If I were to be given the chance to invest in a business that offers up something completely radical but also very risky or just starting something with a more conventional, tested business model, I would go with the simpler and more conventional business every time. And while successful business ideas have also sprung from radical ideas, the tried and tested offer better returns and are generally more successful. The problem is perhaps not even one of complexity or simplicity. The problem is all about knowledge. Businesses fail a lot because of a lack of capital, but they also fail because of a lack of knowledge. That cannot  [...]

Here's a quick question. Does an advertising campaign give birth to a great idea or does creative campaign emerge because it springs forth from a great idea? Go on, think about it for a bit. That question is the marketing man's equivalent of the chicken and the egg. In case you're still thinking about it at this point, look at the post title, I kind of gave it away there. Not my best idea, I know. But is it just an academic argument if you were to wonder whether great ideas give birth to creative campaigns or is the opposite true? Any young company, whilst growing, starts to lay down its roots and establish its brands. Every  [...]

It is amazing how the banks that precipitated the economic crisis as we know it today have got off the hook without so much as a rap on the knuckles (just some public reprimands that don't amount to much). In fact, it is a remarkable feat on the part of their negotiators to not only get them off the hook but also managed to get money out of the taxpayers pockets to fund their own pocket. If this is not daylight robbery, pray tell what is? Financiers at AIG, a symbol of corporate greed now, were given millions of dollars by way of bonuses simply because they completed a transaction. But who would stop and think about the consequences  [...]