Go Out & Do Something Less Boring Instead!

If you haven't got anything better to do...[And I know that you have!] click on the link to take you to Brandweek's People's Choice Marketer of the year 2010...You know when you're coming to the end of the year when the award shows, BBC Sports Personality of the Year & 'The Best of 2010'...selections start wafting around.

So take a look, and see if the brands/marketers you love/hate are there and cast a vote! You'll see the winners on September 13th.

PS no-one lost their lives in order for us to vote...so don't feel too guilty if you don't!

Saturday musings

I've been musing about the amount of time we have for breaks & mental musings...with Chris Anderson's headline Wired article, "The web is dead, long live the internet" creating a huge buzz both online & in pen&ink in the Observer 'Are phone apps killing the web's original spirit of fresh discovery?', it made me think....when do we take time-out from connecting with digital? Even when we're with friends on a night out, within 30 minutes we're comparing apps, discussing the virtues of a touch-screen versus a pad [can you tell from your sms' who has an iphone...the person with the most typos I reckon] & talking about who's getting what, when!

It used to be that we took short breaks walking between those business meetings, on the treadmill [ummm that's not really been me, but in the interest of giving plausible examples! ] or on public transport, but now it seems that we're cramming those spare minutes with more & more information, digitally accessed. Yes...infowhlem...with androids, pads, smartphones & touches & crackberries, it seems that we really can't switch off!

But for some smart thinkers, it seems as if it's affecting our ability to be truly creative. With an article in the New York Times suggesting "Digital Devices Deprive Brain of Needed Downtime" University of california scientists think that constant digital input forfeits people's '...downtime that could allow them to better learn and remember information, or come up with new ideas'.

What I found particularly laudable & laughable about the articles is that it doesn't seem to take into account that they don't really take the position of a young person...ask them if they feel they're not being creative with their time. See what they say when you ask them how they use the web or internet...is their a difference. It's about the evolution, of the human brain & how time & what tools are used by a new generation...
& to that point, here's a poster I saw in a window of an Amsterdam library...with the local library having Digital Month and teaching people how to embrace the new e-book tool...I bet kids don't need this class...what do you think?

Focus on the individual.

Focus on the individual.


I came across "Oh My God What Happened & What Should I do?" an example of how the spreading of information is less about just paying for it - though maybe you will be more inclined to read it if you did on one side :) & on the other I just spent €18 on Bret Easton Ellis' Imperial Bedrooms, which fell apart at the spine after 5 minutes of reading!! :(

It's an example of Innovative Thunder's clever way of giving you some 'free' digital marketing advice. Yes you can buy the book, but if you tweet about the book's existence for them, then you can download it as a pdf for free - just make sure you DO read it.

For those in the marketing business & with an ounce of digital-savvy, it's news is, well -- no news really -- but for those that don't this is a 2 hour read [there's lots of marketing -- big letters, black backgrounds...sound-bites & not much revelatory text, sorry] but it will make you feel comfortable that if you can just make that brain-change...embrace the attitude of change, then you'll be on your way!

How I wish the Ellis book had been free, because it certainly wasn't worth that much!

One Function, Multi Funtional learning

I HATE unstable Wi_fi....this is the second time I have to write this! Ok, so I'm on the Thalys, on the way to Paris & wanted to share these thoughts...thanks to 'Coach' Kay for the recommendation!
I used to be able to sit down with a nice cup of earl grey at some time of the day, & do a TED-a-day...My all-time favourite being Jille Bolte Taylor's 'Stroke of Genius'...goosebump worthy. Anyway, with being so busy & all, it's been more like bi-monthly TEDs!
Still this talk by Sir Ken Robinson 'Bring on the Revolution' argues for a radical change in education system & I agree with it on many different levels. Society is forced into a framework of assessments & approval-seeking, which starts with tests & assessments at school & continues with at-work appraisals...& SWOTS ["strengthen your strengths & eradicate you weaknesses for success"]
Why should we be forced into such a structure because its the way things have always been done? Why cant we look at more intensely at diverse & organic education & learning system where technology & digital facilitates customised learning? but don't just listen to me...listen to what he says...i swear he could become a comedian!!

Youth Expression Through Art

Some days you just need so fresh impetus to get to fresh insight...new inspiration to feel useful rather that dried-up & useless...we all have insecure days sometimes!
So whilst doing just that [not the drying-up part!], I came across this initiative by Shepard Fairey, where he's working with 500 city kids from NYC to get involved in a collaborative mural about social injustices....A POSITIVE THOUGHT CANNOT BE DENIED

Via the initiative & in the PSFK interview, Fairey evokes an event in Chicago in 1989 to construct a 520-foot ribbon of whitewashed plywood in Grant Park across from the city's Cultural Center with Keith Haring and 300 kids.

So paraphrasing Fairey in the interview, to engage young people AS they mature, not WHEN they are mature, to get involved with social issues, though not the freshest insight.. it is & should still be an evolving concept to converse with young people.

POETIC SENSATIONS

I usually NEVER write a review about a store, bar or restaurant...it's just not type of blog. But when things start to connect & then there's a catalyst, then I have to put 'pen to paper'. Over the last weeks, as it comes runs up to the anniversary of independence, I have really valued the passion of people of independence. The theme of Poetic Sensations , is sparked by three diverse experiences & two amazing sense people I've met recently.

The first was Mona, the Nose from the perfumery, Mona di Orio. Take a look at her beautifully scripted website & look out for her new fragrance [one smelling of leather....huh? :)] coming out in July. "A beautiful perfume will surprise you before touching the heart deeply" such an inspirational woman with a great philosophy for her creations [& beautiful bottles she puts them in!]

The second is a film by the twin Brothers Quay about a fragrance by Comme des Garcons, called Wonderwood. I love the idea of a cinematic compilation that can define a scent. & the last is the experience I had tonight in a sneaky hideaway cocktail bar called Lounge Bohemia, where you can only get a table by appointment only. But it's worth it to experience the owner Paul's passion. he describes some of his cocktails "Manipulative Mixology...Cocktails made with imagination, creativity & a little bit of science". The cocktail I had was Holy Smoke, a leather [again!] infused courvoisier vsop exclusif, frankincense & myrrh smoke.

But what I found as the fascinating link between all of these examples is the mix between creativity, passion & science. Experimentation of this sort should be so & are so inspiring for risk takers to literally taste. Sensations like these are so poetic & leave me wanting more.

Mobile Blogging

This is great!!! after a crazy day of starting with a 445am wake up call, delayed then canceled flight from Glasgow to Leeds...I finally ended up on a 4 hour train ride with NO internet access...getting in at 2pm.
Damn!...I was disconnected!But now I find myself sitting on bottle green, Verner Panton chair, my Air on my Air, in a wonderful store called PAPER SCISSOR STONE, run & owned by Steve Banks, the man behind Electronic Poet, a store that's been open in for a year. A gallery space, record store & clothes shop, it offers...free W-Fi!!! Now that's service for you...But what I what I wanted to talk write about was...There should be more places like this!! to enable people to be immediately creative! Finding this space has finally it gives me a chance to put more pictures up from Glasgow...so the girls with the shades & vintage clothes are 14, 15 & 16, the girl with the fake fur hat from H&M, has a raincoat from Sainsbury's...yes, the supermarket!!

So here I am blogging from my Air...on the go in a randomly found store...shame on you UK national rail 'service'. You didn't think about the restless, everlive customers you have 'captured'. You had me...but you lost me.

In the New Capital - Glasgow

Here are a few of my favourite street pictures from the first day in Glasgow. With the self-created nickname of the 'New Capital' alluding to the continuous rivalry with Edinburgh, the city of 750,000 kids that look like, NEDs a termed coined by the police, [Non-educated delinquents] Wanna-be footballers & footballer's wives & a plethora of students from all over the world!

However what I particularly liked was the confidence of the city's youth, so here's a nice quote from my new friend Jonny...."I'm a citizen of the world, not just a citizen of Scotland"
- Quite

NAME CHECK

ahhhh...thanks so much for my partner in crime...the Penfold to my Dangermouse [that WILL mean something to a certain generation of readers!] for the shout out on an article about her on the fresh-looking blog from Maurice, called AJANAKU.

So go there & read a little article from Anouk Swart about her inspiration for photography...here's a teaser....& my particular favourite photo of two 14 year olds shopping & taking pictures of each other in Selfridges in Manchester that she took last week.

"A minority of goths organizing themselves throughout the country on Dutch social media site Hyves. Clicks of Parisian fashion school students setting daily dress themes to spark fantasy. A band of three swerving the streets of Manchester heading for their destination. Swedish raggare polishing their first owned cars to gather at the town’s square to share the love."

Lovely Penfold, lovely!

FIGHTING THE CLONES

Thanks thanks thanks to H___ [she shall remain anonymous!], who came all the way from Stockport to give us a 5 hour glimpse into youth fashion culture in Manchester!

On a miserable afternoon, with the steady drizzle of Manc rain creating a misty backdrop, we met H___, our American Apparel jump-suited, denim jacket-clad guide [We felt so guilty cos she was constantly shivering!], in front of Debenhams.

She took us to the Affleck's 'emporium of eclecticism'... [yeah--It's like Camden Market--in ONE building--amazing!] & told us about Manchester's; Scene kids, Dead Cools, Scallys, Ch-Indies [Chavvy-Indies for those that need a definition], Tarty Girls & it's Clones; just a few of the colourful & descriptive terms of some of the 'tribes' scouring the streets & stores, are labeled.

To be fair to H___ she didn't want to label people....it's just some phrases she used, & they were just so damned funny & vivid, so I just had to write them down. However the most striking thing she said, spoke to a natural & somewhat necessary trend of label-shedding. "No one wants to be Indie anymore...It's like an insult to be called Indie", was a comment that had much more resonance; once I processed it, after she left us, & this is what I thought.

The acceleration, adoption of trends by the high-street; Top Shop & River Island steal with pride from the catwalk--Nu-Look & Primark [should] steal [with shame] from them. Brands & marketers used to talk about cascading, but now that's transformed into a full blown avalanche! The high-street, hijacking & the subsequent ubiquity of fashion-styles, have meant some [the above-mentioned stores!] have been cashing-in on the trends. Worse still is that some, or MOST consumers, just do not think for themselves. They just buy into 'exactly what it says on the tin', or more aptly--just buy what the shop mannequin has to offer, whilst still having the audacity to claim they are trying to be individual.

Real leaders--'The Dead Cools' [at least in Manchester--the original Indies maybe?] know what's going on & have moved on, shedding the aforesaid Indie label, to stay different & unique [though I HAVE just labeled them again, sorry!]...so this post is a nod of thanks to all of those people we've met on our first day in Manchester, who respect & don't judge the Sceners, but instead celebrate their distinctiveness, with a confident swagger, a defiant shade of lipstick & an assured flick of hair.

To brands that want to become leaders, look at who you want & SHOULD follow. If you just follow transitionals & ignore the agitators, you'll have nowhere to go, because by the time you look up off your spreadsheets & realise your error, you've probably lost the 'Dead Cools' for good.

Thanks to Nouks_art for the pictures....you'll find a bigger selection of who we met on her Flickr site--hit the link!

Big thanks to the Ruby Pseudo crew for the H___ hook up!

YOUTH VENTURES

Happy new year to you all!
I've just got back from quite an intense week in Boston, scanning, searching, debating, conceptualising. there's nothing like a business trip, with no distractions, to focus the mind on the problem at hand...[Though I did go to Sleep No More Again! for new readers see previous posts]

But I DID forget to post something about a conversation I had a few weeks ago. I was invited by a friend of mine to talk at the Erasmus business school in Rotterdam [apparently one of the top schools in Europe, I'm glad I found that out AFTER I spoke!]. The talk was about being entrepreneurial, but my revelation of sorts, was a train-meeting David from a global organisation called Youth Ventures, which has recently set up a 'franchise' in Amsterdam.

As we sat on the delayed train, after the Erasmus talk, during the first December wave of travel-ruinous snowfall, It was a fortuitous opportunity to learn about young entrepreneurs. Youth Ventures does what I believe country institutions should, but don't do. It facilitates young people's risk-taking spirit, desire for immediate action & wanting to change their & other's communities & environments.

What I got from our conversation was that it finds mentors for young people, to generate business & community ideas that can lead to a sustainable change. [It's a bit like the BBC's Dragon's Den]. Young teens/early 20's are mentored as they work-up a business idea, which they will then eventually present to a panel, who will then determine if they will get some finance to put it into practice.

What I love about it is that it works WITH privileged & so-called drop-out youth, rather than marginalises them. There was one example not particularly/overtly entrepreneurial, but refreshing all the same, that David told me about. Youth Venture would go into troubled schools/housing estates, put a panel together of kids & ask them to tell teachers/directors of the local governments, why there were 'urban problems'...But the format was that the teachers etc, could NOT interrupt the kids. They just had to listen to what they had to say.

What a simple but great idea to get people of influence to listen to REAL kids of influence. They weren't allowed to ignore what was going on, but were forced to confront it, in a controlled way. Now that's not to say that they will act on it, but surely any open-minded institute or company could see the worth of this method?