DECEMBER 2, 2008

Because Christmas tends to sneak up on me, I always try to start thinking about what I am going to be giving to friends and family as early as possible. I usually start looking for holiday gifts right after Halloween because I don’t want to join the herd of people at the malls frantically searching on Christmas Eve. I really like the idea of giving gift cards because I can personalize each gift by matching the store with the gift recipient. At the same time, gift cards cut the guess work — no need to try and predict the proper size, color, or style preference.

However, a recent USA Today Snapshot made me think twice about my gift card theory. According to a holiday survey, on average, consumers have 5.9 unused gift cards (versus 3.7 in 2007). People age 18-29 and 75 and older tend to have the most unused gift cards (8.6 and 7.4, respectively). Does this mean that people are tired of receiving gift cards and not even bothering to use them? Probably not. I think it’s a case of more people deciding to give gift cards, which means the average person just has many more than they did last year.

Regardless, I’m not going to change my gift card giving ways. Even though some would argue that gift cards require no thought and are impersonal, I disagree and still think they are the absolute best option! What about you - will you be giving gift cards this holiday season?

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JUNE 24, 2008

A few weeks ago, I was doing research on ordering custom t-shirts for an event for work.  A quick search online led me to ePromos and its plethora of shirt choices and pricing.  The website allowed me to build a quote for my order. However, in order to build a quote, I needed to either register online or call the company directly. In  hopes of bypassing a frustrating series of automated phone prompts, I opted to register online and just deal with the resulting spam.

Building a quote was quick, easy, and extremely helpful. Within an hour of registering I received an email from ePromos stating that they noticed I had built a quote and wanted to share what they could do for me, including assigning my project its own ePromos representative. Shortly thereafter I got a phone call from Steve (my ePromos representative) assuring me that he was available any time to help me with my project or to answer any questions. And while we were on the phone I got a second email from Steve letting me know all his contact info in the event I needed future assistance.

Granted, the emails and phone call were unsolicited, but they weren’t obtrusive or annoying. To the contrary, they were courteous, informative, and very low key. And, even though in the end I didn’t need ePromos’ services, the company certainly gained my respect and confidence that it would be capable of handling any future business needs I might have.

We’ve been talking a lot about Deep Listening on Undercurrents lately and my experience with ePromos is a perfect example of why it is so important. ePromos engaged me on a personal level. By simply picking up the phone and connecting me with a human, ePromos transformed itself from a faceless digital entity to a company I wanted to give my business to.

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NOVEMBER 21, 2007

It is with great pain and sorrow that we announce the death of Nellie Lide, the author of our New Persuasion blog.  Nellie was only 48 years old and died way too young from a heart ailment.  She not only had a brilliant mind, as evidenced by this blog and her many creative writings, but she also had the warmest heart of anyone I know.  She was one of my best friends for over twenty years, but you only had to know her briefly to feel like she was one of your kindred spirits in life. That’s because no one could make you feel more special and funny and smart than Nellie.

She was one of those people you meet in life and say, “God, I’m so glad I know her!”  Whenever you needed a pick-me-up, you sought out Nellie.  She was the social center of our office.  We never ceased to be amazed at Nellie’s gift for eye-opening analytical insights, yet she could get just as excited analyzing the plotline from Lost.  She loved TV and movies and the younger employees in our office flocked to her for both entertainment and advice.  She had a big booming laugh that could be heard all the way down the hall and brightened even the gloomiest day.

Nellie was the best storyteller that ever lived.  She could take the most mundane event and have you crying with laughter. She took great pride in her job and would work into the wee hours of the night to get her report just perfect, but she also knew how to laugh at herself, too.  She loved doing improv with a local troupe at night and she had no fear of just putting it all out there.   She gave unbelievably of her time and money to her church and her kids’ schools.  She came from a Catholic family with 13 children and had always planned on having six or more of her own.  After terrible morning sickness, though, she stopped at three – Mary, David and Grace.  They were her whole world, along with her husband, Dave.  Nellie touched more lives than most people who live twice as long as she did – and she taught us all how to truly live.
 
I’m having a hard time writing this good-bye to Nellie because all I can think of is how much better it would be if she could write it.  It would be funny and witty and profound and truly memorable. That was Nellie.  I tried to recreate some of her funny stories, but they just don’t sound the same when Nellie isn’t telling them.  So this blog entry cannot do her justice, but if it can convey a little of how much she meant to me – and to every single person in this office — than it will have served its purpose.

Nellie – we loved you dearly and feel truly blessed to have known you.  Our lives will never be the same without you.  (This is where Nellie would be saying, “Oh, get out a’ here!” but inside, she’d be secretly pleased to know that she had made our lives a little better and a little happier.  After all, that’s all Nellie really wanted out of life.)

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APRIL 10, 2007

One of the topics we are very interested in here at UnderCurrents is innovation.  As consumers, we are always looking for the next big thing and know that companies that don’t keep up will lose.  It is not enough to design a winning product and then rest on your laurels.  Even makers of everyday products need to find new ways to lure in customers.

Let’s take a household object that most of us take for granted and, for the most part, is just fine the way it is: the toaster.  It toasts bread.  Job done.  What else could we want from such a machine?  Well, a recent article in The New York Times caught my eye by explaining the innovative evolution of the toaster:

Toastmaster brought the pop-up feature to the masses in the 1920s. “Fully automatic” toasters came along in the 1940s. These improvements begat the Pop-Tart, while a growing appetite for bagels inspired wider slots. “The 1990s introduced low-cost silicon chips to regulate toaster temperatures and intelligence better.

What comes next in the life of the toaster?  Well, the "Back to Basics Egg & Muffin Toaster", of course.  As the name implies, this machine not only toasts bread but has a built in egg poacher as well.  As an added bonus, it also warms breakfast meat.   As one amazon.com reviewer noted:

It’s fast, simple, easy to use, and makes great egg sandwiches for breakfast. What more needs to be said?

This is just one example of a product that seemingly was fully developed.  And then was forced to adapt to keep up with the times.  Innovation never stops.  Not even for the toaster.

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APRIL 4, 2007

Yes, our lives are busier than ever before.  Yes, we all have more to do in a shorter amount of time than ever before.  Yes, we are all trying to simplify our lives and get more done faster. But there is something to be said for taking time out to play an old-fashioned board game with a child.

This recent article in the Washington Post shocks me:

Michelle Hastings admits she’s sometimes cheated to get through a game of Candy Land with her 5-year-old daughter, Campbell. The board game can take just too long, she said. Disney Monopoly is another big offender.

Board game makers are heeding pleas of parents like Hastings and introducing games tailored to busy lives and shorter attention spans that take only about 20 minutes to play.
Hasbro Inc., the nation’s largest game company, is releasing a streamlined version of The Game of Life that uses a Visa card rather than cash and a "LifePod" that electronically keeps track of points _ which can keep the game moving. The Pawtucket, R.I.-based company is also introducing three "Express" versions of classic board games this year: Monopoly Express, Scrabble Express and Sorry Express.

Unbelievably, parents are cheating at board games to get them over with!  Apparently, taking 30 minutes out of their day to play a game with their kids just requires too much time.  Why is “leisure time” now just another thing to check off the to-do list?   Why can’t kids spend 30 minutes or an hour focused on one game? Why does playing with kids entail a sense of dread and a “how quickly can I get this over with and move on to the next thing” attitude? 

A recent article in the New York Times tries to explain:

Although those who are overworked and overwhelmed complain ceaselessly, it is often with an undertone of boastfulness; the hidden message is that I’m so busy because I’m so important…. Of course, it is not just in the work force that people are madly busy. Many people I know, who might be able to enjoy some downtime because their children are in school and they do not have paying jobs, pile errands on top of volunteering on top of working out on top of, well, you name it. When the children get out of school, they race from one activity to another, and if at some point life seems to calm down, then it is time to take on a big construction project, get a dog or have another baby.

Have we become a society where being busy equals success and having ample time to play games with your children means you have too much free time?

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NOVEMBER 29, 2006

Sewing Lesson #1 - I am a statistic

When I was a kid, I had to take Home Economics and I hated it.  Especially sewing.  I did not have very good fine motor skills (still don’t) and could never get it right.  But after my two daughters got me hooked on Project Runway, I decided it was time to take another try at sewing.  And my younger daughter is on her second class and loves it, so we’re getting a sewing machine for Christmas.

To get to the point, my teacher Fran Kitty (best name ever) tells us last night that CBS Evening News is coming to shoot a piece on how sewing’s popularity has exploded recently.  And I just laughed. 

I laughed because every time I’m interested in something, so is the rest of the world.  I am a statistic.  When my husband and I borrowed money from his parents to buy a home, Time Magazine ran a cover story on this subject the next week.  I’ve always thought it’s because I’m a baby boomer, and there are so many of us, it’s hard to be different. 

But I think it’s more than that.  I just don’t know what.  How come, at the exact moment I decide to take up sewing - for personal reasons all my own - millions of others take it up at the same time?  And it’s not boomers, it’s younger people.

This from an article in (where else?) Time mag this week:

The Home Sewing Association estimates that there are about 35 million sewing hobbyists in the U.S., up from roughly 30 million in 2000, and annual sales of Singer machines have doubled, to 3 million, since 1999…Sewing clubs on high school and college campuses are flourishing, and there are even summer sewing camps and after-school classes for kids as young as 9. Some older newcomers are heading to chic urban sewing lounges for classes on making handbags, lingerie and cocktail dresses. Others are joining virtual sewing circles on the Internet, in which strangers exchange tips on the best hem styles and where to find inexpensive fabric.

Yes, I just bought a Singer- damn!

Sewing Lesson #2 - Full attention is good for the brain

When I was on jury duty last year, I found out that having to give my full attention to something was difficult.  Yet I also discovered it freed my mind from clutter.  When I went off duty, I started thinking more creatively and was happier than I had been in  some time.  I learned that though I was absorbed for hours in the minutiae of this contract trial (for 8 weeks) something was going on in my brain that made things clearer in other areas. 

Now it’s taken me over a year to realize this, but what brought it back was a sewing class I’m taking.  It’s from 7 to 9 pm every Tuesday.  And once the class starts, I’m so absorbed that before I  know it, it’s time to pack up and go home.

It’s almost as if my brain gets a rest from all the crap I think about daily.  And I know that’s a good thing and is going to help me in other ways.  Sew long.

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AUGUST 23, 2006

I’m halfway through a book by Henry Petroski called Success Through Failure: The Paradox of Design.  And it’s got me thinking about the role of failure.  Petroski writes about the sinking of the Titanic and basically says shipbuilders learned more from that spectacular disaster than if the boat had never encountered an iceberg.  If the Titanic had not sunk, its limitations and failures may not have been discovered for years.  So, in the end, it’s possible more lives were saved than not.

Petroski is specifically talking about the design of things, but I think his points go beyond design.  We’re all afraid of failure.  Afraid of making mistakes.  But let’s face it - when we goof up, we learn a lot faster don’t we?  Miles Davis said "Do not fear mistakes.  There are none."  I agree.

Tom Guarriello over at The TrueTalk Blog wrote a wonderful post last month about failure and learning how to "flunk in."  "We might even begin to acknowledge failures if we could say something like, ‘well, I thought I had it right and then it crashed, so I went in and found this solution; so I Flunked Into this one.’ "

Tom made some Rules for Flunking In -

• Fail fast, fail often
• Learn from failure through rigorous, systematic reflection - practice "Five Whys" or something like it.
• Celebrate failure -
• Appoint a CFO: Chief Failure Officer - give that Learning Officer something important to do: teaching people to fail and to learn from it.
• Distinguish among failures -
• Keep score - Bob Sutton (and I) have written about the difference between a culture that "forgives and forgets" and one that "forgives and remembers." The former’s a losing approach. The latter’s a learning approach.
• Encourage resilience - remember, the biggest barriers to Flunking In are emotional.

The biggest problem here is fear.  We’re paralyzed - this is one area where talking the talk is a whole lot easier than walking the walk. 

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JUNE 2, 2006

During the past few weeks here at New Persuasion, we’ve been talking a lot about innovation. Innovation is a tricky subject – while there is no arguing about how essential it is, we all seem to have different definitions or examples to represent this industry-transforming force. By its most basic definition, innovation is “the introduction of something new.”

Regardless of how it’s defined, innovation comes in every shape and form. And why not? After all, the only wrong way to approach it is by not innovating at all. While the first innovation examples that may come to mind are products, let’s not forget about smart companies that are innovating their approach.  Here are a few examples – companies innovating…   

• Through Business Strategy
  • Best Buy: By redesigning stores to accommodate a specific segment of consumers, the company is catering to shoppers who will spend more and come back more often.
• Internally
  • Rite-Solutions: They channel ideas into stock market-like game in which employees at every level are able to offer innovative suggestions. Then, with their $10,000 in “opinion money”, they play a role in selecting the ideas ultimately made into reality.
• During Information Gathering
  • Proctor & Gamble: Yesterday’s focus group has become today’s army of observers. P & G has more than 3,500 people across the globe whose job is to watch consumers and think of ways to innovate everyday tasks like laundry and dish-washing. 
• Delivery
  • LOST (ABC): By embracing multi-channel media such as downloadable episodes, blogs, interactive games, and discussion-filled websites, the show’s producers have transformed LOST from a television show into an engaging, interactive viewing experience. 
• By Consumer Engagement
  • Kettle Chips: Chip lovers nominate new flavors and then take part in taste-testing among the five flavor finalists. Tasters can vote for their favorite chip on the company website.    

This list is just scratching the innovative surface – what other companies should be added?

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MAY 25, 2006

There’s an interesting paradox going on in the world right now. On one hand, we’re privacy fiends. We don’t want anyone monitoring our e-mail or keeping track of the websites we visit. And we sure as heck don’t want anyone accessing our phone records.

And yet, when it really comes down to it, we want our world to be an open book. Prime (over-the-top) example:

This is the true story of seven strangers, picked to live in a house and have their lives taped, and find out what happens when people stop being polite and start getting REAL.

Since that video confessional booth that popped up on Real World New York in 1992, we can’t seem to spill our guts enough. Although reality TV shows may have peaked, there is certainly no shortage of people willing to share and we’ve found other ways to do it. Some companies are trying to help. In her post a few weeks ago, Nellie mentioned JetBlue, a company who is taking advantage of the desire to confess. Levi’s just launched Stay True, which features an online Truth Booth. (Complete with creepy voice that encourages you to “tell truth about the way you see yourself and the world…”) (link thanks to PSFK) Even the American Red Cross put their own spin on the video booth a few years ago. 

All this and we haven’t even touched on blogging or social networking, both of which embraces this sharing more than any other.

Why are we so fascinated with revealing all? I think it all points to our desire for transparency — from each other, from companies, from our government. And, don’t forget our own desire to be transparent. I think that’s why blog and social networking sites aren’t just a phase. They represent a societal shift that has forever changed the way we interact with each other and will continue to shape the way we shop, the way we vote, the way we research – in short, the way we live. Companies that get that, like JetBlue and Levi’s, can use it to their advantage. Buzz Machine brought me my new favorite quote earlier this month:    

We are not a mass, not a monolith, not even a medium. We’re just people talking. You’ll agree with some, disagree with some; like some, hate others. It’s just like life. It’s just people. The sooner you stop treating “the blogosphere” as a medium, the sooner you’ll understand how to interact with it. It’s made of people. Talk with them.

The days of treating customers as an indistinguishable mass are long gone. Talk to us, in one form or another, and give us the chance to respond. We can’t wait to talk back.

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APRIL 27, 2006

I would venture that everyone has an opinion on MySpace. Some say it’s ingenious, some claim it’s the root of all evil. I’ve never written on this topic before because it’s already talked about everywhere. But, while tracking my categories for NP and keeping tabs on my personal favorite Generation Y, I’ve come across several stories lately that have prompted me to offer my two cents.

The big issue: safety. Yes, there are inappropriate things on MySpace. We get it. A teenager could come across bad language, unsuitable images, or any of number of things if he or she went looking for them. After all, according to Charles Balogh, crime prevention and crime watch specialist:

“I guarantee parents are clueless about this stuff. If you don’t realize there’s something wrong with this (MySpace) then there’s something wrong with you.” 

Which is why by canceling a MySpace account, a parent is protecting their child from a world of evils.

Yeah right.

If a child is looking to see something inappropriate on the internet, they don’t need the help of MySpace. My goodness, goggling the word “porn” gives you 150 million hits that I’d venture are probably a whole lot worse then anything on MySpace. (Maybe we should shut down Google!) It’s not about the site, it’s about the person using it – and the parent who isn’t monitoring. Don’t blame MySpace if a 12-year-old lied about her age, created a webpage, posted questionable pictures, and has since been solicited by grown men. We hold parents responsible for underage drinking, underage gun possession, etc. Why wouldn’t we hold them responsible for this?

And although we rarely hear about it in the media, MySpace is trying.

To deal with the problem generally, MySpace.com appointed a chief security officer and has removed 200,000 profiles deemed "objectionable," hoping to reassure parents and advertisers about the safety of the site.

If you go to the site, you’ll find easily accessible safety warnings – for users and parents. Did you know each page has the option of adding additional safety features?  Here’s a few examples:

• Check "Require email or last name to add me as a friend" if you want other users to be required to know your email address or your last name in order to send you an add friend request (this prevents people who don’t know you from trying to add you as a friend).
• Check "Approve Comments before Posting" if you want to review comments to your profile and journals before they are posted. Comments will NOT appear unless and until you approve them.
• Check "Friend Only Journal Comments" to allow only your friends to post comments on your blog entries.

Plus, according to USA Today, 78% of MySpace users are over the age of 18. As adults, it’s our decision. If someone I don’t know sends me a message, I delete it and move on. If they continue to bother, which has never happened to me, MySpace gives me the power to block them or to report them.

I use MySpace primarily to communicate with friends and family and track down people I’ve lost touch with over the years. I love it because it gives people an opportunity to be creative — personalize something and make it their own. In our NP world, people long to personalize. And no, not everyone is an aspiring graphic designer and some of the pages are hard to read and downright tacky. But, it doesn’t matter because we’re not the ones that page represents. MySpace is about representing me. And even with its imperfections, I think that makes it worth supporting.    

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