Unexpected Mastery

First, if you have not already, watch this video of Paul Potts on Britain’s Got Talent:

The great thing about this video is the unexpectedness of mastery. Simon Cowell (one of the judges) put it this way:
“So you work at Carphone Warehouse and you did that? I wasn’t expecting that.”
However, I think the unexpectedness of [...]

Too much choice

This is part two in a part five series about choices. Click here for part one.
The first dilemma of choice is that there can be “too much choice”. When there is little to choose from (vanilla or chocolate ice cream) we tend to make decisions more easily. Additionally, if there is little [...]

Choices

This is part one in a part five series about choices. Click here for part one, two, three, four and five

How do we make choices? Duncan J. Watts, professor of sociology at Columbia University, has theorized it this way:

Conventional marketing wisdom holds that predicting success in cultural markets is mostly a matter of anticipating [...]

And more

This is Broken has a reminder for us. Adding “and more” to your product line is very tempting. After all, if your store is called “Just Oak”, aren’t you limiting your product line and who will want to buy your stuff? Wouldn’t it be much better to be called “Just Oak and [...]

Mediocropolis

There is a city where plenty of companies take up residence. It is the Metropolis of Mediocrity (the locals just call it “Mediocropolis” for short). Every company in Mediocropolis “fits in” because they have so much in common with their neighbors. So much so, that often times the travelers who stop to [...]