Rebirth of the “made in America” brand
by Eric Garland
Most consumer purchases in the United States, large and small, involve reading the tag “Made in China.” Everywhere. Everything. Baby toys, shower curtains, plastics of any sort, iPods, furniture – it seems lately that the only thing in America that isn’t made in China is AMERICANS. Maybe we’ll even figure out how to outsource that…
A tip for trend analysis – every major trend has a counter trend. The megatrend of Asian manufacturing is now leading to a powerful counter trend of repatriating operations to America, or at least to make it look like it’s a key component of your brand.
You can see this movement in the “manifesto” commercial for the new Jeep.
Will others competitors follow along?
Cisco and Google to converge at the tablet computer
by Eric Garland
First, a headline from the Motley Fool: Cisco Taps Google for an Office Assault. Sounds serious. We think it is, too, and for a variety of reasons.
You may notice that the tech sector has been experiencing a wave of mergers and acquisitions, all angling to find a future of profitability in a world where our information needs all converge into multi-use devices and mobile infrastructure. Whether it’s smart phones, search, or telepresence, it seems that when one megacompany is involved, they are ALL involved.
Just consider the short- and long-term implications of the Cisco Cius – a Google Android-run tablet computer that will allow entreprise-grade video, video and data collaboration.
Business-wise, does your company just specialize in one form of telecommunication? You had better have a serious commitment to a special niche – finance, healthcare, defense, or other – because the mass market will be eaten by some very, very large players.
In terms of business communications, email, phone, and video will finally come together into one smooth package. Meetings will be infused with all kinds of rich content. Quick email messages (so easy to misconstrue!) will likely be replace by short video bursts in which your facial expression will be transmitted along with your words! Collaboration between colleagues around the globe will finally become easy enough to make telecommuting more of a reality than ever.
In this is just one device – think of what lies ahead in the next ten years, both for the companies involved and for those who will use these products and services.
Rupture! from Michel Cartier
by Eric Garland
I have no idea how I managed to miss this incredible video for so long:
Are You Ready for the 21st Century ? from Michel Cartier on Vimeo.
A video compression standards war
by Eric Garland
Yes, it sounds dorky, but these are the weak signals that portend the coming revolution in telepresence.
Will h.264 prevail? What about Ogg Theora? This may seem like a strange debate for anyone not deeply involved in technology analysis for enterprise-quality video, but consider Cisco’s recent purchase of Tandberg, Logitech’s purchase of strange bedfellow LifeSize – there is a clear megatrend for video becoming a mission-critical technology for running businesses and keeping in touch with friends.
But many chess pieces are about to be moved. Check it out.
The Death of Direct Mail?
U.S. Postal Service: We’re posting losses, direct mail could save us.
HubSpot, Internet marketing gurus: not a chance. It’s expensive, you provide no feedback, it’s annoying.
About Eric Garland
Eric is one of the world's pre-eminent thoughtleaders in forecasting and strategy. He helps leaders of business and government make critical decisions about their futures.Connect with us
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