http://www.cheskin.com/blog/perspectives/ en-us http://www.cheskin.com/blog/blog/archives/001094.html I love coffee - I'm an avid coffee drinker and used to run a coffeehouse during school. Since relocating to San Francisco about 10 years ago, I've been blessed to find lots of great local coffee - and great local coffeeshops. It's a great urban adventure to explore coffeeshops and... Meaningful Experience Tommy Stinson 2009-07-30T07:51:39-08:00 http://www.cheskin.com/blog/blog/archives/001082.html In a recent briefing for BNET, Katherine Glover noted a growing trend in the "local food" movement: false "local" claims and measures to qualify "local" when resources like fertilizer, pesticides, etc. are flown in to support local foods. Clearly, "local" isn't as simple as we'd hope.... Consumer Goods Tommy Stinson 2009-05-27T14:41:49-08:00 http://www.cheskin.com/blog/blog/archives/001081.html FrontlineSMS is a free mobile phone software solution that allows mobile phone users to send text messages to large groups of people. It's specifically geared towards non-profit organizations and NGOs. The initiative is sponsored by Kiwanja.net and nGOmobile and is achieving some pretty exciting and impressive things on the ground... Innovation & Design Tommy Stinson 2009-05-22T10:34:13-08:00 http://www.cheskin.com/blog/blog/archives/001073.html 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.... Etcetera Tommy Stinson 2009-04-03T13:52:09-08:00 http://www.cheskin.com/blog/blog/archives/001070.html According to MediaPost, Intel Corp has become a major new sponsor of PBS' "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer." As part of the deal between Intel and PBS, Intel will get ample opportunity to highlight innovation in the American economy. Intel will fund a set of mini-documentaries focusing on the topic, and... Innovation & Design Tommy Stinson 2009-04-03T10:25:10-08:00 http://www.cheskin.com/blog/blog/archives/001061.html On a recent trip to Denver to do some work for a retail client, I stayed at a new addition to the Starwood Hotels line: the Aloft. Billed as "a vision of W Hotels", the Aloft aesthetic reminded me a lot of the upscale professional "hostel" hotels in Europe (like... Positioning & Branding Tommy Stinson 2009-03-19T11:52:32-08:00 http://www.cheskin.com/blog/blog/archives/001060.html 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... Etcetera Tommy Stinson 2009-03-19T09:48:55-08:00 http://www.cheskin.com/blog/blog/archives/001043.html Recently I've come across a large number of articles touting the value and benefit of conducting ethnographic research. It's a standing discussion in Quirk's and a recent issue of the Harvard Business Review includes a piece from Ken Anderson on corporate ethnography and its value. Now, I couldn't agree more... Meaningful Experience Tommy Stinson 2009-02-24T10:45:39-08:00 http://www.cheskin.com/blog/blog/archives/001036.html At Cheskin, most of us travel pretty heavily. We spend significant time in hotels, in airports, and in taxis. As we all know, routines often go un-examined and the standard of service - and subsequently the experiences we encounter - go unnoticed and are accepted norms. The only thing that... Innovation & Design Tommy Stinson 2009-02-06T17:24:03-08:00 http://www.cheskin.com/blog/blog/archives/001021.html I recently spent a weekend in Atlanta, GA observing parties and tailgates for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It was fascinating. Even though I'm from the South, I've never been to a NASCAR race and always tended more towards SEC college football than racing. But the thrill of the event... Meaningful Experience Tommy Stinson 2008-11-03T13:56:59-08:00 http://www.cheskin.com/blog/blog/archives/001014.html 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... Etcetera Tommy Stinson 2008-08-04T15:29:52-08:00 http://www.cheskin.com/blog/blog/archives/001004.html Dori Tunstall (professor of design anthropology at University of Illinois, Chicago) has just written a great piece for the Adobe Design Center's Think Tank on the intersection of anthropology and design.... Innovation & Design Tommy Stinson 2008-05-28T12:24:30-08:00 http://www.cheskin.com/blog/blog/archives/001003.html I recently returned from an extended series of work-related trips throughout the US and Europe. During my travels I was struck by how common it's becoming for individuals to carry permanent bottles with them for water - a few years ago it was Nalgene bottles, and now I'm seeing tons... Innovation & Design Tommy Stinson 2008-05-21T16:38:44-08:00 http://www.cheskin.com/blog/blog/archives/000975.html In recent days there has been quite a bit of hubbub about the use of anthropologists to support the American military in local involvement in Afghanistan ("Army Enlists Anthropology in War Zones", New York Times, November 5, 2007). Anthropologists, public policy experts, military experts, and even design anthropologists have weighed... Methods & Techniques Tommy Stinson 2007-10-12T12:24:50-08:00 http://www.cheskin.com/blog/blog/archives/000940.html Last weekend, the Washington Post published an interesting piece about an experiment in culture. Joshua Bell, a highly-acclaimed concert violinist, put on a baseball cap and casual clothes and posed as a busker in the L'Enfant Plaza station of the Washington, D.C. Metrorail. His goal (or rather, the goal of... Innovation & Design Tommy Stinson 2007-04-12T09:30:25-08:00