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7 posts from May 2011

May 25, 2011

Thoughts of a Feather Flock Together

You've changed the way you think, and may have changed the way others think, but is your message getting out past that point?

Below is a snapshot of two different Birder conversational hubs. [Birders are those who keep an active count of the bird species they see.] Hardcore birders have friends all over the world and yet the conversational links show how they stick with their flock. (thanks eCairn)

One color represents the US Birder connections and the other UK Birder connections. You would think that the crowds would overlap more. 

It made me think about other silos-of-though that we operate in -- are we just talking to others just-like-us, or should we spread our wings and ideas further? It's something to consider for your next world-changing event. 

 

Screen shot 2011-05-24 at 9.15.22 AM

May 24, 2011

Are Your Words Being Filtered Out?

Screen shot 2011-05-24 at 7.15.32 AM Do you trust your search engine?

Through access to free publication on the Internet, we are finally able to express ourselves and embed our spirit into the common society only to have it silo'd into a group think mentality. ERrrrrrr Ladies, beware. 

It's one thing to put out new information and another to know that it may never meet with readers because their readership pattern and practice pre-determines what they will see on the web. Scary, eh? No wonder the red states are getting redder and blue states bluer, there is no cross-pollination of information. 

Google, Facebook and other tools are serving up an echo chamber of ideas and people to users. For example, if you read about dogs several times, then you would start getting more and more pet articles in your searches even if you didn't request them.

Below, this TED talk of "Beware of Filter Bubbles" by Eli Pariser explains the issue in a more compelling way. Or you can pick up the book.   It's given me a new respect for RSS feeds that you can select and not have changed.

May 18, 2011

Bag it. Tag it. Tell it. (in Facebook)

Screen shot 2011-05-14 at 1.56.21 PM

How are you changing the world? Changing political parties? Changing the way you eat? Changing the way you interact with others?

How about changing the way you interact with Companies? 

Companies are now able to scan every blog, RSS feed, Tweet, Facebook post, and comments to all of the above for brand names, hot issues, whatever... They are listening intently for what we are saying, who we are saying it too, what products we mention, and if what we said was positive or negative. 

So think about the ramifications of that; just by reporting what you do daily on Facebook and other places you can have a huge impact on corporations. All you have to do is TAG a picture of what you bag during your last shopping trip and name drop product names along with your pro/con feelings.  

Pictured is my bag of goodies from the Orange, CA Farmer's Market. This is the Market's second week of existence. I was looking for organic and pesticide-free products. By giving a positive plug for the new Orange, CA Farmer's Market on Cypress and Palm (Saturday's) and for Organic Food, I put my mouth where my money just went.

Why Tagging works.

In a recent Fast Company article, the author implied that TAGGING pictures in Facebook is a far more effective way to get a company's attention than hitting the "LIKE" button. *Like* isn't buying, but once you buy something, you carry more clout. 

I'm going to make it a habit on my FB page going forward. What I purchase is a tiny vote, but posting what I bought and maybe telling others why will have an impact on the marketing world for decades.

For the record, I purchase organic fruits and vegetables because my husband's immune system is already compromised and shouldn't process more pesticides. I also shop at Whole Foods and Mother's Market.  I stopped shopping at Trader Joe's because I don't trust that their "organic" label is telling the truth. They need to earn my trust back. 

May 12, 2011

Women are Buying "Fair Trade" over Organic (messages)

Screen shot 2011-05-12 at 6.46.01 AM

Changing the message.

You've seen the stats, 93% of groceries are purchased by women. That means that trillions of in the Gross Domestic Product dollars of the United States goes to what we select as we fill our carts. When it comes to coffee, more and more of us are selecting "Fair Trade Coffee," we are willing to pay more to be fair.

According to a Harvard, MIT report "FAIR" is the new "GREEN" in product offerings and by proxy -- advertising messaging. Apparently being "fair" motivates us to spend more than "shade grown" (allowing the diversification of the forest and birds to live); or "organic" (not using pesticides to grow the crops); "low carbon footprint" (the driving reason for the green movement). And it also motivates us more than "NEW" 

Screen shot 2011-05-12 at 8.14.39 AM The fair trade label on coffee packaging can increase sales by up to 13% and the "buy power" doesn't drop off even when the price was increased by 8%. We want to be fair and we will pay a premium to do it.

As a marketer and observer of human behavior I find that study fascinating and at the same time want to slap myself. Of course playing fair has an impact on our willingness to pay more. Duhhhh.  We've been "NEWed" to death and know that it has no real value -- playing nice and fair is what we all want for the world on a very primal level. No one needs to educate us on what "being fair" means.

How primal is it?  In a 2003 study by Sarah Brosnan and Frans de Waal at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center and the Living Links Center, they found that even in monkeys, "decision-making is based as much on an emotional sense of fairness as on rational considerations." [thank you Kelly Duncan for the write up]  The monkeys would share food with others if they both did equal work. 

In the National Geographic coverage: "Only female capuchins were tested because they most closely monitor equity, or fair treatment, among their peers, Brosnan said.

Partners of capuchins who made the swap either received the same reward (a cucumber slice), or a better reward (a grape, a more desirable food), for the same amount of work or, in some cases, for performing no work at all."

They point that Dr. Brosnan was trying to prove is that our sense of fair play is in our DNA first, it wasn't taught to us although it can be embedded into the culture later. 

When your Mother told you that life's not fair, she was probably right, but that doesn't mean that we don't stop trying to be more fair in our everyday choices such as Fair Trade Coffee, or selecting products that don't harm another woman's family on the other side of the planet. 

May 08, 2011

In Honor of All the Working Moms

Mom's Rising created this very fun way to put your Mom's name in lights, per se. Go Here and give it at try then send it to her along with the flowers.

Screen shot 2011-05-08 at 8.24.18 AM

In honor of Bena, my best buddy/Mom who was rarely paid for all the work she did. Happy Mother's Day.

May 07, 2011

Hat's off (or on) for Women

"Until this group took over the park, nothing happened."  Bill Cunningham on the Women's Conservatory fund raiser for Central Park.

Click on the link to see a video of all the wonderful hats. 

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/05/06/fashion/100000000808458/on-the-street--mad-hats.html

Screen shot 2011-05-07 at 9.45.13 AM


May 04, 2011

NOW CASTING: Women Working in Touch or Interesting Jobs

Are you ready for your closeup? This opportunity came into my email today. The clock's ticking, if you fit the job description act in the next two weeks. This is NOT a back-biting, reality show. The style will be more like a documentary. 

Do you take a lot of flak for working in a so-called “Man’s job?”  Are people often shocked that you’re employed in such a tough environment?  Are you tired of having to repeatedly explain that women are fully capable of doing the rough work that men can?  Is it time to expose the reality of your chosen profession to the world?

A Major Television Production Company is currently seeking women who work in jobs that may be considered tough, interesting or dangerous.  Would the day-to-day struggles and successes of your line of work make a great reality show?

Please submit the following to [email protected]:

1.  Name

2.  Phone Number and Email address

3.  A current photo of you and any co-workers that are interested, if applicable

4.  A description of your job and what makes your work dangerous

5.  A description of why you think your line of work needs to be showcased

6.  Statistics on your job (how many people work with you, the environment in which you typically work, anything further describing your occupation)

 

Brandon McCormick

FremantleMedia NA

Casting / Development Producer

818.480.7167 O

213.503.1876 C

[email protected]