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Bold Ideas. Imagination. Great design. Some blogs dish about people, others drone on about politics. Brand B.I.G. is a blog about ideas, and exploring the possibilities at the intersection of smart business and innovative branding. |
According to rock n’ roll lore, Van Halen’s 1982 touring contract rider required the band be provided with M&M’s backstage at every show – absolutely no brown ones – or they would not perform. Turns out it’s true; but is it merely rock star narcissism? Hardly. The real reason is far more compelling – as is the lesson that it teaches about management, and attention to detail.
Our methods of communication say a lot about us, and how we feel about the audience we’re communicating with. Email is mundane, perfunctory. Receiving hand delivered correspondence can be a delight, yet writing letters has become something of the past.
Succeeding in business requires risk. Despite bromides about failure not being an option, truth is that it’s a very real possibility. Acknowledging that and preparing for the possibility of failure isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s the sign of a professional.
Johannes Kepler noted, “Nature loves simplicity…” Water does indeed flow down the path of least resistance. Human beings are 98% water, so perhaps it stands to reason that we, too, would naturally seek simplicity.
The Fender Stratocaster is rock & roll’s ultimate guitar – and a design icon. Materializing in 1954 as if teleported from the future, the Strat’s curvy contours, cutaway fins and sultry vibrato perfectly synthesized rock & roll sex appeal with Cold War futurism.
After Steve Jobs resigned as Apple’s CEO last week speculation about his failing health and imminent death was rampant. That same day, my family gathered around a hospital bed where my father-in-law lay tethered to machines, his body full of pharmaceuticals to dampen the discomfort of imminent death. The only speculation was whether it would come that night or the next day.
Dale Carnegie once quipped, “Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain – and most fools do.” Small thinkers, nitpickers and naysayers have always ridiculed the ideas of dreamers, creators and innovators. Mediocrity loves company. Don’t let other’s insecurities keep you from being remarkable.
Record label owner and “cultural catalyst”, Tony Wilson, died of cancer in August of 2007, but his headstone was late to his funeral. When it finally arrived at his Manchester, England resting place, a little more than three years later, it proved to be worth the wait.
Smart branding has always been social. What changes is the media. You want – actually, you need – to be where your customers are. These days, more and more of them are on social networks.
Want to save tons of time and money on your marketing while improving ROI? Success begins in your briefs – creative briefs, that is. As the maxim goes, a well-defined problem is half solved. Briefs lay the foundation for problem solving by providing a framework for communicating and collaborating.
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