No man can serve two masters

I have been looking for this for ten years!

I read it once as a young man, and have been thinking about it ever since, as it is apposite to the idea that the world is going to hell in a handcart. Ironic that they were thinking this in Ancient Greece nearly 2500 years ago.

This is what I called 'the myth of decline' - people as they get older tend to think that everything is getting worse. The truth of it is that the only change is in them - they are getting weaker, their minds are slowing and they begin to fear the world a little more. Also, I suspect there is an element that they did not change the world to the form that their youthful enthusiasm had.

It is from a really very good presentation on youth marketing from someone at BBH. See below

Building Lasting Youth Brands

view presentation (tags: marketing youth digital advertising)

The withering rejoinder

The Media Futures conference I went to the other week, reminded me of a little phrase that a planner I used to work with (Abe) said was invaluable. The basic idea is that whenever anyone makes some claim or tries to peddle you a message, the immediate response to this should be 'so what'.

This 'withering rejoinder' as Dr Brian Winston put it, is the acid test for whether any innovation really is likely to change the society it goes into. It is also the thing that every person asks themselves whenever they see your marketing hyperbole.

Use the 'so what?' test next time. You will see it works.

Ikea in Japan: interior decorating a train

Via pinktentacle

Innovation SlideShare - Idris Mootee

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Valentines message

Through the looking glass

Sweden has an embassy in Second Life.

The real Swedish embassy in Washington DC has a video wall with a webcam that points into a room the Second Life embassy.

The Second Life embassy has a video wall that points into the real embassy in DC, so the overall effect is that there is a looking glass between the two worlds. It’s a bit of a head-fuck.

Have a look at this Fox News TV story about it.

Is this exploitative?

Virgin Mobile in Australia have set up a site "are you with us or what" that is built almost entirely around photographs from Flickr that have a creative commons license.

I guess that's what you get when you license your photos for all to use as they wish, but is it a problem if a brand does it to make money?

Mandarin lessons anyone?

"By 2011, McKinsey research suggests, China should have a lower middle class of 290 million people; by 2025, the upper middle class will be 520 million strong, with staggering disposable wealth. For many multinationals, this is the market of the future."

N.B. 1 renminbi = approx 13 cents

From McKinsey

48,000 people can't be wrong?

Reported on the Guardian sport blog today, the Myfootballclub.co.uk idea seems to be about to come to fruition. In a real world test of Surowiecki's 'wisdom of crowds' theory, some time next week 50,000 armchair pundits are going to buy a football club, possibly in division 2, or in the conference. They already have around £1.4m and are in initial talks with a few clubs. Fantastic!

TOP 15 CLUBS: most voted for so far are:

1. Leeds United
2. Nott'm Forest
3. Cambridge
4. Accrington
5. Brighton
6. QPR
7. Arsenal (?!)
8. Man United (...)
9. Barnet
10. Liverpool
11. Torquay 
12. Brentford
13. Woking
14. Bradford City
15. Halifax Town

The lawyers then go through due process with the clubs in order that they are voted for. This is a very cool idea - and a very frightening one I am sure; frightening for them if they actually go on and buy Leeds. One question though - your money is in effect an annual subscription, what do you actually own, and can you make money out of it? Anyway I just joined, and I suppose will let you know in due course...

Connected Ventures homemade promo video

Maybe we need one of these at Dare?

Music is Harvey Danger - Flagpole Sitta