The explosion of blogs, social networking sites, wikis, video sharing sites, and other powerful digital communications platforms may be the biggest game-changer to impact business since mechanized manufacturing. In today’s Web 2.0 world, company stakeholders--including employees, customers, and investors--are empowered in ways unimaginable just a few years ago, and traditional corporate hierarchies are yesterday’s news. Rather than attempt to turn back the clock and reassert strict, top-down control over stakeholder relationships, the smartest companies worldwide are responding with bold new digital communications strategies based on transparency, authenticity, and inclusion, instead of secrecy, artificiality, and exclusion. International corporate communications guru Paul A. Argenti provides a lively, up-to-the- minute review of the Web 2.0 landscape and analyzes the increasingly central role corporate communications plays in virtually every organizational function. Argenti and coauthor Courtney Barnes advise corporate leaders on how to deploy proven strategies for using new and emerging digital platforms to Manage brand identity and company reputation Build a culture of engagement and transparency Turn stakeholders into “company evangelists” Manage internal communications across time zones and language barriers Recruit and retain the best talent Develop compelling messages based on customer and investor needs and desires Argenti and Barnes provide case studies illustrating digital communications best practices at HP, Southwest Airlines, Sony, Dell, IBM, Starbucks, HBO, FedEx, GE, and other major players. This groundbreaking book will teach you how to gain real, manageable control over your organization’s communications in today’s virtual world.

How legacy firms can combine their traditional strengths with the power of data and digital ecosystems to forge a new competitive strategy for the digital era. How can legacy firms remain relevant in the digital era? In The Future of Competitive Strategy, strategic management expert Mohan Subramaniam explains how firms can leverage both their traditional strengths and the modern-day power of data and digital ecosystems to forge a new competitive strategy. Drawing on the experiences of a range of companies, including Caterpillar, Sleep Number, and Whirlpool, he explains how firms can benefit from data’s enlarged role in modern business, develop digital ecosystems tailored to their unique business needs, and use new frameworks to harness the power of data for competitive advantage. Subramaniam presents digital ecosystems as a combination of production and consumption ecosystems, which can be used by legacy firms to unlock the value of data at various levels—from improving operational efficiencies to creating new data-driven services and transforming traditional products into digital platforms. He explores the ways sensors and the Internet of Things provide new kinds of customer data; presents the concept of digital competitors—other firms that have access to similar data; discusses the new digital capabilities that firms need to develop; and addresses privacy and security issues associated with data sharing. Who needs this book? Any firm that wants to revitalize traditional business models, offer a richer customer experience, and expand its competitive arena into new digital ecosystems.

Digital transformation is no longer news--it's a necessity. Despite the widespread threat of disruption, many large companies in traditional industries have succeeded at digitizing their businesses in truly transformative ways. The New York Times, formerly a bastion of traditional media, has created a thriving digital product behind a carefully designed paywall. Best Buy has transformed its business in the face of Amazon's threat. John Deere has formed a data-analysis arm to complement its farm-equipment business. And Goldman Sachs and many others are using digital technologies to reimagine their businesses. In Driving Digital Strategy, Harvard Business School professor Sunil Gupta provides an actionable framework for following their lead. For over a decade, Gupta has studied digital transformation at Fortune 500 companies. He knows what works and what doesn't. Merely dabbling in digital or launching a small independent unit, which many companies do, will not bring success. Instead you need to fundamentally change the core of your business and ensure that your digital strategy touches all aspects of your organization: your business model, value chain, customer relationships, and company culture. Gupta covers each aspect in vivid detail while providing navigation tips and best practices along the way. Filled with rich and illuminating case studies of companies at the forefront of digital transformation, Driving Digital Strategy is the comprehensive guide you need to take full advantage of the limitless opportunities the digital age provides.

A trio of experts on high-tech business strategy and innovation reveal the principles that have made platform businesses the most valuable firms in the world and the first trillion-dollar companies. Managers and entrepreneurs in the digital era must learn to live in two worlds—the conventional economy and the platform economy. Platforms that operate for business purposes usually exist at the level of an industry or ecosystem, bringing together individuals and organizations so they can innovate and interact in ways not otherwise possible. Platforms create economic value far beyond what we see in conventional companies. The Business of Platforms is an invaluable, in-depth look at platform strategy and digital innovation. Cusumano, Gawer, and Yoffie address how a small number of companies have come to exert extraordinary influence over every dimension of our personal, professional, and political lives. They explain how these new entities differ from the powerful corporations of the past. They also question whether there are limits to the market dominance and expansion of these digital juggernauts. Finally, they discuss the role governments should play in rethinking data privacy laws, antitrust, and other regulations that could reign in abuses from these powerful businesses. Their goal is to help managers and entrepreneurs build platform businesses that can stand the test of time and win their share of battles with both digital and conventional competitors. As experts who have studied and worked with these firms for some thirty years, this book is the most authoritative and timely investigation yet of the powerful economic and technological forces that make platform businesses, from Amazon and Apple to Microsoft, Facebook, and Google—all dominant players in shaping the global economy, the future of work, and the political world we now face.

The modern marketer needs to learn how to employ strategic thinking alongside the use of digital media to deliver measurable and accountable business success. Digital Marketing Strategy covers the essential elements of achieving exactly this by guiding you through every step of creating your perfect digital marketing strategy. This book analyzes the essential techniques and platforms of digital marketing including social media, content marketing, SEO, user experience, personalization, display advertising and CRM, as well as the broader aspects of implementation including planning, integration with overall company aims and presenting to decision makers. Simon Kingsnorth brings digital marketing strategy to life through best practice case studies, illustrations, checklists and summaries, to give you insightful and practical guidance. Rather than presenting a restrictive 'one size fits all' model, this book gives you the tools to tailor-make your own strategy according to your unique business needs and demonstrates how an integrated and holistic approach to marketing leads to greater success. Digital Marketing Strategy is also supported by a wealth of online resources, including budget and strategy templates, lecture slides and a bonus chapter.

For a business to thrive competitively in today's marketplace, it needs to have an effective e-commerce channel. Getting it right opens up new markets and opportunities; getting it wrong leads to declining revenues and profitability. To ensure effectiveness, business leaders and decision-makers must understand how e-commerce channels work to make the best strategic choices for their business. Drawing on experience in consulting to large complex organisations and ground-breaking primary research with senior executives from leading corporations, Leading Digital Strategy creates a convincing case for action and offers practical strategies, methodologies and models to improve the effectiveness of a company's online offering. It explores how to align organisational structure with wider goals and implement a customer-centric culture. With coverage of the key digital trends, tools and technologies affecting business today, it provides a practical framework for multi-channel success. This book challenges leaders to become as fluent and creative in digital as they are in finance, sales and marketing, and equips them to choose the right strategy and the right people to make it happen. With strategies for improved operational performance and enhanced engagement from senior management, Leading Digital Strategy gives readers the power to drive forward effective digital initiatives and realise rewarding opportunities for change.

The Fast Forward MBA Pocket Reference Second Edition - more comprehensive and convenient than ever! When the success of your business hangs in the balance, you need reliable, authoritative information immediately. You need a resource that covers all the corporate bases-communications, management, economics, strategy, accounting, finance, marketing, and more. You need The Fast Forward MBA Pocket Reference, Second Edition. Packed with information designed to serve all your business needs, this handy, highly readable book is the ultimate companion for those moments when you need to put your finger on the right advice at the right time-now. This updated and revised Second Edition offers clear, concise coverage of the complete range of essential business topics in a handy format. You'll find all the latest cutting-edge ideas, including new developments in technology, strategy, and branding, as well as key terms, tools, and topics in short, lively entries that give you all the information you need. The Portable MBA The Fast Forward MBA-- the compact business companion you'll use every day! * Keep up with the newest ideas in business * Brush up on the basics you can't do without * Find direct, practical answers to complicated problems

Implement a successful content strategy that optimizes the return-on-message performance of your digital signage program. Learn the message attributes for each of the three core network types (Point of Wait, Point of Sale, and Point of Transit), how to measure the program's effectiveness and strike a balance that uses messages effectively alongside the other advertising campaign elements. Through the included interviews, gain access to the wisdom of more than 45 experts, each of whom has deployed and operated successful digital signage networks. The companion website, www.5thscreen.info, features real-world implementations and video blog programming that includes interviews with industry notables. You'll learn how to: create a strategic communications blueprint and style guide for your network keep content flowing automatically-and therefore remaining relevant use data on viewers and traffic to build a programming schedule legally acquire and repurpose content more accurately predict where the future of content will lead Foreword by Joe Pine and Jim Gilmore authors of "The Experience Economy" and "Authenticity"

Digital Marketing That Actually Works is your roadmap to understanding and implementing digital marketing that gets results. This book takes you from digital marketing strategy to channels to tactics to tools to measurement to prioritization - giving you a strong foundation in how to use digital marketing to grow your business, brand or organization. This book is for business professionals and marketers who want a strong grasp of the core concepts in digital marketing - what they are, how they work and how to implement them for growth. Covering strategy, best practices and implementation, this is The Ultimate Guide with no hype - just solid strategies, tactics and tools that actually work. Who can benefit from this book? - MARKETERS AND AGENCIES - Wanting to implement digital marketing best practices and round out their digital knowledge. - CEOS AND EXECUTIVES - Needing a solid understanding of how to strategically use digital to fuel their growth. - ENTREPRENEURS AND STARTUPS - Wanting to harness the power of digital marketing to grow their business. - BRAND MANAGERS - Needing to understand how to best use digital marketing strategically and drive better results. - AGENCIES - Wanting to provide lasting value for their clients with a comprehensive approach to digital. - BUSINESS PROFESSIONALS - Wanting to have a solid understanding of the fastest growing area of marketing and business growth. - DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION TEAMS - Looking to be sure that core areas of digital are used strategically to fuel business growth. This book covers the core aspects of digital marketing: - How to build a plan - Creating a digital marketing strategy - Assessing the digital landscape - Defining your target audience for digital - Digital content strategy and optimization - Social Media Marketing - Digital Advertising - SEO (Search Engine Optimization) - Websites - Conversational marketing (reviews, influencers, advocates and more) - Email marketing - CRM - Mobile marketing (including Messenger and Chatbots) - Digital marketing measurement - Digital marketing analytics and optimization - Digital ROI (return on investment) - Prioritizing digital marketing - Building your digital marketing plan. If you want to take your digital marketing knowledge and results to the next level read this book! Based on over 10 years of working with businesses on digital marketing, Digital Marketing that Actually Works is a comprehensive guide to everything a savvy business professional or marketer should understand about digital marketing. There is no hype. No gimmicks. Just clear, practical, actionable content based on what actually works to grow businesses. As a BONUS this book includes a FREE DOWNLOAD action planner and additional resources to help you implement what you learn.

Two world-renowned strategists detail the seven leadership imperatives for transforming companies in the new digital era. Digital transformation is critical. But winning in today's world requires more than digitization. It requires understanding that the nature of competitive advantage has shifted—and that being digital is not enough. In Beyond Digital, Paul Leinwand and Matt Mani from Strategy&, PwC's global strategy consulting business, take readers inside twelve companies and how they have navigated through this monumental shift: from Philips's reinvention from a broad conglomerate to a focused health technology player, to Cleveland Clinic's engagement with its broader ecosystem to improve and expand its leading patient care to more locations around the world, to Microsoft's overhaul of its global commercial business to drive customer outcomes. Other case studies include Adobe, Citigroup, Eli Lilly, Hitachi, Honeywell, Inditex, Komatsu, STC Pay, and Titan. Building on a major new body of research, the authors identify the seven imperatives that leaders must follow as the digital age continues to evolve: Reimagine your company's place in the world Embrace and create value via ecosystems Build a system of privileged insights with your customers Make your organization outcome-oriented Invert the focus of your leadership team Reinvent the social contract with your people Disrupt your own leadership approach Together, these seven imperatives comprise a playbook for how leaders can define a bolder purpose and transform their organizations.