ΚΑΛΩΣ ΗΛΘΑΤΕ! Kalos ilthate! Welcome!
Welcome to the Global Greek World - a world of Greek-Somethings which stretches from Auckland to Zanzibar, from Aruba to Zimbabwe.
Wherever you are in the world, this is YOUR world!
'We Greeks know all about myths... in fact our ancestors created the
whole concept and built up the brand name!
Now at one of the critical crossroads in her long and glorious history,
Greece, along with the rest of us who love this country whether living here or abroad, has started the process of debunking some of the myths that have been circulating in the last few months and rebuilding
her own incredible Greek Myth.
In today's strictly commercial terms, this is called rebuilding a brand
and that brand is none other than Greece!
Let's all do our bit to help rebuild Brand GREECE - for us
and the future generations.'
Today we were thrilled to see that one of our Global Greeks, Peter Economides, a brandstrategist with a successful career behind him (including Apple's Think Different campaign) has got started on this and we love what he has done...
Have a look at the brilliant presentation he put together for Rebranding Greece, the 11th International Aristoteli
Conference in Thessaloniki where he was conference keynote speaker on 11/11/11, a historic day for Greece from many points of view ...
Peter Economides is
a brand strategist with a global perspective.
He has lived on four
continents doing work that has impacted brands and consumers almost
everywhere. He has learned from the leaders of some of the world’s best
brands.
Owner and founder of Felix
BNI based in Athens, Peter is a former Executive Vice President and
Worldwide Director of Client Services at global advertising agency
McCann Erickson Worldwide and Head of Global Clients at TBWA\Worldwide.
His journey through the world
of advertising and marketing started in his native South Africa and
took him via Hong Kong, Greece and Mexico to New York, and back to
Athens. “The Med is definitely the best.”
He has managed and grown
leading ad agencies as CEO/President in Greece, Mexico and the United
States. At McCann Erickson Worldwide he was responsible for the global
management of the $1.8 billion Coca-Cola advertising account. At
TBWA\Worldwide he structured and rolled out the global “Think Different”
campaign following the return of Steve Jobs to Apple.
Felix BNI clients have
included Audi, Volkswagen, Heineken Breweries, Pepsi-Cola, the
International Olympic Committee, easy-forex.com, Seychelles Tourism, the
Antenna Group and Pernod-Ricard.
Peter’s work is focussed on
change - on the strategic responses to shifting culture, consumer habits
and behavior, and the challenges of regional and global expansion.
His view is that branding
strategy needs to be spherical and all encompassing, touching every
aspect of the business organization and process. As he says,
“everything communicates” and “strategy is nothing without a universally
compelling, and individually enchanting big idea that engages and
aligns people inside and outside the corporation.”
Peter is a Board Director
Make-A-Wish Foundation International.
One of his passions is
sailing, especially in the Aegean. Another is diving, especially in the
Indian Ocean. But his biggest passion is brand strategy....
We want to see Peter's passion create the greatest brand ever...
We welcome your Feedback. Don't forget to leave your email address. If considered appropriate, comments will be published unless you tell us otherwise.
Greek National Day Parade through the Eyes of a Child
Article of the Day...
‘Listen to Egypt, listen to the people’
AFTER Constantinople, if there is a city indelibly imprinted in the Greek psyche, it is Alexandria. It was named after Alexander the Great and ruled by his successors the Ptolemies, including Cleopatra. It boasted the greatest library of antiquity. The Old Testament was translated into Greek there, and it was a major centre of Eastern Orthodox theology. The best known turn-of-the-20th-century Greek poet, Cavafy, proudly sang its praises.
The modern Greek community of Egypt (centred in Alexandria and Cairo), founded in the mid-19th century, grew to be 250,000-strong a century later. It quickly became a formidable force in trade, industry and banking, and a fine centre of Greek learning. And it produced some of the greatest benefactors of the Greek state.
All that ended with the great Greek exodus after Gamal Abdel Nasser’s 1952 revolution and the ensuing nationalisation of property.
Today, Theodoros II, the second-ranking patriarch of Orthodox Christianity, leads a church that covers all of Africa. But his Greek flock in Egypt is only 350 in Alexandria and 1,000 in Cairo.
In an exclusive interview with the Athens News, the patriarch insists the Greek community will not die out...
Greek-American, Dr Alex Pattakos, wrote this for the Huffington Post
'Opa!' We Are All Greek!
We bet most readers recall the 2002 sleeper hit film, "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," written by and starring Nia Vardalos. The movie centered on Fotoula "Toula" Portokalou, a middle-class Greek American woman going through an early mid-life crisis because she had not yet married. As the story goes, Toula then falls in love with a non-Greek, (e.g., White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) by the name of Ian Miller. Although the movie was set in Chicago it was shot largely in Toronto, where we were living at the time, so the scenes of Greektown on Danforth Avenue hold special meaning for us.
In a very memorable scene near the end of the film, when Toula and Ian celebrate their big fat Greek wedding with their respective families, Toula's father, Gus, finally comes around to accept the "mixed" marriage. He shares the following ageless and very touching Greek wisdom with all of the guests at the reception:
"You know, the root of the word Miller is a Greek word. Miller comes from the Greek word, 'milo,' which is mean 'apple,' so there you go. As many of you know, our name, Portokalos, is come from the Greek word 'portokali,' which mean 'orange.' So, okay? Here tonight, we have apple and orange. We all different, but in the end, we all fruit."
How simple-sounding, yet so profound and true: we are all different, but in the end, we are all fruit. Of course, you don't have to be of Greek heritage to appreciate this bit of philosophy. Nor do you have to be of Greek heritage to appreciate -- and resonate with -- the meaningful story depicted in the movie. In fact, it is because the movie reflects so many of our own families and personal lives, Greek or not, that makes its story arc so compelling and memorable. We can relate to Toula, to her entire family, and to her situation precisely because it mirrors so much of us and our lives....Read more
Global Greek World's Top 20!
Young women Decorate the Epitaphio-Good Friday in the Greek Orthodox Church, Wellington, NZ,1959
Dignity does not consist in possessing honors, but in deserving them.
Aristotle
By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher.
Socrates
I was really too honest a man to be a politician and live.
Socrates
I am not an Athenian or a Greek but a citizen of the world.
Diogenes
It is indeed a desirable thing to be well-descended, but the glory belongs to our ancestors.
Plutarch
By desiring little, a poor man makes himself rich. Democritus
Time for Jokes...
An Australian decided to write a book about famous churches around the world. So he bought a plane ticket and took a trip to England thinking that he would start by working his way across Europe.
On his first day he was inside a church taking photographs when he noticed a golden telephone mounted on the wall with a sign that read "$10,000.00 per call".
The Australian, being intrigued, asked a priest who was strolling by what the telephone was used for. The priest replied that it was a direct line to heaven and that for $10,000.00 you could talk to God.
The Australian thanked the priest and went on his way.
Next stop was in France. There, at a very large cathedral, he saw the same golden telephone ...
Thank you for spreading the word. We can do it if we do it together. I belive this deep, deep inside.
ReplyDeleteWe do to Peter, we do too! With you all the way! :)
ReplyDelete