Ok, so we’re not officially launched yet (we need some kind of party for that in my opinion), but Huddlemind is already co-hosting our first international speaker, Andrew Zolli.
Zolli is a futurist of note, and has brilliant insights on Ecologically Innovative Capitalism (<<this link is well worth clicking. The best article I’ve read this year). He discussed how the next billions are to be made in sustainable development for the “bottom of the pyramid”. His case-studies are fascinating, and his insights profound.
I think this message will strike a chord with us South Africans struggling with electricity cuts, and our heightened awareness of the scarcity and cost of energy resources.
We jumped at the opportunity to be involved in this (we’re teaming up with Business Architects and Symphonia), because the ideas he raises are critically important. We’d like to do more of this kind of work in future.
The talks are in Cape Town, on February 15th at Spier (R600 with breakfast); and February 18th (R800 with 3 course lunch) at the Arabella Sheraton. You can Phone Nicolette on 021 – 913 3507 or send an email to nicolette@symphonia.net if you’d like more info.
Share This
Many people in South Africa know about the Stormhoek wine’s marketing success story. But now, as announced on their blog, they’re at risk of losing their hold on their largest market – the UK.
Despite the phenomenal sales and growth Stormhoek has experienced, Orbital Wines (Stormhoek’s distribution partner in the UK) has gone out of business and is under administration from their bank. It seems they over-extended themselves by investing in other wineries around the world which weren’t as lucrative as Stormhoek.
This is bad news for Stormhoek’s owner, South Africa based Graham Knox. Not only does he not recover the funds he is owed by Orbital, but he needs quickly to re-establish distribution in the UK if the lucrative contracts he has in place with the major retailers in the UK (such as Tesco’s) are to be maintained.
So Stormhoek is looking for an investor, someone to buy the distribution rights in the UK.
This is a superb opportunity for someone to own a significant stake in a global wine brand. I’ve met with Graham, and have heard the price. It’s a figure which will easily be re-couped by the investor in a relatively short time.
Stormhoek has supported the geek community around the world, and South Africa in particular. Graham and Chris have asked me to blog about this investment opportunity because it might reach the right ears. As a social-media community we can help this South African success story continue. Blog it, Muti it, talk about it.
Share This
From The Economics of Attention: Style and Substance in the Age of Information by Richard A. Lanham
Let’s summarize the rules of attention-economy art as Andy [Warhol] practiced them:
- Build attention traps. Create value by manipulating the ruling attention structures. Judo, not brute force, gets the best results. Duchamp did this for a joke. Do it for a business.
- Understand the logic of the centripetal gaze and how to profit from it.
- Draw your inspiration from your audience not your muse. And keep in touch with that audience. The customer is always right. No Olympian artistic ego need apply.
- Turn the “masterpiece psychology” of conventional art upside down:
- Mass production not skilled handwork
- Mass audience not connoisseurship
- Trendiness not timelessness
- Repetition not rarity
- Objects do matter. Don’t leave the world of stuff behind while you float off in cyberspace. Conceptual art gets you nowhere. Create stuff you can sell.
- Live in the present. That’s where the value is added. Don’t build your house in eternity. “My work has no future at all. I know that. A few years. Of course my things will mean nothing.”
Share This
An email from Jon Cherry I thought I should share:
The 2008 South African Blog Awards is scheduled for its annual process of nominating and voting in February and March. The awards team would like to publicly present this year’s process to all interested parties on Wednesday 23 January at 17h30 on the outside deck of Cafe Neo in Mouille Point, Cape Town.
Anyone with an interest in how this year’s awards will work is more than welcome to attend. Please note that this is your opportunity to voice your input about the awards process. We’re doing this in order to finalise the system in a public forum.
If you cannot make the presentation and feel strongly about the awards format, please arrange for representation to be there to express your opinion.
 I’ve accepted the invitation from Jon and the volunteer organizing committee to be the “Independent Awards liaison”. In other words, if you have any issues with the way the awards are being handled then post your comments on my blog and I will take it up with the committee.
I’m not otherwise involved in organizing the awards, so please spare your vitriol. Also, by accepting this responsibility I’m not in the running for any awards (and neither are any of the organizing committee people).
Share This
