Now this is a creative way to keep your customers coming back:
Photo’s from a real baber shop in Poland.
how many haircuts do you need?
And who says men are smarter than women when it comes to marketing?
Have you seen any creative marketing techniques like this one (or maybe with less nudity, but the same idea?)
This post started because of a phone call to one friend and a conversation with another. First, the story:
I picked up the phone the other day to call my best friend to tell her ‘I can’t talk right now, but I miss you and wanted you to know you were on my mind’. I told a friend (who will remain anonymous) about the phone call and she looked at me like I was crazy, and said ‘why didn’t you just send her a myspace message or email? Isn’t it kind of pointless to call someone to tell them you can’t talk?’.
Of course, being me, that got me thinking about the methods of conversation and why we choose what we do. I am a huge believer in social media and absolutely love my twitter and email (in fact I’ve been having a mini-meltdown for the last couple days because my laptop wasn’t picking up wireless at my office) but I don’t think I could handle not talking to at least one person a day via phone. Obviously there is the whole ‘personal connection’ part of a phone call, but for me, the telephone is also a creative outlet.
Again, I tried to explain that to my other girlfriend and she thought I was crazy – that a phone is no more creative than an email, tweet or myspace message. Actually she believes that the web is the more creative way to converse than the phone.
So, here’s my logic:
First, on the phone, you can’t take something back once you have said it. There is no spell check, no re-reading and definitely a much shorter period of time to think of a response. All manners of conversation on the web allow you to think about your response, for basically however long you would like. It allows you to type, re-word and re-think exactly what you are saying. Creativity (at least for me) gets a bit squished when you have an unlimited (or virtually unlimited) amount of time to think about what you are saying.
Second, the phone allows for immediate response with vocal inflection. There is no way to tell the tone that something is said online – which can mean that words come off more harsh, or in a wrong tone very easily. On the phone, it is much more difficult to hide how you really feel. Vocal inflections, tones of voice and speed changes are easy signs of what the person really thinks. This is supremely helpful when asking opinions on ideas – via the web they can ‘craft’ an answer. On the phone, you have to be honest (or be really creative and quick!).
Finally, the phone allows you to talk through an idea – jabbering on, and trying to work through the process is completely normal, and usually the listener is willing to offer constructive criticism right back.
Obviously this is only my opinion – so what do you think? Is the phone more creative than the internet? Which allows you the most creativity? Feel free to disagree 
!
Matt and Craig (or @mmWine and @binendswine for my twitter friends) have an incredible noses for wine! Matt has been helping Craig (who has a store in Braintree) to promote a great concept of a live wine tasting via Twitter. I think that this has to be one of the most creative ideas I have heard in a while, and felt that it needed to be shared. Unfortunately both are super busy since the next event is tonight, so I couldn’t request an entirely new post about it – so I am re-posting Matt’s tweet from yesterday. My goal is to get a winery sponsor for Southern California and get a tasting that is actually live here soon…if you know of one that might be interested, let me know. So…onto Matt’s post about Twitter Taste Live, tonight!
I am really stoked about Thursday October 23rd and the Twitter Taste Live event which starts at 7pm EST. It’s organized and hosted by twitter friend Craig D from Bin Ends Wine, and I am so glad I’m participating in this one. This is “Twitter Pack #4“, a selection of wines from Steele Wines. I have had their Chardonnay before, but none of their other selections, so this is a great event for me. We’re going to be enjoying:
2006 Shooting Star Aligote (WA)
2006 Steele Pinot Blanc
2006 Steele Chardonnay
2006 Shooting Star Blue Franc (WA)
2006 Steele Pinot Noir (Carneros)
2006 Steele Zinfandel (Pacini Ranch)If you have not already ordered your tasting pack from Bin Ends Wine, all hope is not lost. You can find out where it’s available by using a search engine like Vinquire, and see if you can get some today. Perhaps your local wine store has some, if not all, of the selections in stock. Of course, I am sure you can have it over night shipped from Bin Ends Wine as well!
A few final comments about Twitter Taste Live so YOU can join the fun. First of all, make sure you hit up Twitter Search and search for keyword #TTL. Each of the people participating in the live wine tasting will add #TTL to our tweets to make them easily searchable. Second of all, please go sign up on Twitter Taste Live so you can be connected with other wine drinkers from around the world. Finally, when you do sign up with Twitter Taste Live, be sure to say that “matt-mmwine” referred you in your profile. Whichever wine blogger adds the most people to the goal of 400 members will win wine they can review on the website. That will help me review more wines for you. WIN/WIN/WINE!
I will be tweeting my experiences with the wine, as well as streaming live on Ustream.tv where you can see video (and audio, lord willing) of me sitting there, wine in hand, enjoying! I believe you can chat live with me, and of course, tweet live as well! I sincerely hope you’ll join in the fun! It’ll probably go 2+ hours, so even if you’re West Coast, you can enjoy with us!
Thanks Matt and Craig!
Acording to an article from CNN, there may be a stronger connection than we thought. The article outlines the connection between depression and extremely creative individuals like David Foster Wallace and Sylvia Plath. It discusses whether creativity brings out or causes depression. Their finding is that they can’t prove creativity causes depression but there is a chance that it can cause depression to surface if the person is already depressed.
I agree with a lot of the points made in the article, especially the point that creative people are more heavily effected by the world around them than your average Joe. It makes perfect sense that those who are most creative tend to be more effected by things around them; creative people pay more attention to the details. Normal people can see or hear something and let it go, more creative minds tend to take a basic idea and try to pull more out of it.
Verhaeghen, who is also a novelist and describes himself as a “somewhat mood disordered person,” had a particular interest in the connection between creativity and this ruminating state of mind. “One of the things I do is think about something over and over and over again, and that’s when I start writing,” he said.
After reading the article I find it hard not to believe creativity and depression have a link. What do you think? Is depression tied to creativity? Would you concider the people you think are creative also depressed? If you concider yourself creative, do you also concider yourself depressed?
Los Gatos High - my alma mater
Think creativity is learned overtime? Some of the most creative people I have met have yet to get their drivers license. Yes, creativity often improves over time as we refine our skills and improve our abilities. But, we can all take a creative hint from the younger generations, as they often are able to free themselves from the pressure of ‘real life’ and can let themselves think more openly.
Just in case you need some writing inspiration. Every year, English teachers from across the USA can submit their collections of actual analogies and metaphors found in high school essays. These excerpts are published each year to the amusement of teachers across the country.
For some ‘younger’ inspiration, check out the metaphors that won last year…
My favorite was “#22. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.”
What is your favorite?
Attempting to be creative in the middle of a mess, with phones ringing, kids screaming and a million things to do is pointless.
Attempting to be creative in a neat and tidy room, without any interruptions, and nothing do do but focus on creativity is pointless.
Yup, I meant what I typed.
Your OCE (optimal creative environment) can not be determined by anyone but yourself. You know you better than anyone else, so let you determine how to be creative and where to be creative. The best way to find your OCE, is to try different things. If you know you can’t stand silence, try music, tv or even a white noise machine. If you aren’t sure, spend a few days with music and a few without. Determine which works best and stick with it. If you can’t handle the clutter, clean up. But, don’t be afraid to get it all messed up again by covering your desk with all your new, great creative ideas! The key is finding what works for you. But remember, what works now, wont always be what works, so you may want to mix it up. And, whenever you are trying something new, be sure to give it a few days before you say it works or it doesn’t, all of us have good and bad days in any environment.
For me, I do my best thinking curled up on my couch with my computer in my lap, the tv on a low volume with a repeat of a favorite show in the background (Family Guy, Simpson’s, Friends, Sex and the City…), and something to drink (usually non-alcoholic, but if I am realllly stuck, I will break out a glass of my favorite 2006 Far Niente Chardonnay). But, like I said, it doesn’t always work, so if it isn’t, I will sit in the middle of a busy Starbucks (the one at the corner of Antonio and Crown Valley in RSM works well) and people watch while I work.
Tell me: What is your OCE (optimal creative environment)?
Have you ever heard a phrase that makes you cringe? Or one that has been repeated so many times that you never want to hear it again? Yeah, we all have. So, thanks to some help from my Twitter friends, I have come up with the ultimate list of words and phrases that should never be spoken again.
…and of course… A BIG THANK YOU TO: @karenswim, @susanconyers, @sessiondesigns, @jgogolin, @AllicatCO, @makasha, @uncommon_sense, @nitewing4u, @blissfulfun, @karenswim, @SuperGirl, @jmhelms, @greggscott, @bridjmon, @RobinBernstein…for your participation in the poll!
Creepy advertisements are all around us – they are often confusing, disturbing and altogether ‘scratch your head’-worthy.
Thanks to a post from Tornado Marketing about creepy advertisements that she found on http://www.weirdomatic.com/creepy-ads.html, I got to take a look at some of the creepiest advertisements in past decades. By far, the creepiest I saw was the Camel Cigarette ad using an Olympic Athlete as their spokesperson (showing above).
What this proved to me was what I thought all along: The advertising industry hasn’t really changed that much. Advertisements now are just as disturbing and creepy, albeit in different ways, but I don’t see much of a shift in the mentality. Ad creators still focus on creating something that is going to capture attention – and few things capture attention better than the strange and wrong. This is proven by the simple fact that we are still looking at these ads, decades after they were created.
What ad captures your attention the most? Are there any current ads that you think would qualify for this list?
I am a nerd. I admit it whole-heartedly. I love everything techie and goofy and just downright fun! One of my favorite things to do when I am not writing or working is to play computer games – the ones where you get to take over the world as the ruler of a civilization are my favorite (see: Sid Meir’s best games ever – Civilization I-IV). Now, Combine one of the most amazing technologies (XBox 360) plus the ability to be creative and take over the world (Civilization) and I am in nerd heaven!!
So, why am I telling you this? And what does it have to do with business and creativity? Well…actually a whole heck of a lot. Stick with me for a moment, and I’ll explain. If you have never played a game like civilization, this is going to be a little more difficult, but I will try. Basically the point of the game is to create a civilization that rules the world through money, technology, culture or domination. But, it isn’t just a click a button and everything works type game, nor is it a ‘shoot em up, blow them out of the water’ game. You are the ruler of one of the 16 most powerful nations in history (for example: Catherine the Great of Russia, Caesar of Rome, Ghandi of the Indians or Lincoln of the Americas) and you have to make every decision, from what technology to research to what type of thing (person, building, wonder, etc) to build in each of your cities and how much to dedicate to building culture and money.
Now this is a very basic explanation but here are the 3 reasons that this game is one of the best ways to help me be more creative (and why you can use the lessons in business).
1. Without researching the right technology, you can’t advance as a nation and will get destroyed. Well, this should be pretty obvious – if your business can’t keep up with the changing world, it wont survive.
2. If you don’t have culture, other civilizations can steal your cities just by using their culture to overpower you. Replace the word ‘culture’ with ‘good customer service’, ‘civilization’ with ‘businesses’ and ‘cities’ with ‘customers’. Now you have “If you don’t have good customer service, other businesses can steal your customers just by using their good customer service to overpower you”. Basic business right?
3. Money is the key to rushing units, buildings and technology, the wealthier civilizations always last longer. In life and business it is the same way, successful (read wealthy) businesses can spend more money and grow more quickly. Again, a corner stone of business.
See…and your mother told you video games would rot your mind!
Are there any other games out there that you can see a business connection with that others wouldn’t normally see?
We all draw blanks in life on creative ideas. What you do when you lose that creative spark is what makes the difference. I find that when I lose my creative way, asking others about their creativity can often put me back to track. With that said:
What is/was your most creative moment?
Is there one specific piece of work that shows of your creativity (feel free to post a link or a photo of it!)?
What is your favorite tool for creativity?
Thanks for your input and helping me get my creative fire back