January 2016

The Market Basket strike: valuing people builds a brand

January 28th 2016

In this video from the Delight Conference, I pull out some stops to tell the story of Market Basket which has become one of New England’s most storied brands and a frequently cited case study in public relations, negotiation and designing for delight.

Economic stress in the US may already have an epidemic health impact

January 20th 2016

New research from the National Academy of Science shows that over the last decade mortality rates have increased for middle-aged white American’s – accounting for as many as 500,000 new deaths caused by self-poisoning, liver disease and suicide. The researchers and I connect this to increased stress from economic decline and reduced life prospects among middle and lower earning families.

GE move chould shift Boston from innovation cradle to capital

January 15th 2016

Boston’s about to become a company town. Though GE’s relocation to Boston brings a modest 800 new jobs (vs. 5,000 that GE business units already employ in Massachusetts) it will fill a HUGE gap in Boston’s business community — and be a new conduit for how Boston people seek to connect to the world.

The Slants and That Washington Football Team: Why “offensive” trademarks matter

January 8th 2016

While this post touches on culture, freedom and offense – and of course dance music – its hero is buried in the story as I imagine he’d prefer. Ron Coleman’s writing and good spirit has been an occasional inspiration and benefit of working on this blog. Arguing on constitutional grounds is a long and heavy climb. Congratulations to Ron and The Slants. Any friends of Ron have special standing here. Cheers.