Have you ever asked yourself that question? I did. In fact, many years ago I spent countless hours trying to figure it out. A good ad is like…
A good ad is like a good shish kebab: a string of simple yet delicious treats.
How to find out what’s essential
How do you find out what’s essential to the decision-making process of your potential customers?
Here’s one freebie: by entering the conversation that’s already taking place in your customers’ minds.
“OK, but how do I enter that conversation?” Is that what you’re thinking? If yes, I said one freebie, didn’t I?
Jun 15, 2013
What can the story about Stanley & Iris teach us about life?
In the movie “Stanley & Iris,” Robert De Niro gives a quietly-effective performance (one of his best) as Stanley Cox, an unassuming factory cook in his mid-40s who can neither read nor write. Stanley accidentally befriends Iris (Jane Fonda), a working mother with a job at a large commercial bakery who is still getting over the death of her husband, though her circumstances don’t give her much time to grieve.
Iris is sharing her house with her two children, Kelly (Martha Plimpton) and Richard (Harley Cross), her unemployed sister, Sharon (Swoosie Kurtz), and her thuggish brother-in-law. One of the few bright spots in Iris’ life is her blossoming friendship with Stanley…
As it’s not my intention to give the movie away, let’s just say that “Stanley & Iris” is a warm little romantic flick with a happy ending, which is elevated in a big way by the charisma of its two stars.
What inspired me to share the above story with you was the last spoken line in the movie. It’s delivered by Stanley, an awkward, shy, and yet, in many subtle ways, very articulate man. Here’s that line: “Iris, anything is possible.“
Anything is possible. Progress is often just an idea away, isn’t it?
Thank you for the reminder, Stanley, because it’s easy to forget that.
Jun 14, 2013
Ever heard of a spider that couldn’t spin a web?
Once upon a time lived a spider that could not spin a web.
It’s hard to believe that there was ever such a spider, isn’t it?
“C’mon, a spider that couldn’t spin a web?” you must be thinking to yourself. “Spiders do that kind of instinctively, right?” Probably. But since we mostly don’t pay attention to spiders when they are spinning their webs (like any other kind of hard work it is mostly done in private), I am not sure how they get to be so good at it. Maybe they are hard-wired for it. Maybe they practice a lot. Maybe it’s the combination of the two.
Unlike spiders, we are hard-wired for remarkably few things. But that is a good thing. To be human is to be relatively free of hard-wired instinctual reactions. Instead, we are blessed with a real gem: an incredible ability to write our own ticket through hard work and imagination.
Jun 9, 2013
P.S. There is a story, a legend actually about King Robert Bruce of Scotland who witnessed a spider which was repeatedly trying and failing to spin a web. The spider finally managed to build a web and the King walked away from the experience with a lesson: “If at first you don’t succeed, try again!” Please don’t take this last point lightly.
Why simplicity matters
Complexity up; trust down. Even mundane purchases are affected by trust. It’s easy to forget that.
May 27, 2013
Effective design = helping people understand things.
Images via atissuejournal.com
Case in point: pasta packaging for Italian Chef Pietro, a new pasta brand developed from scratch by Fresh Chicken Agency. It’s delightfully simple and memorable, isn’t it?