FREE FREE FREE = DUMB DUMB DUMB

I heard a radio commercial today that went something like this:

Call now to get a free laptop! At BlueHippo we won't look at your credit score, no questions asked. Call now XXX-XXX-XXXX, and we'll give you a free flatscreen today. No credit checks, no questions. Have you been wanting a laptop? Get one today! And if you call right now we'll give you a flatscreen tv AND a printer. Call now.

Um...ok. I LOL because this is a)too much free stuff in one offer b)to free to be real c)very scam-worthy and d)down right ridiculous.

I can't believe this ad passed through all the checkoff points. This is DUMB, BAD advertising. I really hope people don't give this company the satisfaction of a call or a customer. Advertising like this should write you off the planet in terms of being socially acceptable. Boo.

Yo Momma

Postcardsfromyomomma is kind of like Postsecret for moms but in a reverse way: readers submit emails from their mothers, thus displaying secrets of moms.

Great insight for any mother/daughter brand.

Here's one post titled "My husband lives like a pauper"

Did I tell you that I called the producer at Millionaire to re-schedule my air date? I told them I relocated to Reno and that I couldn’t make the July date. They said,”No problem…we’ll call you and send a letter after we look at the schedule”. I really think I can do well on that show. If I make some big bucks I will NOT give it to my husband. I will split it up between you and your sister. My husband doesn’t need money. He’s got his squirreled away and lives like a pauper so I’ll dispense any award money where it will be put to good use.

oh data

Part of me wants to launch into a fictitious rant about Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation, a childhood favorite in the late 80s, early 90s, but I'll save us both the nostalgic embarrassment.

If you haven't seen it yet at Contagious, read this now: Ways of Seeing, The art of data by digital ninjas Faris Yakob and Noah Brier. These two smart guys put data visualization into inspirational laymen's terms. What exactly is data visualization? Words are simply visual representations of information - pictures of sounds. I thought this was beautiful when I read it. An inspiring way to think about what they refer to as the art of eroding the gap between how something looks and what it means.

Basically, they give it to us straight: we are a generation drowning in data. Here, Here! Oy Oy! How many of you are currently struggling with balancing your professional network with your social one; aggregating newsfeeds but never finding the time to read them all; trying to figure out how to Twitter but...can't; wishing you could email everyone back at once but know that mass emails aren't the personalization you know people deserve these days. AHHHH, what are we supposed to do? The Internet has made us all stir-crazy, psycho-paths who need the latest "fix" of information and we can't focus until we get it, and even then, focusing (and being productive) is difficult.

The problem identified by Faris & Noah is that data, like many things, is worthless without the tools to interpret it. Ok, now I've got to get on my soapbox: Attention agencies without planning departments, planners ARE your tools to decipher the data, the information, the culture, the research, etc. :)

Down now. Check out some of these super cool sites to get your data visualization fix now:

www.labs.digg.com/bigspy
http://www.marumushi.com/apps/newsmap/newsmap.cfm
http://wefeelfine.org
http://www.visualthesaurus.com
http://moodstream.gettyimages.com/
http://twittervision.com/
http://www.fidgt.com/
http://walk2web.com/

and there are more here at Mashable. Enjoy!

Definition of smart?

I have a homework project to answer the question: what is your definition of smart? The task paper says "throughout life we have all used the word smart to describe a multitude of people, places, things, and ideas. In the world of advertising, this word followed by a brand name or campaign title has become the epitome of success for agencies and brands across the globe, yet it remains largely undefined."

When I think of smart, these brands come to mind: Google, Nike, Macintosh, and Barack Obama (Starbucks would be on this list, but I feel the brand's situation is sort of hush-hush these days, do we really want to talk about how bad it's doing? :( ). These four brands represent simplistic function, authentic intentions, forward-thinking activism, consistent personalities, and are both a mirror to society and change-makers. I think this is my definition of smart, now that I laid it out.

Does smart have value? To answer this, I ask you is brand loyalty worth something? And your answer should be damn right, I want cheezy poofs!

Does smart depend solely on its audience? I would say no. A smart brand, to me, is a brand whose smartness stands independently of its said actions which have an intended audience. A smart brand is holistically smart: smart intentions, smart mission, smart moves, thereby summoning a smart audience. :)

And there we have it. My opinion on what smart means in the world of branding.

my problem with advertising

is I'm not consuming; "bogged" down with 40+ hours of work and trying to balance my health/fitness/social goals in around work, I haven't blocked off "time to be a consumer," which is completely necessary to be at the top of my advertising game. I am out of touch with how people are shopping these days. It's the little nuances when they're in the store or talking with a store employee that capture a brand's "experience" and to which we are drawing people's attention with advertising.

Don't forget to be a consumer yourself.
Buy stuff now.

Tom Carroll or TBWA Worldwide had this to say at the 4As Planning Conference this year "There is no substitute for being out in the marketplace. Get back out there and talk to people. The good data is not in your office and it's not online."

getting things done

I'm not sure how many of you have heard of David Allen's book Getting Things Done, but my podmate turned me on to GTD (i swear he gave me a link but I can't find it right now, stay tuned)...and the book looms in my mind as if it were the Holy Grail. Lately (per my previous post), I've been struggling with procrastination; it's a bitch. What the F*** do you do? And can you even put your finger on why you're procrastinating OR what procrastination exactly means? I think Type A personalities struggle with "whatever procrastination is" moreso than Type Bs. This link takes you to a Wikipedia page clearly written by a Type B persona (Type As aren't complete tightwads!) which illustrates the Type A personality traits that I struggle most with: multi-tasking takes an ineffective turn where focusing becomes random instant-gratification seeking; time-conscientiousness becomes debilitating to creativity; and stress hinders any sense of productivity. Ugh.

So back to GTD: I checked out the book on Amazon, and I'm posting highlights from a comment I feel is the most motivating (and perhaps directional, in fact negating the purchase of the book altogether). Here they are:

This book is for all those who are overwhelmed with too many things to do, too little time to do them, and a general sense of unease that something important is being missed. (THAT'S ME!)

Every task, promise, or assignment has a place and a time. Rapid progress occurs when you take large, unformed tasks, and break them down and organize them into smaller, sequential steps for exactly what to do and when.

The essence of the process is that you write down a note about everything when you take on a new responsibility, make a new commitment, or have a useful thought. All of this ends up in some kind of "in" box. You then go through your "in" box and decide what needs to be done next for each item. For simple issues, this includes identifying the action you should take first and when to take it. For tougher issues, you schedule an appropriate time to work the problem in more detail.

For the tougher problems, you start with identifying your purpose and principles so you know why you care how it all turns out. Then you imagine the potential good outcomes that you would like. Following that, you brainstorm with others the best way to get those outcomes. Then you organize the best pathway. (WHO DOESN'T LIKE BRAINSTORMS?)

The critical part is the discipline because that is what focuses your attention where it will do the most good. Many people allow a lot of time to pass without taking any useful steps because they cannot imagine what to do next. If you simplify the questions and make them into familiar ones, everyone soon finds powerful alternatives drawn from a lifetime of experiences and memories. Keep things broad, abstract, and vague, and peoples' eyes glaze over while they struggle for a place to begin. (I THINK THIS PARTICULARLY APPLIES TO PLANNING: WE'VE GOT TO BE ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS AND WE NEED TO ARTICULATE AND SIMPLIFY)

THIS IS A DIRECT QUOTE FROM THE COMMENTER: "By helping [other people] gain relaxed control of their activities, you will also be able to enjoy the benefits of their increased effectiveness in supporting your own efforts.May you always get the tools you need, understand what to do next, and move swiftly through timely actions!" SOUNDS NICE. :)

"Seeing things differently"

The above spot is a Cannes 2008 Bronze Award winner. yay!

On "subject," it's probably something I need to make a goal to achieve: see things differently. The humdrum of the largest independent agency has made me a machine part, and now I need a bit of oil. I'm still turning over, doing my part, but I'm not shiny anymore. I miss being shiny.

Problem to be solved: Feeling confined, limited, and uninspired within an "agency structure."

Who are we talking to: My-Myspacing, instant gratification seeking and therefore procrastinating, project-based, timesheet filling, seemingly pressed for time-Self.

What do they think now: I can't find the time to think beyond problem-solution tasks, or rather, maybe I'm not thinking anymore because I rely on "the system" to help me come up with the solution because isn't that what a system exists for? I find it hard to be myself in "the system." (is this generational or is it like this with all forms of artistic expression?)

What would we like them to think: You can incorporate the same passion for planning and idea-generating discipline that you had a year ago into the day-to-day and project-world you live in now.

What insight will help us get there: creative passion does not run well on business time or in a typical business environment.

Thoughts:

• How can I dilute the sense of "being run by the clock?"
• What more can I add to my environment to inspire random creativity?
• I need to build in idea-generating activities & made them feel like playtime in a work-world.

I have a long ways to go as a planner, still a lot to learn, and a lot of ideas to have and act upon. I need to re-visit why I am where I am and make sure I'm still drinking my own koolaid so that I remain true to the brand I've established and the brand I want to become known for. I wrote this in May 2007 after evaluating my time at the Miami Ad School: It gave me the tools to change a tired, traditional WILL DO industry into a provocatively, creative WANT TO one. Of course, a revolution is easier to do with people but...if it's just me right now, ok. Be bold.

Plan on.

Round up of cool

In the name of sharing information and fostering a creative community that gives/receives inspiration, these are some things I've found to be motivating lately:

Data Visualization a la Moodstream, designed by The Barbarian Group, Moodstream is a visual brainstorming tool, sort of like a mindmap only with images, but then it's got a GPS-like navigation tool with which the user determines where he or she will head to next. Pretty cool. And FYI, one of the smartest kids around, Noah, has become a Barbarian, so expect to see lots of smart strategic solutions happening there.

Twittervision - the local version. Because I am relatively new to my city, I'd like to see what other people are up to in real time. This seems like a much more indirect way of meeting cool people and finding out about new things vs. messaging a complete stranger on Myspace or reading the poorly laid out local alternative weekly. Tweet away!

Buzz feeds - literally you can go to buzzfeed.com and see what's popular OR Yahoo! has user-friendly version called Yahoo! Buzz. And at the Likemind this month, someone mentioned MetaSpy but...I'm not getting anything when I click through on the MetaCrawler website...anyone else?

Enjoy some tools!

Concept Statements

what makes a good one?

Dancing

A viral Internet sensation with four million web fans says The New York Times:

In many ways “Dancing” is an almost perfect piece of Internet art: it’s short, pleasingly weird and so minimal in its content that it’s open to a multitude of interpretations. It could be a little commercial for one-world feel-goodism. It could be an allegory of American foreign policy: a bumptious foreigner turning up all over the world and answering just to his own inner music. Or it could be about nothing at all — just a guy dancing.

Here, for your viewing pleasure (see if it doesn't make you a bit happier):

advice for getting an entry-level job in account planning

First off, every planner's story is different; there's no one way to get into planning. This is largely due to the fact that not every agency has a planning department, not all planning departments are created equal, and it's still a fairly new profession to apply for. With that said, here's what I tried and what I found to be the most beneficial to finally getting a job:

Informational interviews - Talk to anyone that will talk to you! Start a list today of all the agencies in your immediate town. Call up the main number, ask if they have a planning t; if they do, get the Planning Director's number or email, if they don't, move on. Once you have a list of 5-10 contacts, start calling/emailing with a brief introduction of "hey, I'd love to talk to you about planning. Could we arrange a time next week, only 15-30 minutes, so I could pick your brain and hear your story?" There aren't many smart people who don't like to talk about themselves or help a young, passionate person out. And each person you talk to is a business card for networking purposes later. After you do your town/immediate area, call people long-distance in cities you'd be interested to live in and do an I.I. over the phone. Yes, it's a bit like cold-calling but get over it, and see it as an opportunity to learn. Bite the bullet, you want this!

Agency Internships - Yeah yeah, maybe you've already tried this route and think you're "better than that now." The truth is, it's much easier to transition from intern to job than it is to go from "nobody" to job. Get an internship! Being an intern is a highly visible position: you get a feel for the agency and the agency gets a feel for you. Agencies are in the personality-industry when it comes to hiring; if it's not a good match, they won't hire you and you shouldn't want to be hired, you won't be happy. And if it's only 3 months, at least that's an agency name you can put on your resume and get references from. Most ad agencies like to see that you've been in the industry and have a feel for how it works.

Freelance - If you feel strong in your planner skills and have a good sense of the value you can add to the creative-problem solving that happens in agencies, sell yourself to an agency that doesn't have planning. You should be familiar with their clients and maybe do an I.I. beforehand with the president or creative head. Ask smart questions, intrigue them, start a relationship, and see if they don't offer you up a temporary gig to see what you can do. In any case, it's one more thing to add to your resume, and more names to drop for networking purposes.

Miami Ad School/VCU Ad Center - If you're not as confident in your planner abilities as you'd like to be AND you have the money to further your education, apply to one of these accredited programs. VCU is a 2 year, masters program, that puts out some really smart thinkers. MAS is a 3 month Boot Camp in any of 3 locations, and it's a fast-paced information dump on all things planning with a huge dose of creative influence. Email them at info(at) miamiadschool(dot)com for more.

Explore other interests - I personally feel there's not a job out there that you couldn't apply to planning in some way. Maybe there's not a job available right now at entry-level and maybe you don't have the money for a grad program; think about what planning is: a strategic way to position a business/brand in culture to a specific type of consumer. There are lot of different job categories to benefit from: work on the client-side, learn how a business works and if they have any idea of what a brand is; work for company that is constantly updating itself on culture, a research company, a trend newsletter or blog, or a magazine come to mind; or work in retail and get face-to-face interaction with consumers every day, talk to them, get insights to use later when you're a planner.

Blog, LinkedIn, Facebook, Social Networks - Really, even after you've done all of the above, you still need to market yourself: what's your brand? Define it and sell it like crazy.

Getting in is as much about planning as it is about luck, and there's a great quote: Luck is when Preparation meets Opportunity. The ideas here are about preparing yourself for the opportunities you need to find.

Good luck.

Be brave

Scott had the privilege to judge planning entries for the Jay Chiat awards a few weeks back. He had this to say:

Good planning needed to help create and inform the development of ideas beyond the basic creative idea, identifying details that create and guide executional possibilities.

But, he said that few if any entries really achieved this planning objective.

The core of an original idea either failed to develop beyond the strategy or ended up in a conventional execution.

I love this. It inspires me to be more courageous in meetings where brand management argues against an idea because it's unconventional and "not what the client asked for."

I think his definition of good planning is what the new generation of planners seeks to achieve but we're running into a system that doesn't like to be shaken. I'd like to think that my courageousness could inspire a client to risk and be different, to standout, but...the ideas we can come up with beyond basic creativity, I find, need to be shelved for a later day or another client.

Can brave wait?

Next generation brands have bigger shoes to fill

Just read another thought-provoking presentation over at Change This.

Their latest manifesto talks about the Invisible Badge: Moving past conspicuous consumption. I find it fascinating. Upfront Rob Walker says, "What the Joneses might think is, really, beside the point. Because what you are really doing is telling that story to yourself" - a greater sense of self-fulfillment with support from consumption of goods.

Rob says "Really getting who the audience is you're trying to impress and tell your [brand] story to is freeing." I think he hits strategy on the head with this: Really what we are trying to do is get the product's selling point to fit seamlessly within people's lives, and if we truly understand WHO they are and what drives them, this should be easy, freeing, and attainable.

But what the real challenge is, he says, is "perhaps the fundamental tension of modern life: the challenge of feeling like both an individual and a part of something bigger than ourselves."

Yikes. How do we link a brand's relevance to attaining a sense of self while at the same time, linking people to the greater good? This is what a lot of brands are struggling with now: how to serve the greater good, a brand conscious that serves the individual while serving the world. Rob defines this new marketplace as finding material ways to express a connection instead of extracting a belief system from the mere fact that a lot of people purchase product X.

And this is rather revolutionary for the industry. Brands have figured out how to be brands, how to rally around an insight, and shine their uniqueness in an emotional way and drive sales. What brands need to do NOW is link people to a greater sense of something good for the world. And this will be successful because, as Rob says, "participation is its own reward."

The new marketing era of "Going green" does not only mean you should recycle more, it means think about others, think about the future, make conscious decisions to be a better person within society. And so, brands now need to "go green" and think about the greater good and not just themselves or their ROI. The world has made a cultural, life-serving investment for a long time and now it's analyzing its ROI. It's time now to give back. The Invisible Badge asks us to really reflect on who we are and what our life will mean in the great scheme of things.
Here here.

Planning stuff

As I start the blogging roll again (yay!), I want to get some more tools here at PlanningNewbie for all the juniors looking for guidance.

Russell addressed his digression from the discipline on his blog, but offers a set of books, websites, and academic opportunities here. I would like to add Miami Ad School to his list. And if you read this and have questions about MAS, feel free to write to me at the address to the right.

Dallas Likeminds

Likemind will be held every third Friday of the month at Buzzbrews from 8:30-10:30am. Anyone who reads this is welcome to come!

making the world a better place

In the past, I used to blog...a lot. :) I miss those days, but I also can't let my mind be consumed by the desire to blog more, because frankly, I just don't have the time. I will cultivate it in time, if I don't then it wasn't meant to be.

Anyway, I have reason and time to post now, and it's to draw your attention to All Day Buffet. I was reading a magazine this weekend that I picked up in Austin, TX at Whole Foods central headquarters. It's called L & G style. It's a flip format where one side caters to women (ladies) and the other focuses on men (gents). So far the three articles I've read have covered homeopathy, yoga, and doing something GOOD for the world.

I wrote a blog post at All Day Buffet here about a spa owner who sees it as her mission to make people feel more comfortable, more beautiful, and less stressed. Sounds pretty good to me.

tips to write strategy

Richard has written 17, but here are the first fabulous five:

1. Time is not the problem in creating strategy, ideas are. If you can find an idea the time will find itself.

2. Ideas first, facts second. Facts only make sense in the light of an idea.

3. There are only two criteria for judging your creative strategies - are they simple and are they interesting.

4. It is vital to be interesting, it is merely important to be right.

5. If you look in the same place as everyone else you will never find something interesting, no matter how clever you are.

Stay informed and plan for time to think.

Hal Curtis: Creative Director

"Brand Heroism: Advertising As a Force For Good" was the topic of the evening. Beforehand, I made some notes about what immediately came to mind with the topic: Planning For Good, Likemind, Do the Green Thing, (RED), Egg. The nights' introduction talked about how ethical issues can be interwoven through the creative (and strategic) work. For most of advertising's career, this "good" work has been pro-bono, but a new era is emerging where this work is done first-hand with intention and (financial) pay-off. It's kind of like Google doing everything it does for "free" > providing a service beyond rational benefits, but inherently being a good brand that we trust, love, and are loyal too in return.

Google is deeply, radically purposive: they won't compromise much, if anything, to achieve the goal of changing the world for the better. - writes Umair Haque of the Havas Media Lab (check out more of his writing)

Anyway, Hal Curtis, who has worked on Nike and Coca-Cola at Wieden & Kennedy since 1997, took "heroism" in a different direction. He got me to think outside-the-box. He made me fall in love with advertising (again).

The spot below was not done by WK, instead, Curtis showed it after a spot they'd done for CareerBuilder.com. He compared the spots and said we should strive to do more work like the one below. Check out the incredible spot:



It's this sort of healthy-advertising that Curtis says, we should have out there. In this sense, advertising is heroic > it lifts us up, it makes us feel, it transforms an ordinary day into an extraordinary experience. Not only does this level of work do a great job of inserting itself into the minds of customers, but it does a great job of inspiring better work from the industry it comes from.

Do good work. Strive to make it great.

Making ideas come to life

"Brands as shared objects," by Mark, gave me a thought > if we give users the tools they need to customize and make the product their own (not consumer-generated but actually building on a base product provided by a brand) then, not only are we letting them become "part of the process" but we are facilitating the manifestation of a unique idea.

A good example would be blogger.com (Google-owned). We have a platform to work from but if we have an idea to change the appearance or add something, we have the tools to make it happen. We have creative control. Part of what makes the new idea of co-creation so awesome is the aspect of ownership. Google has given us the tools to make our own ideas come to life.

And in the business of advertising, we all know how hard it is sometimes to get an idea realized. Smart brands have not only figured out how to do it for themselves but for their customers. Pretty cool.

Leading With Insight

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Got this from Think Tank Treasury (great planner thinking). If you're not sure what an insight is or how you can go about finding one, look this through.

Slide 21: "You shouldn't be afraid to reframe the problem."

Slide 58: "Insights help uncover and reframe the true nature of the problem."

Presentation by Matthew Milan of Critical Mass (site in beta).

Modernista's new website

"You are viewing Modernista! through the eyes of the web" is how the agency has positioned its new digital self. Pretty cool.

From an Adage article on the change:

"The thing about the web these days is there's all these great tools out there, you're just not going to be able to come up with a better way to share photos than Flickr or a better way to build community than Facebook," so it's wise to tap into what's already out there rather than build from scratch, said David-Michel Davies, executive director of the Webby Awards, which each year honors excellence on the Internet.

And Gareth's post about it received good feedback as well. "Ballsy" is the word on everyone's lips. It takes some, in addition to a push-the-envelope spirit and some planning thinking. It's perfect for this day in which Google is the #1 brand without advertising and Wired touts "free" is the new bling.

Modernista! has given the control to the user (awesome) and is using elements already in existence in a new way (fabulous). To quote their Facebook page: "Modernista! is making the web a little cuter." :)

The Recession (?)

Just a quick set of links for inquiring minds:

Wired News says, "It won't repeat the dot-com bust."

The American analyzes the recession debate.

U.S. News & World Report lists 4 signs that the U.S. is not in a recession.

The New York Times says Wall Street Earning have sent stock prices soaring.

Nowpublic asks if the U.S. economic suffering will result in a global economic crisis?

Supermodel Gisele Bundchen says she won't get paid in dollars here.

And get a synopsis of how each of the presidential candidates feel here.

Opinion piece to follow...

Continued information:

Just found this on Popmatters:

Gallup reported at the end of March that three in five Americans worry “a great deal” about the economy, and that a majority call economic issues the most important problem facing the country.

2008 Planning Survey

If you are a planner somewhere, go here and give the discipline some feedback. It's about 30 questions and won't take you more than 2 minutes.

Plan on.

Reading Rainbow - things to read for planners

A group of us came together to share good reads and what sucks; and as a service to my digital community, I'm sharing them with you:

"One Great Insight is Worth a Thousand Good Ideas"

• One important sentence in the whole thing: An insight states a truth that alters how you see the world. Something to keep in mind when we think we've got "it."

"What Sticks" - sucks, don't waste your money

"Made to Stick" - awesome, go ahead and spend

"Whoever Tells The Best Story Wins"

• Explains different stories and situations. It explores the topic of "who am I?" and "the qualities I have that give me the right to influence you." Our objective should be to tell a story, not give a lecture.
  

"Culture and Consumption II" by Grant McCracken - pure awesomeness!

"Lovemarks"

• Explores and explains the power of brands: Once you're loved, you're ingrained in someone and are very hard to shake. It also does a good job of inadvertently touches on the role of planning.

"Convergence Culture"

• It explores old media and new media coming together and how much consumer control is a part of the conversation now. This book was quoted as "fantastic and challenging."

"The Perfect Pitch" - Jon Steel, highly suggested all around

"Everything Bad is Good For You" - Steven Johnson

"Confederates in the Attic"

"Private Label Strategy"

• Talks about how private labels are brands' arch enemies; is very consumer packaged goods' centric; and dispels the myth that we think private labels are cheap and generic.

"Any Wednesdays" - good coffee table book, by guys at DDB, isn't on Amazon (???)

Now go find yourself a cozy place and dedicate yourself to the first chapter and see what happens...maybe you'll end up reading the whole thing. Reading takes discipline. High five, you can do it. :)

Digital Curators

a term you should know a bit about. :)

offline W/ online Together

Currently I am going through the process of combining offline with online, because I believe the two spaces should co-exist as complements. The people I tell this too in the "digital group" act as if it's the first time they've heard the idea. Really?

wouldn't it be great if everything had an interactive component? don't get me wrong, I think it's where we're going but it's SLOW, no?

Clients are asking now for website upgrades, great! But does the experience online match the experience offline, and what would it be like if you launched both at the same time?

Would we call this a marketing issue? Or rather, as a planner, If I have an idea like this who should I be selling it to? Hmmm...

______ is the new _______

Urban is the New Mainstream is a great first person perspective on what the ad world is largely missing out on: multi-cultural targeting.

"What's most tragic -- beyond the racial implications -- is how out of touch it is with the consumer reality. We are in a business where professionals are paid to be in touch with the target -- unless that runs counter to their usual comfort zone. Brands and agencies have got to get clued in or get left behind."

We're all too comfortable sticking with what we know. I agree that we can be more intuitive about what we personally have experience with, but...coming up with a target that's "mostly" white is mostly old-school thinking. Wake up and smell the urban coffee.

Sound of Color

I bet Sony wishes they'd come up with this first. Soundofcolor.com by The Gap is definitely pushing branding boundaries. No?

I would embed the video but...there are serious issues with its viralability currently. Just go to the site and check all the colors out.

And now for a little blog attention: This is a blog Post with No Thinking (PNT). Regular readers will be able to call these out from now on with PNT and PWT (With Thinking). I'm a big fan of honesty and calling things how they are, and I haven't come up with a solution for the posts that I do in lue of time. I actually Onelooked "lue" and it turned up nothing. Then I Googled the phrase and was verified by other bloggers who used the term: Everyone else is doing it. :P

A PNT for you because sometimes us bloggers have to compete with RSS feeds. I'll post a PWT soon; because on the other side of the coin, we owe it to you to give the web innovative content.

PSFK Conference 2008

Conversation topics will be:

Finding Inspiration
Michelin star chef Eric Ripert explains how his three annual trips inspire his menu, service and brand.
Good Business
Is good the new green? Does being good mean making good profits? Marc Alt leads a panel with Graham Hill , Johnny Vulkan, Jeff Staple and Jeffrey Hollender to investigate one of the key trends driving business.
Social Media
In a 'new guns' versus 'marketing gurus' debate, Josh Spear & Noah Brier join Marc Schiller & Steve Rubel to debate how social media will change in 2008 and how companies can leverage this digital phenomenon in the most rewarding way. Moderated by Noelle Weaver .
Does New York Matter?
Local observers discuss whether the culture created in New York has a role on a global stage.
Collaborative Co-Working
Etsy and NASA explain how they engage their customers, staff, partners and the community with co-working spaces (real and virtual).
Tomorrow's TV
How has digital changed the delivery, content, sponsorship and future of television? Mike Hudack and Adam Stotsky join a panel to discuss the opportunities and challenges.
Pattern Recognition
Grant McCracken explains the importance of inspiration, providing a framework for which to gather, monitor and react to trends and ideas in culture and business.

Tickets are discounted for Likeminders, pretty awesome of Piers.

blogs make us think

Yesterday I stumbled on 90 Day Jane > a 24 year old girl who has decided to blog about her last 90 days of life. Some call it a hoax, others have taken her plea for help very seriously (the amount of comments she has gotten will make any blogger a little jealous). Blogger.com finally reacted and took her blog off the map, but she persevered on her own site and now...I'm not sure what's happening. You decide. Apparently she is posting something to Post Secret revealing the project for what it is. Hmmm...

Jane made me think. Some of her posts are about the digital age, how connections made online may not be of much value when taken offline, and how relationships today may be more fake than ever because of this. I have made many connections with fellow bloggers and am inspired by Jen at Innovation Feeder to give a shoutout to those that make me think the most.

Noah Briar - always making new connections and pushing the limits of what we consider to be integrated communications.
Russell Davies - if there's a planning celebrity, I'd say it's Russell, this uber planner is seemingly down-to-earth. I'd love to chat if you ever make it to Dallas.
Daniel Mejia - from Columbia, he blogs in English and has a very on-point perspective about planning and strategically weaving brands into people's lives.
Amelia Torode - I always like what she has to say, very down to earth and super smart.

(check the side bar at right for more)

I don't know if Jane's mission is real or has been side-tracked by the numerous connections she has made with fellow bloggers, but I can say that being part of this community is important to me as if we all worked together in the same planning department. And that means something online and off. Inspiration is just a click away. :)

media snackers

Wake up: the media landscape is changing.

advertising High School

"Making young people see the relevance of advertising to their lives will be an important part of that goal." - says Ron Berger, CEO of RSCG Worldwide

Sounds like Ron has been smoking the "advertising is crack" pipe a little too long. Ya?
Read more at Ad Age about the High School for Innovation in Advertising and Media

In my personal experience of being a junior planner, real life experience and a diversity of dedicated studies/hobbies makes or breaks your career, not a major in advertising. I found the fact that I had said major to be debilitating when it came to presenting my resume. A focus in advertising seems to be as bland as a major in Business. Whoopdeedoo.

I'm not going to spend too long developing how I feel and why I feel the way I do about this high school concept; except to say that I think it's a bad idea. Unless of course the school is extremely well thought out and has teachers from all walks of life who understand the connections between business, cultural relevance and consumer behavior equally.

Amen to education. Say what? to this idea.

planners need to be storytellers

"It's interesting to see how much the amount of information (given) influences its retention."

My mom and sister are fanatical storytellers. Each time they launch into a story, it happens before I know it. I hesitate: "do I have time for this?" I'm listening for a noun + verb kind of story; But they can't tell a story like that. The details get me every time.

Someone said once that information is the currency of a planner. Damnit then, give me the details.

A story is accepted or rejected by "the telling of it." Planners need to be good storytellers. I know this; however, this particular facet of planning is one that I need to work on the most. I can pinpoint the elements but when it comes to giving you context, I'm more brief than beautiful.

It feels good to share this. Word.
(the initial quote was one I wrote after listening to my mom tell me about a memory she had of her dad when she was seven years old and he was a mechanic and had a Ferrari up on blocks in the garage and her uncle had this car like an Aston Martin you know like James Bond and her dad listened to the radio while he worked on the car and..........)

planning sells "the work"

While planning is increasingly the job to get, it's still the job that is least understood within the industry. Advertising has a creative foundation: what sorts of bells and whistles can we add so we can get more consumers interested? It was a problem + idea business. Planning introduced "a strategy" to the equation.

Planning is the middle child: not as strong as the Oldest - account management, not as protected as the Baby - creative. We are the in-betweens; the people that need to connect the two. And while planning might take a tad longer to input, it's worth it; because planning sells the work. And it alleviates a lot of the time creatives spend staring at a brief (if there is one) and concepting a solution to an ill-defined problem.

Concepting is one of the hardest f'n things to do. And if the creative team hasn't been given sh*t to work with, it's even harder. They've been given a problem (which used to work in the old days) and they'd come up with a solution because creativity was still innocent and un-competitive when it came to the marketplace.

But now, we all have to concept for a very competitive marketplace. We cannot forget this. Planners have the job of positioning a new product or evolving a brand to a new position within consumers minds and the marketplace. We don't fabricate the possibilities. Planners connect all of the dots. We define the dots. Then we put the dots to be visually connected into the brief. Then the creatives concept visual solutions. That's what they're good at! And what us planners are not so good at; and if we are, then we should switch departments.

Planners are here to help. We've put together (what should be) valuable information. We have fine-tuned the elements; we've pointed you in a direction; we've identified an opportunity. Planning sets up the problem to be solved, gives you a target to work with, identifies what works and what doesn't and is here to help give the creatives direction so they're not so frustrated.

Do you get it? Doesn't this sound great? Doesn't this sound useful? Why do I have to keep explaining it?

stressed out (of a job)

Got this in an Iconoculture newsletter a week ago:

According to a Watson Wyatt Worldwide study, stress is the leading cause that prompts people to quit their jobs. Yet stress is not even among the top five reasons cited by employers, who instead believe insufficient pay is why people generally leave.

Stress.org is another great resource for more statistics concerning Americans and their workload.

Are employers really this out of touch with their employees?

17 shows that changed TV

Before TV gets interactive, let's honor the shows that changed the medium and inherently, the message. TIME has a complete list of 100 if you're curious, but these are the most influential ones to note in cultural (and media) history:

I Love Lucy, 1951-57
The Ernie Kovacs Show, 1952-56
The Super Bowl (and the ads), 1967-present
Sesame Street, 1969-present
The Mary Tyler Moore Show, 1970-1977
M*A*S*H, 1972-1983
An American Family, 1973
Hill Street Blues, 1981-87
MTV, 1981-92 era
The Cosby Show, 1984-92
The Simpsons, 1989-present
Twin Peaks, 1990-91
Beavis and Butt-head, 1993-97
The Sopranos, 1999-2007
Survivor, 2000-present
24, 2001-present
Lost, 2004-present

And thanks to another media revolution, we can happily relive these shows with DVDs from Netflix. Side note: Is Netflix the next Bandaid, Starbucks, Coca-Cola? I just used it as a catch-all for renting DVDs and chose it over Blockbuster for more cultural appeal and timeliness. But truth be told, I've never used Netflix. Hmmm, interesting to note. Happy Monday.

A wake-up call

There's talk of a recession. This may not be surprising considering the increasing price of gasoline and what's been called the worst housing slump in 40 years. In a year when a union decides if Middle America will get its Grammy Award and Generation Y can't handle the weight it's been given, I'm not too surprised either.

What will this mean for businesses? What will this mean for consumers? What will this mean for the industry who needs to connect the two? Planners, our job will not be easy this year. Consumer confidence is decreasing daily. Brands need to prepare themselves for going out of the store, into people's lives and talking to them there, listening to them there, empathizing with them in a neutral zone.

Russell Davies talks a bit about World War II and how the recession that followed had an impact on the magazine industry here. It sounds like it was a time of innovation (that doesn't sound too bad): magazines took leaps and bounds when the "pressure from advertising" no longer hindered their creativity. A recession is a wake-up call: hello, be more innovative, expand your minds, evolve.

The Writer's Strike has been a big wake-up call to the networks and shows that haven't innovated with the community in mind. When David & John returned to their shows, they realized what it was like to be without their community. The community is more necessary now than it ever was. There is power in numbers. Why haven't the media figured this out?

David Gross has some good news:

"With each passing day, an increasing number of transactions in the global marketplace do not involve the United States. We're still a powerful engine. But the world's economy now has a set of auxiliary motors.
All of which means that American companies, entrepreneurs, middle managers, and MBA students need to become more global—or perhaps change the definition of what global means."

Change the definition of what 'community' means: it's not just the people and their houses at the end of a cul-de-sac. Community means the people, places and things that keep you functioning and living at your prime. Media neutral planning is getting a bigger play nowadays because these planners get that it's not a one-way street anymore. Keeping the media alive will not keep your business alive. Media neutral planning addresses the mindset of a community. Being available for this community and being functional for its purpose will solidify long-term success in these wary times of significance and turmoil.

It's a one-for-all attitude that's inspired this change.

Web 2.0 Plain Jane

When I get online these days it's a click, click, click activity. There's not really much thinking involved, it's more of an instant gratification game: If I click on Myspace will there be new messages, comments to check out; if I click on Gmail, will there be emails from friends or just newsletters; if I click on Popsugar, will there be some juicy celebrity photos that will feed my curiosity. By the time I'm done clicking through all my sites, I'm worn out. Sometimes, I'm left emotionally void (i.e. I have not be instantly gratified). I hate this feeling. As I'm sure most of you do.

It's this ridiculous, repetitive fetish that has left me a thoughtless, Web 2.0 Plain Jane. Damnit. A little less then a year ago, I was like Dora, The Explorer: ripe with ideas and optimistic energy. The Internet was my playground, there wasn't a website I wouldn't have gladly spent an hour on just to figure it out. I was hungry for it all, curious about how it worked, and determined to find the connections.

The blog became my door to the world where I'd wanted to be. It was a resource, a network, a playground, a scrapbook, a journal, and a resume. A blog is a wondrous thing. And so I am dis-heartened that I've neglected its value for the past several months. The click click click mantra has taken me to my blog and then away to another site just as fast: no thought involved, just action > like a habit. Gross.

And so I'm breaking that habit, right here right now. I'm stopping here at JPIA for a little blog-TLC. My inspiration came from the blogosphere: a post at Innovation Feeder read When was the last time you did something for the first time? (thank you Jen) While it may not be my first time to blog, it is a first for me to draw attention to the Internet rut of sorts I've fallen into. I don't want to be a Web. 2.0 Plain Jane. I probably don't have the energy or time to be Dora, The Explorer, but who I can be is a Junior Planner. I'm pretty good at that...just lost site of it for a while.

Thanks for listening. As always, plan on. :)

What Not to Wear

I'm giving a plug for my friend Addie who will be traveling to New York this weekend to continue filming WNTW.
She has a great perspective on how image can/should be communicated and cared about. As a copywriter at The Statesman, her colleagues are supporting her transition.

'Tis true that everyone enjoys their own 15 minutes of fame here in America. Happy Friday.

Bush: A dishonest brand

Spending our money, lying to the country, killing our people. What is the Bush brand thinking?
935 false statements will solidify its demise. No brand has made a return from such nonsense. Apparently:

The statements "were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."

A+ for getting campaign results. F for casualties involved.
This brand is not favoring well with the marketplace. Expect stock to plummet; Oh wait, it already has.

trends schmends

I think the following will be big topics in 2008:

• waiting in line - I think we will see more movement in this "experience" part of retail and food service. Our lines are getting longer and Americans like to get in and get out, expect a tipping point soon. Whole Foods is leading the revolution.
• serving sizes - In these days where servings sizes are pre-packaged (oh so handy and oh so wasteful), the obesity epidemic makes the 5 o'clock news, and Super Size Me is more a movie than an order, I expect serving sizes to get a closer look. You know those smaller cups at Starbucks? If you order a double espresso to go or a "short" drink, you know what I'm talking about; well, those are 8 oz. They look "small" when compared to a venti (20 oz) but 8 oz is really all you need.
• mass market "natural" - Natural is a catchall term for "not fake, maybe less chemicals, close to organic, better for you." Every product that has an ingredient list even the company doesn't understand wants a piece of the 'organic' market. Using the term "natural" will be their Joker card for a while. See what I'm talking about here with Crest, and the fact that Chapstick thinks it needs to compete in this market is kind of funny.
• more media neutrality - for those of us in the industry of ideas, this trend is definitely not to be missed. What's maybe more important is that you get your client to understand this first. Gone should be the days that tv, print and radio are part of the first creative conversation you have. While I agree you need to play the ballgame with everyone else, you also need to differentiate yourself and spend the bulk of your budget on getting through to your target consumers, granted you've got some planners on board to help you identify how to do that. :)

Plan on.

[image via Cultureby]

Starbucks: One year from now

A colleague and I made a friendly wager today: my $5 says Starbucks will be successful one year from now. Howard Schulz is returning to the helm because he sees the rapid growth plan is backfiring and dissipating the brand's worth. My coworker's $5 says Starbucks is sunk, soon to be outrun by the independents that sprinkle the marketplace worldwide.

A BusinessWeek article states what differentiates Starbucks, and what will ultimately test the competition as it tries to take first:

Schultz: Starbucks is the quintessential experience brand and that brand is brought to life by our people…we have no patent, no secret sauce whatsoever…. The only competitive advantage we have is the relationship we've built with our people and the relationship they have built with the customer.

McDonalds or Dunkin Donuts may have their sights set on taking the top position within consumers' minds for "coffee," but my money's on Starbucks. They owned it first and they owned it well. Howard Schultz is no sissy when it comes to passionately being unique and rising above the challenge the marketplace puts forward.

Where do you place your bet?

all the rage: Brand Utility

What is it? Why is everyone talking about it?

Brand values are in for a renaissance. The conversations needs to start with: how can we be more useful to our customers?

Charles says it well. Companies exist for a reason, they provide a product/service for customers. Marketing this product/service happens because of a promise made by a brand that exists solely because it consistently delivers on this promise. SO: if you don't serve the purpose you've set out to then how will you survive? You probably won't. That's where planners come in. We keep companies alive by continually finding relevance in customers' lives. Customers evolve and the companies/brands should be expected to do the same. Anyway.

Branded utility gets the most talked about in terms of the digital space because of 'applications' which are inherently useful. (Utility's third definition is the quality of being of practical use.) Bob Greenburg says it well here: "You have to understand applications and media; you have to have a tech capability in order to even think up some of these concepts." But you don't have to worry too much about going digital, the essence of what we're saying is: be meaningful, have a use, and stick to your purpose.

The Internet is an easy branded utility topic, because it was born from "tool blood." In this time-starved culture, we are not looking for useless activities nor do we want to purchase useless products. We still want our information: The Internet has created that demand, and it better damn well supply it.

But then the whole "make it an experience" comes into play. How can we make obtaining information an experience? And not the "college course" kind. This is where 'interactive' should raise its hand and wave it in our face until we notice. Adam (who I'm pretty sure is in digital strategy somewhere) says "Building a 'capture & release' utility for information is the way to reconnect a product/service to people and their need to experience things." Again, this does not HAVE to be digital. Just be wise when you create a message: does it contain something people want to hold onto for a bit? Do they want to share it? What WOM will it inspire? Capture & release can take many forms.

Think of the popularity of Twitter, Myspace, Facebook, Meetup, Ebay, Craigslist, blogs, video phones, text messaging, digital, digital, digital, etc. Gathering information with these services is fun. Gee, what a crazy idea!

"From my perspective the internet is redefining our expectations for all consumer experience."

I'll quit now and leave you with Scott's idea of experiences continuums. Now planners get to work on creating one, simple starter: Where does the Internet lie?

Iconolicious

"Iconoclasts explores the intersection where two great talents meet--and where creativity comes alive." ~ Robert Redford

Iconoclast
noun: someone who tries to destroy traditional ideas or institutions

7 similar words found on thesaurus.com:

• Beatnik
• Catalyst
• Nonconformist
• Opposition
• Radical
• Rebel
• Renegade

http://www.iconoculture.com/ ~ a website devoted to ideas, insight and innovation when it comes to consumers

Icono

Un icono es una pequeña imagen, normalmente un símbolo, utilizado para representar gráficamente un programa, un fichero, o una función en la pantalla del ordenador, para facilitar su localización.

where the purchase happens

Just got back from an hour (I can't believe it either) at Target. The store is pretty quiet at this time of year: No one is pushing past you; customers are actually having a fun shopping experience; the atmosphere is blissfully calming - I feel like I have the store to myself. So I don't mind that I spent an hour in-store going up and down the aisles.

THIS is where products are purchased people! This is where "the advertising" brings people to, if it does it's job right. It's either in-store or on-line (phone or Internet). What do consumers want here? How do they shop? Paco Underhill has done a fairly good job of bringing this space into strategic conversations everywhere but what have we done with his information?

I read an article today about Apple being zee best retailer. Now I'll hand it to them, it seems Apple has been doing its brand store "experience" for a while... but why the recognition so late? OH, maybe it's because they've come out, owned it first, and totally kicked ass at it so we attribute them brand history (and loyalty) because they're s so damn good. I don't know. You tell me.

The other thing that came to mind browsing in the refrigerated section (Super Target) was product design. Again, this creative messaging element is crucial to the in-store purchasing decision. I got struck by a SUPER COOL juice bottle with a sleek new design. I wanted it. I had to have it, forget my normal (the one I've been loyal to) product; this NEW bottle triggered a reaction, it got my attention. Hello, it said, Pick Me.

There's a statistic I found in one of those stacks of notes we all have: Something like 70% of purchases are made in-store while only 5-10% of a product's marketing budget is spent here; while 70% of the marketing budget is spent on advertising but ads only sway about 10% of all purchasing decisions. Hmm... I think we need to have another conversation team. :)

a green push

I'm going to make my digital self carbon neutral. How? I'm going to give you a Green entry loaded with sites where you can get the 'good stuff'.

Triplepundit - people planet profit; website provides news, tips, books, blogs and lots of research studies (click here for a study on Green Technology Consumers or here for a 25+ page report on Climate Change 2007).

Dothegreenthing - have you done a green thing for December yet?

Patagonia - their Footprint Chronicles are something every company should imitate.

Egg Log - catch a marketing pioneer's thoughts on going green

Bestgreenblogs - yep, an aggregated source of lots of Green good stuff

Treehugger - the most popular...er...well-known, their last quote of the day:

"By all indications, our responses to things tell us who we are, what we value, why we do (or don't do) the things we do. Material culture is social culture, and social culture is intrinsically connected to making -- and yes, to saving things." - Jessica at DesignObserver

Worldchanging - I like them for their outlook: the tools, models, and ideas already exist for a better future...we just need to put the pieces together.

Here's to a greener 2008.

2007: A Year in Advertising

Best of...
Top 10...
Top 5...
A Year-in-Review...

This is a collection of what I could find on the Internet and then a final Best of Strategy list at the end for all you plannerly types.

TIME did a pretty good summation of TV Ads from 2007:

1. Dave and Oprah Super Bowl Ad
2. Adidas: "Impossible is Nothing"
   
3. Gatorade: "Thief"
4. Dove: "Onslaught"
   
5. Applie iPhone: "Meredith"
6. American Express: "Tina Fey"
7. Coca-Cola: "Happiness Factory - the movie"
8. Dos Equis: "The Most Interesting Man in the World"
9. Doritos: "Live the Flavor" (CGC)
   
10. Nationwide Insurance: "Rollin' VIP"

Top Viral Videos by TIME are:

1. Leave Britney Alone!
2. The Landlord (Will Ferrell and daughter)
3. Miss South Carolina Teen USA
4. Hillary, 1984
5. Prison Inmates' "Thriller"
6. I Ran So Far
7. Can't Tase This (mashup)
8. Dan Rather Collar Up (really?)
9. Clark & Michael (of Superbad genius)
10. Daft Hands
    

Top 5 Viral Video Ads by MarketingVOX:

1. Cadbury - Gorilla Drummer
2. Smirnoff - Green Tea Party
3. Ray-Ban - Catch Sunglasses
4. Blendtec - Will it Blend?
5. Lynx/Axe - Bom Chicka Wah Wah

A collection of AdWeeks' Best Spots (of the month) 2007 (in no particular order and definitely pared down):

• Apple - "Tech Support" (Mac v PC)
• Coca-Cola - "Videogame"
• Rembrandt - "Kissing"
• Pepsi - "Pinball"
• Adidas - "Gilbert Arenas" (Impossible is Nothing campaign)
• BMW - "Feats"
• Starburst - "Berries & Creme"
• Absolut - "Protest"
• JC Penney - "The Heart"
• Saturn Vue - "Money"
• Yellowpages.com - "Tanning Salon"
• EBay - "Foxhunt"

These lists are by no means comprehensive when you consider the creativity in thinking and 'strategy' that the industry was blessed with this year. I would like to draw attention to some other campaigns and make a new list. The first seven are insightfully creative, the last three are strategic genius. So here it is, the 10 Best of Strategy List:

• Apple: iPhone ads
• Rembrandt "Brilliant Mouth"
• Dove "Onslaught"
• ***watch Rye Clifton's parody here
• Axe "Bom Chicka Wah Wah"
  
• Cadillac "Life. Liberty. And the Pursuit."
• EBay "Shop Victoriously"
• Doritos "Live the Flavor"
  
• Radiohead "Name Your Price" strategy for In Rainbows
• Samsung "Charging Stations"
• Simpsonized 7-Elevens
  

My valid attempt to scan as many of my favorite blogs I'm sure has failed to capture all of the memorably strategic campaigns of the year. Input is appreciated; this list is by no means complete or final. Happy New Year!

Round-up

Some 'nuggets' from December 2007:

• Virtual caroling spread seasonal cheer with more than 300 YouTube videos while the U.S.'s general interest in caroling declined 16% (between 1996 & 2005)
  
• 'Excessive drinking' is the third-leading preventable cause of death (after smoking and the combination of poor diet and inactivity)
• TV advertising is getting smarter with 'hybrid' spots reports AdAge; channel surfers will find themselves well into designated commercial time before they know it
  
• and while the writers' strike continues to change prime time TV, a spokesperson from the Writer's Guild says there are ample opportunities to pay writers for new media, a 'central issue in the dispute'

I am currently compiling a Best of 2007 for advertising and likeminded things, stay tuned. Merry Happy Holidays.

ch-ch-ch-Chia

It's that time of year again. The Christmas trees are out, kids are lining up for Santa Claus, those Salvation Army people are ringing their bells, and the Chia Pet commercials have popped up on TV and radio (again). A little history...

In 1977, Joe Pedott attended an annual housewares show in Chicago where he first heard of the Chia Pet. A man named Walter Houston was importing the little figures from Mexico, and they were the show's best sellers. Pedott bought the rights from Houston believing he could do a better job of marketing them. Chia Pets are now produced in China (like every other kitschy thing we own), and about 500,000 Chias are sold each year. For 26 years now, the clay figures have been holiday-season hits.

Smithsonian magazine says:

• The ch-ch-ch-Chia Pet is so much a part of the American consumer lore that it was ch-ch-ch-chosen to be included in the New York Times capsule, to be opened in the year 3000, along with a Purple Heart medal, a can of Spam and a Betty Crocker cookbook.

A Chia Pet is a gag-gift, is it not? Wisegeek says, "The faces of past and present Presidents are often found on gag gifts." Now wouldn't that be funny? Bush + Chia... "And laughter - the best gift of all - is priceless."

a trend room

I'm currently handling duties to construct a Trend Lab that functions as a think tank, findings holding ground, and all-around cool place for the agency to do some brainstorming.

To start, I collected all the trends from Iconoculture and Trendwatching.
I separated them by year and plotted them on a continuum. I started to look for patterns, but then I stopped.

What IS a trend? I wanted to figure this out first and foremost. If this was to be an ongoing project, it needs to be founded on a belief system with agreed upon values.

A trend is of significance when it concerns a mass amount of people (i.e. it's not just a blip on the radar, it's multiple blips that = a movement). A fad is not a movement; a fad is a blip. Ok, so a trend is a movement. A movement of what? Or why? I birthed a hypothesis that a trend is a reflection of consumers' needs gaining momentum. Trends with names like "Transparency Tyranny" or "InfoLust" both signify that marketing has asked a question, and the cultural cosmos has answered with a stance - a need - a reflection - an insight. Then because the trend is called out and contained within a definition, marketers can, in turn, react to this "need." Iconoculture and Trendwatching both identify brands and companies that excel in these trend times (probably because they have fulfilled a need).

Maybe this has already been out there in the ad world for a while, but I feel like I just stumbled on it for the first time. A "trend" before now has seemed like just a cool thing; a fad in itself; a subject to write newsletters on and start websites about. Trends are identified with words like what's hot, cool finds, things to watch. etc.

Trendwatching.com says a trend is:

• A manifestation of something that has 'unlocked' or newly serviced an existing consumer need, desire, want, value.

See. They knew it all along. :p Well, at least they knew it in 2002, and Iconoculture knew it in 2003. And now I know it, and I value its application and implications.

So with a room, my teams and I will be collecting "cries" for help: Consumers who need - validation, acceptance, an answer, a response, community - a trend. A movement...to rally around a need.

In a brand world of relationships with consumers, brands have to be nimble enough to respond to these needs accordingly. If there's a movement and your brand doesn't respond, that's one notch on the "honey, you didn't listen to me" contention-belt. And points of contention in a market full of choices will weed yours out pretty quick. May the best brands win. Plan on.