Posts by Kevin Roberts
Who Cares?
Scientists have discovered that we’re engineered for kindness – or not. The caring button is a genetic trait that determines how we respond to oxytocin (aka the “love” hormone); some of us have it, some of us don’t; most people can spot it a mile off.
Read MoreA Need for Space Saving Innovations
The UK is drowning in junk. In seven years there will be nowhere left to put it – check out this story on Packington (which sounds suspiciously like “pack it in”), one of the many landfills surging towards capacity. It covers about 380 acres and contains more than 18.5 million tons of rubbish. The height of a skyscraper where once there was flat land, it is, literally, a waste of space.
Read MoreFresh Thinking
Edward de Bono recently made an appearance on ABC down under, sharing some typically flamboyant thinking, mostly around the subject of thinking itself. I’ve been a de Bono fan for years and this was fresh as ever. Among his key insights were:
Read MoreTravel at the Speed of Common Sense
Scientists are notorious for using sledgehammers to crack nuts, but an astrophysicist has solved a modern conundrum with brilliant simplicity. Stuck in a long queue while boarding a plane a few years back, Jason Steffen thought there must be a better way. His idea was to start boarding alternate rows from the back of the…
Read MoreGo Pro Dono
Glen Jeffries, a fellow alumnus from Lancaster Royal Grammar School back in the UK (albeit one 30 years my junior!), has founded a charitable initiative with an aspirational take on fundraising. Pro Dono is a not-for-profit organization arranging one-to-one conversations with famous figures in aid of charity. Ambassadors, as they are called, give a couple…
Read MoreFreeing Creativity
New research highlights that while many workplaces encourage creative thinking, organizational behavior often kills a creative idea before it gets a chance to fly. Jack Goncalo, a member of the research team from University of Pennsylvania asked: “How is it that people say they want creativity but in reality often reject it?” Jack et al’s…
Read MoreGlobal Super Shifts – Part Two
Yesterday I posted five super shifts redefining planet humanity, from globaltrends.com. Here are the second five. 1. New Power Brokers BRIC Social networks G20, which gives developing economies a greater voice in global issues. New financial power brokers – RDE central banks, sovereign wealth funds, private equity and hedge funds – and stateholders bearing stimulus…
Read MoreGlobal Super Shifts – Part One
Yesterday I wrote about the world’s booming population, a big undertow changing the way the world works. Here are five more super shifts redefining planet humanity, from globaltrends.com. Another five tomorrow. 1. Mobility in resources, people, products and services, capital, knowledge, beliefs, opinions The ongoing revolution in global communications technologies offers organizations the ability to…
Read MorePopulation Acceleration
World population from 1800 to 2100, based on UN 2004 projections (red, orange, green) and US Census Bureau historical estimates The planet’s booming population is a mega trend reshaping everything. Over coming decades our growing presence and rampant appetite for resources will shake up every form of life on earth. At current birthrates, the world’s…
Read MoreOur Emotional Connection to Brands
Chances are when you’re wandering around your local store doing your weekly grocery shop there are brands you gravitate to. Without a second thought your trolley fills with brands that have a familiar spot in your cupboards at home. And you feel happy about that – happier than if you’d actually bought the exact same…
Read More