My 3 Pods

If you know me at all one thing is inescapable - I almost always have my headphones in during the day. At my desk. During lunch. In the men's room. 

More often than not I'm immersed in a podcast. On a frequent basis I'll share an episode with someone at work if I think the subject-matter suits their interests.  

Since I get asked so frequently what I'm listening to (and often am accused of listening to nothing) I thought I'd share the four podcasts I listen to the most.

99% Invisible 

What it's about (in their words): 99% Invisible is a tiny radio show about design, architecture & the 99% invisible activity that shapes our world.

Why I like it: First, the subject-matter really pays off the title. The topics are more often than not about things you've never considered, but play a suprisingly important role in our daily lives. Second, I find the host's voice (Roman Mars) very calming. And finally, episodes are short (15-20 minutes) so you can get through one during virtually any commute.

A recent episode that will get you hooked: It's like choosing my favorite child, but I really loved this episode about Cow Tunnels built under Manhattan. 

The BS Report

What it's about (in their words): Grantland's Bill Simmons discusses sports and pop culture with celebrities and media personalities. 

Why I like it: Simmon's is the reigning king of sportswriting. While some have accused him of "going Hollywood" (hanging with celebs, becoming part of the story, etc.) I love that he always approaches his podcasts with the enthusiasm and irrationality of the average fan. He also ranges beyond sports into pop culture, which leads me to ...

A recent episode that will get you hooked: This is actually a very old episode (2 parter here and here) where Simmons and ESPN personality Matthew Berry break down the best moments of Beverly Hills 90210 to the point of absurdity. It's great radio. It's the first BS Report podcast I ever heard, and it really helped put him on the map outside the sports world. 

Freakonomics Radio

What it's about (in my and their words): Freakonomics radio - hosted by the authors of the wildly popular book franchise by the same name - "explores the hidden side of everything." Essentially it looks at everyday things through the lens of economic theory.

Why I like it: It's smart. It's funny. It's accessible. It's relatable. I always feel a little smarter after listening to an episode. PLUS, host Stephen Dubner recently emailed me about a blog post I wrote inspired by two recent episodes. I thought that was nice.

A recent episode that will get you hooked: It's almost a can't miss. Just dive right in. But this episode about online dating perfectly captures how they apply an economist's lens to everyday things. 

Cultural Disruption

I've had a lot of discussions lately about disruption in business. Usually they focus around a technology as the disruptive force or an entirely new business model (e.g. Uber, AirBnB) that turns an industry on its head.

And then two things happened that made me come to a very simple conclusion.

(1) Elon Musk, the rockstar founder of Tesla, dropped this on the world:

Yesterday, there was a wall of Tesla patents in the lobby of our Palo Alto headquarters. That is no longer the case. They have been removed, in the spirit of the open source movement, for the advancement of electric vehicle technology.

Tesla Motors was created to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport. If we clear a path to the creation of compelling electric vehicles, but then lay intellectual property landmines behind us to inhibit others, we are acting in a manner contrary to that goal. Tesla will not initiate patent lawsuits against anyone who, in good faith, wants to use our technology

He removed the patents from the wall. A seemingly small detail, but huge in what it communicates.

(2) Starbucks announced they will help underwrite college classes for its employees: 

"Supporting our partners' ambitions is the very best investment Starbucks can make," [Howard] Schultz [CEO] said in a statement.

The benefit is valued at about $30K per employee, and Starbucks won't require employees to stay at the company after they've earned their degree.

As I said above, the conclusion I came to is absurdly simple: While disruption can come in the form of technology or an entirely new business model, it's equally as powerful when it comes in the form of culture.

Imagine a car dealership that financially incentivizes its salesforce based on customer satisfaction with the buying process. Or an airline that conducts exit polls after flights and uses the results to bonus its staff.

Buying a car and flying - two notoriously horrible experiences. Made worse by the prevailing norms. If done right, there must be a business advantage to some company bucking those cultural norms.

Quitting & Failing

I think because it's graduation season, and because I love the excellent Freakonomics podcast, I've read/heard a ton lately on the topics of quitting and failing. It seems to be a topic of conversation everywhere I turn.

Two of the most representative things I've consumed on the topic are from Freakonomics: The Upside of Quitting and Failure is your Friend are exactly what you'd expect them to be about. They are both thought-provoking and entertaining, and I recommend them highly.

The narrative is simple, and generally follows one of two (very related) paths: 

It's better to quit something you're bad at as soon as possible so to move on to something you're more likely to be good at.

The most valuable thing you can do is recognize imminent failure, learn from your mistakes and apply those to something else.

In economic terms these narratives are based on two basic principals:

1. The sunk-costs fallacy, which is I've invested too much to stop now.
2. Opportunity cost, which the New Oxford American Dictionary defines as "the loss of potential gain from other alternatives when one alternative is chosen."

Thinking just with the left side of my brain, I understand the logic of abandoning likely failure to focus on potential success. It actually feels very right from a purely biological standpoint. I can imagine a male rhino thinking: That female doesn't seem to want to carry on our species with me, so I'll find another who will. Otherwise our future is doomed.

But where's the romance in that?

The right side of my brain interprets it very differently, and far more cynically: Don't stick with something you've poured your heart/soul/money into if you think there's something better or easier or has a higher likelihood of success out there waiting for you. Jump ship for the next shiny object, and leave everyone on it to fend for themselves.

Like most humans, I think with both sides of my brain. So I struggle with the practical versus emotional benefits/tolls of quitting or failing. I find something incredibly practical about all this advice, and something incredibly shallow about it.

Funny (or sadly) enough, it's Jim Carrey (yes, THAT Jim Carrey) who I think captures what I believe. In speaking to a group of graduating seniors he said this: 

You can spend your whole life imagining ghosts, worrying about the pathway to the future. But all that will ever be is what's happening here - and the decisions we make in this moment, which are either based in love or fear. 

And that's the thing: economic theory is rooted in future returns, not the here. And it seems to make an assumption that what we want today will be what we want tomorrow.

Or put far more eloquently by the great Hunter Thompson, at only 22, it in a letter to a friend:

Every man is the sum total of his reactions to experience. As your experiences differ and multiply, you become a different man, and hence your perspective changes. This goes on and on. Every reaction is a learning process; every significant experience alters your perspective.

I'm a realist. I understand we don't have the capacity to stick with everything that's not going right in business or life. If so I'd be playing in a men's baseball league and still trying to figure out how to make 1984 Christie Brinkley my girlfriend.

(as you can see, I had a shot!)

But I think there's something - it's a silly romantic notion perhaps - of choosing to stick it out in the face of failure. Because maybe at those moments, when our backs are against the wall, are when the solution will present itself. Then again, maybe not. Hey - it's a tough subject and there's no right answer.

But at the very least I know this: I don't love the fail fast narrative when it becomes a convenient excuse for walking away when things get tough. Sure, eventually enough's enough. But telling our young professionals to take the easy way out doesn't bode well for our future. But what the hell do I know about the future?

It might be right for rhinos. But I think humans can do better.

Insights Skills

In my last entry I posted a presentation where a bunch of advertising planners and strategists gave their definition of an insight. 

Today - presumably related - someone asked me what I thought the most important skill is for getting to an insight. My answer is pretty simple (I think):

The ability to spot two seemingly disparate dots and draw a connecting line.

What's an Insight?

I came across a Slideshare presentation from a guy called Umar Ghumman.

It's pretty simple ... about 40 advertising strategists and planners give their definition of an insight. Some are relatively long, which is kind of funny. Others are really simple. All of them are worth reading.

I found this blurb from Martin Weigel, Head of Planning at Weiden + Kennedy (Amsterdam) particularly refreshing ...

Let’s reclaim insight as a way of looking and thinking, and take it off its pedestal of unhealthy attention and worship.

What is an insight? from Umar Ghumman

Simple Math

When it comes to small vendors there are those who use Square and everyone else.

Nearly every payment experience I've had with Square is one swipe, super fast, super simple.

Nearly every payment experience I've had with any other product is multiple swipes ... waiting ... waiting ... another swipe ... waiting ... failure ...swipe ... waiting ...

I can only guess the reason people use a Square competitor is to save a fraction of a % on commission.

The math is pretty simple: use a quality product that works, that will make your customers happy and will increase your throughput. 

DHL Trolls Competitors with Clever Stunt

Real or not ... clever.

How UPS, TNT and DPD advertised for DHL. Involuntarily and clueless.

Surprise and Delight

Thanks to Liz Taylor for this gem.

Sometimes the smartest social strategy is simply listening.

Full story here.

But first: how did this beautiful reverie come to fruition? It seems we have Twitter to thank. After reading Alexander Chee’s interview in Pen America, in which he said “I still like a train best for [writing]. I wish Amtrak had residencies for writers,” Gross tweeted her mutual wish for an Amtrak-sponsored writing experience.

And though such lofty fantasies often die unrealized, by the grace of some transportation-and-prose-loving god, Amtrak actually responded to Gross on Twitter, and liked the idea. 

So Gross emailed the social media team at Amtrak to set the trip up, picked dates and a route (Amtrak recommended the Lake Shore Limited, because, you know, there tends to be room on a train headed to Chicago in mid-Winter), and booked her ticket. She rode the rails from NYC to Chicago to NYC again, writing the whole time. No one else on the train knew about her residency, Gross said, or if they did, they "definitely didn't act like it." 

The Thrill Is(n't) Gone

Back in November I had the privilege of shooting a commercial with Russell Wilson (for my client, American Family Insurance). At the time his team was 8-1, and I'm not sure any of us (besides him) were 100% certain he'd make it to the Super Bowl.

As we now know, he did. And won.

Which made our Super Bowl spot even more relevant and powerful.

Here's the team with Russell, and the commercial which aired during the Super Bowl in 66 markets.

It was a great thrill to spend the day with Russell and subsequently watch him achieve his dream.

On February 2nd, the world witnessed a lifelong dream become reality. Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks went into the Big Game as underdogs and came out champions. They proved that dreams can become a reality with hard work and believing in yourself.

On Fatherhood For Father's Day

Exactly. For being liars.

With Father's Day approaching I was thinking ... here's the thing ...

I'm not the world's best dad.
You're not, despite what the card tells you.
No one is.
Certainly not the experts trying to sell copies of their book or drive pageviews. 

I let my kids chew gum. With sugar. Often.
They think Amazon closes at 5pm.
Sometimes I put them to bed early so I can watch basketball.
Occasionally I drop an F bomb in front of them.
I taught them how to use Apple TV so they can entertain themselves.
I yell at them to stop yelling.
I sometimes side with my younger son because it's just easier.
My six year old specializes in poop jokes.
At the grocery store we pick food from the salad bar and eat as we shop.
I almost exclusively make breakfasts that can be cooked in the microwave.

So the next time you pull up next to us at a red light and we're belting out our rendition of the uncensored version of Jay Z's "Can I Get A" please don't judge.

I'm not the world's best dad.

I'm fine with that.

Because every night I kiss my boys and tell them 'I love you.'

Doesn't even come close to making me the best. But it'll have to do.

Glad to be these guys' most imperfect father. I think they look pretty happy.

Follow The Money

Part 2/2 of my thoughts on innovation are up over at Fast Company.  

Someone made fancy graphics that summarize the piece.

You Say You Want A Revolution?

Posted an article over at Fast Company's Co.Create.  Check it out if you're so inclined.  Here's my opener ...

David Ogilvy, the most quotable man in advertising, once said: "Make sure you have a Vice President in charge of Revolution, to engender ferment among your more conventional colleagues."

And while I most certainly agree with the sentiment, as a guy at an agency (with Ogilvy’s name on the door no less) whose job it is to help colleagues and clients innovate, it gives me pause.

Why?

Because the word revolution carries such weight and expectations.

Revolutions are led by George Washington.
Revolutions happen in Cuba and Iran. 
Revolutions are the lyrical hook for iconic Beatles songs.
Revolutions often involve death and suffering.

That’s heavy stuff for an agency guy.

[MORE]

Because the world was begging for another SxSW wrap up

Liz Taylor and I spent a few days at SxSW. We did a pretty great wrap-up (legends in our own minds) for our Ogilvy colleagues.  Rather than posting the entire doc, here are a few things we found interesting, quotes we love, and practical tips for navigating SxSW ...

THINGS WE FOUND INTERESTING

• Mobile isn’t a thing. It’s everything. Stop thinking mobile and start thinking mobility. Reference: Doritos tweet powered concert
• Hardware is the new black. Concepting, prototyping and marketing has never been more accessible. It’s no longer just about apps. Let’s get physical. Let’s make stuff. Cool stuff. Reference: MakerBot
• Hacking to make & solve. Let’s push beyond concepts. Let’s get away from process, beyond the whiteboard and make stuff. It can be low fidelity but some artifact that brings the idea to life. Deliver something real. Reference: GOOD Design Hackathon
• Idea is still king. Don’t get seduced by the shiny new thing.  A great idea – driven by a true insight – is more important than all the technology in the world and prevails regardless of the platform. Reference: Clouds Over Cuba
• Telling stories with data. Find the emotional life of numbers. Create tools, not just ads. Reference: Basis
• Location Location Location. It’s not gameification.  It’s search and discovery. Data informs habits, which can connect the dots to drive people to behaviors. Reference: Foursquare/Mastercard/Burger King

QUOTES WE LOVE

• Tell stories regardless of the medium. Every great story needs an arc. -Erich Joiner, Tool of North America
• You don’t have to solve all the problems, you just have to solve some problems really well .-Dennis Crowley
• A clash of ideas from people who don’t typically work together can create a unique outcome. A powerful spark. -Anon
• Hi I'm Ben. I post pictures of cats on the Internet. Sometimes people getting hit in the nuts. -Ben Huh
• Demographics are dehumanizing. -Anon
• Collaborate. Ignore your inner ego. -Tina Roth Eisenberg
• The first interaction a consumer might have with a brand might be an @ reply on twitter, not a logo. -Anon
• Make time to think & breathe. Wonderful things can happen when your brain is empty -Tina Roth Eisenberg

PRACTICAL TIPS FOR NAVIGATING SXSW

MY SxSW

It's that time of year, when the global digerati invade Austin (much to the dismay of some) for the annual South by Southwest Interactive conference (SxSW).

Much has been made in the last few years that the conference has jumped the shark, but the way I see it you get out of the conference (or any conference) what you put into it.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpraJYnbVtE]

With that, I've scoured the scheduling tool on their web site, have RSVPd to the events that seem fun, and have connected privately with friends and strangers I look forward to connecting with while I'm there.

With my departure 48 hours away, I was thinking about what I'm most looking forward to and expecting ...

We're all adults here.  It's no secret that the parties are a big part of the conference experience. But those who have never been to SxSW can't really appreciate the truth in the cliche that the most meaningful interactions happen at social events.  It's where you meet colleagues from other offices, people you only "know" online, potential new hires, new business leads, exciting startups, partners, etc.. Laugh if you will, but it's just true.  Particularly looking forward to seeing folks like Virginia, David, Josh and others of their ilk.

Every year themes emerge. It's hard to explain, but it's like one or two things happen that everyone talks about at and after the conference.  Looking at the panels I've chosen to attend (n=1), here are some of those themes we'll be talking about for months to come (most are not new, actually):

• Game design and gamification (and particularly how they apply to marketing and product development) 
• Social video (how to do it well, how to get it seen)
• Behavioral science (understanding how the brain works so that we can communicate more effectively)
• Mobile (no-brainer)
• "Hacking" and the Maker movement (creating real life experiences fueled by technology)
• Social overload (is social too much? are we inundating? inundated?)
• Storytelling (another no-brainer)
• Big data (how to harness and use it effectively)

And while the points above are speculative, there's one thing I know for certain. Come Monday afternoon I'll be very much looking forward to getting home to my kids.

Will share my learnings. And if you want to connect please DM me.  I'm @iansohn.

Anti-Vanity? Or Über Vanity?

If you take two things away from this, they should be:

1. Whenever Noah Brier introduces you to someone, put energy behind following up on the introduction
2. Find a way to meet Pamela Grossman

I recently had the privilege of speaking on a panel moderated by Pamela, Getty Images' Creative Planning Manager.  Pamela began the session with a shorter version of this wonderful presentation on recent visual trends in technology.  I can't encourage you enough to check it out.  As I told her afterwards, I was smitten by what she had so say and how she said it.

I don't think Pamela will mind me saying (as I did on our panel) there was one trend she discussed that I couldn't quite reconcile with what I've seen.  It's what she calls anti-vanity.  Paraphrasing liberally ...

As you look at people's Facebook profile photos you notice how much thought people put into it.  There's a very studied way of creating and choosing these photos.

But we balance this with 'real' moments that aren't beautiful in a traditional sense, but show us in a very real light. 

In other words, we use this juxtaposition to strike a balance.

I don't buy it.  In fact I think we put more thought into the 'real' photos than the staged ones.  I called it 'studied imperfection' - which I'm sure I must have lifted from somewhere else.  I'd say we are at our most vain when trying to portray our 'real' selves.  It's strange, yet makes total sense.  Example below ...

What do you think? Is the trend anti-vanity or is it über vanity?

The Squircle Is A Thing

All day yesterday I was thinking about the shape of the iPhone app icon.

According to Wikipedia the Squircle is a thing ...

A squircle is a mathematical shape with properties between those of a square and those of a circle. It is a special case of superellipse. The word "squircle" is a portmanteau of the words "square" and "circle".

Who doesn't love a good portmanteau? 

Also cited in the Wikipedia entry is that Nokia is often associated with the shape, having used it as a touchpad for buttons for years.  As a former Nokian (both employee and loyal user) I can't make an association between the two.

All I know is this past weekend my five year old yelled from the backseat of the car, "Dad! You should download that guitar app for your phone."  He was looking at a billboard for the Garage Band app.  No words.  No context (not placed on the deck of an iPhone).  Just the squircle.

That's all.  Nothing insightful.  Just found it interesting that a pretty common shape - one that another handset manufacturer apparently had some equity with - is so widely associated with Apple.  And that it has such a goofy name.

Exploring the Decision Tree

(image via Lifehacker)

Good article about beginner's luck. 

Particularly interested in this quote: "When you're sure something won't work, consider it anyway."

I agree 100%. People dismiss extreme options way (way way) too fast, which has the harmful impact of stifling creative problem solving. 

Because often times from absurd ideas come killer ideas.

When faced with a complex decision I always try to catalogue all possible paths - even the most obviously wrong.  Because by doing so I discipline myself into thinking the problem all the way through, from every angle.

Then I apply a more ruthless filter to determine the best paths to explore.

A Tale Of Two Ads In The Same Category

I can't get over how different these two ads are - both for essentially the same product.

One tells you all the great things you need to know about the product.  

The other tells you a story about the greatness that can come of using the product. 

You be the judge which is which; and which I prefer.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFE4rkSaKOY]

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTjHCCU2E4c]

Storytelling

Nice little Fast Company article on storytelling.  

I'm fascinated by how many people (mostly younger, I find) are totally skeptical of storytelling. I think they misinterpret it as some kind of theatrical exercise.  Which it's clearly not (the performance aspect is part of it, but the furthest down stream).  Or maybe they've never spent time in an organization that values the skill ... reminds me how valuable my Ogilvy years were.

Particularly liked this point in the article ...

What is going on here? Why are we putty in a storyteller’s hands? The psychologists Melanie Green and Tim Brock argue that entering fictional worlds “radically alters the way information is processed.” Green and Brock’s studies shows that the more absorbed readers are in a story, the more the story changes them. Highly absorbed readers also detected significantly fewer “false notes” in stories--inaccuracies, missteps--than less transported readers. Importantly, it is not just that highly absorbed readers detected the false notes and didn’t care about them (as when we watch a pleasurably idiotic action film). They were unable to detect the false notes in the first place.

And the Trojan Horse idea...

Guber tells us that stories can also function as Trojan Horses. The audience accepts the story because, for a human, a good story always seems like a gift. But the story is actually just a delivery system for the teller’s agenda. A story is a trick for sneaking a message into the fortified citadel of the human mind.

It's All Pretty Simple

Isn't it?

You make sure your shoes are shined.

You say 'please' and 'thank you.'

You treat those around you with respect, and when you screw up you say 'I'm sorry.'

You eat your veggies and take your medicine.

You tell your mom you love her as much as possible.

You work hard. And honestly.

You tip generously.  At least fairly.

You keep your fingernails clean.

You hold the door for strangers.

You eat a healthy breakfast.

You find your cocktail, and stick with it.

You try to teach your kids how to be good by acting good.

You choose what issues in life need to be taken seriously; and those that are inconsequential.

It's all pretty simple.