Sometimes the real magic happens when you’re forced to work with less than you want. I have found this lesson to be true so many times with business. These guys only had one guitar and because of that, there are 85 million hits on this video…had they all sat there with their own guitars, no one would have cared. What magic could you make if you were forced to do more with less?
Truly, the commercials are my favorite part of the Super Bowl. I’m not alone in this though, because every year the stakes seem to be raising on the commercials during the game. I love Gary’s point here that this year, like never before, brands have an opportunity to extend the story online.
gary:
I have high hopes for Super bowl Commercials this year, I hope they come through. Do you think they will?
A New Way to Measure Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Assessing word-of-mouth marketing’s impact as well as its volume will help companies take better advantage of buzz
Source: McKinsey Quarterly
Seriously, bitcasa might be one of the most amazing “cloud storage” services out there for a few very important reasons. But basically, what it does, is replace all of your on computer storage. I’ve now replaced all of my files on my computer with a bitcasa folder. I can access them all as if they’re right there on my computer like normal…but they’re not taking up any space on my computer! And I can access all of my files wherever I have an internet connection through their portal. They are in beta-testing still, but if you would like early access I have a few trials left to give away. Let me know if you want one.
There Is Always Room for Creativity
Sometimes people do awesome things. I love things like when there’s a great commercial on television because what it means is that someone (or some team) has made a conscious decision to be creative and not just settle for crap. I love that! But great creativity is not just for people who are paid by big corporations or agencies..sometimes creativity comes in the form of a very ugly, yet extremely creative MSPaint music video. How can you be more creative in your life? Trust me, it’s worth your time!
The right way to do customer service!
A few days ago I emailed 37signals about the Highrise iPhone app. It’s really bad and crashes a lot. But their main product, Highrise CRM, is amazing! This morning they sent me this response. It’s awesome for 3 reasons:
1. Timely Response
2. Detailed description as to what they’re doing to fix the problem
3. An unexpected bonus to show they actually care (in this case, $25 credit).
Well done 37signals, well done!
How I’m learning faster: “Holistic Learning”
2012, for me, is going to be a one of those years where I focus on learning. I won’t bore you what I’m working on, but one thing I did want to share is one really interesting technique that I recently discovered called “Holistic Learning”. Like most great advice, Holistic Learning is not an entirely new concept, instead its more of a reminder on how your brain learns most effectively. The main point of Holistic Learning is this: Use Metaphors to Learn New Concepts. When you think about it, using metaphors and analogies are some of the most simple and effective ways of helping people understand a new concept. And, in my own life I have seen this done by the greatest Teacher this world has ever known.
Here is a PDF that goes into Holistic Learning in more detail. Enjoy!
