Snowball Narrative

Selling Apple Short

Jon Littman — Wed, 23 May 2012 02:37:43 +0000

Apple has succeeded by ruthlessly mapping out and designing genuinely new products and services for individuals. Meanwhile the imperial minded enterprises that ignored design and customers and slavishly catered to corporate mediocrity — Think Rim and Nokia — are fighting for their survival. Here’s the story of the high stakes narrative game in the HuffPost. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-littman/shorting-apple_b_1531651.html

Apple’s Goliath Effect

Jon Littman — Tue, 22 May 2012 23:45:36 +0000

The Goliath Effect explains the drastic shift in media, financial and public perceptions of Apple the past few weeks. This is about the power of story to move markets. Most of all this is a story about how the facts don’t matter when you’re targeting Goliath. Here’s the story in the Huffpost. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-littman/apples-goliath-effect_b_1472995.html

Last Boat To London: Olympic quest

Jon Littman — Tue, 22 May 2012 23:31:24 +0000

Orinda, Calif. — Coach Mike Teti stands up on his launch and tells the rowers in the sleek shell what lies ahead. “There’s a headwind. Then it flattens out, and then there’s a headwind at the end.” He pauses and fixes hard on the coxswain: “Make sure your calls are accurate.” Here’s the story in the Huff Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-littman/last-boat-to-london_b_1516070.html

Sundance Beats American Negativity

Jon Littman — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:46:49 +0000

Last week I was flown to the Sundance Film Festival to offer my thoughts on a documentary and discovered anew what I love about America.

Robert Redford starred during my childhood in the classic American flick, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and went on to found the wonderful Sundance Film Festival. Sundance, like its rebellious, thoughtful creator, is an innovation lab for what really matters in film, independent storytelling. Redford prizes the environment (natural and human) and understands that creativity — not money or big “stars” — is what matters most in film and life. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-littman/sundance-beats-american-n_b_1244635.html

In Search of Greatness

Jon Littman — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 16:47:28 +0000

Where does greatness come from? How can an individual rise above today’s fads and overwhelming distractions to find a sustaining vision and passion for life? What role can communities, mentors or institutions play in our youths’ search for meaning? A week ago, I travelled to Oak Ridge, Tennessee to watch my daughter and 26 other young men and women from a Marin County, California rowing club compete in the U.S. Junior National Championships. The Marin club had an outrageous, never before achieved goal: to send three boats and return with three gold medals. Here’s the story in the Huffington Post, tweeted by Lance Armstrong, and many others. http://t.co/E3TO9vb

Tell Your Story In A Tour

Jon Littman — Wed, 25 May 2011 17:27:55 +0000

One week I was in New York helping a venerable brand try to regain the number one spot it had taken for granted. The next I was on vacation in Boulder, Colorado, discovering part of the solution to the East Coast firm’s challenge.

Boulder is a beautiful town, perched dramatically on the shoulder of the dramatic Flatirons and home to the University of Colorado. The world’s greatest marathon runners and cyclists train here, and nearly everyone seems vibrant, or at least incredibly fit, biking, running, climbing and hiking at all hours. But there’s another reason you or your company needs to visit. Here’s my piece on the value of a company tour on Alltop.

http://holykaw.alltop.com/want-customer-love-give-a-tour-by-jonathan-li

Foggy White House Storytelling

Jon Littman — Thu, 12 May 2011 03:44:41 +0000

Killing Osama bin Laden was surprisingly easy. It was getting the story straight in the age of Twitter and CNN that proved a nearly impossible mission.The meticulously planned assassination of bin Laden was so well executed that even a helicopter malfunction didn’t throw the team off their game. Not a single Navy Seal was shot or even injured in a devilishly complicated operation. But the guys in the White House in charge of the words couldn’t shoot straight. They seemed to have no comprehensive narrative plan, no organized and orchestrated story for the biggest U.S. military success in decades. Here’s my Huffington Post story about how they bungled what should have been a perfect triumph.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-littman/white-house-press-director-_b_859764.html

Sony’s Slow-Mo Story

Jon Littman — Fri, 06 May 2011 17:08:07 +0000

Sony has been in slow motion the past two weeks, stumbling on how to tell the story of a recent catastrophic intrusion into its on-line gaming network. Indecision doesn’t win in action games, and it’s been devastating to Sony’s reputation. The company has produced a textbook case study on how not to respond to a crisis. Sony first learned its gaming networks had been hacked on April 19. But instead of making a straightforward, honest announcement, it waited a day and then issued the non-statement, “We’re aware certain functions of PlayStation are down. We will report back here as soon as we can with more information.” It’s a tale that demonstrates how important straightforward storytelling is in a crisis. Here’s my story in the Huffington Post.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-littman/sonys-slowmo-story_b_856958.html

Lost in Translation

Jon Littman — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:36:14 +0000

Italy, France, Holland, Switzerland, Greece, Spain, Portugal, Mexico and Brazil. I’ve had the good fortune to travel and live in many corners of this glorious world. I thought I knew something about foreign cultures. That is until I recently made my first business trip to Hong Kong and China. It’s another world. Especially for an author and storyteller. Here’s my piece in the Huffington Post on Hong Kong superstitions. You’ll never guess what gift is off limits.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-littman/my-lucky-hong-kong-gift_b_841231.html

Chinese Brand Knockoffs

Jon Littman — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 21:41:48 +0000

We’ve all read about Chinese counterfeit brands. But what’s the reality? On my recent trip to Hong Kong and Shenzhen, I decided to see for myself. Here’s my latest piece in the Huffington Post:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathan-littman/chinese-brand-knockoffs-h_b_838218.html