GastaTech Notes

Innovation + Optimization + Capital = Sustainable Growth


This formula for success is certainly not new. It has been preached and practiced by business experts and industry leaders for decades. Why then, do companies fall short or struggle?
Perhaps they do not understand that the formula, by definition, has to have all the elements known and quantified for the equation to work. It is not sufficient to work on one variable and hope the others fall in line. They are all part of a complex and interconnected puzzle.

The real reason the formula fails is that most companies do not clearly understand the magnitude and implications of these variables and therefore fall short in implementing them. To clarify the variables let’s ask the following questions and see how your business stacks up?

Innovation: Does leadership encourage questioning of current methods and support exploring potentially better ways of doings things? Do they foster innovation and consider it a competitive advantage? Does the workforce have “think time” or are they too consumed with executing the current processes? “Innovate or die” is a maxim that is vital, but often is just a plaque on a wall somewhere. We believe that a company must develop and implement active, measurable innovation and creativity processes that involve the entire organization for the company to thrive and be relevant.

Optimization: Do you know how much it costs to process a purchase order? Do you really know how much it costs to produce and distribute a product? Do you actively practice lean and six sigma methodologies? Are the communication chain and technology systems functioning in a smooth and seamless manner? Our experience shows that, in most companies, many processes are suboptimal at best and there are areas where minimal intervention can result in sizable benefits.

Capital: Do management and the workforce understand basic economics? What financial parameters does the company set for each member of its workforce? Has the company optimized AR, AP and current debt obligations? What cash or debt is needed to grow the company? Where can it be gotten and at what cost? Does the company have succession and exit plans in place? We know this area is often the least understood and companies often operate literally by the ‘seat of their pants’.

We believe that for a company to maximize its potential and be consistently relevant in a global economy it must actively manage all three areas simultaneously. Each of these three aspects must be clearly understood, measured and become an integral part of all strategic business plans and daily operations decisions.


Indy Patel
Chief Economist,Criterion LLC
Managing Principal,Criterion Capital LLC

Gasta News: Brand turf war

Paid Search:Low intensity warfare on Google plains

Agencies aren't practicing what they preach when it comes to using paid search to market their brands, according to Adweek, and while these agencies are sleeping, some of their smaller competitors are using paid search to their advantage.

Buying your brand name would seem logical, but of the 56 agencies assessed by Adweek, only five had sponsored links tied to their names on Google. The others did not have paid search links, but their web pages generally appeared near the top of the search results.

"It's very difficult to recommend certain things to your clients if you're not in the game yourself," said Craig Conrad or Interpublic Group's Campbell-Ewald. "So often we're focused on our client business [that] sometimes it's easy to forget about our own brand."

While brand advertisers are up in arms over Google's lack of enforcement when it comes to piggybacking, it seems that some smaller agencies are actually using the practice themselves. A search for OgilvyInteractive yields a sponsored link for Stein Rogan + Partners, a small New York agency.

"Why not put ourselves out there as a viable alternative?" said Tom Stein, Stein Rogan's CEO. "It's a little bit of counter-marketing."

Microsoft Strategy & Gasta European Search Network

Microsoft is to launch a European Search Technology Center (STC) next year as it attempts to boost Live Search's presence across the continent.

The company said it aims to "disrupt the search and advertising marketplace" by using the STC to make Live Search more targeted and relevant for European users.

Kevin Johnson, president of the platforms and services division at Microsoft, said, "Success in search in Europe is paramount, and we see the investment in this new Search Technology Center as an important step in doubling down on our long-term investments."

Satya Nadella, senior vice president of the search, portal and advertising Group at Microsoft, said, "Searchers have different expectations and experiences in every geography in the world, so we believe it's critical to make deep investments in physical locations in multiple markets to ensure that we're applying the best local expertise to our research and development efforts."

The STC is scheduled to open next year, but Microsoft said it had yet to decide on a location.

Gasta the amoebic replicant

Gasta the amoebic replicant

Growing faster and replicating itself across the universe how big can Gasta get?

Gasta disseminates information and like an electronic amoeba spreads the information across networks, when a search is made on Gasta the search keyword is collected and collated for popularity, the most popular keywords are then added to the list of Gasta directories; this is all carried out in quantum nanoseconds (on the fly). Web marketers and SME’s then have the opportunity to create an IntantLink ™ to that directory. This is a new innovation in web directories and dynamic linking, and part of the new exciting gasta interface. When designing a new interface a range of disciplines must be used to create the best experience for the interface user, Gasta.com's new interface is designed to give the maximum use of directories but at the same time make easier to use the search tool. Having morphed from an old school directory like Yahoo, Gasta has now harnessed the minimalist elements of Google and tied these to the directory listing by popular keywords. This is very new and very creative design for the launch of Gasta web2.0 with the additional tools of predictive search assists, playlists, and transparent search history we give the user more power to search faster, and more precisely.