STRESS MANAGEMENT

PHD (Omnicom) Reception, NYC

Long past are the days when media reps had to cool their heels in a reception area while waiting for a meeting. Productivity rules.

But productivity is a two way street as time pressures build on both ends of the buy/sell relationship. Strategists and buyers on the agency side of the equation are doing more with less as media reps are finding it more difficult to secure face to face time with the buyers.

In today's digital ecosystem selling also requires reaching out to agency personnel outside of the media department. Account services, research and creative teams are now part of the mix effectively lengthening the sales cycle.

Tools of the trade have changed as well, making it easier to manage time while multi-tasking. Smartphones, netbooks, and productivity software are now crucial to success.

As we move forcefully with stress into the 21st century, we still need to take time to lighten the load we are carrying .... for our own sanity.

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, 'How heavy is this glass of water?'

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, 'The absolute weight doesn't matter.
It depends on how long you try to hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem..
If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.
In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.'

He continued,
'And that's the way it is with stress management.
If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later,
the burden will become increasingly heavy:
and we won't be able to carry on. '

'As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again..
When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.
So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down: don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.
Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can.'

So, my friend, Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while.
Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Just accept that, some days, you're the pigeon:
and, some days, you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet - ,
just in case you have to eat them.

* Always wear stuff that will make you look good
if you die in the middle of it.

* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be
"recalled" by their maker.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again,
It was probably worth it.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well.
Just get up and dance.

* When everything's coming your way,
you're in the wrong lane.

* You may be only one person in the world,
But you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp; some are pretty; and some are dull. Some have weird names; and all are different colours; but they all have to live in the same box.

WHAT'S TED UP TO?

Can't make it to the TED 2010 Conference in Palm Springs this week?

Spend the next eight minutes watching the video below for a mind-blowing peek into the MIT Media Lab and its experiments with Sixth Sense information loads.

FACEBOOK VS. TWITTER

As Google forges ahead to rule the world of information (and then some), they are nonetheless true pioneers of the 21st century.

If you haven't come across Google Suggest, it is a feature that you may want to play with. The following is a lift from Digital Inspiration:

As you type words in the Google search box, it will try to guess what you are looking for and offer suggestions in real-time.

While we don’t know how exactly Google Suggest works, it does offer a peek into what others are asking or looking for on the web.

For instance, type “how to” in the Google search box and you’ll instantly know that loads of people are looking for information to “how to tie a tie” and “how to lose weight fast”. Google Suggest can also help you understand what others think of a particular product or service. Try the phrase “facebook is” in the search box and you’ll know what people generally think of Facebook.

Google offers search suggestions in a plain drop-down but if you are looking to compare Google Suggest results in a more visual manner, check out Web Seer – this again works as-you-type but the interesting part is that with Web Seer, you can also compare query suggestions for two different phrases.

Is there a way to visualize people's innermost thoughts? Google Suggest lets you see what others are asking when they search the web. From the existential to the mundane, the questions form a portrait of human curiosity.

Here’s an example comparing Facebook and Twitter. Lot of people seem to agree on one these – these networks are a “waste of time.”

Click on the chart to enlarge

The arrow thickness in the visualization is an indicator of the number of web pages that are in Google’s index for that query.

LO DIGAS COMO LO DIGAS

The phrase translates to "you say it like you say it" and is part and parcel of the launch for a campaign that accepts a change in the pronunciation of PEPSI to PESI.

The campaign, launched in Spain, recognizes the cultural nuances that often pop up with global brands. The second "P" in Pepsi is difficult to pronounce in Spanish. Developed by Contrapunto BBDO, a television spot cast Spanish soccer star Fernando Torres to carry the campaign. His difficulty pronouncing Pepsi becomes the focus of the spot (below).

The approach is an extension of Pepsi's sensitivity to the fact that Pepsi is pronounced in different ways by different cultures. In Argentina, for example, Pepsi is pronounced Pecsi, replacing the "P" with a "C".

Translating that sensitivity to a neighborhood level in the US becomes more complex, but can nonetheless go a long way to bring the consumer much closer to a brand. Pepsi took the campaign one step further to create website encouraging visitors to contribute to a "Pecsipedia" of Argentine slang.

And it all started back in 1937 when George Gershwin wrote "you say tomato, I say tomato" as part of the lyrics in "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off".

A PAD WITHOUT A PENCIL

As Apple releases its latest "magical" device, a closer look reveals a host of shortcomings that may have Apple going back to the drawing pad.

The Huffington Post recently released "The Nine Worst Things About The iPad".

1-It's name. Sounds like a tampon product
2-No Multi-tasking
3-No Camera
4-No USB port
5-The AT&T deal. Major complaints concerning coverage.
6-No Flash. Forget about Online gaming, ESPN or Disney.
7-Its Screen. LED is harsh on the eyes and drains batteries faster than OLED.
8-The Price. For a limited use machine it's overpriced at $499 and up.
9-Closed App Store. Must pass Apple approval process that limits certain apps.
10-Every pad needs a pencil.

The video that follows puts it best. Hilarious. But oh so true!

LATINOS IN THE USA

Just one decade after the turn of the century, the US population is expected to reach 308.4 million in 2010.

It took 139 years for the US to reach its first 100 million after declaring independence from Britain in 1776. The second 100 million came 52 years later, and the third took only 39 years. Demographers project the US population could reach 400 million by 2043.

What will it look like?

The fastest growing demographic group, Latinos, will dominate our growth into the twenty first century, expected to hit the 50 million mark in 2010. Growth will be characterized by both organic growth from within the U.S. and immigration growth.

While there are some warnings that recent Latino immigrants face high social hurdles, 'As almost nothing else can, immigration-led growth signals the attractiveness of the American economy and policy,' said Kenneth Prewitt, former Census Bureau chief and now professor of public affairs at Columbia University.

Given the complexity of both country or origin and distinct generation profiles, marketers must be sensitive to the nuances that make up each group.

THEN AND NOW

As Avatar approaches $1.7 billion in worldwide box office sales, I cannot help but wonder how we keep reinventing our future.

Three dimensional movie imagery has been around since the late 1890s when a patent for a stereoscopic 3D movie process was filed by the British film pioneer, William Friese-Greene. It wasn't until 1922, however, until the first 3D film, the Power of Love, was shown to a paying audience.

Through the 20s and 30's the love affair with 3D died down, fueled in part by the Great Depression. It wasn't until 1952 when a short lived Golden Age of 3D released the first color stereoscopic feature, Bwana Devil. Owing to the complexity and economics of production,and the birth of Cinemascope, the decline of 3D began in 1953, just one year later.

Several revivals later, one in the 1970s and another post 1985 improved the technology but none brought it to life like Avatar. From the flimsy cardboard glasses to what was the focus of the Consumer Electronics Show this past month, 3D may be coming of age.

Or is it?

The new technology is impressive, but the experience is still a throwback to the 1950s when sitting in a movie house, wearing polarized, tinted cardboard glasses was a novelty. Step lightly into the 3D craze ... it may not last too long.

Fifty years ago, at a ticket price of just thirty-five cents for two features plus cartoons, how could you go wrong.

ONE PICTURE; ONE THOUSAND WORDS

WHAT IF NEWSPAPERS DIE ?

The current issue of BrandWeek touts the results of an AdWeek Media/Harris Poll that suggests that, while newspapers are read both online and in print by a majority of adults, paying for online content is not in the cards.

The newspaper industry has unfortunately created an appetite for free online news content in an effort to generate traffic for their websites. As more eyes landed on the their sites and as aggregation sites began to re-publish news content, the model began to backfire as newspaper circulation and online cpms dropped. It became a lose-lose combination.

A recent study released by the Pew's Center Project for Excellence in Journalism paints a picture that goes a long way to support Rupert Murdoch's efforts to raise a pay wall for online newspaper content. The study suggests that while the news landscape had expanded considerably through online channels, most of what the public reads and learns is overwhelmingly driven by traditional media -- primarily newspapers.

What happens if newspapers die?

To quote from the study ..."The questions are becoming increasingly urgent. As the economic model that has subsidized professional journalism collapses, the number of people gathering news in traditional television, print and radio organizations is shrinking markedly. What, if anything, is taking up that slack?"

Until such time that circulation and advertising can support the online models (unlikely), only a payment for content model will keep the information flow from drying up. If we do not wake up and pay for content origination, we are doomed to a Twitter-like world and information without substance.

HABLA ESPANOL?

The Pew Hispanic Center released a research paper (12/22/09) on the narrowing online access gap between the Latino and white/black populations.

Latinos in America that connected to the Internet jumped ten percent between 2006 and 2008, from 54% to 64%. The increase represents a rapid rate of acceleration when compared to a 4% increase for whites and a 3% increase for blacks.

The importance of this increase in a two year period and the spending impact of the Latino market through the Internet merits serious attention by marketers. It will be one of the bright lights on the economic landscape in 2010 and beyond.

Pair the increase in Internet use with what promises to be a jaw dropping 2010 census report on the number of Latinos in the USA and a strong pattern of phenomenal growth emerges.

Challenge for marketers: Understanding and managing the many cultural nuances that can make or break a marketing effort.