My Music Flavor of the Month: Bruno Mars

Pay close attention to this 25yr old kid: songwriter and music producer from Hawaii. Yes and THAT vibe....I "get him" as an artist. Tidbit: He's featured in that "I wanna be a billionaire...." song. Enjoy and let me know what you think.

Social Media Marketing 101 Visual Map

Leadership Lessons from Business Author John Maxwell

In his book "Developing the Leaders Around You," John Maxwell highlights different leadership styles, but specializes on how leaders can uncover the best in their employees. These is a very deep concept but one that many times takes the backseat when discussing leadership.  An integral contribution to one’s development as a leader is the feedback and impact provided by other leaders in one’s company.


Maxwell makes a point to describe what he calls as a “leader’s highest return” as the ability to instruct their followers and leaders-to-be on how to effectively work in teams. These in essence, provides invaluable leadership skills as communication, delegation, cooperation, goals and a shared vision are concepts that are necessary for the success of a team as well as nouns present in effective leadership styles. Listening, clear communication, contribution, prioritizing and shared vision are just a few skills that I currently try to practice in my leadership role.

Maxwell describes the “leader’s finest hour” as that point where the leader who impacted another leader realizes that these relationship was a two-way road – one where both parties involved gain a benefit. He stated that, “People development is life-changing for everyone involved” (p. 181). “The finest hour” is that point in time where the helping leader realizes his/her contribution didn’t stop in developing leadership skills in another person, but the realization that he/she has enriched another’s person’s life forever. My mentor and former boss, for example, always has mentioned the gratification she feels when she’s involved in mentoring another individual. She has described this feeling as one that helps her fulfill her career purpose of not only working for her own success or a company’s but of contributing to the development of other people. She believes that not sharing knowledge or expertise is practicing an egocentric approach to one’s career.

Coming Soon: A More Business-Friendly Twitter.com

According to Mashable.com (which as always, has the premier full scoop) and SmallBizTrends.com, Twitter.com has "silently" and gradually started sending invitations to selected business Twitter accounts to test their new Business Tab (appearing in the account's "settings"). There's still no word on whether Twitter Business Center will be a paid add-on or when it would be available to all businesses, but here's the scoop on what it can potentially do for small, mid and big-sized companies:

1. Improve Costumer Service:

Currently, in order to send a direct message to another person within Twitter (not within Twitter's public timeline), you need to "follow" the person you want to send the message to. With this new business center tab, businesses can send a direct message to consumers who are "tweeting" about their product, who are asking questions, who are complaining or simply would like to know more about the company - without having to "follow" hundreds of people. Without this extra step, businesses can really maximize Twitter to increase interactivity with their consumers.

2. Streamline Social Marketing Efforts:

The Business Center will include a "Collaborators Tab" where businesses can include different employees ("collaborators") within one Twitter account - without having to manage different profiles for each employee or for each product. Now all staff/supplier/vendor Twitter efforts can be more effective with only one account to update.

3. Add Trust & Credibility:

Currently only available to notable public individuals like celebrities, now businesses can - after going through Twitter's verification procedure - have Twitter's "Verified Account" green checkmark within their profiles. What this would do? Businesses can gain trust within their location, industry and consumers.

The Y and X in Marketing

Today’s 18-to-40-year-olds are special and have more political, personal and consumer power than any other generation before them. Both groups have adopted freedoms, economic prosperity, values and believe from their elders (Beaudoin, 1998, p. xiv). As more and more brands become a representation of what they believe in, both X’s and Y’s hold tremendous economical power as well. They are “savvy, sophisticated, and particular… [and] have a sense of quality and fair pricing” (Johnson, 2006). They are also a challenge for marketers as they are different from baby boomers – are not easily fooled and have unique preferences. “We are what we observe from other people, so generation X’s and Y’s inherited much of what their parents passed along: the baby boomers passed to X’s and the X’s passed to Y’s. For example, the baby boomers passed their free-spirit and “love” attitudes to their kids. Sex, rock ‘n' roll, drugs: Baby boomers made these “cool” in the 60s. Throughout the 70’s, the 80’s and the 90’s, they kept leaving a “legacy” to society. If Baby boomers broke all the rules and “invented” individualism and freedom of speech, weren’t X’s overwhelmed by the past generation?

What AVATAR has to do with Brazil? You'll be Surprised...

"For people living along the river, as they have for millenia, the dam will end their way of life. I implore the Brazilian government, and President Lula, to reconsider this projet." - James Cameron, AVATAR movie director

Last Saturday, April 24th, I was invited by my colleague, Felipe Benitez from Fenton Communications (DC), to attend a media event for his client. Felipe's client is the non-profit organization, Amazon Watch, which works to protect the rainforest and advance the rights of indigenous peoples in the Amazon Basin. James Cameron was going to be honored by indigenous leaders from around the world.

The media event coincided with the special screening of AVATAR, which coincided with the United Nations meeting on indigenous issues in New York City.

AVATAR has been embraced by many indigeous peoples worldwide, who see it as echoing their own story. Throughout Latin America for example, indigenous peoples have highlighted the parallels between the movie and ntheir own experiences dealing with private sector extractive industries and the development of Brazil's Belo Monte Dam - which if constructed, will cost $17.5 billion and will become the world's third largest dam. The impact? 20,000 indigenous peoples will have to abandon the rainforest and relocate to Altamira, where they will compete with migrants for scarce low-paying jobs.

James Cameron first visited Brasilia three weeks ago and since then, he has gone back a second time and the first day he came back the last time, went straight to have a conversation with Obama about the alarming issue happening so close to us. You can read James Cameron's personal letter to Brazil's President, Luis Inacio Lula de Silva here: http://www.amazonwatch.org/newsroom/view_news.php?id=2049

To learn more, visit:
www.un.org/indigenous
www.cbd.int
www.amazonwatch.org

Nike Doesn’t Make Sneakers!

One of the “right” things Nike is doing is pinpointing the need, then researching, strategically selecting and then keeping efficient relationships with outsourcing companies around the world. The manufacturing of the products sells is outsourced by Nike. Sneakers, jerseys and every other sporting equipment are manufactured outside of Nike’s company. In a 2005 corporate responsibility report, Nike disclosed seven hundred and four contracts of factories around the world who manufacture Nike products (Rafter, Michelle, 2005). Mexico, Vietnam, Bangladesh and China are all part of Nike’s outsourcing countries. It has been reported that since the Nike began outsourcing its manufacturing, they have used three criteria to choose their contractors: production quality, speed and price. In 2004, they added a fourth criterion: how well they align themselves to Nike’s values and code of conduct (Rafter, 2005). As many consumer online stores, Nike outsource its inventory and return management, as well as its delivery procedures in order to handle bulk orders in a timely fashion while keeping shipping costs low.

Holding the #158 company spot in FORTUNE 500 list, Nike knows exactly what its competitive advantages are: marketing, management, foot wear design and consumer research. Among its core competences, is not included actually making the sneakers! The company knows that producing the products itself mean money and resources spent in knowledge, logistics and management that they can find elsewhere – in a more cost-effective manner. This way, they can then dedicate substantial amounts of money and resources in their already mentioned strengths. As mentioned before, outsourcing allow companies an opportunity to have contracts for a set of period of time and then have the option to find more cost efficient relationships. An example of this benefit is when Nike, back in 2002, didn’t renew the contract established with its design and manufacturing company for its Nike Golf division. Instead, it contracted California-based Menlo Worldwide Logistics, whose partnership actually included two contracts: one to design and handle inventory of custom golf clubs and the second one to manage a distribution facility in Memphis, Tennessee (Cottrill, 2002). In a different supplier/vendor story, this time "gone bad," is one that got a lot of media attention back in 2001. Once Nike reported earning cuts in Q3, the company was quick to "blame" its supply chain software at that time, i2. Needles to say, the bad publicity and accusation substantially hurt i2's shares and reputation. In addition to Nike's shares hitting hard, its criticism to one of its supplier wasn't well received in the investors’ world (Mason, 2001).

Starbucks: America’s Third Space between Work and Home

American consumer buying habits is one of Starbuck’s direct forces that strongly influence the company’s progress. In order to illustrate this, it’s empirical to start out by describing the American consumer. Americans tend to be a very goal-oriented, brand loyal and demanding consumers in respects to the brands they purchase. In regards to food consumption, according to the 2004 United States Census Report, Americans consumption of food away from home has grown 10.1%, contributing to the 8.3% increase in overall food spending that same year.

The consumption of coffee in America is rising, in part due to Starbucks phenomenon. More than one-hundred nine million persons consume coffee in a daily basis. In addition, fifty-two million drink coffee occasionally. According to Chicago-based market-research firm, Mintel Consumer Intelligence, a third of Americans drink coffee away from home: in offices, restaurants and coffee shops. This leads to gourmet coffee brands being responsible for most of the U.S. growth in coffee sales (Cuneo, Advertising Age 1994).

While conducting his own research to write a story on Starbucks, the journalist Bart Cleveland, from Advertising Age, explained, “As I walked to my neighborhood Starbucks, I did my usual people watching. There was a myriad of sharply dressed business people, college kids studying, a woman in running attire and two guys in cowboy hats. Everyone belong here.” The company reaches out to a multiethnic diversity and this sense of belonging is what makes the company differ from other coffee stores; As Starbucks Chairman, Howard Schultz, once stated: “Starbucks’ stores are a place to feel like you belong.” Starbuck’s American consumer works or studies in high-traffic areas, who wish to decompress from their daily productivity. They either have the time to have their drink while relaxing in the store or need to go in an out with their purchase. An interesting fact is that almost half of the company’s consumers customize their drinks and the average consumer visits the store five times a month. In terms of percentages, 45% of the Starbucks consumers are women, 13% are between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four, 37% are of color and 56% are college graduates (O’Conner, BC Business 2005).

Why people don’t mind paying four dollars for a latte, instead of paying two dollars somewhere else? The company has established itself as not only a coffee destination, but as an “experience” itself, a destination if you will. People who go to Starbucks are looking for privacy and anonymity, but yet want to be in a public space. Consumers are not looking to build enduring relationships while in the store, but yet they have the opportunity to glimpse at other people’s lives by feeling part of a community. (Thompson & Arsel, Journal of Consumer Research, 2004).

The Art of War on Leadership

A few books can create the lasting impact like Sun Tzu’s The Art of War have created for centuries. Not only has it transcend languages and times, but it has also transcend in meaning – as even though its main focus is to describe the implications of war, its concepts are applied to business and personal lives.

The first theme discussed by Sun Tzu is that of “laying plans.” This is a pretty self-descriptive theme as the concept is used constantly in the business world. In order to reach goals, a plan must be put together and followed thru. Without a strategic plan, the best leaders or the best employees couldn’t work together towards a common goal. Just like war, the more people involved the more planning needs to happen. Szun Tzu, specifically, describes “laying plans” as the mixture of five interdisciplinary elements or “factors,” like Tzu calls them, which define one’s competitive position and how to use our own strengths to “fight” the competition. He calls them: “(1) The Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth; (4) The Commander; (5) Method and Discipline” (p. 2). I believe that these “factors” describe the collective mission undertaken by a group of people, the military or a team, the leadership skills necessary to keep them focused, as well as the methods applied in order to win the competition.

Excerpt the book: Reason, Faith, and Revolution: Reflections on the God Debate,

Postmodernism is allergic to the idea of certainty, and makes a great deal of theoretical fuss over this rather modest everyday notion. As such, it is in some ways the flip side of fundamentalism . . . Some postmodern thought suspects that all certainty is authoritarian. It is nervous of people who sound passionately committed to what they say. In this, it represents among other things an excessive reaction to fascism and Stalinism. The totalitarian politics of the twentieth century did not only launch an assault on truth in their own time; they also helped to undermine the idea of truth for future generations.


By: Terry Eagleton(British Literary Critic)

HOPE ~ CHANGE ~ BELIEVE: Change the World Through Social Media

The 12for12k Challenge is the combination of social media awareness and fund-raising that aims to change the lives of millions worldwide. Founded by business consultant Danny Brown, its aim is to raise awareness and funds for 12 charities over the course of 2009, with a new charity being supported every month. The concept is simple:

12 months of the year
12 charities, a different charity each month
$12,000 per charity


Visit http://www.12for12k.org

Google Social Search 101- How Does it Work?

Google launched their Google Experiment Social Search today, Oct. 26th, were by opening a Google Profile, you can specify which are your social networks (MySpace, Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Friendster, etc.) Once you do this, everytime you do a Google search, you'll see results matches within your social networks' content.

Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company Dance - (NYC Center Oct 29-Nov 1)

After six years as resident choreographer at New York City Ballet, all eyes in the dance world are now focused on Christopher Wheeldon's brand new ballet company, Morphoses....www.nycitycenter.org

John Mayer Releases Augmented Reality Music Video

John Mayer Releases Augmented Reality Music Video

Posted using ShareThis

The Social Media Revolution...Are you Ready?

Thoth Performance (The Power of Divine Healing Through Music) in Central Park - NYC Summer 2009

New York City, of course, presents a profoundly high incidence of these works of public and private art, being the cultural center that it is. It's quite an experience to witness Thoth performers in the tunnel at Bethesda Terrace in Central Park, directly across from the Bethesda - or “Angel” - Fountain.

The Oldest City in the USA...And great keeping its old-city charm: St. Augustine, Florida

Entering St. Augustine, Florida via Budget Truck...


During the Day...

During the Night...

Ok...Finally, this is the REAL Recipe of How to REALLY Measure YOUR Life...

Ask yourself: "Where am I....NOT in reference to others, but in reference to myself?" Where am I on the road of my own potential?"

And without forgetting.... "As you become more like God, it becomes easier for someone else to become like God. The world hangs in the balance."
- Book "Becoming Like God"

Vintage Advertising - Classics

Coca Cola - 1950s

Vintage Nestle AD French, 1900

Bridgette Bardot Ad Art - 1958

Chanel No. 5 Perfume - French Ad 1940s

THE PARADOX OF OUR AGE

We have bigger houses but smaller families;
more conveniences, but less time;
We have more degrees, but less sense;
more knowledge, but less judgement;
more experts, but more problems;
more medicines, but less healthiness;

We've been all the way to the moon and back,but have trouble crossing the street to meetthe new neighbor.

We build more computers to hold moreinformation to produce more copies then ever,but have less communication;

We have become long on quantity,but short on quality.

These are times of fast foodsbut slow digestion;
Tall men but short character;
Steep profits but shallow relationships.

It's a time when there is much in the window,but nothing in the room.

- The 14th Dalai Lama