Author Archives: John Lilly

Can Pots & Pans Go OmniChannel?

Can Pots & Pans Go OmniChannel?

When Chuck Williams invented the concept of a store for cooking fanatics in 1975 — Williams Sonoma — he probably never saw this coming. But today, his eponymous store chain could care less whether you come into their stores or not. Really? Can that be true?   (MORE…)

Weight For It?

Weight For It?

Expliseat’s new titanium / composite aircraft seat is less than half the weight of its competition and is considered the most efficient economy-class seat for the Boeing 737 and Airbus 320. It was the first composite aircraft seat to pass dynamic 16 G-force crash tests while reducing fuel consumption estimated at $500,000 per year per… (MORE…)

Why Didn’t We Let Dun & Bradstreet Organize the World Wide Web?

Why Didn’t We Let Dun & Bradstreet Organize the World Wide Web?

In 1841, a company called Mercantile Agency was formed to collect credit data on every firm in the country. Abraham Lincoln and three other future Presidents worked there. This company’s genius was to give every single business a unique identifier. Today, they are called DUNS numbers and they are maintained by Mercantile’s successor, Dun &… (MORE…)

Are There Really No Commodity Brands?

Are There Really No Commodity Brands?

You frequently hear companies say that innovation is easy for others, but “in our category, there’s just not much you can do.” My response? Nonsense. There are no commodity brands, only commodity thinking. Don’t believe it? Consider the lowly Birthday Cake candle and read on …   (MORE…)

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