Uncommon Sense | Intelligent Inspiration for Marketers

Act. Don’t Talk.

rjulian — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:06:01 +0000

I love this. It inspired me and I hope it will you as well. It’s crazy, naive, coyote wisdom that comes straight from the heart and dances around some blazing truths. I hope what Morten Lund says rails against much of what you consider practical advice for business–its value to you is directly proportional to your resistance to his ideas. In the end, as one of my favorite commercials of all time says, it’s the crazy ones–the ones who actually dare to do something different, that end up changing the world.

Morten Lund speech at BIC 2008 from Seb Oehme on Vimeo.

Change

rjulian — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:44:41 +0000

No Small Jobs

rjulian — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 23:38:31 +0000

Big opportunities aren’t always accompanied by marching bands and fanfare. Sometimes a seemingly humble branding assignment into which you invest your full devotion and passion can lead to outcomes you may never have imagined.

Human Branding

rjulian — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 20:32:52 +0000

I’ve been chewing on this idea of “Human Branding” and how corporate brands are simply extrapolations of human personalities. Nothing ground breaking there, but framing it in human terms makes it easier to have a common frame of reference for discussions about branding and its applications. Will be developing this thought further in the future posts.

Can’t Please Everyone (Nor Should You Try)

rjulian — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 18:43:48 +0000

Should the goal of branding work be that it appeal to everyone? Excluding no one? To the contrary, presenting work that really resonates, that turns on a meaningful percentage of your audience is far more effective than work that 100% of people find merely OK. Work that resonates has “hooks” that burrow into our psyches, and is far more likely to be discussed, and remembered.

I Remember Sanjay

rjulian — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 15:18:59 +0000

Quite often the most meaningful brand interactions for people are the least expensive ones. Recalling a high ROI branded moment with Artus Hotel’s concierge, Sanjay, and how businesses today can learn the value of small, personal gestures to deliver high performance brand experiences.

A Love of Fear

rjulian — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 14:55:03 +0000

Do you expect your physician to make you happy, or to keep you healthy? Your lawyer to make you feel comfortable or to protect your interests? In the relationship between agencies and their clients, the same dynamic should exist. As branders, our role is to use our talents to increase our clients’ revenue, not to keep them feeling unthreatened by our concepts. This requires that we frequently present challenging ideas, even ideas that scare us. In fact, true innovation demands it.

Brilliant Viral Marketing: Wassup Redux

rjulian — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:59:18 +0000

This is one of the most intelligent uses of branded entertainment I’ve seen in 2008. Regardless of your political leanings, the first 1:32 of this viral movie supporting Barack Obama’s campaign is so entertaining, that it’s gift of (much needed) laughter nearly transcends the political brand it’s supporting. Brilliantly conceived and executed–primarily because it aimed and succeeded in engaging and entertaining first, then delivered it’s deftly communicated strategic messages.

We’ve spoken about this approach before, that people think with their hearts first–that once you have them emotionally engaged, they’re in an optimized state for receiving your sales pitch. This film is a prototypical example of that concept.

Flocking: The Invisible Hand

rjulian — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:59:35 +0000

Shot in the English countryside, these starlings move in complete concert with one another, individual, yet apprarently of one mind. People and markets move in a similar way: flocking to brands, locations, experiences, trends . . . often unaware of the forces that move them.

Music: Bjork “All is Full of Love”

The Social Media Constellation

rjulian — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 00:57:07 +0000

Some are pronouncing the blog dead with the emergence of other social media sites. Don’t believe it. Here’s a discussion of the new social media constellation, and the blog’s role within it; furthering some recommendations I made in a recent interview with Businessweek.