December 4, 2009 • 10:47 am 0
One of the great things about a more open and computable layer of data on the web is the ability for us to use lighter weight technologies to interact with what was a hardcore enterprise technology. Check out the new JavaScript interfaces to Jabber/XMPP messaging systems … brings the real time web out of the age of polling to the age of message passing.
Filed under: happenings
September 10, 2009 • 9:52 am 0
I came across a great example of guerrilla user research: Alaska Miller and Dan Curtis are going to use JetBlue’s “Jet all you want” pass to visit every JetBlue city. Check out my post on threeminds about it and submit your thoughts.
Filed under: advertizing , advertising, design, experience design, jetblue, user research
May 31, 2009 • 8:37 am 0
So I hope I didn’t cause too much concern with my first post. I LOVED Shanghai. It felt like the New York of China: fashion, art, culture, gentrified, ultramod, industrial, fusion, all at once. The energy of the city is palpable. One of the side effects of the “one child per couple” policy is that everyone is pushing for themselves, often with their whole family behind them. That creates velocity. Career velocity, social standing velocity, growth, and inertia. It seems, with the Chinese educational system focused on hard sciences and exams that it must be very difficult to be creative in Shanghai. I think we’ll see a surge in the “creative class” in China in the next 10 years. This will be an exciting time. I could live in Shanghai. I’d love to live in Shanghai, but I’d need to focus a LOT on language skills first and reading would be very difficult for me.
Ok, so the next big observation from me is that everyone drives a stick. That is, they all have manual transmissions: cars, buses, trucks. In the US, I don’t know anyone who drives a stick, unless they own a Porsche or a wee VW Golf. It means cars “leap off the line” faster than the US. This leads me to another curious observation: most of the cars started off in second gear. That thunking noise a car makes when it’s in too high a gear for “take off”. That’s the noise all cars make in China. I can drive a stick, but I don’t (typical lazy American I guess). I was always taught to work my way comfortably up through the gear box, focusing on creating the smoothest ride for my passengers. I suspect that in China it’s about keeping rpm low and conserving a little gas by starting in 2nd.
Sometimes in the US, I am very frustrated by the arrogant, selfish, pushy a$$wipes who push in front of people during a zipper merge. You know who you are, the people who push in at the head of the queue, instead of “waiting your turn”. Many people do it, but many people don’t. It’s not polite. In China, it’s the opposite. I wonder if it’s a side effect of the only child policy again. When the light changes you go, you push towards the oncoming traffic, if you can inch in front, then you win. The only thing is that EVERYONE is doing the same. The result: it works. It is NOT how I expect traffic or people to behave, but gosh darn it, if everyone is pushing, selfish people, then it just works.
An example, I have been patiently awaiting the cross signal at an intersection. The wee green man appears and I begin to cross, past half way, almost to the other side and a bus appears, with it’s indicator on. It is going to make the “right turn on red”. In my brain, the equation is simple: I have the green man, the bus has a red light, the bus will stop and give way to the pedestrian. In Shanghai however, my instincts couldn’t be more wrong. The bus HONKS at me and my son. Not slowing from 40kph it attacks the corner expecting people to scatter out of it’s way. Which of course we do. And then it dawns on me. I was probably a split second later than everyone else in the cross walk, but I did it, I got out of the way. It works, I’m ok, rattled, but ok. The bus remains on time, and the world keeps on turning, turning, into the future. It’s a shift of my perception that is required. In the 2 weeks I was there I had already made the shift. I was no longer surprised by mopeds, bikes, or buses crashing red lights. I just dealt with it.
Another great example is when the light turn. The traffic lights warn you that they are going to change. The orange appears to let you know the green is coming as well as the red. This means people can start sooner, and push into the intersection. In the US, when 4 lanes of straight through traffic are lined up and someon is turning across traffic, they might be cheeky enough to push one car in front of them. In Shanghai, 12 cars pushed through the four lanes of oncoming traffic, all as a perfect zipper, first a turning car weaves itself through, then 4 oncoming cars, etc … people honked all the time, but really to say “here I am watch out”, not “get the frick out of my way you moron”.
The final thought on zippers and second gear is this: In the US and most of the western world, the horn is for admonishment. When we toot, we are saying “you idiot!”, in Shanghai, the horn is to announce your presence. Like the “firing a gun at every intersection” of the early days of the horseless carriage.
Filed under: china , china, creative, driving, shanghai, transmission, zipper merge
May 27, 2009 • 1:43 pm 0
First, The one thing that sums things up for me is this: imagine a country peopled entirely by only children, now multiple by 1 billion. This is my big observation. The impact that this small, often overlooked effect has on China is incredible to see.
So as many of you know I just returned from 2 weeks in Shanghai, China. Despite being married for more than 9 years, I had never been to the country my wife grew up in. Sharine moved to the US when she was 17, and her immediate family is all in the US, while my immediate family is in New Zealand. Whenever we went somewhere we went to NZ, grandkids visiting grandparents, engagement, etc… all to New Zealand. This was my first trip to China, but not my first trip to Asia. As many of you also know I had spent a short business trip visiting Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, and Tokyo. They were much more like I expected. Malaysia was a fantastic polyglot of cultures and people. Jakarta was an oft savage, close to third world experience. Tokyo was a refined, polite, deferential fashion leader that defined what the east is in the eyes of the west. Shanghai, is as once all of those things and none of them.
We did not go to China as American tourists. We went as “local tourists”. My wife had several friends and family members in Shanghai who offer to let us stay. Veronica and her family magnanimously offered to live at their parents house while we stayed out in their place on Xei Tu Road, in South Shanghai (no, not at all like South Los Angeles). We arrived tired but excited from a United flight that connected through Chicago mid-afternoon. The smog was palpable. I assumed the visibility was limited to about 1/2 a mile due to the industrial areas out by the airport, oh how wrong I was. As we drove into the city across 15 story fly-away road bridges and massive centrally suspended bridges it dawned on me that this kind of air was normal, and my first observation was the cab in front of us had a HOOTERS ad in the window, not that I notice these things. It was hot, high 90’s, sticky, and smoky. As I glanced out the window I spotted a 300 mph maglev speeding past us to the city. Hunter was so excited he squealed!
When we arrived we discovered that Veronica’s place was a 6th floor walkup, accessed through a rough hewn concrete staircase, with a security gate that rivaled a Federal penitentiary (yes I’ve been in one, during my work with DHS). My mind was reeling as we lugged out overstuffed suitcases up the 12 flights of 8 stairs. Each stair was stamped with multiple blocks of characters and numbers: advertisements for the contractors who fixed things in the building. When we finally climbed the stairs to the 6th floor we were greeted with another gate, of the same quality and strength as the one below, then a beautiful wooden door, with a 3 bolt deadlock. My initial reaction was, as you can imagine: concern. Why did they need this kind of security? What kind of neighborhood where we in? How would I cope with little to no Mandarin. I was truly giving up any semblance of control.
Veronica was fantastic, showed us all around, opened her home to us, stayed to help us make wontons and cook them up for a feast the first night (one feast of many!). Her house was not really a home as I would have defined it. They lived in this apartment during the week, basically just eating, sleeping, and doing homework. During the weekends they go to live with their parents, in a much nicer, homelier apartment a bit further out of the city. According to my Lonely Planet guide, the road we were on wasn’t even on the Shanghai map! I was worried this little place was waaaaay out in the city burbs. I didn’t realize how small Shanghai is (despite being home to 17 million people).
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Filed under: NZ vs USA, happenings, on the go , china, kuala lumpur, New Zealand, shanghai, tokyo, trips, United States, wonton, wontons, xie tu lu
May 4, 2009 • 10:11 pm 0
Well, it’s almost here. Our family trip to Shanghai will begin on Wednesday morning 8am. A quick hop to Chicago, then a long flight to Shanghai. I am so excited to finally see where Sharine grew up. Understand a little more about China and see some amazing things. I can’t wait for real Shanghai food. Out itenary so far is roughly:
5/7 (Th) – arrival
5/8 (Fri) – Qi Bao, also to see my cousin (maybe) and Connie’s parents (for sure)
5/9 (Sat) – with Veronica to see Yu Yuan Garden and market. Evening to Bund or Heng Shan Lu.
5/10 (Sun) – cemetary then visit grandfather and have dinner with aunt and maybe some cousins
5/11 (Mon) – Su Zhou Trip
5/12 (Tu) – open
5/13 (Wed) – Hang Zhou Trip
5/14 (Th) – Wu Zhen Trip
5/15 (Fri) – open, Maybe have dinner with Kirk in the evening.
5/16 (Sat) – Pu Dong and Da Guan Yuan Trip
5/17 (Sun) – Nan Xiang Old Town Trip
5/18 (Mon) – open
5/19 (Tu) – open
Open:
People Sqaure and Xin Tian Di
Pu Dong, Pearl Tower, Bund, Nan Jing Road shopping street
My Mandarin is atrocious (not even passable other than hello) but I am almost buzzing with excitement. I remember my brief time in Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, and Toky fondly. Shanghai awaits! I am not sure I’ll have internet connections in China so you may have to wait for photos and blog posts, but rest assured they will be on their way!
Filed under: on the go , china, family, mandarin, shanghai, travel
March 29, 2009 • 9:24 pm 0
Just watched an evening of ”animation domination”: family guy, american dad, was to be simpsons but for some bizarre reason watched “Kings” instead. I feel big, like I’m 4″ to tall for my body. I raced today. In the 40th “Scarsdale 4mile run”. It feels weird that as I slide towards my 40th birthday (*gasp*) I placed in a race. Yes, that’s it. I won a MEDAL in a arunning race. Out of 130 people, I placed 31st. 3rd in the 30-39 year old bracket. Bronze medal for me at an 8 minute mile pace. 4 miles in 31m 56s. FAST. Faster than I thought my legs would take me, faster than my uncalibrated Nike+ told me I’d run. I felt like king of the world. In 40 year, I have mever won anything. Not on my physical prowess at least. Imma nerd. A serious nerd. Top 5 in Physics and Math in my year, in the country! But not in sports. What made me place? A few wee things, my kids waiting at the finish line, podrunner, keeping a rockin 180bpm soundtrack (Engines of Distraction). A dude and a girl, keeping pace with me, trading 29th, 30th, and 31st with me.
I don’t know quite how I feel about this. I ran. I came 3rd. I’ve never done something like this. Ever. I love that I did this. I got a MEDAL! I have never had a medal. The race was small (200 people). I placed 30th, but still: a medal!
I think that this is significant. It makes me feel different. A small victory, but a victory none the less. This week was a complicated, difficult work victory (IWOV!). This weekend was a running victory.
The big question remains: run 10k in Van Cortlandt next weekend or tgo to Atlantic City to celebrate with my buddy Chris? Only time will tell…
Bronze, third, wow…
Filed under: happenings, scarsdale , 3rd, bronze, fitness, place, run, scarsdale
March 10, 2009 • 10:25 am 0
I just completed a piece over on threeminds about the rise of the creative technologists. Check it out!
This was what had been seething below the surface, this was what had been bothering me about engineering. In light of this, I began to envision how to create a creative technology team. A team that can seamlessly integrate with creative concept teams, design teams, quality teams, clients, and customers. We will need some new skills, a re-prioritization of current skills, and an refactoring of how we work together. The first step down this path for us is a simple rebranding.
Today, developers at Organic are no longer Engineering. We are Technology. We are masters of our Craft. We are strong. We are conceptual, we are creative, we are the total experience engine that powers the modern agency. We are Technology.
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Filed under: advertizing, big thoughts , Code refactoring, Craft, Creative Technology, Technologist, technology
February 23, 2009 • 9:25 am 2
So I have over the last few weeks I have had several major customer service interactions that I think sum up the current state of flux in the current marketing world. We live in some complicated times. The economy is hoving on the brink of a macropocalypse, the web has evolved from this static thing to a dynamic thing to an almost all pervasive thing. People’s expectations for products and services have gone way up, beyond those of the industrial or information revolution, towards those of the conceptual and design revolutions.
First off let me begin with my stay at an aloft hotel. I was excited about this stay, not only was aloft a Starwood brand hotel, but I heard they were known for cutting edge design, but a resonable price point (unlike say a NYC W or SF St Regis, both very nice, but $$$$ per night). My first impressions were not good, hard to find entrance, no “hotel door”, just an unmarked elevator. Ok, but once inside, a nice bar, interesting food choices, and the rooms were really nice. A hip, clean, new feel to the whole experience. All in all I liked it. However, despite the automated checkin/out counters purchasing an espresso and bowl of cereal at re:fuel their “self service eatery” involved a lengthy 4 minute front desk credit card transaction, multiple “manager keys”, and not even a pointer to where to pay or pick up my food. A highly variable experience all in all. The hotel invoked modernity though, the feeling that I was in Tokyo not Charlotte, NC.
On my return, I observed a young “lady” whose choice of apparel um, caught my eye. I tweeted:
mtbdeano: thinks that faux leopard skin short furry jackets plus daisy dukes plus ripped black tights plus overstuffed ugg boots should be illegal
to which I got an almost immediate reply of:
FluffyFootwear: @mtbdeano Get your ugg on with the original Australian ugg boots ..http://is.gd/iqJu
Now, of all the brands to be monitoring twitter, I expected aloft to be totally on top of web2.0 and Ugg to come in somewhere near the bottom of the pile. How pleasantly surprised I was to receive my Ugg coupon (despite my derogatory comments). Now, I’ll never buy a pair, but I am talking about it. Why wouldn’t aloft (who I also twittered about) not respond? Why are my expectations so high after just one simple interaction like this? I now EXPECT all brand s to be monitoring twitter, despite most marketing budgets still going to sign on a stick and mass media 30s spots. This is the wonderful world of Customer Service 3.0.
I’d also like to contrast two other customer service interactions that surprised me this weekend. Returning a piece of jewlery to Macy’s and a Verison FiOS failure. I purchased a nice piece of jewelery for my wife a week or two ago, long story short, it was not what she was hoping for. We went to return it to Macy’s, in my mind a king of customer service. My wife spent 45 minutes trying to return the item to a store in NJ, only to be finally told (after being alternatingly ignored and avoided) that since that store didn’t carry that item, she couldn’t return it. My wife stormed out, disgusted, horrified, and vowing to never shop at Macy’s again. I tend to agree, I have never had a problem with them in the past, never had a concern about returning an item (we had the receipt and everything). The modern consumer is mercurial!
My previous post on Circuit City also caused me great customer service grief. Now they are closing, I am a little worried, maybe I tipped them over the edge? Nah, how could I have had that effect?
So my final example is from the customer service black void that is (was) Verizon. In the past, I have had nothing but confusing, difficult to understand, frustrating customer service experiences with ISPs and Verizon in particular. This weekend our FiOS went out, inexplicabily. I rebooted all devices I could find, still nothing. I called Verizon, only to be greeted by an automated phone system that “ran some online checks” and after a brief 3 minute wait by Brian. He asked me to check a few things, then offered to send an SMS when a Verizon field tech was dispatched. 30 minutes later a tech was on the way. When he arrived he was (coincidently) also a Brian, introduced himself, explained carefully what he was going to check for, what he couldn’t check for, and got quickly to work. When he was done he spent 5 minutes explaining FiOS to me and why a wire guy would come out late that night to find the break in the fiber. He explained, the 3 frequencies of light, why I was getting TV, but no phone or internet, and how long it would take to fix. I felt informed, happy, trusting that Verizon was looking out for me. The next day still nothing fixed, but a new tech arrived checking two other things. Again, he explained what happened, apologized because it appears there were two problems, not the one they suspected the day before. He gave me his cell phone number. Let me repeat that, the Verizon guy gave me his cell. Said I could call any time if I had questions. Again, I felt like I was informed, connected, and that I trusted these guys. Within 2 hours all ws fixed and well with my intertubes. About 30 minutes after that I got a call, on my cell, asking if things were ok. Nice follow up, an overall a great experience. Not at all what I expected after my last encounter with Verizon.
So what does this all mean? The modern consumer has much nigher expectations of customer service. She/he is much more likely to want to feel informed, trusted, and trust worthy. Simple interations, simple things still work. Responding in a timely manner, informing your consumer (not treating them like morons), and connecting with them is ever more important.
Filed under: big thoughts, marketing , aloft, crm, customer service, fios, macys, marketing, service, twitter, ugg, verizon
February 5, 2009 • 9:49 am 0
I am stuck in the “can’t post yet” loop of a new year. i know it’s been a few months since my last post, and a lot has happened ( macropocalypse, move to Scarsdale, bought a house in Scarsdale) and I feel like I need to do one of those cathartic end of year wrap up posts. But just I had to post this link. I think this HBR artricle is one of the most poignant pleas for a restart of our values and economy I have seen.Here’s some high points:
20th century capitalism is eating itself.
Reigniting growth requires rethinking growth.
20th century growth was dumb.
So what to do about it? The article suggested refactoring our existence on these four principles:
1. Outcomes, not income.
2. Connections, not transactions.
3. People, not product.
4. Creativity, not productivity.
It lines up with my own ideas about creativity and design, but couches it in something much more far reaching. Big props to @audreycarr and @davidfeldt for passing this along. Now what can I do to help?
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Filed under: big thoughts , 20th century, economy, growth, Harvard Business Review, People and Society, rebuild, smart growth
November 22, 2008 • 2:09 pm 0
So the second book my friend Shane recommended was called “Where the suckers moon: The Life and Death of an Advertising Campaign” by Randall Rothernberg, the current director of the International Advertising Bureau. Since moving out of pure consulting into design I have been resisting the move into “advertising“. Despite working for a digital advertising agency (despite it’s ongoing transformation into a holistic brand experience agency). Where the suckers moon is a fantastic journey through the wonderful world of marketing and advertising projects. It picks up where Mad Men leaves off, the time when Madison Avenue ruled the world of advertising and takes you on a whirlwind journey through the maturation of an industry (both the Subaru car industry and the advertising space). Follow Subaru as they search for and select an agency. Follow the agency as it discovers that it’s not as simple as a great creative idea. Watch the politics and pressure of advertising unfold across a who cast of characters. The book is well written and takes you on a roller coaster ride towards a crescendo of doom you can feel building almost from Chapter 1. As a former Subaru owner (and someone who still remembers the “take the long road home” campaign, I found this book eye opening). What does this mean for me and my job? It sure helps understand not just the creative design teams, but the advertising people as well. High throughput creative concept generation … advertising production … versus application development versus mashups and integration … the business is changing fast. How to stay ahead and agile in this kind of down economy? Lean, fast, agile, high quality, and hurry up about it!
Filed under: personal improvement , advertising, book, growth, marketing
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