Canuckflack

Knitta Please. Renegade knitters, touching up the inner city one stitch at a time. Pictures on their MySpace page and Flickr.

“…A tag crew of knitters, bombing the inner city with vibrant, stitched works of art, wrapped around everything from beer bottles on easy nights to public monuments and utility poles on more ambitious outings. With a mix of clandestine moves and gangsta rap — Knitta was born! Today, Knitta is a group of more than 10 ladies of all ages, races, nationalities, religions, sexual orientation… and gender.”

Interview in Metropolis.

That’s my rendition of a Death Star, built out of a Ball of Whacks - the new creativity toy/tool developed by Roger von Oech. Built from of 30 magnetic blocks, its’ geodesic shape reminds me of the Montreal Biosphere or the Hostel in the Forest (photos).

Roger sent me a complimentary Ball after I praised his books in a post on creativity. His level of engagement online, as Paul has discussed, is both startling and logical: the audience and market for truly though-provoking innovations really has moved online.

I can go on and on about Roger’s past work encouraging creativity and innovation, but I’ll let my recent experience with the Ball of Whacks say it all:

• when I have this ball on my desk, everyone - I mean everyone - who stops by plays with it.
• when I took it home, my three kids fought to play with it.

We went on a road trip this past weekend, and the kids demanded equal time playing with the ball. One of them even brought a plastic Ikea tray so she could smash the ball and reassemble it into different shapes. If you look closely, you can see white dots where the kids wore down each individual magnetic piece as they played with the ball.

I found it remarkable that all three kids wanted to play with the ball so much - they each have their own style of learning and expression. Nevertheless, the expressive kid, the intuitive kid and the crazy kid all found different uses for von Oech’s Ball of Whacks.

This observation seems to apply in the office as well. The control freak wants to reassemble the ball. The skeptic takes it apart and reassembles it. The procrastinator tries to build a Transformer robot out of it. The lazy bastard just takes it apart and leaves all thirty pieces on the desktop. And the truly creative person uses the pieces to spell words on the side of a metal filing cabinet.

As a visual thinker and attention-deprived worker, I appreciated the 96 page handbook that comes with the Ball, but I haven’t read it yet. I’m sure it’s very good, and will make good reading when I find time - in 2007. In the meanwhile, I’m going to continue playing with my ball.

Technorati Tags: Creative, Creativity, Imagination, Whacks

Successful advertising always attracts your attention: a successful product solves a problem you may not have yet identified. Such is the magic of Zipcar’s online advertising, which I have seen on several Toronto sites and blogs.

Hey folks. I apologize if you’ve been having a hard time accessing the feed or Canuckflack.com: my server’s been suffering under a near constant comment spam attack, it seems.

Regular programming should recommence shortly.

Two Threadless t-shirts for your consideration: a reprint of the prize charts you used to find on the back of 25c comic books, and a horrible, horrible joke at Colonel Sanders’ expense.

Oh - did I mention they’re having their $10 sale?

Hate to take a break from blowing smoke up our collective online asses, but the real “conversations” between businesses, consumers and communities are happening on the ground, in neighbourhoods where broadband, sparkling water and long-term financial planning are rarely considered.

Companies experimenting with social media online are really just testing the theories and developing extensive test data: the real work to develop links and relationships between businesses, consumers and their communities demands shoe leather, handshakes and company reps with operational responsibility.

In, “A grassroots approach to emerging-market consumers,” McKinsey’s Christoper Beshouri really digs into several practical and successful examples of how companies in the developing world are building sustainable businesses with the help of their customers.

“…People in local communities—not only the mayors and barangay (village) captains but also school principals, teachers, religious leaders, and residents themselves—are in the best position to help companies deal with the challenges of doing business in low-income areas. These community agents have the information and ability to monitor and influence what happens on the ground. If a company can show that its own interests are aligned with their interest in employment and commerce, it can then enlist community support for security, collection, and system monitoring. Community-based approaches help companies address principal-agent issues head on while creating a positive dynamic that reinforces key business model adaptations.

… [there are several business models that could be followed, but each involves] deep, long-term community relationships and investments, whose value is illustrated by the extraordinary support Manila Water received when it asked regulators for a rate increase in 2002. Ninety barangay captains and community leaders showed up at the hearing and expressed their appreciation for the powerful positive impact Manila Water had on their communities.

These people told stories about the way residents formerly began their trek at midnight to get water back to their households by dawn, about new jobs and entrepreneurial activity, and about Manila Water’s support for the community’s special needs and projects. To these local leaders, Manila Water had become an essential partner in their livelihood and quality of life; they were prepared to stand by the company.”

Yes - the emphasis is on building a business relationship with the community. In the end, money is being exchanged. But communities are being changed - and not because of a vague sense of debt or social obligation.

Say you’re a city in Great Britain. Say you have a rather disturbing pigeon problem, and you want to clean up the streets before assuming the mantle of European City of Culture 2008.

You want to educate kids and community groups about the dangers of feeding “feral” pigeons. Personally, I would think this picture would do the trick, but one City Council thinks an endearing educational film would communicate this key message more clearly:

“Please don’t feed the Pigeons. Its bad for the Pigeons Its Bad for the City.”

“Ideas the team have thought of:

A short animated film, along the lines of a Nick Park (Wallace & Gromit, Creature Comforts, etc) style Pigeon hosting the film.

A Bill Oddie ‘Springwatch’ style educational nature style film. Preferably with Bill Oddie/Kate Humble or similar presenting.

The finished film would be circa 3 minutes.”

The picture is from a PowerPoint deck included with the quotation document. The deck also includes the print collateral and posters that will accompany the campaign, with a note that they are under embargo until next February.

Personally, I think the message “Pigeons could turn mean and crap on your head” works much better than “It’s bad for the city.” Children have a notoriously poor sense of allegiance to political constructs like City Councils and concepts of shared community responsibility. Maybe it’s because they’re politically disenfranchised, discriminated against because of things like age, literacy skills and capacity to reason.

As for community groups, the cumulative property damage caused by these “rats of the sky” would likely be a more resonant message.

It’s easy to swipe at government communications efforts, but just because your organization has to deal with a number of different constituencies doesn’t mean your messages should be dumbed down and rendered nearly meaningless.

In any case - a recent article in the NYT suggests that anti-pigeon feeding efforts may have to be highly targeted:

“…'’In a city like New York or like Melbourne,'’ [Guy Merchant, director of the Pigeon Control Advisory Service in Britain] argues, ‘’the pigeon population is sustained solely by little old ladies and little old men that go out every single day and feed top-quality foods to the birds.'’ This isn’t the average office worker, flinging the last crumbs of lunch. … these feeders maintain a purposeful regimen. Lefebvre calls them ‘’marginal city dwellers whose interests in life do not much extend beyond feeding pigeons.'’ He describes, with disarming empathy, people who ‘’wait outside the backdoors of restaurants for day-old bread and patiently soften all the bread and break it into little pieces and then hand it out to the pigeons.'’…”

Another Wikipedia tempest in a teapot. The entry for Xplane, the information design specialist, was identified for deletion. The wikidebate was quick - 8 days. As a final blow, the administrator deleting the entry made an Office Space joke and redirected the entry for Xplane to the entry for X-plane, the experimental plane from the early jet era.

It’s worth reading the wikidebate just to get a taste of the sort of arguments marshalled by both sides as they argue for and against a Wikipedia entry referencing a commercial company.Â

Revisting the firing of Jan Pronk, the former U.N. special envoy to the Sudan, who was fired in part for what he wrote on his blog: Jeremy Wagstaff has posted the transcript of his interview with Pronk. They discuss why Pronk blogged in the first place, and whether the blog was truly responsible for his firing.

Mmmmm. The promise of winter and a sure-fire retail success. Right now, it’s only a hut dropped onto blocks in the recently drained Rideau Canal.Â

All we need is twenty straight days of sub-zero weather, not too much rain, a little snowplowing, dozens of teenage cooks and servers - and this hut and others along the Canal will be serving fresh and sweet BeaverTails. (a concept first developed by Grant Hooker)

Matt Mackenzie has a flickr photo of a BeaverTails hut in full swing.

You know, I don’t consider myself a stuffy traditionalist. I like the new new thing. I like the sense of unease and excitement that accompanies new technology. But I can’t help being skeptical about the hype surrounding Second Life.

Yes, it’s an innovative community that draws inhabitants from around the world. After tasting the unique lifestyle and sometimes startling vistas, many visitors make a conscious decision to invest in property and visit more often. It may be a respite from everyday life, or a home base for a new life in a vibrant and developing community. Sure, some conflict has emerged as the original settlers have been confronted with accelerating plans for development and the raised expectations of new arrivals. There are some calls for a more representative government. They’re all the issues that normally face a growing community … in Central Florida.

That’s right. There are some striking similarities between Second Life and Celebration, Florida - the Disney-planned and built community based on the principles of New Urbanism.Â

Think about the hype surrounding Second Life. Remember that there are several online communities (gaming, role playing or otherwise) with similar or larger subscriber bases. The recent spate of “online firsts” are only somewhat noteworthy because they were staffed by avatars. How about these headlines instead:

• American Apparel opens first outlet in Celebration
• Starwood Hotels premieres new design in Celebration
• Original Settlers Disturbed by Rampant Commercialism
• Reuters Reports on Hedonist Lifestyle
• Local Chamber of Commerce welcomes new integrated marketing company
• Horny Husbands Willing to Exchange Custom-Designed Shoes and Blouses for Mildly Racy Chat

Technorati Tags: Second Life, SL, in-world

I agree with Kevin - there should be no correlation between Black Friday, your Christmas wish list, and your being labelled an ass clown.

It was -7 degrees celsius in sunny Ottawa today. The nip in the air mean winter is finally approaching - and that means snow. In the great big city. And incessant advertising by snowplow operators.

Most operators rely on flyers inserted in the daily and weekly papers. Some buy business card size ads. And others maximize every opportunity they can find.
The normal practice is for houses that have bought snow plowing packages plant five foot tall steel rebar poles on either side of their driveway - to mark the path for the plow and to mark a futile effort to save the garden.

Tony’s Snow Blowing, as you can see, has seized every possible opportunity to promote their service. This 3″ by 10″ piece of plastic is wedged at the top of the two piece of rebar flanking the end of the driveway. It gives passers-by two contact points, two price points, and even details how the plowing will be done.

Best of all - there’s an implicit endorsement by the homeowner. “This year, I’ve gone with Tony’s!” It might just drive even more customers to the company.

UPDATE:March 3, 2007: Obviously, quite a few people have been finding my post when searching for information about this company - and some are dissatisfied, based on the comments below. Please, if you have a comment or criticism about a service, please speak to the company first. If that’s not possible, contact the Better Business Bureau. Even better, write to Tony Cote, the consumer reporter at the Citizen.

UPDATE - MARCH 19 - Sorry folks. I’ve had to turn off comments. Some of the comments submitted over the weekend were too personal or didn’t really add anything to the conversation.

UPDATE - April 5 - More information for people looking to leave a comment about Tony’s at my newer post.

Technorati Tags: snowplow, winter

There’s a well-established format for conferences, well-tended by an industry of conference organizers, professional speakers, audio-visual suppliers, facility managers, catering companies and for-profit “think tanks” that make their money from organizing specialist conferences.

Signs you’re at a traditional conference:

• thick binders of material to greet you at check-in
• dozens of facilitators, stewards, assistants
• more than three person with a radio headset
• more than one projection screen in each meeting room
• accreditiation or maintenance points from your professional organization
• a plethora of directional signs
• Your breakfast muffin may or may not have been baked today

We find ourselves in a period of transformation, however. “Unconferences” like MESH, CaseCamp and others are demonstrating that a community or interest can meet, exchange information and extend their common knowledge without extensive handholding - and without a lot of flash.

Instead of audio-visual gimmickry, the authority and energy of the conference comes from the experience, obvious dedication and personal authority of the individuals up on stage - or in front of the “breakout” room.

There is still a place for “traditional” conferences - when you have a large audience looking for a common lump of information. Or where new advances in technology, pedagogy or professional skills require an element of instruction and reinforcement.

But there’s an awkward feeling when a large and traditionally-oriented conference tries to push a theme of innovation and ground-breaking thought.

In the end, any success will come from the energy and initiative of conference participants finding opportunity in the corners of the conference: the traditional structure, by ensuring comfort and familiarity for the majority of the conference attendees, does oppress initiative and non-comformity to some degree.

Think about it: how many times have you sat through a truly horrible presentation, then clapped heartily alongside every other attendee. Was that out of a sense of politeness, or the harsh reality that the people around you might think you were unlike them?

Technorati Tags: conference

Black Friday is barely a week away. Bill payments are being postponed, credit card limits are being extended, payday loans are being struck. Eternal optimists are saying “I just need to get to the airport an hour before the flight on Wednesday,” and families in Buffalo are actually making plans for Thanksgiving - despite the snow delays they see year after year.

Up here in Canada, the Christmas decorations started appearing up on November 1. Santa has already shown up in some malls - accompanied by a new young marketing helper - the Fairy Princess. Talk about a May/December romance! Mall managers have a hard time picking out their seasonal mirth and good cheer employees:

“…The magnates of commerce and industry do not hand out mall Santa sinecures to reward model citizens. I was not hired for that job in Alameda because I was a well-adjusted, upwardly mobile young professional. I was a fuck-up. I had made poor life choices. I was a loser.

I lived in squalor. I was fired from shitty jobs. I moved around a lot. I slept on couches. I once woke up with my head in a cat litter box. I hitchhiked. I grew partial to fortified wines. My high-school graduating class had voted me “Most Likely to Succeed.” …

…There were people, cruel people, who sometimes made comments about Santa’s scrawny legs. I had two stock responses to this taunt: 1) Santa practices Tae Bo (Santa would demonstrate), or 2) Santa takes Metabolife (Santa would point to the Metabolife cart in the mall). Neither of these stock responses squelched the occasional nasty remark that Santa was a crackhead.” (Travis Dunn, Baltimore City Paper)

Looking for a laugh and some insight on seasonal promotions? Try a sample of some of my previous posts on Santa and Christmas:

• Are You a Department Store Santa?
• Media Training for Santa
• FAQ: So You Want to Hire Santa
• Crisis Communications for Santa and Elves
• Piped-in Christmas Music
• Santa’s Got a Pop-Up … Display for the Trade Show (thanks to Peter Shankman)
• Conversations with Santa, pt. 1
• Christmas Retail Help Gone Bad
• Conversations with Santa, pt. 2

Technorati Tags: black Friday, Santa, Christmas, holidays, mall promotion

Place the quote. Late at night, after a Republican victory party in Minnesota, or late at night, after a party at Jake’s house?Â

2:37 a.m.: A young Republican counsels an elder comrade on protocol for hooking up on election night. “Give it up, dude,” he tells him, sipping from a can of Coors beer. “She’s a college Republican. I’m a college Republican. You’re like 50.” (City Paper)

The Geek: Girls will do that, Jake. You know? They know that guys are, like, in perpetual heat, right? They know this shit, and they enjoy pumping us up. It’s pure power politics. I’m telling you.
Jake: I thought she hated my guts.
The Geek: Games, Jake. Silly torturous games. You know how many times a week I go without lunch because some bitch borrows my lunch money? Any halfway decent girl can rob me blind. Because I’m too tourqued up to say no! It’s heinous, I’m telling you. (Sixteen Candles)

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The gang over at Church Marketing Sucks provide a distinctive approach to marketing and communications. I like the line of tshirts they have available until December 4.

Okay folks. Here’s that ad I was hinting about. For Canadian public relations practitioners/readers, it’s a service you’ve already heard about if not already using.

For my international readers, you should take a look at the clickthrough - there’s an interesting approach to tying value-added services with time-wasting games.

It’s right over there in the sidebar.

That lull in the conversation. The new client’s just finished their brief: the facts as they know it have been laid in full on the table, and they are now looking to you for insight and direction.

Your team has already read the brief. They’ve picked it apart, examined each fact, claim, assurance and outright lie from every angle. Your environmental scan has revealed the fundamental weaknesses in their analysis, the stakeholder groups and consumer activists just waiting in the wings …

In the second or so that hangs between the client’s last word and your first, you can make or break a relationship.

You can try to extend the lull with the strategic use of hands - a pensive finger to the temple, or maybe a worshipful tapping of the fingertips - but there is still an expectation hanging thick in the air: agree with me and tell me how to fix it, the client seems to be silently whispering. Or boring into your head with unblinking eyes.

At this moment, don’t shuffly your papers. Don’t review your notes. Those two moves imply indecision and uncertainty.

And you know that isn’t true. Everyone on your side of the table knows your team spent a hilarious 15 to 30 minutes brainstorming over the worst possible outcomes for this client. Headlines you wouldn’t want to see in the Globe and Mail. How proposed promo events could go horribly, horribly wrong. Personal observations about members of the client’s staff that you’ve worked with before. The weaknesses of the product line.

The key at this moment is preparation. Working through the responsibilities of each member of your team ahead of the meeting. Working through your own agenda for the meeting. Establishing a lead for the discussion. Having a really good poker face.

Learn from the example of Luke Wilson:Â

“… I think I’ve been playing the straight man ever since I first realized I was in over my head academically. Math in particular. And science, come to think of it. Not to overlook foreign languages. Not really knowing what was going on in class — and not really caring to understand or actually taking the time to study — I put a great deal of effort into my expression. Earnest yet vacant. Yearning yet lost. I had one simple goal for the teachers. I wanted them to think: This Wilson kid might not be that bright, but damn it, he’s trying. The poor bastard.” (NyTimes Mag)

You know me. Red hair. I’ve been growing out my bob cut from a few years back. Always seem to be wearing tweedy clothes, waist cut blazers and skirts just cut below the knee. A couple of years ago, I broke onto national TV in ads for Westjet, the western Canadian discount airline.
Since then, I’ve appeared in several national campaigns. I may have appeared in an ad for M&M meats, the prepared food store. During the past month or so, I’ve been the featured “customer” in an integrated campaign for Scotiabank. I’m starring in the television campaign! I may come across as ditzy, but I’m pretty sure I was sharing the set with Natalie McMaster!* Stills from the TV shoot even appear on-screen during ATM transactions!

It may be my distinctive voice (just a touch of abrasion), my nervous laugh or my dark red hair. Maybe it’s my quirky but comfortably average sense of humour - or maybe its just the magic stylings of my copywriters.

Well, you may want to reach for the barbeque fork, because I’m just about done! It seems that your friendly and non-challenging redheaded actor is appearing in the pre-Christmas campaign for Canadian Tire.

I’m not sure if I’ve replaced the forcibly retired Canadian Tire couple (Colin’s had some thoughts about them), but you’re sure to see my mug all over your screens for the next six to eight weeks.

Unfortunately, the Canadian advertising industry seems to favour the “flavour of the month” actor (just ask Tom Cavanagh). This inevitably leads to overexposure in such a small advertising market.

After the Hockey Night in Canada roadblock featuring the same ad over and over and over, the only worse crime forced upon the Canadian consumer is the creative for McCain’s freezer pizzas.

*What is the deal with the Daisy Duke red gingham shirt and wide white vinyl belt in that Scotiabank ad anyway????

Next Monday, the 20th of November, Ottawa’s Third Monday Meetup will feature social media experts Darren Barefoot from Vancouver and Marc Snyder from Montreal in a debate about the state of social media in Canada:

• What’s hype?
• What’s reality?
• Are social media changing our world?
• Or, is this just another bubble that will soon pass?

All that, and a cash bar too!

A treat for you: a remix of the Beasties’ Brouhaha (mp3).

The Houston Press talks about the increasing level of media attention - professional attention - being dedicated to high school sports in Texas and elsewhere in the States:

“…The action in high school football can change in a split second. But it’s those long moments between plays that can be brutal. And for announcers, a little homework goes a long way in making sure a big game doesn’t sound bush league. “This is the toughest job in sports broadcasting,” says Michaels. “We have no media guides. We have no sports information or PR guys. We have no game notes to pick up. Doing pro sports is the easiest thing in the world: You have to read and memorize. Here, you have to dig. I mean, this is still a neighborhood game. …”

How much do you think it would pay to set up a sports information director co-op for Texas high schools?

Knitting stores can feel very intense. Walls and shelves packed with wool, patterns and buttons. Magazine racks bursting with specialist magazines and pattern books. The staff can be quiet or loud, but are usually wearing something knitted. They have that focused but happy air found among people who have found a job they love (most of the time). Their skill is with needles and yarn, not the point-of-sale systems or planograms, which is why I was surprised to find Men in Knits: Sweaters to knit that he WILL wear on the book shelf.

Men in Knits presents a novel approach to the standard knitting book, which generally reads like this: short intro, glossy picture of fetchy model in bulky knits, then abbreviated and coded directions to knit said garment.

Instead, this book was was planned as a guide to help a woman knitter bridge the psychological and sartorial divide with her significant other.It’s a brief mix of pop psychology, basic retail strategy and a brief introduction to emotional intelligence for the knitter. For example, this basic advice for a knitter considering a project for her significant other:

“If he says he will not wear a sweater, he probably isn”t kidding.”

“The sweater represents hours and hours focused on him, and that freaks him out. He starts to think you are more into him than he is into you.”

This advice is aimed at avoiding the apparently “dreaded boyfriend curse“: a boyfriend unprepared for receiving a handknitted gift frequently becomes an ex-boyfriend.

Also included is a “personal style worksheet” to help the both of you work through what patterns and styles would best suit the BF. Some hints:

• Let him diagnose himself
• Go shopping with him
• Show him images from catalogs evaluate his wardrobe

Speaking as a guy, all this would make me feel unsettled and testy.

Technorati Tags: emotional intelligence, EQ, knitting

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A friend of mine (Greg Brooks) posted an interesting diatribe on the new restrictions put in place by ProfNet - one I thought some of my readers would find interesting. His advice for ProfNet:

” … Let go of some (not all, but some) of the CFO-like focus on lost *revenue* through co-ops or leeches. Instead, focus on *lost value* that results whenever you make it harder for someone to use the system. Every new journalist who uses the system adds value. Every new paying PR client not only adds value to the company (through revenue) but adds value to the ProfNet product by increasing the database of topic experts.Put one way: There’s immense value in being the industry standard for any given product or service - more long-term value, in fact, than the revenue you think you’re saving by denying co-ops. So focus on more penetration.

There are parallels in the software industry for this - Adobe *could* make everyone pay for Photoshop through tougher anti-piracy measures, and indeed they would like to in a perfect world. But in an imperfect world, they recognize that there’ value in letting pirated copies exist because it helps them maintain their position as the industry standard. Once you become the industry standard and your position is ridiculously secure (lookin’ at you, Microsoft) you can ratchet up anti-piracy measures.

Put another way: The best way for ProfNet to make money is to build ease-of-use, value-demonstrating improvements for journalists and those on the PR side. Make the service a delight to use - something the new upgrade fails at. Make it easier to use (ditto). Leverage some of the stuff that’s fun (i.e., the slot-machine thrill of finding a good potential pitch at random) and use it to sell more people. I know a lot of people who use the service, and it *is* fun (and valuable!) to read all those queries – but it’s something that doesn’t come across in the walk-through they give to potential customers.

So, ProfNet, some suggestions:

• Offer one-month (test periods ranging from three weeks to six weeks for maximum conversion) trials. Let people sign up for a trial online, without having to deal with a sales rep. Log their IP or do whatever you have to do to prevent serial sign-ups by the same person. Publicize the hell out of this.
• At the end of the trial, let small shops and solo practitioners sign up automatically on the web site - get the sales reps out of the loop. Most of those customers want to pay with a credit card anyway, so you don’t really need a rep in the loop unless they fail to convert, and then perhaps they get a follow-up call.
• Fix your new-hotness (but really old-and-busted) new system - the one that requires people to log into ProfNet all the time to get reporter info. Consider going back to the email system. I’ll say it again: The real value you’re selling is not an hourly list of contacts; it’s the overall value of the network.
• Come up with a pricing schema that works for co-ops. MediaMap has one, so why can’t you? If you have to keep your current, busted system, then do what MediaMap does and simply don’t let any two people from the same co-op account be logged on at the same time.Â

The sweet spot or this is probably around $500 per seat for up to five seats - low enough for a solo practitioner to afford, and when they get tired of having to juggle log-on times with their fellow co-oppers, the price jump up to solo-practitioner pricing is only $300 more - hell, offer to let them upgrade for only $150 more if they do it in the first year or something like that.Â

I’ll say it again: It’s a compelling service once people start using it, but the growth mission for ProfNet needs to be to make it easier for them to start.”

Grant McCracken casts an anthropologist’s eye on the contemporary fondness for hand-crafted and (seemingly) rough products, like artisinal bread. While I think his analysis is accurate and insightful, I love how he slipped a joke about Karl Marx into the text.

” … This is really an odd one for we are still a culture that treats brands as navigational devices in a turbulent culture. But now cheese from a farmer’s market is better for the fact that it is not branded. This too takes as full circle, for in 18th and 19th century America, consumers were buying from barrels. Brands came in as a welcome innovation.

It turns out that Marx was right. (Finally.) The meaning of the object comes from the act of manufacture, not the act of marketing and consumption. And now I have a lovely bridge I’d like to sell you. For the artisinal movement is yet another act of meaning manufacture, driven perhaps by new enthusiasms but shaped at every step by marketing. For starters, this thing we call artisanal production almost certainly relies on mechanics, scale, and artifice. The “artisanal” is yet another cultural meaning that marketers assign to goods. ..”

Three hundred years ago, the brand characteristics attributed to bakers, butchers and spice merchants were also based on product reliability and artisinal reputation: this reputation was built upon an extended history of not killing clients through botulism, food poisoning or contamination with animal and human waste. It was assumed that every merchant had rats.

Today, we want the best of both worlds: the feeling that our products have a home-hewn quality, while we also seek the reassurance that all workers involved have followed thorough instructions for hand-washing after using the washroom.

Technorati Tags: artisinal bread, free trade, whole foods, brand

I’m not saying … but you might be able to relive the soundtrack from Sixteen Candles over at Looking at Them.

Samantha: Donger’s here for five hours, and he’s got somebody. I live here my whole life, and I’m like a disease.

Howard: Dong. Where is my automobile?
Long Duk Dong: Oto-mo-biiile?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: conference, web 2.0, live blogging, unconference

Hey folks. There’s an idea floating around in Canadian public relations circles to try a specific advertising campaign, and I’ve given it some thought. Don’t be surprised to see an ad or two appear in the next little while, but I hope the advertiser is targeted enough not to upset your regularly scheduled reading pleasure.

And, as always feel free to comment or to send me an email; colin@canuckflack.com

An inside look at how a newsroom really works, as expressed in a logic/decision tree. Includes the following decision points:

• Read Romenesko
• Insert the day’s bias
• Plan dinner
• Read own story in the paper
• Surf YouTube

Link from Roy Greenslade, via Charles Arthur.

“…’Do you mind working with dwarves, do you mind working with chocolate, do you mind working with Johnny Depp?’…

 (More on that in Macleans - fifth para.)