Moped after 5 with Helen Camilleri

(Moped run events for marketing professionals in the sunny BOP. Learn more about moped on their website, or read on to hear what Helen Camilleri had to say when she recently presented to the moped crowd.)

When Helen worked with toy giant LEGO® some years ago, she was taken through a sort of symbolic ‘birth’, and found herself in an environment of oversized proportions. It was called The Land of Childhood. All employees at the time were given this experience to help them see things from a child’s perspective. How cool.

There’s no doubt about it – LEGO® is a fun brand.

And The Land of Childhood was one tool that instilled in employees what LEGO® is all about. It defined a certain culture, and at the end of the day, that’s what really attracts customers to your brand. Your culture.

“Your culture is your brand.”    

Currently, Helen is the head of People and Brand at Gallagher, a successful innovation based company that sells fuel pumps, security systems and animal management systems for farmers.

So how do you create a cohesive brand for a business like Gallagher, a company that offers such different products? Read More

Content marketing.

It’s all the rage right now.

The basic idea? Share valuable info with your prospects and customers, and you’ll attract and retain more business.

It makes sense, but as a concept, it’s nothing new.

In fact, you probably have one of the earliest pieces of content marketing in your kitchen.

First published in 1908, the Sure to Rise Cookery Book by Edmonds is a content marketing masterpiece. Read More

“You can do anything, but not everything”

I love this quote from productivity guru David Allen.

It’s especially relevant with digital marketing, because there’s an avalanche of online activities to engage in, and it’s simply not possible to do everything.

So that’s why you need just a couple of key digital metrics. So you can focus on the online activities that actually move the needle for your business, and ignore the stuff that doesn’t. Read More

Rotorua is famous for its mountain biking.

In the redwoods alone, there are over 100 trails to choose from, with more than 150 kilometers of single-track.

Thankfully there are signs everywhere, so it’s easy for visitors to find iconic trails like Billy T, Split Enz and Hot X Buns.

But there’s a problem for out-of-town riders who visit the redwoods. It’s connecting the trails. Read More

There’s a park beside my house.

In the park, there’s a ginormous, 60-year-old willow tree.

And everyone loves it. The willow’s branches are long and hang low, and the neighbourhood kids swing on them in the summer time. It’s truly is a sight to behold.

But a recent storm was the beginning of the end for the old willow. It half collapsed overnight, and then the council arborist decided it had better all come down. For safety’s sake.

So now the willow is just a stump. A ginormous stump. And everyone’s a bit sad.

For me, the willow coming down was a good (and cliche’d) reminder that nothing is forever.

Like in business, what works now, might not work in a couple of years. Especially in the digital space, where the rate of change is crazy. Read More