Archive for November, 2009

5 Creative Gifts that Won’t Break the Bank

Posted by Julie | November 30th, 2009

Holidays, and especially holiday gift giving, can be extremely taxing.

But this year why not take a step back and create something special?

Save the physically draining desperate crawl around the mall.

Pour a  glass of wine or a mug of cocoa and spend a bit more mental energy dreaming up something unique.

You might find it doesn’t take a lot more time, and it definitely won’t cost more.

Plus I always find I get more joy in giving (and getting) creative gifts.

Here are some ideas:

5 Creative Gift Ideas that Won’t Break the Bank

1. Write a Special Letter.
Think about what you love and admire about someone and put it down in writing.

Not to be too morbid, but think about what you would say about them if they were gone and write it now to share with them while they can really appreciate it.

Keep reading »

Thanksgiving Traditions

Posted by Julie | November 25th, 2009

Not to sound too much like a fiddler on the roof…

but I think that Traditions are extremely important.

They help mark events and give meaning through repetition.

Recently, we’ve started a new Thanksgiving tradition called a “Thankful Box”.

It’s a plain box we’ve decorated with fall colors and the words “Thankful Box” on the top.

Before the meal each person writes down a few things that they are thankful for.

Keep reading »

Smarter Spending and the Joy of Less

Posted by Julie | November 24th, 2009

I’m a marketer so of course I want people to buy things.

Like (Virgin) mobile phones and domestic and trans-Atlantic flights for example.

But as we approach another “Black Friday” holiday shopping season kickoff…

Part of me can’t help but think- do we really need all this stuff that’s being advertised?

If you remember, last year in a very unfortunate incident, a man was actually trampled to death at Wal-Mart during this day.

What could have been so crucial to buy that worked people into such a mob frenzy?

For the last year I’ve been taking a new approach to spending and loving it.

I call it the Joy of Less. I wrote about it last summer.

It started with the onset of the Recession. Like many people, with uncertainty looming, I felt a need to save more and to be more careful with my spending.

But what started as an act of deprivation soon turned in to a source of joy.
Keep reading »

Let’s Start a Clear Speak Movement

Posted by Julie | November 23rd, 2009

Let’s abandon all those annoying “marketing jargon” words and start saying what we mean and meaning what we say.

You know what I’m talking about….

Alignment

Utilization

Win-Win

Socialization

And so on…

I don’t know about you, but I actually find these words creeping into my home life.

Keep reading »

QuickTwist

Posted by Julie | November 20th, 2009

What are you thankful for this year?

Join the conversation »

17 Trends According to Faith Popcorn

Posted by Julie | November 19th, 2009

I received these trends in a marketing email from Faith Popcorn’s Brain Reserve.

I’ve always been interested in trends.

I don’t really believe in their ability to predict the future.

After all, most trends are usually well underway when they are coined – so it’s really more like a snapshot of the present.

And one of the things that FPBR is really good at is giving them clever names like “cocooning” (an oldie but apparently still a goodie) and capitalizing on them on the time when they are just “mass” enough that people are nodding their heads in agreement.

Not so much ahead of the curve, but maybe right on top of it.

What interests me most (and from what I’ve read Faith too) is the APPLCATION of the trends.

I find them a useful filter when I am trying to innovate on a project to think about a subset of current trends (say five or so) and look at the task at hand through those eyes.

Take one of the more interesting ones below Egonomics (“consumers craving of individuality”) and think about how this might affect what I am trying to do at one of my projects at Virgin.

If you buy into this trend, then how can you capitalize on it in product development and marketing?

Hypothetically, in a Virgin hospitality experience how can we obtain a new level of customization in the customer journey?

Anyway take a quick look.

Let me know If any of these strike a chord and how you are applying them to your brands.

FAITH POPCORN’S BRAINRESERVE TRENDBANK

99 LIVES
Too fast a pace, too little time, causes societal schizophrenia and forces us to assume multiple roles.

ANCHORING
A reaching back to our spiritual roots, taking what was secure from the past in order to be ready for the future.

ATMOSFEAR
Polluted air, contaminated water and tainted food stir up a storm of consumer doubt and uncertainty.
Keep reading »

Let a Stranger Play with Your Logo?

Posted by Julie | November 18th, 2009

dominoes

Crazy? Genius?

Actually Cunning. As in Cunning, a creative agency with offices in New York and London.

They decided to bring their mission of “driving engagement” to life but creating a corporate logo for their firm that is meant to be changed and played with.

At it’s most basic level it’s a box with a black dotted line border.

But on their website they declare themselves “solutions neutral” and prove this by embracing multiple design solutions for their logo.

Keep reading »

QuickBite

Posted by Julie | November 17th, 2009

einstein

“Problems can not be solved

 within the framework

in which they were created.”

- Albert Einstein

Do you agree with this quote? What’s your twist?