If batch fourteen was lethargic, batch fifteen of Effy – The living efficiency springs back. This time, G.M. explores the many faces of reproductive strength: an epic M&A exploration, a resolute gardening expansion, the unyielding confidence of ego, and the somewhat amusingly cliche interactive tricks to promote his new sets of prints! Maybe I should have started there…
And as always, don’t miss G.M.’s weekly updates on Effy’s own page or through Tapas and Comics Fury!
A Valentine’s Day special, with a little episode about efficient M&A (mergers & acquisitions), potentially leading to synergies! (the good old 1+1=3 from Bio-Synergies). I’ve done this one a very long time ago, so artwork is shaky at times, but I hope you’ll enjoy the abstract portions!
The episode follows an efficient M&A process:
- Strategy (or planning)
- Target
- Valuation
- Negotiation
- Due Diligence
- Agreement
- Integration
- Synergies
G.M.
Moving on a new market is daunting. Where to start? And how to turn a virgin territory into flourishing commercial section? As always, nature has inspiring solutions, such as bryophytes.
Bryophyta
Bryophyta (articles from PlantSnap, another one about bryophytes on Biology Discussion, and a third one from Gardenology) is the division of plants that groups mosses and liverworts. These plants survive almost everywhere. They spread spores that develop with little water and grow to become invading. They resist almost everything, and can dry out for long periods of time before coming back to life. Once they grow over an area, they pave the way for other plants to step over, pushing bryophytes further away…
Sales representatives
In distribution, sales representatives are the equivalent. Bryophyta follows water trails, sales representatives follow roads… They spread wide in barren markets, moving block by block to develop brands and products. Much like bryophytes, they survive harsh conditions. Restless hours between cars, trains, moving walkways and planes. Lonely nights in motels facing mails piling up and pictures of their estranged family. Unbalanced meals, juggling between client’s dashing banquet and tiny club sandwich along motorway, collecting receipts to seek reimbursements…
Sure, they generally get high commissions, but limited salary, and they must survive on savings for months during sales drought.
And eventually, much like bryophytes, when sales representatives finally developed a flourishing new market, the mother company can and generally does eat them alive, creating a new commercial hub with dedicated sales managers fresh out of business school, marketing team and reliable executives, pushing the sales representatives further away down the road… together with his questionable business practices that the obviously socially responsible company cannot possibly agree with…
And that’s an efficient commercial model, used by many renowned brands.
Most sales representatives though, much like bryophyta, struggle endlessly…
Language is full of tiny jewels, and egotism is one of these words that are seldom used, and yet describe a phenomenon which is all around us. Egotism isn’t egoism, it isn’t selfishness either, it’s beyond… The Free Dictionary defines egotism as:1.an inflated sense of self-importance or superiority; self-centredness2.excessive reference to oneself
So there’s a hint of absolutism… being above all else, with the deep conviction that self-perspective must conquer for the benefit of all… this generally leads to disaster. Effy… efficiency that is… makes no difference. Even worse, “efficiency” is a concept that, if personified, would require a deep sense of egotism to exist.
So Effy does not take prisoners; you’re either with or against her, efficient or inefficient… And when you’re against, beware, because she WILL come after you…
After Marketing & Advertising (here & here) it was about time for Effy to tackle Promotion… and if internet told us anything, is that cheeky girls, sweaty guys and cute cats always were a hit. It’s not a moral judgment of any sort, but mostly an observation. Porn has always been a driving force behind technological evolution (and yes, porn industry leaders are creating robots and deep learning machines just to find new ways to tease).
So Effy played dumb but stayed sfw… and just replicated tactics from the promoting geniuses of entertainment companies behind the like of AKB48… I mean, someone had to invent the ‘holding hands right’… right?
Joke’s aside, Effy Creations Editions has just released new sets of prints from Effy – The Living Efficiency, Stand(H)ard and some other projects of mine, so check them out and consider sparing some beer money to get your own!
Prints sample (All designs here)
Finally, thanks a lot for following and supporting my work on different platforms for the past year, and that surely deserved a big smoochy smooch from an Effy Girl!
(if the pop up doesn’t pop, you can claim your kiss by filing the form below!)
(PS: don’t expect someone knocking on your door though… but you’ll get something to warm you up right in your mailbox. And don’t worry Effy Creations respects privacy, so we won’t share your contact to any third party… come on, we’re not even on fb!)
