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Feedback Loops Feed Brand Alchemy
Real Feedback Loops Don’t End A feedback loop is mechanism for systems to self-regulate and adapt by using feedback. A feedback loop a can for a single cycle (such as in a survey) or can go on indefinitely. The indefinite feedback loops are tablestakes for developing an alchemy between brands and people. It begins by receiving input, interpreting the information, making adjustments, incorporating the new amand then repeating the process with the new amended information.. Customer surveys and other methodologies are great for making short term decisions or taking the...
Queen of Hearts
The Toddler Whisperer Songs for Littlesis a low-tech, educational show for babies and toddlers that’s filmed in a Brooklyn apartment not too far from where our daughter was born. Despite its humble production, the show has racked up more than two million YouTube subscribers and a deeply adoring fan base. In a recent segment of the Today show, host Rachel Griffin Accurso, who goes by “Ms. Rachel” on the show, was championed as a “rock star” for the under age 4 set. As a preschool teacher and mother of a toddler herself, Accurso told Today that...
The Magic of VapoRub
Colita de Rana Colita de rana or “little frog’s tail” is phrase in a Mexican nursery rhyme that’s sung to comfort little children when they are sick or hurt. “Sana sana colita de rana, Si no sana hoy, sanará mañana.” It means “Heal, heal, little frog’s tail, if it doesn’t heal today, it will heal tomorrow.” Colita de Rana and VapoRub go together like salsa and tacos. Not only do they make you feel better, they can also fix anything. Combining creates a powerful salve with the power to cure everything under...
Let Your Brand Go Off Leash
Are You Holding Your Brand Back? No one had ever heard of Beck David Hansen. Now known anonymously as "Beck", he a completely unknown music artist playing in small coffee houses. He scraped together enough money to record a song he wrote called "Loser". It was strange song with incoherent lyrics. The music industry gave it three thumbs down. Turns out "Loser" was brilliant and skyrocketed to #1 on Billboard's Alternative Airplay. Why? The song was basically a musical blank canvas on which listeners could paint their own meaning to Beck's words. However, soon it wasn't Beck's song...
The Search For Authenticity
I'll Know It When I See It “It just felt right.” Although we can't define it, we do know when come across it. And "it" is exactly what we were lookong for. Similarly, when we use a search engine, sometimes we aren’t exactly sure what we are searching for. Probably why Google does 3 billion searches a day. Many are searching for "it" and want "it" to be real. We want that so much that just appearance of authenticity rings our bell enough to hit the "buy" button without a second thought. Comes as no surprise that when the product doesn’t reflect what we expected, it leaves a bitter...
Alchemy and Social Tone-Deafness Don’t Mix
An unawareness of a social disconnect is often referred to as being socially tone-deaf. At best, when it comes to companies, social tone-deafness results in a harmless social slip-up. At worst it can end up as a public relations nightmare. In an effort to stay culturally relevent, some companies jumped on the social movement bandwagon. Thing is, some of those companies created campaigns around sensitive topics that they didn’t really understand. Unfortunately, these attempts at combining creativity with social issues led to blunders that ranged...
Dear 80’s, We Miss You
A recent survey asked 20 to 60-year-olds which decade they'd want to have lived. The answers ranged from the 1900's to present day. While preferences came from all ages for different decades, the 1980's were hands down #1 choice amongst 20-somethings. Despite shoulder pads, glam rock, the age of greed, and yuppies, nearly all wished they had lived in the 1980’s. However, nearly everyone said post 2010 were the worst decades in which to live. One person summed it up in two words, "It sucked". The most often cited reason was an ever-increasing...
Bias Blocks Alchemy
Are you biased? If you answered "no", guess what? You, dear reader, have a bias. It’s called a blind spot. You can't see your your own bias. Bias are tricky little buggers. But don’t be too hard on yourself. Truth is, we’ve been hardwired for bias since we were monkeys. It was necessary for survival. See that tiger? Maybe you saw one just like it shred your best friend. So, next time you see anything that resembles a furry striped animal you are going run like hell, right? Or let’s say you’re out in...
