Re-Branding America:an Irishman's Perspective

"We will support the Millennium Development Goals, and approach next year’s summit with a global plan to make them a reality. And we will set our sights on the eradication of extreme poverty in our time.”

These are words that President Obama spoke at the United Nations last month. They inspired Bono to write an op-ed in last Saturday's NYTimes:

"these 36 words are why I believe Mr. Obama could well be a force for peace and prosperity — if the words signal action. "

Bono's insight into our culture is interesting as he cites our fatigue and malaise with the recession and wars. Interesting, the opinion that American can no longer afford to "pay" for the rest of the world, and"our bucks stop here" was voiced by Alec Baldwin on the Bill Mahr show last Friday. I'm amazed how artists are often first to give voice to a growing sentiment. Sometimes, their thoughts and art seem prescient.

Bono goes on to write that America needs to be rebranded, and that he believes Obama and the people who he has surrounded himself are trying to do just that.

"But an America that’s tired of being the world’s policeman, and is too pinched to be the world’s philanthropist, could still be the world’s partner. And you can’t do that without being, well, loved. Here come the letters to the editor, but let me just say it: Americans are like singers — we just a little bit, kind of like to be loved. The British want to be admired; the Russians, feared; the French, envied. (The Irish, we just want to be listened to.) But the idea of America, from the very start, was supposed to be contagious enough to sweep up and enthrall the world. And it is. The world wants to believe in America again because the world needs to believe in America again. We need your ideas — your idea — at a time when the rest of the world is running out of them."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/18/opinion/18bono

The New Century: The One That Crept Up on Us

I just discovered the musings of David Kamp of Vanity Fair and his provocative article, "The Summer of Death." Kamp asks why we became so involved in the passings of so many iconic figures this past summer. From Ted Kennedy and Walter Cronkite to Michael and Farrah, these were deaths that resonated beyond the mere People magazine cover. Kamp believes they were culturally signficant living links to past glories. The glories of the 20th century. Their passings are a wake-up call for us that time has moved on, as these icons pass from collective memory to wikis to be searched decades later. One of my memorable moments of this past summer is the shock I saw on a client's face when he learned John Hughes death was a leading blog post. He hadn't heard Hughes had died, until I told the story as part of evidence of the trend toward nostalgia. (the client was out of the country when Hughes died).

Kamp raises a very good question: how did it get to be the end of the decade so fast?I'm startled when my favorite radio station has a Saturday morning flashback from 1995. Or seeing a picture of the New Years Eve party I threw in 1999. At first blink, that doesn't seem all that long ago...

Kamp goes on to say the days of big, "shared" cultural moments that united us as a culture are over. He goes on to write that the uncertainties of living in the year 2009 creates the feeling in us all that this new century is on shaky footing. Gore Vidal also riffed and raged about in this territory this past week as well. Vidal says this is the end of the American Century. And when the new Empire, China calls in their loans--that seals the deal. But Vidal thinks we'll be better country, a better people when that day transpires.

Gee. Conjures up wistful feelings and the lyrics of "Twentieth Century Boy." Or to come full circle, how 'bout "Going to the Chapel." The lady in the pix above singing into the mic was Ellie Greenwich, famous songwriter from the bygone Brill Building era of pop hits.

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2009/10/summer-of-death-200910

"Nowism": trend of the times

Trendwatching.com has identified a new mega trend, "Nowism." The desire to have it "now," has always been a key need, but technology makes it possible to have it real-time. People are embracing the now as never before. The lust to collect experiences and share them immediately is one manifestation of the trend at work (hello Facebook. hello my blog)

Mega Trend Defined:
NOWISM “Consumers’ ingrained lust for instant gratification is being satisfied by a host of novel, important (offline and online) real-time products, services and experiences.

Urban Dictionary takes a slight different approach to the phenomenon:
"The present, what you are feeling at this exact moment. A life style as well as outlook on life You are reading this right now. This is Nowism. What you do after this is in the future. This is now."

And the CEO of Radar Networks, Nova Spivack (who also created one of the very first Internet portals), blogged about Nowism this past May.

"I think these are just the beginnings of this movement -- a movement towards a subtle but major shift in the orientation of our civilization's collective attention. This is a shift towards the now, in every dimension of our lives. Our personal lives, professional lives, in business, in government, in technology, and even in religion and spirituality.I have a hypothesis that this philosophy -- this worldview that the "now" is more important than the past or the future, may come to characterize this new century we are embarking on."

Some pretty profound thinking by folk of superior intellect. Gee, that was the motivation for me starting this blog one year ago. I was living the trend, and didn't even k=now it!


http://novaspivack.typepad.com/nova_spivacks_weblog/2009/05/nowism-a-theme-for-the-new-era.html

138 Years Ago Tonight: A New Theory on The Great Chicago Fire

The newest theory on what caused the Great Chicago Fire to start at 9:40 pm on Sunday, October 8th is a meteor shower. Eyewitnesses in the Midwest saw balls of fire falling from the sky that night. A scientist believes a meteor broke up over the vicinity of Lake Michigan, creating the conflagration in Chicago, Peshtigo WI, Port Huron MI and Champagne IL. The Peshtigo fire caused more deaths than any other fire in US history! For a major city, Chicago's casualties (about 200-300) were small in comparison. I like amaze my friends with the ironic fact that the Chicago Firemen Academy is built on the site of the source of the fire, which is the actual address of Mrs. O'Leary's barn (where the meteor fragments hit). One of only five buildings in Chicago to survive the fire is St. Michael's in Old Town (pix). I can see clock tower from my dining room window, which is always a soothing sight.

In those days, this was a big global story. Queen Victoria was moved and donated books to build a new library. IThe spirit of the "city that works," our motto, was clearly exemplified by old man Potter Palmer, the richest man in town. His new hotel that had been opened for a mere 13 days, the Palmer House, burned that night. He quickly rebuilt a new Palmer House, shifting Chicago's commerce section from the old Lake Street district to that great street, "State Street."

Somehow I think the Chicago business community will have the same sprited rebound after the disappointment of losing the Olympic bid.

A New Way to Map the Experience

Something we talk about in meetings all the time--mapping the consumer experience. Lego has developed a simple way to do just that.

The New Way to Exhibit: When Yoko Calls, Answer

This weekend, I saw "Lennon. The New York Years" at the Rock'n Roll Hall of Fame annex in Soho. This engaging, moving and intimate exhibit was created by Yoko, and is one of the most forward-thinking interactive museum experiences I've seen. Yoko's aesthetic imbues the exhibit. Her photo of John's bloody spectacles, shot from their bedroom window high above Central Park, is a chilling reminder of the humanity behind that horrible night. A brown-paper grocery bag containing John's effects, delivered to Yoko weeks after his murder, makes an unforgettable statement about the senselessness of handgun violence. As she wrote in the exhibit, John Lennon was the king of the world, yet he returned to her in this brown paper bag.

As you exit the exhibit, there is a phone with a posting that says if it rings, answer it, it REALLY is Yoko. My friend Sue kept going back and forth past the phone, willing it to ring for her, but it never did. When my friend Nancy passed by the phone, the electronic sensor in her headset began to ring. Nancy then heard a voice that saying, "Allo. Allo, this is Yoko." Nancy thought it was a recording, and didn't respond. We were astonished that she had the opportunity to talk to Yoko, but didn't believe it was real. A missed opportunity (but a great story!)

If you get a chance to see this exhibit in NYC--it's phenomenal. Thank you Yoko for sharing and keeping the things that matter to you and John alive for us to think about and share with others.

New Competition for the Bagel and Pizza

Here's a new concept that is positioning itself as competition to the bagel, but perhaps it's closest competitor is the pizza and the donut. Yesterday in Manhattan, we noticed 5th Ave was shut down to a stream of people decked out in red and white with Polska flags. It duped us. We knew it wasn't Casmir Pulaski Day, or Polish Constitution Day (which falls on my birthday). October is officially Polish American month (who knew?!?)

In my world, Kolache RULE! These fruity babies look a little on the doughy-side, more like the coffee cake my friends call Pizza Kolache, and less like the delicate pastries Grandma Belanski made (I inherited her recipe and secret). But the brilliant twist on this old-world pastry is the savory versions concocted by these CIA-trained chef/proprietors. They're onto something brilliant and they should seriously think about coming to Chi-town, which boasts the largest population of Pole decedents outside Poland.

Look for Kolache Mama just outside Roosevelt Hotel: 45 E 45th St. NYC

One Year Later: The New is Now Anniversary

It was one year ago that I started this blog. Of course, the question is, "what have I learned from the experience?" The answer: it's hard to blog frequently. In fact, nearly impossible if you're working hard and trying to get some z's. I guess that's why some of the bloggers that inspired me most to blog (Russell Davies, planner extrodinaire), have dropped frequent blogging from their lives. The pull of other digital platforms, Facebook, Twitter, Delicious, have all taken hold of me in the past year too, making it harder to find time to write. I'm a walking example of Social media fragmentation at its finest!

When I started writing last October 1st, the world was much more dark and uncertain. The market was tailspinning. The election was a month away. The ad industry was painfully morphing into something--well, does anyone really have a fix on that even today? My inspiration was the tale of Gatsby and the green light at the end of the dock. It was my forward vision, my talisman for a hopeful future.

Is it karmic that I happen to be on my way to Gatsby's NY stomping grounds today? I'd like to think so.

Will this blog continue? Yes! But I know I won't be posting everyday. The secret is that I have another blog that's "just for me." Where I throw up pix and video that are interesting, just for laughs, that I want to archive for the future. If you're interested, check that one out on www.bwaygal.blogspot.com.