I.M. FREE

I like this shirt for what it stands for. Donated by Chikka, I won it in a raffle during the DigitalFilipino Club Christmas party on December 14, 2009. As I normally do, I gave it away to a colleague. Realizing later that it was something I wanted, I got it back by trading a more expensive shirt.



For Chikka, the company that generously gave away this shirt, it symbolizes many things about its services not the least of which is its being available to all users for free.

To male friends who saw it, it symbolizes male emancipation -- the chance to shine again.

To me, the message on the shirt (I.M. FREE) symbolizes radical thinking -- in marketing and management.



Many companies created tremendous value, both shareholder and customer, by providing their services for free. Yahoo is still available for free. Google created so much value by providing more services for free.

This philosophy of creating value by providing products and services for free is best synthesized in Jimmy Wales' dream that served as the thinking platform for Wikipedia. He said, "Imagine a world in which every person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge. That's what we are doing."

Free knowledge. Free email services. Free VOIP. On the shirt of a friend says, Sleep with Me, Free Breakfast. Free wi-fi services. Unlimited text.



How does one create shareholder and customer value by providing services for free? This requires radical thinking. A change in the way that we conceptualize and create value. A change in the way that we interpret our balance sheet.

(For comments, email to abfontanilla@yahoo. com or nick.fontanilla@gmail.com)