a study in human connection

Maybe you're one of the million people who have already seen this video from Coke... If not, here it is:



You can get a little background on the "Happiness Machine" in this recent article in today's issue of Fast Company online. The video had over 220,000 views in just 48 hours, and now has over a million. That speaks volumes about the importance for connection and the impact it can have. If this brand-consumer ( or as I like to say people) connection is made in an authentic, uplifting way and is in line with the brand, the idea will catch like wildfire. Or in today's online world, that's over 1MM people, or the city of San Diego, finding time to watch this in less than two weeks.
Many of my readers work ( or should I say live) in the advertising/ branding world; What are you doing to help your brands truly connect with its consumers? And if you say, posting one-way Facebook updates, try again. Think about it honestly and keep this quick lesson in mind as you move forward.

Monday Music

"Your faith was strong, but you needed proof"



A beautiful, intimate cover of a classic for hopeforhaitinow.org .
Thanks Ashley ( for directing me to the song and for having a heartbeat for the world)

Tweet Tweet

Tonight's Vikings-Saints game made for some, we'll say, entertaining tweets. Its no surprise that good old Brett would hold some of the "trending topics" on Twitter, but what was more interesting was the fact that a misspelled Farve actually had more tweets than Brett Favre. I'd like to report that there was a more optimistic tone coming from those who actually know how the quarterback's name is spelled, but I can't without lying.

What does this say about our need for real-time communication? That we now feel we need to throw our 2¢ into any virtual story, even if we don't know the characters very well? Its more important for some to be a part of the conversation and to be heard ( or read) than to say something that hasn't been said already or that doesn't immediately remove the validity from your statement.

Great Social Media Preso

From the folks at expresso:

What the F**K is Social Media: One Year Later

View more documents from Marta Kagan.

Buddah Quote For the Day

Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.

Monday Music

"I'm always alright"


Punctual as Usual, The Parson Redheads

Awareness >> Action

Although I know the internet doesn't necessarily need another blog post about the devastation in Haiti, I can't turn my eyes away. The Google Trends data of the past few days shows a steady stream of people searching for information about the latest developments in the catastrophe and the relief efforts that are underway. A few months ago, a colleague of mine went on a humanitarian aid trip to Haiti and in the process has inspired me to open my eyes to the people I share the world with. The people in Haiti have been struggling to survive for years and now they are in the center of the world's hearts. Knowing that thousands of internet users are seeking more information about the horror in Haiti is encouraging, however there is a big difference between being aware and actually doing something in response. Just in case you've been living under a rock, you can send help by contacting any organization on this list from the AP and Haiti needs that. Help.

Many of us here in the brand marketing world are very familiar with the MESSAGE > ATTITUDE CHANGE > BEHAVIOR CHANGE process. But what can organizations do to go beyond awareness and move people to act? Motivation has been studied for years, think Pavlov's dogs or Prelinger's hungry rats. The science has to be applied.
We cannot overlook the power of reinforcement. When the lottery jumps back down to a mere 10 million, its quite reinforcing to know someone won. People are desperate for feedback and want to feel connected and understand the end result of their actions.
There is a sense of diffused responsibility that people too often have. We believe someone else must be acting and, therefore, we don't need to. And when we all make this assumption, action doesn't happen.
When it comes to behavior, its seems the intrinsic motivators work best-- those things that you enjoy just because you do and make you feel that what you're doing matters.
More and more of these organizations are allowing people to donate to specific relief efforts, ie. water, medical supplies, education. Autonomy is key to behavior change.

8 Secrets to Success

January always seems to be the month of change, aspiration, and cold weather, and this year has been no different. I've blogged about my love for Ted Talks in previous posts, but I'm saying it again. I love these short, inspiring videos. I ran across this 3min video of Richard St. John discussing the 8 secrets to success and inspired me as I look with optimism for the year ahead. The short video confirms my belief that everyone is different, yet everyone is similar. We're all looking for a shortcut, a tip, something to help us along the way. We all have beliefs about the best way to reach our goals. But the path each of us takes to our own personal success is as different as our definition of success itself. So, maybe you have your own set of success secrets or you're in the market to find a few new ideas. I'm just passing a bit of inspiration on to you. Hope you enjoy.

Monday Music

"Put me in your blue skies or put me in your gray"

It's interesting how many people posted comments about the music ( At The Hop by Devendra Banhart) to this youtube video by NBB. Be careful when connecting your brand to music. It's more important that one might think..

Green DayCare

I have to admit it, I have a soft spot for the environment. A recent trip through my favorite-ed sustainability websites brought me to an eco-friendly child care facility, Little Green Tree House. Educating with a mixture of the "best in education with an eco-conscious, conservation-based focus," feeding local, organic foods and cleaning with non-toxic solutions, the green day care seeks to bring a worldly consciousness to the young. Once I saw this, I wanted to know a bit more about the movement. It appears these green day cares have been sprouting up all over the country; I'm not a mother so forgive me for not being up to speed with the day care train. You can search for an eco-friendly daycare in your area here. I think its great that the need has been uncovered and that providers are listening to the early adapters. As more and more people begin to not only care about environmental health, but also make decisions that better it, the more products and services will be made available.

(Image glory to ClipArt)

The Hunt For Height

After 6 years of construction, the world's tallest building has opened in the Gulf Emirate of Dubai. The Burj Khalifa (formerly named Burj Dubai although the building's website remains unchanged) was renamed to honor the Abu Dhabi leader who threw billions of dollars to the financially-struggling country. The building now holds a number of world records, including highest swimming pool, highest observation deck, and elevator with the longest distance traveled. Enjoy your glory day B. Kalifa as I'm certain the world will see a building rise higher than even you. As long as we still have visionary engineers listening to that evolutionary need to construct large buildings (think pyramids in 2500BC), we can rest assured we have taller skyscrapers in our bright futures. As usual, my growing interest drove me to do a quick search. Sure enough, the proposed Nakheel Tower (also in Dubai) would trump the current leader, but the project is on hold due to financial difficulties. Can anyone say broken record? Just kidding. Well, there you have it, one paragraph and one image to get you caught up on our modern day wonders. But will they last 4,500 years?

Monday Music

Todays Gonna Be A Good Day...



Happy New Year. By now you've most likely seen the concert the BEP put on for Oprah this past fall, but it still makes me feel good to watch it so I thought I'd share. And the group has been nominated for a Grammy in Pop Duo or Group with Vocals, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year. Not too shabby.

2010

Well its finally here. 2010. Whether its pertaining to health, finances, careers, or relationships, a word that's on a lot of minds each January is change. I'm not sure what you would like to see change from a personal or wordly perspective, but if you don't have anything in mind today, check out change.org. The site seeks to raise awareness for a variety of causes ( gay rights, education, sustainable food, health care, etc.)and offers a lot of news and information about each. If you weren't concerned about the status quo, you just might be after snooping around this site for awhile.