MAGIC QUADRANT FOR GLOBAL DIGITAL MARKETING AGENCIES
MAGIC QUADRANT FOR GLOBAL DIGITAL MARKETING AGENCIES

As traditional agencies, consulting firms and system integrators add capabilities and compete head-to-head for brand engagements, marketing leaders gain manifold options within the global digital marketing agency ecosystem. For this year's Magic Quadrant, Gartner looked beyond the ability of global digital agencies to meet current market needs. Rather, they used their analytical lens on an agency's ability to drive client growth through its keen interpretation of marketplace trends and deliver transformational technologies or approaches that meet marketers' future needs.

Read More
businessNicki Langecustomer experience, customer journeyComment
SUPREME CONFIRMS INVESTMENT FROM THE CARLYLE GROUP
SUPREME CONFIRMS INVESTMENT FROM THE CARLYLE GROUP

Supreme founder James Jebbia has confirmed that the labe has sold a stake in the company to private equity firm The Carlyle Group. “We are a growing brand, and to sustain that growth we have chosen to work with Carlyle, who has the operational expertise needed to keep us on the steady path we’ve been on since 1994,” said Jebbia in an exclusive statement to The Business of Fashion. 

Read More
business, fashionNicki Langesupreme, the carlyle groupComment
THE SECRET TO GERMANY’S HAPPINESS AND SUCCESS: ITS VALUES ARE THE OPPOSITE OF SILICON VALLEY’S
THE SECRET TO GERMANY’S HAPPINESS AND SUCCESS: ITS VALUES ARE THE OPPOSITE OF SILICON VALLEY’S

If Silicon Valley ever formed a political party, it might look a lot like the current iteration of Germany’s Free Democrats, or FDP. In the 2017 German election, the FDP offered a platform that reads like what Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg would come up with if they decided to disrupt the political landscape. Its primary aspirations include creating a startup-friendly economy, digitizing Germany’s bureaucracy, and reducing income taxes, which currently top off at 45% for the highest earners. A few weeks ago the re-invented party returned to the parliament with 10 per cent of the vote in the election.

Read More
lifeNicki LangeComment
A BUSINESS LEADER’S GUIDE TO AGILE

Agile development has become popular in conjunction with digitization. It entails frequent interactions between business and IT groups, and it requires widespread acceptance of a test-and-learn approach. Agile work flows create positive business outcomes, such as a more engaging customer experience, streamlined internal processes, and a thriving, collaborative corporate culture. My team and I at Alchemist have been adopting an agile work flow from the start. In turn, this outcome-driven approach greatly enhanced our progress, work environment and culture. 

Read More
technology, businessNicki Langemckinsey Comment
THE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING A BREAK FROM TRAINING
THE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING A BREAK FROM TRAINING

It only takes a few days to get out of shape. When you stop running for just a week, your maximal aerobic capacity (max. VO2), one of the key running dynamics and physiological measurements, starts to decrease. Two to three weeks without training, and you will add a minute or more to your 5K time. More so, the stroke volume, which is the amount of blood pumped per heartbeat can drop by 10 percent and your muscles' aerobic enzymes may fall by 25 percent.

Read More
run, sportsNicki LangetrainingComment
SLEEP IS THE NEW STATUS SYMBOL

“Sleep is the single most effective thing you can do to reset your brain and body,” Dr. Matthew P. Walker of U.C. Berkeley said. “We have a saying in medicine: What gets measured, gets managed.” The New York Times has spoke to a number of entrepreneurs, influencers and researcher from Silicon Valley and beyond that have invested into the sleep space. Formerly, inhabited by old-style mattress and pharmaceutical companies, today it is a USD 32 billion market.

Read More
technology, lifeNicki Langethrive global, casperComment
THE FUTURE OF LIFESTYLE BRANDING: THE TOP 5 MOST WANTED
THE FUTURE OF LIFESTYLE BRANDING: THE TOP 5 MOST WANTED

What defines ‘lifestyle’ today and which brands are really defining it? The strategy of moving beyond products and services to own a larger slice of the customer’s identity has proven to be an excellent recipe for success. Today's leading lifestyle brands are the likes of Airbnb, Rapha and Tesla, which perfectly reflect people's busy, mobile and demanding lives. They touch upon the consumer's individual style and are influenced by the way we choose to live.

Read More
businessNicki LangebrandingComment
THE FUTURE OF PHOTOGRAPHY AND UNSPLASH
THE FUTURE OF PHOTOGRAPHY AND UNSPLASH

Unsplash did not start to reinvent an industry. Unsplash had started because Mikael Cho and his friends thought it might be useful. Unsplash is a community where anyone can share high-resolution photos for anyone to use freely. It began as a Tumblr blog with ten leftover photos from a photoshoot. Instead of letting those sit dead in a hard drive, they decided it would be better if they were put to use to move other creative projects forward. "We believed the good from giving our images away would far outweigh what we could earn if we required payment or credit" says Cho about why he started Unsplash.

Read More
technologyNicki LangeunsplashComment
THE 13 HABITS OF GREAT CHAMPIONS
THE 13 HABITS OF GREAT CHAMPIONS

IBM has been Wimbledon's technology partner since 1990 and each year there have been various debates about what makes a great tennis champion and what does not. So, for this years championship, the topic of IBM's debate was around what makes a champion great. For the past 27 years, IBM has measured of 53 million points at Wimbledon and has analysed data from many of the great matches of all time, from Roger and Nadal to McEnroe and Borg, as well as looking at historical match data going back as far as 1877. To answer this question, Jeremy Waite, Evangelist at IBM Watson, read almost 100 articles about “What Makes Great” and collated the 13 highlights from those articles, with advice from performance coaches, famous players and business leaders that think contribute to greatness. 

Read More
sports, lifeNicki LangeComment
DROPBOX Q&A WITH CHRIS ROWSON: TEAM BUILDER, MAKER, SPONGE
DROPBOX Q&A WITH CHRIS ROWSON: TEAM BUILDER, MAKER, SPONGE

Chris Rowson is the head of design and group creative director at TBWA in New York, which is one of the most storied and successful creative agencies in the world. The firm has a knack for surprising, disruptive work, and Rowson has played a big role in many of the agency’s campaigns. Dropbox has sat down with Rowson to discuss where he finds creative inspiration, how he thinks about teamwork, and what advice he has for the next generation of creators.

Read More
businessNicki Langedropbox, tbwaComment
THE DAILY DONUT
THE DAILY DONUT

Campaign Monitor provides simple email marketing, automation and online surveys that help growing businesses. The company has shared a fictional story that outlines the potential of digital media and what opportunities it can offer if applied correctly. It tells the story of two friends from New York City that have started their donut shop in Chelsea and how they have turned a passion project into a full-time business.

Read More
technology, businessNicki LangebrandingComment
THE MAN BRINGING DOWN THE BANKS
THE MAN BRINGING DOWN THE BANKS

London’s emerging financial technology (short: “fintech”) sector is full of clever people doing things with cash and code. Monzo, Revolut, Tandem and TransferWise are all tackling similar issues. But Mr Blomfield has done something different, which the others have not. He has made banking cool. Monzo is disrupting banking with his little pink cards, which have turned into a must-have for millennials and creatives. Blomfield and his team have somehow made personal finance palatable to millennials. In an interview with Mr Porter, he shared a few very interesting insights about his business plan and fashion preferences.

Read More
business, technologyNicki LangemonzoComment
A SOCIOLOGY OF THE SMARTPHONE
A SOCIOLOGY OF THE SMARTPHONE

Smartphones have altered our everyday life, digesting many longstanding spaces and rituals, and transforming others beyond recognition. The smartphone has become the signature artifact of our age. Less than a decade old, this protean object has become the universal, all-but-indispensable mediator of everyday life. Very few manufactured objects have ever been as ubiquitous as these glowing slabs of polycarbonate.

Read More
technology, lifeNicki LangeComment
HOW MASSIMO OSTI RE-ENGINEERED MENSWEAR
HOW MASSIMO OSTI RE-ENGINEERED MENSWEAR

From 1971 to the early 2000s, Osti was responsible for a catalogue of brands including from C.P. Company to Stone Island and Supreme to NikeLab. His work remains embraced by industry fixtures. For many, sporting a Stone Island badge on their left arm or wearing a C.P. goggle jacket still symbolizes a commitment to substance over hype. “I design clothes for a man who travels across the planet, through different environments; nature, traffic, pollution, the urban adventure,” said Osti. “I’ve always thought that my clothes had to respond to real needs.”

Read More
fashionNicki Langestone island, supreme, cp companyComment