Wednesday 30 July 2008

Salavador Dali:: The Systematization of Confusion!

Brand Killer Robots reveal::
Dali said some very important things, but these for us are the most important....


"I believe that the moment is at hand, when by paranoia and active advances of the mind, it is possible (simultaneously with automatism and other passive states) to systematize confusion and thus help to discredit completely, the world of reality".

Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what is considered to be shackles limiting our vision (Salvador Dali)

Tuesday 29 July 2008

Competitive Intelligence Agency (cia) vs. Central Intelligence Agency (The CIA)?

Brand Killer Robots reveal::
So what is the difference between commerical intelligence people and their counterparts working for the CIA?

Is it that the CIA have more knowhow, more tradecraft, different targets etc?
Is it that CIA analysts work on behalf of the citizens of the country, as directed by the government of the day - and not for shareholders?
Is it that the CIA have more money, more resources, a higher mission in life, even? What distinguishes CIA operatives from their counterparts in the commercial world?

Well, all the above are correct distinguishing points, but there is one differentiator that brings the most significant distinguising point of all - RAGE.

Rage is what really distinguishes the CIA from their lowly counterparts in the commercial arena.

When you've seen the ugly face of injustice, of inhumanity of immorality.....
Somehow you find an edge that no others have.
Somehow you find that little something extra.
More focus, more drive, more love for your fellow man.
More rage!!!!

If you operate an upstanding and ethical brand - the best way to motivate commercial intelligence analysts is to ensure they know that the enemy is a frightening, corrupt and subversive monster - and that their real job is to kill them dead - before they themselves are eaten alive.

That's the difference between competitive intelligence agency and the CIA?

CIA operatives can be eaten alive if they fail. Commercial analysts rarely are.

Monday 28 July 2008

The Cleansing of the Markets of the Bourgeoisie Psychopaths!

The Menanced Assassin by Rene Magritte

In contrast to Salvador Dali, Rene Magritte has been called the "Invisible Man" amongst the surrealists. George Melly in the script for a BBC film on Magritte wrote, "He is a secret agent; his objective is to bring into disrepute the whole apparatus of bourgeoisie reality". "Like all saboteurs, he avoids detection by dressing and behaving like everybody else".

"Thanks to his anonymity, his works have had gradual but overwhelming impact - like a glacial flow".

Friday 18 July 2008

CI / SI Analysts:: Not Multi-faceted enough?

Brand Killer Robots reveal::
There were two intelligence analysts, one was called a competitive intelligence analyst and the other a systems intelligence analyst. The competitive intelligence analyst had had a formal university level education, whilst the systems intelligence analyst had left school at 17, starting as a prototype wireman in electronics, before undertaking a career in network management and strategic software design.

Both were very different in their approach. The competitive intelligence analyst would follow formal methods and strictly comply with the ethical codes set by the SCIP. Whilst the systems intelligence analyst approached each task in a much less formal way and did not constrain himself to the same CI process. In fact he made CI up as he went along.

When CI Analyst (1) was on a "how to set-up a CI wargame" training course, CI Analyst (2) was attending a "how to hack a cisco router" training course. Neither Analyst could understand why the other was following the particular path they were taking.

Whilst both analysts took a very different approach, they complimented each other very well for a number of reasons. Firstly they both thought the management team of the day were stupid. Secondly, they both believed in ensuring that the brand they were supporting was as optimal relative to the competition as possible. And thirdly they both believed that for CI professionals to surive they must be delivering constant value and just as importantly, "be seen to be delivering constant value".

From a management perspective this situation worked very well. They had a much broader spectrum of skills, talents and approaches to draw upon for obtaining competitive information - upon which they could make better, more informed decisions.

Problem was that the CI process relied on two perspectives, rather than one. Both perspectives had to be reconciled and described in a manner that presented a confident, honest and clear picture to the management team.

When one analyst went on holiday the CI process was less informed and worst still, compromised by the fact the perspective had now temporarily altered.

One way to resolve this is to hire and train CI analysts to cover both commercial intelligence and technical systems perspectives.