Alex Kniess » Good Ideas http://alexkniess.com creative strategist Sat, 18 Jul 2009 09:55:29 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 Ironically, still alive http://alexkniess.com/2008/10/26/ironically-still-alive/ http://alexkniess.com/2008/10/26/ironically-still-alive/#comments Mon, 27 Oct 2008 06:20:58 +0000 akniess http://akniess.wordpress.com/?p=96 I know that its ironic that my last post promised that I was still alive, yet I have yet to post anything since. Whatever.

School has been going great. New things: I have been doing my blog thing as a contributor to Advertising Age’s new GenNext blog. Check that out if you want to see me at least once a week. I can’t promise the same on here.

I hope to keep this thing more updated, as I force myself to think more and meander less. I must admit though, that an idea struck me not too long ago that has since consumed my life. I can’t think of much else but it, and everyday that passes, it becomes more and more apparent that it may just work out. I have hoped forever for that one idea that could change my life forever, and maybe, just maybe, I’ve found it.

]]> http://alexkniess.com/2008/10/26/ironically-still-alive/feed/ 1 How good ideas can change the world http://alexkniess.com/2008/02/12/how-good-ideas-can-change-the-world-and-make-money-too/ http://alexkniess.com/2008/02/12/how-good-ideas-can-change-the-world-and-make-money-too/#comments Tue, 12 Feb 2008 18:53:34 +0000 akniess http://akniess.wordpress.com/?p=25 I have spent way too many hours over the last couple days reading for my Business Strategy & Planning capstone business course. I had just read an article titled “How Global Brands Compete” by Holt, Quelch, & Taylor that talked about, amongst other things, suggestions for multinationals on how to manage social responsibility. So it was quite the coincidence that I stumbled upon this blog post by Guy Kawasaki that talked about Playpumps – a new venture that is tackling the problem of unsanitary drinking water by harnessing the power of playing children.

We are all familiar with the “recent” surge in popularity and buzz surrounding sustainability and the resulting greenwashing that many big firms are doing to try and keep up. The authors of the article I read addressed this issue as well and as a result, asserted that the fourth tenant to successful global brand management is to treat “antiglobals” as customers rather than enemies by appealing to their cries for responsible business practices. The fifth tenant they suggest is then to treat social responsibility as an opportunity to invest in new entrepreneurial ventures that could yield profitable returns.

Even though this is, or should be, no secret to any brand manager, its interesting that this simple solution to such a complex problem was capitalized on by a new venture, rather than a multinational who specializes in water purification or distribution.

Check it out for yourself:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQu_Jppvzyk&rel=1]

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