on your record label for distribution). That was before smart inventions such as Itunes, Youtube and Spotify was around. Now people can explore and enjoy albums and artist they would never really listen to and thanks to that "hit" people or at least me would explore that particular album. My own experience has shown that this is the case. I don’t know if it’s just me or if this would be the case for more than just me.

This "hit" wonder is applicable on more industries and it’s really interesting to observe the force it.

Marketing or waste of money?

2009-06-01T20:54:00.006+02:00

I just found out from a friend that a marketing campaign that I didn’t know whom the communicator was. It now appears that is a candy company. They has been doing below the line marketing campaign all over Sweden, targeting bikes in all major cities among them Malmo. The campaign looks like this and covered many bikes all over the kingdom of Sweden!

You can check it out here!

Can you tell what company it is? Me neither. Is this not a good example of how to waste money on a mass massage trying in a native attempt to get some sort of reaction of busy people?

What a waste!

culture matters

2009-05-20T11:36:00.010+02:00

It’s been a couple of interesting weeks with a lot of work and a lot of interesting reading. One company that has really caught my eyes is Zappos.

Why? Well they have been building a super strong culture/religion with the right people which all buys in to it and clearly builds and maintains it (and now culture got a life of its on). Amazing how people doing something like answering phone calls all day can feel so empowered and so free to go out of her way to satisfy a customer, and guess what the company culture supports just that. Amazing! I am really impressed and so should you! If you haven’t checked them out yet, do it!

Cape Town gearing up!

2009-05-02T16:33:00.008+02:00

Been spending the last week in Cape Town, at Travelstart office, beautifully located just off Long Street with a great view over Lions head. It is always great to come back to the city I love so much and to the office with all the great people I have missed.

Been away for 4 months and so many things have happened in Cape Town, it is really sizzling for the World Cup that will take place in approximately 1 year. Hotel´s, new shopping malls, restaurants and little fashion and art galleries are popping up all over town. I have experienced many of these new ones one positive one is that I have for this week stayed at a great boutique hotel called Grand Daddy just 1 minute from the office, they have decorated really really nice, with some modern caravan´s on the roof in which you can stay in. I am staying in a suit that got everything you can dream of. The owner of the Daddy brand has really succeeded in capturing his desires for the brand in his hotels. Been a true pleasure to live his dream for 1 week.

Cape Town continue to be such a great and beautiful place! If you haven´t been here, you must go!

Twitter

2009-04-28T17:25:00.001+02:00

Wow! Time flies by when you are having fun! Its this routine to write on my blog that hasn´t really been practiced in as much as it needs to be for me to do it just like that. Always finds something more “important” to do just in that second I think I got a moment to write. Anyhow, it has been quite a while since I wrote anything. Now have made this promised to myself that I should write at least once a week, since every day is filled with really kool stuff that I just want to share with the rest of the blogosphere. For example, I m currently sitting somewhere at about 11 000 meter altitude somewhere above Africa, imagining what is below the plane I m sitting in? On my way down to Cape Town for a week at our office there. Will be great to come back to a place I really missed since I left almost 6 months ago.

Been micro blogging on www.twitter.com/macuraa which has been so much fun-wow how the world is just going faster and faster. It´s interesting and fun with Twitter, since it challenge me to try to find a winning formula to stay true to my followers but also Travelstart´s followers in giving them what they more an what the expect… let the saga continue..

SJ-wow

2009-03-03T20:38:00.004+01:00

I yesterday booked a train ticket, a regional one within Sweden, Malmö-Gotenburg, with SJ (state owned train company) a smooth booking procedure. But what blew me away was today when I got the actual ticket to my cell, which a question if I wanted the ticket or if I wanted to make changes to it! And as much as I can tell completely automated!

GO S.J!

Spotify

2009-02-22T17:01:00.003+01:00

Wow Ever since I moved back from Cape Town and South Africa to Sweden, I finally can enjoy ok Internet speed and not an Internet company putting a cap on how much data I can download and upload. One software I have really started to like, more and more for every day, is spotify. For a guy that really enjoys his music, there can’t be anything out there on the web right now that tops Spotify, at least not at hands of people out side the USA. When living in Cape Town streaming music as I currently do, wouldn’t be an option.

Check it out and enjoy

Finally!!

2009-02-22T16:50:00.002+01:00

After some work on getting my blog live, I finally did it! Thanks to Blogger it was much easier then I could have ever imagined! It’s still a lot that I have to learn about this new blog world. I have only read great blogs in the past. Now its time for me to scribble down some of my experience and insights to this wonderful world.

Until soon