Daniel Berkal from The Palmerston Group just shared this link with the members of the Account Planning Group on Facebook. It is a beautiful piece crafted by a smart young planner, Alicia Fisher, in her blog Planner in Progress. I won't tell you much about it since I think it is better if you experience it by yourself. However I would tell you that it truly makes me think a lot on the pro's and con's of my current addiction to being connected all the time. Everywhere.
I recently found this quite old presentation crafted by Adliterate and presented during the IPA course for planners and while the content, perhaps, might not make a lot of sense without the proper voice over, there are a couple of points worth to pay attention to that certainly don't need further explanation.
I leave you with the ones I like the most:
- Looking for what's interesting and not what's right: some might call it randomness, I like to call it gut feeling but trusting your instinct usually leads you to places where you want to be.
- Make your limitation your selling point: know your limits, explode them and use them to your favor.
- Style, not just substance: know what to say, but make sure you say it in a interesting way.
I respect this woman. Actually, let me rephrase that, I admire this woman.
Marissa Mayer was the first female engineer hired by Google and, nine years later, she holds the vice president of search products and user experience position at the biggest internet company of the world.
Mayer is also a key influential person at Google. Pretty much every product that Google works on has to go through her, who decides whether it's ready to be released or needs more work. She even approves every single Google Doodle that adorns the search giant's homepages around the world. She has a reputation for being brainy, precise and ambitious, obsessive even, when it comes to shaping Google's product suite.
Now, considering all her responsibilities, what i find particularly admirable is her approach towards time managing. She looks after 150 product managers, and every month 10-12 major products are pitched to her. Between 1,000 to 2,000 outside projects need to be reviewed. Usually, each team presenting to her has no more than 10 minutes to present their projects. During this time, though, they get her undivided attention – she won't check her email or take phone calls.
Aside from the official meetings, Mayer's office door is open for an hour each day, so Googlers can go in, ask questions and get more advice on a project. Of course, as her job title suggests, the focus is on the user experience. She's absolutely devoted to the needs of the 'end user' and often uses her mom as a reference point to check whether an idea is simple enough.
My point is that great ideas need time to come to life. And time management is key to do so. You need time to think and perhaps even more time to execute. But this is entirely connected to the level of care that you have towards that idea. People usually complain about not having enough time to do what they want to do but seriously, I bet in most cases it is just a matter of time management.
If you want to do something, just do it.
Here is a very interesting post from Mayer on the Google's blog.
It's been a while since Gareth Key, former Modernista's Head of Planning (now at Goodby) shared with the planning community his point of view on the risk of advertising becoming irrelevant, and the role of planning in that matter. Seven months later and I still feel these three fundamentals continue without being properly addressed.
Let's keep Gareth's words in mind as we continue to move forward: "My contention is that if a planners job is to make sure the work works (as I believe it is) then we're in big trouble. All the data suggests advertising, more often than not, does not meet its goals and doesn't change behavior. We've done little to address this. We chase new media channels but we don't challenge how we think communication works (or as Mark would put it how ideas spread)."
Nielsen conducted this global consumer survey that shows how recommendations and/or opinion from people are considered to be the most trusted forms of advertising. Perhaps not a big surprise, however what intrigues me is how small is the difference between those already part of your network and stranger online. Check out the article here.
Regardless of what people might say, when you are a true sport fan and you're enjoying your favorite team playing, watching something like this makes you feel good about loving sports and even wanting to try a gatorade.
Recently, New York Magazine conducted a survey among college graduates, grad-school matriculators and others, about their point of view on the future and the impact of the many unfortunate events of the last five to ten years in their expectations.
The article is a great example of the wave of positivism that characterize a changed generation. A sort of statement of their higher expectations towards the future that, although full of caution and worry, remains inspired by hope.
This is another great example of why this campaign doesn't get old for me...
I just saw this spot a few second ago on ESPN, right after the update on the tour saying that Lance still was on third place, and although I'm not sure the placement was strategically determined, for lame it might sound, this ad reminded me of how great the power of human determination is to achieve greatest thing in life.
I really like this campaign. It's sexy, fresh, inspiring and somehow appropriate for the times.
It is not a secret that during the past years the Levi's brand has lost part of that spirit that once made it iconic. I guess this campaign is pretty much the first coherent effort in a while.
The idea of a pathfinder type of spirit is also very strong in some of the ads which I think it will pivotal in reinforcing the brand heritage. "I am the new American pioneer, looking forward, never back," it states. "No longer content to wait for better times... I will work for better times. Cause no one built this country in suits."
And just in case you are wondering, the poem is called 'America' by Walt Whitman and the photography by Ryan McGinley, which also shot the Wrangler campaign that just won at Cannes.
frustrated baseball player...
addicted comic reader...
self proclaimed geek...
rookie writer...
during the day I am just another curious account planner that has a hard time explaining his parents what he does for a living.
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