CIO’s J.D. Sartain published an important piece on how the sharing economy is impacting traditional businesses. The article features friends and former colleagues Brian Solis and Jeremiah Owyang. To tee things up in the article, Owyang identifies five keys areas of the collaborative economy: 1. Goods. Women in particular share clothes and jewelry in order to access an unlimited closet without buying so many “things.” Startups such as 99 Dresses, Poshmark and Threadflip serve as buy/sell/trade sites that provide name-brand…
Curiosity Didn’t Kill the Cat, It Unleashed a Lion: Cultivating Tomorrow’s Leaders Today
Guest post by social impact journalist and filmmaker Melissa Jun Rowley (@MelissaRowley), creator of the upcoming series “Magic Makers.” Earlier this week, I was talking with a friend of mine who sold a fashion tech company in the early 2000s — before social media spawned copycat startups left and right, before TechCrunch made rockstars out of hot, young founders, and before corporations were seeking new ways to engage customers as forever faithful, digital brand ambassadors. “There are times when I…
Ridesharing services like Uber have become the new anti-regulation rallying point
Daniel Rivero (@TooMuchMe) interviewed Brian Solis to get his thoughts on politicians who are placing roadblocks in front of Uber and other ridesharing services over at Fusion.net. Solis told Fusion that the taxi industry, and others being affected by like-minded services (think hotels and Airbnb) will simply have to adapt. “You can stand there and force politics onto anything that threatens you, but all you’re going to do is stall the inevitable, and cost everyone a everyone a lot of…
Becoming the Future
I’m pretty passionate about changing how we teach in order to create a bridge between analog and digital generations. I recently contributed a short chapter to The Little Book of Inspiration and I wanted to share it with you here. In an age where knowledge is more accessible than ever, how do we create engaged workplace learners that are inspired to go out and discover the answers themselves? Reed, in conjunction with Learning Technologies and the Learning & Skills Group,…
Brian Solis and Altimeter Group Publish New Research on Enterprise Digital Transformation
Brian Solis, principal analyst at Altimeter Group, released brand new research that explores the impact of disruptive technology on consumer behavior and in turn how businesses are adapting market and technology strategies as a result. This research represents a significant advancement in focus for Brian Solis and Altimeter Group, expanding coverage from Social Business evolution and strategy to look more holistically at the bigger movement of Digital Transformation. The new report, “Digital Transformation: Why and How Companies are Investing in New…
Beaconizing the Brand Experience
Guest post by Gib Bassett (@gibbassett), Global Program Director, Consumer Goods, Teradata There’s no question that the shopping journey has been disrupted by consumer behavior in online, social media and mobile channels. What’s less certain, especially within the branded consumer products industry, is the best way to serve this now commonplace “connected consumer.” The pursuit of this answer, and the quest to learn more about connected consumers, is commonly referred to as “digital transformation.” Consumer products manufacturers in food, beverage,…
NBC’s Press:Here Talks About HBO vs. The Real Culture of Silicon Valley
HBO’s Silicon Valley debuted recently and the real Silicon Valley is all abuzz with a broad spectrum of reviews. Brian Solis joined NBC’s Scott McGrew on Press:Here along with Time’s Harry McCracken and USATODAY’s Sarah Buhr to talk about the culture of Silicon Valley and why the show is actually…spot on (maybe too spot on.) “I got seven words for you,” gushes one young CEO of a start-up called Goolibit at a lavish party in the show’s first scene. “I…
New Research: Technology Should Not Lead Digital Transformation
Companies that allow technology to drive their digital transformation are making a big mistake, according to a new Altimeter Group study, “Digital Transformation.” Instead, digital transformation should be driven by the expectations of digital customers. The Altimeter report defines digital transformation as new models, team structures, and customer-centered philosophies. However, a one-size-fits-all approach to digital transformation doesn’t exist, said Altimeter Group principal Brian Solis. “A lot of times, people are looking for the prescription,” Solis told CMO.com. “But unfortunately there…
Stop thinking like a marketer, and start thinking like the person you’re trying to reach
During SXSW 2014, Brian Solis sat down with Vocus to record a series of videos that address the series of challenges facing marketers today…and tomorrow. Here’s Part 1… “Stop thinking like a marketer, and start thinking like the person you’re trying to reach.”
Vistage Executive Summit: The New Kodak Moment is Something Students Will Learn in Business School
During the early ’90s, commercials which defined life as a series of “Kodak moments” sold the importance of capturing those oh so precious snapshots of our lives. As Brian Solis described at the Vistage Executive Summit in Philadelphia today, the very meaning of the Kodak moment was later redefined as the moment in time when Kodak (or any company for that matter) fails to respond to changes in technology, the needs of the marketplace, or the desires of its customers,…
