Strategic Sniper

How To Stand Out Today

2008-11-25T17:06:00.003-06:00

Hat tip to Piers Fawkes for featuring this video in today's PSFK. As he points out, the ultra-sanitized, hyper-digitized world of today gives rise to messages and images that seem too polished.

By returning to a true art form -- stop-motion animation -- Tobias Stretch makes a distinct statement. An authentic expression which rendered one of my colleagues (a fine artist in his own right) "speechless."

It is refreshing to know that other than the software required to stitch together the stills, this video was created by hand.

The authenticity expressed in this piece can teach us lessons about the ways the brands we represent can be recognized. Being honest, pure and raw in expression will set you apart from the digitalia everywhere else.

Radiohead - Weird Fishes - by Tobias Stretch

Socio-political Networking?

2008-11-10T09:01:00.006-06:00

Gareth Kay pointed this out in his most recent post. You should really make a quick visit to the transition web site because it is a case study in progress and something we could all learn from.

Regardless of ideology, this is a true example of a solid narrative arc.

FDR figured out radio.

Kennedy harnessed TV.

Obama is shaping political communications for the next generation (is it "socio-political networking?").

Chicken Coops and Campaigns

2008-11-06T09:32:00.007-06:00

Photo via flickr (http://flickr.com/photos/brandonchalk/)

Umair Haque has a post at Harvard Business on the seven lessons learned from the Obama campaign. It's very thoughtful, clear and insightful.

There is always someone who can say it better. I knew there would be. I would definitely suggest you read it.

I've recently come across Umair's writings and find them fascinating. His words got me thinking about how these lessons overlap nicely with the notion of interconnectedness or selfless altrusim.

As crazy as it sounds, I even think the passage of laws regulating treatment of feed animals in California could be evidence that a higher purpose is evolving in our country and our world. Does enlarging chicken coops indicate a larger ideal for treatment of all citizens of the globe? Or, is it simply giving the birds more room to breathe?

Did the world cross the threshold this week? Like Umair says, are we seeing the 21st century evolution of business organization and strategy?

In the 21st century, there is nothing more asymmetrical - more disruptive, more revolutionary, or more innovative -- than the world-changing power of an ideal.

What's The One Thing?

2008-11-05T12:14:00.012-06:00

I've always considered myself a competent writer. Generally speaking, the process of stringing together coherent thoughts has never been something that has given me great difficulty. Heck, I've got a degree in journalism and have been writing over the course of my entire professional career.

But today, I'm stuck.

I've found it absolutely impossible to adequately reflect on the results of the presidential election from a societal, cultural or political perspective. There are many more people who will address the 2008 election more eloquently and insightfully than I could ever dream to, so I won't even attempt it.

Suffice it to say, I am proud of my country for many reasons, and last night amplified my hope for the future. But the lens I will use as I try to cobble together my thoughts is one focused on ideas, communications and business.

To me, last night was the manifestation of Web 2.0.

The power of the collective one.

The collapse of the Berlin Wall and communism both occurred during my adult life, but I didn't feel personally attached to these world events. Don't get me wrong, I remember processing the significance of the pictures on my television, but there remained a disconnect.

Right or wrong, as far as I was concerned, these seismic shifts in world order happened because of government intervention and global pressures. Big entities clashing. The movement of the many, reacting to pressure from the top down. (Glossing over subtleties? Without question. But, that was my state of mind in the early 90s.)

Last night, as the tide of history washed in to shore, and the pictures of both celebrations and concessions came in from around the world, I was struck by how personally involved I felt.

This was not just the movement of many.

It was the power of the collective one.

How could a moment of initial curiosity about this first-term Senator from Illinois move from an innocent Google search to the perception that I made a difference? Not only was I witnessing the epic event in Grant Park, but I was also sharing the success of a candidate with whom I had developed a multi-faceted relationship.

A seemingly insignificant donation, made in response to an email request, became enveloped in emotion. Like a child bringing a box of coins to Sunday school with wide-eyed hope, mine was a contribution that, in campaigns past, would have not even been felt (or sought) by political elders.

Certainly he received contributions from many wealthy donors giving large sums, but by building and nurturing relationships on an individual level -- something unattainable or untried in the last couple of national elections -- Obama was the first that I know of to authentically harness the power of citizens to act.

A clear, compelling position, communicated across media, that started contextually relevant conversations. It demanded participation and collaboration. It allowed me to have a unique relationship with a concept and to see the importance of my story in that of the masses.

I am but one voice. Yet I feel it has risen above the din. I don't believe there is a more powerful example of the way to make a brand work in the world today.

Is it Interconnectedness or Selfish Altruism?

2008-10-13T10:32:00.005-05:00

Image via: www.flickr.com/photos/blaugra/211233265

Adrian Ho at Zeus Jones has raised some interesting questions in the past. Lately, he has posited a hypothesis for this decade's "theme."

His excellent post today on interconnectedness as the motivator for this decade makes a lot of sense. As he points out, there are countless examples of the ways in which we are more overtly relying on one another. From media to motor vehicles, society seems to be moving in the direction acknowledging our mutual and infinite connections to one another.

This movement certainly gives me hope for my family and our place on the planet, but is this a new development or simply the wave from a ripple created long ago?

Interestingly, last night, at a dinner-table discussion with my 86-year-old grandmother, we touched on this exact topic. We talked of her experiences growing up during the depression in a small West Texas town. One of the takeaways from that conversation was the notion that people made do with less and banded together to ensure they all survived.

In addition, I recall a Bill Moyers interview with author Richard Rodriguez, which suggested the United States has a fundamental cultural contradiction. To poorly paraphrase Mr. Rodriguez, we have a "pronoun conflict" -- "we" celebrate the "I."

The collective right to be self-determining.

The unity of individualism.

Rodriguez fears that this lack of tribal/communal support structures will cause continued conflict in the world. As I recall, this interview also contained a sense of hope for the future. The belief that this philosophy will change and the balance will shift back to a reliance on the "we."

Finally, in comments on the ZJ site, I echoed some remarks I heard at the AAAA Account Planning Conference this summer. Alex Castellanos, a Republican campaign strategist, predicted that the world would move toward an era of selfish altruism. He cited the works of Ayn Rand and made the example of barn raising in the early days of western expansion in this country. Castellanos felt that we would help each other in the expectation that assistance would be reciprocated. I'll help you raise this barn because I'm going to need help in a few weeks, too. Clearly a market-driven take on this movement.

So, is this enough evidence to confirm the trend? Is it a return to a bygone era? Selfish altruism?

Or, is interconnectedness the best description?

I don't know. Whatever it is, I find it inspiring (and much better than thinking about the financial markets).

Quote of the Day

2008-10-13T10:08:00.001-05:00

"If Apple went to a party, it would turn up last and leave with the hottest girl there."

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/10/apples-new-note.html

Phone Phorm and Phunction

2008-06-27T08:52:00.004-05:00

While I'm a proud iPhone owner and a lifelong Mac fan, I really respect what I keep seeing coming from the design team at Nokia.

PSFK pointed out a cross-cultural, international study that Nokia conducted recently about how we carry our phones. It also qualitatively measured the differences in the different ways we "carry" other essentials.

One of the key insights for me is the notion that there are three primary things we all carry:

• keys
• money
• phone

Keys and money connect us to safety, security and sustenance. A phone allows us to "transcend space and time."

For my b2b clients, my non-profit clients and my healthcare clients -- are there similar "essentials?" What are they and how can we create experiences that complement these artifacts?

As I continue to navigate these personally uncharted waters, I continue to be amazed at what I have yet to learn. So many questions to answer.

Check out the slideshow that Nokia prepared. Let me know if you find other insights worth mining. I'd love to discuss them.

| View | Upload your own

Molecular Musings

2008-04-30T15:25:00.000-05:00

So, according to this article in today's New York Times, molecular microprocessors have been a concept for some time. Not to bury the lead, but HP has finally found a way (at least applied for a patent to stake the claim) to make this concept a reality. Where does this intersect with marketing and the marketing function as a service? Will we be able to embed these organic processors into product designs that change the makeup of the product based on decisions made? Will they allow us to create perpetually regenerating products that reduce waste? How will people become even closer to brands with these nano-processors? Or, will they just enhance what we've already got to allow more efficient design, energy consumption, etc.?

image: Atom Tat by edgeplot via Flickr

As technology shrinks in size and expands in capacity, it seems that we become ever more reliant on human contact. The closer the mechanism gets to the nucleus of the atom, the more embedded technology becomes in our lives and the more it allows us to connect with those of like mind to us.

I'm wandering here, but I'm also wondering.

Faster than a speeding bullet?

2008-04-18T16:44:00.001-05:00

Wired pointed me to this breathtaking video. It is truly awe-inspiring to look at something in a completely new way.

Bum Rush

2008-03-27T14:59:00.000-05:00

Doing my part to keep the Age Of Conversation golden.

Here's to a great 08

2008-01-01T21:54:00.000-06:00

There's no question in my mind.

2008 will be much better than 2007.

Has to be.

The girls and I just put together our resolutions for the coming year. It is quite an exercise to explain the concept of "resolutions" to a four-year-old. The nice thing is that going through this process tonight has reminded me of the power of simplicity and the importance of periodically taking stock.

I've certainly got a ton of things I can do professionally to make me better at what I do. It's nice that I've just had my annual performance review to give me a clear report card. But, for my youngest, I just needed to boil down the concept to its essence.

"We're just trying to do something to make ourselves better people, honey."

That's it.

The action needed to realize this promise can be large or small, but in the end, we're aiming for improvement. In many ways, this is a tidy parallel to what we're doing for our clients. We're asking customers to do one thing. That's it. Right?

As I turn the page on '07, I am glad to see a fresh slate before me. 365 open blocks of time to clarify and simplify. 12 months to take both large and small actions with a goal of improvement.

2008 will be much better than 2007.

There's no question in my mind.

Packaging as a Service

2007-12-19T22:15:00.000-06:00

I'm a bit of a fan of Zeus Jones. They seem to have a constant flow of interesting ideas centered on the idea that good marketing should provide much more than just a message -- it should provide a service if it is to be truly relevant and successful in the long-term.

One of the nice parts about this time of year is it causes me to be in a retail environment with a much different perspective. When it comes to shopping, I tend to be a creature of efficiency. Get in. Stalk the prey. Put it in the cart. Pay. Leave. However, when I'm out with the family and picking over the retail offerings, it puts me in a different mindset. For some reason (circumstances, perhaps?), I find myself looking at shopping in an entirely new way. I browse. I think of people other than myself. I look for the unique. I shop.

At a recent excursion with wife and child 1 and child 2, I happened upon a product that I thought exemplified Zeus' philosophy. Pangea Organics makes a nice bar soap. (We chose Indian Green Tea with Mint and Rose Petals -- you should smell me in the morning!) The packaging design is simple, intriguing and functional. That's because, according to their Web Site, it is made using a "Zero Waste process and 100% post-consumer paper and organic seeds like basil." [my emphasis]

Once you've place the soap in the dish, you soak the package in water and plant in the ground. In a while, you have a living, breathing, carbon-dioxide-eating herb.

I think that's swell.

Humbled by Digital Advice

2007-11-30T09:03:00.000-06:00

I have so much to learn. Thankfully, there are some trailblazers who are great guides.

Digital planning requires an additional level of skills that were highlighted today in an excellent post from Iain Tait. His points are essential, insightful and thought provoking.

As I work to better understand how to integrate planning into a small B2B-focused agency, his top tips for digital planning add some valuable perspective.

Emergence

2007-11-29T23:44:00.000-06:00

This weekend I listened to a podcast of Radio Lab from back in August. It was a discussion of the science of emergence. Sounds eerily similar to my previous post. I must just be catching on. Anyway, the idea that a seemingly chaotic, disorganized mass can be more intelligent and become more quickly organized than one smart member, is awe inspiring. One ant makes a chance discovery of food and leaves a pheromone trail that a second ant finds. Then, quickly, the second ant's scent instigates a chain reaction where the entire colony is quickly organized by an exponentially expanding trail of pheromones. From chaos to organization and discipline in moments. All started by a relatively dumb insect.

It's sort of like the Gestalt principle of nature.

What does that tell us about the field of marketing? Have the marketers been trying to act as the smart solitary member, yet the consumer masses are really better at adapting to accidental discoveries? Or, are the marketers starting to awaken to the rising pheromone levels launched by the discovery of conversation and authenticity?

Of Ants and Humans

2007-11-18T22:02:00.000-06:00

Carl Zimmer reported in the New York Times over the weekend that scientists have a better idea as to why ants and other swarming animals can work so efficiently. Turns out, according to Iain Couzin, a mathematical biologist at Princeton and Oxford, that there are a series of trails ants leave and rules they follow which keep them from moving in a chaotic manner. Zimmer summarized the findings by stating that:

"[These] rules allow thousands of relatively simple animals to form a collective brain able to make decisions and move like a single organism."

Couzin and his colleagues tested their theories of chemical trails and behavioral "norms" using mathematical and computer models. They discovered that among these , and other swarms (birds, fish, locusts), each individual has to regularly choose between its desire to move in a particular direction or to follow the group path. A small number of leaders can turn the swarm by changing the input and that entices the rest of the group to "spontaneously come to a consensus and move in the direction chosen by the majority."

Brainless animals.

If only it weren't being found to occur in our species as well. Couzin has found in recent experiments that humans make eerily similar unconscious swarming decisions -- influenced by a small group of leaders, we tend to follow a path because of popularity.

Is that why The Blair Witch Project was successful? Does that explain The Tipping Point with empirical proof?

Seems to me to have a great deal of implication on behavior when it comes to marketing. That's also why I subscribe to the opinion that we should be helping our clients to be noticed for the right reasons with a small, influential audience. I think it was Seth Godin who said we should be creating marketing that is remark-able.

Getting noticed for energy and excitement will capture the attention of the leaders and the swarm will soon follow.

Crushing Defeat

2007-11-17T00:21:00.000-06:00

My soccer team just lost the last game of the season. It was a squad we had defeated handily earlier in the year. Sometimes things just don't click and this was one of those times.

I just have to keep reminding myself that it isn't professional. We didn't just lose a Euro match. It's just old guys playing for fun. Right?

Question of the Day

2007-11-16T23:52:00.000-06:00

What are we doing here?

Questions are important to me. Like staying up all night for my project the other night, I hope I never take curiosity for granted. Lately, my questions have verged on the existential. Nothing new for a fellow in the waning days of his third decade.

Northern Planner had an interesting post on why we choose this business. I admire his optimism and his altruistic belief. I've noticed that is a pattern for him. He seems like a glass-half-full person.

For me, the reason is more specific and somewhat selfish. I see the moment of revelation — the connection you build with someone where the light bulb goes off — as almost narcotic. Lights in the eyes because of a great strategy. A relationship with a customer where they see value. That's fun and that's what keeps me coming back every day.

That's what keeps me asking the questions. Trying to get to the bottom (or top) of something so that I can see that moment of understanding again. It's worth all the bruises and scrapes.

Sometimes it takes reminding myself of that point.

I Hope I Never Get Used To It

2007-11-15T22:35:00.000-06:00

Pulled an all-nighter last night. Someone wise once said that the amount of time it takes to accomplish a task expands in direct relation to the deadline. Unfortunately, that was the case with my project yesterday. The nice thing is the hallucinations are all-natural. Dude.

My Manifesto

2007-11-13T21:01:00.000-06:00

There are a lot of smart people in this business. Northern Planner, Zeus Jones and brand new among many others. I've been reading a lot of their stuff lately and reflecting on many things.

One: it's amazing that someone can keep posting regular entries to a blog. It takes so much dedication.

Two: I need to more clearly define my beliefs when it comes to this communication biz. The world seems to have changed orbit in the last two years and I've been searching for meaning. To that end, I've put together my first attempt at a definition of who I am.

Here goes nothing.

Throughout my career, I've connected buyers more closely with sellers by solving my clients' marketing problems with strategic thinking and tactical innovation. I've been plying my trade in "traditional" advertising agencies for 14 years and have realized that business model doesn't match my passions any longer. The world has changed dramatically and my desire to actively participate in this revolution requires a more progressive business climate.

• I believe in knowledge, experience and collaboration.
• I question everything and know there's more than one answer out there.
• I am a fervent believer in expression and constantly seek to build relationships.
• I can manage projects.
• I can synthesize new information and effectively communicate it to others.
• I present very well.
• I always want to turn the rock over and consider it from the perspective of the worm.

The fire still burns inside of me and I want to pass the light on to others. (Care to join hands and sing Kumbaya?)

In many ways, I wrote this from a professional perspective, but so many of my thoughts work for the personal sphere as well. Pollyanna? Maybe. This stuff has been floating around my head lately and I just had to get it down somewhere.

Neon Grave

2007-08-10T08:58:00.000-05:00

Cool Hunting introduced me to this cool site this morning — a flikr of Vegas' Neon Graveyard.

It is a great collection of photos that struck me. Perhaps it's a metaphor for the old-school, one-way process of promotion. Probably too deep a thought for a Friday morning.

Never mind.

Just explore and enjoy.

What's in a name?

2007-08-01T08:59:00.000-05:00

PSFK has a post this morning regarding the conference in Los Angeles. At this conference, the group has agreed to drop the term "marketing" from the agenda. The reason the article cites is that the PSFK team and attendees believe marketing is too limiting a descriptor. The conference is about ideas and trends.

It brings up an interesting point for me. For the last five years of my career, I've wrestled with this same issue. In the two years I've been with GCG, for example, we have described ourselves as a "full service advertising agency with special expertise in (healthcare, business-to-business)." However, we do so much more than just advertising and design. We are consultants. We help write business plans. We create sales tactics. We write software solutions.

Seems to me, at the end of the day, we are about solving problems. It just happens our training and experience is filtered through a lens of creative communications.

What is a succinct way to describe what we do when talking with current clients and prospects? What is the cocktail party description? Any suggestions would be more than welcomed.

Technology is a swingset?

2007-07-26T10:28:00.000-05:00

PSFK had a link to a Reuters article this morning about how the ubiquity of technology has caused most kids to not even acknowledge the innovations that package their lives and drive many of their social interactions.

The comparison of today's digital devices to the swingsets of my youth as a force in socialization was an interesting way to frame the perspective.

In addition, it brought to mind the virtually inseparable divide between religion and daily life in certain cultures. My family (and culture) saw life and religion as two separate things. My wife's family (and culture) can't distinguish between where faith starts and family begins.

Does anyone else know of any knowledge base highlighting the connection between culture and technology? Are there other non-technology comparisons that come to mind?

The Brain Amazes Me.

2007-07-25T17:11:00.000-05:00

Last night I read an interview with Joseph LeDoux that shook me like a cheap snowglobe.

He is a neurologist at NYU who is interested in the formation of emotion and consciousness and how music may be the key to unlocking these things. In addition, the interview introduced me to the concept of "synaptic plasticity" and how our personalities may be formed by the malleability of our gray matter through both internal and external factors.

The "money" paragraph from the article as far as I'm concerned was:

The fact is that there are many different systems in the brain -- perceptual, emotional, motivational, cognitive and so on. And within each of these broad categories there are lots of divisions. All of these run in parallel. Neuroscience has learned a tremendous amount about how systems and brain areas work. But our self, our personality, is not just the sum total of our brain systems. Our self can be thought of as a particular configuration of functional activity occurring in many systems at once. These configurations are determined by our genetically based wiring and by the experiences we have as we go through life. When it comes to mental life and behavior, nature and nurture are not two different things but two ways of doing the same thing: wiring our synapses.

Go ahead. Call me a neophyte. I'm just getting into this planning role at my agency and soaking up everything I can like a sponge.

This is fascinating stuff that has a direct correlation to the notion of how a company's brand personality is developed in the market -- through a combination of internal factors and the external perceptions that consumers bring to the value transaction. In fact, I believe this is related to the notion of transmedia planning I've seen attributed to Faris Yakob -- where different messages to different consumers through different media assemble the mosaic of a brand's personality.

Is the development of our consciousness and personality in our brains an appropriate analogy? Am I just getting up to speed on thinking in the market?

Definitely worth a read.

First Things First

2005-08-04T14:29:00.000-05:00

This is my first attempt at developing a blog. I hope I don't screw it up. I suppose I've come into the game a bit late, but perhaps my intentions will make up for my tardiness.

In the last few months, I've been more and more interested in the state of affairs in this country and around the world. Being well over 30, I only recently have had a political awakening of sorts. The Republican household I was raised in is hundreds of miles away and immediately transitioning from that environment to a conservative college in the middle of Bush country in North Texas (one of the many "Bible belt buckles" of the South) didn't provide rich soil for me to develop progressive thoughts.

Now that I'm married and have two young children, I am more attuned to the need for our society to return to true American values — progressive values that reflect our country's foundation of fairness, respect, honor and freedom. With what seems to be happening with the current regime in power in Washington, I can't help but be frightened for the future of my family. The fact that I'm even concerned that the "Patriot" Act-ors could monitor this post causes me to shudder. That more than 1,800 men and women have perished in the sands of Iraq under false pretenses...How did this happen?

I'm but a lone voice. I have only a father's perspective. I would never pretend to know all the answers and maybe all I can do is ask the questions. That is what I will use this bandwidth for.