“A wealth of information creates a poverty of Attention.”

Herb Simon referenced in a journal article (McKinsey Quarterly) talking about how technology and information are changing the way companies should organize themselves to empower innovation.  Attention vs. Impression will be a key metric of success in the future… quality over quantity.

For those of you who detest marketing as a deluge of crap that is forced down your through (commonly referred to in the industry as CRAP Marketing) you’ll love The Bubble Project.  A group of people who have taken it upon themselves to create more of a dialogue between consumers and brands.  It really shows some great insights and creativity on both parts…

Thanks Pat Law for the word.

Marketing Brilliance. The chocolate candy stick we all have seen and love… PePeRo has impressed me with a viral campaign that has blown up over the past years. Today, every AM/PM, LG25, 7Eleven and bodega accross the country promote and celebrate PePeRo Day (check out this animation). November 11th or 11/11 – stick day! A day to tell someone you love them, care about them, are thinking about them or whatever… obviously with a box of chocolate PePeRo sticks! Take that Hallmark!

From “How to Break the Political Fever”

By Garrison Keillor

Time Magazine, November 1, 2004

“….What will reconcile us is what has always restored our sanity, and that is the plain pleasures of the physical world, our common love of coffee, the world of apples, the movements of birds, the lives of dogs, the touch of skin. Music. Dancing to music. Shooting baskets. Shooting conservatively, scoring liberally. Lacing up our skates, gliding through the dusk. Having worked ourselves into a fever over the future of Western Civilization, we will now begin enjoying our oatmeal again, with raisins, chopped apricots and honey from bees that grazed in meadows of clover. The beauty of engagement is disengagement. You simply put on your jacket and walk out the door and find good health. There is no fever that a 10-mile hike can’t cure.”

Gave my first speech here in Korea at the “Cool Marketing to Youth” conference and got to meet my arch nemisis… the Marketing Director for adidas and let me tell you, we couldn’t be anymore different. First off, word on the street is that he’s an ASS and the conference director confirmed when she told me that if he didn’t speak before me, he wouldn’t speak at all. So Korean! This 50 year old, suit wearing, ugly presentation carrying, poor execuse for a marketer was sad in so many ways… BUT the fact that right now, they’re the hotter brand in Korea could be even sadder.

Highlights from his speech include taking partial credit for the track suit craze as well as the immortal words of, “To be a cool company, you have to look cool, act cool and most importantly live cool.” I was floored and almost fell out of my seat.

Not that my talk was that amazing but i think it was clear that substance and style were both winning combinations for me. I did get off to a rocky start with a slew of technical difficulties. I got a bad clicker-thingy so everytime i wanted to move ahead, it wouldn’t work. My video’s would only play sound. So with this rocky start, I definitely got a little nervous and then almost fell off the stage! That’s when I had to pull it together. Have the poise of Jed Barlett. Speak with the passion of L.L.Cool J.