Everyone needs a head-scratcher. Someone outside your culture who can point out what's not totally clear about your idea, your promotion and your project before the real confusion sets in. 

Plan big, and then write down your big plans. Now you're focused. Share your big plans with teammates, your partners and your accomplices. Now you're locked in. 

Then take action. Act on your big plans today, before lunch, put your big plans into action right now. Get yourself ready to experience greatness in 2012.

After all, you've planned for it.

Bring a toy, item of clothing or household goodie off the following list and we'll buy your toddies from 4pm to 7pm. Or let the Fasone elves shop for you. Cash and gift card donations are always put to good use.

After party we'll sort, wrap and buy batteries for all the presents. We'll use your cash donations to fill out the wish lists and buy shopping carts full of groceries for the families.

All you have to do is join us at the Boulevard Brewing Co. See you there!

Pitching multiple agencies against each other in a conference room only shows who's the best showman. Sending out questionaires and RFPs doesn't do much more than waste everyone's time and kill trees. Great, smart, impactful advertising happens because there's a personal connection between you, your company, your product and your agency team.

So, take the three or four people who will be working on your account to lunch. Find out if you like them. Do they talk more than they listen? What do they know about your business? What questions do they ask? And be sure to leave the agency principal at the office (unless she's going to be working your account on a daily basis). Leave the agency "pitch team" too.

Break bread with your agency team. 

Starting with in-theater commercials during shows at Ward Parkway's AMC, new banners, signage and posters to come. It's a whole new mall game!

Nielsen's first big-picture look at social media shows just how large a role Facebook, Twitter, and all the rest play in our lives.

- Social media accounts for 22.5% of our time spent online... email only accounts for 7.6%

- We spent 53.5 BILLION minutes on Facebook during May... dwarfing the next four faves: Blogger, Tumbler, Twitter and LinkedIn combined

- Facebook reaches 70% of active Internet users in the US

Not surprising insight (especially if you've spent time on Facebook), but definitely a wake-up call to business owners who are wondering what their customers are up to when they're not shopping their store.

via www.mediapost.com

Sounds like the end is near for QR codes. A recent survey shows that only 6.2% of mobile users have EVER scanned a QR code with their smartphone.

When even teens are baffled by QR codes, you know you're in trouble. Survey shows that two-thirds of students don't know what QR codes are and the 6% that do recognize them, don't know how to use them. The technology just never took off, and at the pace that communications are changing, it's too late for the good 'ol QR.

Now, your results may vary, but if no one is going to scan your QR, it's time to let go of the ugly squiggles. Your art director will thank you.

via adage.com

Interesting study on the digital reach of Gen-X and Millenial moms:
-- One in four moms let their kids use a mobile phone by age 2.
-- Three quarters of mom with internet access can't go a day without it.

We're getting (and staying) wired from a ever younger age.