Business and Social Media

I work for an international company that had revenues of slightly less than €76 billion in 2009/10.  This puts it firmly in the Top 50 largest companies in the world by revenue.

In contrast, the Coca Cola Company had revenues of slightly less than €26 billion, so about one-third the size but by no means a small company.  (Bear with me, I am going somewhere sensible with this!)

Whilst there are many differences between the two companies, one that I have recently become aware of is their approach to social media.

This was prompted by a blog posting in the Harvard Business Review by Joe Tripodi, the Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer of the Coca-Cola Company.  So, quite an important guy.  You can see the blog post here: Coca-Cola Marketing Shifts from Impressions to Expressions

Seasons have a reason

I recently had my first British asparagus of the season, in an asparagus and hazelnut risotto served with roast chicken, Chantenay carrots and spinach.  (Anything tell you I like my food?)  Sadly, the season is short, lasting from now until the end of June so I will be stuffing my face with asparagus on every possible occasion!  In my humble opinion, British asparagus is the best around; certainly far superior to the white spears they favour in mainland Europe and don’t even talk about the stuff you can get from Peru all year round.

This got me to thinking about how much and why I look forward to the start of the asparagus season.

21st Century Man

Having got to grips with Twitter and LinkedIn (mastered would be far too strong a word) I’ve decided to dip my toe into the world of blogging once more.

I first tried in the mid-2000’s but I failed to follow Steven Covey’s advice to ‘start with the end in mind.’  End result – I ran out of steam very quickly.

This time around, I’m hoping it’s going to be different for a number of reasons.

• My better understanding of the interconnectedness of things
• The wider usage and acceptance of social media
• The idea that, whilst it is incumbent on your company to promote their brand, in these troubled times it is incumbent on you to promote your individual brand.  Then, if you are unfortunate enough to lose your current position, you are already ‘out there’ for new employers to find.