| Dear Betty, |
 Welcome to our third issue of theBEAT. Summertime in New England finds us celebrating longer days, family vacations, and new clients! In this issue we highlight another great book review on The Game Changer by Lafley and Charan, as well as our insights from recent conferences around the country. I appreciate your continued feedback on this newsletter as we share our thoughts, news and best practices with all of you. |
Game-Changer Review
by Michael Quinn
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 A.G. Lafley, Chairman and CEO of Proctor and Gamble, and author/consultant Ram Charan begin their lesson in innovation with the well worn truism that the customer is the real boss of any commercial endeavor. At first glance, this old marketing saw seems a bit uninspired. Yet, the authors return to it again and again as they demonstrate how Proctor and Gamble manages to take a product line so easily in danger of commoditization and continually renew it as they learn from their customers where improvements can be made. They also pull in examples from other companies (Honeywell, Nokia, and GE notably) to show how the principles they outline work in other industries. Lafley and Charan present a model of innovation as an integrated process grounded in the ideal of the customer as boss. They propose this model as an alternative path to profit growth from, say, shareholder-focused downsizing or mere acquisition. This method, they argue, has let P&G "break the chains of commoditization and create organic growth on a sustainable basis."
The quotidian nature of P&G's product line works in favor of the author's emphasis on innovation as a collaborative effort that involves not just R & D engineers and the occasional focus group, but the whole gambit of business unit silos along with an in- depth study of customer behaviors and tastes. Time and again, the corporation's intimate examination of its customers spurs innovation of products as seemingly mundane as laundry detergent.
To read the complete review, click here.
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Sports aren't Boston's Only Triple Threat! |
 Emerge PR came out strong at the 25th annual JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge on June 26th. This year, donning our new intimidating team t's, we had 100% participation (even if a few were renegade walkers). It was a much more temperate night than year's past. With more than 12,000 runners and walkers from 633 companies, you never know who you are going to see - clients, former clients, analysts, competitors! The proceeds went towards making a difference in the lives of at-risk Boston city children at Camp Harbor View. Did you run? We'd love to know if you participated or are interested in doing so next year. We see an Emerge PR rehydration event in your future! |
Emerge PR continued on the conference circuit this quarter attending and sponsoring the 9th Annual Nantucket Conference, supporting Information Builders for its annual Summit User Conference in Nashville, TN and launching mimio's new interactive whiteboard software at the ISTE/NECC conference in San Antonio, TX.
