Mike Abel’s Post

A beautiful morning to you all 🌅 Magical pic of South Africa’s jacarandas 🇿🇦 (Pic: Andrea Ben 👌) #NatureInspires #ProtectEarth #NoPlanB

Too good not to share 🤣

I hope you enjoy this piece, and why my fundamental belief in South Africa has been proven right, and right again, since returning home from Australia, in December 2009 🇿🇦 We sure have our challenges as a country, but the other side of that coin, is always opportunity. To make a positive difference.

Wishing you a joyful and uplifting Sukkot, the festival of the harvest, a time when we gather to celebrate the generosity of nature’s bounty, the shelter of peace, and the blessings of community. As we sit under the open skies, surrounded by the fruits of the earth, may we all—no matter our faith or background—feel connected to the rhythm of the seasons, the gifts of the land, and the spirit of togetherness that unites us all. May this season of harvest fill your heart with gratitude, your home with joy, and your life with abundance. Chag Sameach!

NFT art : what a joke. I reluctantly bought 3 pieces at at the time, for a few thousand Rand each, created by a famous local artist. Think I could probably sell them for around R80.00 each today 🎪 As a contemporary African art collector I was persuaded, against my better judgement, that I was stuck in the past… Maybe they will come back in value, or maybe they will remain digital landfill? I hold myself fully accountable for my foolishness. Looking forward to one day hopefully being proven wrong. Imagine crypto investor Sina Estavi who paid $2.9 million for the NFT of Jack Dorsey’s first tweet. Now said to be valued at $4.00. Enough money to buy a plastic dog food bowl.

Brand Ideas and Executional Ideas: The Key to Standing Out I’m frequently exposed to people in business or even marketing, who haven’t either taken the time, or more likely, don’t have the background or experience to unpack the important differences between a brand idea and an executional idea. It’s a really important thing, for anyone responsibile for evaluating ideas, to unpack and understand this well. To build a great and memorable brand, you need both a brand idea and an executional idea. The difference between the two is critical, and understanding it is the key to success. The brand idea is what your company or product stands for—it’s the meaning behind your product, the reason people connect with it on a deeper level. Think of Nike. They don’t just sell shoes; they sell the idea of human potential. That’s what people buy into. The brand idea sets you apart in a crowded market. Apple’s “Think Different” again, is a brand idea and therefore also an organising thought for the whole company around not just what they do, but how they do it. The executional idea is how you bring that brand idea to life. It’s the way you tell your story, make people care, and capture their attention or imagination. But it’s not just about simply being fresh or clever—it’s about making sure the execution aligns with the brand idea. When Volkswagen ran “Think Small,” for the Beetle, it wasn’t just about selling cars—it was about challenging perceptions, and the executions reflected that. In both the words and photographic style, Bill Bernbach selected. It was created to confront you. For Nike, “Just Do It” is the executional expression that encapsulates the emotional essence of what the brand idea means, in harnessing your own potential. Blandness in approach, kills brands. If you don’t stand for something clear and compelling, you simply won’t stand out. Playing it safe may seem comfortable, but it leads to mediocrity, and mediocrity leads to being forgotten. Being bland today is simply a slow acting decision (poison) to disappear. So, get clear on your brand idea. Is it compelling? Is it relevant? Is it believable? Then make sure your execution brings it to life in a way that’s both bold and memorable. Because in a world full of noise and clutter, only the truly distinctive survive and thrive.

The greatest disservice you can pay yourself, is pretending to be someone else, in order to be liked, or to fit in. If people like you, include you or support you when you are pretending to be someone else, then the only person you are fooling is yourself. Because your supporters haven’t chosen you, but the pretend version. The act. Now this doesn’t mean don’t polish your performance and don’t hone your skills. It doesn’t mean don’t dress well, or make a good impression. Do all that. It means don’t hide your character, your values, and all that which matters deeply to you, if they are sound and don’t seek to harm others. Inauthenticity starves the soul of nourishment and oxygen. Authenticity is liberating. And infectious.

The one thing he never cooked, was our books 🇿🇦🙏 Farewell to the self-appointed Duke of Magoebaskloof. A steady hand over the country’s finances, a firm believer in doing what was right. A man we should remember and respect for his fierce determination in protecting our economy. He amused us with his late night ramblings 🥃 And was not beyond the odd tweet that should have remained firmly in his draft folder. As a chef, he inspired in creating recipes absolutely nobody wanted to follow, with charm and a misplaced confidence 🤣 We loved him more for that. The best chirp I read in response to one of his dishes was “looks like you throwing a pool party for chicken” 🐔 🤣 And the dish itself was an unappetising looking “stew” with chicken pieces floating randomly in a thin broth of sorts. He was a hero and a fighter. Rest well Minister. The Duchy of Magoebaskloof will be sadly missed 👑 #Tito_Mboweni