Kelli Peterson — 12 March 2010
Most of us have come of age in a time of great prosperity. Our muscles of self-restraint are nearly non-existent. Across all economic classes, we have been cultivated to believe we can have and do anything at any cost. In fact, cost has been a non-issue and we have taken great pains to push aside the notion that compromise of any sort was undertaken to achieve social status, professional success or our material possessions.
Dave Decelle — 24 June 2009
I can’t believe how easy it is to compost, and how much it reduces the volume of garbage we put out each week. It’s really very simple. We have 2 plastic bins hidden away in a discreet place in our back yard that is full of red worms who love to eat vegetable matter. Under the sink in our kitchen we have a small plastic container that we put all our food scraps into after each meal. Every 2 or 3 days we simply dump the kitchen container into the large bins in the back yard and let the worms do the rest of the work. They produce an incredibly nutrient-rich compost that we then add to our garden, lawn and houseplants twice a year. And other than dumping more food scraps on them, the worms are zero maintenance.
We have grown fond of our worms and the important work they do for us. I wouldn’t quite call them pets, but we do have a phrase in our family: “It’s time to feed the worms.” This is one of my two year old son’s favorite things to do.
This is one of the simplest, hassle free sustainability tasks you can do. How much vegetable matter do you waste by throwing it in the garbage?
LiAnne Yu — 15 June 2009
I’ve recently entered parenthood by becoming a stepmom to my partner’s 14 year old son, and even though I like to think of myself as both young at heart and technologically savvy, I’ve come to realize that when it comes to tech and entertainment, I’m an old fogie. Here are some areas where I’ve experienced myself on the wrong side of the generational gap:
Jennifer Gray — 3 April 2009
The AIG bonus debacle is last week’s news. Still, I wade through articles and opinions, baffled at what sensible people propose. Most troubling is the call to publish AIG bonus-recipient names and leave punishment to gladiators, er I mean citizens. Sound principles like contract law and employee incentive plans vied for my consideration, and I couldn’t quite land on a perspective.
Finally, Judy Samuelson of The Aspen Institute, struck a chord of sound wisdom and strategy, as she’s wont to do. In her WSJ op-ed piece she points out the effect short-term thinking has on our economy. Time is needed to reach new heights – be it a faster pitch, a masters’ degree or product or service innovation. She calls for long term assessment/rewards related to actions and decisions within an individual’s control, instead of the short-term movement (manipulation) of share price.
Like the ‘slow food’ movement, I like the idea of ‘slow business’. I’ve pretty much had it with the faster, better, cheaper, Fast Company, make a buck and don’t look back approach mastered in the dot com era. There are companies and brands that have gone ‘radio silent’. Others are fighting and dying in the public eye and boardrooms across the world. But some are quietly upping the talent of their team, fine-tuning their offering and focusing on steady, sustainable innovation with an eye beyond the horizon. I'm finally ready to place a few bets.
Tommy Stinson — 3 April 2009
We've been hearing a lot about "value" lately, mostly in response to changing consumer perspectives in a recessionary economy. I came across this at PSFK, and was struck by how clearly it communicates that value is a mutable characteristic, wholly determined (at heart) by the buyer.
Dave Decelle — 3 April 2009
When my first child was born I decided to adopt safer driving habits. I had 3 easy rules to follow:
• No more than 10% over the speed limit (so 72 mph in a 65 zone).
• At least 1 car length per 10mph of speed between me and the car in front.
• Let jerks be jerks (i.e. no more aggressive driving just for the satisfaction of keeping that tailgater behind me from passing me, from now on just put lots of room between us and let him pass, so what!).
I quickly discovered that my commute to work was way more relaxed and stress-free. When everyone else around you is driving 75-80 mph, you can just cruise along in the right lane without having to figure out your next 5 moves to pass that guy in front of you, and you don’t put yourself in a position to be cut off and pissed off.
By the time gas prices soared to $4 per gallon in 2008, I was already used to being the slowest guy on the road, so I figured I’d slow down even more to save on gas. So I adjusted my first rule from “driving no more than 10% over the speed limit” to “driving the speed limit.” At the same time, I started recording my miles and gallons at the pump to figure out my average MPG.
For the first 2 weeks I still drove 10% over the speed limit and had an average of 31 MPG (I drive a 4 door Honda Civic and it’s almost all highway driving). For the next 2 weeks I drove the speed limit and had an average of 37 MPG.
That’s a 20% savings with only a 10% speed reduction! So I cut my car’s carbon footprint by 20%! (Well, if you only count the gas burned by the car.)
Sure, I have to leave about 6 minutes earlier than when I used to drive faster. But that gives me 6 more minutes for relaxation and reflection each morning and evening, since I can just cruise untroubled in the right lane.
I first started driving as a teen not long after the gas crisis of the late 70s, when highway speed limits were 55 mph. Heck, I could slow down even more. Couldn’t we all? Why hasn’t anyone thought to re-instate the 55 mph limit on our highways? I can only imagine how much that would reduce carbon emissions. It’s a simple, easy step on this very long journey we are on.
You know, now that I’m writing this, I think I’ll try another experiment and for the next 2 weeks I’ll drive 55. Let’s see if I can get up to 44 MPG (without being rear-ended).
Save the planet, save yourself -- how fast do you drive and what’s your commute stress level?
Cynthia Rekar — 2 April 2009
An interesting article in the current issue of Foreign Policy crossed my path the other day titled, “The Long Legs of the Crash” by Daniel W. Drezner. Drezner offers an interesting macro perspective about the impact of our current economy boiled down to “13 unexpected consequences of the financial crisis” covering social, political and global aspects. As a market researcher, some of these predictions popped out in particular. Here are some of them (an explanation for each is covered in the article and can be found at: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4689
1. Skirts will get longer and Playboy centerfolds will be older and rounder. In my previous life in fashion retail, skirt length trends usually got shorter in economic hard times because it requires less fabric so cost less. No comment for the Playboy centerfold.
2. There will be an increase in web advertising among newspaper agencies (among the ones still hanging on) to help deliver them from bankruptcy.
3. Boomers will stay in the workplace longer because their retirement accounts took a nose dive and can’t sustain them thus keeping jobs from the next generation longer.
4. Conferences on the crisis of capitalism, e.g. Noureil Roubini, will be on the rise as and Great Depression literature will be chic.
I was particularly interested in number 6 “your kids will be savers.” Drezner states “macroeconomic realities in your childhood have a profound effect on your financial choices later in life, regardless of how much money you make.”
Lindsay Adams — 2 April 2009
I first learned about Yelp when I moved to San Francisco and found it to be a really helpful tool since I was new to the area and it was easy to find information on anything from restaurants, bars, doctors, to grocery stores. Basically, for you non-Yelpers, it’s a site where people review businesses, but it’s got such an interested in growing base of reviewers there is tons of information.
It didn’t take long before “Yelp” became a common verb in my vocabulary. When I heard of a place I often decided to “yelp it” before deciding if I wanted to check it out. Yelp has replaced Google for local places and its spreading popularity allows me to Yelp things in cities around the country too! I find this especially helpful when I’m in field and looking for a good dinner spot near my hotel.
Dave Decelle — 1 April 2009
I was reading a National Geographic article entitled “Saving Energy Starts At Home” (March 2009, see story) that caused me to start looking at my own home and lifestyle and its impact on sustainability and climate change. The article follows three families’ attempts to cut their carbon emissions by 80% in one month. (According to some experts, an 80% decrease in carbon emissions is what’s necessary to curb climate change.) Despite best intentions, these families didn’t even come close to their target. But, hey, at least they’re on the path.
Anyway…since then I’ve been more aware of what my family does and doesn’t do to contribute to sustainability and energy conservation. I’d like to share one small moment of pride.
We regularly wash and re-use our ziplock bags. I used to tease my mother about being a cheapskate for doing this when I was just a kid. But now that I do it, it’s all about sustainability for the planet (oh, and it saves me a few dollars each year, too). So one evening I’m dutifully washing a few ziplock bags when I notice what was written on one of them with a sharpie pen – “honeymoon scrapbook photos.” You see, after we got married, my wife made some wedding albums for our parents and a honeymoon scrapbook for us, and she used ziplock bags to separate out which photos went with which album. Well, we got married in 2004. So that ziplock bag has been re-used in our home for 5 years now, and it’s still going strong.
If I think really hard about it, I can’t remember writing “ziplock bags” on our grocery list more than twice since we’ve been married. How many boxes of ziplock bags do you go through each year?
And, no, I haven’t weighed the impact of using all that water and soap to keep washing bags versus the carbon emissions to produce, package, ship, buy and dispose of new bags. But I gotta believe I’m on the right track.
Tip: Did you know that some grocery stores have a plastic bag recycling drop-off station? In fact, there's a very sturdy bench outside the store that is 90% constructed out of recycled plastic bags. We all go to the grocery store every week. How easy would it be to save our plastic bags and bring them with us to the grocery store? Ask about it at your local grocery store.
Dave Decelle — 26 March 2009
The Earth, and Life in general, has survived uncounted cataclysms over the billions of years of Earth’s history. Species come and go, but the Earth is eternal (well, relatively speaking anyway).
According to some geologists, the Earth was completely covered in ice for millions of years, during which only bacteria and the simplest of plants survived, while many forms of life became extinct (see story). Now I’m not talking about some mini ice age like the one 15,000 years ago where the glaciers moved as far south as Cape Cod. I’m talking about the entire planet covered in ice, from the poles to the equator. What beat back the ice? A global-warming, climate-changing, greenhouse effect caused by volcanoes spewing CO2 into the atmosphere. Still the Earth survived and generated new life.
Tommy Stinson — 19 March 2009
At Cheskin, most of us spend quite a bit of time on the road. This gives us a unique opportunity - the pleasure, really - of seeing widely varying and disparate parts of the world from an insider's perspective. I've recently been more intentional about seeking out unusual or unique things to see and do while on the road, and some of us have agreed to begin sharing the things we uncover with one another. I thought I'd open the discussion with highlights from a recent trip to Nashville, TN.
Leah Hunter — 4 March 2009
Lately, I’ve taken a professional interest in the reputation management wesites like Naymz that are popping up all over the internet. Mostly, because it reflects a trend toward personality-scrubbing and echoes a debate that constantly rages among my friends and colleagues: How much of yourself do you share with others? Where do you draw the line between work and play—friends and “work” friends—friends and clients?...
Caroline van der Pool — 27 February 2009
Every January 1st many people try to adopt a new fitness routine in order to fulfill their New Year’s resolution, and for those first couple of weeks it’s definitely harder to find an open treadmill, a spot for your mat in a yoga class and parking at your local gym. If you exercise consistently during the year, you know that fitness enthusiasm usually fades and everything returns to normal. This year something different seems to be happening, especially in the yoga world.
Lindsay Adams — 27 February 2009
I recently spent an evening speaking to a design class at Berkeley about research and how it’s used when working with design. I came away from the experience with such respect for those that teach on a regular basis. While I spend time presenting to clients and colleagues on a regular basis, speaking to students was a different ballgame altogether. Of course there are the eager to please students asking bright questions, genuinely interested in everything I’m saying, but then there are those in the back of the room not paying attention and in some cases nodding off. I found it hard not to take it personally when it was clear that a portion of my audience has no interest in my presentation. I was assured by the professor that my conversation was intellectually stimulating and helpful for the students, especially as there will be a research component to an upcoming project.
Alfredo Ortiz — 21 January 2009
Waking up this morning after the historic presidential inauguration of Barack Obama, I can feel nothing but pride and hope for this country. Watching the news coverage, I was moved by the tens and tens of thousands of people who flocked to our nation’s capital. I was even more moved by the multi-cultural, multi-racial and multi-generational collection of faces that stretched for miles. With the current economy, our nation and our world are facing the greatest interruption of prosperity since the Great Depression. So as we usher in this “era of responsibility,” I can't help but wonder, how will this impact the spending habits of consumers today?
Lucy Li — 17 October 2008
A recent New York Times article compared and contrasted the two presidential candidates’ plans to improve the “ecology of innovation” in the US. Although not the main topic of the debates, innovation has a major impact on the macroeconomics of the nation. With manufacturing continuing to move to other regions resulting in growing trade deficits, the “saving grace” of the US is the ability to attract foreign investment, thus “balancing” the cash inflow and outflow. Investors are attracted to the potential mega-success of innovations in products and services that the US has been delivering. Numerous experts have agreed that innovation is central to economic growth, improved quality of life, and success in the global marketplace. However, other nations are becoming more technologically advanced and attracting/retaining more talent. Less and less
Tommy Stinson — 4 August 2008
I spoke today at the Media X Conference entitled, "Monetizing Audience Engagement in New Media". My talk was on the importance of basing audience engagement on an anthropological understanding of the audience and what's meaningful to them. Certainly not the most interesting of all the talks given, but hopefully I said something of value.
In preparing for the presentation, I created a slide that addresses an assumption that underlies much of what we do: that products and brands (and services, and channels, etc. etc.) have an inherent symbolic value. Products aren't products in the abstract - they stand for something, and often that "something" is what informs our purchase choice. I was looking for recent examples that could illustrate this point, and was very pleased to find an article detailing responses to the recent InBev acquisition of Anheuser-Busch. I couldn't have found a better example.
Tim Hyer — 13 November 2007
As of 30 days ago, I am Cheskin’s newest employee. Like many things in my life, I can’t help but feel I got here through pure serendipity. I mean, I’ve always been drawn to the idea of innovation, but I could never quite put my finger on why. As a college student, I paired studies in the visual arts with marketing management because I subconsciously saw correlations between the two. To me, it was essential for business to be creative and for design to be strategic. But aside from the distinction thesis I submitted senior year, I had no idea what that meant in the real world.
Denise Klarquist — 5 February 2007
In this morning's Monday Morning Must Read, courtesy of Core77, one of B.L. Ochman's 12 Tenents of Social Media Marketing was highlighted, ...
V. Thy communications must pass the "who cares?" test
Abandon ye all communications that are long-winded, formulaic, boring as hell, and laden with superlatives and marketing babble.
Write down your concept in one sentence. Then ask yourself, and answer honestly, "So what?" If it still sounds like a good idea, proceed to rewrite it, over and over, until it has not one extra word.
I hold this close to my heart and use it every chance I get. But it's much easier said than done.
Miguel Gomez Winebrenner — 4 January 2007
On a recent holiday trip to Europe my wife and I experienced a technical glitch aboard one of the Eurail trains, which was handled in a way that ended up reminding me of a conference where I learned how kids can help calibrate our leadership skills.
First of all, I believe the train system in Europe is fairly decent, and I’m not exactly sure what caused the trouble, but as the train came to a stop all of the attendants/operators huddled together and were discussing how to solve the problem. We couldn’t understand all too well, but it was clear that they were trying to organize each other and assign responsibilities. However, they were over-analyzing the problem, to the point where nothing was actually being done to solve the issue. In America, we could refer to this as too many cooks in the kitchen. The problem was finally solved, but it reminded me of something I learned at a forum a few years ago.
Specifically, it reminded me of a leadership forum organized by NAMIC where we learned about leadership from the way kids rationalize certain things. In order to get to this point, the forum leader asked us four questions (that are routinely asked by child psychologists):
1. How do you get a giraffe into a refrigerator?
2. How do you get an elephant into the refrigerator?
3. The Lion King is hosting a huge party for all the Animal Kingdom, and everyone’s invited. But, one animal does not show up- what animal does not show up?
4. There’s a small river that is usually infested by deadly crocodiles, and you need to cross it. How do you get across?
— 31 October 2006
After 8 months at Cheskin, today is the first day that I’m not staffed on a project. So it’s a good day to blog and to reflect on my experiences to date.
Cheskin is a very interesting place. The more I learn about our projects and our people, the more curious and engaged I become. There is a huge talent pool here, in terms of both research and life experiences.
Lee Shupp — 5 May 2006
A very interesting thing is happening in the virtual worlds of online gaming: virtual currency is being exchanged for real dollars as virtual goods and services are bought and sold online. Several good articles on this phenonenon have appeared over the past week: Business Week's cover article on Second Life, and Cool News' posting Monday on the first ATM that converts virtual dollars into real money. (Players of Entropia can now covert 10 PEDs, or Project Entropia Dollars, to one US dollar, and that US dollar can be downloaded from an ATM.)
If you earn virtual dollars online, you can now exchange them for cold hard cash! What is going on here?
What is the future of virtual currency?
Davis Masten — 20 April 2006
“I wish you the decency and nobility of which you are capable.”
Jonathan Daniels said this years ago in his college graduation speech. Jonathan, sometime later, gave his life stepping in front of a shotgun blast directed at an African-American woman in Alabama. He had gone to Selma at the call of Dr. King.
Jonathan’s words and behavior are alive and well with me; as they are with my friend Cabell Brand, who pointed out the words to me. And now, I hope, with you.
Thank you Jonathan.
Denise Klarquist — 3 January 2006
I love the new year – a chance to look at what was accomplished… and what wasn’t; what worked… and what didn’t. It’s the opportunity to course correct, build on success and start fresh with a renewed sense of what’s possible.
We’re fortunate that we’re starting out of the gates with great momentum – a new website (please feel free to take a look around) and a new book (on store shelves in a few days). Like a good race strategy though, the key will be in a careful plan and a moderated pace that will keep us on track and not too burned out before the end.
However, I don’t believe in slow and steady wins the race either. You have to make room for spontaneity and unforeseen opportunities – that’s where you learn and that’s what makes it all fun. So what is Cheskin making room for in marketing this year?
Davis Masten — 19 December 2005
I was staggered the other day when I heard Intel's Chairman Craig Barret say that 90% of the products his company delivers on December 31st did not even exist on January 1st of the same year. Wow! A company that huge moving that fast. I would hate to compete with Intel.
P&G has also accelerated. Take a look at Tide, for instance. Tide has quickened the pace of new product introductions from Tide with Febreeze to Tide Cold Water to Tide with a touch of Downy to products that add devices or implements like Tide Buzz, Tide To Go, Tide Stainbrush and Tide Kick. They have changed the rules they wrote in the detergent business and are forcing their competitors to accelerate their pace or fade away.
Denise Klarquist — 22 September 2005
As I write this, I’m on vacation sitting in a friend’s apartment in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Over the past 2 weeks I’ve been struck by how small the world is and yet how different its nuances.
For instance, today I was in Liberdade, a section of Sao Paulo populated by generations of Japanese immigrants where sushi bars and Sanrio knockoffs line the latern covered streets. As I was buying a coffee flask made in China from a Japanese man speaking Portuguese, my assembled in Mexico cell phone rang with a call from my car repair shop in San Francisco letting me know that my tires had arrived for my German made car.
Jennifer Gray — 19 September 2005
Criticism. I think it's a delicious form of feedback.
I'll admit it's an aquired taste and like avocados or sushi or chocolate, there are times when I'm in the mood for it and times when I'm not. I receive one bit of criticism over and over again. Yes, I'm good. Yes, I add value. But there's this one little thing standing in the way of greatness.
Christopher Ireland — 13 September 2005
Cheskin is fortunate enough to work with some of the finest people around. As evidence of this, I'd like to publically acknowledge the recent generousity of our friends at Sun, Mattson, Method and salt.
Leigh Marriner — 12 September 2005
There is an interesting shift afoot in the PC industry. Google wants to bring consumers into its ecosystem as soon as they open their PC, and completely bypass the Windows desktop ecosystem. In this model, the PC and Windows are just a conduit to the web, necessary only to manage the hardware and peripherals, and Google is akin to an internet operating system. Google is following an integrated model offering many services in one place (not unlike what Microsoft did with Office on the PC) so a home PC user can do most of what they want to do from the Google platform. Google uses each of its services to promote its other services – search, mail, blog, social networking, photo management, shopping, TV and movies, etc.
Handling photos is a good example. Consumers are confused over what software to use to save, edit, organize and print their photos. Google offers Picasa for free and positions it as the place to start when downloading digital photos. Then consumers can use Hello to photo-share and chat, or Blogger, or attach a photo to an email. Google may be able to monetize this consumer traffic by passing consumers on to printing sites for a share of revenue, plus they get advertising revenue on their site based on number of eyeballs.
This scenario could end with consumer’s primary emotional attachment and brand identification on the PC being with Google. Will we see a $200 Google PC that accesse the web, supports email and IM, manages photos, schedules and online shopping and integrates with your mobile phone?
Darrel Rhea — 6 September 2005
I spent the long Labor Day weekend reading a multitude of business and economic publications and watching major corporate advertising on mainstream TV…and am shaking my head today as I come back to the office. Even after decades of aggressive competition in the market and an increasing consciousness among executives and entrepreneurs about what creates demand, it is surprising that so many just don’t get it right. Despite a general recognition that what does work is to offer products that have greater value for customers – that is, that the products deliver meaningful experiences to them -- corporations often get side tracked by focusing too heavily on creating internal value. Yes, corporate initiatives such as leveraging technology, core systems, supply chains, financial structures, alliances, channel partners, etc., are important for strengthening a company. But initiatives like these hardly provide the incremental innovation needed to keep up with a demanding customer base much less create the breakthrough innovations required to be a market leader.
Part of the work that we do here at Cheskin that I am most passionate about is helping companies learn and apply processes for innovation that counts: creating customer value through meaning. As mentioned in my latest BusinessWeek Online article “Understanding Why People Buy,” it’s not a new concept – but one that begs exploration and systemization in new ways. No doubt you’ll be seeing more comments about that here.
Christopher Ireland — 4 September 2005
David Brooks knows America. The conservative NY Times columnist, PBS pundit, and author of Bobo's in Paradise, has consistently demonstrated an ability to understand the deepest motivations of the country's citizens and accurately predict their behavior. In his column today, which recounts the utter failure of the government's initial response to Hurricane Katrina, he predicts,
"Katrina means that the political culture, already sour and bloody-minded in many quarters, will shift. There will be a reaction. There will be more impatience for something new. There is going to be some sort of big bang as people respond to the cumulative blows of bad events and try to fundamentally change the way things are."
I've been too horrified and anguished by what I saw this week to comment in a blog, but David's column made me think about the cultural change this disaster will prompt. I agree with his assessment of the public's reaction. When government makes us mad, we argue and complain. But when it makes us feel ashamed of ourselves, we change it. More importantly, we change the conditions that spawned it.
There are a number of ways I think people and culture in the US will change in response to what happened in New Orleans and the surrounding area. Here's a few:
Darrel Rhea — 1 September 2005
I have been listening to NPR by day and watching CNN at night, observing the unfolding of the horror in the South wreaked by Katrina. The stories that the reporters have been telling often border on the incredulous. Despite the constant barrage of information and images, sometimes I am almost in denial about it all —could this be happening here? And to our own people? Clearly there are whole cities and towns completely wiped out…and those inhabitants and visitors who have survived are suffering horrifically.
Thanks to an email I received from United Mileage Plus today, I was jogged into remembering that I needed to donate to the relief efforts now underway. I did so immediately, responding by going to the American Red Cross. Some firms are giving in-kind goods, such as Anheuser-Busch donating 825,000 cans of water to the Red Cross. It’s encouraging to see that some outpouring of help is starting to build. I’ve begun noticing other online links to donation sites, such as on the homepages of A9, Amazon and Google. After surfing around, it’s clear that many online retailers and even news organizations aren’t on the bandwagon yet – we all could put up a link on our homepage reminding people that we need to support the victims now, with a link to an appropriate service organization. You can at least click on one of them right here: AmeriCares and Operation USA. Do it now.
Jennifer Gray — 1 September 2005
I haven’t been able to get my arms around the level of disaster caused by Hurricane Katrina. I scoffed at news reports of a Category 5 hurricane and the urgency to evacuate. How many of these ‘supposed’ disasters do we hear about, only to find out it wasn’t as bad as anticipated? I thought the news programs were just trying to rile us up during the slow month of August. Normally I get a little adrenaline rush from an impending disaster and find myself watching more news than usual. Not this time. I was gonna rise above it and not get pulled in by the dire predictions. Even after the storm hit, I knowingly nodded as I heard the storm was downgraded to a Category 3.
Watching TV, I still didn’t quite ‘get’ the magnitude. I watched looters and got irritated. I figured it was like Loma Prieta and surely they were just showing us the small ‘pockets’ of town that were damaged. I’m not sure what it was, but the disaster just didn’t register for me. This morning, I picked up the Chronicle and read.
“Chaos gripped New Orleans on Wednesday….and officials said there was no choice but to abandon the city devastated by Hurricane Katrina, perhaps for months.”
I’m not sure why that hit me the way it did. Abandon the city? New Orleans? The town where I saw my good friend Anne get married; the place where I was fortunate to spend a blurry weekend with Chris fueled by Hurricanes and great music before he died suddenly two weeks later; the place where I feuded with my sister and didn’t speak for months after; the place where I’ve heard great music simply by wandering through a dark doorway? New Orleans. Abandoned? For months?
It’s finally hit me. I watched the news with a different understanding and read the paper with a new curiosity. These people need our help. I donated through MercyCorps. Please think about the people throughout the four states whose lives have been turned upside down. If you can help, please do so. Select a charity that works for you and do what you can. There are an infinite number of possibilities listed on the internet.
Darrel Rhea — 2 August 2005
Because our work was profiled in Malcolm Gladwell’s book, “Blink,” it generates a lot of questions for me on a weekly basis. It makes sense to comment on how “thin slicing” connects to the reality of shoppers making buy decisions on packaged goods. (For tips on how to deal with the retail experience overload, see my previous blog, “Mastering the Grocery Shopping Experience.”) People base their buying decisions on a strong feeling they get which isn’t necessarily rational but usually justified on some levels. The feeling that drives their decision is intuition, and what Gladwell calls “thin slicing” – but it’s not always right, just as any subjective opinion isn’t always right.
Why do we thin slice in the store? People do it out of self defense, simply because there’s so much stimuli in any retail environment that it virtually impedes shoppers from operating rationally. After all, most stores carry between 25,000 and 40,000 separate products, each with multiple packages. If you attempted to consciously “see” even a fraction of those, you would experience mental overload! --your brain would slow to a crawl and you would vulnerable to predators (like those old ladies with shopping carts that might run you over). It’s an evolutionary coping mechanism.
Denise Klarquist — 27 June 2005
I'm getting back into managing our Cheskin blog so the pressure is on to refocus on what's new in the blogosphere. I've just spent the last couple hours browsing new places and visiting some old faves. I'd forgotten how useful and how distracting blogs can be.
I was very happy to see that Dina Mehta whom I had the pleasure to meet a few years ago, was given an honorable mention in the AO/Technorati Open Media 100. The list is quite impressive as is Dina's blog. She very much deserves the honor.
I also found that John Porcaro has been having the same problems as me when it comes to keeping up with blogging. But his most recent blog on Microsoft's CMG was insightful and very relevant to the work we do with that group.
Darrel Rhea — 25 June 2005
Recently Ed Batista and I traded emails on Malcolm Gladwell's Blink – specifically Gladwell’s positioning of focus groups as a "a tax on revolutionary ideas.” Batista asked my take on Gladwell’s comment on focus groups as being detrimental to innovation. My reply was that market research has already evolved beyond where Malcolm is talking about it. Focus groups are an easy target because they are misused and over used. There will be 950,000 focus groups conducted in the world this year, and yes, some real atrocities will result from some misapplications of a perfectly good methodology. But that is only one method used in research, and there are plenty of others that do a great job of informing designers and the design process. Cheskin’s been making speeches about this since the early 80’s.
Contrary to Ed’s POV, Malcolm doesn’t pose a stiff challenge to traditional techniques. What he posed instead is a challenge to the mindless application of one specific technique by clients who demand focus groups – and an industry of researchers who don’t know better. The reality is we evolved a highly sophisticated design research practice decades ago, using ethnography and a host of other tools proven to be effective and fully endorsed by design innovators.
You don’t use focus groups to evaluate revolutionary ideas. They can provide context for them. They can facilitate the generation of them. This is old news now getting broad exposure, but better late than never. That’s Gladwell’s welcomed contribution.
Gary Feldman — 23 June 2005
My last blog talked about the entertainment industry—specifically theatre and cinema owners—worrying about the potential simultaneous release of films on DVD and in theatres, and how they are not recognizing an opportunity to innovate the movie-going experience.
Last week “Batman Begins” grossed $47 million at the box office but still couldn’t pull Hollywood out of its worst slump in 20 years. Even blockbusters aren’t enough.
So what is?
Christopher Ireland — 23 June 2005
OK, I admit it. I'm in love with another man. Despite the headache this may cause me at home, the adoration I have for Thomas Friedman is beginning to take on signs of true romance. Granted, he doesn't know I exist, but he sends chills up my spine nonetheless.
His NY Times column is always my first read on Sunday. I loved The Lexus and the Olive Tree which gave great insights on globalization, and his latest book, The World is Flat, (a deadly accurate assessment of global competition and innovation in the coming decades), simply knocked me out.
This is not an adolescent infatuation. He's a pleasant-looking guy, but his biceps have nothing on his brain. What really does it for me is how boldly he thinks--and that he has the courage to speak loudly and decisively. Like his June 17 NY Times column titled "As Toyota Goes"...
Darrel Rhea — 16 June 2005
Recently my son asked me to read an article in Discover Magazine , on the positive effects of video gaming. My concerns as a parent of a preteen (and several post-teens) about the effects of popular culture on youth influence many of my decisions about allowable activities, or duration of participation. Maybe, according to the many studies cited and various writers’ testimonials in Discover, gaming actually does have positive effects on shaping cognitive thinking -- and perhaps I should view gaming as important to shaping my son’s critical thinking as, say, reading or joining the debate team.
It seems that the addictive nature of games (the good ones) occurs not only because they are entertaining, but because they are challenging to the gamer at the appropriate level every step along the way, thereby taking the gamer to his/her point of “Flow” or what cognitive psychologists termed “regime of competence.” This is a core principal of learning: as the gamer (learner) becomes more proficient, the activity, characters and subcontext become more complex and rewarding.
Denise Klarquist — 7 June 2005
I just ran across the new Inside Market Research blog by Gregory Kohs. I’m flattered he listed us on his site (thanks Gregory!). I’ll be curious to see how his site evolves given that he’s cut a wide swath from survey research to consulting, where Cheskin characterizes itself (though certainly grounded in customer experience).
While public opinion surveys and their results are quite fun (my guess for the missing cat names are Tiger and Shadow… am I close??), my interest lies in the insights within the results. What do these names really say about cat lovers?
Darrel Rhea — 5 June 2005
As I fly high over Utah this Sunday morning, I’m experiencing one of those rare moments of solitude that pop up while traveling. Beautiful skies, clouds, landscape, and some great music on the headphones. How lucky I am to be flying 500 miles an hour in an aluminum tube, miles high and watching the sun play on Earth’s cloud formations.
It is so easy to keep my head down and plow through my day, and close myself off to the beauty that surrounds me. And it is so hard to stop, tune-in and sense what is happening around me, and then re-evaluate if what I am doing matches up with my environment. I go on to the next thing, not necessarily the next right thing.
While that might sound like a “stop and smell the roses” theme, it is really something much more important. The ability to see one’s situation in an open way, calibrate one’s perceptions/preconceptions and take action is a core trait of a survivor. I don’t just mean a survivor of an emergency situation, but a survivor of life. People who are successful and thrive in life have the ability to get off autopilot and really notice the reality of their situation, and then take responsibility for acting appropriately.
Christopher Ireland — 31 May 2005
Over the last year, I've concentrated a significant amount of my time on training. When you have an organization like Cheskin that constantly responds to market changes, ongoing training is not a luxury. Without it, we'd quickly become chaotic and disorganized.
Initially, I approached this task with some reluctance because I thought of training in traditional terms: mundane, repetitive, the realm of grey-haired ladies in crisp white shirts. I like crisp white shirts, but everything else had to go.
I'm no longer reluctant. In fact, I actually enjoy our training sessions now. For good reason...
Darrel Rhea — 7 May 2005
Cheskin is big on collaboration, and we are always looking for new ways to enhance our communications. That’s why I took notice when the people who run Sun Labs showed off two of their new products to me at Sun Labs Day. Given that Sun has invested over $8 billion in research over the last 4 years on the coolest future technology, getting an invite to this small event is a privilege. To call their open house (held at the Computer History Museum) a “geek fest” is an understatement. I found myself in conversations about metacircularity, acoustic resonance spectrometry, and squawk technology. (It should go without saying that I understood nothing about these, but used the opportunity to refine my intelligent, sincere nod –- it’s all in the eyebrows.)
The first was “Office Central.” The goal of this system is to provide remote workers some of the social advantages that workers in a central location enjoy.
— 29 April 2005
The "Presidential $1 Coin Act" passed our House of Representatives this week by a bipartisan-happy margin of 422 to 6. Perhaps this conjures images of Nero fiddling - with all the problems in the world, our government has decided to spend time and resources on a tried-and-true failure for an amazing THIRD time.
Not so fast. I would bet you a Susan B. Anthony and a Sacagawea dollar that this will be a great success - even if you never see the new dollar coin. It's all thanks to the most basic marketing principle: know your audience.
Darrel Rhea — 26 April 2005
Cheskin is full of great people who are committed to performing with excellence in their job, but one stellar example is Terri Gubi. Terri understands intuitively what the Cheskin experience should be and has expanded her role to be instrumental in delivering it. Almost everyone in Cheskin’s community interacts with Terri daily; she’s a central touch point for all of our clients and our internal teams.
Terri asked that her title be changed from “Receptionist” to “Concierge” because she defines her role to be about serving us. When you call or visit, Terri is the competent, compassionate human being ready to help you do what is needed. She runs a tight ship, keeping track of approximately 85 people on a day to day basis, but always has smiles and friendly words.
If there's a world event that puts one of our travelers in danger, Terri is the one who arrives at work already knowing where that person is, if they're safe, and who in their family needs to be contacted. Clients? Terri knows all of them. Projects? She knows about most of them too. Need a restaurant in the area? Terri’s got your reservations. Birthdays? Babies? Illness? Terri's on it.
Every now and then, companies are given a gift in the form of an 'employee' who gives their heart, soul and brain to the company. Our gift is Terri Gubi, Concierge.
Christopher Ireland — 22 April 2005
Usually you see the phrase "style and performance" in the description of a sports car. But I immediately think of the women at Cheskin. Why? Because the vast majority of females at Cheskin are both exceptionally skilled in business and comfortable expressing their interpretation of femininity.
I suppose this is expected by some, but I when I attended B-school in the early 80's, I had to sit through a class titled "Dress for Success" that taught me to downplay feminine inclinations (and wear a small bow around my neck, kind of like a pampered cat). You won't find any women wearing bowties or behaving like pampered cats at Cheskin. You also won't find them pretending to be men.
What you will find...
Maria Flores Letelier — 14 April 2005
There has been much interest in capturing the billions of consumers in emerging markets in recent years. A commonly cited statistic is that there are 4 billion people making less than US$1500 per year worldwide.
The “bottom of the pyramid” appears to offer great potential for market expansion for many companies. In Mexico, there are 45 million earning less than $200/month. Of the over 35 million Latinos in the US, at least 10 million are underserved. Of those that are banked in the US, many have one checking account with less than $500 average balances.
The current thinking takes into account more than just the pure size of the market; many leading experts have pointed out that disposable income among the poor is the same as that of middle income segments.
After many years of helping companies penetrate transitional markets, I am convinced that the opportunities are huge. However, there are some serious differences that must be considered, as well as some common sense myths that must be dispelled.
The most common challenge I have witnessed for companies is to assume that customers in emerging economies have practices for being customers. To be a customer assumes an ability to enter into a transactional exchange where the terms of engagement are clear for both sides of the agents in a transaction. A common mistake for companies is to try to sell their products to the local distribution channels, small mom and pop shops often operated out of someone’s living room, and assume that these entrepreneurs desire to grow their business and accumulate wealth as a matter of fact. On the consumer side, the same mistake is made. Companies assume it to be obvious that a consumer will want to “consolidate debt” or receive discounts for bulk purchases. The assumption is that all human beings behave according to the principle of rational optimization of personal utility. The problem is that this principle assumes that someone lives in a transactional world with transactional practices, as modern customers do. It assumes that people understand what it means to be a modern day customer.
Davis Masten — 10 April 2005
I am Thomas Friedman fan. His new premise that the world is flat both excites me and frightens me. The premise is simple. In the flat world, competition is abundant and those countries like China and India want to move from products that say Made in China to Designed in China. Essentially, the USA as the world’s innovation engine is soon to be challenged like never before. The American way of life has not been as endangered since the beginning of the cold war.
Darrel Rhea — 8 April 2005
Two days ago, the NY Times reported that Taco Bell finally caved to a four-year boycott by a group that represents farm workers in Southern Florida to increase the wages of migrant workers and impose a tough code of conduct on Florida tomato suppliers. A senior VP of Yum Brands, which owns Taco Bell– not to mention Pizza Hut, A&W All American Food Restaurants and Long John Silver's – cited a case for “human rights” and that now under Taco Bell’s new labor rules "indentured servitude by suppliers is strictly forbidden."
This is admirable corporate conduct. It is encouraging to think that a behemoth fast food company finally cares about human rights and quality of life for the workers that supply them with product. What I think we have here is a traditional corporate player who wouldn’t normally get involved in migrant labor issues but is now realizing the importance of the Hispanic segment of their market.
From a marketing perspective, Yum is demonstrating serious brand leadership by expressing ethics and values from the point of view of its customers, not just from the point of view of management. It will be interesting to watch how Yum manages the PR on this action, and if this approach spreads to other parts of their organization.
Darrel Rhea — 8 April 2005
Two days ago, the NY Times reported that Taco Bell finally caved to a four-year boycott by a group that represents farm workers in Southern Florida to increase the wages of migrant workers and impose a tough code of conduct on Florida tomato suppliers. A senior VP of Yum Brands, which owns Taco Bell– not to mention Pizza Hut, A&W All American Food Restaurants and Long John Silver's – cited a case for “human rights” and that now under Taco Bell’s new labor rules "indentured servitude by suppliers is strictly forbidden."
This is admirable corporate conduct. It is encouraging to think that a behemoth fast food company finally cares about human rights and quality of life for the workers that supply them with product. What I think we have here is a traditional corporate player who wouldn’t normally get involved in migrant labor issues but is now realizing the importance of the Hispanic segment of their market.
From a marketing perspective, Yum is demonstrating serious brand leadership by expressing ethics and values from the point of view of its customers, not just from the point of view of management. It will be interesting to watch how Yum manages the PR on this action, and if this approach spreads to other parts of their organization.
Davis Masten — 6 April 2005
I just finished a customer satisfaction call from SBC about a service we activated recently at home. Five minutes into the call about how our home was wired/wireless (much of which was with SBC already and they could have just looked), I asked what the benefit was to me that I give them all of this information.
She said “It’s just a survey!” As if this innocuous technique gave them the rights to my personal behavior. She later went onto say it would help them sell us bundles of services in the future. Let’s see, I give them my information so they can make my relationship more meaningful. Nice idea in theory but would they be able to do this in reality?
My primary experience of SBC is one of sales calls three days a week mostly on things that we have already signed up for or for things we have rejected. They are proof positive that their right hand does not know what their left hand is doing. I gracefully got off the call early because I do not trust SBC to be able to get their act together and actually act in my best interest. Customer satisfaction is more than just a survey.
Darrel Rhea — 20 March 2005
Recently one of my colleagues wrote a fairly scathing review of Blink, Malcolm Gladwell’s newest tome after The Tipping Point. While I agree with some of her concerns about the conclusions people may take away from it in terms of unfounded or unfair snap judgments, I find that much of my work (many thousands of research studies) confirms his premise that people process visual information rapidly and on an unconscious level. In fact, his work echoes Cheskin's pioneering work a half a century ago. Blink will likely become Gladwell’s newest contribution to Twenty-first Century cultural idiomatics. But that doesn’t mean that rapid conclusions are always correct, or even that it is a good way to make decisions. Hence, the broad and deep customer studies proffered by Cheskin -- which do, in fact, support well-founded decisions that drive many millions of dollars into wise investment or away from product and brand concepts that would otherwise clearly fail.
Unfortunately, while many businesses do invest in the type of sophisticated research it takes to predict success, not all do—and not all take the advice that they pay for either. And sometimes, they fall prey to their own blinking, such as the failure of New Coke, which Gladwell discusses in Blink based on his interview of Davis Masten and me (most of which is paraphrased in the book).
Jennifer Gray — 14 March 2005
Every Monday we meet to review the prior week's new projects and figure out what new projects are coming in the door. We also laud someone with the "Best Written Proposal of the Week", and a new learning is shared from each group.
It was a small group today so I opened our "Out of Office" calendar. Here's where Cheskinites are today:
Moscow, India, China, Chicago, Milan, Los Angeles, New Jersey, the 'East Bay',
Washington D.C., San Antonio, Baltimore, Bangalore, Frankfurt
Bear in mind -- we're not flying into corners near and far and sitting in a meeting or attending a conference of our peers. We're hitting the streets, invited into the homes and businesses of people all over the world, watching and learning. Now that's perspective.
Davis Masten — 9 March 2005
My wife, Christopher and I have been going to TED since TED 3. When we were TED Virgins, our world was rocked! New worlds were revealed. More recently, we have been energized into taking action. For instance, Christopher came back from TED a couple of years ago and started blogging. It was very edgy and the NY Times covered her in an article “CEOs that blog”.
This year, as usual, I met some wonderful people and saw lots of old friends. While I loved learning more about Biomimicry; drumming under the full moon on the beach in a drumming circle led by Mickey Hart; running in the Nike 5k; being inspired by Bono to make the world a better place; chatting with Dr. James Watson about his latest work at Cold Springs Harbor and other such notable experiences, the thing that shows up in my everyday life the most is how I tie my shoes.
TED gave a chance for members of the audience to have 3 minutes to share something with their fellow TEDsters. One of these brave souls got up and told us how most of us tie our shoes incorrectly. With all due respect to my dearly departed parents, they taught me to loop to the right and circle the knot on the left. What I am now teaching my 11 year old is to loop on the left and cross over on the right.
You never know from TED what will stay with you.
Davis Masten — 9 March 2005
In the March/April issue of Foreign Affairs, Niall Ferguson lays out a thought provoking case in his article “Is Globalization Doomed?”. He draws parallels between the conditions now and 1914. He claims that although the writing was on the wall, few were able to recognize it, much less take action. This reminded me of a set of management interviews I did back in the early 80’s. I was doing a project for the Chairman of Atari where we interviewed over 70 senior managers. Only one person had a clue
Christopher Ireland — 14 February 2005
I don't know what I like more about musicians: that they seem to be completely color-blind; that they actually seek out and revere strong women; that they have an innate sense of good taste in nearly everything; or that they are masters of creating relevant, memorable and meaningful experiences.
If you had the pleasure of watching the Grammy's Sunday night, you have full proof of this. The range of artists was stunning and the music was so good, I had to keep hopping onto iTunes and buying more songs. Influenced by both the words and the delivery, I found myself swearing to be happier, vowing to live life to the fullest, and promising to take those Salsa lessons this year. It's a rare TV show that can make you say "I wish I was there"--but that's exactly how I felt. Highlights?
Felipe Korzenny — 8 February 2005
Being Hispanic in the United States was not "cool" in the 50's, 60's, and 70's. We were punished for speaking Spanish in school, and looked down upon for speaking Spanish at work or almost anywhere. There was a stigma associated with being different and poor.
Marketers could not see any reason to approach a "niche" market like that. In the 70's the US Bureau of the Census needed to come up with a scheme that would aggregate people of Latin American origin in the US. That was mainly for political reasons, but an unprecedented effort. After the 1980, Census found that there were 10 million Hispanics in the US that decade was pronounced "The Decade of Hispanics." All of a sudden Hispanics had a political identity as a group. Little did we know that the power of Hispanics would come not just from politics but also, in a major way, from the economic sphere.
Davis Masten — 13 January 2005
Words can not describe the depth of the tragedy of the Tsunami. Over time, it will rebuild…
As the long process of reconstruction happens my hunch is that new technology will be commonplace. It is not hard to imagine a rebuilt world where the hotels all have communication devices. These small waterproof devices could be given to each person as they check in and can go with each person everywhere they go – swimming, water skiing, scuba diving or dancing. These local communication devices could tie together every member of the family with low power walkie talkies, connect everyone to emergency broadcasts and provide GPS for transactional purposes. These could come in the form of necklaces, wristbands, headbands or earrings. The impression would be more one of fashionable go any where communication devices with location and emergency functionality than a straight reminder that people are vacationing in the land of earthquakes and tsunami.
However reconstruction happens I suspect that the infrastructure will be more up to date there than here in Silicon Valley in the next 5-10 years.
Lisa Leckie — 12 January 2005
“Thin slicing” is the subject of Malcolm Gladwell’s highly awaited new book – Blink. In it, he says that thin slicing is a new kind of rapid cognition – an intelligent way of filtering through your perceptions and understanding of something. “Getting it” in the blink of an eye. Paying attention to what really matters only, as opposed to waiting for all the data to come in before you act on it.
Denise Klarquist — 12 January 2005
In my role at Cheskin leading Operations, I receive an intense amount of information, and share a lot as well. I often wonder what our limit is for information stimulation. When does too much information become a bad thing?
This weekend I watched Jacques Tati's M. Hulot's Holiday from 1953 and immediately after saw the Bourne Supremacy (I know - it was a weird night). The 2 films couldn't have contrasted more - Hulot was simple, quiet and allowed me to explore the nuances of the scenes. Bourne bombarded me with action, dialog, 10 cuts in 5 seconds. No chance to catch the nuance. All I could do was react and try to keep up. Hulot's Holiday allowed me the space to create connections, imagine, anticipate and look (rather than watch). Bourne grabbed my attention but didn't give me a minute to think.
— 7 January 2005
When I’m thirsty... I Wanna....Odwalla. When I’m with friends….I wanna ....Odwalla. When I’m buying my sandwich at the deli at the checkout….I wanna Odwalla. So this got me to thinking - why do I always wanna ......Odwalla?
Denise Klarquist — 23 December 2004
Last night when I pulled up in front of my house in Potrero Hill, I was confronted with about half a dozen kids shouting to each other as they stretched a chain of construction paper links down the block. One girl with clear leadership potential stood at the corner yelling orders to her cohorts. Another ran down the block with a stapler, ready for emergency repairs.
A gang of shouting children isn’t something that's heard on a regular basis at 7pm. I soon learned from the boy that let me pass over the chain to my front door, that it took eight kids two and half hours to create the 3-block long paper chain. It stretched from Goat Hill Pizza on one corner, encircling the block to Chatz Coffee on the corner just below it.
Gary Feldman — 20 December 2004
The internet has enabled many companies and brands to innovate and raise the bar when it comes to the "customer experience." Amazon pioneered predictive "cross-selling" with personalized recommendations, Barnes & Noble offers same-day delivery from your screen to your door, the list goes on.
When comes to the "service" part of the customer experience, the promise was that email and live chat technology would allow companies to provide a higher, quicker level of service at even lower costs. Sometimes that's true.
Unfortunately, too many companies focus on the technology and not the actual experience someone has trying to communicate with them.
— 1 December 2004
In his October article on Design Research, Andrew Zolli limits the interpretation of design to aesthetics and design research to designographics. In addition, he advocates that design research needs to be reinvented. In fact, there are many firms who currently utilize techniques and methodologies that yield rich and innovative design solutions through their craft.
Christopher Ireland — 3 November 2004
We tell our clients repeatedly, "Don't count on changing people's behavior. Even if you have buckets of money. It takes time and/or motivation--not money."
If you read my blog yesterday on the election and the hope that a youth vote would change its behavior and show up to vote, you probably understand why I'm reminding myself of this truism. According to the San Jose Merc, "Many of the people Kerry expected to show - college students and other young people - never made it to the polls. Exit polling for The Associated Press found only one out of seven voters was age 18-29."
Maybe next time.
— 1 November 2004
I was visiting with an old friend I hadn't seen in a while. The conversation meandered to work and they asked how long I had been with Cheskin and how well I liked it.
As I replied after counting on my fingers that it had been 4 months,and that yes, I was very happy. I was somewhat surprised. It felt like I had been with the company longer.
Why? Because in 4 months I have been intimately involved in really great projects that have taken me around globe and I have been challenged to work on stimulating brand problems with talented colleagues.
— 31 October 2004
If you're a fan of politics or the National Football League, you've may have heard of the correlation between the result of the final Washington Redskins game before a presidential election and the fate of the incumbent party. In case you haven't, here's the upshot: when the Redskins win their last game before the presidential election, the incumbent party wins the election; when they lose, the challenger's nominee acquires an alabaster address. This has been true since 1936, when FDR won his second term over the immortal Alf Landon. If you want the gory details, you can find them at http://www.snopes.com/sports/football/election.asp.
So what does it all mean?
Denise Klarquist — 21 October 2004
Growing up in the suburbs of southern California in the 60s and 70s, an appreciation for cultural diversity wasn't something we were raised on. After spending my junior year abroad, I became a passionate spokesperson for the necessity of having culturally immersive experiences. I hadn't realized until then how naive so many of my friends were when it came to recognizing that the rest of the world is just not like us... nor do they want to be.
Fast forward 20 years later...
Jennifer Gray — 19 October 2004
I don't know what happened. I was feeling creative a moment ago. But in one little instant, it left me. Quirky little ways of looking at things evaporated and I was left with a few simple and straightforward thoughts. Experience tells me to be patient. The energy I'm seeking will return.
But for now, I'm reaching out in a simple and straightforward way to creative thinkers who want to join the Cheskin team. Here's who we're looking for:
— 8 October 2004
I recently had the privilege of speaking to a class of bright graduate students at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. The professor, Brenda Laurel, Ph.D., asked me to help her class understand effective ways of speaking to teens in an interview setting.
The students are part of the Media Design Program and were commissioned by a world renowned company to conduct a study that involved teens and technology. My job was to help them get a glimpse at what they would face when interviewing teens and provide guidance on how to be successful at getting them to open up.
Of the countless groups I’ve moderated, I have to admit that speaking to teens is one of the most challenging groups to speak to but by far my favorite.
Gary Feldman — 1 October 2004
Last night’s episode of Will & Grace included a plot element that is part of a trend I refer to as “focus group bashing.” While criticism of focus groups is not something new, it struck me as ironic that those who like to mock or deride this form of research are often in a position to best leverage the learning and insights that this methodology can provide.
Or to put it another way, the creative development process is actually one of the areas where qualitative research can really be valuable, despite the bad rep it gets from questionable advertising, sitcom plots, and disgruntled agency creatives.
Davis Masten — 29 September 2004
It seems we all have an Olympic story. My story starts back in the Spring. It was at the board meeting of Mattson and Co. Mattson is the premiere independent food and beverage development company in the country. I have collaborated with Mattson for over 20 years and been on their board for a few. Anyway, Steve Gundrum, the CEO said he had an unexpected agenda item and he asked the Chairman, Pete Mattson, if we could start with this issue.
Steve explained that Lindsay, the daughter of one of Mattson’s long term employees, Kristie, was playing in the Olympics for the Greek softball team. The employee, a single Mom, could not afford to go to the Olympics. Steve wanted the board to discuss and get approval for a Greek food and beverage tour for Jan. She would stay at the home of Steve’s Greek relatives in Athens. She would also have to sample food and beverages and take notes on opportunities that might apply to Mattson clients. Mattson would pick up her travel expenses and provide a per diem. Most importantly, she could take the time to also be with her daughter and watch her play. We quickly approved the allocation.
Christopher Ireland — 25 September 2004
We regularly counsel our clients on the merits of a strong brand and an engaging brand experience. We extol the virtues of creating an emotional connection with consumers, and we harp on the need for succinct, easy to understand sound bites. We emphasis the need for simple visuals. We cringe when we see ad copy beyond 3-4 sentences.
But when we do this, we're referring to products like butter, or clothing, or software. We aren't referring to presidential candidates.
Denise Klarquist — 24 September 2004
I recently returned from a trip to Spain. My ability to speak Spanish is rudimentary at best. But my exposure to the language everyday at Cheskin has given me the ability to understand a little and at least get the gist of many conversations.
I traveled with a friend fluent in Spanish and so found myself included in many a conversation with shop owners, cab divers, waiters and locals. I'm sure most Spaniards assumed I was as fluent as my companion, so politely directed their conversation my way as well, while I of course politely smiled, nodded and interjected an occasional si si. So were we communicating?
Darrel Rhea — 20 September 2004
Now that Christopher Ireland has relinquished the position of CEO to me, I have been fielding this question most every day. My first response is that I am humbled by the honor to lead such a talented group of people. Many of our folks are the best in the world at their respective specialties. The raw intellectual horsepower and creativity of our people allow us to compete successfully with the largest, most prominent consulting firms and research organizations in the world. Cheskin isn't just any consultancy, so both internal and external expectations are extremely high. This position would be a challenge for even the most experienced CEO, and it certainly is one for me.
It's also a positive opportunity for me to leverage the skills I have acquired over the last 25 years at Cheskin, leading and coaching a diverse range of senior executives, boards of directors, consultants and agencies. I find it exciting to use what I have learned through decades of engagements, to benefit my coworkers within my own organization, who rarely have had the opportunity to see me do my best work.
The part of this job that resonates with me most is that it allows me to be myself. I am most comfortable when I am listening deeply, and have the opportunity to work thoughtfully. My clients express their appreciation for my ability to step back and see patterns, to recognize gaps and opportunities, and then to help focus and realign their team -- all of which I will apply here. And, I most enjoy drawing out the best from people, coaching and guiding them in their commitments, which is what this job is about. Cheskin's management team is top rate and from an operational perspective, the company actually runs itself. I can concentrate on the bigger picture.
Cheskin has consistently been a major innovator in our category of business for over 55 years. While we have led the industry with our perspective, thought leadership, and inventive methodological approaches, our own organization hasn't always benefited from it as much as it might. We have been more driven to defining and practicing the state-of-the-art than building a powerful institution. This is one of the aspects that I see we need to focus on now. Along with having the best people and best consulting and research products, Cheskin will be recognized as a world-class organization and culture.
So, how does it feel to be CEO of Cheskin? I find it to be an exhilarating, stimulating challenge!
Christopher Ireland — 1 September 2004
I've been Cheskin’s CEO for over 6 years, riding the dotcom boom, the recession and now, lately, the rebound. I've learned to be patient (somewhat), supremely accountable, and resilient--all important attributes that I'm glad I've learned.
But I've wanted a change for awhile now. I have no interest in leaving Cheskin (headhunters, pls note)--I just need a new role. I need new challenges and a different vantage point that will keep my thinking fresh and my heart engaged. Fortunately, I have phenomenal partners and senior management who understand this and have graciously allowed me the space to change.
My wonderful friend and partner, Darrel Rhea, is going to take a stint in the CEO role. He’s got exactly the right traits and experience for our current stage, and I have no hesitation about following his lead. I’m transitioning responsibilities to him and we should have that complete by the end of this year. Once I’m freed up, I’ll spearhead our R&D function, corralling all the brilliant ideas that swarm around this place everyday, and trying to find a way to make them come true. I’m also going to spend more time with project teams, training and mentoring the talented folks that have entrusted this phase of their careers with us.
Will I regret giving up the CEO role? Probably every once in awhile I’ll question my choice, but I know it’s the right step for me and Cheskin to take. Hopefully, my new challenges will leave me with little time to rethink past decisions and plenty of opportunities to write new blogs.
Darrel Rhea — 22 August 2004
One of the things I like most about blogs is the immediacy and authenticity I get from being connected directly to people and their experience. So I was disappointed to hear a campaign manager say off record that the blogs of her well known candidate were not actually written by him. They are based on his experiences and ideas, and well, he edits them occasionally…
Too bad. His blogs are juicy, contemporary sonnets, tightly constructed, with just a touch of wit and plenty of intelligence. The type you read and say, “Dang, this person is smart and cool.” Now I learn that it is just another form of media to help position the candidate. It has become a writing exercise for a pro that is operating from a creative brief, mixing up the right balance of values and principles, personality and humility, tone and manner.
Jennifer Gray — 2 August 2004
Nothing works for everybody. I know that. Which is why I'm so grateful to have a job that works for me. Read that sentence again. It's vitally important.
I love to work but I'm not always great at it. Sometimes work becomes this giant mirror for all the things I'm not good at. I can't seem to swing getting in at the same time each day. I have a hard time when everybody doesn't wildly embrace my exceptional ideas :). The list could go on, but I'll exercise restraint.
But you know what? Cheskin is a company that understands how to match people to the work they do best. I can pretty confidently say I'm good at a whole bunch of stuff. I can quickly assimilate information and formulate direction on the fly. I can conceptualize new visions and implement a plan to get there. I'm fair. The list could go on, but I'll exercise humility :).
Davis Masten — 26 July 2004
July 5th was my 30th anniversary at Cheskin. It caused me to reflect. I love the size of the Cheskin playground. With diverse interests and talents, we've got few boundaries and a super bright green light for us to explore our individual areas of interest.
My partners and I have encouraged each other in the pursuit of our passions. We are passionate people who love to explore the intersections and tension points of daily life around the world. Very little of this has been public. Our clients trust us to keep things quiet. In many ways, we're the 'thought' that precedes their 'hype’. So one of the things I have enjoyed through the years are our occasional collaborations to explore publicly themes we find of interest.
Lee Shupp — 21 July 2004
I've just finished a wonderful week on vacation with Backroads, an adventure travel company based in Berkeley, California. This is their 25th year in business, and they showed me both an astute understanding of creating create customer experiences and a REALLY good time.
Adventure travel is for hyperactive children like me, who enjoy outdoor sports, love exploring, crave new experiences, and prefer to go full throttle on vacation. You can pick a sport that you like (biking, hiking, etc) or go on a multi-sport vacation that combines lots of things. I chose a multi-sport trip to Alaska that included hiking, biking, white water rafting, sea kaying, and flightseeing in a small plane. I crammed more experiences into a weeklong vacation than I thought was possible. It was wonderful.
Jennifer Gray — 8 July 2004
The feeling of stress is palpable at Cheskin. July means performance reviews. Need I say more? We're all busy looking back to see what we've accomplished and figuring out how to get better going forward. Wears me out.
Cheskin is at the top of our game. We're selling more than ever. We have such good people they make the place sing. But during reviews, we inevitably self-assess using the harshest and most stringent criteria. Unless we get ranked #1, we feel inadequate and think we're failing.
Last Sunday I watched Wimbledon. The mens' final came down to #1 and #2 in the world. The first set was a beautiful thing for Andy Roddick. Then came the rain. Then came Roger Federer. Four sets and Roger Federer was the 2004 Wimbledon champion. Just like that. Andy Roddick became a 'loser'.
Jenny Daley — 23 June 2004
Don't you just hate it when someone sends you a link to a site that looks really enticing... but you have to register to get in? It drives me bananas. In fact, I don't like linking to any websites that require a login when I'm writing a blog post because I think most people won't take the time to register. But its not just the convenience factor anymore - don't want to give out my email address to companies that are just going to send me spam.
It's come to my attention that I'm not the only one who feels this way. A new website has sprang up to meet the needs of the world's impatient privacy freaks -Bug Me Not. The site allows you to "bypass compulsory web registration" by searching for a login and password for your favorite webpage.
Christopher Ireland — 21 June 2004
It's been a little over a year since we first started our company blog. I think it was a rather bold experiment on our part, and I'm particularly proud of the company's willingness to try something new in full public view. We made plenty of misteps along the way--how could we not--this is very young technology. But, overall, it's been a remarkable learning experience for us and one we now fully endorse for others. In fact, we're exploring ways to use blogging for research purposes, project communication and internal knowledge management.
Cheskin's blog is not a product of our marketing dept. We allow anyone in the company to post; in fact, we actively encourage them and run worksessions teaching them how. We also do not censor anyone as long as they comply with two simple rules: stick to business topics and don't say anything hurtful to others. So far, no one at Cheskin has posted anything we needed to revise. Unfortunately, we can't say the same of others.
Denise Klarquist — 1 June 2004
As you might have noticed via Jennifer's posts or our careers page, we're hiring a lot of people lately. I sat in a meeting this morning with a number of these new people. In fact three of them - Michelle Vasquez, Alyson Madrigan and Julie Norris - just started today.
At Cheskin we have a set of design principals, one of which is "be a powerful presence." All of us are expected to embody this value in some way, however those of us in senior positions here are specifically charged with being strong voices of leadership. Yet as I sat in this morning's meeting I was overcome (or I should say, overjoyed) by the powerful presence of my newer colleagues.
Cynthia Chan — 26 May 2004
My sis-in-law just gave birth to an 8 lb 5 oz baby boy last Wednesday (yep, first baby in the family). She had her baby at the California Pacific Hospital in San Francisco. Her experience in the past nine months was a classic example of how Asian Americans live their lives in “home away from home” – living their life in the US, but also turn to cultures and beliefs they brought along with them. She went to a Chinese American OB/GYN who is bilingual, followed both Western practice as well as the traditional Chinese way of trotting along her pregnancy (including a full-range supply of herbal soup), and named the baby with both English and Chinese names (Kaden, Chi Ho Chan).
Davis Masten — 14 May 2004
It amazes me how often I am asked if I know the right person for thus and so job. Some of these positions are AMAZINGLY GREAT! I think people assume that because I am visible and in research that I somehow know every researcher. The truth is far from it. I've always hung out more with creatives, business types, academics and money people more than market/design researchers. So a couple of months ago when an old friend at a global giant asked who I knew for her 20 open slots, or when I was asked by a VP at another highly visible global giant who we would like to fill a VP slot to collaborate with us, I mostly drew blanks. I wish I knew more researchers. I think this is just another place where perception is not reality. In the meantime, some of the coolest work in the industry is left undone.
— 11 May 2004
I'm currently in Cologne, Germany, finishing up the international portion of our research on a project that has spanned three US markets, London, and finally this beautiful city in the Rhineland. One of my favorite parts of my job here at Cheskin is this opportunity to travel the world, meet people, and reflect. It is wonderful food for thought about our commonalities and differences, but that's another blog for another time.
One of the many reasons our clients work with us (and me!) again and again is because they know they can trust us with their international projects. We take care of thousands of details they never have to consider in order to provide the highest quality research, and insure a seamless experience across each market, regardless of cultural, national, or other boundaries.
Lisa Leckie — 26 April 2004
On my way to work this morning, I encountered three men handing out flyers. As I approached them, they stuck their mechanical arms out in front of me hoping to block my passage and be heard. They came within inches of my mid-section and then retracted at the last second as if some kind of sensor had indicated I was within a mere 25 millimeters. They quite possibly could have been deaf or mute because they didn’t say a word to me – didn’t identify why they were blocking my route, what they were handing me, or why they thought that I should listen to them. Nothing. I started to contemplate why I hadn't taken their flyer until, amidst their paper-pushing, one turned to the other and said, “So, did you have a good weekend?”
Leigh Marriner — 26 April 2004
I read LiAnne Yu’s blog on dinner planning in the 50’s with a feeling of recognition and curiosity. I attended a women’s college that has well attended reunions every five years where we get together and talk about the major issues in our lives for that decade. Even though we are a decade or two older than LiAnne, the same issues remain for working women. Most of us try to do superior work at each of our jobs – working professional, mother, wife, daughter, friend, and keeping our physical and emotional selves in shape. We’ve concluded that we need to redefine success as doing a good or good-enough job, rather than an A+ job, at all these things.
When LiAnne writes “intellectually, she's a working woman and shouldn't have to feel responsible for producing a home cooked meal from "scratch" every night, [for visiting in-laws, but] it is, emotionally, an entirely different issue”, I realize many expectations haven’t changed in the past 25 years. But it’s largely up to us to move the goalpost.
Maria Flores Letelier — 23 April 2004
Every so often, people in the valley start to talk about a new buzzword. Lately, social networking has been the buzzword. The growth and prevalence of social networking sites, such as Friendster and Linkedin, Orkut, and Tribe is generating serious curiosity from many folks in the business community. But are we all talking about the same things? And where does the newness lay? In using the online medium to meet others for business, to date, or in the use of these particular sites? Why does the business community care so much about the phenomena?
Christopher Ireland — 23 April 2004
I cringe when I hear someone in my industry brag that they never watch TV (or only PBS). That's like a pilot saying he ignores weather reports. Like it or not, popular TV reflects crucial aspects of our very dynamic population. It's not an exact representation of our collective values--it's not meant to be--but it is a valid expression of popular culture and an interesting lens on the nation's current mindset.
Right now, I'm hooked on American Idol. It's the only show I will watch in "real time," forgoing the option to save it on my PVR and skip the commercials. This week's results fueled water-cooler talk among millions of other viewers. Why? Because the audience had to rationalize why the three best performers--all Black females--got the least number of votes.
LiAnne Yu — 19 April 2004
I'm reading a fascinating book called "Something from the Oven: Reinventing Dinner in 1950's America" by Laura Shapiro. It's a witty look at the history of women and food in the postwar era. The food industry set out to promise women that they would be liberated from the drudgery of cooking from scratch. The vision: smiling women in pretty aprons preparing frozen dinners, discovering canned soup and Jell-O, ready-mix cakes, and Spam. The author chronicles the hilarious yet tragic tale of Poppy Cannon, author of "the Can Opener Cookbook", who championed such dishes as this one: Spam placed in the bottom of a casserole, then a layer of canned macaroni and cheese, then a layer of canned asparagus, and finally a layer of grated cheese and bread crumbs. Or how about a Red Crest Salad, made from chopped tomatoes and pickles stirred into strawberry Jell-O.
Lisa Leckie — 14 April 2004
I just returned from a trip to Iceland. I didn’t go there to vacation per se, but to see a different world. To find diversity, remoteness, something untapped. Foreign. To stun my perspective. To get me back to reality.
Iceland’s landscape is incredibly diverse. Much of it feels alien. It is easier to imagine how when you think of it comprising 90% of the world’s volcanic activity. A lot of the geo-funkiness is actually as a result of it straddling the North American and Eurasian continental plates. And while it has a population of approximately 270,000, almost no one inhabits the interior and predominantly glacial part of the country (unless you believe in the abominable snowman). Imagine...apart from a few greenhouses yielding small quantities of bananas, a lot has to be imported.
Since returning, I’ve had to consistently answer the question, “So, why would you go there?” And, it’s all got me to thinking. Do others feel that remoteness is becoming harder to find? When was the last time you were traveling globally and were in a public place that didn’t have a single piece of advertising you identified with?
Denise Klarquist — 14 April 2004
A few weeks ago I was invited to give a presentation to the local chapter of the National Charity League. They suggested that I might be able to address the topic of subliminal advertising. The presentation is next Monday, so naturally I'm waiting until the last minute to gel my ideas into a PowerPoint. But in the meantime I've been listening, reading and collecting ideas about advertising with this event and particular request in mind.
Christopher Ireland — 12 April 2004
Things are hot around here lately. Sales are extremely high and all our clients are in a hurry. Just a few years ago, we would have started whining about now--but the recessionary lesson is still very fresh, so no one's complaining. Instead, Denise suggested I send out an email helping everyone at Cheskin deal with the added pressure of growth. Here's what I sent:
Davis Masten — 8 April 2004
Both my personal and professional life is filled with new experiences that define and redefine how I look at the world. I meet people from all over the world who enrich my life in many different ways, and often stun me with their interesting view of life. However, as I referenced in my earlier Assholes blog post, not all of what I experience is positive. ;)
Jenny Daley — 7 April 2004
I’ve been preaching the power of finding information via blogs around Cheskin for the past few weeks. I’m sure I’m starting to sound like a broken record, telling people to search on Feedster, or comb blogrolls for interesting blogs. But the quality of blog information didn’t really sink in until yesterday when I was doing a bit of searching for interesting, cutting-edge conferences. I was shocked to find that my Google queries mainly returned blog entries, rather than static web pages, and that these blog entries had more interesting and useful information than any webpage. For example, one conference webpage only showed a password protected site, with almost no information on the homepage. But the next page I checked (some random blog I’d never seen before) answered the question of why there was no information – the conference is invitation only and the organizer doesn’t allow any information to be disseminated to the greater public. Then it hit me – for the most part we’re all asking the same questions. Someone else out there wanted to understand why he couldn’t get information about this seemingly cloaked conference, and in deciding to write a blog post about it, answered the question for me too.
Tammy Loo — 5 April 2004
A lovely assortment of fruit was delivered to our office the other day. Among the selection were high-in-quality strawberries, kiwis, bananas, pears, apples, oranges and nectarines. As I sat eating lunch in the break room that afternoon, I observed my colleague Laura pick up a fruit, look at the label, and set the fruit back in the basket with a bewildered look. I was curious as to her perplexity so, I picked up the same fruit and read the label. Immediately, I understood. The label listed its PLU code, the name of the fruit (nectarine), and a description: "white flesh". Flesh. That's odd. An image of Dr. Hannibal Lecter in "The Silence of the Lambs", gorging on human flesh, conjured up in my mind and I suddenly felt ill and no longer had an appetite. Flesh to describe a food product certainly does injustice. The labeling got me thinking that companies need to do more research into how customers perceive their products (and the words they use to describe them) if they want their products to be desirable.
Lee Shupp — 2 April 2004
The APF (Association of Professional Futurists) conference on the future of reality led me to a couple of conclusions about reality (whatever that is).
To understand the future of reality, we took an ethnographic tour of the strip in Las Vegas, played in a virtual world called Second Life, and talked about where reality is headed. This conversation required several days and nights of conversation and cocktails ;-)
What is the future of reality? A couple of observations:
— 2 April 2004
I guess I should consider myself lucky...I've never been summoned for Jury Duty until this week. I have to admit, I was curious as to what the experience would be like. (Too many John Grisham novels will do that!) But once I waited in the long line outside the courthouse, went through the metal detector, and finally took my seat amongst the other potential candidates, I couldn't wait for it to be over. At first glance, I took a look around and thought, "This is a great representation of a cross-section of people including every demographic imaginable." We had the businessperson on his cell phone, still trying to conduct conference calls, the stray in the corner occupying two chairs to take a leisurely nap and the group gathered in the back, mesmerized by Oprah chatting from the small mounted TV. My second thought as a market researcher was, "this is a great captive audience to do a small qualitative study; we should come here more often."
Lee Shupp — 1 April 2004
I spent this last weekend at an interesting conference put on by the Association of Professional Futurists. (Full disclosure: I'm on the board and active in the group.) The topic was "The Future of Reality" and it was held in Las Vegas. What better setting to talk about the future of reality than Vegas?
One of the highlights of the conference was a tour of Second Life, an online digital world built and shaped by its participants. Philip Rosedale, head of Second Life, gave us an overview of the game and led a fascinating discussion of how online social worlds mimic offline social worlds. Philip is an intelligent and thoughtful guy, and creating and nurturing the game has given him an interesting sociological experiment to observe. Think digital ant farm. Several academic institutions are studying the social world of Second Life already.
Social interaction in this virtual world has led to some really interesting behavior.
* Entrepreneurship, and an emerging economy, with game currency being exchanged with real dollars in an economic bridge between virtual and dirt worlds.
* Political organization, with an online protest that was effective in forcing the administrators to change some policies.
* Crime, and now virtual law enforcement.
I wish that I had time to really play in this world. You can fly (which I've always wanted to do). You can build things. And you can express creativity in lots of different ways, because there are few rules so far.
Go play: www.secondlife.com
Davis Masten — 26 March 2004
On my way to Manhattan from JFK, pried into the backseat of a cab that inched its way through the traffic jam I heard enthusiastic reports about an aspect of the SONG experience that I did not encounter. Its worthy of note in that it is a new way to experience flying.
Me, I get on an airplane and on go the BOSE headphones plugged into my iPod. Out comes my Vaio and I work. My two bookends in the taxi backseat of the cab however played online music trivia on the flight. Unbeknownst to me, the trivia game is multiplayer. There were over 20 people connected and interacting on this flight.
Denise Klarquist — 24 March 2004
I recently received an email from Network Solutions introducing their 100 Year Domain Service. Just think, 100 years from now Cheskin can feel secure that cheskin.com is still ours. No worries. Well, except for the fact that I'm not sure that Cheskin will be around (at least not in its present configuration) and I'm not sure that Network Solutions will either. And for that matter, I'm pretty well convinced that typing xxxx.com to locate information on the web will be ancient history. In fact typing anything will probably be a bit passé.
I'm not basing any of these assumptions on in-depth information or acute insights into the future. All I know is that change is inevitable, and the changes I've seen in the last few years assure me that technology will look a whole lot different 100 years from now. But it's good to know that for $9.99 a month, I at least won't have to worry too much about it. ;-)
Davis Masten — 24 March 2004
Over the last 15 years I have conducted my own personal survey around the world. This is not to be considered scientific nor confused with anything other than anecdotal evidence. I have asked hundreds of people in a wide variety of settings of people who deal with the public. Those people on the front lines of commerce where their job is to have close encounters with people who pay. The question typically goes something like this: "Excuse me, I know this is a bit odd as a question and may seem a bit inappropriate but do you mind if I ask you something? What percentage of people that you deal with in your work are assholes?" I typically smile sympathetically at this point and continue. "I don't mean people having a bad day or just stressed out due to travel or something, but are just assholes to the core?"
Lee Shupp — 23 March 2004
I just finished a 30-day trial of the Motorola MPX-200 Smartphone, currently offered by ATT Wireless. Full disclosure: I work with the Windows Mobile group, love what they are doing, and crave easy integration between my mobile phone and my Microsoft applications, most especially Outlook and the Windows Media Player. I loved the phone, but had to give it up. It was like dating a hot babe that keeps standing you up, so you have to walk away even though you'd rather not.
Darrel Rhea — 23 March 2004
I am a black belt traveler. Faster than a speeding taxi, able to leap airports in a single bound, I can recover from any curves the jet maintenance gods/weather gods/traffic gods/alarm clock gods can throw at me. I’ll get there before you and get a better seat too. With my cell phone and wireless toys in my pocket, and the best travel agent on the planet (Leslie Courts), I fear no evil.
But I’m currently in scramble mode. I’m supposed to be winging it to Barcelona right now, sipping Lufthansa’s best champagne, but I wasn’t able to get on my flight. So I find myself doing an evening of culture-watching amongst the crumbling pastel art deco hotels in South Beach, Florida.
If you want to get an update on youth culture, there is no better place than South Beach during a warm Spring Break evening. I am surrounded by massive quantities of young sunburned flesh, awash in hormones, alcohol, aftershave and perfume. These kids don’t dress for style, they undress for style. Given the epidemic of obesity in youth today, there is more to see than ever. Everyone is having a great time, swarming in packs, loudly negotiating decisions on where to eat, party, and who to pick up.
I observe from my wireless balcony perch in Starbucks, as if watching courtship behavior of gorillas in the mist.
Christopher Ireland — 18 March 2004
I'm often asked to describe what life at Cheskin is like. It's a tough question because the experience depends on which office you're in, what you're doing, and what type of work you like. But one constant for most of us is a continual flow of fascinating perspectives. Here's a thread of emails from a request Davis tossed out to "Everyone" this morning (best read from bottom to top):
Christopher Ireland — 12 March 2004
In conversation yesterday, I was reflecting on mistakes I've made as a CEO. It's not an easy job, and the opportunities for failure arrive almost daily. Fortunately for my ego, I see other CEOs and senior execs making mistakes all the time, so I know I'm not the only one. What mistakes are most common (not including a lapse of ethics)? Here's four:
Christopher Ireland — 11 March 2004
Yesterday we met with a team of marketers and developers charged with reinventing a form of technology. Their goals are wonderfully ambitious--the type of vision that stuns you because it seems just barely possible. But that's my favorite type of project because it pushes not only our skills and thinking, but also our imagination.
I'm seeing more of these wildly aggressive projects lately and that's a very good sign. It means people are becoming more optimistic about future possibilities and more willing to experiment. That's Cheskin's sweet spot, and I couldn't be happier to see it return.
Denise Klarquist — 9 March 2004
I've found myself in a remarkable situation lately. Last year when we began our weblog, I was one of its biggest proponents doing all I could to motivate, inspire and cajole people to contribute. I was rarely at a loss for topics to write about or suggestions that others could build on. I couldn't understand why so many people found it so difficult to log on and jot down a few insightful thoughts.
Now I see why. Now I'm the one receiving pleading emails from my colleagues trying to explain how easy it is to contribute to our new blog. It's a humbling experience to be "on the other side."
Lee Shupp — 4 March 2004
I just bought a new mobile phone (a Samsung camera phone) and within 24 hours of activating the phone I received my first phone spam. It was a text message whose content I refuse to acknowledge, and it was infuriating. My personal belief is that there is a special section of hell reserved for spammers, with extra doses of fire and brimstone.
I hope that phone spam is not the next new trend, but I suspect that it will be, and mobile phones are woefully unprepared to deal with it. My electronic moat covers most of the rest of my communications, but not my cell phone, at least not yet. This will certainly provide the impetus for me to start looking.
Christopher Ireland — 4 March 2004
My brother was one of the many people recently allowed to marry in San Francisco. I could go on for many pages on why this was morally, socially and economically the "right" thing to do, but that will have to wait for a more personal blog. What's relevant to a business audience who could possibly care less about Gay marriage, is the viral network that resulted in a seemingly endless supply of bouquets at City Hall.
As a Gay couple entered the Rotunda, laying on the floor to their right was a large collection of bouquets from "well wishers" around the world. The outpouring of these mostly anonymous gifts addressed simply to "the happy couple" was stimulated through the use of blogs and community sites, and it was startling in its effect. A random idea, spurred by technological networks and the people living within them, had immediate impact in a very real way.
Jennifer Gray — 20 February 2004
People assume hiring is a slam dunk in this economy. When you pursue people who have "it", the economy doesn't matter. Good people demand a lot of prospective employers. The best know as much as they can about us before they send a resume. They have an artfully crafted approach to finding out exactly what we are looking for and if Cheskin will work for them.
Call them stars, high achievers, top performers-- I prefer to call them Maria Flores Letelier, Carlos Ordonez, LiAnne Yu, Terri Ducay, Ingrid Riley and Jenny Daley. Each kept us on our toes. We had to prove how they'd do their best work, if our culture is how we describe it, and whether or not clients will present challenges they're ready for.
It worked. We have two senior marketing strategists who know the Hispanic market inside and out, a bi-lingual ethnographer, a seasoned creative director, an ad agency refugee with a passion for kids and trends, and a newly minted MBA. More importantly, we have an engaging storyteller, a Brazilian-restaurant owner, a fly-fisherwoman, a talented photographer, a subject of a Diane Sawyer news special and an active Taproot volunteer.
Let's just say that the cocktail hour 'round here has been really interesting...
Christopher Ireland — 19 February 2004
Loved Tim's blog yesterday on Garageband and its spread. It reminded me of my first boyfriend. His name was Steve and he was the lead singer of Dino & the Dinosaurs, one of the thousands of local bands that popped up in the Beatle's wake. Steve played guitar and was backed up by a drummer and someone playing tamborine. I doubt that they were very good, but at the time, just the sound of the amp being plugged in was enough to get my undivided attention. To my 13 year old eyes and ears, Steve was the epitome of new possibilities and his band was going to revolutionize my life.
I think the band lasted less than a year. Cheap instruments and the thrill of new musical freedom was not enough to sustain the extraordinary time and effort it requires to become a good musician. And that's why I thought of Steve when I read Tim's blog. My household has Garageband, and true enough, there were several hours of rampant excitement over how it was going to "change everything" in terms of our musical entertainment at home. But I notice it's gone unused since.
I don't disagree with Tim--as someone who's studied this market intensely for the past few months, I too think what Apple is doing in the music industry is masterful. But Steve Jobs' market projections for musicians are, uh, larger than life. The vast majority of us are music listeners. There are very, very few consistent, dedicated players in the US. I suspect most are like my old boyfriend Steve--happy to twang a guitar as long as it makes him cool and gets him a girlfriend. If Garageband supports this use, it can last a little while.
Christopher Ireland — 12 February 2004
This title is a quote sent to me by Miguel after a day of "business meeting skiing." Let me explain...we work very hard at Cheskin. I don't think it's maniacal, but when your company's well-being depends on highly satisfied clients, you can't cruise. So to keep from becoming very dull, we try to integrate "play" when ever we can.
One of my favorite combinations is a day of skiing with a day of meetings. Five or six of us pile into Glenn's SUV about 5AM and head to Squaw. Glenn can get there in about 4 hours, during which we discuss topics that normally would be on our agenda that day. We ski from about 10AM-4PM, then pile back in the car and talk for another couple of hours before we completely burn out. The agenda changes based on who's in the car, but it's always significant and useful.
This particular day was spectacular for many reasons. Our beloved colleague, Gail, was back from a sabbatical and we just enjoyed being around her. Miguel (equally enjoyable) sold a new project while taking cross-country skiing lessons from a fellow drummer. The weather was superb and there was more snow than I've seen in 30 years. Hence, Miguel's sentiment, "It was one of those days that, at its conclusion, you could truly say, 'this day owes us nothing.' Fabulous".
Yes, we could have added about $500 to our bottom line if we didn't do this. And yes, it's hard to find a way to be fair and inclusive with this type of activity. But neither of these costs compare to the benefits of a day when work and play combine effortlessly.
Christopher Ireland — 2 December 2003
So sorry to be offline for this extended period. As Denise put it, it's humbling to understand how difficult it is to maintain a consistent online presence. My compliments to all who do. I've been busy--but the real reason for my lag in blogging is that I wasn't inspired to share anything. That changed last night when one of my *many* brilliant colleagues sent me an email that rocked me off my path.
Denise Klarquist — 19 November 2003
Since we started our corporate blog, people have asked what the challenges are in managing blogs in a corporate setting. One of the big ones is inspiring people to take the time to post. Many people here will tell me that they'd love to blog but they can't commit the time and I'm the first to suggest all sorts of ways to blog without it taking hours.
Now here I sit feeling very guilty for not posting for 3 weeks! (I had no idea). However, I've learned a valuable lesson - it's not that easy to be a constant presence online. I still maintain that the rewards are great for companies who blog. But now I'm a bit more humbled by the challenges.
Christopher Ireland — 7 November 2003
Cheskin did something unusual last night. At Davis' urging, we had a party for all our ex-employees. We didn't have an agenda, other than we wondered how they were doing and wanted to reconnect. Although I was initially skeptical (I didn't think any would come), my concerns turned out to be unfounded.
We had a wonderful turn-out, and it was great fun seeing how everyone has matured, as well as stayed the same. I enjoyed hearing stories about Cheskin's past, looking at pictures from parties in the 80's and 90's, and just hanging out with people I genuinely like. The hardest part was seeing people we had to lay-off at the end of the Boom. I thought they were particularly courageous and solid to come back and visit without animousity. I'm not sure I would be capable of that.
Christopher Ireland — 30 October 2003
Maybe it's the solar flares, but everyone seems to be lightening up a bit. The economy is showing real signs of growth. VCs are starting to ante up again. Entreprenuers are floating new ideas and actually hiring people to help them. The big brands are realizing how hungry they are for a new market or a new product, and they're starting to loosen the purse strings (slightly). Considering it's the heart of Fall, it feels surprisingly Spring-like.
I'm personally feeling restless. Not in a caged or frustrated way, but how an athlete feels right before a race. You can sense the challenge coming, you think you're ready for it, and you want the gun to go off.
Denise Klarquist — 29 October 2003
Last night I had the wonderful pleasure to share gobs of italian food with Dina Mehta and gang at Buca di Beppo. I know Dina via her blog and a few months ago we began a great converstion about how to inspire blogging within corporations. Unfortunatley we didn't get much of a chance to explore this topic more thoroughly, but I'm ready when you are, Dina!
I was excited to meet more fans of Dina (and vice versa) but began to get a bit intimidated as I did my pre-dinner research... Phil Wolff has been blogging almost longer than I've been using email. Little did I know 2 months ago as I explained blogging at a company meeting and referenced his site, that I'd be sharing limoncello with the guy! (side note - Phil subscribes to 1000 RSS feeds - now I can justify my intimidation). And then there was Stuart Henshall who I see as another tremendous well of social network information and who gave me a very simple understanding of the business potential of skyping. Getting this applied at Cheskin will be one of my next personal projects (surprise Christopher ;-). While Clynton Taylor isn't blogging yet, I'm sure he will be by the end of the week if any of us has anything to do with it!
Toward the end of the evening, Danah Boyd and her entourage joined us. Yikes - smart girl! Will enjoy seeing where you go and what you influence. I think my only advice may be that RedBull probably shouldn't be your drink of choice.
Too many responsibilities have been keeping me from blogging. Thanks Dina and everyone for getting me excited again about the potential!
Denise Klarquist — 17 October 2003
I'm currently working on a small marketing tool to encourage more web visitors to investigate our innovation capabilities. It's not a big project, and normally would be considered a fun experiment.
When I say "normally" I mean before I was fully awakened to the seriously viral nature of the Internet. For years we and others have been espousing this vehicle for creating buzz - nothing new there. Now that I'm blogging, and more tuned into the undercurrent of conversation, do I recognize the greater potential and risk.
Three or 4 years ago, I might have played around more and experimented with different marketing techniques or messages on our website. Today I'm not nearly as cavalier. I spend much more time considering the possible reactions and feedback, testing and perfecting. Not to say that I'm completely risk averse, or that everything is perfect (please). But I'm much more careful, and perhaps a bit less playful. If my experience so far with blogging has shown any downside, this might be it.
Christopher Ireland — 11 October 2003
I switch hats from CEO to naive consumer with regularity. Last weekend I answered the phone about midday and "behold" it was my DSL carrier. Now, I've stayed on hold trying to get these guys for 1/2 a day, so I was thrilled that they called me. They had a great new offer for me--DSL for $29.95 a month! That was a great offer since I was currently paying $49.95 for their service. I explained that I would love to save $20 a month on my service, and that was when the confusion started.
Apparently, they didn't know I was a current customer (I guess they missed the class on CRM databases). So, in order to get the special deal, I had to be routed to 3 other agents who verified that I did, in fact, want to pay less for my service. It took about 1/2 hour, everyone was reasonably pleasant, and once it was complete, I quickly checked my 401K portfolio to make sure I did not own their stock. By my estimation, they had spent about $150 in order to make less money from me. I hope my utility company calls this weekend.
Christopher Ireland — 26 September 2003
One thing I have always loved and respected about good software engineers (affectionately known as geeks) is their beautifully clean and elegant thinking. Here's simple proof of what I mean: see how Eric Sink explains marketing in his post Marketing for Geeks.
I've been a marketer for 25 years. I've read just about every decent marketing book, spent countless hours with marketing gurus and generally thought about the topic nearly every day of my career. I look at Eric's simple definitions and clear advice and think "yep--this just about covers it all whether you're a CEO or an intern." Just as importantly, I can tell he really understands the topic because he's explaining it in terms that his audience can understand and find relevant to their particular view of the world (a big flaw with most marketing books). Even if you're not a software engineer and even if you think you know marketing, read Eric's blog. It's well written, engaging and a very good example of how clear thinking always precedes truly influential communication.
Christopher Ireland — 25 September 2003
One of my favorite pastimes is cruising museums. I like any kind of museum, but am most attracted to great art museums, particularly modern art. I don't consider this recreational or a hobby. For me, it's as real as food and it's what feeds my brain. When I'm working on a difficult problem, especially one with tough abstract values or conceptual complexity, I can usually count on a break thru if I can spend a few hours wandering around the MOMA, the Met or similar.
I recommend this to my clients, my colleagues and my friends. It's startling to me how creative a brain becomes when it's pulled away from numbers and text and immersed in a realm of dreams, colors, symbolism and abstraction. In some odd way, I think it must feel like baptism (I was too young to remember my own). You enter feeling weighed down, dull, lacking any beliefs or hope and you emerge with a new soul. There's no trick to this--no 12 steps to art museum creativity or process for kick-starting your brain. Just pay the fee, walk around and relax.
Christopher Ireland — 16 September 2003
I recently read about the remarkable insights of Peter Lynds, a young New Zealander who decided to think some unconventional thoughts about time. My favorite line from the article quotes him explaining,
"There's no such thing as an instant in time or present moment in nature. It's something entirely subjective that we project onto the world around us. That is, it's the outcome of brain function and consciousness."
The entire article is well worth reading, but this alone has keep me busy for days. My immediate intuitive response was "yes, this make perfect sense." But of course, I don't have to do the math. I've subsequently wandered all over the place with it. If instants in time are purely subjective, why do we all agree on how to track them? If there's no present moment, can there still be a past moment? If instants are the outcome of brain function, can I speed up time or slow it down through conscious effort (without having to assume a difficult yoga position?) I would love to meet this guy.
Christopher Ireland — 14 September 2003
I've found myself encouraging good friends and colleagues to start blogging. I feel a little like the neighborhood drug pusher (come on, just try it...you'll like it, trust me), but the benefit to me is not financial. The benefit is learning more about who they are. In a slower, less intense world, I'd spend more time with them. I'd live closer to them and become more aware of their less obvious traits. But my world is now and it's not slow.
So, I content myself with their blogs, most of which I find enchantingly intimate, provocative and real. A recent "convert" is Pierre, a man I find fascinating both in person and in blog.
Denise Klarquist — 4 September 2003
A colleague of mine at Fitch:Worldwide remarked that coming back from vacation was more like being dropped out of a plane than coming in for a smooth landing. So far my week has been like that. I'm only just finding time to read some of the blogs I follow. The funny thing is that a number of them are talking about vacation. I liked Jason Kottke's the best because it reminded me the most of my vacation (although my scary airport had a bathroom). My colleague Darrel also had a lot ot say about getting away. It's nice that we remind ourselves and each other how important these times are.
Now back to our regularly scheduled program... I'm working on a study on innovation that I think will be terrific. It's very exciting to hear what companies around the country think about this evolving yet critical concept. Also, I neglected to mention earlier that I was flattered to learn that I made it into Seth Godin's latest e-book . An interesting collection of opinions about Google, but more fun I think was seeing the kinds of people who contributed insights. Some of the mini bios were wonderfully refreshing.
Is it time for vacation again yet? ;-)
Denise Klarquist — 3 September 2003
Can't believe I haven't touched my blog for over 2 weeks. Last week I was out of the country on vacation, and while the small Costa Rican town I visited seemed to have more Internet cafe stations than people, I still resisted the urge to log in. My primary reason was that I really wanted to observe and absorb what was around me, without having to analyze and report. A real vacation - what a concept ;-)
I learned a lot on my trip, but it wasn't about the latest marketing strategies or online technologies. I learned 4 different Spanish words for beautiful. I learned about a plant you can rub on yourself if you forget your Deet. I learned trust is a concept that extends well beyond protecting my online identity, taking on new meaning when descending in a small plane with no airstrip in sight. I learned that I can forego wearing a watch for a week and still never be late.
Most of all I learned that one of the best ways to gain perspective is to look from a distance.
Darrel Rhea — 2 September 2003
Last night we stood on the top of our small ship Tango, anchored on the edge of the marshes of the San Joaquin River delta. The view from that high place was unencumbered in all directions, just the endless and cloudless sky with a color spectrum from fire orange at the setting Western sun, through soft deep blue toward the Sierras. The strong tidal current pushed water from the marshes from many miles away through the tiny channel we were anchored in, and into a large body of water behind us.
Thousands of fish were feeding on the floating conveyor belt of food at the mouth of the channel. Schools of fish would intermittently boil the water as they surfaced to feed, flopping over before they dove for the safety of the deep.
Mirroring the teaming life below, a flock of white birds hovered and dove at the fish. They splashed the surface for only a second before retreating to the sky. Huge pelicans would occasionally join the aerial dog fight. Cruising in like stable seaplanes, they lose their grace and fall like a human pushed unwillingly off a cliff. Their large beaks pierce the water to nab a squirming fish in their pouch every time.
Nancy said, “This is like being in Winged Migration.” (That movie shows intimate views of the majesty of bird life through “birds-eye-view cinematography” and creates a delightful “shock and awe” nature experience.) The spectacle of the birds’ dinner dance was happening just feet away from us with a surreal backdrop of natural beauty. An orange sunset spread on the water, an orange moon rise, and an orange-red Mars emerging at the same time --closer that night than any time in the last 60,000 years. Only the sounds of the wind, water, and birds.
This morning I’m taking in the still sunrise on the stern deck with only the sounds of water lapping on the bottom of the Zodiac tied behind Tango and the distant cries of a flock of geese. Bright light sparkles on the water to the horizon. Last night the coyotes woke me, but they are long gone now. The fish feed continues except now huge fish ker-splash every few minutes, with a startling sound like someone throwing a small boulder into the water next to us. Hundreds of tiny starlings flit around us to feed on invisible insects. Nancy is reading next to me and drinking her coffee in the already warm sun, Casey sound asleep in his bunk below.
I am filled with gratitude for all of those people I work with, and for. The richness of these experiences are only possible because their contributions to my life. And there is also some sadness that I can not share this beauty and peacefulness with loved ones who have died. Spirituality is hard to find on airplanes and in conference rooms. Thank you, world, for these moments of peace. I promise to keep seeking them.
Christopher Ireland — 16 August 2003
I have a decidedly jaded viewpoint on bios. Too many people use their bios or resumes as facades, depicting their experience and expertise as more extensive and grander than it is. Too make matters worse, many people strip all personality from these documents, turning them into completed forms with obligatory language. When I read "created, developed and launched a highly successful internet venture in less than 3 months," I assume it means "I was caught up in the dotcom frenzy like everyone else." When I read "single-handedly shifted management focus toward high potential niche market," I'm pretty sure it means "worked as an intern collecting secondary data on gay consumers."
Since I'm optimistic by nature, I don't like this attitude toward bios. So I was delighted to find a bio that's breaks the mold. Check out what Chuq Von Rospach has to say about himself. He has much to crow about and could have built himself up to be the inventor of everything digital. Instead he gives us a candid, unassuming portrait of a man who matters. He lets you know he has a point of view and a simple goal in life.
I wish all bios and resumes followed this format. True, it would make it difficult to hide unattractive traits or a lack of real experience. But that's ok with me.
Christopher Ireland — 16 August 2003
I was inspired by Chuq Von Rospach's refreshing bio to take another cut at my own. Here's the non-PR version. I hope others will follow suit:
The Biographical summary: female. Unfortunately, that’s still an important distinction. It helps explain how I can have a full time job as Cheskin’s CEO, be mother to three, wife to one, help run a household and keep in almost continuous contact with my parents, grandparents, siblings and other related family members. Also, noting my gender clarifies and makes more acceptable my love of fashion.
I've been at Cheskin for nearly 15 years. Granted, the early years were under a different company name. In 1988, I founded a small, fun company called ImageNet. My first employee, Pam Paradiso, is still by my side today. We merged with Cheskin in 1996, although we’d worked together for years prior to that. The merger was as close to a marriage as it comes—the head of Cheskin was my husband, Davis Masten. The story of how we met and the evolution of our business and personal relationship is worth a long evening chat and a very good bottle of wine so I won’t recount it here.
My first love in business is technology. I got my first computer (something from IBM) in 1982 and it was love at first sight. I would finish my real job responsibilities as quickly as possible and spend the rest of my day exploring this new world. I bought my first personal computer in 1988 (an IBM P/S2-I think). This is another good story. I set the computer up, turned it on and got the DOS prompt. I had no idea what to do next. Coincidentally, I met Paul Allen about 10 years later and innocently explained how disappointed I was with my first PC experience. I recall saying something like “What kind of idiot would write software that was unintelligible to a normal user?”
Despite my obvious naivety, my fascination with technology fueled my education. I quickly adopted Macs, any handheld that showed up, networking tools, CD-Roms, printers, scanners and more recently digital cameras, flash drives and MP3 players. My downfall is computer games. I should belong to Game Players Anonymous as I have no will power to stop playing a good game. So I just try to avoid them. My favorite work projects continue to be those that feel like strategy games.
Away from work (both business work and house work) I am very happily married and very content with my family life. I love my kids and they appear to love me. I ski every chance I get (which isn’t enough) and would happily spend a month scuba diving if I could. I workout not because I like to, but because I’ll end up looking like a gnome if I don’t.
My personal philosophy, in five words (credit to Chuq for suggesting this tough exercise): “Matter to others and myself.” I’m a registered democrat, but I vote independent as most people I know do. I’m embarrassed by Clinton’s behavior in office, but I prefer a president who needs sex to one who needs wars. I was raised by a teacher and a coach, both amazingly wonderful human beings who taught me to be loving, courageous and competitive. I became an English major because I loved to read and write. I also loved to party and couldn’t do that if I pursued a tougher major. But I topped it off with an MBA because I knew I’d need to make a living at some point.
Finally, I have a wonderful circle of friends and colleagues who I value nearly as much as my family (but not quite). Some I’ve known for decades, some only for a year or two. They’re a wild and varied bunch who add needed color and drama to my life. I’ll retire when they do.
Denise Klarquist — 13 August 2003
Yesterday I had breakfast with John Porcaro from Microsoft, as those who read his blog already know. (thanks John for the very nice words). He mentioned Dina Mehta's blog so I checked it out this morning. Both John and Dina really get the value of research and the insights that come from literally listening to your customers. I also want to mention that I think John is a truly insightful marketer - it was a pleasure talking. OK, enough of the John and Denise show ;-)
Later in the day, I had a long conversation with a potential client (hopefully) on a small focus group project. A big obstacle for her was going to be convincing the president of the value of qualitative research. I just sent her the link to Dina's blog. Not only does it really explain the value, but because of the blog context, it's a tremendous first-hand endorsement. Better than any journal article I could have sent.
As I continue to blog, and am introduced to more blogs and bloggers, I'm increasingly convinced that this particular medium will impact business in significant and very positive ways.
Denise Klarquist — 11 August 2003
I missed the game of Duck Duck Goose in Dolores Park on Saturday. But the fact that the flash mob event was chronicled in the Chronicle is an interesting event in itself. With blogging mainstreaming more and more, and links to the organizing groups published in the national news, what does it take to be underground anymore? And how quick will trend watchers have to be when so many people are monitoring blogs every day?
And speaking of blogs mainstreaming, I've met many people lately who follow blogs more closely for their daily news and opinions than formal publications or newsletters. I was chatting at a party on Saturday with a group and the conversation quickly shifted to blogs - "did you read Joichi Ito's recent blog?" "What did you think of the live blog during the DC conference?" " I just blogged that last week." etc. Not one person asked "so what's a blog?" Yes, these were Silicon Valley people, but they were also VCs and home owners and regular people hanging out at a BBQ.
Blogging has definitely come into its own.
Denise Klarquist — 6 August 2003
Last week I had the privilege of sharing an evening with a number of talented friends and colleagues, and to meet some wonderful new people. I attended a BBQ at Kelly Goto's work/live space in San Francisco, arranged to entertain out of town board members of the AIGA Brand Experience group. The party was also attended by a number of local artist/neighbors from the Allied Box Factory lofts, many of whom opened their studios for the event.
Later that evening, I had dinner with some of my own neighbors to celebrate the arrival of one of an out of town friend.
What struck me at both events was the sense of community that pervaded - the community of artists, of neighbors, of brand experience people from around the country. This wasn't about virtual community or online groups - the proximity made it special. Community meant not only shared interests, but shared places as well, not to mention shared resources among neighbors (like garden tools and dog walking).
The lesson I took away was that personal contact - real proximity - makes stronger relationships, and creating a sense of community in business requires more than a few emails and a website. Companies talk about creating a community of customers. We have to admit it takes a huge effort to really achieve this.
Christopher Ireland — 31 July 2003
Geek like me
I first knew I was a geek in the 4th grade. I was the only girl who would hang out with Steven Neumann, a gawky kid who was only interested in science. We would sit around and plan how to build flying cars (ok, you build a really big propeller in the back and I'll build some flaps up front and then...), dreaming of the day we'd test drive them over our neighborhood. To my girl friends, Steven had major "cooties", but I didn't care because he had such an interesting mind.
After a few years, I stopped hanging out with Steven, but I never forgot him. And I've never outgrown my fascination for people with interesting minds. Fortunately, I chose a career that surrounds me with many "Stevens." Most have gotten over their gawky stage, but they are still men (and women) who passionately love science, technology, genetics or any type of complex topic. They continue to be wonderful sources of inspiration, deep insight and incredible fun.
One of my favorite fellow geeks is also a girl--although it's a disservice to describe her in one word. Brenda is an amazing combination of female, scientist, philosopher, writer, pagan, explorer, designer and gal-pal. Check out her website and you'll see what I mean.
Darrel Rhea — 29 July 2003
After almost 50 years of keeping his World War II experiences close to his chest, my Dad has written a book about his Navy adventures in the South Pacific. He does a great job of creating context and providing the history of the war, and provides personal sea stories that range from humorous coming-of-age events to moving accounts of the pain and horrors of war. ("Blood, Salt and Tears" has not been published yet.)
We see the war through the eyes of a teenager who comes-of-age driving landing craft in the first-wave assaults on islands. If you saw "Saving Private Ryan," you've got a vivid picture of the frightening experience of dropping the front loading ramp to a barrage of bullets. Because of his heroism and skill, he was plucked from this duty with its very short life expectancy, and made skipper of the personal launch for the Admiral Turner who commanded the whole shootin match in the Pacific. Many important meetings of the war between the generals, admirals and Washington brass took place on his small boat as it circled off the islands for privacy, while my father silently stood stone-faced at the wheel. He saw history being made -- the petty power politics between powerful old men, the blunders that cost thousands of lives, the hard realities and loneliness of leadership.
The world he experienced is impossible for us punks to comprehend. For example, I watched the movie “The Pianist” last night, but the horror of that world is so far away from my idealistic cushy life that, while emotionally moving to me, it feels like a movie about the middle ages. (And yet, at the end of the movie, it tells us that the German General died in a prisoner of war camp… on the year I was born. You and I are products of that horrible world.)
I’m so proud of my Dad for giving his all in this effort, and thankful that he survived to give me life.
If you know a vet, please, stop and take the time to acknowledge their sacrifices. Most of the WW II vets won't be around long. Many still awake in terror or suffer the pain and sadness of loss from their ordeal. What they and their generation accomplished changed the world -- and for most of you reading this -- made it a safe place for you to grow up to be who you are, and have what you have today. 50 million people died for this imperfect but purged world. Just say thanks.
My neighbor is Erik Jendresen, the Emmy winning screen writer that was lead writer for the acclaimed series "Band of Brothers" and many major movies and plays. He is currently working on a series for Spielberg and Tom Hanks on the war in the Pacific, and is looking over Dad's book for material. How exciting it is to have the possibility of Dad's stories being included in a $100 million dollar Hollywood production is so exciting, and would be such an appropriate tribute for the man I admire so much. The same team did “Saving Private Ryan” too. I’m keeping my fingers crossed, and I think I’ll take a six pack to Eric this weekend…
Denise Klarquist — 28 July 2003
I feel like one of the privileged folk to be able to honestly say that I like my job. I don't pop out of bed like a piece of toast every morning in gleeful anticipation, but I honestly find happiness in what I do. The reasons are simple - I'm surrounded literally and virtually with nice, smart people who inspire me and whom I learn from almost daily...
This morning I found that Doc Searls had paid us a very nice compliment on his blog. Thanks Doc - it made my day.
This afternoon my colleague Darrel showed me the joys of Froogle, Google's new product search. In return I showed him the new Google toolbar.
I read a nice set of customer service guidelines (for lack of a better term) from Diane Reischling from Microsoft, via John Porcaro's blog. 1. Let go - everyone gets to play 2. Be yourself - be real 3. This moment matters. In an earlier blog, I noted how John opened up the doors of the blogosphere to me by taking the time to answer some of my more naive questions via email. And I've never met the guy, but he's given me an even greater appreciation for the people at Microsoft
I also got a nice note back this morning from Business Week writer Gerry Khermouch regarding a comment I sent him on his great article on Brands in the Age of Anti-Americanism.
None of the people above were asking anything in return for sharing their information or thoughts. They're all really busy people, so the time they took was very generous and given without considering "what's my time worth." That's nice. That's why I love my job.
Denise Klarquist — 25 July 2003
Getting the facts straight in a universe that changes hourly isn't easy. And as much as I love to blog and find it personally rewarding, I realize that I have a responsibility to be as accurate as I can - or at least put caveats on my posts.
So in the spirit of keeping up, I found out a few things after my last post...
Bloglet isn't operating anymore. It's unclear exactly what happened to the developer of the blog subscription app, though this offers a good explanation, but I won't be adding it to our blogs anytime soon unfortunately.
I grossly underestimated the size of the blogoshere. According to Blogcount, total active weblogs worldwide seem to be closer to 2.5-2.9 million with Blogger claiming about a quarter of that. My estimate of BloggerPro subscribers was rough and not based on info from them, but if anything I underestimated again. It's still a chunk of change though. I also discovered that subscription rates will be rising a bit. Nevertheless, my original point still holds up.
It also appears that AOL will be offering blogging capability.
Yup, things are changing... fast.
Darrel Rhea — 24 July 2003
And on the lighter side of blogville...
My mate and I were discussing the meaning of the term “mate.”
Your interpretation of the previous sentence is likely to vary greatly depending on your cultural context. In San Francisco, a mate could be a lot of different things. Justin Barrie, a good friend and brilliant Design Researcher from Down Under clued me into the subtle meanings of “mate” in his neighborhood. Important information for pub survival…
“Understanding the use of the word mate in Australia is the key to understanding our culture. It has everything - melancholy, egalitarianism and friendship, rolled up with a dry wit, biting sarcasm and ruthless power struggles. I'll explain...
Mate means, you are my best friend in the whole world and I would do anything for you: …"He's a really good mate."
Mate means, I'm about to absolutely knock you're block off you turkey: …"Is that right mate."
Mate means, give it a rest what you just said is unacceptable: …"Come on mate."
Mate means, yeah, right - you have no idea what you are talking about: …"Maaate."
Mate means, I think we just signed a big contract that we had no right to win: …"Maaate."
And then there is the most cutting, most biting derivation of mate, "matey." Matey is used to put someone in their place. Matey is a term of affection from father to son, but if a peer or stranger says it to you it is a massive insult. It is them trying to assert a dominant position "I am superior to you." When matey is used it is gloves-off time...
The beauty of mate is that it is used with complete strangers and with people you've known forever -- you never know its intended use unless you have a referencing system with the person who said it. This situation is exactly what has lead to so many tourists ending up with black eyes in Australian pubs:
Local: "Hey mate" translation "Listen here you outsider you are being too noisy for my liking. I don't like your accent and I particularly don't like that loud shirt you are wearing. If you don't dissolve into mid air immediately I might have to smash my glass over your head, kick you with my Blunnies (shoes) as you fall to the ground and then get me and MY mates to tie you to my ute."
Tourist: "Alright mate - hey everyone, I'm his mate"
“It's kind of like the Eskimos and snow thing.” [Thanks, Justin, er, mate.] [Justin's wife Ele just added that this interpretation is gender-specific and culturally specific to the white middle class. She can use 'matey' with a close female friend with no condescension or animosity. "BUT, our 6 year old daughter asked me the other day not to call her 'mate', however Justin is allowed to! There's something about the mother/daughter dynamic that she think is unmate-like!"
What stuck me about this was how "Mate" has many of the identical meanings of the California version of "Dude." I’m spending the week in Santa Barbara at the beach, immersed in the surf culture. The elasticity of the term is amazing, and depends entirely on context.
“Duuuude!”.......can meaning virtually anything given some context: I agree; I disagree; surprise; you're full of it; you're hot; she's hot; I'm cool; etc.
“He's such a duuude”.... what a &*%)(@!
“These are my dudes”....buddies
“Hey you duuudes”..... hey you jerks
“He's a major dude”..... Person of accomplishment or importance
“Hey lil'dude”..... kind of like matey
I wonder if we will evolve (devolve?) into a language with fewer words with multiple meanings? Duuude!
Christopher Ireland — 21 July 2003
In one of my first jobs out of school, I had a manager who believed instilling fear was the best way to get top performance from people. He rarely listened to anyone, but rather immediately threw his weight around and intimidated everyone in the room. By the time he was done, anyone who may have considered arguing with his point of view had already given up. I imagine he felt this was the best approach for getting compliance and keeping things running smoothly and efficiently. I was young enough and naive enough to think he was a buffoon.
Over the years, I've learned that many people think anger and the fear it invokes is the best approach to management. It's an incredibly blunt tool that creates more damage than necessary, but it's pervasive and pretending it doesn't exist or isn't effective is like wishing away violence. While I still think it's a ridiculous approach to management, I've learned to turn off the emotional hot-buttons that anger can push. I've learned to look at fear like the opening of a cave--with caution, but also enough curiosity to move towards it and get a better view. I can't say I'm immune to anger, but it doesn't work well in my presence. And that's the best contribution I can make to eradicating a management practice that probably should have died with the dinosaurs.
Davis Masten — 21 July 2003
One of the things I love about working at Cheskin is the variety of influences to which I am exposed. Lots of designers, cultural anthropologists, multi-cultural gurus, product development mavens, creatives of all walks of life.
Next week Cheskin is hosting the board of Directors meeting of the AIGA Center for Brand Experience. Tomorrow I think we are hosting the Association of Professional Futurists. You never know what is happening from one day to the next!
Denise Klarquist — 18 July 2003
In a news article linked today in Reveries - Virus Viral Marketing - ZDNet reported on a Marketing campaign that uses virus spreading techniques to send email to everyone on a person's contact list once they view a video clip. Apparently the user agreement stipulates that this will happen, and ActiveX warnings provide another indicator, but who reads those things anyway?
I love what technology can do for marketing. I love what's taking place in the blogoshere and the tools that are helping me make more people aware of the thinking that goes on in my company. I love that it's now easy for our audience to get relevant current information from us on their terms. But I'm angered when technology like the above gives internet marketing a bad name.
Regardless of the technology, the goal always must be to put the customer experience first - a great experience with a company or product is the best kind of virus.
Christopher Ireland — 17 July 2003
I've been amused, irritated, entertained and a host of other emotions as I've read about the topic of "corporate blogging" and specifically whether or not blogs can be a marketing tool. I'll let others figure out if this is the end or the beginning of life as we know it. I have a slightly different perspective.
I initially wanted our company to try blogging simply because it was new. I don't believe that we can be credible in our jobs if we aren't personally experiencing the technology we purport to understand. I've now progressed beyond thinking corp. blogging is a good experiment. I'm not yet sure what it is, but I enjoy it--both writing my own and reading my colleagues. I've learned more about them from their blogs (and these are people I know really, really well) and I've found an outlet for expressing parts of my personality that don't always fit in a board room. My concern about blogging is not whether corp blogs are good or evil--my current question is can I, as a CEO, benefit from others blogs? I don't have time to spend reading daily blogs about someone's life. I'm sure many are fascinating, but I have lots of friends and family, and not enough time to spend with them as it is. When I read a blog, I want to learn something.
My first attempt at answering this was to google "blogs, corporate". That led me to Allen Karl's Digital Tavern, a lovely rich clean site that instantly tapped me into dozens of posts that I found very helpful. I don't know Allen, never met the man. But I already like him. I like his voice, but even more important for me in this regard, I value what he publishes. It's useful and intriguing with a personal side that keeps it from being boring. This is the first blog I've found that I will read regularly.
Darrel Rhea — 7 July 2003
I’m bobbing in SF Bay on Tango this morning, I am considering the things that I take for granted. Jet planes for example. Now that I have far more than a million miles of air travel under my belt, getting on a plane is like getting on a bus. It isn’t remotely interesting to me, and is more often than not a source of complaint. My last flight around the world was designed to be completed efficiently rather than to be celebrated and savored.
My friend Gordon Gray lives in Beijing and regularly sends me photos that range from the curious to the bizarre. This morning’s photos are of an amusement park where a popular attraction is an old Russian jetliner. For the equivalent of $1.20, the billion-plus Chinese who have never stepped inside a plane and may never get the chance to fly anywhere can tour the inside of this aging 20th century marvel. This doggy 40 year old plane is a glamorous cutting-edge technology exhibit to them.
As much as I enjoy the stimulation of bopping around the globe, I find myself being slight jealous of them. Especially now as I leave on another week of air travel.
Christopher Ireland — 4 July 2003
I took a much needed break this week. Hopped in a rental car in LA and drove up Route 1 along the California coast as slowly as I possibly could. I kept most business thoughts out of my head, but one kept popping up, prompted mainly by my surroundings and a conference I'd recently attended. That thought was how pervasive consumerism is. Every where I went, people were buying and selling things. Not just yuppie corporate types who are typically accused of trying to brand the world, but everyone. In Santa Barbara, the descendants of Chumash indians were selling beaded artifacts. In Cambria, Hippie artisans hawked colored glass. In Big Sur, New Age shamans were selling mediation aids. In Carmel, pet-loving senior citizens were selling needlepoint signs. I returned home to the Bay Area in time to attend an event at Stanford where professors were selling music and fireworks.
As context, I personally am a conservative shopper. I'm an environmentalist who practices what I preach, so I didn't return from my trip with bags of new stuff. However, I, like most of the human race, enjoy "consuming". I don't think of it as evil and I doubt that it's the downfall of the world. I find it a fascinating transaction between individuals--one based on shared value derived from different starting points. For example, I bought a pair of earrings on my trip. For these items (that I will probably wear for a few years), I parted with $40. The artisan who made the earrings parted with a little silver, a little glass and probably 2-3 hours. We traded through the intermediary of a store and chances are we all are very satisfied with the result.
My point is that consumerism has a value as well as a cost, and that value is extended to a very wide network of people--not just corporate types. While I applaud the study of the effects of consumerism on a global scale, and I understand the well-based environmental concerns, I think the debate needs to include both sides of this equation. "Consuming" does not automatically equal environmental degradation, just as not consuming won't automatically improve the world. If we were all to reduce our consumption, the world would not necessarily be a better place. For starters, there would be a lot of people out of work along the California coast.
Davis Masten — 1 July 2003
At the AIGA leadership conference this last weekend in Austin, I walked away with two things of note. One, the work of outgoing president, Clement Mok, has been most impressive. Clement came in as president in the deepest darkest hours the design and creative business has seen in decades. At his departure he leaves with this institution, founded in 1914, with a good balance sheet, strong local leadership, a vision for “designing” which has a place for all designers to impact business more effectively, and over 16,000 members nationally. While there is much to be done by every member to take the organization to the next level, Clement added his brilliance, many miles on the road and collaborative skills to giving AIGA a future many thought not possible when he became president. Great job Clement!
Secondly, the new national board now has on it a strong proportion of women designers. Personally, I think that too much of the designing in the world has been done by men. My rationale is simple. The vast majority of disposable household income is controlled by women. The demands on American women to feel successful increase every year. Still, the “woman of the house” is primarily responsible for the kids, the cleaning, the communication with relatives, and a zillion other things. I know that for what it takes for me to be considered a “great Dad” is so much less than what it is for my wife to be considered a “great Mom”. So the pressures are different. In our time compressed society I think that women are better able to intuit these pressures and effectively address them than most guys. So with more and powerful women at the helm of designing our world, I think the economy will grow just a bit faster.
Christopher Ireland — 26 June 2003
Never underestimate the power of the NY Times...visits to our website and blogs have skyrocketed, bringing with them a wide range of comments, advice and inquiries. By far the most helpful have come from people like John Pocaro who recognize that we are novices experimenting in a new space. John offered suggestions on RSS feeds and provided some very cool links to other blogging sites. Not so helpful are people who seem to think the blogging rules have all been established and the genre is defined. Nothing could kill this very intriguing new media faster than that type of attitude.
Davis Masten — 26 June 2003
Since I can’t talk about my projects I'd like to speculate a bit about one of the mega trends I've been interacting with to accelerate a client's top line growth: Time Compression.
I was in Kansas City recently, the trail head of points west. When the settlers and pioneers headed west, their idea of getting to California on time was to make it before the snows hit in the Sierra Nevada or before the gold ran out. Whatever the specific notion, it was a lot more general than the 3:05 landing time I had. The growth of time savings devices like washing machines, dishwashers, portable packaging, automobiles have shifted time relative to convenience.
Christopher Ireland — 22 June 2003
The NY Times did a nice piece on corporate blogging and I was happy to learn of other execs taking the risk to try this out. One mention in particular caught my eye--that the Jupiter CEO talks about the ups and downs of aspects of his job. Now that's gutsy.
Sharing the travails of a CEOs life is probably not as interesting as a reality show, but it does have as many intricasies and twists of fate. So many different considerations vie for attention from day to day. One morning it's a client problem, the next an unhappy employee, a tired partner, a malfunctioning network or pending regulation. There's no such thing as a normal day. It takes far more energy and patience than I ever imagined and the main reward is that nothing goes terribly wrong.
If I compare being a CEO to the many jobs I had in my youth, it seems most similar to when I was a hostess for a casino restaurant. My role, then as now, was to make sure all the customers were properly taken care of, the evening's theme communicated clearly to the staff, the workload evenly spread out, the money accounted for, and every mess cleaned up as soon as possible. The only difference is I used to make pretty good tips in my hostess job.
Christopher Ireland — 21 June 2003
I'm a non-linear reader. At least that's the best explanation I have for my habit of reading several books simultaneously. It's sometimes a challenge to remember all of the storylines, but reading relaxes me and I like to match my reading to my mood. If I'm stressed, I will usually choose whatever SciFi book I'm reading. Right now, that's Frank Herbert's Dosadi Experiment. If I'm energetic, I'll choose a science book. My current one is Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain by Antonio Damasio. If I'm somewhere in between, then I'll go for a mystery (Janet Evanovich's series with Stephanie Plum for example) or a thriller. Although I can't handle screen violence, I have no problem with it on a written page.
While I have always been an avid reader, how I find my books has changed dramatically over the past few years. I used to belong to book clubs or visit my local bookstore every couple of weeks. Finding a new book was a singular effort. Now I have 5-6 friends who either recommend books to me by sending the url or they just buy them for me (and I reciprocate). It's like having streams of influence and as a result, the books I'm reading are more varied and more mentally challenging. Left to my own devices, I probably would stick to a more predictable list of authors or topics.
This strikes me as a great way to keep a fresh prespective. I wish I could find a way to apply it to the food I eat and the clothes I wear.
Davis Masten — 21 June 2003
I don't understand how the airlines make money or how sane investors rationalize the capital formation of the airline industry. But all this serious stuff aside, Denver airport was packed the other day. The three flights I have been on have been jammed full. This is one of maybe 30 anecdotal indicators that make me think that parts of the economy are back. Whether or not the numbers will end up in corporate profits in the airlines I'll leave to the money people. But from my vantage point, it feels like summer crowds again. Over the past 28 years of reasonably intense business travel, I get that more money should be moving through the system and more people's pockets. I am happy for the cabbies, rent-a-car companies, etc. Hopefully, there will be more people whose lives are not so lean, financially at least.
Davis Masten — 20 June 2003
It'll be fascinating to see what the next large disruption is and how American society reacts. Last night in a little French bistro in Kansas City, it was speculated that America may become less over reactive as we see that the disruptions don't take us to our knees. While the nature of the disasters are always painful, that we can adjust and move on. I've held that the recovery was going to happen sometime back, but 9/11, war, SARS all disrupted the momentum. How we react and don't over react will have a major impact on whether we continue to put the economy into a series of holding patterns. Now at the ripe old age of 52, I have been in lots of holding patterns. My sense is that we are becoming more aware that even in the darkest hours there is light if we have the courage to see it coming.
Christopher Ireland — 7 May 2003
I was gently reminded today by Denise, our head of marketing, that I hadn't updated my blog in several weeks. I knew that, I just wasn't sure what I wanted to do about it. Whenever I try something new, I'm inclined to let my relationship with it develop naturally. I don't force myself to adopt something just because it's new or cool. It's not a resistance to change--i'm actually pretty good at that. I just want to be sure that when I do change, I'm comfortable with the behavior being a part of me. With blogging, I'm not sure yet. It feels novel. It has the sense of being a private journal, while in fact it's more public and visible than most parts of my life. It's informal and highly flexible, but it codifies my thoughts at a point in time. I find these dichotomies intriguing and am attracted enough by them to continue experimenting, but it's not a compulsion. I'm not dying to blog every morning.
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