Voices

On the last issue of the wonderful and insightful magazine Wired Uk I have read that focus group are dead.

Actually I am waiting one of my clients to go this afternoon behind a mirror to watch ladies talk about.... (that's confidential sorry).

Well I am sure the people from Wired magazine know the future better than me, and I am sure focus groups are not the smartest and hi-tech thing in the world...

BUT I think it's important sometimes to

"shut our mouths and listen to what other people have to say"

Of course, probably there's no need to be behind a mirror...

The Art of Seduction

I have just started reading the book in the above picture.

It's actually a long interview with Charles Saatchi, mostly about art, but also about advertising.

Reading mr Saatchi answers made me realise that advertising and (modern) art have more in common than what we think.

Art is about seduction just like advertising and one particular phrase summarise this:

"it's better to be charmed, than to charm"

that means it's important to make other people thinking they are charming, interesting and most importantly worth listening to.

Isn't that the definition of an insight?

The September Issue

One week ago I was in London for the amazing interesting2009 conference.

That was like a good rock and roll gig.

Basically it's just three chords, but how many different emotions with them chords!!!

The difficulty (the "tragedy" as the above picture suggest) is now, to be back, in my little town, with my little job and the need, the impulse to say and do something interesting.

Well, I'll try, I'll promise, and in the meantime and I have started blogging a little more than in the last six months.

In the meantime enjoy some interesting pictures, they can give an idea of the quantity and quality of the emotions around the Conway Hall on sep 13th.

Psychogeography anyone?

Last saturday night it was cold and rainy, so I decided to go to a (virtual) gig. I went to see the 30th anniversary Sex Pistols gig... on dvd. The concert was tough and emotional but what I have really enjoyed most were the special features with a 90 minutes London Guide by the four member of the band (top class: John Lydon vs the Emirate Stadium).

Back in the office on monday I received a big envelope from Amazon containing various books and dvd I have recently bought. The link between "The London Nobody Knows" (a 1967 documentary of the disappearing Victorian London...) and the Sex Pistols Guide was immediate.

What I am trying to say here it's not just I like London, Punk Rock and Arsenal FC but that I like cities and I like how they can really be "the stage" for different people, different adventures and different moods, all at the same time.

And speaking of cities and Punk Rock I can just mention one of the greatest pro-urban (or anti-rural) marvbelous song that is Down on the Farm by the Uk Subs (then covered by Guns & Roses, please don't make mistakes!).

Happy 2009

I am not lost. Just been very busy in the last few months with my university lessons, my job and thinking about the future...

My resolution for 2009 is to be a bit more disciplined with my blog (at the end of the day I LIKE DOING THIS) and trying to do more exciting things inside and outside this page.

The experts says this is the saddest day of the year, not for me, it's just like new year's day here.

All the best.

Yes, we change

Not only I am really really happy with the Obama triumph, but I have also read, among many others a very interesting article from Al Ries about his succesful positioning campaign.

When medium and message are going in the same direction!!!

No internal presentation?

These days I am preparing the first lesson of the Strategic Planning course I am holding at the IED from next week monday on.

Of course as a power point junkie I am preparing my slides, trying to mix fun/entertaining facts with serious statements about this discipline, and lots of "interactive moments" to try to keep the lesson a bit more multidirectional.

But today I realised that I miss an "internal presentation" with stupid remarks about my pictures or serious comments about missing the discussion flow somewhere...

It's not that I am not sure of what I am doing it's just that I am not used to all this freedom, I just have to go next monday, plug my mac, and hoping that the students have had a nice weekend and are not too sleepy at 9am (or probably I hope so).

In the meantime I am still missing a few pictures and various quotes...