Advertising clever

In a very interesting and clever piece of advestigative journalism, Advertising Age has picked the 'Consumer' as the 'Agency of the Year'. Clever choice. And the biggest problem with most advertising creatives around the world - trying to be clever for their own good.

Forgive, don't forget.

Suggesting bad creative is the only way clients remember that they're creative too.

How not to do advertising

Advertising love II

Advertising love

The thing about advertising, it's a lot like love. It always falls short of expectations. And now that you know this, go forth and fall in love with advertising. It's the only way to enjoy it. And its contradictions. Sounds so fucking wise, doesn't it? It's not. It's reality.

Logo showgo #9: 7/10

How to deal with advertising creatives

Consumers are so gullible?

Judgement way

Always judge a product by its advertising. If the ad is intelligently conceived, you can be fairly certain that so will be the product.

Blogger v/s Typepad

It's interesting that blogger didn't feel the need to add a descriptor to its logo while typepad did. Any thoughts on why would be...well, interesting. If you had to launch a blogging service, would you add a qualifier to support the name/logo?

Mucous magic

Brand building is all about getting people to buy into a school of thinking. Good marketing starts with the search for a good brand name for an evolving school of thought. Example: Mont Blanc is not just a brand name. It's a school of thought. An Oscar is not just an award show. It's a school of thought. Apple is not a computer. It's a school of thought. If you had to look for a brand name for an Acting Academy that teaches budding actors the fine art of the kind of Oscar grovelling people pass off for acting, you could do worse than 'The Mucous School of Film Acting: the theory that great emotion is best telegraphed by failing to wipe away one's snot while weeping abjectly'. Introduced to me by Dana Stevens, film critic for Slate.com.

Shooting from the hipness

When Demetri starts promoting Windows Vista, Demetri becomes unhip. So why have I mentioned this Heisenbergian phenomenon here? To illustrate the point that no matter what your brand is or wants to be, if it is associated with something that's not your brand the less powerful brand will change. What's interesting is that Dimitri didn't change perceptions about Vista. Windows is so powerful, that it changed Demetri. Much like Victoria's Secret changed Bob Dylan. More interesting music on how some brands/people are immune to the Heisenbergian principle.

Research queues

Bet you didn't know this about research. Then again, most people in advertising don't know research. Unfortunately.

A question of thought

The folks over at Edge have an interesting question worth thinking about. And what am I most optimistic about? Well, Marketing. (Spoken like a true cynic.) So...what are you most optimistic about?

The Free will not

I think I have written about this earlier, but I feel compelled to write about it again. The thing is, one of the most emailed articles on the NYT site is a take on whether we are masters of intention or are we just deciders in retrospect? What? Okay, let's try that again. There's an article I'm going to point you, my non-existent audience, to which talks about whether we have the right to choose or are we simply compelled to make the choices we make?

If it is the latter state of affairs, what's the point of all this marketing and advertising? If you ask me...and of course no one did...but in the unlikely event of someone going through the trouble to ask me, I'll say you decide. The question is can you? (Requires free membership registration.)

As Einstein paraphrased it, “a human can very well do what he wants, but cannot will what he wants.”

Pomo marketing: Shopping entertainment

Selfridges nearly went out of business (as so many department stores have done) in the 1990s. But it reinvented itself by dismissing the order, formality and stillness of the old stores. Every brand was given its head and allowed to do what it wanted. Uniforms are out, as is standard decor, shelving and presentation. There is no hierarchy of goods; watches compete with perfume, luggage with high fashion, cafés with fast food. Shows, action and stunts break up the day. Selfridges calls it “shopping entertainment”. So successful is it that two years ago a panel of style gurus voted it Britain's “coolest brand”.

The Media landscape: 2007

Logo showgo #8: 7/10

Ahlan!

If you don't know what that means, is that a problem with the brand name or the fact that the communication hasn't bothered to tell you what that means? 'Ahlan' means 'welcome' in Arabic and is the brand name for a 'tourist sim card' from Etisalat; a brand name that the client now wants to change because people don't know what 'Ahlan' means. In which case, shouldn't the solution be to communicate what the word means? Oh no, what the client wants is a brand new name. More accurately, it's what their branding agency wants. Why? Because it believes Etisalat needs to get away from Arabic brand names for their products.

Question: If you are the largest telecom provider in the Arabian world why would you want to get away from a brand name that welcomes tourists in your language? If I were to launch a similar package in India, I'd most certainly call it 'Namaste'.

Cases in point #8: India

In my trips around the world and the blogosphere, I've discovered that the thing people find most interesting about my country, India, is the fact that it is so different from any other place in the world. Isn't it odd then that the thing most Indians want is for their country to be like every other country in the world? If we want to build brand India, we must stick to our core competency and exploit it. Our niche is the fact that we're different. Let's not let globalisation destroy that. Al and Laura Ries would approve.

What bad Account Planners sound like

Words don't come easy

That's why, no matter what you want to be in advertising, you must subscribe to this service. It's easy.

Logo showgo #7: 5/10

Clumsy. For a depository of better Google holiday logos, check this. Good fun.

People are comics

Ultimatum Marketing

If you're looking for a spike in the sales of a product connected with a famous person, encourage that person to commit suicide. It's the ultimate move in marketing. Research points to it.

Logo showgo #6: 7/10

Fight at the museum

Human beings are so interesting. I was surfing through the message boards for the movie 'Night at the Museum' on the IMDB when I came across a 200 message argument on why Robin Williams' comment about evolution should be expunged from the movie. It amazes me how something so insignificant can get so many people so steamed up. Pray, what on earth does this have to do with advertising? Well, if you don't find human beings interesting, in an objective sort of way, you won't do very well in advertising. And why do some people have a problem with evolution? The same reason Windows has a problem with Macs? Hmm.

Logo showgo #5: 7/10

A colourless logo for a company that's all about colour. Great idea.

Logo showgo #4: 5/10

There's something clumsy about this logo. And something nice. It could have been so much nicer. When you have a product like the Burn Foundation, there's so much more you can do.

Blog of mouth

Blogs feed off one and other. Here are some ways to make your blog more widely read:

1. Take on a big name.
2. Take pot shots at big media.
3. Scratch a big blogger's back.
4. Keep scratching a big blogger's back.
5. Link. Link. Link.
6. Go blocal. (That's blog+local)

Speaking of point number 6, is that why this list of marketing and related blogs put out by The Godin has no blogs from one of the two biggest markets in the world? What gives? I guess a marketing blog from India just cannot make much sense to the people who gave the world Marketing. Sorry.

The funny side of advertising. Sad.

People in advertising

Cases in point #7: Tirupathi hair salon

The practice of Hindu pilgrims shaving their heads has created a £3.7m business for temple that sells tons of hair to Westerners. Now this is what you call an interesting business model and a wonderful brand extension of the Über brand that is religion. To cut a short story long, dissect.

Things we buy #10: Christmas card

Now what kind of person would buy a card like this? This Christmas card, dated 1895, might be the oddest ever.

Cases in point #6: James Brown

It's no fun doing boring case studies. Duh! What's the point in stating the obvious? Fine. Here's a case study that's not so obvious. James Brown was/will remain one of the biggest brands in Soul. Apart from the fact that like all good brands the man had a whole lotta soul, what else made him such a big brand? James Brown is dead. Long will live James Brown. But whyyy? Timing. Colour. Smarts. Formula. Hmm? Did I just say colour? That's right.

Kid rocks

Just a reminder that if you want to be in advertising, you must never forget the child in you. Just don't let him/her control you. (Just a reminder.)

Deja boo!

The problem with movies like Deja vu is what makes for successful advertising. Given a choice, movies like this will always plump for the safer option. It's what makes them successful. If and when you watch Deja vu, think about the way it ends - happily. It'll teach you a lot about what advertising looks for.

Note how the 'mainstream-ness' of the movie also reflects in the 'standard issue' style of the poster.

30-second Spot Na-na

"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes - the ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules and they have no respect for the status quo. You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them, disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing that you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things." More from Timothy L. O'Brien

Logo showgo #3: 7/10

In a film, the poster is the logo. Is it?

The human side of advertising

If you are in advertising or want to get into advertising or wish to understanding advertising or just want to connect with humans, something which advertising endevours to do, watch Babel. It'll teach you how to talk to people no matter which language you're trying to communicate in. And yes, don't just watch it.

The inhuman side of advertising

I think the reason a film like Apocalypto works is because the Director understands how much human beings love watching fellow humans suffer. We're a perverted race and the sooner we, the practitioners of advertising, understand it, the better we will be at offering redemption. Through advertising.

Things we buy #9: Organic cigarettes

5 things about me

There's a cybertag doing the rounds of the blogosphere which hasn't, and probably never will, get to me. And that's what got to me.

1. I wish I were an Art Director.

2. I wish I could be celibate.

3. I wish I am what I'm not.

4. I wish I didn't wish.

5. I'm glad I got that off my chest.

Picture start #12

Question. Answer?

Newtail #6: Pow!

Give yourself a surprise. Daily. It's good for your head. Maybe it's not so good for your heart. Or for that matter your ego. But then, if your head is in the right place, your heart will follow. I think. Pow!

Brand new

Brandbaja is a neologism coined out of the words brand and baja (a Hindi word that means band/noise/music). It's a new little fun spot where I focus on something else that interests me just as much as some of the other things that interest me just as much: Radio.

Stop start

Perhaps the only person who regularly visits these pages, my very patient girlfriend, asked me why I discontinued this blog? Here's your take on it.

The way I see it, everything you need to know to help you create good advertising is on the pages of this blog. Exercises to help you think more creatively. Ways to write more effectively. Links to regularly updated ad sights and tools to help you create. I didn't stop this blog. I just decided to stop adding my two bits to it.

This blog is not just about what I write here. It's also a gateway to some fabulous raw material for advertising that I have linked you to. At the end of the day, it's not what I put out, but what you put in that will help you create good advertising.

All you need to do now is practice the fundamentals I have tried to lay down for you here. Or, wait for my book.

Press stop

If you want to do create good advertising, you must know when to stop. It's time to stop.

Logo showgo #2: 7/10

Is it the name or is it the logo? The question is, what is the question? You tell me. It's how discussions are born. It's how knowledge is created. It's how advertising works. And this logo? I think it's the name that makes the logo. That said...

Disruption #9

Advertising is all about creating a disruption with words and pictures. Here's a term that's designed to create a disruption. What does it mean when something decides to 'Go Baghdad' on you? Thanks Scott Adams for that one. And for my daily dose of disruption.

Wii love it

Proof that Nintendo is likely to win the numbers in the gaming wars and that it has taken the gaming experience to the next level. Don't just take my word for it, look at the picture and tell me why not. We'll take it from there.

Things we buy #8: Dans le noir

Men, the next time you want to wow your girlfriend take her out for a french meal, in the dark. The latest fad in eating out has gone truly outre. Dans le noir, is encouraging patrons to experience the pleasures of dining in the dark. I'm thinking I'll go back to my country and start a chain of restaurants in the back of the beyond where we get no electricity. Maybe then, I too, will get written about in the fine pages of The Guardian.

Name call#10: The Hold all

When I was growing up, I was exposed to a term called 'hold all'. It's a uniquely Indian moniker for a bed roll with enough space to carry a matress, blanket, pillow, bathroom slippers, toothpaste, big feet, massive egos and then some. When rolled up, it looked a bit cumbersome, but was very useful for uncomfortable train journeys on the back-breaking wooden berths that used to be the norm before the Indian Railways introduced cushioned berths. Right, now why on earth did I launch into that mini-treatise on the odd ball that is the 'hold all'? Because I'm quite shocked nobody has found a better way to use it as a brand name. (A quick google yielded only one site that sells all kinds of sports equipment. Not good enough for me.)

I think 'hold all' is a helluva brand name waiting to be built. For now, though, there's a nice little blog that has bought into it. The name says it all. Appropriately enough, the namer of the said blog has a blog on the craft of naming brands.
http://theholdall.blogspot.com

Logo showgo #1: 7/10

Introducing an interactive way to understand logos. For starters, here's a logo for the Open Rights Group. I like it. If you don't, tell me why. After which, I'll tell you why.
http://www.openrightsgroup.org/

Old Mac?

Apparently the Mac's core audience is older than we think it is. Much older. A new study shows that nearly half of Apple's users are 55 or older. Does that mean most of Apple's users are old? Let's look at that line again: When it comes to home computers, nearly half (46%) of Apple's U.S. user base is 55 or older. That's compared with only 25.2% of home PC users who are in that age category, reports MetaFacts Inc., a national market research firm. It's not what you think.

Picture start #11

I promised I wouldn't go on. And then, I just couldn't stop. When you see something like this, can you? The day when I stop blogging will have to wait another day. Here's something to start you up. It certainly got me restarted.

Rohinton's mystery

I'm reading Rohinton Mistry's Family Matters. Once again, it's a book about the things Rohinton knows best: Parsis and their idisyncratic ways. It's a lesson brand builders would be well advised to make a note of. When you know something well, mine it.

Name call#9: Asimo

Honda's new robot, featured in their new commercial, is called Asimo. Do you think they're trying to riff off the name of the best known science fiction writer of the Honda generation? (Yep, the same guy.) If so, a good choice and a good move. (I think.) If not, a good name. (I think.)

Disruption #8

Why has W+K, London, chosen to call their blog Optimism? Doesn't that go against the prevailing zeitgeist? Ah, that word again. This time though, not just for effect.
http://wklondon.typepad.com/

Down play

I was watching an interview down at Plan Fallon where the interviewer starts the conversation by telling people that what is to follow isn't likely to be very good. It makes me wonder, would it be so bad to start something by telling your audience what they are about to see is going to knock their socks off? I guess it would. It would raise expectations. How, when and why did optimism become naff? Zeitgeist. (Don't worry, I just threw that in for effect.)
http://fallontrendpoint.blogspot.com/

Disruption #7

The great thing about masturbation is it makes you forget about sex. The question is what does that have to do with brand-building? If you think about it, it does. Think about it.

Good Lord!

A friend wrote to me yesterday telling me that the way to find happiness in life is to find Jesus. She's right. If you want to be happy in your job, make it your Jesus. In my experience, it's best not to make your job your Jesus. If you get so attached to your job, you're going to lose all sense of objectivity. And when you lose the ability to look at something objectively, you're better off not doing it for a living. So what does this have to do with Account Planning? A lot. A Planner is, perhaps, the only mind in the agency who's paid to look at things objectively. Poor chap, his Jesus is the brand.

Picture start #10

Mural by Chiho Aoshima. Challenge for you.

Steve Jobs would approve

So Microsoft has launched the work for Vista. Unfortunately, even with hipster comic Demetri Martin, it sucks. I'm not surprised. The Vista shouldn't be trying so hard to look cool. It should stick to what it's best at. While I'm not sure what that is, it's definitely not cool.
www.clearification.com

Newtail #5: Graph laughs

Just when I was thinking of dropping Creative Generalist from my list of raw material, he points me to a gem that makes me look like the short-sighted fool. No, it won't make you fall in love with Math, but it certainly shows you a fun way to deal with Math. Check out old bag's take on graphs for all kinds of interesting things. Careful, you might fall in love with Math.
http://indexed.blogspot.com/

Media that matters

The Scampblog is asking an interesting question down at his/her hangout. It goes like this: What's your favourite medium to work on? Here's my answer, for everyone, when it comes to advertising, I think creative people like to work most on TV. I could be wrong, but I don't think I am. Creative people are too self-centred to choose anything less high-profile. Keep your eyes on that poll and let's see if I'm proved wrong. Personally speaking, I love radio. Why? It's personal.

Disruption #6

If you're an artist and want to be in advertising, learn to do the wrong things: Holden Caulfield complained in JD Salinger's Catcher In The Rye that if he were "a piano player or an actor or something and all those dopes thought I was terrific, I'd hate it. I wouldn't even want them to clap for me. People always clap for the wrong things." Like life, advertising too is a popularity contest.

Picture start #9

A smile to get you started. If you want to be a creative person, it's important to train your mind to see creative possibilities in many things and anything. Train your mind.

Cases in point #5: Conflict-free diamonds

When my girlfriend sent me an article about conflict-free diamonds, I did a double take. I took it as a sign that it was time to think a little more about them. And so I did. Here's what I came up with: Why are conflict-free diamonds a good idea? Because they're a good example of a product that is in tune with the times. If you don't want conflict in your love-life, go for a conflict free diamond. It's stupid enough buying a diamond, but if you must be that stupid, at least try and be smart about it.
http://www.conflictfreediamonds.org/

Things we buy #7: Liberator Adventure Gear

When I got an e-mail from my girlfriend urging me to read an article about a company that makes Liberator "bedroom adventure gear," promising that its sexy line of cushions could "help a person more easily achieve and maintain a sexual position ... with less fatigue and stress," I greeted the news with a post on yet another side of the human personality we're here to explore. Explore.
http://www.liberator.com/

Disruption #5

Says Martin Cole about what it takes to come up with great work: It's great when there's less money. Hmm, I wonder what he means. And so should you.

Planner profiled

Martin Cole, WPP, is a top musician, and a Planner. He is a part-time film-maker, and a Planner. He is a full time raconteur, and a Planner. He is an inveterate dabbler and a Planner. He is exactly what a good Planner should be. Very atypical. For a freewheeling conversation with Martin about many things, including goth-hop, head to Russell's pad. Thank you Russell, that was an absolute treat.
http://russelldavies.typepad.com/planning/2006/12/

Disruption #4

We don't need pilots. We need instigators and navigators, rabble rousers and innovators. People who can't follow a checklist to save their life, but invent the future every day.

More lessens

I think the joke is in the first two panels of this cartoon. The third panel seems out of place. Perhaps a case of format forcing the master to end up saying more than he needed to. Reminds me of some of the constraints you will face in advertising. Don't you think panel number 3 is just a bit too much?

Disruption #3

Why do architects design rooms with sharp corners? Sharp corners hurt people. Sharp corners are not user-frindly. Sharp corners are bad, bad things. Thank god for sharp corners. Thanks to sharp corners, I did manage to scratch that itch in the middle of my back. That’s why architects design rooms with sharp corners. Apparently they have itchy backs too.

Picture start #8

Wheels within wheels. Nuts. Bolts. Patterns. Intricate. Intimate. Complex. Simple. What all can be aid about this picture. Your time starts now.

Things we buy #6: Books, one word at a time

Apparently the marketers at ICUE believe the new generation prefers to read their books on a mobile phone, one word at a time. And I thought I was someone who was in touch with the times. Sorry, this product is not for me. Is it for you? I mean, how much fun can it be to read a book without being able to read the ending first? Heh, heh. Okay, I guess that's just a very messed up way to enjoy a book. Which is not to say this isn't.
http://www.i-cue.co.uk/welcome.html

Open mined

I work in a cubicled office like many people around the world do. Now that the weather in my part of the world has become a lot more tolerable than it normally is, I say to myself, wouldn't it be fun to take the office outside the cubicle? We spend so much of our time in the agency trying to come up with different takes on the usual things that surround us. How come we don't spend more time in unusual spaces? Then it's decided, for the next three months, my thinking room is not a room. It's the park next door. What's yours?

Shawarma ink

So we were sitting around and trying to come up with a campaign for some product which isn't so important in the current scheme of things. What is important is the little discussion we got into about advertising. My partner said we're not into creating shawarmas. We're artists trying to come up with something creative, and that depended on being in the right mood and in the right space. I begged to differ. I said we're commercial artists trying to come up with one shawarma after another and making sure each shawarma is above average. Incidentally, a shawarma is a kind of pita wrap that's easy to make and quite delicious. So you tell me, is advertising about coming up with shawarmas or pieces of fine art?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawarma

Cases in point #4: Jenna Jameson

The same great boobs. The same great legs. The same blond hair. It can't be her looks. In fact, porn is perhaps the one market where looks won't help you stand out. (Unlike in most other markets.) What made Jenna Jameson the biggest porn brand in the world? Was it the alliterative name? Was it the fact that she strove to cultivate herself as an articulate pornstar? Or was it the she got written about in more mainstream publications than any other pornstar in the history of porn? I'd like to think it was a bit of all that and the fact that we live in a time where porn is no longer underground. A combination of the pervasiveness of the Internet and the crashing down of boundaries turned Jenna into brand Jenna. In other words, less product differentiation, more timing. What's your take on brand Jenna?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jenna_Jameson

Picture start #7

A little information to pique your interest, get you going and come up with a good story is the story of advertising.

Things we buy #5: The pop-up book of sex

Now what in the world would someone want to do with a pop up book of sex? You tell me. And it'll tell you some very interesting things about the way we think. Which will help us find even more interesting ways to talk to the human mind.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0061129747/boingboing/

Just shoe it

Nike has once again come up with a brilliant idea. They're running a sampling exercise that's a great example of what I call 'Just do it' thinking. They've got a van that goes around the country encouraging people to try out their shoes by going for a run in them. It doesn't take much to come up with an idea like this, but it takes balls to implement it. And that's what separates the men from the boys.

Disruption #2

What you thought about someone yesterday doesn't really matter if they have something to contribute today. There are so many ways to interpret that statement. Please do.

Connections

For once, a creative person who advocates using research to come up with ads. Then again, post-creative research is what most creative people despise. Anyway, so here's what Scampblog is saying: If you need to come up with an ad for something, play Family Fortunes. From the looks of it, it works. Then again again, most things work once they have been worked out. Check it out.
http://scampblog.blogspot.com/2006/12/tuesday-tip-no3-play-family-fortunes.html

Picture start #6

Imagine how many things you could write to go with this picture. And then, write them. It's a fun way to practice coming up with ads. Stick with me and I'll show you why you don't have to be incredibly creative to be a good advertising creative. Just incredibly disciplined.

Take 3

James Surowiecki believes Nintendo is doing a smart thing by opting out of the race Sony and Microsoft find themselves locked in. He concludes: The key is to play to your strengths while recognizing your limitations. Nintendo knew that it could not compete with Microsoft and Sony in the quest to build the ultimate home-entertainment device. So it decided, with the Wii, to play a different game entirely. Some pundits are now speculating, ironically, that the simplicity of the Wii may make it a huge hit. Nintendo wouldn’t complain if that happened. But, in the meantime, third prize is looking a lot better than steak knives. Put simply, that's life.

Things we buy #4: Japanese maid cafe

Toronto now sports an authentic-esque Maid Cafe. It's a Japanese cafe where women dressed up in anime maid outfits wait on patrons with lavish attention. All good fun or an invitation for the feminist brigade to take offense? We'll have to wait and see. Do see.
http://www.imaidcafe.com/

First chapter

When I was a kid, my aunt introduced me to the term 'First chapter'. What the term refers to is anyone who can't stop talking about himself. Well, my coleagues are doing a campaign for a client who must not be named. Oddly enough, all the client wants to do is the first chapter. Shouldn't advertising be less about chest-beating and more about empathy?

Picture start #5

A photograph from a series of polaroid experiments Russell Davis is indulging himself in. It says some interesting things, doesn't it? Good. Now write them down.

Not rocket science

Seriously, it's great to be in advertising, but only as long as you don't take it too seriously. To put things in perspective, try living in the country. Try growing your own food. Try herding horses. You'll discover that advertising is a lot easier than breaking a horse. Quote courtesy, Maggie Entwistle, W+K, Portland.

Blog v/s Intranet

I've been trying to get the advertising agency I work for to start up a group blog. Unfortunately I can't think of too many good reasons, apart from other cool agencies have blogs, to start one. Can you? Wieden & Kennedy has a blog. Fallon has a blog. Ogilvy has a blog or four. A few other good agencies have blogs. All that said, what's the big idea behind a large agency starting up a blog? Think about it before you go around trying to champion a blog for your agency. And then, tell me. Personally, when it comes to a large agency, I believe an intranet is a better idea.

Things we buy #3: USB key CDs

Why make people buy compact discs that are going to just lie around and rot after the tracks on them have been ripped into MP3s and stored on more convenient, user-friendly, space-friendly, environment-friendly storage devices? Which is the question the Bare Naked Ladies must have asked themselves when they decided to sell their latest album Bare Naked Ladies Are Me (BLAM) on 256 MB USB key-drives. This way, not only do you get your songs in a format they will eventually end up in, you also get a re-usable storage device. Good move.

Newtail #4: Generator generator

We really love creating things on the fly, don't we? How else could a blog like this be generated? This blog is not about those machines used to change mechanical energy into electrical energy. It's about software that creates software. Software to play around and have fun with. Planners and other presentation generators will enjoy. Enjoy.
http://generatorblog.blogspot.com/

Disruption #1

I've been a tourist for a large part of my life and I hate going to the places most people like. When it comes to travelling, I prefer to go where others haven't, because I might find something new. This metaphor certainly applies to thinking about research. Of course, the disruption in this disruption is that you can go to the same places with new eyes.

Picture start #4

I got this lovely picture of the world on lights and an even nicer story connected to it from Indianomics. Look at the picture, think about what it says and then read what Nanubhai Desai has said with it.

For fans of impatience, here's what Nanubhai has done: He has written about how one look at the world at night can tell you which parts of the world are buzzing and which aren't. Along the way, he has also put together a considered analysis on the nuclear deal between India and USA. Great lateral thinking.
http://www.indianeconomy.org/

A recipe for better thinking

I've been meaning to post this for a while now. Why have I added a link to a food blog on a site that attempts to talk about advertising? Because if you spend a little time understanding how to cook, you're teaching yourself a lot of things that will stand you in good stead as a creative person in advertising. Cooking up a storm is all about taking seemingly disconnected elements and coming up with a yummy whole. Now that's what you call advertising, also. Individuals who wish to improve their advertising skills would be well advised to spend a little time nourishing their culinary disabilities.

Picture start #3

If you don't like advertising, you might like this. If you like advertising, you'll love this. After all, advertising a book shop is every copywriter's dream. And getting published every writer's. This one's for RK. Don't you think it makes for a great brief?

Newtail #3: Beausage

I agree, it's not a new blog. It's more like a new concept. I didn't come up with it. In fact, most of the things I come up with, I don't. They're already there, just waiting to be discovered. Much like beausage. Beausage is a neord born out of 'beauty' and 'age'. It's what you get from using a great product for a long time. It's what you don't get out of superficial things. Wisdom is a kind of beausage. Patina is not. The next time you have to write a brief, see if you can nourish it with some beausage.

Ourtube

In the West, Youtube's biggest audience is 35-64 year olds. In India, it's likely to be a much younger demographic. What does that say about the West and India? No, I'm not going to give you the right answers. Figure it out. It's what will make you better at advertising. Young people, I tell you, they want everything on a platter.
http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2006/11/30/half-of-youtubes-audience-is-over-34/?rss1