5/27/2009

Client relationship

Being in global professional service business over 15 years this video clip is so tru, sad to say. So many times you are forced to these discussion about "test phase", "i am not a decison maker", "this couldnt cost this much", "yes I know the budget is used but my wife didnt like the colocrs, so would you just for me think them again".... etc. How do you feel?



Credits to ones who did this. Saved my day :-)

5/26/2009

a letter from partners of Laundry

Dear Friends,

As you may have read from the news, Laundry is now N2 Laundry.
When we started Laundry two years ago, we challenged a number of stone-carved conventions of the marketing communications business. We thought that majority of agencies were doing things that were fundamentally wrong – in this time and age. Some of our assumptions were wrong (like the now-defunct no-accounts-policy and total communications blackout), but in many things we were right, too (combining traditional and modern marketing channels, use of social media,etc.).

The recession has accelerated the need for changes in marketing communications. Both what is bought by clients and what is created by the agencies. There’s still a need to address the masses with great stories, but we also need to be able to nurture ongoing conversations – and find new tools and solutions for effective and engaging marketing.

I started discussions with Jussi Nurmio last autumn about how the world was changing. Not just marketing communications, but business, art, creativity, innovation, technology – and how things that before didn’t seem to have much in common were, in fact, growing closer than ever before. Design is a big factor when we buy technology. Marketing is part of everything – even product ideation. In the times of rapid changes, creativity is much needed for business success.

Outcome of those early discussions were later crafted into N2’s vision of the world and mission for our business. Now we have started a journey to form a new kind of creative professional services company. A company that is made of the hardest working, intelligent and passionate people in technology, design
and business – for our clients benefit.

Laundry was a great foundation to start from, as it is already doing the right kind of things in the field of marketing. Having Jussi onboard N2 gives also Laundry a massive new resource in insight and understanding client needs. Other than that very little changes. Alex continues as the managing director, Kimmo Tupala continues as sales director. The same goes for our creatives. Although we are expecting to hire some new faces to Laundry during this year.

N2 Internet is lead by Antti Leino, a online business veteran and founder of Interweb Design and later Satama Interactive. The offering of the company is – simply – to help businesses go online. Sometimes this means e-commerce, sometimes some other kind of service development. We are building this offering around consultants, programmers, usability experts and creative geniuses. Like in marketing communications, there’s need for new ways of working and thinking in that field too. Instead of two-year projects that end up in massive costs, we aim to employ new technologies and creative concept thinking to create game-changing offerings for our clients. The staff we have joining us, is simply amazing.

N2 Design is an entity that we see helping clients in brand development, corporate identity and packaging. Also packaging goods that aren’t packageable. We have few interesting candidates with whom we are currently negotiating about leadership position in the agency. We will inform the world in the next few months about our decision.

The big deal about N2 -setup is that we work seamlessly together in the same office, regardless of who is employed by which company - according to project and client needs. Should you need help in both marketing and planning your online business, we’re the people. Then again, should you just need help with advertising/marketing you can work with Laundry, as before.


- Alex, Jani, Jari, Jussi, Pauliina & Jussi & everybody at N2.

5/15/2009

Hello N2. How are we?


Good morning.

My life has been an interesting path of sudden encounters. The final one has guided to N2. I will take a leading role of N2 Internet which develops various web site from A to Z and advices companies utilize benefits of internet and other digital opportunities.

Next few months I am focusing to finalize a manuscript for new “Digital Marketing” book (order this marketing bible: Infor, 2009) and to run series of summer lectures at Helsinki School of Economics (”Strategic & Experience Design”).

I will spend most of my freetime with my family and dogs on a beautiful old lake-side summer house. Still so must to work there

Have a wonderful day!

5/13/2009

A book!

After 5 years of thinking and thinking I signed a deal to write a book about "Digital Marketing". The publisher will be Infor. They published my first co-written book .net. Hanbook for internet communication" almost 10 years ago.

The name of the book is still under construction of course since after outlining all the topics I got scary.

Wow! So much to talk about.

I decided I will try to cover key topics any marketer would face when moving his dollars to digital space.

- key channel strategies
- channel execution challenges
- how to integrate marketing
- how to save, sell, speak, serve and sizzle (with the brand) in digital.

Key question wont be: "should I go digital", rather it will be: "I am moving my marketing, r&d, sales and pr-budgets to digital. What should I consider, how to start, how measure and how to be succesful."

This will be an interesting book to work with along my summer teacher job at Helsinki School of Economics.

I will post the table of content here as soon it gets in public beta phase.

5/06/2009

Aalto University logo

Aalto University has revealed its new logo.

Personally I didnt like first as a permanent visual element for a nr 1 school fo the country. It feels like a design school identity more than a symbol of a engineering / economist / art university. Well, check it out yourself:



The internet-audience has immediately started to give their opinion. Here are a few examples:

Create your own "Aalto" -name: http://aalto.dreg.us/
Create your compny a "aalto"-logo: http://qmsk.net/stuff/aaltologo/index.fcgi/
Aaltolize your own site: http://kuukunen.net/aaltonaattori

Once again, self expression and speed are the ultimate strenghts of the internet. This case once again proves my point.