I’m sure most of my English teachers said it, but I only actually remember it from one. She said it constantly.
And it’s true – when conveying something in the form of a message, or a movie, or a feature story – the real beauty comes from letting the audience experience it for themselves.
If I tell [...]
Entries from February 2008
February 29, 2008
Show, don’t tell
February 28, 2008
On blogging: Tearing down the stage
Early on in this journey, I’ve found that problem with blogging is that it’s hard not to feel like you’re on stage.
The problem with being on stage is that it gives you the urge to be a character.
But in reality, we don’t really converse with those on stage, those characters – we watch them from [...]
February 27, 2008
People are laughing at your brand, where are you?
If you haven’t seen it – or want to laugh again – check out this classic Jim Gaffigan bit on Hot Pockets.
Great huh? I’ve probably seen this skit about a dozen times now – but for whatever reason, this time I wondered how the folks at Hot Pockets saw it.
And there’s [...]
February 25, 2008
Google: First on the scene
How many times have you seen a TV news channel claim to be “first on the scene” at various events?
The idea being, if you’re choosing between what news channel to watch, you’ll probably go with the one most likely give you the scoop first.
But being “first” in journalism doesn’t inherently equal the best coverage. Being [...]
February 24, 2008
Goals and processes
This is something I try to live by.
When you’re talking about accomplishing something, about introducing something, about changing something… whatever – you’re really talking about one thing, and one thing only:
The goal.
And that’s it. Everything else should be considered a process toward achieving the goal.
The problem with doing significant things is that there is often [...]
February 22, 2008
Do you believe what you sing?
Hugh Macleod posted a podcast with him and some fellow thinkers weighing in on some marketing and communication issues – namely, the curious reasons why some things become popular, while others are doomed to obscurity.
About 40 minutes into the podcast, Hugh shares a little story about a 1930’s mobster seeing a young Frank Sinatra singing [...]
February 20, 2008
We all get one ballot
One of the best parts of my job is that I get to meet a lot of interesting people. Working around sales guys, I’m often interacting with interesting people from various industries.
The other day I tagged along as a consultant toured our facilities. His job is to help companies of all sizes develop and achieve [...]
February 20, 2008
Caucus talk: Why the world might miss Iowa’s circus afterall
As Obama was claiming victory in Wisconsin – and Drake was losing at home – I was lucky enough to participate in an exploration of the future of the Iowa caucuses.
Again, the list of participants was spectacular. Of the 15 or so in attendance, two were former Iowa lieutenant governors – Sally Pederson and Joy [...]
February 19, 2008
Caucus for Kucinich…because when else can you logically vote for that guy?
As I mentioned in my last post, tomorrow evening I’m going to be sitting in on a discussion with some people a whole lot smarter than me, talking about the Iowa caucus of 2012.
If you’ve got three minutes to waste and need a little clarification on the caucus process, watch this video.
There’s plenty of fairly [...]
February 17, 2008
Planning the next party
The battle for presidential nominations has long moved on from Iowa. The whole thing now feels of the morning after a college party – the lingering smell of old booze, scattered debris and plenty of stories to share.
And like any good party folk, we’re already thinking about our next bash.
The Wallace House Foundation – [...]
