Mar 31, 2012

The relationship between noise and creativity

Hi everybody!

There is very interesting study, focused on the effects of noise on creativity by Ravi Mehta of the University of Illinois, Rui (Juliet) Zhu of the University of British Columbia, and Amar Cheema of the University of Virginia.

This research is involving more than 300 people and shows that a moderate level of noise (70 decibels) enhances creativity relative to both high (85 decibels) and low levels (50 decibels) of noise.

Facts, based on the research:
  • The noise makes mental processing more difficult, which activates abstract cognition and thus enhances creative performance.
  • A moderate level of noise is the equivalent of the background buzz of conversation. In fact people who like to write in cafes have more creative thoughts.  
  • A moderate level of noise not only enhances creative production but also leads to greater adoption of innovative products.
  • High noise levels hurt creativity, but moderate noise can enhance creativity.

Have a wonderful Sunday,
K.K.



Source of information: “Is Noise Always Bad? Exploring the Effects of Ambient Noise on Creative Cognition,” Ravi Mehta, Rui (Juliet) Zhu and Amar Cheema, Journal of Consumer Research
Soure of image: morguefile.com

Mar 30, 2012

Doug Richard


Today there's an interview of 3 parts with Doug Richard - entrepreneur and investor. His point of view is really interesting regarding the issues as:
  • the costs of starting a business
  • price of a product vs. price of a problem
  • storytelling and intelligent laziness
  • trust in people
  • recession etc.
Enjoy it:)


                                       


Have a great day.
K.K.

Mar 29, 2012

A good loyalty strategy

Hi everybody!

There’s a famous theater chain in Austin (Texas), named Alamo Drafthouse. It’s an example of a company, which is standing up for its principles and knows how to keep its best customers, at the expense of the bad ones.

One of its main principles is that Alamo Drafthouse doesn’t tolerate the talk or the text in its theaters. This is the reason why before every film, the company has several warnings on screen to prevent such situations, telling the customers, that if someone doesn't follow the rules Alamo Drafthouse will kick their asses out of their theaters.

The video below is an actual voicemail from a woman last year, that was kicked out of one of Austin theaters of Alamo Drafthouse. What can we say? The company should be really thankful to this anonymous woman, for being “so unbelievable”, so that to be created this video, which to be their next warning advertisement before every film.



And what is even more interesting is the answer to this angry customer of Alamo Drafthouse founder and CEO Tim League, which was published on the blog of the company: “Ma'am, you may be free to text in all the other theaters in the Magnited States of America, but here at our "little crappy ass theater," you are not. Why you may ask? Well, we actually do give a f*$k.”

Don't you think, that this is an example for a good loyalty strategy? :)

Have a great day.
K.K. 

Sources: drafthouse.com
Source of image: morguefile.com

Mar 28, 2012

Simon Calver

Hi everybody!
"Build the brand later, get the consumer proposition first", says Simon Calver - the CEO of LOVEFiLM, Europe's largest online DVD rental service. His marketing background is related with senior management positions at Dell, Pepsi and Unilever in the past.

4 Ps, consumer benefits (choice, value and convenience), building the brand and other interesting issues are described by Simon in his lecture on the initiative, named Marketing maestros, where leaders in their field share their opinions on innovative strategies for small businesses. And here is the lecture of Simon Calver in two parts.

"The most important thing, that you could do, is surround yourself with great people" - one of the Simon's best advices.

Have a great time.





Br,
K.K.

Tom Fishburne

New day is coming:)
Have you heard about Tom Fishburne? I like his work. He is the founder and CEO of Marketoonist, which is a content marketing studio. Tom is making wonderful cartoons (Tom draws from 16 years) as well, related with marketing, advertising, innovations and creativity. They have been featured by Forbes, New York Times, Wall Street Journal etc. Here are some of them:




And here is a video with Tom Firshburne, named "The HR Director is the New Marketing Director" - but don't think, that this is a video about HR. In fact this is a material about marketing, telling us the truth that "we all work in marketing". Enjoy it:)



Cartoons source: tomfishburne.com
Video source: youtube.com

Have a great day.
K.K.

Mar 27, 2012

Philip Kotler

Hi everybody!
Here's an interview with Philip Kotler on marketing in times of economic uncertainty. "Cutting your budget, that creates your sales, is a funny thing to do", he says.

This quote is so close to another one, which is one of my favorite quotes of Thomas Jefferson:
"The man who stops advertising to save money is like the man who stops the clock to save time".

Enjoy it:)



Br,
K.K.

Mar 25, 2012

The creativity makes a difference

Hi everybody!
As we've already started the subject of creativity, here is another point of view - it's a bit poetiсal, but it's worth seeing.

"Creativity starts from a belief".


Wish you a wonderful Monday.
K.K.


Mar 23, 2012

Finding an idea

Ideas, ideas, ideas.
Everyone is surching for the best idea, which one will refresh the life, the business, the world. And where good ideas come from? Here is a wonderful video, presenting in graphics a point of view on this issue by Steven Johnson.

"Chance favours the connective mind", he says.


And here is a TED video with Steven Johnson, where he describes in more details, how the idea is a culmination of all the connections, that the brain makes of the knowledge we gain from learning, gaining experience, all the environment, talking to others etc.



Enjoy it.

K.K.

Mar 22, 2012

The products, which we don't need


Hi everybody!

Here is the story of the bottled water with Annie Leonard, who describes the “manufactured demand”. There’s an interesting point of view regarding the ad campaigns of products, which ones people in fact don’t need.


Have a great Friday.
K.K.

Do you know the numbers behind the Copyright Math (TM)?

Hi everybody!

SOPA, ACTA, Copyright law - these are actual issues today. And here is very funny approach for presenting the numbers behind the Copyright Math (TM) by Rob Reid. Enjoy it:)


Have a great day.
K.K.

Mar 20, 2012

What do you think about focus groups?

What do you think about focus groups? I think, that the focus groups are the death of creativity. They don’t work if you want to find out if the creative idea or concept is good. And “that’s all folks” – nowadays it’s just a kind of “image effect", when it comes to tasting creative concepts with focus groups.

It's good to let the good ideas live and not “focus grouped” them to death.

Here is a video, illustrating how focus groups could kill a really remarkable commercial, if the client trusted them and not the agency’s creative team.  This is a real video with focus groups and no actors were used.  


And here is the "1984" Apple Macintosh Commercial.


Have a great day.
K.K. 

Image Source: morguefile.com


Mar 19, 2012

The real life on Madison Avenue in 1960's with Jane Maas


I love advertising industry - there are so many things in this industry, that delight me. I believe this is the reason why I work already 10 years in this industry. But how it was many years ago?



In the video below Jane Maas tells us the stories of the real life years ago - in the 1960's on the Madison Avenue. It's really intriguing to find out, that women:
  • "at that point weren't allowed to work on automobiles"
  • "weren't allow to work on banks".
"I think, that strategy and positioning is much more important these days. I think, that one thing is happening today, that we don't know so much about and that is the importance of insights", says Jane Mass.

And here is the whole video.


Have a great day.
K. K.

Gary Rosen

Hi everybody!
How to be creative? Today being creative sounds like being "modern" and a lot of people are claiming they are "creative". But is there in fact such thing like creative type?

Here is a video, where Gary Rosen - an editor of Wall Street Journal weekend review, interviews Jonah Lehrer. There are some interesting points of view of Jonah Lehrer regarding the creativity. How we should approach creativity in general? This and other questions find their answers in the video below.

Enjoy it.
K.K.


Source: WSJ

Mar 16, 2012

There's nothing better than the right targeted advertising

Such an example is the interactive ad at the London bus stop for two weeks in February, which ad shows different content to women and men.

There was used face recognition software with an HD camera, so that to determine whether a man or a woman was standing in front of the screen at the bus stop.

After the technology scanned the viewer's face, there was shown the full advert to women, together with details about three 13 years old profiled girls' lives - Jasmine from the UK, Bintou from Mali and Sur from Thailand. Men didn't see the complete ad, but only a series of statistics about girls around the globe.

The cause of the campaign is related with the fact, that millions of girls in the world's poorest countries don't have choices like to go to school, as well as who and when they marry. So Plan UK organization has the goal to help them to complete their education and have more choices about their future.

The video below explains the campaign in more details:



And here's the video with the stories of the three girls:


Sources: www.youtube. com; www.plan-uk.org

I like the idea for different content of the ad to men and women. I like the fact, that this is not only an ad, but a one, which first makes you a part of a "check control" and after that sends you the proper ad message for you. The strong points are, that here's a right message to the right people, delivered in an interesting way and a social cause, which is described clearly and in details, so that not only to understand it, but also to feel it.

There's a lovely sunny Saterday today. Enjoy it.
K.K.

Image Source: morguefile.com


Being social


Hi everybody!

Social campaigns are always actual. They provide opportunities for the advertising agencies to show their high level of creativity by touching our hearts and at the same time these campaigns generate social changes for a better world.

Here is the latest "Speakers" campaign of  Actionaid organization, including a set of 7 print visuals and TVC with headline "We give a voice to those who don't have one". The campaign is developed by advertising agency DLV BBDO, Italy.

The campaign is illustrating that having a voice, being allowed to express yourself and fight for a better existence should be a basic right.

Have a great day.
K.K.










Source of print visuals: Ads of the world

Mar 15, 2012

Democratization of the creation

Hi everybody!

Today I would like to share with you the documentary film "Press Pause Play", which one is about the democratization of the creation through the digital tools.

In this film take part some of the most influential creators of the digital era and the main questions are related with the relation between the digital revolution, creativity, art and talent.

Enjoy it!
K.K.


Mar 13, 2012

Regulation of the relationship between the copyright and the creativity

Hi everybody!

Here is very interesting lecture by the Harvard professor Larry Lessig about the Copyright issue related with creativity. Copyright and creativity are always related and the main question is how to "regulate this relationship".

His proposal the work of the artists and creators to be made available freely for non-commercial type of use, but not freely for any commercial use is really a worth subject of further conversation in area of the Copyright law.
 
"Lessig has built a reputation as the king of Internet law and as the most important next-wave thinker on intellectual property.", New York Magazine


Have a great day.
K.K.

Image Source: morguefile.com

About me

 Hi everybody!

My name is Kameliya Kamenova. Graduated in Marketing and Law, having more than 12 years professional experience in Marketing, Branding and Integrated communications, I found out my passion in the area of marketing, developing and  managing communication campaigns and strategical marketing projects of UNICEF, British American Tobacco, Pepsi, Nestle, OMV, Mr. Bricolage, UNIQA, Walmark, Globul, Kamenitza and many other brands.

Believing that sky is not the limit, I decided to develop this creative blog on my passions - Marketing, Advertising and Copyright. 

NOTE: There's already a new continuation of this blog - it is the creative zone for Marketing challenges www.markeTHINKzone.com
   

Have a great time in the creative zone www.markeTHINKzone.com!

Meet you there!

KK