Happy Holidays!
Taking a little break. Be back soon. Wishing everyone peace, joy, happiness and lots of inspiration for 2010!
Best,
Julie
Archive for December, 2009
One of a Kind Gifts, On Demand
In case you missed it, interesting article in yesterday’s New York Times: On the Web, Workshops That Help Shoppers Create One-of-a-Kind Gifts.
Sites like Zazzle.com, Blurb.com and Blue Nile can help you create everything from personalized stamps with your family photo, a recipe book with pictures and handwritten recipes to a custom designed diamond ring.
Unlike past customizable products (t-shirts, mugs, mouse pads), advances in manufacturing have significantly increased the quality, range and degree of customization of the products.
QuickBite
“God, I’m 51 years old and I spent 30 years of my life doing things I didn’t want to do. The things you do to please other people! I said to myself, Well now I’m just going to have a good time. That was the most freeing thing.”
-Alec Baldwin in this month’s Wired Magazine in an article titled “Stay in the Game: The Fall and Rise of Alec Baldwin” where he speaks about his failures, his TV comeback, and how he looks forward to failing again.
I am a big fan of Wired and this month’s issue does not disappoint.
There’s a picture of Alec Baldwin on the cover in a fighting pose and a big black box that says “Fail. Why Losing Big Can Be a Winning Strategy”.
Along with Mr. Baldwin-Mike Tyson, Meg Whitman, and Bill Clinton talk candidly about some of their biggest failures and most importantly what they’ve learned from them.
As I mentioned in my earlier post Fail Harder, I’m also a big fan of failure. Not that I enjoy falling on my face. But I do think true innovation takes risk. And failure is a sure sign that you are taking risks.
What have you learned from failure?
The Beauty of Imperfection
I think that many of us operate under the false illusion that we can control everything.
OK, by “many of us” I mean me…and maybe you if you are honest.
One of my resolutions for 2010 is to try and embrace the messiness a bit more.
To be comfortable with the imperfections. To sweat the small stuff a bit less.
I got the following story in an email from my Mom today.
It’s a bit corny, but I think it illustrates the beauty of “cracked pots” and other imperfections that are an inevitable part of life (and perhaps even a hidden treasure).
Here’s how the story goes:
“An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.
Elf on the Shelf
Have you heard about this newest Christmas sensation and budding tradition?
It’s called Elf on the Shelf.
I think it’s been around a few years, it seems to be really gaining momentum with parents this season.
My understanding is the Elf watches the children to see if they’ve been naughty or nice. Every night he returns to the North Pole. And every morning he re-appears at a different location in the child’s house.
This last bit is what I think is so clever. By a simple act of moving the Elf, he is then rendered interactive.
Not in the wii or Nintendo DS Way, but in a much simpler and perhaps more powerful way through a combination of parental love and effort and childhood imagination.
QuickTwist
Brand R.I.P.
2009 saw the demise of some venerable brands (Circuit CIty, Max Factor, Saturn). Read here for a longer list.
What brand would you miss the most if it kicked the bucket in 2010?
What Your Holiday Card Says About Your Brand
Ti’s the season to send tidings of comfort and joy.
Many companies are still engaging in the practice of sending holiday greetings (print or increasingly emails) to colleagues, clients, partners and prospects.
But what does your holiday card say about your brand?
After all, it’s not just a card it’s a communication vehicle.
And whether you intend it to or not, chances are the greeting you send and even how you send it are communicating more about your brand than you originally intended.
This year at Virgin management we’ve decided to do electronic cards (in line with our desire to do right by the planet when we can) and to re-direct the saved postage to a donation to the Branson School of Economics in South Africa.
We’re including a bit of a cheeky message on the front of the card (again on brand) but overall we feel the best way to celebrate the real spirit of the holidays during this particularly difficult year is to help others.
I am not saying this is the right solution for everyone. I’m just illustrating that we’ve spent some time thinking about our messaging and have treated the card as a piece of branded communication- which ultimately it is.
Here are two other examples of cards that I received that really made a brand impression on me.
The first was from a friend of mine a few years back who runs a PR and Communications company called Fraiche.
Her brand is all about fresh ideas and approaches. Her primary color on her website and marketing materials is a bright and vibrant green- a color which supports her can-do personality and that of her company.
Her holiday card really supported her brand point of view.
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