Other than the fact that they each word has five letters, how does a heart and a brand resemble one another?

On the surface they have nothing in common. To the untrained mind they are two different conversations in two different universes. Looking a bit closer...they are more similar than you may think.

The heart is one of the absolutely most important organs we have. Without it, there's no blood pumping into the veins. No fresh oxygenated blood filtering through the system. There's no life being pumped into the body.

A brand is one of the aboslutely most important things for a business.  Without a brand you just have a tablet. You don't have an iPad. Without a brand you just have t-shirts. You don't have a Threadless. Without a brand you just have fashion, you don't have a Vogue.

A heart beats 72 times per minute, 4,320 times every hour, and 103,680 times every day. That's 1,900 gallons of blood from midnight to midnight. It generates enough power in a 24 hour period to drive a truck 20 miles...and weighs basically nothing...seven pounds.

Your brand (idea) should pulsate inside the minds of your customers. Not necessarily 72 times per minute or any specific number of times per hour but should pump through their minds when the choice is between you or them. Because that's what a brand does. It helps people understand why your organization exists, why you're desirable, and why you matter. Brand is identity. It is the workhorse that pumps life into your business narrative. And guess what...its weightless, yet should weigh heavily in your strategic decisions.

The heart has four chambers - two superior atria and two inferior ventricles.

A brand has four areas - value, meaning, goals and ambitions.

In the marketplace we hear folks say that brands need to be human. The question ultimately becomes...does your brand have a heart?

About two years ago I came across a Village Voice blog post about an emerging group on the indie music scene out of L.A. called Odd Future (OF). Having grown up out west and having had in heavy rotation artists like King T, NWA, and Ice T, I was definitely going to check them out...I've been watching them ever since.

Now if you know anything about OF they are controversial (to say the least). This is not why I am writing about them. In the last couple of years, as they've risen in popularity, I've continued to like them more and more...and I couldn't quite figure out why. Partly because in so many ways they're carrying on the 'rebel' legacy that's embedded in the attitude (within the artistry) of rock & roll and hip hop. The other reason(s)...I was simply having a hard time putting my finger on. Then I came across an interview on Youtube with their manager Christian Clancy.

In '08 I wrote a post entitled Sex, Drugs and Rock & (what's next?) discussing how the web was changing the nature of the music industry and how artists (such as Trent Reznor of NIN) were, in their own ways, experimenting with this new reality. Now in the interview Christian talks about, as a music manager, how he was tired of the traditional (industrial age) model for marketing music and how Odd Future was a breath of fresh air. He mentions how Tyler, Hodgy and crew were smarter than the music that was being sold to them (A++++ line...) and at 3:51 states how they (OF) have disregared the old mentality of how you push and have mastered the ability to build the pull.

When I heard this...it AALL fell into place (why i reeaally liked OF).

In 2010 I had the opportunity to attend an invite only Edgeparty here in DC for the release of John Hagel III, John Seely Brown's and Lang Davison's book "The Power of Pull". Since 2007 (when I started my blog) I was grasping how the market/world was shifting and my conversation with John that night began giving me even more insight into this.

From a Harvard Business Review article written in 2010 it states that "pull gives us the ability to draw from within ourselves the insight and performance required to more effectively achieve our potential (i.e OF). "The power of pull puts each of us, individually and together, in a position to collaborate in a complete re-imagination of our biggest private-and public-sector institutions, one that may eventually remake society as a whole.

By no stretch of the imagination am I saying that OF will help remake/improve society with their music. They are, though, a manifestation/flavor of 'pull' that's discussed by John Hagel III, JSB and Lang Davison. Additionally, the fact that there is a relationship between the voices in the forefront of economic and civic discourse and the vanguard in alternative hip hop...now that's very cool.

Enjoy!

I have a quick question. How many of you all like surprises? Well most of us like them as long as there is something good/and or worthwhile at the other end. For me a very interesting surprise happened just a couple of days ago. I came across a blog post on a startup called Dwolla. A company which reminded me, once again, that today's market is about fresh ideas, new business models, and the dynamism of the online world.

One of the ideas in which I have trumpeted, that (in my opinion) is carving out its own space in today's marketplace, is the idea of the intersection. The place where seemingly disparate ideas come together and actually makes sense in an interesting way. And on numerous levels the emerging digital landscape has required that we think, strategise and execute in very different ways than we have in the past. 

I was reminded of this in the below video talk with Ashton Kutcher and Dwolla founder Ben Milne. For two reasons especially.

#1. Dwolla is a very interesting start-up as it is creating a business that isn't missing the forest for the trees. It understands the changing landscape in a much more fundamental way...outside of just 'social media'. It looks at the idea of undiscovered value and how that can scale into a substantial business model.

#2. I really appreciate how Ashton in a very clear way (unintentionally I believe) makes the business case for the intersection of creativity (acting) and design (product invention). He states (at about 28:45) that the reason he likes working with consumer companies and is better at it, is because, as he says... "it’s really similar to being an actor … I break down a product the same way I would break down a character I was going to play and try to get inside of the mind of that person – the user, the consumer – and figure out why they’re doing something and what they want from it … and what’s the path of least resistance to actually get them to their end goal.”

Personally I hadn't really thought that deeply about Ashton (I actually like him in Two and a Half Men, though...). But after watching this video (he has some really thoughtful and solid ideas on things), I've learned a lot about his work that have also helped to further inform (and support) my own ideas and opinions around creativity, design and business.

Check out the video. For startup junkies...this is awesome stuff. Enjoy!

                                                                     Photo: Jay Nemeth/Red Bull Content Pool

In life there are basically two kinds of people:

1. People who play it safe. 

2. People who take risks.

Neither one is better or worse than the other. They both simply 'are.' What is true, though, is that one group welcomes with open arms, their daily wrestling match with trepidation and fearlessness. It's these individuals that expand the boundaries of our limitations, change the landscape of the human condition and push the human race forward. 

This can only happen at one place though...the edge. A place that demands our attention as we look at how the world around us is changing, or in desperate need of change.

One just has to look at the changing US economy, the explosion of web 2.0, and socio-economic protest movements to realize that our traditional ways of living and working are increasingly broken. In an ever-changing world, seemingly growing more complex by the day, what is the path to innovation? Paraphrasing Leonardo de Vinci - we need to embrace simplicity in order to drive a sophisticated approach to problem solving in the 21st century. 

Two simple words and some profound thoughts.

Ice-T succinctly captures the essence of... the edge, where creation lives.

One of the single most difficult things to do is to get outside of your head and take into into consideration a different perspective, an alternate viewpoint or even a diverging approach to any particular task at hand for you. The ability to get beyond your own 'worldview' and see your set of circumstances through a different lense, becomes invaluable on a host of different levels.

In the early 70's a gentlemen by the name of Steve Jobs decided to experiment with taking technology out of its silo and introducing it to design (...and in case you'd like to know how that turned out...)

A few other reasons to move beyond silos...

Visionaries - 99.9% (arbitrarily reached and a slightly exaggerated number...but go with me on this...) of the world are not innovative thinkers. More often than not, folks are pretty much nuts and bolts in their approach to things. Figuring out the process on how to make your idea utilitarian, accessible, and relevant is imperative. Talking in a language that 99.9% of the people don't understand...is rendering what you do, pointless. Your ability to get outside of your own mental silo and see your vision from a lay-person's perspective may be the difference between great success or sudden (or maybe even slow...torturous) death.

Techies - A quick question...how valuable really is the new geo-mobile, location aware, web app, SaaS, cloud computing, drupal based, open source, Linux platform of use to the local deli that wants to simply sell more turkey sandwiches?? Technology language can often sound like gobbly gook to people who want to basically tell customers, "we have great food, come buy from us". Stepping outside of the tech world and hanging out in a jargon free zone could prove insightful to determine exactly how technology will actually be helpful to non-tech savvy individuals. Because contrary to popular belief, not everyone necessarily needs the latest and greatest shiny objects in their arsenal of tools to accomplish their business goals and objectives. 

Management Consultants - The goal is to develop and analyze performance metrics to help optimize distribution channels that will streamline business operations leading to increased revenue streams ultimately increasing shareholder value...(?!?!?). This sounds about as remarkable and meaningful as a tall glass of water and a rice cake (with a side of lemon). Businesses that treat their resources (people) as a commodity to mainly maximize profits, will find business trends passing them by (which I would argue, isn't a good thing...). Getting out of your shoes and feeling the robotic emptiness of these kinds of words, just may help in thinking differently to create a truly innovative, productive and inspirational work environment.   

These three brief examples, quickly demonstrate reasons why getting outside of your silo can be a worthwhile venture. Contemplating perspectives from the other end of the spectrum is not only empowering, but allows for some very powerful and impacting insights in the way of leadership, empathy and collaboration. Absolute necessities for adaptability in a changing, evolving and unpredictable global marketplace that simply never rests. 

Knock, Knock.

Who’s there?

Cool.

Cool who? (silence…)

Uh hello…cool who?

Hello…

Opening the door and peering outside, ‘cool’ seems to have, disappeared…

Ladies and gents, (and ‘hipsters’), I’m sorry to break the news to you, but cool (as we knew it), is dying off. It wasn’t cool (hunters) who poached style, trendsetters, and counterculture, to the point of making them each an endangered species. It’s the reality that all things have limits, and the digital straw that broke the camel’s back…web 2.0.  

What made cool cool during the last 40+ years were scarcity, mystery and conviction. It was in the hands of the few, was an ethos with swagger, and ultimately, was a way of being. Personified it was Thelonious Monk, Paul Newman, Nina Simone, Bob Dylan, Malcolm X, Madonna, and Basquiat (to name a few…). Then in the early 90’s cool found a way to be hunted, packaged and sold by a new breed of marketer whose job was to make observations and predictions about cultural trends. The first steps marching it into the industrial consumer complex. This began its downfall. 

Roughly a decade (and some change) later a number of unforeseen ideas would fully bloom: e-commerce, social networking sites, blogs, video sharing and wikis. Directly or indirectly every industry from fashion to manufacturing was coming to terms with the inexorable realities of ubiquity, accessibility and democratization. Tastemakers and big business no longer play ‘tug-of-war’ solely with each other. Their tenuous relationship is now being infringed upon by coders, digital geeks and technophiles. Cool is now being re-calibrated in the era of user generated content.

Additionally in the industrial economy, cool, like every other value in the marketplace, had limited distribution channels. But in a digital world ‘gatekeepers’ no longer hold sway like they use to. The filters allowing the ‘good’ to play and the ‘sub par’ to be kept on the bench, no longer exist. Everyone has access. Whether it’s with a smartphone, an ethernet chord, or a video camera. You have a mic, and the world is your audience. 

What’s interesting is that what continues to reverberate today is that all assumptions are out the window. The question staring back at every individual, organization or company looking in the mirror of today’s market: how do you become a signal in a world full of noise? In a world, where even cool has lost its edge, this becomes a gripping question.

Unfortunately there’s no silver bullet answer. But I’ll offer this: Post Cool just might be where you’ll might want to start… 

                                                                                          Image - room for space

"I believe that when people talk about solving problems with technology, what they're usually talking about is solving problems with design...which is to say, the application of psychology in a visual & functional context."
                                                                                                       - Jason Kottke

One of the most normal things in the world to have is a blind spot. It's not necessarily good or bad. It just is. When driving, if you're not careful, being unaware of your blindspot can prove distastrous.  In relationships your blind spot is your inability to see your shortcomings with your partner - I'm pretty sure all of us can relate to that...

Blind spots are part of our make up. We all have them in one form or another.

There's even, as we speak, a blind spot in the market.  With digital throwing into disarray many industries and their conjoining parts, the exaltation/disparagement of the emerging web economy has created a myopic discourse. More often than not the focus is on superficial maneuvers around social media (i.e. likes, pins, tweets, hashtags, followers, impressions, going viral) and there’s a vacuum around discussions about how these terms and ideas can begin to create a new kind of vocabulary for business models in a 21st century context.

Without a wider field of view, you are unable to access a wider field of value, which ultimately means leaving money on the table, and that gives any savvy businessperson a stomach ache.

Reinterpreting Jason's quote from above, my idea is this:

In order to maximize our opportunites with today's technology, we need to apply design thinking to create experience architecture that impacts how we think, feel and interpret the visual and functional spaces we interact with.

In today's market those spaces in which there is unprecedented opportunity is virtual/digital worlds, portable screens and physical places.

From where I'm sitting it's about intersecting disparate parts and closing the void. Making the connections between an object, its functional structure and its intention - organic vs engineered, emotive vs. sedate, and meaningful vs. insiginifcant.

"A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams"                                                                                                                               - John Barrymore

There's the saying that "age is just a number" and in many ways, it is often true. There are twentysomethings who are old souls and then there are seventy year olds with the energy of teenagers.

In life the reality is that we get older. It does not mean, though, that we must become old. Yes wrinkles may emerge, our tastes change, and our whimsical ways may slow down, but in it's truest sense "old" is a mindset, not an eventuality. Without a doubt we do change, evolve and become different, but on occassion (if we are lucky) we can end up back where we began, having the opportunity to be a beginner and see life for its vast opportunities as we did when we were children. Not once, or twice but as often as we have the desire to learn, be novices, and experience the world in new ways.

Living life means different things to different people. Do you live within the boundaries? Do you color way outside the lines? That's really up to you because truly, there are no rules. One thing I'm sure of though, getting old is a matter of how you are in this world. And this is determined by your being and your pursuits in life. It's about making decisions and embracing those choices, regardless of their outcome.

The most beautiful life is one without regrets. One in which your spirit is forever youthful. Seeing opportunitities in the challenges and being fearless in the pursuit of that which makes you feel the most alive.

Ladies and gents how often are we in our daily lives consciously or unconsciously preparing for that break? Meeting that right person. Attending that right event. Going to that right place. But how do you know if it's right or not? Well, you don't.

Whether you want to accept this fact or not...(as the old saying goes) there's nothing guaranteed in life. You can pour your heart into a project so that it can see the light of day. You can give blood sweat and tears in order to bring a concept to fruition. By sheer mental force and a diabolical knack for influencing people, you are able to make ideas happen. It doesn't mean, though, that things will happen the way you want them to. Regardless, whatever it is that you do, your desire (I would imagine) is to make an impact, affect change or simply get recognized for your efforts. You want to succeed (in whatever way that may mean).

Now many say its about persistence. Some suggest it's about being smart. Others chalk it up to dumb luck - being at the right place at the right time.

Well from where I sit (and in my own experience...time and time and time again) I'd personally recommend investing heavy with number three (and stock options on the first might not be too bad either). But instead of looking at it as 'dumb luck', see being lucky as an attitude and a strategic way of 'being.' 

From a blog post I did in 2009 there are 4 basic principles for being 'lucky' and generating good fortune:

• Being skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities.
• Make lucky decisions by listening to your intuition.
• Create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations.
• Adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good.

Now in today's world where we are bombarded with social networks this and digital media that, what's the relevance? In a market where change is everywhere and what's coming next, we  can't predict, we have to know improvisation (the parent company of being lucky) which is about knowing how to generate consistently positive outcomes from unforeseen circumstances. And what better way to illustrate this point...

New Martini - Luck is an Attitude.

The ability to choose (and then be engaged in rational/irrational thinking in relation to those choices) is what fundamentally differentiates us as humans from every other living species on this planet.

Everyday we make choices. The steak sandwich or the turkey burger. Develop an advertising campaign for the business or engage in a social media strategy. Take a job where the pay is excellent or choose a career opportunity allowing you to do what you have always dreamed...

How often, though, are you presented with the choice of seeking out similar surroundings or pursuing diverse experiences? And what do I mean by that? If you're an engineer maybe there's an opportunity to hang out with a local poetry group. If you're an aerobics instructor maybe there's a chance to participate in some capoeira (if only to just watch) and delve into that world. Maybe you're a technologist and you'll go and shoot the breeze with a publicist. Are some of these interactions a bit extreme, possibly, but you understand my point. What are your choices to introduce variety and diversity (or even possibly something radically different) into your life?

Now you might ask what's the point? My response would be; we are living in a time where the arranged routines of our lives have been disrupted, and 'normal' as we knew it...is gone...forever. If you are in the business of commerce, then unconventional thinking is your first class ticket on domestic and international flights to a future with new complexities, expanded dimensions and unbridled opportunity. A future where one of the ultimate value-adds, that you can bring to the table, is diverse experiences and then the ability to synthesize those experiences into things people want, need and/or desire (and will pay for).

Now looking at one set of options, you can choose the blue pill. You'll wake up just like yesterday, last month and the year(s) before travelling the road of traditional ideas, that unfortunately, possess minimum to zero growth opportunity for the future. Or you can choose the red pill and see just how far down the rabbit hole you can go towards creative thinking, digital exploration, and business model innovation.

As always, the choice is yours.