Christian … What Do You Actually Do?

Posted on November 25, 2009 - Filed Under Thought Starters | 4 Comments

This post is for my Dad.
I don’t think he understands my job.
I work in advertising.
On the account side.
A lot of times people ask me what I do.
Here’s what I tell them:
When Churchill retired from politics he tried painting.
He set up his easel in his garden.
He got just the right size canvas.
He organized all his paints [...]

What Your Beer Tells People About You

Posted on November 5, 2009 - Filed Under Thought Starters | 2 Comments

I came across a fascinating study here from Ad Age that more or less confirms your prejudices about different beer brands.  Over 2,000 (American) beer drinkers were polled about their lifestyles. Now, it due to note that American pallets skew to favour lighter beers, but the lifestyle information that accompanies each brand is interesting.
I’m an [...]

Library

Posted on July 1, 2009 - Filed Under Thought Starters | 3 Comments

When was the last time you were in a library? It feels like when you’re in school you are there constantly. But that’s because you HAVE to study and you HAVE to learn. When was the last time that you were curious about something, so you went to the library? That you relied on a [...]

Napkin Notes – How People View Media

Posted on May 26, 2009 - Filed Under Thought Starters | Leave a Comment

- Christian

Advice From Microsoft

Posted on July 31, 2008 - Filed Under Thought Starters | Leave a Comment

For all of the hate and criticism of Microsoft, they are bringing in people who know what they’re doing. I was reading this post on Hugh MacLeod’s blog and it brought me to some thoughts from Microsoft’s Chief Architect Ray Ozzie.
1. Constraints are empowering
2. Accept threats as resignations
3. Never follow; either leapfrog or stop
4. Diversity [...]

3 Quotes That Make You Think

Posted on June 20, 2008 - Filed Under Thought Starters | Leave a Comment

Quote #1 – Google
“Google is making us all stupid.”
Inspired by Nicholas Carr, The Atlantic Monthly
Quote #2 – Airlines

“If airlines really want to cut costs and be fair, they should start charging people based on body weight — not just on how much”
Inspired by Dana Kozlov, cbs2chicago.com
Quote #3 – Housing

“The American housing bust has become [...]

Think About It

Posted on May 14, 2008 - Filed Under Thought Starters | 7 Comments

Here are some statistics that will blow your mind:
1. Nike launches a new sneaker every seven hours.
2. Coke puts out a new product every 21 days in Japan alone.
3. Grand Theft Auto IV took in $500 million globally in its first week.
4. Hillary Clinton has spent $157,384,855 in an attempt to become president.
The scale of [...]

These Graphs Show Universal Truths

Posted on March 27, 2008 - Filed Under Thought Starters | 4 Comments

I have written previously on information design and how by representing information in a graphical way, it is easier to understand. I believe that I have come across a couple of universal truths over the past couple of weeks. Instead of sharing them with you in a long-winded article, I thought that it would serve [...]

Behaviour Modification 101

Posted on February 21, 2008 - Filed Under Thought Starters | 3 Comments

*Nerdy article alert!
In Tuesday’s article, I wrote about how people like surprises. But why? And how does that affect how my behaviour? Luckily, behavioural psychology has some answers. Humans respond to rewards. I mean, I like getting stuff when I do things well. Especially if that stuff is a free beer. Once again, I digress. [...]

The Idea Drunks at ?What If!

Posted on September 11, 2007 - Filed Under Cool Ideas, Inspiration, Thought Starters | Leave a Comment

There is a company in the UK who’s sole purpose to educate people on how to have kick ass ideas and encourage innovation in companies. It’s called “?What If!” They are the people you hire when you want your senior management team to push the envelope and champion new ideas. Basically, [...]