Stop being mean to content creators: We didn’t ask to be popular

There’s a bug in my ear and sand in my swimmers over this whole “content ain’t the new black” flim-flam. Yes, I have a vested interest in putting forward a case for content being all that and a bag of chips- it’s what I do after all! But here is two reasons why I am so very tired of the whole snicker, sneer and carry on associated with content being popular. Content was here first Long before everyone marched onto the SEO train, starting... Read More

Roadtest: Making Ideas Happen

Unlike the not so wonderful No B.S. book, some of my other holiday reading proved really useful. That reading was Scott Belsky’s Making Ideas Happen. It’s about getting things done and self motivation. I also got a strong sense of the difference between what it takes to be creative, as opposed to telling yourself you are and nothing to show for it. The message applies to creative people of the arty kind through to innovators in business and so... Read More

Case Study: TaskRunners Launch

Background: Collaborative consumption startup, TaskRunners, was looking at launching at the end of 2012. CEO Cheryl Leong engaged Unashamedly Creative to help with the initial marketing and planning, main website copy, and to generally support marketing, content and social media initiatives for the new business.   Objective: To create a strong, SEO friendly presence through website copy To create content to help customers learn about collaborative... Read More

Roadtesting: A Whack on the Side of the Head

It’s super hard to believe ‘A Whack on the Side of the Head’ has been kicking sand into the face of boring approaches for 25 years or more. Why? Because for stuff that makes perfect sense it’s surprising more people and companies haven’t taken it on board yet! This is my little bouillabaisse summary of what the book gave me – I’m pretty sure it will give you something else, so if you can, please get your mitts on a copy. Anyway, let’s... Read More

Roadtesting: Maverick Startup

I picked up the Maverick Startup by Yanik Silver as it seemed to have a bit more substance than the usual “go team go!” style startup book. Startup is a difficult subject because in reality, there isn’t a road to fame and fortune, a bunch of stencils you need to fill in for guaranteed success or even consensus in the approach you can take to be a success. Startup is in essence the ultimate bootstrapping challenge. And as you are bootstrapping... Read More

Retail Survival Guide: The real reason why online kicks butt

Bricks and mortar retail- hitting a brick wall? The reality is you can still walk into a bricks and mortar store, stand around for ages whilst the staff have a giggle fest, once they finally notice you are there they can’t answer any questions and then you find out the model you want is 3 weeks away, can’t be delivered to your house and doesn’t have extended warranty. As soon as after care is needed, no one is picking up the phone,... Read More

Retail Survival Guide: Myths and Misconceptions

We’re hearing a lot in Australia currently about how retail is suffering and having a bad time of it. So how can you as a retailer, small or large, help yourself to survive? Consider this your retail survival guide! Myths and Misconceptions First of all, dealing with this problem effectively needs to start with a little bit of myth busting. Ready? It’s not cheap imports via internet shopping that is causing you problems. Price isn’t always... Read More

6 Roadblocks That Cost You Customers

Imagine if you had a long deserved holiday planned and you had to travel in the car for a couple of hours to get there. Now imagine if little things beyond your control started making the drive longer, unpredictable and stressful. You’d end up starting your holiday with a poor first impression that may even affect the whole vacation. The same applies to your online experience. Customers are travelling to your site to enjoy your product. That journey... Read More

9 Things Your Product Cannot Be

No, I am not talking about whether your moose nostril hair trimmer will fly, I am talking generally about the 9 Things Your Product Cannot Be in terms of what will survive in an increasingly competitive market and survive as a startup. Are you ready? Your Product Cannot Be… For everyone Seth Godin says “a product for everyone is a product for no one” and it’s true. You need to know who your fine little wedge in the market is and speak... Read More

Roadtesting: Word of Mouth Marketing

You’d have to be living under a rock somewhere not to know the power of word of mouth marketing. Trouble is it’s such a hard thing to cultivate it often ends up in the marketing too hard basket. So in an effort to check out if there is a magic formula, I picked up Andy Sernovitz’s Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking. Here is what I got from it. People trust opinions from people who haven’t let them down previously.... Read More

Copywriting No-No List

Being a creative Sydney copywriter, I do dig around in cyberspace a lot checking out how people go about their writing. Sometimes I stumble across things that make me cringe, wonder what the heck the person was thinking or shake my head in bemusement. If you don’t want someone like me or your customers having the same reaction to what you write, avoid the copywriting no-no list! 1. Writing to ‘match’ your competitors. Find your own... Read More

Be your own strategic freelance marketer

It’s easy for me to stand up on the roof and shout “look at me, I’m a creative Sydney copywriter and strategic freelance marketer!” but what would be the point if I didn’t take my own medicine and try to write a lot and market myself? When you become a freelancer your clients don’t just turn up at your door asking to hire you. Even the super popular ones are rocking it through making themselves known to people on a regular basis. You... Read More

Pinterest 101

Already making a huge splash in the market, Pinterest is proving extremely popular with people- especially women. So how do you make the most out of Pinterest for your business? Consider this your 101 on starting Pinterest on the right foot. The basics: Registration: If you are going to use an existing social media login for your Pinterest registration, Twitter is the better choice when compared to Facebook. Facebook only links Pinterest to your... Read More

Customers are People First

In this day and age, where we know that people have access to Google, review sites, social media and word of mouth in order to make an informed purchase decision, it still boggles the mind that some companies and products insist on treating their intended customers like idiots. It might be oddly comforting to think everyone fits into one cookie cutter design, or that we truly are “sheeple” that have no clue what we are buying but attitudes like... Read More

Roadtesting: The 4 Steps to the Epiphany

Part textbook with worksheets, part case study and all customer development model book, the 4 Steps to the Epiphany does read like homework, but it is the homework that a lot of businesses fail to do that could increase their chances of success. Here is a book trying to educate people away from failure using a very common sense idea- develop for the customer. The 4 Steps to the Epiphany refutes the notion that start-ups should “fail fast” (the... Read More

Roadtesting: Purple Cow by Seth Godin

There are a lot of books written on marketing and now with blogs, it can be a situation of truly wondering if you are going to get some real advice, or just “marketing wash” to sell the book or blog itself. Some advice is so dated it sounds like a “comes with free steak knives” style ad in your head. Other stuff is just pure SEO work that values ranking over content. Snore! But once in a while there is a marketer who truly knows what they... Read More

Drivers Ed for Backseat Drivers

Anyone who has ever worked at an advertising or marketing agency, as a freelancer or in roles like product manager knows just how annoying backseat driving can be. Beyond being annoying backseat driving is downright dangerous. Let me explain why being a backseat driver not only sucks, it’ll cause you to crash. You asked for directions for a reason… When you approach someone for help it’s because you have already identified you need someone... Read More

Just Don’t Move: Pt 3

I often talk about empowered customers and how we all have so much choice, flexibility and options these days. It isn’t until you move and you deal with utility companies however that you realise how screwed in certain departments you are. Here is my third and final part of the series entitled “Just Don’t Move”   We’re rolling out a National Broadband Network…Unless you live in Waverley- iiNet is my provider and have... Read More

Just Don’t Move: Pt2

I often talk about empowered customers and how we all have so much choice, flexibility and options these days. It isn’t until you move and you deal with utility companies however that you realise how screwed in certain departments you are. Here is my second part of the series entitled “Just Don’t Move” Second Hurdle: Entering the Gas Company Wasteland- We have a very old airy house and one gas appliance- a gas heater. Considering... Read More

Just Don’t Move: Pt 1

I often talk about empowered customers and how we all have so much choice, flexibility and options these days. It isn’t until you move and you deal with utility companies however that you realise how screwed in certain departments you are. Here is my first part of the series entitled “Just Don’t Move” First Hurdle: My Electricity Company Thinks I am a Shapeshifter- I notified the electricity (Energy Australia) of our new address... Read More

Just Don’t Move- Intro

I often talk about empowered customers and how we all have so much choice, flexibility and options these days. It isn’t until you move and you deal with utility companies however that you realise how screwed in certain departments you are. After dealing with my recent move from Redfern to Waverley I have told my partner I never ever want to move again. They’ll need one hell of a big shoe horn and a crate full of tranquilisers to get me out... Read More

A Fab Feb eMuse from brainmates!

Welcome to the Fabulous February edition of eMuse! We’ve got exciting news about a new partnership, we look at the minimum viable product with Adrienne, Nick dons his spacesuit for some sci-fi inspired innovation, Nat implores us not to forget the buyer and the brainmates get set to get conversational in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne with Product Talks. Read on to find out more!In this issue: brainmates and Ryma: Delivering Product Management... Read More

A Game Plan for 2012

Tucking into another busy year? Here are a couple of tips to help you start with a level playing field through planning out your game plan for the year. Start the Game Right Imagine the new year ahead like a chess board and get ready to start the game. Think of the white pieces are the things you can control and the black pieces are the competitors and things that crop up outside your planning and control. To identify your white pieces: List out... Read More

Retail and the Multi-Channel, Mobile Australian Consumer

By far the biggest impact on retail seen in the last twelve months has been the maturation and genuine arrival of mobile commerce in Australia. And of course when you get a room of 100 clever, on the ball Product Managers in one room together, brainmates Product Bash 2011 was dominated by the influence of mobile commerce on the retail experience. Our panel of Mark Rowland, Co-founder of online shoe retailer Style Tread, Andrew Rechtman, Product Director... Read More

How to Stay Afloat in a Competitive Retail World

As brainmates continue our exploration of the discussion coming from Product Bash 2011, our panel of Mark Rowland, Co-founder of online shoe retailer Style Tread, Andrew Rechtman, Product Director of PayPal Australia and Daniel Roberts, Head of Online for the Woolworths non-food businesses Dan Murphy’s, Big W and Dick Smith, shared their thoughts on “The Internet Super Mall and the Future of Retail”  in relation to how to stay afloat in... Read More

Road Testing

If it is at all possible to claim you can “collaboratively consume” an idea, this is what I am kicking off now with my book, DVD and whatever the heck floats past road tests. After being an avid follower of the journey of Lisa from Open Shed and Co-founder Lisa’s blog I realised just how important it is to share the finds you make as you traverse the Internet. Reading Lisa’s overview of books, videos and ideas has helped inspire me basically... Read More

Product Bash 2011: The Future of Retail and Burning Audience Questions

At Product Bash 2011, brainmates asked their panel of Mark Rowland, Co-founder of online shoe retailer Style Tread, Andrew Rechtman, Product Director of PayPal Australia and Daniel Roberts, Head of Online for the Woolworths non-food businesses Dan Murphy’s, Big W and Dick Smith, to put on their best gypsy garb and take a deep longing gaze into the retail product manager’s crystal ball to give their perspective on the future of retail in relation... Read More

Why Do Australians Pay High Prices in Retail?

There is no secret that even as Australia experiences a strong dollar against the US currency, our prices seem extremely high, especially when compared to what we can choose to pay if we shop online from overseas. So why is this the case and how can local retailers manage to compete? The Product Bash panel of Mark Rowland, Co-founder of online shoe retailer Style Tread, Andrew Rechtman, Product Director of PayPal Australia and Daniel Roberts, Head... Read More

Make the customer the centre of your retail experiences

brainmates saw 100 passionate and hungry Product Managers join us at the beautiful Gaffa Gallery in Sydney on the 10th of November, 2011 for the end of year wrap up, Product Bash. This year we tackled the affect of the growth of mobile and online commerce on more traditional forms of retail under the topic heading “The Internet Super Mall and the Future of Retail.” We were very pleased to have join us Mark Rowland, Co-founder of online shoe retailer Style... Read More

brainmates October eMuse

Welcome to October in Product Management! This month, we get ready to take on our second annual Product Bash, get up close and personal with our own Natalie Yan-Chatonsky, and revisit the brainmates contribution to the 42 Rules of Product Management. We ask you to go past product differentiation, find problems worth solving, carve out some think time and get all creative! Are you ready passionate Product Managers? Product Bash #11 – The Internet... Read More

Ten minutes with brainmates Natalie Yan Chatonsky

What lead you to first get into Product Management? My first exposure to launching new products was when I was in business development at Yahoo. When I first started working at Yahoo in the late 90’s (prior to the dot com boom), it was my job to recruit offline big brand retailers to build their first online store through an Yahoo! Australia & New Zealand’s shopping mall. My role was to go out there and talk to retailers about how e-tailing... Read More

Calling all freelancers!

Are you tired of auction sites trying to get you to work for $2 a 500 word article or deploy a whole website for $200? Have you had to mop up after countless el cheapie projects for your clients after things have gone drastically south? Do you sometimes wonder why employment agencies or digital/ad agencies pay you 30% of what they bill you out for? Are you working at places that don’t allow you to stretch yourself as much as you would like? Do you... Read More

When in doubt, K.I.S.S.

Days at Lavalife taught me two things I will carry with me forever. One is if you are sure about something, sink your teeth into it, build a business case and don’t be afraid of the whole hierarchy thing if you really believe in what you are saying. Number two is something that helps pretty much everything you do, including number one- the K.I.S.S. Theory- “keep it simple, stupid”. Probably the most underrated and simply thing you could learn,... Read More

brainmates August eMuse!

brainmates – product management people After 7 years of brainmates, we’ve celebrated with a new look eMuse! Let us know what you think via brainmates on Twitter. This month sees brainmates Natalie add a splash and a dash to the Product Management cocktail shaker, we examine Turning Ideas into Business Cases in depth and Adrienne reminds us there is a little bit of Product Manager in us all. Cocktail Recipe for Happy Product Professionals After... Read More

Be careful, you could plan yourself out of the game

A Saturday morning breakfast meeting in North Sydney saw me swapping stories with a friend who, like me has done their fair share of working for other people as well as working as a consultant, and who ambles through the creative world as well. We both work hard, he being the far more successful (and far more likely to say “I can see you for 45 minutes at the taxi rank for a lemonade” as a catch up due to his busy timetable) and know our way around... Read More

brainmates- 7th anniversary eMuse!

Oh how we’ve grown! In this edition of brainmates’ eMuse we celebrate our 7th birthday as product managment consulting and training organisation. That’s right, brainmates has been providing Product Management solutions to outstanding clients from media, financial services, bio-medical, education, government and retailer for 7 fantastic years. During that time we’ve been collaborating with the Australian and global Product Management community... Read More

7 Years of brainmates with Nick Coster

What led you to first get into Product Management? I didn’t initially think of it as Product Management at the time. This first Product Manager role was for a dial up Internet Service Provider and the objective was to try and remove any barriers for customers to engage with the product in an attempt to reduce call centre costs. It began as a cost rationalisation role but then evolved into a Product Development role. I was tasked with looking at... Read More

7 Years of brainmates with Adrienne Tan

What led you to first get into Product Management? My first role after University was at On Australia. On Australia was a joint venture between Microsoft and Telstra, one of the first Internet Service Providers in Australia. On Australia was essentially in start up mode and I was fortunate to be able to help define the (now BigPond) product. It seemed natural to move into Product Management. After my role at On Australia as the Billing and Credit... Read More

Is that a Groupon in your pocket (or are you just happy to fleece me?)

Is that a Groupon in your pocket (or are you just happy to fleece me)? Australia certainly has seen a boom in growth for the online group buying schemes in the last 12 to 24 months. Along with it, the mixed reviews of just how much of a bargain the group coupon experience can be. So why is group buying so appealing and what can we do to make sure what we buy is the value item we are looking for? Let’s pick up the group buying phase and gives... Read More

Welcome to the June edition of brainmates eMuse!

In this edition we want to share the highlights of ProductCamp Sydney 2011 that the brainmates team and other volunteers helped organise earlier this month. Here we saw over 50 passionate Product Manager’s shoulder to shoulder at the third product ‘unconference‘ of its kind in Australia. Many well designed and helpful explorations of key Product Management topics were tabled and considering the inspiring nature of the event, this... Read More

ProductCamp Sydney 2011 Wrap-Up!

What a shift in conversation between Product Camp Sydney 2011 and 2010!  It’s great to see changes in our professional domain, a domain that is largely misunderstood by companies both large and small. Product Managers are starting to speak the same language. The impact of which will be the creation and growth of a baseline of understanding for the Product Management industry. This is exciting news as we can use this foundation as a spring board... Read More

How to… build a Product Roadmap

“How to build a Product Roadmap” Firstly, thank you to everyone who voted for my topic, “How to build a Product Roadmap” as the No. 1 topic of ProductCamp Sydney 2011.  Following Nathan Moyes’ keynote speech touching on the difference between the “slate”, a shorter-term delivery plan, and the product Roadmap, a more fluid longer vision, we kicked-off the unconference with a Q & A about Product Roadmaps. Encompassing the 50 or more... Read More

We’re going to ProductCamp!

In this special edition of brainmates eMuse, we take a look at ProductCamp Sydney – the annual unconference for Product Managers next Saturday the 4th June 2011! Jam packed with input from Product Managers just like you, this unconference caters to all Product Management professionals and invites discussion, debate, presentation and shared learning as part of the unconference format. The Details What: ProductCamp Sydney Where:News limited,... Read More

Welcome to the late April edition of brainmates eMuse!

Welcome to the late April edition of brainmates eMuse! This month we further extend the journey started at our most recent Product Talks with Prototyping. Check out just how social our Product Managers are in the second edition of our Social Media White Paper, updated with 2011 survey results. brainmates own Adrienne Tan tackles what really lies at the heart of Product Management and we put on our boots and head off to camp- Product Camp that is! If... Read More

Wondering how to be local, ethical and support fair trade? Hire freelancers!

People are becoming increasingly aware it seems on the impact on their environment. People are attending dinners based around the premise of 100 mile dinners aimed at reducing petrol usage and highlighting local goods. Sourcing uncaged chicken eggs and free range produce is increasing in popularity and people are thinking ethically about their purchases from overseas. In Sydney, where the cost of living keeps jetting through the roof and onto the... Read More

You know you’re self employed/freelancer when…

1.      Your washing doesn’t include much business attire, but you have a sensational set of “work pyjamas”. 2.      Debt collection is done through subtle begging and threats of standing outside non-paying businesses with cardboard signs stating “WILL WRITE COPY FOR FOOD”. 3.      An agency calls and asks how much you know about aardvarks for a two day gig, you put down your latest cardboard sign and respond with gusto as... Read More

How to…use product management

Do you have a great idea for a business or product and simply don’t know where to start? Do you find your wish list for your business is longer than the hours you have in the day? Are great ideas for your business not working out to their full potential or not being launched at all? Are you finding you are reacting to the question of marketing and rushing into things simply to get something out there? If the answer to any of these questions using... Read More

The January edition of brainmates eMuse!

Welcome to a brand new year and a January eMuse jam packed with perfect Product Manager paraphernalia! brainmates have started the year with a strong response to our training courses, brand new articles by the team and exciting careers for anyone who’s looking to sink their teeth into their next big challenge! How To….Excel At Day-To-Day Product Management What Will 2011 Hold For Product Management? Deductive Logic. A Market Segmentation... Read More

The rise and rise of Swap Creative

Now that the holidays are out of the way, the Unashamedly Creative office has come back with a lot of bang and buzz for 2011- with the majority of interest being generated from Swap Creative. Swap Creative came about through wanting to satiate the desire to assist small businesses, most of whom usually lack budget to do major marketing activity, as well as regain some of the “niceties” lost after moving away from a steady salary towards working... Read More

From the desk of brainmates

From the desk of brainmates This December, brainmates look back at the events and top product management discussions of 2010, and look forward to another fantastic year of training and events in 2011 designed to satiate the curious mind and hone the skills of our product management community. brainmates 2010 achievements More of the top ten brainmates blog posts 2011: Training and events Featured Book – “42 rules of product management” brainmates... Read More

The Swap Creative Application Form

Unashamedly Creative is proud to present a new way of looking at your marketing budget with Swap Creative. In order to keep myself and my Labrador in the style we were previously accustomed to, and also help fellow small businesses get that all important word out, I will be taking applications for businesses who are interested in being my exclusive Swap Creative clients. I am looking to hear from any business that may think we could have an ongoing... Read More

Customers are a part of the mix

As a Product Manager according to the Product Bash Panel you are the person who “defines a problem and then how to solve it” before “choosing who to present the results to”. An area where many marketers, communicators and sales people find difficult or at the very least precarious is that of the customer, so how do you get the customer right? Let’s explore this age old conundrum the way a good Product Manager would. It should come as no... Read More

Thanks Partying Product Managers!

Thanks for joining us for Product Bash 2010Dear Partying Product Managers! It was fantastic to see such a great turnout for our first Product Bash and our 8th Product Talk to date. The Topic of Product Excellence proved to be a fertile ground for discussion. The feedback we had during the drinks, post-talk was that the panellists were entertaining and informative with Jane Huxley regularly stealing the show with her wry sense of humour.  We... Read More

Calling all Product Managers!

Join us 11th of November for this year’s Product Bash! If you are a product manager, this invaluable evening will give you panel discussions, networking opportunities, debates and of course fun and festivity as the year wraps up in product management. To attend, head to http://bmproductbash2010.eventbrite.com/ For a sneaky peek at the sexy venue, check out the photos below. See you there! Like my style? Enjoy the content? Contact me if you... Read More

brainmates present Product Bash 2010!

After a successful year of coaching, training, networking and working closely with the product management community, brainmates have decided to launch Product Bash, an end of year celebration and summary of the year that was 2010 in true product management style. Not just any old Christmas Party or end of year booze-up, Product Bash will feature a tailored programme designed to generate discussion, thought and conversation about product management... Read More

Discovering you were a product manager but you just didn’t know it.

Back in the good old days of Lavalife, where I spent some seven and a half years of my working career, I thought I had invented a role that was unique and special. As more arse than class as this sounds, I went to the head of operations for Lavalife Australia with the idea of a “product design coordinator” role, a job description which I in the most truthful sense made up to match my particular skill set and a role I had not heard of in the actual... Read More