When I Grow Up…

I saw this many years ago… it’s still good. Heh.

Agents = Out On A Ledge

Here’s what I’m realizing… those of us who do consulting and free agency are definitely out on a ledge compared to our counterparts within an organization. We’re the excuse providers.

After all, we get judged on our performance – or rather, on their performance based on our recommendations.

Meanwhile, our counterparts in corporate communication offices and marketing departments can get away with lackluster performance year after year. Their positions are “safe.” Just get the activities underway and stay within budget. Besides, it’s a lot cheaper to yell at them, then retain them; instead of firing them and getting new visionaries within the department.

So, if you’re a free agent or a consultant… here’s to providing services that lead to results our clients can leverage on.

And, if you’re on the client’s side… let’s see how smug you’d be if you were in our position.

Follow Through Writing

Sometimes, when the going gets tough – writing becomes very perfunctory… and quite dead.

That’s when I tell myself that I need to start writing with FOLLOW THROUGH.

I “bang!” at the beginning, but also all the way through the end. (Too often, good copy drops the ball somewhere along the line)

Creativity Is In The Connections

I really like what Colin Gottlieb, CEO of Omnicom Media Group has to say about creativity in this AdAge article.

For me creativity is the ability to successfully connect one abstract thing with another to create something extraordinary. The ability to make these connections depends on many things but perhaps the most obvious is the desire (not the discipline) to observe the world around you. You see stuff, you like it and you store it for the moment the penny drops. The stimuli is not one thing or another — it is everything around you and everywhere you go. Executives in our business have the opportunity to ‘touch’ tons of stuff. They are paid to then make the connections. So, the answer to your question is attitude. You either have the hunger to make the connections or you don’t.

Creativity… its in the ability to make connections.

Where Have All Our Ideas Gone?

Infamous Hugh McLeod makes very poignant comments about the marketing communications industry in this post:

I totallly agree with Doc’s recent comment:

Whatever marketing becomes will start, I believe, as a technology trend.

Brilliant. [Doc's blog is here.]As I’m fond of saying, when people in the advertising business ask me where my disaffection with that industry comes from, I tell them to do the math:

The Cuetrain wasn’t written by a Leo Burnett employee.
Movable Type wasn’t invented by McCann’s.
RSS wasn’t invented by JWT.
Robert Scoble doesn’t work for Fallon.
Techmeme wasn’t invented by Saatchi’s.

Advertising people are supposed to be in “the idea business”. But none of the ideas that have excited me in the last 5 years or so have come from Madison Avenue. Not one. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

Why do you think that is?

Expert vs. Entrepreneur

Today, I just learned the difference between an expert and an entrepreneur – especially when it comes to “owning” a business.

An expert strives to know all there is to know about a particular subject, and how to best apply his knowledge.

An entrepreneur strives to make money – wherever he is able to. Often, you will find him having a Long Tail-type approach to business.

If you want to concentrate on building your brand, then be an expert. Otherwise, if you want to concentrate on building your net value, then be an entrepreneur.

Ideally, you should be both. (That’s where finding niches come in)

Pursue Excellence

It was ingrained to me by my mom when I was growing up. And now, Seth Godin has an excellent post (as always) on it. So why is it so difficult for so many of us in the rat race to see it? 

Say no to being average.

This morning, Bradley was explaining to me that it couldn't work in his profession as a freelance writer. It seems that almost all the clients want average stuff. Which no surprise, since average is, by definition, the stuff most people want. I asked, "Are there any writers in your field who you hate because they get paid way too much compared to your perception of the effort they put in and the talent they have?"

"Sure," he said, feeling a little sheepish about being annoyed by their success.

"And how do they get those gigs?"

It's because they stand for something. Because they are at the edges. Because if an editor wants a 'Bob-Jones-type' article, she has to call Bob Jones for it… and pay Bob's fees. Bob would fail if he did average work for average editors just to make a living. But by turning down the average stuff and insisting on standing for something on the edge, he profits. By challenging his clients to run stuff that makes them nervous (and then having them discover that it's great), he profits.

This is scary. It's really scary to turn down most (the average) of what comes your way and hold out for the remarkable opportunities. Scary to quit your job at an average company doing average work just because you know that if you stay, you'll end up just like them. Scary to go way out on an edge and intentionally make what you do unattractive to some.

Which is why it's such a great opportunity.

Two Things Marketers Do

By Seth Godin – so trite yet so deep: 

Two things marketers do:
1. Do the work necessary to be sure that your perception of the world is similar to the world as it is.
2. Create the stories (and the experiences to back them up) that change the world as it is.

Most marketers fail at #1. By focusing on what they want, or by having a selfish view of things, they miss the reality of what the world believes.

And that can cause us to miss #2. Your story has to be grounded in the worldview of your intended audience.

Premier Private Colleges?

So here I was sitting at lunch, reading Bill Gates’ “My Advice To Students: Education Counts,” when I came across this line:

“If you don't get reasonably good [high school] grades, it's hard to get into a college that has the highly motivated, capable students who can really help you learn about the world.”

Basically, what Mr. Gates is driving at is this: Good high school grades get you into a good college.

It got me thinking about the state of tertiary education here in Malaysia. Specifically: Private tertiary education institutions (Institut Pengajian Tinggi Swasta – IPTS). Even more specifically: What makes a “good” IPTS?

A typical Malaysian student finishing high school makes his first choice for tertiary education by choosing between enrolling in a public university or seeking private tertiary education.

Now, there are many challenges to enrolling in public universities – namely lack of places, infrastructure, financial aid and various other social factors (such as the Bumiputra affirmative action, etc.). The lack of places in public institutions is exacerbated with the increasing number of students who realize the importance of having “academic qualifications.” All this has basically caused many Malaysian students to turn to IPTS’s. There are also perception issues involved, namely: First, the negative perception of local graduates (that they are quite unemployable) reducing the prestige of our local public institutions. Second, Malaysian students – if they can afford it – prefer to pursue an education overseas (typically to the US, UK, Australia, New Zealand or even Canada). Some go for the opportunity to expand their worldviews (exposure) while others attach a vague sense of “being better” as an overseas graduate with international experience. Perhaps this is a holdover from our colonial heritage – intelligent and privileged Malaysian children were (and still are!) sent overseas for boarding school and university, whether privately or publicly funded. This has lead students to turn to private institutions that offer “twinning programmes” – which allow students to begin his or her education locally before transferring to a college/university overseas to finish up and graduate.

ll of this has resulted in a booming private education industry. At last count, according to the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education, there were 322 private education institutions – not counting their various branches all over the country. It is a very aggressive market with more and more institutions mushrooming all over the country.

Now, I don’t know about other countries, but in Malaysia many of these institutions are not blooming for humanitarian or societal reasons. Most of these are started up by businesses and organizations who are capitalizing on the current market trend: Education is great business! They are here for the money (but if they get to positively affect the country along the way and educate a few students too – great)!

As a result, you can pretty much enroll in most private institutions with lousy high school grades. Students skim through high school and now, with money, students think they can buy themselves a college degree (Which they can, I believe. Of course, they didn’t check out the fine print which said, “Education – the ability to think and learn independently – not included”). All this is because (more and more) private institutions are scrambling for (less and less) market share.

My friend – a lecturer with one of the leading private colleges here in Malaysia – believes that “providing education” and “making money” are two highly divergent and incompatible goals. So, with a mass market model in mind (i.e. get as many customers as we can), is it any wonder that there aren’t too many “good” private colleges around?

What if (let’s say) Inti College Malaysia decided to “brand up” and go “premium,” to admit only students with top-tier grades?

Would Malaysians end up with our very own “Harvard University?”

Would our students then, as Bill Gates says, “Get the best education you can… Learn how to learn”?

5 Corporate Lessons

I’m sure this is making its rounds via email, which explains how I ended up with it. Anyway, it’s a welcome break to a rather dreary work day. Heh.

Corporate Lesson 1
A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next door neighbor. Before she says a word, Bob says, “I’ll give you $800 to drop that towel.” After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob. After a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 dollars and leaves. The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, “Who was that?” “It was Bob the next door neighbor,” she replies. “Great!” the husband says, “Did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?”

Moral of the story: - If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

Corporate Lesson 2
A priest offered a lift to a Nun. She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident. After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg. The nun said, “Father, remember Psalm 129?” The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again. The nun once again said, “Father, remember Psalm 129?” The priest apologized “Sorry sister but the flesh is weak.” Arriving at the convent, the nun went on her way. On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, “Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory.”

Moral of the story: – If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.

Corporate Lesson 3
A sales rep and a administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out. The Genie says, “I’ll give each of you just one wish.” “Me first! Me first!” says the admin. clerk. “I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world.” Poof! She’s gone. “Me next! Me next!” says the sales rep. “I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life.” Poof! He’s gone. “OK, you’re up,” the Genie says to the manager. The manager says, “I want those two back in the office after lunch.”

Moral of the story: – Always let your boss have the first say.

Corporate Lesson 4
A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day. A rabbit asked him, “Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?” The crow answered: – “Sure, why not.” So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, and rested. A fox jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral of the story: – To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very high up.

Corporate Lesson 5
A turkey was chatting with a bull. “I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree,” sighed the turkey, but I haven’t got the energy.” “Well, why don’t you nibble on my droppings?” replied the bull. “They’re packed with nutrients.” The turkey pecked at a lump of dung and found that it gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after a fourth night, there he was proudly perched at the top of the tree. Soon he was spotted by a farmer, who shot the turkey out of the tree.

Moral of the story: – Bullshit might get you to the top, but it won’t keep you there.