Eric Mann's Blog

  • Habits

    Every morning when I first get on the computer, I point the browser to a few web comics I enjoy.  Starting the day with a nice dose of funny helps me be happier, more productive, and more fun to work with.  There are three web comics I really enjoy, but they all have different update […]

  • Consistency

    How consistently do you manage your brand? Do you invest heavily in brand development when times are down in order to stay ahead of a tough market? Do you invest heavily when times are good because you have extra capital to spend? When exactly do and should you focus on brand building? The answer is: […]

  • Branding a phenomenon

    Global warming … arguably, one of the most important challenges of our time.  Whether or not the concept is real, though, everyone knows what it is and most people are concerned about it.  Politicians stake their campaigns on fighting global warming, non-profits build reputations collecting money to stave of disaster.  We teach the idea in […]

  • Bureaucracy

    Humans are messy creatures.  We create piles of work that needs to be done, piles of work that’s already done, and piles of work that we never want to do.  Our work spaces are cluttered, ineffective, and downright … comfortable.  Let’s face it, we like to be surrounded by a little disorder once in a […]

  • Tradition

    One of the many defining aspects of a brand is tradition. What kinds of things does your organization always do?  Many traditions seemingly have no reason, but they play a defining role in the customer experience.  When a traditional aspect of your brand’s customer interaction is missing, people notice. The interesting thing about traditions, though, […]

  • How to execute a brand

    Probably not the kind of “how-to” article title you expected to see, is it?  Nevertheless, I want to give you a short lesson. Step 1: Build up a stellar brand and either push your competitors out of business or buy them up and leverage their core competencies. Step 2: Having eliminated all of your competitors […]

  • Entitlement and Cynicism

    As a kid, I always would look up to people in higher grades and wait for the day when I, too, could be like them.  They’d get out of school earlier, or have the option of a late start, or … fill in the ellipses with whatever it was the older kids had a right […]

  • Three Pillars

    I’ve always had these three imaginary Roman pillars in my mind.  When I need to escape something, be it monotonous work, a boring movie, or an uncomfortable moment with friends of friends, I retreat there in my mind.  I kind of imagine a garden, full of life and beauty, with three huge marble pillars in […]

  • Climb On!

      Climbing is tough.  You stand at the bottom of a huge cliff and stare up at what seems to be an insurmountable object … a wall that was not built for climbing.  After all, we use stairs and elevators now, why would anyone want to climb up a cracked wall? My fear of heights […]

  • Laundry Day

    A few days ago I was introduced to the concept of a ‘Life Laundry Day.’ It’s a novel concept where you set aside one day each week (or month) and clean up not just the physical parts of your life, but the mental parts as well. I usually set Sunday’s aside.  I get up early […]