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.

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