hi there
Im not going to reinvent the deep plate here - Im just gonna reflect on some thoughts I have
been having that I personally think is useful for companies to know about.

school of cool
for a while now I have been researching on something I call the “school of cool” - and it’s a
theory of my own that is investigation why some companies are cool and some aren’t - but
that is not what my talk is about today...

why every company
should be a rockband
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brendanoshea/1481424422/
my talk is about why every company ( big or small) 10000 people or 1 person should be a
rockband in my opinion.

definition of a
rockband
my definition of a rockband is that it’s a bunch of rockstars gathered in a band - so in
essence all bandmembers are rockstars.
so the band is the gathering of the rockstars - the band is where rockstars “work”. They also
have a manager who actually manages the bands - and then they have groupies and roadies
( supporters of the band)

why rockbands are so
incredibly cool =)
I don’t know if there is an definition about why rockbands are considered cool, but I think a
large part of the coolness of the rockbands is to play music that a large crowd of people like.
it is to publish music and to reinvent yourself and find your own niche in the band and the
world of rockbands
it’s about reaching an audience that identifies with your music and think you rock =)
a cool rockband is a gathering of down to earth people that aren’t arrogant and that can
connect to their audience...

if you followed your
childhood dream...
but let’s talk a bit about rockstars here, so if you followed your childhood dream of standing
in front of the mirror and singing belinda carlisle and madonna in my case

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sxn/91953537/
a part of this group would all be doing something like Domo is doing here:
hands up : who had a dream of becoming a rock star ? at some point in their childhood ?

me personally...
I used to daydream about being this cool rockchick sittin on a couch all day being asked
about my opinions and about my life. I used to daydream about being fascinating. I have
come a part of that way - but I am still not a rockstar ( even though I would like to be)

im 28...
im 28, a mother, having my own company, writing my first book, even super duper advisor of
this crazy cool portuguese conference called shift..living the way I want to - Im thankful for
all of these things - more thankful than you can dream of... But I still want to be a rockstar

im 28...
and I still want to be a rockstar!
im 28, a mother, having my own company, writing my first book, even super duper advisor of
this crazy cool portuguese conference called shift..living the way I want to - Im thankful for
all of these things - more thankful than you can dream of... But I still want to be a rockstar

my biggest dream
my biggest dream was/ well let’s face the facts here - still is

my biggest dream
was is...
my biggest dream was/ well let’s face the facts here - still is

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22311054@N00/2659175158/
this: being the frontsinger and guitarist one time at orange stage at roskilde festival in front
of 100.000 people ( and they would think I rocked !)
being able to connect to all of these people and give them an experience that they would
love.

but I don’t play guitar very well - and it would take me a couple of years to get there,
I can barely do all my lovin’ by the beatles on a guitar
( and this is comin from a lady who wasted her childsavings of around 2000 euro’s on a
guitar and an amplifier - that’s how much I want to be a rockstar)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/evaekeblad/362800484/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18092121@N00/449167269/
and you don’t want to hear me sing - i can get by in singstars but that’s about the only
singing I get to do

but I am the best at
social marketing and
branding
but i am the best at social marketing and branding - but that’s a whole other story =)

but I am the best at
social marketing and
branding
but that’s a whole other story.. =)
but i am the best at social marketing and branding - but that’s a whole other story =)

What I am sayin’
what I am saying- and I am trying to get across here -

do we really want a
“normal” daytime job?
do we really want to have a daytime job, where we are not living our childhood dreams ?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nickwheeleroz/2212101890
isn’t what we want to feel genuine and special and heard and happy?
now if you have allready achieved that where you work, congratulations you have a good
employer - but I will try to go a bit deeper here =)

so.....
SO...

how do you make your
company into a
rockband?
let’s talk a bit more about rockbands instead of rockstars
because rockbands is where the rockstars spend most of their time. or let me make a parallel
- let’s talk about companies because companies is where employees spend a lot of their time
how do you make your company into a rockband ?

musical lesson no.1 -
rockbands are about
respect for their
rockstars
http://www.flickr.com/photos/57587069@N00/79736137/

musicians and
managers knows that...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/81468490@N00/861587794/
this guy (aka. the drummer)

≠

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30918983@N00/137317004/

which means

that band members
should be playing the
instrument they do
best

the manager needs to
combine

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11867110@N00/362415016/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/
22141723@N07/2355545414/

and be

the whole “company”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22141723@N07/2354715163/

by company I mean

http://www.flickr.com/photos/easyskywalker/425336159/sizes/l/

...the controls
http://www.flickr.com/photos/easyskywalker/425336159/sizes/l/

and let the rockband
http://www.flickr.com/photos/easyskywalker/425336159/sizes/l/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/99767908@N00/17722435/

be the rockband
let the musician play the instrument he does best and let the manager be the controls that
are actually controlling in what way the rockband should be working - not interfering with
the rockband members areas of work ( their instruments)

aka. let the musician
play the instrument she
is best at
and let the manager be the controls

musical lesson no.2 -
rockbands are making a
difference
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68799045@N00/36147587/
musical lesson no 2. rockbands are making a difference

you don’t need to be like bono to make a difference for the world
http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalgrace/63746141/

you could be

you could be

why are those
companies rockbands?
why are those companies rockbands ?

the business of
business is more than
business
well let me start by saying today there is an demand from the public to make the business of
business more than business

so the whole concept
of growth is changing
so the whole concept of growth is changing - but let’s talk about how companies grow... and
what they grow

and I will generalise a bit here - companies normally grow pollution and
http://www.flickr.com/photos/40863908@N00/855846983/

money from selling products
http://www.flickr.com/photos/17731548@N00/2276783536/

growth the rockband
way...
rockband companies like I just mentioned

http://www.flickr.com/photos/oneeighteen/205125227/

combines it with growing money from products
http://www.flickr.com/photos/17731548@N00/2276783536/

and creates this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jshyun/2598607514/
ford rouge plant
Devised for implementation over two decades, the design enables an orderly flow of people and delivery of
materials through the site. A rectilinear pattern of hedgerows, swales, and trees reinforces the pre-existing street
grid and creates a system that filters the millions of gallons of stormwater and reestablishes wildlife habitat.
The plan also reshapes Miller Road, the thoroughfare along the Rouge's eastern edge, as a tree-lined public
boulevard highlighting the site's industrial heritage.
Additionally, the complex hosts groundbreaking research in phytoremediation. Researchers identified a dozen
plants that successfully absorb and neutralize polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from the soil and established a
1.6-acre demonstration garden and research lab near the old coke oven by-products operations.
By rebuilding the processes of the site, the plan recreates the 20th century’s preeminent model of vertically
integrated industry as a replicable model of sustainable manufacturing and a positive legacy for the future.

Once again, Ben & Jerry’s is out to start a
revolution! This time, it’s a technological revolution —
by introducing a new kind of clean, green
freezer to the United States. What’s the big deal? These
new freezers use alternative refrigerants that, unlike
current freezer gases,
do not contribute to global warming nor the
deterioration of the earth’s ozone layer if released to
the atmosphere. That’s two big leaps forward on the
path to more environmentally friendly refrigeration!
or this a hydrocarbon freezer from ben and jerrys for their products
Once again, Ben & Jerry’s is out to start a revolution! This time, it’s a technological revolution
— by introducing a new kind of clean, green freezer to the United States. What’s the big deal?
These new freezers use alternative refrigerants that, unlike current freezer gases, do not
contribute to global warming nor the deterioration of the earth’s ozone layer if released to
the atmosphere. That’s two big leaps forward on the path to more environmentally friendly
refrigeration!

Nokia scores very well on toxic
chemical issues, launching new
models free of PVC since the end of
2005 and aiming to have all new
models free of brominated flame
retardants and antimony trioxide by
the end of 2009. Nokia does quite
well on e-waste issues with a
comprehensive take-back
programme that spans 85 countries
providing almost 5000 collection
points for end-of-life mobile phones.
or this
Nokia scores very well on toxic chemical issues, launching new models free of PVC
since the end of 2005 and aiming to have all new models free of brominated flame
retardants and antimony trioxide by the end of 2009. Nokia does quite well on e-waste
issues with a comprehensive take-back programme that spans 85 countries providing
almost 5000 collection points for end-of-life mobile phones.

so... are these
companies really
rockbands ?
so are these companies really rockbands ? - well they are making rockband-y initiatives and
having a rockband-y approach to changing the world.
why should I choose any competitor over these when they are doing good and being
something more than business ?

so... are these
companies really
rockbands ?
well - they are making rockband initiatives
and having a rockband approach to changing the world
so are these companies really rockbands ? - well they are making rockband-y initiatives and
having a rockband-y approach to changing the world.
why should I choose any competitor over these when they are doing good and being
something more than business ?

musical lesson no.3 -
rockbands is more
than business
http://www.flickr.com/photos/93019577@N00/21058159/

it’s about music
the groupies are actually the people who REALLY likes this band. and it’s not because it a
band.. it’s primarily about the music
How many groupies have your company got that ain’t stakeholders ?

it’s about music
-that is why they have groupies =)
the groupies are actually the people who REALLY likes this band. and it’s not because it a
band.. it’s primarily about the music
How many groupies have your company got that ain’t stakeholders ?

it’s not just an
“industry of cool”
it’s not just an industry of cool - even though rockbands are quite cool
it’s about the audiences and connecting with the audience

it’s not just an
“industry of cool”
even though rockbands are cool =)
it’s not just an industry of cool - even though rockbands are quite cool
it’s about the audiences and connecting with the audience

musical lesson no.4 -
giving more and giving
back
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stinkypeter/167152936/
giving more and giving back

return on involvement
one of the terms I use a lot these days in social marketing and branding is “ return on
involvement”
which basically mean that you get “return” decided upon how much you involve yourself.
what you get a “return” of is normally not money - it could be loyality, great ideas - so it’s
not really something that you can measure as such - not apart from knowing that you get
something out of your involvement. there’s also a term called “social capital” that is
somewhat the same

if you don’t interact in
the right way with your
audience
so if you don’t interact in the right way with your audience

a) you are arrogant
people will think that a) you are arrogant

b) they will be really
upset and react upon it
or b) they will be really upset and react upon it - and that’s not really the call-to-action that
you want to achieve as a company
if this happened as a rockband they would probably start throwing rotten tomatoes or eggs
at you.

the meeting point
basically it’s the meeting point between the company and the customers that you need to
focus on all the time, this is where the marketing lies...

musical lesson no.5 -
why bother?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/vasi/431902276/

the world is changing
because we start to realize especially these days that the world is changing

demand is changing
and demand is changing

“everything we know is
wrong”
maybe I will even go as far as to say that we are waking up to understand that everything we
know is wrong

companies needs to
change as well
which is why companies needs to change as well

“the organisational and leadership
structure of the world haven’t
changed since the industrial
revolution” - Steen Hildebrandt 2008
the organisational and leadership structure of the world haven’t changed since the industrial
revolution - how about that ?

it’s still hierarchical
and all about money
companies are still hierarchical and all about money

could it be about
something else ?
could it be about something else?

I believe it’s the
rockbands that are the
fittest

the businesses whos
business is more than
business
the business whos business is more than business. the companies that dares to value people
and social interactions and groups more than money that will win in the long run these days.
the companies that can make advertisement and sales into relevant information for their
users. because if sales and advertisements is relevant information then we are not disturbed
by the marketing of it =)

who are going to be
succesful in the future?

so start changing

so start changing
NB: like you haven’t changed before

Thank you - heartfully
http://www.toothlesstiger.com
Slides available at http://www.slideshare.net/redsoda
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosping/2561368018/