Do you Tag?

This Nike commercial has been one of my favorites for years. It just makes me want to go out and play.

Santa beats out Jesus on holiday blogs

Although both bearded men are extremely influential in my personal and professional life, this is the first time I will actually write either of their names in my blog. Maybe I'll make Nielsen's BlogPulse with this post ;) And even if I don't, you can find me hunting blog trends on the site anyway.

Monday Music

"I'm gonna love, I'm gonna overcome"


One Way Road, John Butler Trio

Be Smart. Be Stupid.

I just finished watching three 2 hour focus groups. Yes, you're correct; that's 6 hours of focus group watching. I'm tired, I can't imagine how the moderator feels. And he has to get rested to do it again tomorrow. Something came to mind early in the first group. How much more could we learn about the world around us if we acted more often like the least intelligent in the room rather than the most? If we'd just spend more time listening, what would we hear? If we asked more questions than we answered, what would we learn? If we followed questions with even more questions, what insights would we uncover?

Monday Music

Many studies have demonstrated that music is a strong memory stimulus. (Here's one article for reference) Music can even enhance the memory of Alzheimer`s, reduce stress, aid relaxation and alleviate depression. Take a look at Billboards Top 100 hits of the decade. Because Mariah Carey took the #1 spot, I won't be posting the top song here. But you go on ahead, take a stroll through memory lane, it may be good for your health.

La Jolla Cove

I just got home from a weekend trip to San Diego. A few friends and I found a $50 flight to and from the city and booked the flight. May I also add that Denver was under 2' of snow when we snagged the tickets. We didn't have a good reason to go, just a vision of the sea and a craving for fresh seafood. I admit, I can often get stuck in my head. I carefully dissect my every thought, belief, and action-- that is, if I'm not careful. I can turn it off occasionally. And this weekend, I did just that. Thank you "for-no-good-reason-vacation" for allowing me to just be for a few peaceful days and leave the thinking behind.

What Trends are Worth Following?

Just as the top lists from this year are rolling in, many industry leaders and also those with opinions and a computer are joining in the 2010 trend conversation. I've seen a number of trend forecasts lately, some are more insightful than others. I have truly enjoyed navigating through the following:
10 Crucial Consumer Trends For 2010 by trendwatching.com
10 Web Trends to Watch in 2010 by Mashable CEO, Pete Cashmore
Big Idea's 2010 by Iconoculture

I believe each of these are worth your valuable time.

All this trend hunting and forecasting reminded me of how culture, and trends within it, are evolving all the time. Depending on the kind of information you are hunting, you can find a variety of lists valuable. Think for a minute about how our culture has shifted over the last 50 years, with the every household now not only having a color TV, but having 3 HDTVs. Think also about how our culture has changed over the last 10 years, with those who were teenagers in the early 00's now have graduated from college and have growing disposable income. Consider how our culture has changed over the last year while under massive economic distress, with shopper behaviors undergoing dramatic shifts. Think lastly about how the iphone and real-time communication has effected and will continue to influence the way we communicate.

So consider which trends are worth your time. What information has the potential to influence your company? Which will inspire you to come up with a new product, service or experience? Not all information is equal.

Tiger Woods Wife Outrun

I don't feel the need to write a whole lot about this Tiger Woods fiasco, however I did need to, at the very least, attempt to outrun his wife. And so did over 1.1MM other people. See for yourself here at break.com.

Top Everything of 2009

As we close out the year and the... We had the 80s, the 90s, but what were the 00s? The zeros. The onezies. The aughts. The 2Ks. Did we ever come to an agreement on what this decade would be called? At this point, how you choose to refer to this decade in the years to come is apparently up to you. The time has come to begin all the year end lists for 2009 and TIME has recently unveiled their top 10 lists in full, from news, to medicine, to tweets, to music. Take a look. Do you agree with their choices?

One of my favorites would have to be the "Top 10 Viral Videos" list and I am in complete agreement with the top choice. The leader of the pack was a video uploaded by Christoph Rehage. Rehage began his 11 1/2 month walk through China after giving himself a fresh shave, allowing the daily self portraits to tell his journey in both travel and hair growth. Rehage followers can find more information about the walking man himself, his pictures and story on his site The Longest Way. Rehage mentions that he's had many others come forward and ask him for advice about their own travel desires. His response is simple.

"It doesn’t matter what dream you choose to follow, as long as you have one. Go follow your dream, and laugh while you’re doing it!"

The Longest Way has all the makings of a great viral being. It doesn't try to be hip, it just is. It is simple. It is sharable. It is authentic. Finally, it is supplemented by a catchy beat. Take a look for yourself.

The Longest Way 1.0 - one year walk/beard grow time lapse from Christoph Rehage on Vimeo.

Monday Music

"If you want me, I will be right here."
Hungry for some great ear treats? Here's a great list of "10 Tracks you Have to Hear" by NME.com. One sample embedded below, but its worth your time to check the full list out.

Shopper Psychology

I recently read an interesting article from SmartMoney that reminded me of how much I like the people side of marketing. I wrote a brief post awhile back simply pushing us all to remember that we market to people. Now that the holiday shopping season is in full swing, I think its a good idea to take a minute to understand how we shop. The article explains a few interesting research findings that I'll summarize here.

Basically, when we try something on or test it out, the "endowment affect" sets in. If we own something, we perceive it has a higher value than before. Furthermore, ownership can begin even when we are only trying something on. Think about how seeing detailed images, videos, and consumer ratings of products online can help you imagine the product as your own.

Also beware of shopping near attractive people. Our evolutionary need to reproduce plays a role in how we communicate the right attributes as we shop. And, whatever you do, don't let anyone touch you while you're shopping.

Lastly, we all know the 99 cent trick where retailers price items at $1.99 rather than $2. I guess our minds are so damn good at simplifying life for us that it's really hard to not pay attention to the leftmost digit.

For more detail about the studies that give light to our shopping minds, check out the article. Knowing these techniques can help persuade you to buy something does not make them all bad. Trying on a pair of shoes or touching a sweater to see if its as soft as it looks can be very beneficial to both the interested and the brand. And if pricing something at 1¢ below the next dollar amount, even if we know it clearly makes us more likely to buy, its better than being priced at 1¢ above. ;)

A Win for the Wii

Sports Authority apparently knows fit and knows fun. They also know that its cold, the country isn't exactly "fit", its hard to get to the gym, boring to do the same static workout each day, and motivating to do interactive workouts. And from a shopper insight standpoint, fitness gaming can be quite intimidating for anyone who has not experienced it. So, what are they doing with all this obvious but useful insight? The sporting goods retailer will now be carrying the Nintendo Wii and to get some attention, they are giving away a Wii console each day between Thanksgiving and Christmas. To kick off the promotion, the retailer hosted a large PR event in California with Biggest Loser trainer Julian Michaels. Also, 102 Sports Authority stores will have live demos with personal trainers on site to help customers get acquainted with 2009 fitness. Those interested can visit the promotional website to enter the daily drawing, find a local demo (4 in the Denver area), and gain a sense of reality by seeing the names and location of previous winners. I'd say it's a win for the wii and for the Colorado based retailer. I'll check out a demo and let you know how it goes.

( photo from Shoppingblog.com)

Where In the World Are American Travelers?

After revisiting Italy by means of iphoto, I recently caught a mild case of the travel bug. I got to thinking about the world's top travel destinations. I couldn't seem to find a user-friendly snapshot of the entire world's travel patterns, but I did stumble across a list of top destinations for Americans. According to a September 2009 post on ForbesTraveler.com, American's travel most to our neighbors to the south and north. While the majority of countries unsurprisingly saw a decrease in number of travelers, Columbia saw a 21% increase. Presumably the increase can be attributed to a mixture of heightened security, cultural variety, and beautiful landscapes speckled with coffee plantations. Italy, on the other hand, saw the biggest decrease (down 18%) from the previous year. Could be one negative side effect to having a "strong" currency. While I don't feel the need to dissect every possible culprit for changes in travel, I am interested in seeing what travel looked like in 2009 for the millions of broke, swine flu fighting Americans. I'll stay on the lookout.





Top 10:
Mexico
Canada
United Kingdom
France
Italy
Germany
Japan (tied)
Jamaica
People's Republic of China
Spain

Monday Music

" I want your everything, as long as its free."
Well, here it is folks, the most viewed YouTube video for the month of November; unless of course, the Muppets' Bohemian Rhapsody ends up with an additional 17MM views in the next 3 hours. Lady Gaga's Bad Romance had over 25 million views during the month of November. That's more than the entire population of Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter. In case you missed it and want to know what the people who have time are doing, here it is in all it's glory.



( previous had been removed by user)

Stumped by Starbucks Facebook Fans

After realizing Starbucks had over 5MM fans on Facebook, I also became a fan. Not to get the goods from the brand but to observe how people are interacting with them in the space. I was stumped when I saw that over 10K people had said they liked Starbucks' "Happy Thanksgiving" message. Plus, over a thousand people commented back to the brand. Now, its so surprising to me that this many people wanted to join in the Thanksgiving happiness conversation. I guess when you love a brand enough to friend ( thanks Facebook for making friend a verb) them, you want to feel connected. So, that's what you do. You thank them for being open. You express how "yummy" they are. You let them know you stopped by your local cafe to pick up your favorite treat. You use the opportunity to wish them an early Merry Christmas. And lastly, you use exclamation points because that's what you do in the social media world when you wish to yell. Unless of course you work there. That appears to be a different story.

Subaru Snuggles Up with the Great Outdoors

To support the Canadian launch of the new 2010 Outback sedan, Subaru's creative agency DDB Toronto leveraged a simple insight that people are spending a lot of time indoors. Why you may ask? Thanks to Snuggie, they can now hold the remote, read a book, and answer the phone without getting tangled in an all-annoying blanket. Subaru and Snuggie, leaders in the out/indoors respectively (and both brands made the list of "America's Hottest Brands" by AdAge) have "united" to create this witty and disruptive campaign for fun-loving, outdoor enthusiasts. Despite the fact that the automotive category has been hit extremely hard over the last 18 months, Subaru has managed to pull in positive numbers. I give the brand a hand for not only selling a high quality product( yes, I own a Forrester), but also staying true to who they are and having a little bit of fun while they do it. If you don't agree, maybe you should get out more. ;)

Buddah Quote For the Day

"We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world"

Monday Wisdom

I'm trading in the music this morning in lieu of some simple wisdom. Think about it.

Top 100 English Words.

Can you name the most commonly used words in the English language? Click here to try; you'll have 12 minutes to guess the top 100. These words are all quite simple and frankly, I was embarrassed by my performance after I saw the comprehensive list.
This could be in interesting way to warm up your team's brains the next time you're idea hunting. Not only is it very simple to execute, it also reminds us of the power of simplicity.

Monday Music

"Just don't know what's for real anymore."
I'm lucky enough to have tickets to see Ray LaMontagne at the Ellie Caulkin Opera House here in Denver on Wednesday. Here's a clip of him playing Forever My Friend on Letterman.

Fulfill Your Maximus Potential...

Dear Reebok,

Like many, I have seen your new campaign for EasyTone and have a few questions for you.

Understandably, many women would like to tone up but often don't have the time to do it. That's where the EasyTone sweet spot lies. What I'm interested in knowing is, did you have any women on your creative team? No doubt a fit, minimally clothed body will catch anyone's attention, but I'm curious if talking breasts, naked silhouettes, and butt close ups are the best means to engage with women.

Kudos for keeping up your brand vision of originality and creativity on this campaign, but are you really asking me to, in your own words, "celebrate individuality" through a common sexual campaign theme? Also, according to your site, the Reebok brand purpose is to help underprivileged, underserved youth around the world fulfill their potential and live healthy, active lives. Do you feel this campaign fits within Reebok's empowering voice?

The EasyTone website states, 88% of men are speechless, 76% of women jealous. Presumably this is all fluff, but I'm still curious; Where did this information come from?

You are surely getting media attention from this campaign which is generally a win for your brand. Its not as though you partnered with KY or that Victoria's Secret doesn't have success selling sex to women.I don't claim you don't need emotional appeal, but do you think you may have slightly neglected the need to talk about the innovative product in more detail? You had an ex-NASA scientist on the product development team and its design is quite unique.

All that said, I'm about 83% sure the controversial campaign should not overshadow the product itself. People will always be interested in products like EasyTone that make fitness easier, if you can find the right way to speak to them.
Curious to hear your answers,
Ashlee

Summit on the Summit

In January 2010, five celebrity activists will leave Hollywood to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro, the world's highest freestanding mountain, to bring attention to the global clean water crisis. Kenna, Jessica Biel, Isabel Lucas, Lupe Fiasco, and Alexandra Cousteau will climb the 19,340' peak alongside photographers, climbing guides, aquavists, and a handful of HP notebooks.

HP is bringing its technology expertise and fully integrated marketing muscle ( TV, online and social media) to the team. HP's latest 'Computer Is Personal Again' commercial features climbers Kenna, Fiasco and Cousteau and the new notebook. A series of boot camp web films were released on Facebook. An interactive website allows readers to learn more, read bios, see the climb routes, and chip in to support the cause. The climbers plan to tweet and share the experience with the masses throughout the 10 day hike. What a great way to use technology to inspire actionism and fully shed light on the billions of people living with empty water glasses.

Monday Music

A good friend of mine sent me this link a few days ago. According to Flash Fiction, the linked songs have hidden writing inspiration.

Although my ear jury is still out, I like the idea of having my own little writing playlist that inspires me. So here we go:

Monday Music

"One. Two. Wait, hold on. One. Two. Three. Four". I may try this to kick off my next team briefing.
The "punkgrass" brother band out of Charlotte, NC trading in their beat stomping and banjo string popping ways for a seemingly more subdued gondola ride. Happy Monday.

So, you remembered to "fall back"...

... but did you actually get around to resetting your clocks?
Thank goodness for my best friend blackberry, for automatically resetting to the correct time so that I could once again procrastinate my way through the bi-yearly clock resetting tour. I'm so rarely without my cell phone in hand's reach. Along with the all important clock, I have immediate access to the morning news headlines, weather forecast, my schedule, numbers of everyone I want to speak to ( or avoid speaking to for that matter), a camera, music, my bank account, my email, and everything else on the web. Actually speaking to someone is probably what I do LEAST with my "phone". And I'm not the first to make this connection of course. I'm just waiting for an app that will update all my clocks automatically. Or maybe I just need to hang smart phones around my house.

Photography Gallery to Check Out

Good evening lonely readers. As many of you presumably know ( being as though you most likely know me if you're following the blog), I spend my days in an office filled with busy marketers, but spend the occasional evening with a family portrait photographer who gives me the privilege of shooting candids of his family subjects in between frames. I have a passion for photography in both the capture-the-moment-and-tell-a-story sort of way and the take-a-moment-and-create-art-from-it. I recently learned of Irene L and quickly became a follower. It seems she has combined the precise amount of realism and romanticism to make each shot a masterpiece. It makes me feel like I could step right into this beautiful world she has created and leave the world as I know it behind. Keeping with the spirit of the curious and random nature of my blog, I thought I'd share. Enjoy ;)


http://www.fubiz.net/galleries/set/irene-l/

Flight crew overshoots Minneapolis landing

On Wednesday evening, two airline pilots flew 150 miles past their Minneapolis destination before reconnecting with flight controllers and eventually landing in MSP. The pilots claimed a heated conversation about airline policy had been the distraction. Of course, officials are now looking into fatigue as a culprit. The full article can be read here.

According to the reports, no one aboard the plane was hurt. No one knew they had bypassed their destination either. WHAT? No one checked their ticket after being in the air for over 3:30 hours? No one noticed the glow from the city below as they passed over? Come on folks, the midwest is dark at night. After Denver, what city en route would give off any kind of light, Sioux Falls? Fargo? It makes me want to grab a video camera and plane ticket and observe what's going on 35K miles above the ground. Something tells me that passengers noticed something seemed off, but didn't say anything. Why? Or did they, and I simply didn't find that article? Until I can process more, my prediction is simple. No one departing San Diego really wants to arrive in Minneapolis in late October anyway.

top 10 holiday trends

With the help of BIGresearch, NRF shares their prediction for the top 10 holiday shopping trends in a recent blog entry. I'll trust you will review the full list if you'd like rather than repeating it here. As you'd expect, the weak economy is having a huge impact on what people plan to buy, where they plan to buy, and how they plan to save some extra dough when they buy. I found it interesting that 11% of people surveyed said they planned to purchase something from a thrift store or resale shop. This is the first year the thrift category was included so its not clear how this compares to 2008. I think this simply goes to show just how impactful the giving spirit/ consumerism is in the holiday season. People would rather give something used than give nothing at all.

And what do people want most? The only category that saw an increase this year was the gift cards, which is often seen as too impersonal. Maybe people need to buy necessities or would just like to treat themselves to something they really want after being frugal all year.

Here's a 3 minute video of what shoppers told EXPO about their holiday shopping plans. One women mentions that she's interested in online stores that offer layaway programs, and goes on to say that some of the "store stores" offer layaway as well. What? Have online retailers now become the stores we think of first and all others with actual people inside get the double noun?




Based on this video, it appears we to have shifted into a community of strong savers when it comes to the holidays. I'd like to check back in with these folks in December once the holiday season marketing has arrived.

a movie of unhidden truths

I saw the film The Invention of Lying over the snowy weekend and found myself utterly enthralled by the honest insights pouring out of the lie-less world. From the woman who orders a caesar salad because she doesn't want to gain weight but feels she deserves something that tastes good, to the waiter who becomes more embarrassed of his profession when the customer is beautiful, and the man who returns the bottle of wine not because he doesn't like it but because he wants to appear revered, these characters simply tell it how it is. Although the writers poke fun at advertising ( but I have to say I smiled when I read "Pepsi- for when they don't have Coke"), our evolutionary instincts and religion, its a very funny movie and just a trip for insight-hunters.

You're Never Too Old...

What does TV looks in 2009? I'm thinking it looks a lot like this. Evian's Live Young campaign includes this clever (and only slightly creepy) dancing babies commercial which I found, where else, but on YouTube. Once there, a number of "Making Of" videos and spoofs of the spot itself are easily found on the related videos sidebar. Viewer dialog is open and seemingly managed well by its participants. Furthermore, all Evian videos include the brand website in its description. The easy-to-navigate site then allows baby lovers to find even more of the creepy content, including music, casting, teasers, a facebook link, and more. This high level of baby subject matter is a bit much for me and my baby avoidance behavior; nonetheless I can't help but think it's a great use of interactive media to engage with those who want it.

Want to enhance your creativity? Remember your childhood.

Psychology research out of North Dakota State University suggests remembering what life was like as a child can enhance adults' creativity. Graduate student, Darya Zabelina and colleagues asked 76 students to write either about their typical day as a 7-year-old or as an adult. After a few minutes, students then took the Torrance test, which scores the originality of pictures people make out of shapes and scribbles. Those students who imagined life as a 7-year-old scored significantly higher than those who thought about their current lives. I'm excited to try this simple technique with my creative team or maybe I'll just do it today and impress everyone with my out of the box thinking.

Its summer. I wake up to a combination of a hot Iowa sun coming through the window, toasting me like the poptart that I'll most likely grab on the way out the door and a welsh corgi who's canine smeller must have caught wind of a waking playmate and has come pounding up the steps. If I didn't know better, I'd think I lived 3 stories up based on the prolonged thunder of the short-legged pooch. I walk past my sister's room to see if she is up yet, but she's still under her covers because her room is on west side. Everyone knows the west side bedroom sleepers sleep in later. I make my way to the bathroom. Nothing to report here, as I've surely disappointed you now. What can I say, I'm eager to get outside. When the door opens, the corgi takes off, and nearly takes flight with its oversized ears. My playground is 8 green acres filled with trees to climb on, horses to ride, an old silo with the absolute best acoustics to sing in, and a barn filled with talking pigeons. In addition to the corn crib being part of my at-home softball team, I've also made a small concession stand near one of the ends. And that's where I'm headed- The horses must be hungry, of course. I serve old corn cobs. That's it. Remember, I'm on a farm in Iowa. What did you expect, sushi? If you're feeling frisky, I'll add a little mud on the top to give the cob something even more special. I sit here, hoping, like I do most days, that one of the nearby horses will come order one. They're too busy eating the morning dew off the grass. But wait, who's this? A make believe person who is hungry for a muddy corn cob at 8am? Yep. And so it goes, another morning as a 7-year-old.

Okay, now let's go be creative!

We are talking about people. People.

I was thinking about our brand's audience this afternoon, because that's what I do. I think about our audience at work. And sometimes after work. And sometimes before work. And sometimes when I drink. I'm kidding. Not really, I work on a beer account. Anyway, you get the point. Today, I got the feeling that when we call people "consumers" or "shoppers" or "customers" or fill in the blank, we tend to think of them as something else, as though because people are shopping or consuming (the actual product or our messaging) they've suddenly undergone a confusion causing transformation. And these all illusive "shoppers" are a big code to crack. What is it they really want? What need do they have that has gone unmet? What insights do we have into their decision motivations that can help us strategically place our brand into their lives? As any brief says, the list of questions goes on. And it's not that I don't love these questions, I do. I just want to take a moment to think about who it is we are talking about. People. People who are not all that different from you and I. They are not overly involved with every decision they make. Are you? Do you make some decisions very quickly and take days, weeks, or even months to make others? I'm not trying to say that people are not complex, WE ARE. And we all have underlying motivations behind our behaviors and an understanding of this is crucial to any good advertising strategy. I'm just reminding myself and any of you lonely readers (insert echo) to occasionally remove the marketing and "shopper" lens and take a different look through the people lens. After all, I believe a good product can connect with a real person who has a real life.

Shoppers don't necessarily inspire me, but people do.

Supply Chain Transparency

Want to see how green or ungreen the products you buy are?

Sourcemap.com is an online social networking site that maps business supply chains ( currently in beta testing). Check out this map of a can of Coca-Cola that illustrates how Hong Kong, Iowa, Columbia and Canada are connected to the Atlanta, Georgia plant. Those companies that have incorporated sustainability into their business models will quickly begin to reap the benefits of this online conversation. The dismal companies who continue to ignore sustainable opportunities in exchange for the status quo run the risk of having the conversation started for them. If the site itself is not incentive enough for these companies the fact that anyone can join in on the discussion should be.

Getting Started with Open Supply Chains from Matthew Hockenberry on Vimeo.

Monday Morning Music...

" I fall on the floor and I'm laughing."
Cecilia by the Local Natives

My favorite member of this group stands farthest back, playing the branches of a tree.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Riding solo?

Carticipate is a social transportation experiment available via an iphone app and, hold on, you won't believe it, wait for it.... facebook. Carticipants enter where and when they plan to travel and the location-aware mobile software matches you up to others who are going the same way. I admire the effort to not only reduce emissions but also rush hour road rage. Eventually, I see the potential for retailers that are on someone's path to jump in on the game. Stay tuned over the next few months to see where this goes and how many carpooling carticipants sign up!

What is a Moment?

a little library love

I'm reading Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior by Geoffrey Miller and wanted to give a quick shout out to public libraries across the world. Although I wish I could afford to have a room full of the words of the greats, the inspirational, the provocative, the rule breakers, and the story tellers of today. But alas, I work in advertising and can't afford much more than this computer and have given up on this dream for the time being. Instead, I'm in a committed relationship with my public library.

Im helplessly devoted to the pages of Spent and am intrigued by the study of how people are driven to acquire more and more even though research has clearly shown that stuff won't make us happy. Like many of the books I've borrowed over the last few years, I've already reserved the next read and I'm only about 90 pages into this one.

My curiosity drove me to look for some statistics about library cards: how many have one, who is most likely to, how often they are used, etc. I found a site that was helpful in answering these questions ( apologies for not looking longer for more recent). If you don't have one, go get one. I guarantee you'll find something you like ;)

A little bit is better than nada...

This weekend, I saw what could very well have been the smallest product display on earth located above 10,000' in Leadville, Colorado. I could have been tempted had the product itself been a bit more enticing.

What Would You Do?-- With 6 seconds

This Retail Merchandiser article says the average section in a store gets only 5 or 6 seconds of exposure from the shopper. Five seconds! What can possibly be going on in our mind in these few fleeting seconds? We could and oftentimes do hours and hours of research to see what messages and visuals resonate best, in an attempt to feel secure OUR message will be of the few that is heard within this short window. We can also brush up on our understanding of cognitive biases-- which are basically adaptive- or maladaptive- mental shortcuts we all use to make decisions quickly.

This video shows how supermarkets use research to fight back and keep people in stores longer.

It's You, Or Y!ou, Or Ylou?

Next week, Yahoo! will launch its new $100 million dollar global marketing campaign, "Its Y!ou" right here in the U.S. of A. The campaign's focus will be on the personification of the homepage and its products. WIth Google's shares rising 50% in the last 6 months despite the country's recession, I give the company the best of luck with the new adventure. But... With all this effort to reinvent the brand, it begs the question, "why is the CEO seemingly bringing about bad PR?"

virtual barbershop

http://ccgi.bluerabbit.plus.com/virtualbarbershop/

You just have to do this. With headphones.

don't forget to be awesome

YouTube has tapped into its philanthropic users to ask them to put their video skills to good use. YTVideoVolunteers recognizes the need for those who make a difference by actually going out into this "hyper physical medium called real life", but are extending opportunities for creative video heads to bring attention to the organizations they support.
What a great way to use this enormous space that has universal usage ( every minute, 10 hours of video are uploaded- YouTubeFacts) to bring some attention to those who need it.

puma to the rescue

Tough economy dragging you down? Puma is taking some of the weight off... or should I say clothes? In support the recent launch of the company's athletic undergarment line, Puma "bodywear", Puma has stepped beyond traditional advertising to develop an iphone app that links the rise and fall of the stock market to models putting on or taking off their clothes. The app is called the Puma Index, as the stock market goes down, the index goes up. 

I wish I could get my hands on this project's brief.

Advice to those who still have jobs...

Take Recess.

Although the research in this NYT health blog leaves a little to be desired from a scientific validity standpoint, the results support the fact that the human brain can see great benefits from aerobic exercise. I wont surprise anyone by saying exercise is beneficial to our mind's health, but this article explains that activities like swimming, brisk walking, running, and cycling ( I'm sure some of you can think of other things to do to keep your heart rate up) may actually allow the brain to recall more information than anaerobic activities like walking, pleasure jogging, or weightlifting. So, if you want to keep your brain in shape, find something that works for you to make you pant and puff each day. Oh, and don't forget to read.

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/16/what-sort-of-exercise-can-make-you-smarter/

Art helping science tell the story of our earth's future

Using a team of time-lapsed cameras, James Balog and the Extreme Ice Survey are addressing the tragedy of our world's rapidly disappearing ice in a very impactful way. The project is a great example of how powerful a story can be when both science and art are allowed to write. I'm hopeful efforts like this will not only keep our eyes open to the world around us but also to challenge us all to consider both the emotional and rational side of our tales.

New Webster Words Illustrate Where We Are

I sporadically visit the Webster website in a weak attempt to keep my language colorful and recently noticed this page that highlighted a few of the new words incorporated into Webster for 2009. Its interesting how even in this abbreviated list, the language we use is a good indication of what our world finds important enough to create words to express. ( and how mother Mac's tenacity to add that red dotted line will never cease to amaze me)

Sharing Via the Web:
fan fiction, vlog, webisodes

Environmentalism:
carbon footprint, locavore, green collar

Physical Medicine:
cardioprotective, naproxen, pharmacogenetics...

advice to myself

A recent commute had me listening to callers expressing advice to their younger selves. To my surprise, most of the advice centered around a missed opportunity rather than encouragement. After some thought, I decided to give myself some of my own advice now before I wake up in 20 years calling into a morning talk show to share my life's regrets.  I gave myself 2 minutes to write down my thoughts ( note the "slow down" advice) and made it into a word cloud. Although I should spend more than 2 minutes on something with this much importance,  its still a very clear representation of my life's call to arms. I challenge you to match my thoughtful 2 minutes by going here and creating your own  http://www.wordle.net/

Inspiration in the everyday

When Brazillian designer Jarbas Agnelli saw a photo in the local newspaper of birds perched on 5 electrical wires, he saw something special-- he saw music. He mentions that he was "just curious to hear what melody the birds were creating."  Another fantastic reminder that organic creativity and inspiration are all around you and all you have to do is read the news (Ha!)-- Simply keep your eyes open and your mind free. Its out there. 

Doodle But Don't Daydream

( at least when you need to be listening...)

According to a study in Applied Cognitive Psychology doodling while listening can actually help you remember details as it may keep you from daydreaming and losing focus.  http://www.physorg.com/news154937903.html

My Inspiration

I'm interested in the community, identity, and empowerment that the online world allows. This idea of participant observation is key. In order to more completely understand how bloggers feel about exposing different levels of themselves to a keyboard or a webcam, I want to do it first hand. Hope to see you again along the ride ;)

"Design Something That Solves A Problem"

What a novel idea, right? I work in advertising, where its easy to get caught up in the day to day of our designs and the belief its going to soar miles above the rest and engage with people on unexplored levels ( okay, maybe a stretch here). The James Dyson Award is a design competition that not only inspires young engineers but also remains true to its problem-solving roots. I think a spoonful of reality soup is always a good treatment for over-active advertising execs (like myself). Here are a few examples from the competition.

http://www.jamesdysonaward.org/Default.aspx

Curiosity Killed the.. well boredom

Curious.Seven was borne out of my endless search to find the "right fit" while studying at Iowa State University. After seven majors in only 4 years, I walked away with a great understanding of human nature, and the ability to not only find the interesting angle of a story but also put that vision into words on paper- Journalism and Psychology. Since leaving the university about three and a half years ago, I've grown to accept that its not as easy beyond those walls to change your mind. There is no Dean's Office I can simply go to and explain my plan and within thirty minutes, I'm back out the door with a new path. I now understand I have my entire life to learn, not four years. And that's exactly what I plan to do.
For this blog, I envision it being primarily about what inspires me, thoughts I have about people ( and how that relates to business), and interesting things I find while pursuing this life of learning. I'm also open to letting the blog evolve into what it feels like.
Let's see where we go, and maybe, just maybe you'll even learn something new while you're on the ride.