Posts tagged culture
avin narasimhan
often rambling, but hopefully always interesting
The Bucket Brigade Has Been Funded. Congrats @bud_caddell
Not much more to say than what I already have. Awesome. 
Have You Backed The Bucket Brigade Yet?
Last week, I finally got around to backing Bud Caddell’s excellent idea for a new book, The Bucket Brigade. Seems like everyone has weighed in at some point or another with their thoughts on why they are backing it and why the idea makes all the sense in the world, so I won’t spend time repeating what others far smarter than I have said in far smarter ways.
But what I did want to take the time and mention is why I decided to up my pledge from sponsor to editorial board level. I think Tim said it best in his recent post, the reason this project seems to have sparked so much interest is that it is tapping into our collective desire to do something, rather than just talk about it. And let’s face it, there’s always a reason to put off doing something like this. Too busy with our day jobs, not enough time in the day, not sure where to get started, and on and on. There will always be one. But thanks to Bud, the chance to get together with a bunch of insanely brilliant people and really do something interesting in the world is a reality, not just a theory. And I for one am incredibly excited at the possibilities. Congrats to Bud on all of the support he’s received, and thanks to everyone who has also decided to get involved. Can’t wait to see and be a part of what happens. And if you haven’t joined the crew yet, you’ve still got a few days left to become a backer.Snapple’s Biggest Lunch Table Tour
Seems like the right idea for them as a brand. Fun way to bring a little bit of happiness into someone’s day that they otherwise wouldn’t have had the chance to enjoy. Not unlike what, in theory, a Snapple contributes to your life as a whole. Unless I’m completely missing the point, seems like an opportunity that could’ve been so much more. Maybe there’s more to come, so I suppose I’ll just have to wait and seeAnyone else seen this Lunch Table Tour in your own city? Thoughts on what Snapple is trying to do? Very curious to know more than I’ve seen so far.
Infographic: Coffee Shops As Economic Indicators
Seems like everyday there are a slew of new stories that could tell you very different things about the state of the economy. At the beginning of May, confidence in the economy seemed to be up along with a sense of optimism, but by the end of may, reports are out that spending/incomes are down and so is our confidence. And around and around we go.
Interesting infographic from Mint (latest in a series of smart ones) offers up yet another perspective. Particularly during the worst parts of the recession, many speculated that Americans would permanently shift their behavior, and not go back to spending on some of the things we used to (I often thought the same as well). Perhaps overall this may still have a lot of truth to it. But it’s interesting that, as we approach the middle of 2010, spending on pricey coffeeshop coffee is indeed rebounding strongly (though Starbucks isn’t enjoying as much of a bump as others, apparently). I know I can say my habit has picked up after a few months of cutting back. In some ways it feels like that says more about overall optimism and confidence than gallup poll numbers, and that actions are perhaps leading opinion in this case about how people feel about both their personal economic situation and that of the country as a whole. Maybe it’s a bit of a stretch given this is just one indicator, but still highlights an interesting divide between opinions and actual behaviors, what people say they’re going to do and what they actually do in reality.Visual Story Of The Gulf Oil Spill
Leaving political commentary or tirades about BP aside, I think one thing we can all agree on is that the oil spill in the gulf is something that will fundamentally change many aspects of our culture and the future direction of the country for some time to come. But my guess is for many people, grasping exactly how much so is a bit difficult unless you’ve seen it live. And personally while I’ve been reading everything I can, and have seen bits and pieces of the impact in stories, pictures, videos scattered across the web, this presentation is one of the most powerful collection of images I’ve encountered so far, and probably brought it home most for me.
No long winded wrap around back to brands or marketing, just something that is incredibly powerful and I thought was worth a minute out of all of our days to take in (and a good reminder of how the daily problems and issues we may face as an industry seem rather trivial when put into context with an event that affects us all as human beings on a shared planet).
@UnitedAirlines Tries To Celebrate Twares— But Takes The Fun Out
Talk about squandering a good opportunity. Quick background— United Airlines recently started running a contest to celebrate the 1st birthday of Twares, their weekly fare deal exclusively on Twitter.
Seems straightforward enough right? A good idea that gives people a reason to actually follow this brand, and which provides real value for those who do. But, then you get to the rules page (or should I say pageS….and pageS):
(keep in mind, this is with the page minimized as far as I could get it, and it still took 4 screengrabs to capture it all)
What should be a simple and fun way to celebrate the moment is now mired down in the BS that people have come to expect from the airline industry— hidden fees, fine print, deceptive marketing practices, and just an overall feeling that you’re getting shafted. Yikes. Not the way to win back any love, United.
Taking A Smart Approach To Crowdsourcing
Infographic: Brands With The Most Social Employees
Interesting bit of data (and visualization) from Flowtown. Guess it’s not all too surprising that Microsoft checks in at the top spot given the size of their workforce and the obvious connectivity (in fact I’d be surprised if their employees weren’t at least somewhat connected and networked).
Would be even more interesting if we were able to see this broken down by dept or function. Is it all marketing folks tweeting and trying to make sure their social profile is up to par? Or are customer service, PR, operations, sales etc also engaged and using it to drive business? Social employees is one thing, but social employees who are actually empowered and using their activity to engage customers and potential customers would say quite a bit more about the company and it’s culture.
via flowtown.com
record college enrollment + the need for financial education
Found it pretty uplifting to see that college enrollment is at an all-time high (since the Bureau of Labor Statistics starting tracking it). Not to put a damper on this (well, I guess Seth Godin already did with his piece on what he sees as the coming downfall in higher ed), but I wonder if this also means future generations can look forward to racking up the highest debt levels in recent history as well? The stats are pretty telling— tuition across the country, private and public universities alike, are rising at alarming rates. Obviously the end result of a more educated population benefits us all (and the world quite honestly), but can’t ignore the potential of a population saddled with even more absurd amounts of debt than we are today. Poor economic conditions today have no doubt in part led to this record enrollment level, but wonder if the increase in the number of people going into massive debt for the next few years will have broader implications for the economy in the future. Seems to me like this could be a significant opportunity for the financial services world— in what would be one of many steps needed to redeem themselves after what they’ve done. They have the chance to actually do the right thing, and start helping these eager young students get their financial heads straight now. Rather than rope students into having 10 credit cards, give them the education and advice they need to make sure they don’t spend the rest of their lives paying off debt that they didn’t really understand when they signed that contract when they were 18 years old. Perhaps it’s a bit naive to expect the industry to actually do this, but if there are even a few people at the top with eyes on the long-term, rather than quarterly profits, I surely hope one of them steps up and tries to take a different direction than their predecessors. #urdoingitwrong: tribute to ‘as seen on tv’ ads of our time
Caught via @kevinrothermel, one of the better remixes/mashups/whatever you want to call it that I’ve seen in a while. Amazingly formulaic approach taken by as seen on TV advertisers. And yet so entertaining in the right context.
