By Elizabeth Sewell
I will drain
Long draughts of quiet
As a purgation:
Remember
Twice daily
Who I am;
Will lie o' nights
in the bony arms
Of Reality and be comforted
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Rest n Peace, Dr. Salam
Mohammad Abdus Salam (1926-1996) was his full name, which may add to the knowledge of those who wish he was either not Ahmadi or Pakistani. The man proudly lived and died as both, and much more, as Pakistan disowned him, in life and in death. The government denied him the honour of a state funeral; the media remained absent from the burial ceremony at Rabwah, which has since been renamed not after Abdus Salam but as Chenab Nagar, just to spite its Ahmadi residents.
The restyled epitaph at his grave near his native Jhang awkwardly reads: “First —— Nobel Laureate”, from which the word “Muslim” has been deleted under court orders; the court, even in its narrow mindedness could have ordered the replacement of “Muslim” with “Pakistani” but that was not to be. This son of Jhang is less known in his own country today than the terrorist Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, even though he had founded and led an abler lashkar (brigade) of some 500 Pakistani physicists and mathematicians over the years whom he arranged to send to UK and US universities on scholarship for higher studies.
He was the guiding spirit and founder of Pakistan’s nuclear programme as well as Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco). The pygmies who after him headed the two institutes he was allowed to set up in Pakistan in his pre-non-Muslim years have since been credited with laurels, and honoured more, even in their dishonourable conduct, as father of this and that, while the Godfather remains conspicuous by his absence in official records.
Dr Salam became the victim of rigid social attitudes and state discrimination against his community when Z.A. Bhutto through an act of parliament declared the Ahmadis non-Muslim in 1974. Heartbroken at the humiliation, he left Pakistan in protest to live in Europe where in 1979 he was awarded the Nobel for his groundbreaking research in theoretical physics; soon roads were named after him in Geneva and Trieste, if not in Islamabad or Jhang. The same year, as it happened, Bhutto was hanged by Gen Zia’s kangaroo court, but the Ahmadis’ predicament was Bhutto’s only legacy that Zia embraced wholeheartedly and built on even further. Despite being given the roughshod, Dr Salam from his institute in Italy, continued to patronise bright Pakistani scientists and students through a scholarship programme. His alma mater Government College, Lahore, which has named its mathematics and physics departments after Dr Salam, and Pakistan Post, which issued a two-rupee stamp to honour him, remain the only state institutions to have acknowledged him.
The nascent rock band aptly named as Beghairat Brigade, of Aalu Anday fame, has hit the nail on the spot with their lyrics of the popular song which rightly laments: aithe Abdus Salm noon puchhdai koi nai (nobody values Abdus Salam here) as they point out that murderers Qadri and Qasab have become our heroes. His birth anniversary, January 29, remains a long shot from being celebrated as Dr Abdus Salam Day, even though we invent anomalies like the Yaum-i-Takbir (atomic detonation day) and Sindhi Culture Day, amongst the myriad others, that are officially marked on our calendar. How truly unworthy is Pakistan of its only Nobel laureate.
Rest in peace, Dr Salam--Dawn Report.
The restyled epitaph at his grave near his native Jhang awkwardly reads: “First —— Nobel Laureate”, from which the word “Muslim” has been deleted under court orders; the court, even in its narrow mindedness could have ordered the replacement of “Muslim” with “Pakistani” but that was not to be. This son of Jhang is less known in his own country today than the terrorist Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, even though he had founded and led an abler lashkar (brigade) of some 500 Pakistani physicists and mathematicians over the years whom he arranged to send to UK and US universities on scholarship for higher studies.
He was the guiding spirit and founder of Pakistan’s nuclear programme as well as Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission and Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco). The pygmies who after him headed the two institutes he was allowed to set up in Pakistan in his pre-non-Muslim years have since been credited with laurels, and honoured more, even in their dishonourable conduct, as father of this and that, while the Godfather remains conspicuous by his absence in official records.
Dr Salam became the victim of rigid social attitudes and state discrimination against his community when Z.A. Bhutto through an act of parliament declared the Ahmadis non-Muslim in 1974. Heartbroken at the humiliation, he left Pakistan in protest to live in Europe where in 1979 he was awarded the Nobel for his groundbreaking research in theoretical physics; soon roads were named after him in Geneva and Trieste, if not in Islamabad or Jhang. The same year, as it happened, Bhutto was hanged by Gen Zia’s kangaroo court, but the Ahmadis’ predicament was Bhutto’s only legacy that Zia embraced wholeheartedly and built on even further. Despite being given the roughshod, Dr Salam from his institute in Italy, continued to patronise bright Pakistani scientists and students through a scholarship programme. His alma mater Government College, Lahore, which has named its mathematics and physics departments after Dr Salam, and Pakistan Post, which issued a two-rupee stamp to honour him, remain the only state institutions to have acknowledged him.
The nascent rock band aptly named as Beghairat Brigade, of Aalu Anday fame, has hit the nail on the spot with their lyrics of the popular song which rightly laments: aithe Abdus Salm noon puchhdai koi nai (nobody values Abdus Salam here) as they point out that murderers Qadri and Qasab have become our heroes. His birth anniversary, January 29, remains a long shot from being celebrated as Dr Abdus Salam Day, even though we invent anomalies like the Yaum-i-Takbir (atomic detonation day) and Sindhi Culture Day, amongst the myriad others, that are officially marked on our calendar. How truly unworthy is Pakistan of its only Nobel laureate.
Rest in peace, Dr Salam--Dawn Report.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Qantas in 'epic PR fail'
A Twitter competition has drawn thousands of angry responses after Australian airline Qantas launched it amid a major labour dispute, reports BBC.
The airline asked people to describe a "dream luxury in-flight experience", offering Qantas gift packs as prizes.
But users of the micro-blogging service instead used the competition to vent their frustration with Qantas.
The contest ran a day after talks with unions broke down, and after Qantas grounded its entire fleet in October.
Thousands of passengers were stranded worldwide after the firm halted flights in an attempt to end months of strike action by workers angered by the firm's restructuring plans.
The "Qantas Luxury" promotion, launched on 22 November, quickly tapped into customers' ire.
"Qantas Luxury means sipping champagne on your corporate jet while grounding the entire airline, country, customers & staff," one Twitter user wrote.
"Qantas Luxury is getting my flight refund back after waiting almost a month," wrote another.
One Tweeter suggested the phrase meant "more than 3mins notice that the whole airline is on strike".
Social media commentator Peter Clarke wrote: "Epic PR fail, excellent case study in corporate cultural tone deafness. Simply don't get it".
But the airline put a brave face on what is being seen as a debacle, Tweeting: "At this rate our #QantasLuxury competition is going to take years to judge".
When Qantas grounded its fleet in late October, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said its bosses had taken "extreme and irresponsible" action.
Unions are reported to be considering more disruptions to Qantas flights, while the government's industrial relations umpire is beginning work to impose a new wage agreement between the airline's management and workers.
The airline asked people to describe a "dream luxury in-flight experience", offering Qantas gift packs as prizes.
But users of the micro-blogging service instead used the competition to vent their frustration with Qantas.
The contest ran a day after talks with unions broke down, and after Qantas grounded its entire fleet in October.
Thousands of passengers were stranded worldwide after the firm halted flights in an attempt to end months of strike action by workers angered by the firm's restructuring plans.
The "Qantas Luxury" promotion, launched on 22 November, quickly tapped into customers' ire.
"Qantas Luxury means sipping champagne on your corporate jet while grounding the entire airline, country, customers & staff," one Twitter user wrote.
"Qantas Luxury is getting my flight refund back after waiting almost a month," wrote another.
One Tweeter suggested the phrase meant "more than 3mins notice that the whole airline is on strike".
Social media commentator Peter Clarke wrote: "Epic PR fail, excellent case study in corporate cultural tone deafness. Simply don't get it".
But the airline put a brave face on what is being seen as a debacle, Tweeting: "At this rate our #QantasLuxury competition is going to take years to judge".
When Qantas grounded its fleet in late October, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said its bosses had taken "extreme and irresponsible" action.
Unions are reported to be considering more disruptions to Qantas flights, while the government's industrial relations umpire is beginning work to impose a new wage agreement between the airline's management and workers.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Storytellers will win
In the race to own branded entertainment, BBDO's David Lubars believes storytellers will win, and he's betting that a media agency player with Hollywood roots will put his agency ahead of the competition.
This week Teddy Lynn becomes the first director of content at BBDO New York. At that level, he'll work closely with Lubars, the agency's chief creative officer for North America, on both new business pitches and existing client briefs.
BBDO has had success in branded content with the likes of Starbucks, General Electric, and HBO. But from Lubars' perspective, the agency's branded content work has been almost incidental.
"Catch as catch can," he says. Lynn's main charge is to make marketers take the option more seriously from the get-go.
"There's a way to do it up front," says Lubars, who describes Lynn as "the missing link" in that equation.
The Lynn hire underscores the reality that as marketers question traditional forms of advertising, branded content has gained appeal, particularly amid the proliferation of new media channels.
Lynn's varied background itself illustrates the many paths to branded entertainment. The son of the director of My Cousin Vinny (Jonathan Lynn) and a psychoanalyst, he started out as an associate producer or co-producer of feature films, like 1998's Pleasantville. After returning to school to get an MBA, he launched a marketing/entertainment consultancy that became the foundation for creative shop Arnold's foray into branded content. More recently, Lynn was an executive creative director in the content and experiences group at Universal McCann, working on Microsoft's Bing, Windows 7, and Xbox Kinect.
"What we found at UM in the last couple of years is you need the right balance" between ads and content, Lynn says. "Ads performed better when they were next to content.
"The UM experience also taught the 38-year-old London native the value of being able to measure the success of a branded content effort, be it a program, vignette, or integration into a TV show.
So why leave a plum position at a media shop to join another creative agency? Like Lubars, Lynn believes that storytelling, as championed by creative shops, is all that matters. As he puts it, "A lot of the business has become commoditized, and a good idea never can."
And, from afar, Lynn had envied BBDO's leadership status with major marketers like AT&T. The clincher, though, was the chance to be a key lieutenant in the shop's 185-person creative department, rather than someone building yet another separate content group.
That integration of Lynn into the shop will be key to Lubars' plan to make branded content more than just an afterthought for BBDO and its clients. And Lubars believes he found the right person for the job. "He's a firecracker," Lubars says. "He has done the stuff. He's not a bullshitter."
This week Teddy Lynn becomes the first director of content at BBDO New York. At that level, he'll work closely with Lubars, the agency's chief creative officer for North America, on both new business pitches and existing client briefs.
BBDO has had success in branded content with the likes of Starbucks, General Electric, and HBO. But from Lubars' perspective, the agency's branded content work has been almost incidental.
"Catch as catch can," he says. Lynn's main charge is to make marketers take the option more seriously from the get-go.
"There's a way to do it up front," says Lubars, who describes Lynn as "the missing link" in that equation.
The Lynn hire underscores the reality that as marketers question traditional forms of advertising, branded content has gained appeal, particularly amid the proliferation of new media channels.
Lynn's varied background itself illustrates the many paths to branded entertainment. The son of the director of My Cousin Vinny (Jonathan Lynn) and a psychoanalyst, he started out as an associate producer or co-producer of feature films, like 1998's Pleasantville. After returning to school to get an MBA, he launched a marketing/entertainment consultancy that became the foundation for creative shop Arnold's foray into branded content. More recently, Lynn was an executive creative director in the content and experiences group at Universal McCann, working on Microsoft's Bing, Windows 7, and Xbox Kinect.
"What we found at UM in the last couple of years is you need the right balance" between ads and content, Lynn says. "Ads performed better when they were next to content.
"The UM experience also taught the 38-year-old London native the value of being able to measure the success of a branded content effort, be it a program, vignette, or integration into a TV show.
So why leave a plum position at a media shop to join another creative agency? Like Lubars, Lynn believes that storytelling, as championed by creative shops, is all that matters. As he puts it, "A lot of the business has become commoditized, and a good idea never can."
And, from afar, Lynn had envied BBDO's leadership status with major marketers like AT&T. The clincher, though, was the chance to be a key lieutenant in the shop's 185-person creative department, rather than someone building yet another separate content group.
That integration of Lynn into the shop will be key to Lubars' plan to make branded content more than just an afterthought for BBDO and its clients. And Lubars believes he found the right person for the job. "He's a firecracker," Lubars says. "He has done the stuff. He's not a bullshitter."
Monday, September 19, 2011
Marketing’s Role as Critical to Sales Growth
Marketing can no longer be considered a "secondary" role in any company."A Marketer's greatest opportunity today is to capitalize on how organizations are starting to recognize the value that Marketing can generate to various lines of business and to a company's bottom line, says Roberto Ricossa, Marketing Vice President for Avaya in an interview with the Internationalist Magazine.
Roberto Ricossa is responsible for defining and leading the Marketing Strategy throughout the Americas International Region, which includes Latin America and Canada.
Top executives from CEOs, CFOs to Sales Leaders are realizing the impact that a well-oiled marketing engine can have on all company results. It is our role to maximize this and clearly articulate the value proposition that marketing can demonstrate when aligned with the sales organization."
Interestingly, with almost two decades of experience, Roberto Ricossa believes that priorities of marketing have changed today. Although branding continues to be of tremendous importance, he sees "managing innovation" and "understanding the opportunities and expectations of sales" as now critical to delivering on Return on Marketing Investment.
In his marketing role at Avaya, Roberto Ricossa reports into the sales department. He has demonstrated how a strong alignment between marketing and sales can produce measureable results. His work has not only accelerated key revenue growth, but it has raised the perception of marketing within the company. Yet this kind of successful internal relationship comes with constant dialogue; shared vision, strategic direction and tactics; meticulous planning; and, of course, budgeting with ongoing assessment.
"Today," says Ricossa, "Top-level executives from the CEO to the CFO have had more exposure to good marketing and can recognize a beneficial plan when it's presented. However, when you help sales produce double-digit growth, marketing is no longer viewed as playing a support role, but is seen as an essential function in contributing to the company's overall well-being."
"If I could change anything in business today," he asserts, "I would start with a company's P&L and move marketing from an expense to an investment. This is more than semantics. ROI is at the heart of any successful business; effective marketing operates today with the expectations of an investment within a given timeframe."
He also believes the marketing is playing a leading role as the Latin American market experiences overall growth. The key, though, "is realizing that even though every market is different, we have to be able to identify the similarities among countries and maximize our efforts by obtaining economies of scale on pan-regional initiatives with a core essence, but with a local flavor tailored to the pertinent audience."
Roberto Ricossa, born in Mexico City, has 17+ years in the international telecom industry with such leading companies such as Avaya, Nortel and Anixter. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from the Ibero University in Mexico, and has several management diplomas and certifications from renowned institutions like The Kellogg School of Management. In 2011, he was named one of The Internationalist's LATIN AMERICAN 50.
Roberto Ricossa is responsible for defining and leading the Marketing Strategy throughout the Americas International Region, which includes Latin America and Canada.
Top executives from CEOs, CFOs to Sales Leaders are realizing the impact that a well-oiled marketing engine can have on all company results. It is our role to maximize this and clearly articulate the value proposition that marketing can demonstrate when aligned with the sales organization."
Interestingly, with almost two decades of experience, Roberto Ricossa believes that priorities of marketing have changed today. Although branding continues to be of tremendous importance, he sees "managing innovation" and "understanding the opportunities and expectations of sales" as now critical to delivering on Return on Marketing Investment.
In his marketing role at Avaya, Roberto Ricossa reports into the sales department. He has demonstrated how a strong alignment between marketing and sales can produce measureable results. His work has not only accelerated key revenue growth, but it has raised the perception of marketing within the company. Yet this kind of successful internal relationship comes with constant dialogue; shared vision, strategic direction and tactics; meticulous planning; and, of course, budgeting with ongoing assessment.
"Today," says Ricossa, "Top-level executives from the CEO to the CFO have had more exposure to good marketing and can recognize a beneficial plan when it's presented. However, when you help sales produce double-digit growth, marketing is no longer viewed as playing a support role, but is seen as an essential function in contributing to the company's overall well-being."
"If I could change anything in business today," he asserts, "I would start with a company's P&L and move marketing from an expense to an investment. This is more than semantics. ROI is at the heart of any successful business; effective marketing operates today with the expectations of an investment within a given timeframe."
He also believes the marketing is playing a leading role as the Latin American market experiences overall growth. The key, though, "is realizing that even though every market is different, we have to be able to identify the similarities among countries and maximize our efforts by obtaining economies of scale on pan-regional initiatives with a core essence, but with a local flavor tailored to the pertinent audience."
Roberto Ricossa, born in Mexico City, has 17+ years in the international telecom industry with such leading companies such as Avaya, Nortel and Anixter. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from the Ibero University in Mexico, and has several management diplomas and certifications from renowned institutions like The Kellogg School of Management. In 2011, he was named one of The Internationalist's LATIN AMERICAN 50.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Italian fashion adapts to changing media world
Andrea Tremolada, Worldwide Communications Director of Salvatore Ferragamo, is one of the most respected media experts in fashion advertising. It's also clear that he possesses boundless stores of energy. At the 10th Annual Connect Alliance Conference in Lago Maggiore, he provided an overview of the luxury giant's media strategy -- directly after landing at Malpensa from South Korea and before rushing back to headquarters for meetings with Mrs. Ferragamo. (The Founder's widow, Wanda Ferragamo, is also amazingly energetic. Although in her '80's, she continues to come to work daily.)
Salvatore Ferragamo, a family empire built on a heritage of fine craftsmanship, now sells its products in 75 countries and through 573 stores bearing its name. The company produces two different major ad campaigns each year. "We are proud to make products that are totally produced in Italy," says Tremolada. The current Ferragamo campaign was filmed at Lake Como's famed Villa d'Este—just an hour north of the company's Milan office -- to underscore the brand values of a "Made in Italy" label.
Andrea Tremolada admits that he knows much more about the Ferragamo consumer than ever before -- largely due to the exchange of information through social networks. "In last 3 years, we've found that consumers have become more involved than in the past. Those who are very interested in our products offer tremendous feedback about our quality and share opinions that are helpful to our brand.
We have come to see key differences between those who buy online and those who shop in stores. And given the number of people who use their phones to take photos of products they'd like to find, we are looking forward to the mobile aspects of e-commerce in the near future."
As a rule, luxury and high-fashion brands have been slow to embrace digital media as they seek media environments associated with wealth, good taste and those tactile qualities found with elegant print vehicles. Yet Tremolada is convinced that Ferragamo should invest more in its online activities. 'This is not just for advertising, but to continue the strong relationship we have with our consumers." He also admits that there are times when an iPad application is better than a glossy magazine—particularly when video can be embedded and the brand story expanded.
He also recognizes the need for the company to become a publisher. "We need to be a content producer, particularly if we want to keep our Facebook presence meaningful to customers every day. When people are interested in the label, they always want to know more."
Although still largely invested in print, Tremolada's media strategy varies by country and the brand's median age is changing. For example, Ferragamo runs its advertising in a teen magazine in South Korea—something that he says "would never happen in Japan or even Italy." South Korea also boasts one of the highest shares of the company's internet spending. China has a portion of its budget dedicated to Outdoor, a medium now associated with luxury when placed adjacent to upscale shopping malls accessed largely by those who can afford to visit by cars. Ferragamo also runs television advertising in the US and Brazil with some limited spots in Japan for its fragrances.
Sales by region now reflects the overall trend found by most luxury marketers, which underscores the huge significance of the Asia Pacific region, followed by the US -- which has now outpaced Europe. Top countries include Japan, China South Korea and Taiwan, while fast-growth markets now include Mexico and Brazil. - The Internationalist Magazine
Salvatore Ferragamo, a family empire built on a heritage of fine craftsmanship, now sells its products in 75 countries and through 573 stores bearing its name. The company produces two different major ad campaigns each year. "We are proud to make products that are totally produced in Italy," says Tremolada. The current Ferragamo campaign was filmed at Lake Como's famed Villa d'Este—just an hour north of the company's Milan office -- to underscore the brand values of a "Made in Italy" label.
Andrea Tremolada admits that he knows much more about the Ferragamo consumer than ever before -- largely due to the exchange of information through social networks. "In last 3 years, we've found that consumers have become more involved than in the past. Those who are very interested in our products offer tremendous feedback about our quality and share opinions that are helpful to our brand.
We have come to see key differences between those who buy online and those who shop in stores. And given the number of people who use their phones to take photos of products they'd like to find, we are looking forward to the mobile aspects of e-commerce in the near future."
As a rule, luxury and high-fashion brands have been slow to embrace digital media as they seek media environments associated with wealth, good taste and those tactile qualities found with elegant print vehicles. Yet Tremolada is convinced that Ferragamo should invest more in its online activities. 'This is not just for advertising, but to continue the strong relationship we have with our consumers." He also admits that there are times when an iPad application is better than a glossy magazine—particularly when video can be embedded and the brand story expanded.
He also recognizes the need for the company to become a publisher. "We need to be a content producer, particularly if we want to keep our Facebook presence meaningful to customers every day. When people are interested in the label, they always want to know more."
Although still largely invested in print, Tremolada's media strategy varies by country and the brand's median age is changing. For example, Ferragamo runs its advertising in a teen magazine in South Korea—something that he says "would never happen in Japan or even Italy." South Korea also boasts one of the highest shares of the company's internet spending. China has a portion of its budget dedicated to Outdoor, a medium now associated with luxury when placed adjacent to upscale shopping malls accessed largely by those who can afford to visit by cars. Ferragamo also runs television advertising in the US and Brazil with some limited spots in Japan for its fragrances.
Sales by region now reflects the overall trend found by most luxury marketers, which underscores the huge significance of the Asia Pacific region, followed by the US -- which has now outpaced Europe. Top countries include Japan, China South Korea and Taiwan, while fast-growth markets now include Mexico and Brazil. - The Internationalist Magazine
Monday, September 12, 2011
Bad spelling opens up security loophole
A missing dot in an email address might mean messages end up in the hands of cyber thieves, researchers have found, says a BBC report.
By creating web domains that contained commonly mistyped names, the investigators received emails that would otherwise not be delivered.
Over six months they grabbed 20GB of data made up of 120,000 wrongly sent messages.
Some of the intercepted correspondence contained user names, passwords, and details of corporate networks.
About 30% of the top 500 companies in the US were vulnerable to this security shortcoming according to researchers Peter Kim and Garret Gee of the Godai Group.
The problem arises because of the way organisations set up their email systems. While most have a single domain for their website, many use sub-domains for individual business units, regional offices or foreign subsidiaries.
Dots or full stops are used to separate the words in that sub domain.
For example a large American financial group may take bank.com as its corporate home but internally use us.bank.com for staff email.
Usually, if an address is typed with one of the dots missing, i.e. usbank.com, then the message is returned to its sender.
But by setting up similar doppelganger domains, the researchers were able to receive messages that would otherwise be bounced back.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
It's striking that the researchers managed to capture so much information by focusing on just one common mistake”
End Quote Mark Stockley Sophos
"Doppelganger domains have a potent impact via email as attackers could gather information such as trade secrets, user names and passwords, and other employee information," wrote the researchers in a paper detailing their work.
Only one of the companies being impersonated noticed that spoofing was taking place and tracked down the researchers.
Man in the middle
A clever attacker could cover their tracks by passing on the message to its correct recipient and relaying back any reply.
By acting as a middleman the likelihood of more messages being mis-sent using the "reply" function increases.
Follow-up work by the researchers revealed that some cyber criminals may already be exploiting keyboard errors.
A search uncovered many addresses resembling corporate sub-domains which were owned by individuals in China or linked to sites associated with malware or phishing.
Writing on the blog of securityfirm Sophos, Mark Stockley said: "It's striking that the researchers managed to capture so much information by focusing on just one common mistake."
"A determined attacker with a modest budget could easily afford to buy domains covering a vast range of organisations and typos," he said.
By creating web domains that contained commonly mistyped names, the investigators received emails that would otherwise not be delivered.
Over six months they grabbed 20GB of data made up of 120,000 wrongly sent messages.
Some of the intercepted correspondence contained user names, passwords, and details of corporate networks.
About 30% of the top 500 companies in the US were vulnerable to this security shortcoming according to researchers Peter Kim and Garret Gee of the Godai Group.
The problem arises because of the way organisations set up their email systems. While most have a single domain for their website, many use sub-domains for individual business units, regional offices or foreign subsidiaries.
Dots or full stops are used to separate the words in that sub domain.
For example a large American financial group may take bank.com as its corporate home but internally use us.bank.com for staff email.
Usually, if an address is typed with one of the dots missing, i.e. usbank.com, then the message is returned to its sender.
But by setting up similar doppelganger domains, the researchers were able to receive messages that would otherwise be bounced back.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
It's striking that the researchers managed to capture so much information by focusing on just one common mistake”
End Quote Mark Stockley Sophos
"Doppelganger domains have a potent impact via email as attackers could gather information such as trade secrets, user names and passwords, and other employee information," wrote the researchers in a paper detailing their work.
Only one of the companies being impersonated noticed that spoofing was taking place and tracked down the researchers.
Man in the middle
A clever attacker could cover their tracks by passing on the message to its correct recipient and relaying back any reply.
By acting as a middleman the likelihood of more messages being mis-sent using the "reply" function increases.
Follow-up work by the researchers revealed that some cyber criminals may already be exploiting keyboard errors.
A search uncovered many addresses resembling corporate sub-domains which were owned by individuals in China or linked to sites associated with malware or phishing.
Writing on the blog of securityfirm Sophos, Mark Stockley said: "It's striking that the researchers managed to capture so much information by focusing on just one common mistake."
"A determined attacker with a modest budget could easily afford to buy domains covering a vast range of organisations and typos," he said.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Brazil's Marketing Secrets
"Brazil is booming and its creativity and talent continues to be its major strength," says Cesar Vacchiano, President & CEO of Grupo Consultores,
in an interview with the Internationalist Magazine. Grupo Consultores is a Madrid-based agency consultancy that has been expanding across the fast-growth sectors of the world, particularly Latin America.
Cesar has been instrumental in developing the company’s research, including such resports as agencyScope, mediaScope, salaryScope, and digitalScope across more than 20 markets.
He recently turned his attention to Brazil -- a market now ranked as 5th in the world in terms of population. The country’s economy is robust after chalking up 7.5% growth in 2010. Much of that strength can be attributed to the rise of middle-class consumers. One hundred million people have moved above the poverty line and are now part of a new middle class. Incomes have improved by 69% among the poorest Brazilians.
According to Cesar, "Everything is just beginning." The World Cup in 2014 and Olympics in 2016 will contribute to better establishing the country on the world stage. The number of tourists is expected to grow by 60% by 2016.
He reminds us, though, that Brazil is different from most countries in its approach to advertising, marketing and media. For example, media agencies do not exist in Brazil. Creative or full service agencies implement media strategies and execute planning and buying for their clients. "This has major implications. Agencies are huge and powerful; they have money to hire the best talent and try to provide the best solutions to their clients."
And today Brazilian Advertising Industry is booming. César tells us: "Most holding companies and network agencies are involved in a buying frenzy. The independents are constantly being approached and have multiple proposals on their tables. Other international players like StrawberryFrog, M&C Saatchi, Wieden+Kennedy, R/GA, Huge are finding high-profile professionals to lead their local efforts. And more agencies are still to come."
Of course, advertising people are adored in Brazil, and are celebrities akin to sports personalities or movie stars.
Brazilian advertising leaders are frequently interviewed by the press—not only for their opinions about communications, but also about politics, the economy or the country’s future. All Brazilians, not just clients, know them, respect them and trust them as opinion leaders.
Cesar Vacchiano adds that his research demonstrates that 'Brazilian Agencies are strong in strategic planning, creativity, account service, media, and are even very well-ranked in terms of 'value for money.' "
Not bad for a country that had largely been associated only with soccer, beaches and samba.
in an interview with the Internationalist Magazine. Grupo Consultores is a Madrid-based agency consultancy that has been expanding across the fast-growth sectors of the world, particularly Latin America.
Cesar has been instrumental in developing the company’s research, including such resports as agencyScope, mediaScope, salaryScope, and digitalScope across more than 20 markets.
He recently turned his attention to Brazil -- a market now ranked as 5th in the world in terms of population. The country’s economy is robust after chalking up 7.5% growth in 2010. Much of that strength can be attributed to the rise of middle-class consumers. One hundred million people have moved above the poverty line and are now part of a new middle class. Incomes have improved by 69% among the poorest Brazilians.
According to Cesar, "Everything is just beginning." The World Cup in 2014 and Olympics in 2016 will contribute to better establishing the country on the world stage. The number of tourists is expected to grow by 60% by 2016.
He reminds us, though, that Brazil is different from most countries in its approach to advertising, marketing and media. For example, media agencies do not exist in Brazil. Creative or full service agencies implement media strategies and execute planning and buying for their clients. "This has major implications. Agencies are huge and powerful; they have money to hire the best talent and try to provide the best solutions to their clients."
And today Brazilian Advertising Industry is booming. César tells us: "Most holding companies and network agencies are involved in a buying frenzy. The independents are constantly being approached and have multiple proposals on their tables. Other international players like StrawberryFrog, M&C Saatchi, Wieden+Kennedy, R/GA, Huge are finding high-profile professionals to lead their local efforts. And more agencies are still to come."
Of course, advertising people are adored in Brazil, and are celebrities akin to sports personalities or movie stars.
Brazilian advertising leaders are frequently interviewed by the press—not only for their opinions about communications, but also about politics, the economy or the country’s future. All Brazilians, not just clients, know them, respect them and trust them as opinion leaders.
Cesar Vacchiano adds that his research demonstrates that 'Brazilian Agencies are strong in strategic planning, creativity, account service, media, and are even very well-ranked in terms of 'value for money.' "
Not bad for a country that had largely been associated only with soccer, beaches and samba.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
The End of 'Random Acts of Marketing'
In its newly-released annual report on the State of Marketing, the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council sees a new commitment to marketing performance measurement, particularly in relation to digital effectiveness and social media integration as marketers seek increased accountability. The report is based upon the in-depth responses of 600 CMO Council members in 110 countries and was produced with the support of Deloitte and OpenText.
Integration, alignment, visibility and return on investment (ROI) are among the key requirements for marketing performance improvement according The 2011 State Of Marketing: Outlook, Intentions and Investments. Any resources or agencies that fail to bring innovation, technical knowledge or value‐added thinking to the marketing equation are certainly at risk in today’s environment. The survey results underscore how CMOs now require marketing analytics talent coupled with strategic planning and business development experience to better target, segment and then act on growth opportunities.
"While marketers have been focused on transforming their operations and customer engagements with hosted services and digital solutions, many have actually created a grab bag of siloed point‐solutions that just proliferate Random Acts of Marketing," said Donovan Neale‐May, Executive Director of the CMO Council. "Today’s successful marketing organization is unifying its extended ecosystem, aligning more effectively with business and sales groups, and integrating campaign components to drive efficiency and more measurable outcomes."
The report also concludes that marketing, as a function, continues to reach beyond the borders of branding. CMOs surveyed indicated a growing authority in such areas:
The report also concludes that marketing, as a function, continues to reach beyond the borders of branding. CMOs surveyed indicated a growing authority in such areas:
* Strategic planning and forecasting -- 74%
* Business development and collaborating- 46%
* Pricing- 36%
* Distribution/channel management - 36%
* Product design and specification - 27%
* Pricing- 36%
* Distribution/channel management - 36%
* Product design and specification - 27%
This growing authority matches the rising expectations on marketing leaders to driving business growth and revenues. Among the top deliverables for CMOs are:
* Driving top‐line growth - 46%
* Growing and retaining market share - 45%
* Better defining brand value - 31%
According to one in four marketers surveyed, marketing spend is being influenced by a shift to digital media and online marketing effectiveness. However, just 5% of respondents claim high marks in regard to their current online marketing performance capabilities. To improve the situation, those surveyed are planning headcount increases in interactive design, online advertising, search engine marketing, web analytics, and integrated campaign management.
Cost cutting and operational efficiencies are priorities for the marketers polled. In order to increase the impact and value of marketing, 64% of respondents say they will move to improve customer segmentation and targeting. They will also consider: greater investment in digital demand generation programs (43%); increased plans to qualify and track the conversion of leads (42%); and a commitment to explore alternative media and new routes to market (41%).
The State of Marketing Report also determined that almost 64% of respondents said they reported directly to the CEO, president or COO, while another 14% said they were accountable to a regional vice president, general manager or division/business group head. Among the respondents, 34% held CMO or Head of Marketing titles, while 33% held roles of Vice President or above.
The CMO Council is a global affinity network of 6,000 chief marketers who control more than $200 billion in annual spend.--The Internationalist Magazine
Integration, alignment, visibility and return on investment (ROI) are among the key requirements for marketing performance improvement according The 2011 State Of Marketing: Outlook, Intentions and Investments. Any resources or agencies that fail to bring innovation, technical knowledge or value‐added thinking to the marketing equation are certainly at risk in today’s environment. The survey results underscore how CMOs now require marketing analytics talent coupled with strategic planning and business development experience to better target, segment and then act on growth opportunities.
"While marketers have been focused on transforming their operations and customer engagements with hosted services and digital solutions, many have actually created a grab bag of siloed point‐solutions that just proliferate Random Acts of Marketing," said Donovan Neale‐May, Executive Director of the CMO Council. "Today’s successful marketing organization is unifying its extended ecosystem, aligning more effectively with business and sales groups, and integrating campaign components to drive efficiency and more measurable outcomes."
The report also concludes that marketing, as a function, continues to reach beyond the borders of branding. CMOs surveyed indicated a growing authority in such areas:
The report also concludes that marketing, as a function, continues to reach beyond the borders of branding. CMOs surveyed indicated a growing authority in such areas:
* Strategic planning and forecasting -- 74%
* Business development and collaborating- 46%
* Pricing- 36%
* Distribution/channel management - 36%
* Product design and specification - 27%
* Pricing- 36%
* Distribution/channel management - 36%
* Product design and specification - 27%
This growing authority matches the rising expectations on marketing leaders to driving business growth and revenues. Among the top deliverables for CMOs are:
* Driving top‐line growth - 46%
* Growing and retaining market share - 45%
* Better defining brand value - 31%
According to one in four marketers surveyed, marketing spend is being influenced by a shift to digital media and online marketing effectiveness. However, just 5% of respondents claim high marks in regard to their current online marketing performance capabilities. To improve the situation, those surveyed are planning headcount increases in interactive design, online advertising, search engine marketing, web analytics, and integrated campaign management.
Cost cutting and operational efficiencies are priorities for the marketers polled. In order to increase the impact and value of marketing, 64% of respondents say they will move to improve customer segmentation and targeting. They will also consider: greater investment in digital demand generation programs (43%); increased plans to qualify and track the conversion of leads (42%); and a commitment to explore alternative media and new routes to market (41%).
The State of Marketing Report also determined that almost 64% of respondents said they reported directly to the CEO, president or COO, while another 14% said they were accountable to a regional vice president, general manager or division/business group head. Among the respondents, 34% held CMO or Head of Marketing titles, while 33% held roles of Vice President or above.
The CMO Council is a global affinity network of 6,000 chief marketers who control more than $200 billion in annual spend.--The Internationalist Magazine
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Naked's Paul Woolmington Defines the Inflection Point now Occurring in Marketing & Communications
There's no question that Paul Woolmington is both a champion of innovative thinking and a veteran of the marketing, advertising and media industries. Prior to his current role as Founding Partner of Naked Communications, he worked at both large marketing and advertising concerns, including IPG, Y&R, and WPP, as well entrepreneurial ventures like the Media Kitchen, which he founded. His objective thinking often shapes new directions for our industry, and today he believes we are at an inflection point in marketing and communications.
Interestingly, the term "inflection point" comes from Mathematics where it defines a point on a curve that changes from concave to convex, for example. It also characterizes a time or an event that changes how we think and act. Paul believes we are now at an inflection point between re-invigorating the old and embracing the new. Successful marketers must not only "loosen their muscle memory," but find equilibrium with what worked in the past to build legacy brands, while integrating new thinking to arrive at contemporary solutions. He is careful to emphasize that either element in this balance should not be at the cost of the other. "I'm not saying that we should refrain from embracing today's 'shiny, new objects,' but we should simply consider which behaviors and actions best affect a business result. The future of creativity will be about creating, architecting and liberating behavioral ideas in such a way that can influence and inform all brand stakeholders across all channels."
"Sometimes," he adds, "we need to insure that the unsexy is the new sexy."
According to Paul Woolmington, "today a brand can be better described as the sum total of its behaviors and its stakeholders' behaviors through all forms of internal and external communications. And that means there cannot be a predetermined media mix or channel mix. One must first be aligned and prioritized, then determine the right brand behavior and actions before executing."
Ever restless at Naked, they have created a new process to help clients better navigate this bold converged world, built around a revolutionary behavior change model. The model turns the old AIDA model (awareness drives desire, interest and then action) on its head - quite literally-- to a model based on modern cognitive behavioral psychology where the proved practice of doing something (taking an action) is more effective at changing your mind than trying to change your mind. Thus actions through all old and new forms of communications are increasingly becoming the key driver of behavior change and more effective marketing activity today. Further helping bridge the integration between new social forms of media which are inherently action-based with traditional channels rethought.
Proving that Confucius was right after all: “Tell me and I forget, show me and I might remember, involve me and I will understand."
Courtesy: The Internationalist Magazine
Interestingly, the term "inflection point" comes from Mathematics where it defines a point on a curve that changes from concave to convex, for example. It also characterizes a time or an event that changes how we think and act. Paul believes we are now at an inflection point between re-invigorating the old and embracing the new. Successful marketers must not only "loosen their muscle memory," but find equilibrium with what worked in the past to build legacy brands, while integrating new thinking to arrive at contemporary solutions. He is careful to emphasize that either element in this balance should not be at the cost of the other. "I'm not saying that we should refrain from embracing today's 'shiny, new objects,' but we should simply consider which behaviors and actions best affect a business result. The future of creativity will be about creating, architecting and liberating behavioral ideas in such a way that can influence and inform all brand stakeholders across all channels."
"Sometimes," he adds, "we need to insure that the unsexy is the new sexy."
According to Paul Woolmington, "today a brand can be better described as the sum total of its behaviors and its stakeholders' behaviors through all forms of internal and external communications. And that means there cannot be a predetermined media mix or channel mix. One must first be aligned and prioritized, then determine the right brand behavior and actions before executing."
Ever restless at Naked, they have created a new process to help clients better navigate this bold converged world, built around a revolutionary behavior change model. The model turns the old AIDA model (awareness drives desire, interest and then action) on its head - quite literally-- to a model based on modern cognitive behavioral psychology where the proved practice of doing something (taking an action) is more effective at changing your mind than trying to change your mind. Thus actions through all old and new forms of communications are increasingly becoming the key driver of behavior change and more effective marketing activity today. Further helping bridge the integration between new social forms of media which are inherently action-based with traditional channels rethought.
Proving that Confucius was right after all: “Tell me and I forget, show me and I might remember, involve me and I will understand."
Courtesy: The Internationalist Magazine
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Once upon a cricket match in Verona
The fair game in Shakespeare's plays? You'd be surprised
William Shakespeare is perhaps best known as a moderately successful Elizabethan playwright; indeed, one or two of his plays even survive to this day. But more importantly he was also a lower-order biffer and part-time googly merchant of some distinction. This extract from the Warwickshire parish records of 1609 reports perhaps his finest hour on the cricket field: 37 not out in a grudge match at the Stratford Bowl.
"Mister Shakespeare smote the bowling mightily to all parts and much destruction did he wreak by use of a most ungodly stratagem. For when the bowler flung at him, old Will bent him down upon one knee and waved his bat upward at great speed, thus directing the ball to all parts of the field.* Many cows did he strike, and many prayers and curses were offered at such an unholy act. Yet by his smiting, his team held the day and the Stratford Under-Thirteens were defeated by seven wickets."
It is therefore not surprising to find that cricket featured in almost all of his plays, though it was often removed at the request of his editor, who feared that the obsession with bat and ball was detracting from his work. For example, the original Hamlet featured a man tortured by his dilemma over whether to walk or not to walk, and King Lear concerned an elderly umpire racked with guilt over a dodgy lbw decision.
Perhaps the finest example of Shakespeare's trademark fusion of cricket and tragedy was the first draft of Romeo and Juliet, a copy of which recently came to light. In this version, the Montagues and Capulets have decided to settle their differences with a game of cricket in a field just outside Verona. The wicket has a green tinge to it, but the Capulets choose to bat first, a mistake of tragic proportions:
Coach: Alas, Romeo, you are arrived too late, all is lost.
Romeo: How can this be? Talk quickly, for I have still to buckle my pads and I fear that rogue Tybalt hath hidden my groin protector.
Coach: It is Juliet!
Romeo: Can it be? Is she out already?
Coach: No, but so recklessly doth she dangle her bat outside the off, as though she were a fisherwoman and the ball a slippery trout. It cannot be long, oh Romeo, before she nicketh one.
Noises off. Enter two Gentlemen, wearing large foam fingers, facepaint and silly wigs
Gentleman 1: Verily, have I ne'er seen such prodigious movement.
Gentleman 2: Aye, twas jagging hither and thither from off the seam.
Gentleman 1: They say, do they not, that Mercutio is deceptively quick.
Gentleman 2: Aye, and none exceed him in the skill of putting it there or thereabouts.
Romeo: What news, gentlemen? Hath the fat lady sung? Are we victorious?
Gentleman 1: Alas, Romeo, our middle order crumbleth like a crumbly thing.
Gentleman 2: 'Twas said they all got starts, but, forsooth, they could not go on.
Gentleman 1: But brave Juliet is at the crease still, though she rideth her luck.
Cries off. Enter Shastri, a tall man in a nice suit.
Shastri: That wicket was just what the apothecary ordered!
Romeo: What trickery is this? A wicket? Tell us, oh well-dressed man!
Shastri: This match, I fear, Romeo, will go down to the wire.
Romeo: Oh stranger, even though thy words are loud like the braying of a donkey, still I cannot understand what it is thou art banging on about.
Shastri: Verily, the bowling change hath done the trick. Thou art in, Romeo.
Romeo: Farewell then, Coach. Parting is such sweet sorrow. I must to the crease now and hope to rotate the strike.
Exeunt Romeo. Noises off.
Gentleman 1: Oh alas, the day is lost.
Coach: What happened?
Gentleman 1: Poor Juliet, she ran the first with great speed, but verily, the second was not really on and she, stranded i' the pitch, did make a piteous sight as she called, "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?"
Gentleman 2: Yet he was at the non-striker's end and heeded not her call.
Gentleman 1: And then Romeo, stricken with guilt, did charge at the next ball, swinging like a rusty gate and was most cruelly stumped. Oh what tragedy! Alas! Can not even Duckworth or Lewis save the day?
Coach: Never was an innings of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo.
Shastri: It's goodnight Verona for the Capulets!
*This is the first recorded example of the shot known as the "Willscoop"
Courtesy: Andrew Hughes for espncricinfo.com
William Shakespeare is perhaps best known as a moderately successful Elizabethan playwright; indeed, one or two of his plays even survive to this day. But more importantly he was also a lower-order biffer and part-time googly merchant of some distinction. This extract from the Warwickshire parish records of 1609 reports perhaps his finest hour on the cricket field: 37 not out in a grudge match at the Stratford Bowl.
"Mister Shakespeare smote the bowling mightily to all parts and much destruction did he wreak by use of a most ungodly stratagem. For when the bowler flung at him, old Will bent him down upon one knee and waved his bat upward at great speed, thus directing the ball to all parts of the field.* Many cows did he strike, and many prayers and curses were offered at such an unholy act. Yet by his smiting, his team held the day and the Stratford Under-Thirteens were defeated by seven wickets."
It is therefore not surprising to find that cricket featured in almost all of his plays, though it was often removed at the request of his editor, who feared that the obsession with bat and ball was detracting from his work. For example, the original Hamlet featured a man tortured by his dilemma over whether to walk or not to walk, and King Lear concerned an elderly umpire racked with guilt over a dodgy lbw decision.
Perhaps the finest example of Shakespeare's trademark fusion of cricket and tragedy was the first draft of Romeo and Juliet, a copy of which recently came to light. In this version, the Montagues and Capulets have decided to settle their differences with a game of cricket in a field just outside Verona. The wicket has a green tinge to it, but the Capulets choose to bat first, a mistake of tragic proportions:
Coach: Alas, Romeo, you are arrived too late, all is lost.
Romeo: How can this be? Talk quickly, for I have still to buckle my pads and I fear that rogue Tybalt hath hidden my groin protector.
Coach: It is Juliet!
Romeo: Can it be? Is she out already?
Coach: No, but so recklessly doth she dangle her bat outside the off, as though she were a fisherwoman and the ball a slippery trout. It cannot be long, oh Romeo, before she nicketh one.
Noises off. Enter two Gentlemen, wearing large foam fingers, facepaint and silly wigs
Gentleman 1: Verily, have I ne'er seen such prodigious movement.
Gentleman 2: Aye, twas jagging hither and thither from off the seam.
Gentleman 1: They say, do they not, that Mercutio is deceptively quick.
Gentleman 2: Aye, and none exceed him in the skill of putting it there or thereabouts.
Romeo: What news, gentlemen? Hath the fat lady sung? Are we victorious?
Gentleman 1: Alas, Romeo, our middle order crumbleth like a crumbly thing.
Gentleman 2: 'Twas said they all got starts, but, forsooth, they could not go on.
Gentleman 1: But brave Juliet is at the crease still, though she rideth her luck.
Cries off. Enter Shastri, a tall man in a nice suit.
Shastri: That wicket was just what the apothecary ordered!
Romeo: What trickery is this? A wicket? Tell us, oh well-dressed man!
Shastri: This match, I fear, Romeo, will go down to the wire.
Romeo: Oh stranger, even though thy words are loud like the braying of a donkey, still I cannot understand what it is thou art banging on about.
Shastri: Verily, the bowling change hath done the trick. Thou art in, Romeo.
Romeo: Farewell then, Coach. Parting is such sweet sorrow. I must to the crease now and hope to rotate the strike.
Exeunt Romeo. Noises off.
Gentleman 1: Oh alas, the day is lost.
Coach: What happened?
Gentleman 1: Poor Juliet, she ran the first with great speed, but verily, the second was not really on and she, stranded i' the pitch, did make a piteous sight as she called, "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?"
Gentleman 2: Yet he was at the non-striker's end and heeded not her call.
Gentleman 1: And then Romeo, stricken with guilt, did charge at the next ball, swinging like a rusty gate and was most cruelly stumped. Oh what tragedy! Alas! Can not even Duckworth or Lewis save the day?
Coach: Never was an innings of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo.
Shastri: It's goodnight Verona for the Capulets!
*This is the first recorded example of the shot known as the "Willscoop"
Courtesy: Andrew Hughes for espncricinfo.com
Friday, February 18, 2011
How 'OK' took over the world
It crops up in our speech dozens of times every day, although it apparently means little. So how did the word "OK" conquer the world, asks Allan Metcalf.
"OK" is one of the most frequently used and recognised words in the world.
It is also one of the oddest expressions ever invented. But this oddity may in large measure account for its popularity.
It's odd-looking. It's a word that looks and sounds like an abbreviation, an acronym.
We generally spell it OK - the spelling okay is relatively recent, and still relatively rare - and we pronounce it not "ock" but by sounding the names of the letters O and K.
Visually, OK pairs the completely round O with the completely straight lines of K.
Continue reading the main story
International OKs
* Native American Choctaw: Okeh - it is so
* Scottish: Och aye - oh yes
* Greek: Ola kala - all is right
* German: ohne Korrektur - without [need for] correction
* Finnish: Oikea - correct
* Mandinka: O ke - that's it
So both in speech and in writing OK stands out clearly, easily distinguished from other words, and yet it uses simple sounds that are familiar to a multitude of languages.
Almost every language has an O vowel, a K consonant, and an A vowel. So OK is a very distinctive combination of very familiar elements. And that's one reason it's so successful. OK stands apart.
Ordinarily a word so odd, so distinctive from others, wouldn't be allowed in a language to begin with. As a general rule, a language allows new words only when they resemble familiar ones.
Clever coinages may be laughed at and enjoyed, but hardly ever adopted by users of the language.
So it was in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, in the late 1830s, when newspaper editors enjoyed inventing fanciful abbreviations, like "WOOOFC" for "with one of our first citizens" and OW for "all right".
Needless to say, neither of these found a permanent place in the language. But they provided the unusual context that enabled the creation of OK.
On 23 March 1839, OK was introduced to the world on the second page of the Boston Morning Post, in the midst of a long paragraph, as "o.k. (all correct)".
OK Corral sign OK may have originated from a comical misspelling
How this weak joke survived at all, instead of vanishing like its counterparts, is a matter of lucky coincidence involving the American presidential election of 1840.
One candidate was nicknamed Old Kinderhook, and there was a false tale that a previous American president couldn't spell properly and thus would approve documents with an "OK", thinking it was the abbreviation for "all correct".
Within a decade, people began actually marking OK on documents and using OK on the telegraph to signal that all was well. So OK had found its niche, being easy to say or write and also distinctive enough to be clear.
But there was still only restricted use of OK. The misspelled abbreviation may have implied illiteracy to some, and OK was generally avoided in anything but business contexts, or in fictional dialogue by characters deemed to be rustic or illiterate.
Indeed, by and large American writers of fiction avoided OK altogether, even those like Mark Twain who freely used slang.
But in the 20th Century OK moved from margin to mainstream, gradually becoming a staple of nearly everyone's conversation, no longer looked on as illiterate or slang.
Its true origin was gradually forgotten. OK used such familiar sounds that speakers of other languages, hearing it, could rethink it as an expression or abbreviation in their own language.
Thus it was taken into the Choctaw Native American language, whose expression "okeh" meant something like "it is so".
"Modern English translations of the Bible remain almost entirely OK-free”
US President Woodrow Wilson, early in the 20th Century, lent his prestige by marking okeh on documents he approved.
And soon OK was to find its place in many languages as a reminder of a familiar word or abbreviation.
But what makes OK so useful that we incorporate it into so many conversations?
It's not that it was needed to "fill a gap" in any language. Before 1839, English speakers had "yes", "good", "fine", "excellent", "satisfactory", and "all right".
What OK provided that the others did not was neutrality, a way to affirm or to express agreement without having to offer an opinion.
Consider this dialogue: "Let's meet again this afternoon."
Reply: "OK."
Compare that with: "Let's meet again this afternoon."
Reply: "Wonderful!" or "If we must."
Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren was a big part of OK's initial takeoff
OK allows us to view a situation in simplest terms, just OK or not.
When someone falls down, the question is not "how well are you feeling?" but the more basic "are you OK?".
And any lingering stigma associated with OK is long since gone. Now OK is not out of place in the mouth of a US president like Barack Obama.
Speaking to schoolchildren in 2009 he said: "That's OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures."
The word would also easily slip from the mouth of a British prime minister like David Cameron.
And yet, despite its conquest of conversations the world over, there remain vast areas of language where OK is scarcely to be found.
You won't find OK in prepared speeches. Indeed, most formal speeches and reports are free of OK.
Modern English translations of the Bible remain almost entirely OK-free. Many a published book has not a single instance of OK.
But OK still rules over the vast domain of our conversation.
Allan Metcalf is the author of OK: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word.
"OK" is one of the most frequently used and recognised words in the world.
It is also one of the oddest expressions ever invented. But this oddity may in large measure account for its popularity.
It's odd-looking. It's a word that looks and sounds like an abbreviation, an acronym.
We generally spell it OK - the spelling okay is relatively recent, and still relatively rare - and we pronounce it not "ock" but by sounding the names of the letters O and K.
Visually, OK pairs the completely round O with the completely straight lines of K.
Continue reading the main story
International OKs
* Native American Choctaw: Okeh - it is so
* Scottish: Och aye - oh yes
* Greek: Ola kala - all is right
* German: ohne Korrektur - without [need for] correction
* Finnish: Oikea - correct
* Mandinka: O ke - that's it
So both in speech and in writing OK stands out clearly, easily distinguished from other words, and yet it uses simple sounds that are familiar to a multitude of languages.
Almost every language has an O vowel, a K consonant, and an A vowel. So OK is a very distinctive combination of very familiar elements. And that's one reason it's so successful. OK stands apart.
Ordinarily a word so odd, so distinctive from others, wouldn't be allowed in a language to begin with. As a general rule, a language allows new words only when they resemble familiar ones.
Clever coinages may be laughed at and enjoyed, but hardly ever adopted by users of the language.
So it was in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, in the late 1830s, when newspaper editors enjoyed inventing fanciful abbreviations, like "WOOOFC" for "with one of our first citizens" and OW for "all right".
Needless to say, neither of these found a permanent place in the language. But they provided the unusual context that enabled the creation of OK.
On 23 March 1839, OK was introduced to the world on the second page of the Boston Morning Post, in the midst of a long paragraph, as "o.k. (all correct)".
OK Corral sign OK may have originated from a comical misspelling
How this weak joke survived at all, instead of vanishing like its counterparts, is a matter of lucky coincidence involving the American presidential election of 1840.
One candidate was nicknamed Old Kinderhook, and there was a false tale that a previous American president couldn't spell properly and thus would approve documents with an "OK", thinking it was the abbreviation for "all correct".
Within a decade, people began actually marking OK on documents and using OK on the telegraph to signal that all was well. So OK had found its niche, being easy to say or write and also distinctive enough to be clear.
But there was still only restricted use of OK. The misspelled abbreviation may have implied illiteracy to some, and OK was generally avoided in anything but business contexts, or in fictional dialogue by characters deemed to be rustic or illiterate.
Indeed, by and large American writers of fiction avoided OK altogether, even those like Mark Twain who freely used slang.
But in the 20th Century OK moved from margin to mainstream, gradually becoming a staple of nearly everyone's conversation, no longer looked on as illiterate or slang.
Its true origin was gradually forgotten. OK used such familiar sounds that speakers of other languages, hearing it, could rethink it as an expression or abbreviation in their own language.
Thus it was taken into the Choctaw Native American language, whose expression "okeh" meant something like "it is so".
"Modern English translations of the Bible remain almost entirely OK-free”
US President Woodrow Wilson, early in the 20th Century, lent his prestige by marking okeh on documents he approved.
And soon OK was to find its place in many languages as a reminder of a familiar word or abbreviation.
But what makes OK so useful that we incorporate it into so many conversations?
It's not that it was needed to "fill a gap" in any language. Before 1839, English speakers had "yes", "good", "fine", "excellent", "satisfactory", and "all right".
What OK provided that the others did not was neutrality, a way to affirm or to express agreement without having to offer an opinion.
Consider this dialogue: "Let's meet again this afternoon."
Reply: "OK."
Compare that with: "Let's meet again this afternoon."
Reply: "Wonderful!" or "If we must."
Martin Van Buren Martin Van Buren was a big part of OK's initial takeoff
OK allows us to view a situation in simplest terms, just OK or not.
When someone falls down, the question is not "how well are you feeling?" but the more basic "are you OK?".
And any lingering stigma associated with OK is long since gone. Now OK is not out of place in the mouth of a US president like Barack Obama.
Speaking to schoolchildren in 2009 he said: "That's OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who've had the most failures."
The word would also easily slip from the mouth of a British prime minister like David Cameron.
And yet, despite its conquest of conversations the world over, there remain vast areas of language where OK is scarcely to be found.
You won't find OK in prepared speeches. Indeed, most formal speeches and reports are free of OK.
Modern English translations of the Bible remain almost entirely OK-free. Many a published book has not a single instance of OK.
But OK still rules over the vast domain of our conversation.
Allan Metcalf is the author of OK: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Speed is Speedkills
A small town in the Australian Outback has decided to change its name for a month in an attempt to increase road safety.
The town of Speed - a blink-and-you'd-miss-it town in the countryside of Victoria - will be known as SpeedKills.
Speed-dwellers are hoping it will persuade drivers to slow down on country roads.
Speed is hoping to become something of a global, internet sensation with the launch of this novel safety campaign.
The idea was the brainchild of the Victoria Transport Accident Commission, which soon won over Speed's 45 residents.
Such was their enthusiasm, that they even made a video as part of the campaign.
It has already proved a hit on the social networking site, Facebook.
A welcome sign to the town of Speed, 400 km (250 miles) northwest of Melbourne The town of Speed has managed a name change with the help of the internet
While the campaign is running, one local resident has even agreed to change his own name.
Phil Down, a local wheat and sheep farmer, will become Phil Slow Down.
It is hoped the idea will catch on around the world.
Road safety officials in Victoria have already identified five towns in the United States called Speed which it hopes will support name changes of their own.
The town of Speed - a blink-and-you'd-miss-it town in the countryside of Victoria - will be known as SpeedKills.
Speed-dwellers are hoping it will persuade drivers to slow down on country roads.
Speed is hoping to become something of a global, internet sensation with the launch of this novel safety campaign.
The idea was the brainchild of the Victoria Transport Accident Commission, which soon won over Speed's 45 residents.
Such was their enthusiasm, that they even made a video as part of the campaign.
It has already proved a hit on the social networking site, Facebook.
A welcome sign to the town of Speed, 400 km (250 miles) northwest of Melbourne The town of Speed has managed a name change with the help of the internet
While the campaign is running, one local resident has even agreed to change his own name.
Phil Down, a local wheat and sheep farmer, will become Phil Slow Down.
It is hoped the idea will catch on around the world.
Road safety officials in Victoria have already identified five towns in the United States called Speed which it hopes will support name changes of their own.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
The wisdom of catching mice in China
Dick van Motman, CEO & President -- DDB China Group has been living in China long enough to understand the wisdom in advocating popular Chinese sayings and the quotations of the country’s greatest figures. At a recent Internationalist event celebrating the successes of Agency Innovators from around the world, Dick talked about his focus on the end goal by citing the simple words of the late Chinese leader, Deng Xiao Ping: "I don't care what color the cat, as long as it catches mice."
Through his leadership of the DDB China Group, Dick has certainly demonstrated that the agency is indeed the cat that catches mice. For the past five years, he has worked tirelessly to build DDB Group from a small office with just a couple of clients to one of the strongest and most integrated agencies in China. DDB China Group has grown six-fold in the past five years and now consists of three offices, in three cities, offering three disciplines (DDB, Tribal DDB and RAPP). And the honors have been pouring in.
However, Dick van Motman shared two topics at the Innovators Summit last week that underscore just how to be a successful marketer in China today:
* Don'’t underestimate the digital power of the Chinese market.
* Don’t be afraid to compete in a daunting arena -- even if you're McDonald's and you're trying to sell more chicken than KFC.
Dick outlined 8 key points that affect marketers in China's new Digital Frontier:
1. The Scale is Phenomenal. China now has 420 million connected citizens and expects 600 million by the end of 2011.
2. The Citizen of the World are Connected. And China is becoming the most digitally connect country on earth. (In a one-child society, there’s a need to reach out to others.)
3. China’s World is Mobile. Today China has 285 million mobile users.
4. This World is also Social. Over 90% of China’s netizens use instant messaging.
5. Surprisingly, This World is also Driven by Self-Expression. In China, 163 million people consider themselves to be active bloggers and produce an extraordinary amount of content.
6. The Familiar Names Are Missing. China's developers have created the country's own platforms -- preferring them to the likes of facebook, YouTube, Google, etc.
7. In this World, The Rules are Different. This may be the greatest divide between East and West. In China, 28% distrust banner ads and 47% distrust ads in games.
8. The Path to Success Lies in a Social Approach.
In a demonstration of marketing fearlessness, Tribal DDB helped McDonald's to encourage Chinese consumers to try its McWings -- even though KFC was the market leader for restaurant chicken purchases and had nearly double the number of locations. The Chinese enjoy snacking and love chicken wings; however, the fast-food industry is highly competitive. Tribal DDB’s solutions underscored several tenets of China’s new digital world -- online word-of-mouth and social media, but also took advantage of the country’s affinity for couponing.
Through announcements on major social networking sites, McDonald’s promised to honor chicken wing coupons from any other food establishment. This generated massive social media buzz and McWings Mania. Over 2 million people pledged their love of McDonald's chicken wings online, the mainstream media jumped on the story -- added fuel to the coupon swaps and the lines for McWing purchase, and McDonald’s increased sales by 30%. It even resulted in a Harvard Business case study.
Dick van Motman often jokes about his extraordinary internationalist background. He’s of mixed descent: Dutch/Indonesian, Portuguese/Jewish, and grew up in Holland. After studying marketing and economics, followed by sociology, he worked in Korea, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Singapore before making his way to China. However, he has shown -- regardless of those roots or perhaps because of them -- that he understands how to market to China and certainly recognizes how to be the cat that catches mice.--The Internationalist Magazine
Through his leadership of the DDB China Group, Dick has certainly demonstrated that the agency is indeed the cat that catches mice. For the past five years, he has worked tirelessly to build DDB Group from a small office with just a couple of clients to one of the strongest and most integrated agencies in China. DDB China Group has grown six-fold in the past five years and now consists of three offices, in three cities, offering three disciplines (DDB, Tribal DDB and RAPP). And the honors have been pouring in.
However, Dick van Motman shared two topics at the Innovators Summit last week that underscore just how to be a successful marketer in China today:
* Don'’t underestimate the digital power of the Chinese market.
* Don’t be afraid to compete in a daunting arena -- even if you're McDonald's and you're trying to sell more chicken than KFC.
Dick outlined 8 key points that affect marketers in China's new Digital Frontier:
1. The Scale is Phenomenal. China now has 420 million connected citizens and expects 600 million by the end of 2011.
2. The Citizen of the World are Connected. And China is becoming the most digitally connect country on earth. (In a one-child society, there’s a need to reach out to others.)
3. China’s World is Mobile. Today China has 285 million mobile users.
4. This World is also Social. Over 90% of China’s netizens use instant messaging.
5. Surprisingly, This World is also Driven by Self-Expression. In China, 163 million people consider themselves to be active bloggers and produce an extraordinary amount of content.
6. The Familiar Names Are Missing. China's developers have created the country's own platforms -- preferring them to the likes of facebook, YouTube, Google, etc.
7. In this World, The Rules are Different. This may be the greatest divide between East and West. In China, 28% distrust banner ads and 47% distrust ads in games.
8. The Path to Success Lies in a Social Approach.
In a demonstration of marketing fearlessness, Tribal DDB helped McDonald's to encourage Chinese consumers to try its McWings -- even though KFC was the market leader for restaurant chicken purchases and had nearly double the number of locations. The Chinese enjoy snacking and love chicken wings; however, the fast-food industry is highly competitive. Tribal DDB’s solutions underscored several tenets of China’s new digital world -- online word-of-mouth and social media, but also took advantage of the country’s affinity for couponing.
Through announcements on major social networking sites, McDonald’s promised to honor chicken wing coupons from any other food establishment. This generated massive social media buzz and McWings Mania. Over 2 million people pledged their love of McDonald's chicken wings online, the mainstream media jumped on the story -- added fuel to the coupon swaps and the lines for McWing purchase, and McDonald’s increased sales by 30%. It even resulted in a Harvard Business case study.
Dick van Motman often jokes about his extraordinary internationalist background. He’s of mixed descent: Dutch/Indonesian, Portuguese/Jewish, and grew up in Holland. After studying marketing and economics, followed by sociology, he worked in Korea, Indonesia, Hong Kong and Singapore before making his way to China. However, he has shown -- regardless of those roots or perhaps because of them -- that he understands how to market to China and certainly recognizes how to be the cat that catches mice.--The Internationalist Magazine
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Finland's nation branding sets mission for all Finns: Nation Branding
‘Mission for Finland’ nation branding report compiles two years of hard work (the Finnish country-branding delegation was created in September 2008) by a taskforce chaired by former Nokia CEO Jorma Ollila and appointed to draft a nation branding strategy for Finland.
According to Nation Branding, the report explores Finland’s strengths and aspects that could set the Nordic country apart and, as the authors themselves say, “would convince the world to turn to us more often and more effectively”.
The working group, whose strategic discussions were led by British specialist Simon Anholt, suggests many ideas, such as that organic production should account for at least one half of Finland’s overall agricultural production by the year 2030, that Finland’s lake water should be purified and made drinkable, that Finland should establish a peace mediation convention dedicated to Nobel laureate Martti Ahtisaari or that Finland should turn silence into a strong brand association.
This kind of challenges are ‘missions’ for the Nordic country. But Finland’s nation branding strategy also sets a mission for all Finns. The report calls on all Finns to participate, from grandparents passing on manual crafting skills, chefs developing dishes based on undervalued local fish, and the foreign ministry implementing an annual “peace negotiation day” inspired by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari.
The nation branding group report lays out over 50 tasks for different players: ministries, companies, local governments and organisations as well as private individuals. According to Ollila, while the group was working on its report, ordinary people often asked what they can do. “One grandmother came and asked what she could do. There are things in the report for grandmothers to do, too,” says Ollila.
The committee took out a full-page advertisements in 30 newspapers imploring Finns to read the report and take the tasks to heart.
If you’re curious about the tasks included, here is the complete list of missions sketched at the ‘Mission for Finland’ report:
* 1. Mission for Finnish businesses:
SOLVE A GLOBAL PROBLEM AND TURN IT INTO A GOOD BUSINESS
* 2. Mission for the Ministry of Education and Culture:
THE EDUCATIONAL LEVEL OF IMMIGRANTS TO BE RAISED TO THE OVERALL LEVEL, IMMIGRANTS TO BE TRAINED AS TEACHERS
* 3. Mission for schools:
A DAY OF RECONCILIATION
* 4. Mission for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs:
THE AHTISAARI CONVENTION
* 5. Mission for the Ministry of Justice:
DECISION-MAKING TOOL FOR THE WIKI-DEMOCRACY OF THE 100-YEARS-OLD FINLAND
* 6. Mission for the state and local authorities:
ONE PERCENT TO CULTURE
* 7. Mission for designers:
FROM CHAIRMAKERS TO SOCIAL DEVELOPERS.
* 8. Mission for Finnish entrepreneurs:
FINNISH CULTURE TO BE INCLUDED ON THE SHOPPING LIST
* 9. Mission for vocational education:
VOCATIONAL SCHOOL FOR DIY
* 10. Mission for the Martha organisation:
THE ‘ADULTHOOD PACKAGE’
* 11. Mission for grandparents:
PASS ON YOUR MANUAL SKILLS
* 12. Mission for local authorities and the state:
PUBLIC PROCUREMENT TO PROMOTE ENERGY-EFFICIENT PRODUCTS THAT CAN BE MAINTAINED AND REPAIRED
* 13. Mission for housing associations and neighbourhoods:
ORGANISE A PARTY
* 14. Mission for economists and the Ministry of Finance:
CALCULATE THE VALUE OF VOLUNTARY, PEER AND DOMESTIC WORK IN FINLAND
* 15. Mission for municipal managers:
LOCAL AUTHORITIES TO ENGAGE IN PRODUCTIVE COOPERATION WITH ASSOCIATIONS
* 16. Mission for companies operating in industrialised areas:
FINLAND TO BE DEVELOPED INTO A SILICON VALLEY OF SOCIAL INNOVATIONS
* 17. Mission for tekes:
OPEN INNOVATION CAMPS AS TOOLS FOR CREATING INNOVATIONS
* 18. Mission for employers:
PROMOTE TEAMWORK
* 19. Mission for schools of economics and management consultants:
CREATE MODELS FOR MANAGEMENT BY PARTNERSHIP
* 20. Mission in Finland:
PUBLIC-SECTOR OPENNESS TO BECOME ACTIVE
* 21. Mission for the public sector:
PUBLIC OFFICIALS AS WARRIORS OF AN OPEN INFORMATION SOCIETY
* 22. Mission for schools:
SCHOOLWORK TO BE BASED ON OPEN INFORMATION
* 23. Mission for universities:
ACADEMIC OPENNESS INTO PRACTICE
* 24. Mission for the Ministry of Finance:
GROSS NATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY AS THE NEW BENCHMARK
* 25. Mission for research policy:
EXTENSIVE DEPLOYMENT OF MATERIAL FLOW CALCULATIONS, I.E. THE ENVIMAT MODEL
* 26. Mission for schoolyard designers:
PARKING SPACES TO BE REPLACED WITH NATURE FOR A VARIETY OF PURPOSES
* 27. Mission for biology teachers:
TAKE LESSONS FROM THE CLASSROOM TO NATURE
* 28. Mission for the tourism industry:
HOLIDAY PACKAGES IN SILENT FINLAND
* 29. Mission for Metsähallitus:
MORE AND BETTER INVESTMENT IN COMMUNICATIONS
* 30. Mission for the President:
INITIATIVE ON NORDIC EVERYMAN’S OBLIGATIONS
* 31. Mission for regional employment and business policies:
TURNING EVERYMAN’S RIGHTS INTO LIVELIHOOD OPPORTUNITIES
* 32. Mission for institutional kitchens:
PORTIONS OF THE RIGHT SIZE
* 33. Mission for restaurants and the food industry:
GOURMET DISHES OF ROACH
* 34. Mission for the public sector:
NO BOTTLED WATER
* 35. Mission for the Ministry of the Environment:
WATER METERS, I.E. WATER AS THE VEHICLE FOR POPULARISING INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
* 36. Mission in Finland:
DRINK FINLAND
* 37. Mission for forest owners:
MODERATION IN DRAINING FORESTS AND SWAMPS
* 38. Mission in Finland:
HALF OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION ORGANIC
* 39. Mission for the University of Helsinki and Agrifood Research Finland:
ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INSTITUTE FOR ORGANIC PRODUCTION
* 40. Mission for school children:
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER EVEN WITH
* 41. Mission for science centres:
SET UP PISA CENTRES
* 42. Mission for the politicians:
THE BEST SCHOOL FOR ALL IN A DIVERSIFYING SOCIETY
* 43. Mission for head teachers:
MAKE SCHOOLS A CENTRE FOR NEIGHBOURHOOD DEMOCRACY
* 44. Mission for public figures and top sporting figures:
TEACH IN A SCHOOL ONCE A YEAR
* 45. Mission for parents of school children:
CLUB ACTIVITIES AND PARENTS’ LEARNING OBLIGATION
* 46. Mission for the it sector and pedagogues:
NEW INNOVATIONS IN TEACHING TECHNOLOGY SHOULD BE DEVELOPED
* 47. Mission for higher education institutions and universities:
COPYING THE PISA SUCCESS AT HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
* 48. Mission for museums:
NATIONAL HERITAGE THE PROPERTY OF THE NATION
* 49. Mission for the media:
THE POPULARISATION OF SCIENCE TO NEW LEVELS
* 50. Mission for libraries:
ENSURE YOU ARE INDISPENSIBLE FOR FINLAND IN THE 2020S
* 51. Mission for owners of advertising spaces:
SPACE FOR SOCIAL COMMUNICATION
* 52. Mission for schools and local authorities:
CULTURE FOR FREE FOR THOSE IN THEIR LAST YEAR AT SCHOOL
* 53. Mission for the Ministry of Employment and the Economy, the Ministry of Education and Culture and companies:
THE APPRENTICESHIP SYSTEM SHOULD BE DEVELOPED
* 54. Mission for the social welfare authorities:
A CATCHER SCHEME FOR THOSE IN DANGER OF EXCLUSION SHOULD BE CREATED
* 55. Mission in Finland:
LEADERSHIP IS TEACHING
* 56. Mission for trade unions:
MASTER DIPLOMAS FOR THE BEST WORKPLACE TEACHERS
* 57. Mission for higher education institutions and universities:
A PERIOD AS A TEACHER, MENTOR OR DISSEMINATOR OF INFORMATION AS PART OF ALL DEGREES
* 58. Mission for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Employment and the Economy and the Ministry of Education and Culture:
ENHANCING COUNTRY BRANDING WORK BY DEVELOPING THE HOUSE OF FINLAND OPERATING CONCEPT
According to Nation Branding, the report explores Finland’s strengths and aspects that could set the Nordic country apart and, as the authors themselves say, “would convince the world to turn to us more often and more effectively”.
The working group, whose strategic discussions were led by British specialist Simon Anholt, suggests many ideas, such as that organic production should account for at least one half of Finland’s overall agricultural production by the year 2030, that Finland’s lake water should be purified and made drinkable, that Finland should establish a peace mediation convention dedicated to Nobel laureate Martti Ahtisaari or that Finland should turn silence into a strong brand association.
This kind of challenges are ‘missions’ for the Nordic country. But Finland’s nation branding strategy also sets a mission for all Finns. The report calls on all Finns to participate, from grandparents passing on manual crafting skills, chefs developing dishes based on undervalued local fish, and the foreign ministry implementing an annual “peace negotiation day” inspired by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Martti Ahtisaari.
The nation branding group report lays out over 50 tasks for different players: ministries, companies, local governments and organisations as well as private individuals. According to Ollila, while the group was working on its report, ordinary people often asked what they can do. “One grandmother came and asked what she could do. There are things in the report for grandmothers to do, too,” says Ollila.
The committee took out a full-page advertisements in 30 newspapers imploring Finns to read the report and take the tasks to heart.
If you’re curious about the tasks included, here is the complete list of missions sketched at the ‘Mission for Finland’ report:
* 1. Mission for Finnish businesses:
SOLVE A GLOBAL PROBLEM AND TURN IT INTO A GOOD BUSINESS
* 2. Mission for the Ministry of Education and Culture:
THE EDUCATIONAL LEVEL OF IMMIGRANTS TO BE RAISED TO THE OVERALL LEVEL, IMMIGRANTS TO BE TRAINED AS TEACHERS
* 3. Mission for schools:
A DAY OF RECONCILIATION
* 4. Mission for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs:
THE AHTISAARI CONVENTION
* 5. Mission for the Ministry of Justice:
DECISION-MAKING TOOL FOR THE WIKI-DEMOCRACY OF THE 100-YEARS-OLD FINLAND
* 6. Mission for the state and local authorities:
ONE PERCENT TO CULTURE
* 7. Mission for designers:
FROM CHAIRMAKERS TO SOCIAL DEVELOPERS.
* 8. Mission for Finnish entrepreneurs:
FINNISH CULTURE TO BE INCLUDED ON THE SHOPPING LIST
* 9. Mission for vocational education:
VOCATIONAL SCHOOL FOR DIY
* 10. Mission for the Martha organisation:
THE ‘ADULTHOOD PACKAGE’
* 11. Mission for grandparents:
PASS ON YOUR MANUAL SKILLS
* 12. Mission for local authorities and the state:
PUBLIC PROCUREMENT TO PROMOTE ENERGY-EFFICIENT PRODUCTS THAT CAN BE MAINTAINED AND REPAIRED
* 13. Mission for housing associations and neighbourhoods:
ORGANISE A PARTY
* 14. Mission for economists and the Ministry of Finance:
CALCULATE THE VALUE OF VOLUNTARY, PEER AND DOMESTIC WORK IN FINLAND
* 15. Mission for municipal managers:
LOCAL AUTHORITIES TO ENGAGE IN PRODUCTIVE COOPERATION WITH ASSOCIATIONS
* 16. Mission for companies operating in industrialised areas:
FINLAND TO BE DEVELOPED INTO A SILICON VALLEY OF SOCIAL INNOVATIONS
* 17. Mission for tekes:
OPEN INNOVATION CAMPS AS TOOLS FOR CREATING INNOVATIONS
* 18. Mission for employers:
PROMOTE TEAMWORK
* 19. Mission for schools of economics and management consultants:
CREATE MODELS FOR MANAGEMENT BY PARTNERSHIP
* 20. Mission in Finland:
PUBLIC-SECTOR OPENNESS TO BECOME ACTIVE
* 21. Mission for the public sector:
PUBLIC OFFICIALS AS WARRIORS OF AN OPEN INFORMATION SOCIETY
* 22. Mission for schools:
SCHOOLWORK TO BE BASED ON OPEN INFORMATION
* 23. Mission for universities:
ACADEMIC OPENNESS INTO PRACTICE
* 24. Mission for the Ministry of Finance:
GROSS NATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY AS THE NEW BENCHMARK
* 25. Mission for research policy:
EXTENSIVE DEPLOYMENT OF MATERIAL FLOW CALCULATIONS, I.E. THE ENVIMAT MODEL
* 26. Mission for schoolyard designers:
PARKING SPACES TO BE REPLACED WITH NATURE FOR A VARIETY OF PURPOSES
* 27. Mission for biology teachers:
TAKE LESSONS FROM THE CLASSROOM TO NATURE
* 28. Mission for the tourism industry:
HOLIDAY PACKAGES IN SILENT FINLAND
* 29. Mission for Metsähallitus:
MORE AND BETTER INVESTMENT IN COMMUNICATIONS
* 30. Mission for the President:
INITIATIVE ON NORDIC EVERYMAN’S OBLIGATIONS
* 31. Mission for regional employment and business policies:
TURNING EVERYMAN’S RIGHTS INTO LIVELIHOOD OPPORTUNITIES
* 32. Mission for institutional kitchens:
PORTIONS OF THE RIGHT SIZE
* 33. Mission for restaurants and the food industry:
GOURMET DISHES OF ROACH
* 34. Mission for the public sector:
NO BOTTLED WATER
* 35. Mission for the Ministry of the Environment:
WATER METERS, I.E. WATER AS THE VEHICLE FOR POPULARISING INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICIES
* 36. Mission in Finland:
DRINK FINLAND
* 37. Mission for forest owners:
MODERATION IN DRAINING FORESTS AND SWAMPS
* 38. Mission in Finland:
HALF OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION ORGANIC
* 39. Mission for the University of Helsinki and Agrifood Research Finland:
ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INSTITUTE FOR ORGANIC PRODUCTION
* 40. Mission for school children:
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER EVEN WITH
* 41. Mission for science centres:
SET UP PISA CENTRES
* 42. Mission for the politicians:
THE BEST SCHOOL FOR ALL IN A DIVERSIFYING SOCIETY
* 43. Mission for head teachers:
MAKE SCHOOLS A CENTRE FOR NEIGHBOURHOOD DEMOCRACY
* 44. Mission for public figures and top sporting figures:
TEACH IN A SCHOOL ONCE A YEAR
* 45. Mission for parents of school children:
CLUB ACTIVITIES AND PARENTS’ LEARNING OBLIGATION
* 46. Mission for the it sector and pedagogues:
NEW INNOVATIONS IN TEACHING TECHNOLOGY SHOULD BE DEVELOPED
* 47. Mission for higher education institutions and universities:
COPYING THE PISA SUCCESS AT HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
* 48. Mission for museums:
NATIONAL HERITAGE THE PROPERTY OF THE NATION
* 49. Mission for the media:
THE POPULARISATION OF SCIENCE TO NEW LEVELS
* 50. Mission for libraries:
ENSURE YOU ARE INDISPENSIBLE FOR FINLAND IN THE 2020S
* 51. Mission for owners of advertising spaces:
SPACE FOR SOCIAL COMMUNICATION
* 52. Mission for schools and local authorities:
CULTURE FOR FREE FOR THOSE IN THEIR LAST YEAR AT SCHOOL
* 53. Mission for the Ministry of Employment and the Economy, the Ministry of Education and Culture and companies:
THE APPRENTICESHIP SYSTEM SHOULD BE DEVELOPED
* 54. Mission for the social welfare authorities:
A CATCHER SCHEME FOR THOSE IN DANGER OF EXCLUSION SHOULD BE CREATED
* 55. Mission in Finland:
LEADERSHIP IS TEACHING
* 56. Mission for trade unions:
MASTER DIPLOMAS FOR THE BEST WORKPLACE TEACHERS
* 57. Mission for higher education institutions and universities:
A PERIOD AS A TEACHER, MENTOR OR DISSEMINATOR OF INFORMATION AS PART OF ALL DEGREES
* 58. Mission for the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Employment and the Economy and the Ministry of Education and Culture:
ENHANCING COUNTRY BRANDING WORK BY DEVELOPING THE HOUSE OF FINLAND OPERATING CONCEPT
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
JFK's inaugural speech: what makes it great oratory?
President John F Kennedy would have been delighted to know that his inaugural address is still remembered and admired 50 years later.
Like other great communicators - including Winston Churchill before him and Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama since then - he was someone who took word-craft very seriously indeed.
He had delegated his aide Ted Sorensen to read all the previous presidential inaugurals, with the additional brief of trying to crack the code that had made Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address such a hit.
Fifty years on, the debate about whether he or Sorensen played the greater part in composing the speech matters less than the fact that it was a model example of how to make the most of the main rhetorical techniques and figures of speech that have been at the heart of all great speaking for more than 2,000 years. Most important among these are:
* Contrasts: "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country"
* Three-part lists: "Where the strong are just, and the weak secure and the peace preserved"
* Combinations of contrasts and lists (by contrasting a third item with the first two): "Not because the communists are doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right"
If the rhetorical structure of sentences is one set of building blocks in the language of public speaking, another involves simple "poetic" devices such as:
* Alliteration: "Let us go forth to lead the land we love"
* Imagery: "The torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans"
In general, the more use of these a speaker makes, the more applause they will get and the more likely it is that they will be recognised as a brilliant orator.
"Kennedy's inaugural address reflected his core beliefs and life experience. He was a war veteran -a combat hero. He had read the great speeches of the ages, and believed in the power of words. He thought that a democracy thrives only when citizens contribute their talents to the common good, and that it is up to leaders to inspire citizens to acts of sacrifice. And when he exhorted Americans to 'Ask not, what your country can do for you,' he appealed to their noblest instincts, voicing a message that Americans were eager to hear. He lifted the spirits of his listeners, even as he confronted the grim reality of the nuclear age."
But great communicators differ as to which of these techniques they use most.
Presidents Reagan and Obama, for example, stand out as masters of anecdote and story-telling, which didn't feature at all in JFK's inaugural. Mr Obama also favours three-part lists, of which there were 29 in his 10-minute election victory speech in Chicago.
Stark warning
Kennedy, however, used very few in his inaugural address. For him, contrasts were the preferred weapon, coming as they did at a rate of about one every 39 seconds in this particular speech. Some were applauded and some have survived among the best-remembered lines.
He began with three consecutive contrasts:
* "We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom"
* "Symbolizing an end as well as a beginning"
* "Signifying renewal as well as change"
From the 20 or so he used, other widely quoted contrasts, all of which were applauded, include:
* "If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich"
* "Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate"
* "My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man"
The speech also bristled with imagery, starting with a stark warning about the way the world has changed because "man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life."
People of the developing world were "struggling to break the bonds of mass misery."
Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan was a master of anecdote
JFK vowed to "assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty" and that "this hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house."
He sought to "begin anew the quest for peace before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity", hoped that "a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion" and issued a "call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle."
First inaugural designed for the media?
Impressive though the rhetoric and imagery may have been, what really made the speech memorable was that it was the first inaugural address by a US president to follow the first rule of speech-preparation: analyse your audience - or, to be more precise at a time when mass access to television was in its infancy, analyse your audiences.
Continue reading the main story
The Gettysburg great
Lincoln's short Gettysburg address had caught JFK's eye. Here is a sample of the speech:
"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
"Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this."
In the most famous fictional speech of all time, Mark Antony had shown sensitivity to his different audiences in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar by asking his "Friends, Romans, countrymen" to lend him their ears. But Kennedy had many more audiences in mind than those who happened to be in Washington that day.
His countrymen certainly weren't left out, appearing as they did in the opening and towards the end with his most famous contrast of all: "Ask not..." But he knew, perhaps better than any previous US president, that local Americans were no longer the only audience that mattered. The age of a truly global mass media had dawned, which meant that what he said would be seen, heard or reported everywhere in the world.
At the height of the Cold War, Kennedy also had a foreign policy agenda that he wanted to be heard everywhere in the world. So the different segments of the speech were specifically targeted at a series of different audiences:
* "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill"
* "To those new nations whom we welcome to the ranks of the free"
* "To those in the huts and villages of half the globe"
* "To our sister republics south of the border"
* "To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations"
* "Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary"
The following day, there was nothing on the front pages of two leading US newspapers, The New York Times and the Washington Post to suggest that the countrymen in his audience had been particularly impressed by the speech - neither of them referred to any of the lines above that have become so famous.
The fact that so much of the speech is still remembered around the world 50 years later is a measure of Kennedy's success in knowing exactly what he wanted to say, how best to say it and, perhaps most important of all, to whom he should say it. - BBC Report
Like other great communicators - including Winston Churchill before him and Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama since then - he was someone who took word-craft very seriously indeed.
He had delegated his aide Ted Sorensen to read all the previous presidential inaugurals, with the additional brief of trying to crack the code that had made Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address such a hit.
Fifty years on, the debate about whether he or Sorensen played the greater part in composing the speech matters less than the fact that it was a model example of how to make the most of the main rhetorical techniques and figures of speech that have been at the heart of all great speaking for more than 2,000 years. Most important among these are:
* Contrasts: "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country"
* Three-part lists: "Where the strong are just, and the weak secure and the peace preserved"
* Combinations of contrasts and lists (by contrasting a third item with the first two): "Not because the communists are doing it, not because we seek their votes, but because it is right"
If the rhetorical structure of sentences is one set of building blocks in the language of public speaking, another involves simple "poetic" devices such as:
* Alliteration: "Let us go forth to lead the land we love"
* Imagery: "The torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans"
In general, the more use of these a speaker makes, the more applause they will get and the more likely it is that they will be recognised as a brilliant orator.
"Kennedy's inaugural address reflected his core beliefs and life experience. He was a war veteran -a combat hero. He had read the great speeches of the ages, and believed in the power of words. He thought that a democracy thrives only when citizens contribute their talents to the common good, and that it is up to leaders to inspire citizens to acts of sacrifice. And when he exhorted Americans to 'Ask not, what your country can do for you,' he appealed to their noblest instincts, voicing a message that Americans were eager to hear. He lifted the spirits of his listeners, even as he confronted the grim reality of the nuclear age."
But great communicators differ as to which of these techniques they use most.
Presidents Reagan and Obama, for example, stand out as masters of anecdote and story-telling, which didn't feature at all in JFK's inaugural. Mr Obama also favours three-part lists, of which there were 29 in his 10-minute election victory speech in Chicago.
Stark warning
Kennedy, however, used very few in his inaugural address. For him, contrasts were the preferred weapon, coming as they did at a rate of about one every 39 seconds in this particular speech. Some were applauded and some have survived among the best-remembered lines.
He began with three consecutive contrasts:
* "We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom"
* "Symbolizing an end as well as a beginning"
* "Signifying renewal as well as change"
From the 20 or so he used, other widely quoted contrasts, all of which were applauded, include:
* "If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich"
* "Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate"
* "My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man"
The speech also bristled with imagery, starting with a stark warning about the way the world has changed because "man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life."
People of the developing world were "struggling to break the bonds of mass misery."
Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan was a master of anecdote
JFK vowed to "assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty" and that "this hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house."
He sought to "begin anew the quest for peace before the dark powers of destruction unleashed by science engulf all humanity", hoped that "a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion" and issued a "call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle."
First inaugural designed for the media?
Impressive though the rhetoric and imagery may have been, what really made the speech memorable was that it was the first inaugural address by a US president to follow the first rule of speech-preparation: analyse your audience - or, to be more precise at a time when mass access to television was in its infancy, analyse your audiences.
Continue reading the main story
The Gettysburg great
Lincoln's short Gettysburg address had caught JFK's eye. Here is a sample of the speech:
"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.
"Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this."
In the most famous fictional speech of all time, Mark Antony had shown sensitivity to his different audiences in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar by asking his "Friends, Romans, countrymen" to lend him their ears. But Kennedy had many more audiences in mind than those who happened to be in Washington that day.
His countrymen certainly weren't left out, appearing as they did in the opening and towards the end with his most famous contrast of all: "Ask not..." But he knew, perhaps better than any previous US president, that local Americans were no longer the only audience that mattered. The age of a truly global mass media had dawned, which meant that what he said would be seen, heard or reported everywhere in the world.
At the height of the Cold War, Kennedy also had a foreign policy agenda that he wanted to be heard everywhere in the world. So the different segments of the speech were specifically targeted at a series of different audiences:
* "Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill"
* "To those new nations whom we welcome to the ranks of the free"
* "To those in the huts and villages of half the globe"
* "To our sister republics south of the border"
* "To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations"
* "Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary"
The following day, there was nothing on the front pages of two leading US newspapers, The New York Times and the Washington Post to suggest that the countrymen in his audience had been particularly impressed by the speech - neither of them referred to any of the lines above that have become so famous.
The fact that so much of the speech is still remembered around the world 50 years later is a measure of Kennedy's success in knowing exactly what he wanted to say, how best to say it and, perhaps most important of all, to whom he should say it. - BBC Report
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Draftfcb's EVP, Steve Schildwachter, Tells Why Global Brands Matter -- more now than ever before
Steve Schildwachter, Executive Vice President at "through-the-line" agency Draftfcb, would describe his agency experience as a mix of brand equity building, new product development and retail tactics. These key roles for brand growth, combined with his specialization in International Marketing, have also prompted him to pose the question, "Why should a brand be global?:
According to Schildwachter, "When we think of global category leaders, Coca-Cola and McDonald's are top-of-mind examples. Even if they aren't #1 in every country, they're big globally."
He continues, "Some big global brands, however, are a combination of different brands in different countries. Pledge in some countries is Pronto, Pliz or Blem."
"Reckitt Benckiser, a large CPG company, recently rebranded some products so they could be marketed as a common, global brand. As a result, in the US, Electrosol dishwasher detergent has changing to Finish -- as it is known in the rest of the world. Reckitt also rebranded many household insecticides under Mortein. Even Starbucks' Via brand instant coffee is going global as well."
This again leads Steve Schildwachter to ask, "Why should a brand be global?" He recognizes the cost efficiencies of having the same product, package, and promotion around the world. Benefits also extend to efficiencies in commercializing products locally.
Yet, in our 21st century world, he sees another opportunity to consider: Social media. Schildwachter believes, "Social media is likely to speed the homogenization of disparate brands sold by global marketers."
He says, "If you have ever tracked your brand on any social media, you know that people are discussing it, and in some cases spelling it differently or slightly misstating the brand or product name. Imagine trying to track this conversation if your brand name is different from country to country.
Years ago this didn't matter, not only because consumers didn't regularly communicate with others abroad, but because marketing was so different from country to country. Today you are likely to have the same product marketed under the same name, if not globally, then in every country within the Euro Zone, NAFTA, ASEAN or other international trading areas."
He also cites data from Venture Capitalist Fred Wilson who points out that most visitors to major online resources come from outside the United States. In other words, 72% of visitors on Twitter are considered to be ex-US, as well as 78% on Facebook, and 84% on Google. He adds, "Companies need to pay as much attention to monetizing their usage around the world as they do in the United States."
The Chicago-based Schildwachter also hosts an advertising blog called Ad Majorum, which he characterizes as "a view from within a large agency, and how an executive there embraces the changes and challenges of modern marketing and advertising."
For those who forget their Latin, "Ad Majorem" loosely translates to English as "to the greater." Schildwachter also underscores that the "ad" in Ad Majorem means all marketing communications-- from social media to direct mail to Internet gaming to television commercials. He sums ups, "This time of change is actually an opportunity for better advertising: stronger consumer insights, more powerful ideas, channel-neutral marketing plans, and accountability so we know what sells and what doesn't." - The Internationalist
According to Schildwachter, "When we think of global category leaders, Coca-Cola and McDonald's are top-of-mind examples. Even if they aren't #1 in every country, they're big globally."
He continues, "Some big global brands, however, are a combination of different brands in different countries. Pledge in some countries is Pronto, Pliz or Blem."
"Reckitt Benckiser, a large CPG company, recently rebranded some products so they could be marketed as a common, global brand. As a result, in the US, Electrosol dishwasher detergent has changing to Finish -- as it is known in the rest of the world. Reckitt also rebranded many household insecticides under Mortein. Even Starbucks' Via brand instant coffee is going global as well."
This again leads Steve Schildwachter to ask, "Why should a brand be global?" He recognizes the cost efficiencies of having the same product, package, and promotion around the world. Benefits also extend to efficiencies in commercializing products locally.
Yet, in our 21st century world, he sees another opportunity to consider: Social media. Schildwachter believes, "Social media is likely to speed the homogenization of disparate brands sold by global marketers."
He says, "If you have ever tracked your brand on any social media, you know that people are discussing it, and in some cases spelling it differently or slightly misstating the brand or product name. Imagine trying to track this conversation if your brand name is different from country to country.
Years ago this didn't matter, not only because consumers didn't regularly communicate with others abroad, but because marketing was so different from country to country. Today you are likely to have the same product marketed under the same name, if not globally, then in every country within the Euro Zone, NAFTA, ASEAN or other international trading areas."
He also cites data from Venture Capitalist Fred Wilson who points out that most visitors to major online resources come from outside the United States. In other words, 72% of visitors on Twitter are considered to be ex-US, as well as 78% on Facebook, and 84% on Google. He adds, "Companies need to pay as much attention to monetizing their usage around the world as they do in the United States."
The Chicago-based Schildwachter also hosts an advertising blog called Ad Majorum, which he characterizes as "a view from within a large agency, and how an executive there embraces the changes and challenges of modern marketing and advertising."
For those who forget their Latin, "Ad Majorem" loosely translates to English as "to the greater." Schildwachter also underscores that the "ad" in Ad Majorem means all marketing communications-- from social media to direct mail to Internet gaming to television commercials. He sums ups, "This time of change is actually an opportunity for better advertising: stronger consumer insights, more powerful ideas, channel-neutral marketing plans, and accountability so we know what sells and what doesn't." - The Internationalist
Thursday, January 6, 2011
'I Predict 13 Changes'
Advertising legend, David Ogilvy concludes his famous book 'Ogilvy on Advertising' by predicting as many as 13 changes. Have a look at the list and judge for yourself to what extent he is right or relevant today.
1. The quality of research will improve, and this will generate a bigger corpus of knowledge as to what works and what doesn't. Creative people will learn to exploit this knowledge, thereby improving their strike rate at the cash register.
2. There will be a renaissance in print advertising.
3. Advertising will contain more information and less hot air.
4. Billboards will be abolished.
5. The clutter of commercials on television and radio will be brought under control.
6. Their will be a vast increase in the use of advertising by governments for purposes of education, particularly health education.
7. Advertising will play a part in bringing the population explosion under control.
8. Candidates for political office will stop using dishonest advertising.
9. The quality and efficiency of advertising overseas will continue to improve -at an accelerating rate. More foreign tortoises will overtake the American hare.
10. Several foreign agencies will open offices in the United States, and will prosper.
11. Multinational manufacturers will increase their market-shares all over the non-Communist world, and will market more of their brands internationally. The advertising campaigns for these brands will emanate from the headquarters of multinational agencies, but will be adapted to respect differences in local culture.
12. Direct response advertising will cease to be a separate specialty, and will be folded in the general agencies.
13. Ways will be found to produce effective television commercials at a more sensible cost.
1. The quality of research will improve, and this will generate a bigger corpus of knowledge as to what works and what doesn't. Creative people will learn to exploit this knowledge, thereby improving their strike rate at the cash register.
2. There will be a renaissance in print advertising.
3. Advertising will contain more information and less hot air.
4. Billboards will be abolished.
5. The clutter of commercials on television and radio will be brought under control.
6. Their will be a vast increase in the use of advertising by governments for purposes of education, particularly health education.
7. Advertising will play a part in bringing the population explosion under control.
8. Candidates for political office will stop using dishonest advertising.
9. The quality and efficiency of advertising overseas will continue to improve -at an accelerating rate. More foreign tortoises will overtake the American hare.
10. Several foreign agencies will open offices in the United States, and will prosper.
11. Multinational manufacturers will increase their market-shares all over the non-Communist world, and will market more of their brands internationally. The advertising campaigns for these brands will emanate from the headquarters of multinational agencies, but will be adapted to respect differences in local culture.
12. Direct response advertising will cease to be a separate specialty, and will be folded in the general agencies.
13. Ways will be found to produce effective television commercials at a more sensible cost.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Six ads that changed the way you think
Advertisers have always sought to influence and persuade - no more so than at this time of year. But since the advent of mass communications, there has been only a handful of ads that monumentally changed the way people think about a product.
De Beers
Engagement ring Before the A Diamond is Forever ads, diamond rings weren't the premier symbol of engagement
Through its bold advertising, diamond giant DeBeers did something extraordinary - it managed to convince generations of men and women that the only acceptable symbol of an engagement was a diamond ring.
Prior to the "A Diamond is Forever" campaign - which launched in 1948 and was named by Advertising Age as the most effective campaign of the 20th Century - diamond rings weren't synonymous with marriage or engagement. Peruse 19th Century literature and there's nary a mention of diamond engagement rings.
But DeBeers changed that.
Diamonds aren't particularly rare, but they are the hardest substance on earth - a quality that lends itself to notions of eternity. In pointing that out, and infusing it with notions of romance, DeBeers literally changed Western culture.
Volkswagen
As fans of TV's Mad Men surely know, American advertisers in the late 1950s and early 1960s fed consumers a steady diet of traditional gender stereotypes, earnest claims of product efficacy and aspirational characterisations of the American dream.
Volkswagen logo VW's Think Small ad pioneered the use of irony and wit in advertising
Volkswagen humbly shattered those conventions.
The Beetle was a car that Americans did not want. It was made by Germans, whose relations with America were mired in post-war tension. It had an odd shape and a loud, roaring engine.
By contrast, the ideal American cars at the time were enormous, powerful machines, sleekly lined and finished with flashy fins. While American automakers were busy seeking inspiration from the burgeoning airline industry, the VW Beetle seemed stodgy and grounded.
Then, in 1959, VW unveiled its "Think Small" campaign, deliberately highlighting the vehicle's perceived flaw.
There was no pretty girl casting her flirty eye over the car. There was no cool guy driving it. It was nothing short of groundbreaking.
"It was self-deprecating. It was the first post-modern ad," Bob Garfield, an advertising industry consultant and former columnist for Advertising Age, told the BBC.
"Hitherto all advertising had been as serious as a thrombosis. That ad ushered in a whole era of humour, wit and irony in advertising."
VW followed up with the famous "Lemon" ad, which informed car-buyers of VW's process of weeding out bad vehicles, while cheekily nodding at worries that the Beetle itself was a lemon.
Many advertisers followed suit. Perhaps most notably Avis rental cars, whose We Try Harder campaign made a virtue out of their second place position in the US market.
The Marlboro Man
The Marlboro Man certainly wasn't the first iconic advertising figure.
Marlboro Man billboard above Sunset Strip, shown Sept 28, 1995, in West Hollywood, California The Marlboro Man transformed the brand into an ultra-masculine accessory
In 1939, Coca-Cola helped create the modern image of a cheery, rotund, red-outfitted Santa Claus. Before that, representations of St Nick had ranged from skinny and creepy, to stern and downright scary.
Ronald McDonald, like the Marlboro Man, is so recognisable that the product name need not be displayed.
But the Marlboro Man did something more. He transformed the Marlboro brand from a mild ladies' cigarette into a rugged, ultra-masculine accessory.
Unlike Ronald McDonald, men aspired to be the Marlboro Man.
The campaign was wildly successful - Marlboro sales increased 300% in the two years after the ad debuted in 1955.
"There is just a handful of ads ever created that have actually become more important than the product itself, that created wealth and built fortunes," Mr Garfield said.
The Marlboro Man did that through the simple insight that a person's cigarette could speak to his or her self image.
James Twitchell, author of 20 Ads that Shook the World, told that BBC that in addition, the Marlboro Man was an achievement because it found success at a time when Americans were learning that cigarettes were genuinely dangerous, addictive products that could kill you.
"The Marlboro Man was strong, powerful. He never speaks. He's so tough," Mr Twitchell said. "The genius of the ad is that at the same time there was a rising realisation that this thing will kill you, it was identified with a character who was, on the face of it, indomitable."
Sadly, the three actors who played the Marlboro Man died of lung cancer. One sued Phillip Morris and the cigarettes became known colloquially as "cowboy killers".
Nike
In many ways, the differences between pairs of training shoe are marginal. Mr Twitchell calls them fungible, "essentially interchangeable."
Nike swoosh The globally recognized swoosh is one of Nike's advertising successes
But successive savvy advertising strategies turned a little Oregon sports outfitter into the globally dominant sports giant Nike. Their swoosh logo is now one of the most recognizable images on the planet, rendering the actual name unnecessary.
And while Nike may not have been the first company to seek celebrity plugs, its relationship with Michael Jordan is arguably the most successful endorsement in history.
"Nike's great insight was forget the shoe, own the athlete," says Mr Twitchell.
The release of the Just Do It motto in 1988 was a transformative moment for the company, weaving their brand, seemingly forever, with the inspiring and dramatic physicality of sport.
"This was advertising transcending the product. Nike is not a design or a style. It's an idea. They own sport - its passion, its grit," said Mr Garfield.
"They use the same offshore factories and cheap materials as everybody else. But they represent the drama and passion of sport. They just own it."
Absolut Vodka
Absolut Vodka ad Absolut Vodka created a new marke.
Like DeBeers, Absolut Vodka's advertising literally created a market where one did not exist.
In 1981, Absolut launched a campaign that would run for nearly three decades using simple ads with prominent images of their distinctive vodka bottle and plays on the word "absolute".
Before that, vodka had seldom been advertised and there was no premium vodka industry.
"Absolut turned a commodity into a badge brand," Mr Garfield said. "They did it on brand name and bottle shape. It was a remarkable visual campaign."
Mr Twitchell agrees.
"Vodka is a hard drink to separate on the basis of taste, so they separated their brand through narrative and package," he says.
These days, premium vodka is an enormous business. Brands like Grey Goose, Ketel One and Chopin owe much to Absolut's pioneering ads.
President Lyndon Johnson
Although aired just once, this chilling ad is considered one of the most effective US political history
American political advertising is a multi-billion dollar industry these days. Many campaigns have been highly effective, including Ronald Reagan's It's Morning in America campaign or the Republican "Willie Horton" attack ad against Michael Dukakis.
But few campaigns have been as memorable or as devastating as the Daisy ad.
It depicted a young girl playing innocently with a flower in a field. She looks up towards the sky and the camera zooms in on her eye and cuts to a shot of an atomic mushroom cloud.
An announcer urges Americans to vote for Lyndon Johnson because "the stakes are too high for you to stay home".
The ad was chilling and probably unfair, and it paved the way for the modern attack ad.
"It really showed that dirty advertising could produce clear results for the person who could do it well," said Mr Twitchell.
It was also pioneering in a different sense.
The ad was only played once as a paid advertisement by the Democratic National Committee. But it was so controversial it was shown numerous times on news programs and referred to in newspapers and magazines.
The ad was so good it got free publicity - a scenario many campaigns have tried to emulate, but few have actually managed.
Honourable mentions
Calvin Klein ad Calvin Klein continues to make racy ads
Apple's 1984 ad, directed by film legend Ridley Scott, was screened just once, but it imprinted Apple as what Mr Garfield calls "the heroic insurgent against the looming, evil, tyrannical information Big Brother, which at that point was IBM".
With Macintosh, Apple had created a revolutionary operating system, relying on a mouse and desktop icons. But the ad didn't show a glimpse of either. It simply branded Apple as smashing convention.
In 1980, 15-year-old Brooke Shields sparked controversy when she told audiences in a breathy whisper: "You know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing."
The overt sexualization of a young girl in the service of Calvin Klein jeans outraged many Americans, but it also sparked a designer denim craze that persists to this day, and encouraged Calvin Klein to continue to produce racy, provocative ads for decades.
"It was the beginning of the shockervertising plague that befell the Western world for five years," Mr Garfield said ruefully. "Calvin Klein wasn't an advertiser as much as an arsonist."- BBC REPORT
De Beers
Engagement ring Before the A Diamond is Forever ads, diamond rings weren't the premier symbol of engagement
Through its bold advertising, diamond giant DeBeers did something extraordinary - it managed to convince generations of men and women that the only acceptable symbol of an engagement was a diamond ring.
Prior to the "A Diamond is Forever" campaign - which launched in 1948 and was named by Advertising Age as the most effective campaign of the 20th Century - diamond rings weren't synonymous with marriage or engagement. Peruse 19th Century literature and there's nary a mention of diamond engagement rings.
But DeBeers changed that.
Diamonds aren't particularly rare, but they are the hardest substance on earth - a quality that lends itself to notions of eternity. In pointing that out, and infusing it with notions of romance, DeBeers literally changed Western culture.
Volkswagen
As fans of TV's Mad Men surely know, American advertisers in the late 1950s and early 1960s fed consumers a steady diet of traditional gender stereotypes, earnest claims of product efficacy and aspirational characterisations of the American dream.
Volkswagen logo VW's Think Small ad pioneered the use of irony and wit in advertising
Volkswagen humbly shattered those conventions.
The Beetle was a car that Americans did not want. It was made by Germans, whose relations with America were mired in post-war tension. It had an odd shape and a loud, roaring engine.
By contrast, the ideal American cars at the time were enormous, powerful machines, sleekly lined and finished with flashy fins. While American automakers were busy seeking inspiration from the burgeoning airline industry, the VW Beetle seemed stodgy and grounded.
Then, in 1959, VW unveiled its "Think Small" campaign, deliberately highlighting the vehicle's perceived flaw.
There was no pretty girl casting her flirty eye over the car. There was no cool guy driving it. It was nothing short of groundbreaking.
"It was self-deprecating. It was the first post-modern ad," Bob Garfield, an advertising industry consultant and former columnist for Advertising Age, told the BBC.
"Hitherto all advertising had been as serious as a thrombosis. That ad ushered in a whole era of humour, wit and irony in advertising."
VW followed up with the famous "Lemon" ad, which informed car-buyers of VW's process of weeding out bad vehicles, while cheekily nodding at worries that the Beetle itself was a lemon.
Many advertisers followed suit. Perhaps most notably Avis rental cars, whose We Try Harder campaign made a virtue out of their second place position in the US market.
The Marlboro Man
The Marlboro Man certainly wasn't the first iconic advertising figure.
Marlboro Man billboard above Sunset Strip, shown Sept 28, 1995, in West Hollywood, California The Marlboro Man transformed the brand into an ultra-masculine accessory
In 1939, Coca-Cola helped create the modern image of a cheery, rotund, red-outfitted Santa Claus. Before that, representations of St Nick had ranged from skinny and creepy, to stern and downright scary.
Ronald McDonald, like the Marlboro Man, is so recognisable that the product name need not be displayed.
But the Marlboro Man did something more. He transformed the Marlboro brand from a mild ladies' cigarette into a rugged, ultra-masculine accessory.
Unlike Ronald McDonald, men aspired to be the Marlboro Man.
The campaign was wildly successful - Marlboro sales increased 300% in the two years after the ad debuted in 1955.
"There is just a handful of ads ever created that have actually become more important than the product itself, that created wealth and built fortunes," Mr Garfield said.
The Marlboro Man did that through the simple insight that a person's cigarette could speak to his or her self image.
James Twitchell, author of 20 Ads that Shook the World, told that BBC that in addition, the Marlboro Man was an achievement because it found success at a time when Americans were learning that cigarettes were genuinely dangerous, addictive products that could kill you.
"The Marlboro Man was strong, powerful. He never speaks. He's so tough," Mr Twitchell said. "The genius of the ad is that at the same time there was a rising realisation that this thing will kill you, it was identified with a character who was, on the face of it, indomitable."
Sadly, the three actors who played the Marlboro Man died of lung cancer. One sued Phillip Morris and the cigarettes became known colloquially as "cowboy killers".
Nike
In many ways, the differences between pairs of training shoe are marginal. Mr Twitchell calls them fungible, "essentially interchangeable."
Nike swoosh The globally recognized swoosh is one of Nike's advertising successes
But successive savvy advertising strategies turned a little Oregon sports outfitter into the globally dominant sports giant Nike. Their swoosh logo is now one of the most recognizable images on the planet, rendering the actual name unnecessary.
And while Nike may not have been the first company to seek celebrity plugs, its relationship with Michael Jordan is arguably the most successful endorsement in history.
"Nike's great insight was forget the shoe, own the athlete," says Mr Twitchell.
The release of the Just Do It motto in 1988 was a transformative moment for the company, weaving their brand, seemingly forever, with the inspiring and dramatic physicality of sport.
"This was advertising transcending the product. Nike is not a design or a style. It's an idea. They own sport - its passion, its grit," said Mr Garfield.
"They use the same offshore factories and cheap materials as everybody else. But they represent the drama and passion of sport. They just own it."
Absolut Vodka
Absolut Vodka ad Absolut Vodka created a new marke.
Like DeBeers, Absolut Vodka's advertising literally created a market where one did not exist.
In 1981, Absolut launched a campaign that would run for nearly three decades using simple ads with prominent images of their distinctive vodka bottle and plays on the word "absolute".
Before that, vodka had seldom been advertised and there was no premium vodka industry.
"Absolut turned a commodity into a badge brand," Mr Garfield said. "They did it on brand name and bottle shape. It was a remarkable visual campaign."
Mr Twitchell agrees.
"Vodka is a hard drink to separate on the basis of taste, so they separated their brand through narrative and package," he says.
These days, premium vodka is an enormous business. Brands like Grey Goose, Ketel One and Chopin owe much to Absolut's pioneering ads.
President Lyndon Johnson
Although aired just once, this chilling ad is considered one of the most effective US political history
American political advertising is a multi-billion dollar industry these days. Many campaigns have been highly effective, including Ronald Reagan's It's Morning in America campaign or the Republican "Willie Horton" attack ad against Michael Dukakis.
But few campaigns have been as memorable or as devastating as the Daisy ad.
It depicted a young girl playing innocently with a flower in a field. She looks up towards the sky and the camera zooms in on her eye and cuts to a shot of an atomic mushroom cloud.
An announcer urges Americans to vote for Lyndon Johnson because "the stakes are too high for you to stay home".
The ad was chilling and probably unfair, and it paved the way for the modern attack ad.
"It really showed that dirty advertising could produce clear results for the person who could do it well," said Mr Twitchell.
It was also pioneering in a different sense.
The ad was only played once as a paid advertisement by the Democratic National Committee. But it was so controversial it was shown numerous times on news programs and referred to in newspapers and magazines.
The ad was so good it got free publicity - a scenario many campaigns have tried to emulate, but few have actually managed.
Honourable mentions
Calvin Klein ad Calvin Klein continues to make racy ads
Apple's 1984 ad, directed by film legend Ridley Scott, was screened just once, but it imprinted Apple as what Mr Garfield calls "the heroic insurgent against the looming, evil, tyrannical information Big Brother, which at that point was IBM".
With Macintosh, Apple had created a revolutionary operating system, relying on a mouse and desktop icons. But the ad didn't show a glimpse of either. It simply branded Apple as smashing convention.
In 1980, 15-year-old Brooke Shields sparked controversy when she told audiences in a breathy whisper: "You know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing."
The overt sexualization of a young girl in the service of Calvin Klein jeans outraged many Americans, but it also sparked a designer denim craze that persists to this day, and encouraged Calvin Klein to continue to produce racy, provocative ads for decades.
"It was the beginning of the shockervertising plague that befell the Western world for five years," Mr Garfield said ruefully. "Calvin Klein wasn't an advertiser as much as an arsonist."- BBC REPORT
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