Enlightened Conflict

majimanidoo

May 25th, 2013

Ok.

The Chippewa Indians <or Ojibwe tribe if we want to be technically correct> have a brutal word for evil.

Majimanidoo is Ojibwe <or Chippewa> for ‘evil spirit.’

It is especially brutal because by ‘evil spirit’ the Indian tribe means ‘someone born without a soul.’

Someone simply evil.

This word embodies someone devoid of anything good.

Well.

That is some word.

Yes. I surely believe there is evil in this world … and certainly evil people.

But.

I struggle to believe that someone is just born with only an evil spirit. Maybe I simply refuse to believe that someone is born with not one thread of good within them … anywhere.

I could be wrong but I believe the word I would like to use is ‘agathakakological’ which is ‘containing both good and evil’.

“For indeed upon the agathokakological globe there are opposite qualities always to be found.”- Robert Southey

I am no psychiatrist but I tend to believe 99.9% of people are born with good and evil buried within them.

I imagine in some way I believe that in all good there is a possibility of evil and in all evil the possibility of good <please note I used the word ‘possibility’>.

And someone who seems good at first … might be bad in the end.

And someone who seems bad at first might be good in the end.

I also believe not every person kills but every person is capable of killing.

I say all this mainly because we are all a bundle of impulses. Some good … some bad.

We are basically one half with a desire to be, and do, good and one half fear of not being good <in which we harbor some not-so-good thoughts … evil at their worst> and

Each person is a living breathing balancing act between right and wrong.

But I guess I am suggesting you can have a soul … and still have some evil <kind of the thought that we all have some sin within us>.

For some people who have souls end up making choices that lead them to the evil they have lurking within … as well as some make choices to avoid it.

I call it strength of character but I imagine some would suggest having a strong enough soul … or some connection to … let’s say ‘good’ … that they can make some choices that get them near to evil but can pull back. Or maybe even examine the possibilities of evil … and leave it behind as they move on.

Evil lurks like a shadow that following all of us … maybe it resides within our conscience insuring we stay on the straight and narrow of ‘good’ … but other than that … it has no tangible affect or outcome.

So.

When I think about this word ‘majimanidoo’ I end up thinking about a confluence of factors … when evil finds evil.

Where evil therefore no longer lurks but lives.

It becomes something tangible … and it can become huge … bigger than the person it resides in.

It feeds upon itself becoming darkness so dark that no light cannot defeat it.

This evil meeting evil suggests some people just cannot even have the capability of connection to the good within. They don’t even have that bridge available to them. Or maybe they simply lost the connection somewhere along the way.

Well.

I am not really sure anyone is pure evil.

And I do believe everyone has that bridge within <albeit it can get so dark it may be difficult to see let alone find that bridge within>.

I kind of like to think that people are made up of a collection of conflicting impulses. And that a person seeks some type of balance within that continuous conflict. If you believe that then evil is one of two things:

- Where that person finds their peace <or balance>, or

- Where one impulse simply overpowers the rest.

Look.

Good people do bad things.

Bad people are capable of good things.

We are flawed we human beings … capable of deeds so inhuman that it seems that only humans are capable of dreaming them up. But even the worst of us, the most evil in the eyes of others, are capable of acts of heroism and sacrifice far beyond the logical imagination. Redemption always seems to lurk somewhere within even the most evil of people <redemption being a variation of ‘good’>.

“Evil is not a thing. It cannot take possession of you. It’s the opposite; it’s a void, an absence of goodness.” – Jo Nesbø

In Life we can all end up on some side of some pretty bad things.

Maybe not true evil … but some ‘wrong’ things.

You do them.

Sometimes you don’t do them but simply live with them.

And does the latter make us evil?

Simply because we ‘live with it’ even though we didn’t do it?

Balance. And recognition of wrong versus right. That is what defeats evil.

Anyway.

Suffice it to say even the goodest of the good have some evil lurking within. Even if it is simply in thought. I would like to think it provides balance in thought and moral compass <suggesting that maybe ‘evil’ weighs more than good and therefore even a small dose of it can provide some balance>.

Now.

If you believe what I just wrote than you have to believe even the evilest of the evil are not completely devoid of some good lurking within.

Gosh.

I hope so.

Because if you don’t believe that then somehow you would then believe some people are unequivocally unfixable.

I am not naïve enough to believe you can ‘fix’ even the most evil person all the time … but … is it naïve to believe we should at least try?

Imogene and Jeff

May 25th, 2013

Well.

I have always believed Jeff Beck was one of the great guitar players of his generation. But <here is where I get in trouble with the true guitar aficionados> I believe he is greatest when he is complimenting … not leading.

Case in point?

I just saw a 2007 concert of his on Palladia TV channel.

When he is solo leading his band he is good … flashes of true guitar greatness … but it is not always the easiest to listen to.

Ah.

But then he invites people to perform with him. In fact in this show he has Imogene Heap join him on 2 songs.

Her voice pulls Jeff Beck up to an entirely different level. Albeit her voice is perfect for improvisational jazz but together they create a pretty magical, beautiful musical journey … his guitar is as sweet as her voice and it all just … well … flows.

This song is spectacular.

The Blanket – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z79pgPn357g

The other thing I noted as I watched was Beck’s bass player. She seemed so young to be playing with him but she also sounded awful good.

A bass player with someone like Jeff Beck has the challenge of keeping him between the guard rails as well as … on occasion … leading him back home … and always has to keep the music all moving forward.

That bass player is a young lady named Tal Wilkenfield. A guitar prodigy from Australia … she picked up the bass a while ago and the rest is history. Apparently she now always plays with Jeff.

Here are a couple more songs just for your listening pleasure.

Rollin’ and Tumblin’ – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuXcGHjBeac

Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yuZ-J5coKk

I have a framed picture of this famous photo of Jeff Beck <among a couple other semi-collector images framed> and while I can honestly say I am not a huge fan of his music … and I appreciate what the man can do with a guitar. He is proof that loud and fast is not a guarantee of ‘good’ when it comes to great guitar playing.

echoes of all the footsteps

May 21st, 2013

“This may be the most important proposition revealed by history: At the time, no one knew what was coming.” ― Haruki Murakami

Well.

Looking back is a timeless tradition in second guessing and seeking blame … okay … okay … as well as even some forward thinking.

But the opening quote is a humdinger of a Life truth … at that time no one knew what was coming.

Yup.

You can be pessimistic <and be proven right … or wrong>.

You can be optimistic <and be proven right … or wrong>.

You can plan incessantly … and smartly <and the plans can work perfectly … or go awry>.

You can make it up as you go <and it works perfectly … or all goes wrong>.

But in general … you are guessing.

Sure.

You can make an educated guess … and the odds may be higher or lower based on what you decide to do … but someone is lying if they say “I knew it was going to end up that way.”

They did not know.

They guessed <and possibly guessed well>.

Here is a ponderable factoid.

‘History teaches by analogy, not identity.’ <Hank Kissinger … Hank to me>

Analogy is … well … not a blueprint of what will be. People tend to mistake a study of history, or a historical moment, for proof of what is to come. They are often sorely proven wrong. And, in fact, those proven right have the benefit of going backwards and connecting dots <even when the connection is tenuous at best> to prove why they were right.

Hmmmm … once again. A reminder. “No one knew what was coming.” <corollary?: sure is easier to know what came>

Regardless <here is the entire thought from Hank>.

History teaches by analogy, not identity.

This means that the lessons of history are never automatic, that they can be apprehended only by a standard which admits the significance of a range of experience, that the answers we obtain will never be better than the questions we pose.

No profound conclusions were drawn in the natural sciences before the significance of sensory experience was admitted by what was essentially a moral act.

No significant conclusions are possible … without an awareness of the historical context.

For societies exist in time more than in space. At any given moment a state is but a collection of individuals, as positivist scholars have never wearied of pointing out.

But it achieves identity through the consciousness of a common history. This is the only “experience” nations have, their only possibility of learning from themselves.

History is the memory of states.

To be sure, states tend to be forgetful.

It is not often that nations learn from the past, even rarer that they draw the correct conclusions from it. For the lessons of historical experience, as of personal experience, are contingent.

They teach the consequences of certain actions, but they cannot force recognition of comparable situations. – Henry Kissinger

What a powerful thought.

… teach the consequences of certain actions, but they cannot force recognition of comparable situations.

Once again … cannot force recognition of comparable situations.

I love it.

So often we suggest ‘this has happened before’ and … well … yeah … kind of. Close. But close only counts with hand grenades <and horse shoes>. Ultimately you are simply assessing the echoes of history.

You may listen to the echoes of history … but until they walk in to your life … you will not truly recognize who and what they are.

“I have sometimes sat alone here of an evening, listening, until I have made the echoes out to be the echoes of all the footsteps that are coming by and by into our lives.” - Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

Studying history is just like Dickens says.

You are inevitably sitting alone listening … listening to the echoes of the footsteps of those who have walked before and envisioning, from those echoes, who may be coming into your life.

That is it. No more. No less.

In the end.

I believe all of us would probably like to have a better sense of how to plan for the future. To better understand the best and proper actions to take to maximize the future in some form or fashion.

Therefore we do the best we can … and most often that means examining the past to assess actions affecting the future … trying to understand consequences for our decisions yet to be made.

The intent is good … and true.

However.

We should never confuse honest good intent … with ‘what is right’ or even worse ‘what will be.’

The echoes of footsteps are context. But they are simply echoes.

And as for the future?

We simply hear the echoes of footsteps but never meet their owners until they actually enter our lives. And, frankly, you cannot control all that ‘are coming by and by into our lives.’

Oh.

And at each point in time … no one knew what was coming.

A Life truth for all to remember.

the strongest bridge

May 20th, 2013

So.

hope bridge by michael underwood

Several of my friends give me crap because of some of the obscure things I have stored away in my pea like brain <because I tend to read random obscure things and store it all away>. Therefore they ask me random obscure questions to see what I have stored away.

The random question this time?

What is the strongest bridge in the world?

My random answer?

Hope.

Hope is the strongest bridge in the world.

“All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.” - Winston Churchill

Well.

It was a flippant response on my part … but it kind of made everyone at the table sit back and hesitate … because it is one of those rare insightful non-smartass flippant responses.

Ok. First.

To be clear.

I am not a psychologist <nor psychiatrist … I get them mixed up> nor am I a behavioral scientist <possible a mad scientist though … a childhood goal>. I say that because I may just not know jackshit. But here’s what I think.

Lots of discussions about the strongest motivators/demotivators on human behavior seem to revolve around fear, love, self esteem, hate , etc. <Maslow created that excellent chart which I have used so often and adhere to> … however … I tend to believe that all these experts overlook hope.

Research digs deep down into the moments of minutiae with regard to why we do the things we do.

Heck.

That is how the best companies in the world attempt to derive strategies to make their companies <and products & services> a success in people’s heads, hearts & wallets.

In my own pea–like brain something shadows each response found in research … hope.

“The present is the ever moving shadow that divides yesterday from tomorrow. In that lies hope.” - Frank Lloyd Wright

I imagine it is so often overlooked as something impactful or something we should pay attention to because it is stealthily present in everything. Yup. Everything. Attitudes & behaviors. Thoughts & actions. And because of its omnipresence it gets overlooked as “non differentiator.”

Silly thinking.

Because it is everything.

It is what someone called “the well of self” which can permit you to begin again … and again.

“Hope arouses, as nothing else can arouse, a passion for the possible.” – William Sloane Coffin

Everyone wants to be aroused by the possible.

And I am not even talking about this in the grandiose abstract <dreams and such> but even in the drivel of the day.

A grocery shopper has the simple hope that everything will be found as quickly as possible.

A coffee drinker hopes that the first sip is everything they expected <and desired>.

A father hopes his daughter has a good day at school.

You get it.

Hope isn’t often the really big things … it is in the gazillion little things that happen in everyday life as well as the big “I want a better life” type things.

And maybe that is why I flippantly suggested it is the strongest bridge in the world.

It is strong enough to span generations of years.

Strong enough to span yesterday to tomorrow.

Strong enough to span the micro-second subconscious thought.

So. I say all that maybe to suggest that losing hope deprives someone of an essential structure in Life. The bridge to … well … make it in Life.

To be able to get from here to there.

Now. That said.

I do believe more of those who actually have hope to share … should share it <pragmatically> with those who struggle to reach that bridge.

Yes.

I do believe professionally I am a ‘dealer of hope.’

Yes.

I do believe all forms of hope, realistic and unrealistic, are better than no hope at all.

Yes.

I do believe the moment you have lost sight of how to see, or reach out and touch, hope you have entered some version of Hell.

Sure. Life offers a multitude of disappointments. Life is not easy. But I fear it becomes unliveable without hope because then disappointment becomes infinite in a finite Life.

That, my friends, sounds overwhelming distressing even as I type it.

“We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

John Lennon suggested people like me … believers in hope … are dreamers.

Well.

Maybe.

But Martin Luther King also said this …

“The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to …”

In a way … a secure livable world lies with those dreamers. We disciplined nonconformists. Or maybe more pragmatically … bridge builders.

The resilience of Hope lies in we happy few … we happy disciplined nonconformists … we happy believers in hope despite what appears to be an infinite disappointment.

We happy few who have bridges to share.

We happy few who constantly drink from the well of self and … well … know how to begin again.

So, yes, the strongest bridge in the world is Hope.

seu jorge

May 17th, 2013

So.

Some different music … a Brazilian musician as a matter of fact.

A little old (late 2008) but I just saw this artist, and his band, on Jools Holland.

A guy named Seu Jorge.

Some background <because I had no clue who he was but the music was infectious>. Seu Jorge was part of the Brazilian band called Farofa Carioca and wrote most of the songs on the 1998 debut album Moro no Brasil.

Then in 2001 he released a solo album Samba Esporte Fino <it was released outside Brazil under the name Carolina in 2003>.

His second album, Cru <”Raw”> was released in 2005 <and that is the album the song he plays on Jools Holland comes from>.

Seu Jorge also recorded the live duo album “Ana & Jorge” with Brazilian singer Ana Carolina released in Brazil in 2005.

Ok.

Here is Seu.

This is a nice taste of his music and style. Upbeat fresh and great listening and exotic.

Buruguesinha by Seu Jorge (Later Live – with Jools Holland):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDh_EwqDZAQ

By the way … I am fairly sure that ‘burguesinha’ means little bourgeois girl <or rich girl>.

Next.

This next video and song I love because it showcases him in a couple of interesting ways.

It is sparse. I imagine it is paying homage to his days on the street as a guy playing for loose change in people’s pockets.

Not highly produced and pretty simple. It showcases an earlier version of him than the Jools Holland does.

Tive Razao <with William Dafoe & Bill Murray – as a priest – in video>: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwT2iiKeg1g

Anyway.

Who is this guy? Well. He used to be a homeless guy.

Seu Jorge <Portuguese pronunciation: sew> is a Brazilian singer/songwriter.

Born Jorge Mário da Silva <one of his bandmates apparently gave him his stage name> when he was 19 he became homeless and remained homeless for 3 years. His music flourished when he was living in the streets and was playing as a street musician.

I love this music.

I love finding random artists from outside America to listen to.

It is a reminder that there are some spectacularly talented musicians <and people> outside the boundaries of the country I live in.

come along redux

May 17th, 2013

“Come along and you’ll see what it’s like to be free” - Titiyo

Well.

It’s about time. 12 years after its initial release <2001> one of my favorite little known songs has been redone <quite well> and is sneaking up the charts in 2013.

The song is Come Along.

Originally done by Titiyo <Teh-tee-yo> and now sung by Vicci Martinez featuring Cee Lo.

Vicci, who has a nice voice, didn’t do much to the original version except speed it up ever so slightly. And it sound good.

It is nice done and extremely listenable and a good radio song.

2013 Come Along : http://vimeo.com/63360075

And here is the original.

2001 Come Along <original>: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLsVGwNWOA4

So. The first time I heard Come Along was on the TV show, Providence, soundtrack <I wasn’t familiar with the show itself>. A good soundtrack by the way if you were interested in rising thoughtful singers in the early 2000’s.

The soundtrack spans from the alt-folk style of Dar Williams and Jonatha Brooke to the contemporary country of Rebecca Lynn Howard and Kim Richey to Titiyo’s anthemic pop to Beatles remakes <both Shawn Colvin and Chantal Kresaviuk do versions of In My Life that are spectacularly sweet in completely different ways>.

Titiyo was more popular in Europe when she was cranking music out in the early 2000’s.

Titiyo Yambalu Felicia Jah is Swedish. Interesting, at least to me, she is the half-sister of singer-songwriter Neneh Cherry <remember the song Buffalo Dance?>, the stepdaughter of jazz trumpeter and composer Don Cherry and stepsister to Eagle-Eye Cherry <who had some annoying top 40 song I cannot remember off the top of my head>.

Anyway.

I didn’t share this post to share random background information but rather to share the song.

Really good song when originally done.

Really good song redone & rereleased.

Just really good.

giraffes I have known

May 16th, 2013

Well.

One of the most discussed topics in the hallowed backrooms of marketing & advertising think tanks in the creative process is “the metaphorical icon” which not only captures the essence of what it is they want to say … but can become some useable thought to extend out beyond the TV commercial, the magazine ad … the whatever tangible paid marketing and inject itself seamlessly into culture <to the entertainment of the public and the advantage of the marketer>.

Here is the thing.

No creative person likes to talk about it <the extendable metaphor>… and no one wants to aim for it … because these kinds of ideas just kind of happen for a variety of reasons.

Suffice it to say … the more you want it the less it happens. And of course the corollary … the less you think about it the more likely you will think of something like that.

The only people who discuss it? Typically the corporate people <I want something like “x” company did … can we do something like that?>, scared marketing /advertising executives to their development teams <”x” company did that and we need to come up with something like that – please note the silent “you better” underlying> or just hack senior management <we need a metaphorical icon or a mnemonic device … come up with one>.

Regardless.

Every time someone suggests “I want something like that little <annoying> gnome that Travelocity has” or “can’t you guys come up with something like that giant asparagus … you know … the jolly green giant?” creative teams cringe.

Heck.

Most people with a brain cringe.

Anyway.

When it works it works. Sometimes it even works in ways you could never imagine <ok … you can imagine … just never imagined it would happen with your idea> and sometimes it just works <and you have to avoid the temptations to make it better than the good idea it is>.

Unfortunately. Sometimes it doesn’t work. And it cannot work in a couple of ways.

It can simply be a bad idea that is just bad <simple as that>.

Or it can be a forced idea … one where an icon or visual device is forced in because it was demanded in the assignment.

And it is the latter I am gonna mention here … and I get to talk about Giraffes.

Some hotel. Oh. Not a hotel … an inn … Residence Inn.

Residence Inn Giraffe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEhLVwK5uCQ

Yup.

It seems that Residence Inn caters to giraffe-like people. Apparently research must have suggested they must travel a lot <along with some other animal like people I guess as you will see later on>.

Apparently this “Inn” has extremely high ceilings, lots of head space for those really tall people who are traveling all the time, for people to feel comfortable in.

Oh. But the giraffe is in bed. So they have really long beds?

Sometimes the metaphor is kind of a stretch <pun intended>.

I get it is a “spacious” room … but … I am not really sure a traveler wants to be a giraffe <even metaphorically>.

What do I mean? Oh. Don’t lions eat giraffes? Oops. The lions must stay at other places.

<note: there is actually a Hotel Giraffe in new York city … I have never been there … google informed me … apparently it is an “oasis of sophisticated style” which embodies the gentle power, grace and beauty found in one of nature’s most beloved animals … so if you do not want to go to the zoo and feel like a Giraffe … stay there >

Next up for Residence Inn?

An elephant.

Residence Inn Elephant: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjrhMEIoNwA

And they have used penguins.

Well.

I know their next product extension.

A zoo.

Look.

I don’t hate the commercial … of course it is well done <done by McGarryBowen I think> and metaphorically I get where they are going:

- I imagine it all began with some brand manager standing up in the front of a room pounding the table saying something like “everyone listen … we ARE different … not only are we an Inn instead of a Hotel … but Inn rooms are bigger than Hotel rooms … LOTS more bigger … we aren’t talking inches but square feet for gods sake … spacious … almost cavernous … no … so spacious you can almost roam the space like the wide grasslands of the open wild.”

It was an impassioned speech based on what is probably a true, if not discernibly different or truly important, functional aspect semi-relevant to someone sleeping in a room who is ultimately there only to do business for the time they are out of the bed <and out of the room> but extremely relevant to the company and its employees.

Meanwhile, somewhere else in the same room, a brand planner lounged in a chair languidly using some big words to suggest that business people who stay extended amounts of time in a hotel <oops … Inn> have read every positive thinking sales/business book ever written and every time they step across the threshold out into the real world in the morning they pump up their confidence <and their fist> like they are going to battle. They need to stand tall with confidence. The planner even probably summarized the project brief with something like “Residence Inn. Stand Tall.” And everyone sagely nodded their heads in unison and said “brilliant insight.”

<note: somewhere in the back of the room a bored creative guy – who was kind of chuckling on and off again at the rambling idiots briefing them – doodled a giraffe standing in the middle of a room thinking “maybe I could shove this giraffe up some brand manager’s butt”>

So.

When are giraffes relevant in marketing? Gosh. Maybe For African documentaries? Ok. Ok. Toys ‘r Us developed a fabulous idea with a giraffe many years ago. Geoffrey the Giraffe. Fabulous. One of those ideas of which if they could have come up with it maybe two years earlier and had a CMO who had the kahones <and brains> to maximize it … they may have avoided some of the business challenges they inevitable encountered.

Anyway.

I understand that advertising is difficult … to be entertaining as well as trying to communicate some functional useful reason for someone to spend money on you … but sometimes it becomes too far a reach in the use of metaphors.

The biggest argument <slam> I am going to receive from the otherwise brilliant McGarry people is “but people remember the advertising <with positive perceptions.>”

(me) Yeah, yeah, yeah.

See my ‘awareness isn’t enough’ post <its not enough to just be remembered … that is a low unprofessional bar>.

I absolutely recognize It is a difficult category <the hotel, motel, Holiday Inn category … to use Sugar Hill Gang ‘Rapper’s Delight’ lyric reference> but using animals, kids and “Free” is kind of a cheap advertising trick.

That’s my gripe.

The actual animals aren’t really relevant to what Residence Inn actually stands for … therefore … they must only be using the animals as cheap trick to create an ‘entertaining ad to increase awareness’ <and get noticed by us idiot TV watchers>.

Nicely done ads though.

fine china and get lucky

May 16th, 2013

Ok.

Let’s go old school music with contemporary artists today. I was tempted to call this ‘my retro top 40 good stuff to listen to’ but that was too long. Regardless. Two songs are chugging up the top 40 radio playlist that pay homage to the past – Michael Jackson and disco. And, by the way, they are actually two pretty good songs <one spectacular>.

First.

Michael Jackson. That would be Chris Brown’s new song “fine china.”

A spectacularly listenable song. Ok. This song is just spectacular. Catchy and crossover <generations>. And boy oh boy … can this boy dance.

This is a really <really> good song.

Chris Brown‘s homage to Michael Jackson in “Fine China”:

Just the song Fine China: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORz6cOa-Lfs

Full Michael Jacksonesque video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGs1gODLiSQ

The video is Michael Jackson story like. The song is good. The dancing is great. All the rest is fluff but I give credit to Chris for making it meaningful fluff in a MJ music video style.

I tend to believe Chris Brown is a punk. But he sure is a talented punk.

Second.

The music homage to disco. That would be Daft Punk “Get Lucky” feat. Pharrell Williams

Get Lucky: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NV6Rdv1a3I

So.

What is this song all about? Disco disco disco. Remember the band called Chic? <Chic played the song Le Freak from their album C’est Chic and made disco history>.

Ok.

Nobody is probably old enough to remember Chic and Le Freak … but Get Lucky utilizes the magical music mind of Chic’s Nile Rodgers. Because of him this song captures the groove of disco-funk in an infectious guitar riff and upbeat tempo.

Awesome listening.

Two good radio songs.

Two good retro songs.

murphy’s laws of war (& business)

May 15th, 2013

Well.

This post is partially silly and partially truth.

And maybe that summarizes all of Murphy’s laws in general. What makes them fun to read is that they almost always seem to contain a <maddening> grain of truth.

I was cleaning out a folder and came across a shortened <there is a website that has almost 100 Murphy’s laws of war> list of Murphy’s Laws of war.

And, no, Murphy is no Sun Tzu <The Art of War>. Oh. But just to say this while it is on my mind … every business person should, at minimum, read The Art of War but it doesn’t hurt to have a copy of the little easy to read pamphlet in your working space. Its good <business> stuff.

Anyway.

Let me share Murphy’s version of war theory before I wax poetically on how relevant they are to business.

Murphy’s Laws of War:

- Professionals are predictable. It is the amateurs that are dangerous.

- Never draw fire … it irritates everyone around you.

- Friendly fire … isn’t.

- Never forget your weapon was made by the lowest bidder.

- The enemy invariably attacks on 2 occasions:

When they are ready
When you are not

- If the enemy is within range … so are you.

- Mines are equal opportunity weapons

- When the pin is pulled Mr. Grenade is not our friend

- When in doubt, empty your magazine.

- Don’t ever be first, don’t ever be last, and don’t ever volunteer.

- If it’s stupid but it works, it isn’t stupid.

Well.

On every single point I was drawing a correlation to business.

Professionals are predictable. Professionals can be bad … good … lazy … but predictable. And consistent. Why? Because they actually do know their shit. They may get lazy, or play politics or even get bullied by someone louder … but they really do know their shit. Amateurs? Well. Simply … they don’t know their shit. Sure. They may get lucky on occasion as well as they may instinctually be okay <on occasion> but they are extremely unpredictable. Even worse? If an amateur has an early success they stretch that to ‘I am now a professional’ and become dangerous. Amateurs are valuable to have around because (a) they can see things differently so you can work the wheat from the chaff and (b) someday they will be professionals. But on their own? They are dangerous.

Never draw fire … because it does irritate people around you. There is an art & a science to actually raising the objection … drawing out a complaint or criticism. It also contains risk. People do not like risk. Especially if they are not controlling it. If you draw the fire … be prepared to take the bullet(s). If you are not ready to do so? You will irritate the people around you even more.

Ah. Friendly fire. Let’s call it constructive criticism or what could be <and is often called> ‘healthy debate.’ Well. It may be healthy but it sure doesn’t feel good or healthy. I guess this also falls under the ‘if it hurts it must be good for you’ philosophy. By the way? That is a stupid philosophy. Work is difficult enough without offering up the supposed friendly fire to your co-workers.

Your weapon is made by the lowest bidder. Oh so true. In today’s business world, despite the fact everyone says ‘quality is number one’ they don’t really mean it. Ok. Maybe they mean it sometimes. And ‘sometimes’ means … well … there will always be an aspect where someone decided to go ‘lowest bidder.’ What do I mean? I have a project with 25 aspects. I decide to go lowest cost on 15 aspects so I can go high quality on the other 10. Murphy’s Law? Somewhere within the 15 going on the cheap will haunt you. I say all that <bringing it back to business> because while you may decide to put your ass on the line because you feel confident ‘we did it the right way’ … just know that somewhere within all that ‘right way’ a component was given to the lowest bidder.

The enemy attacking. I laughed when I read this. Why are people in business always scrambling to address competition? Well. It’s because they are always surprised when it happens. And it’s crazy. More time is wasted (a) preparing yourself for an attack that will never come when you want it to and (b) flailing in response to an attack. The point? You control what you can control. Your own company and business. Ignore an attack if it has acceptable losses and attack when you are ready.

If they are in range … you are in range. To me this is the disillusionment of believing you have an advantage. Advantages are so fleeting if you blink you can miss it <and get your ass blown off>. The moment you have an advantage … trust me … someone is already moving into either (a) the space you just left to get you from the rear or (b) into the same space you are moving into to attack all on their own. Never assume you have an advantage. Never assume if you perceive you have an advantage that it will last. Well. Never assume you are out of range.

Mines are equal opportunity weapons. Pointing out problems doesn’t mean you are absolved from (a) blame, (b) becoming part of the problem or even (c) getting your ass blown up. Notice how people are often hesitant to complain or point out some flaws? It isn’t because they don’t see them or recognize that they shouldn’t be solved … it’s because they also recognize that they could get hurt themselves. Oh. That’s why having a minesweeper employee is priceless. Pay her/him anything they want if they are good at it.

The grenade one. Well. That is a silly one. Kind of. Why kind of? Everyone makes mistakes … in life and in work. Mistakes, like it or not, are like grenades. Once a mistake is made … the pin is pulled. It may be on a 5 second timer, 5 hour timer … even a 5 year timer … but it is a grenade and it is on a timer. Too many times I see people trapped by their own mistakes. And, frankly, they get their ass blown off simply because they held on to the grenade. I know the metaphor is silly … but you get it. In business <for sure> and in Life <most of the time> mistakes have to be shared. By sharing you not only potentially save your own ass … you most likely decrease collateral damage. Simplistically … Mr. Grenade is not your friend.

When in doubt, empty your magazine. Whew. If I had seen this earlier I would have put it up as a sign in my office. Inside an office there is so much discussion on strategy of what to do and what to say and ‘showing all your cards’ and when … and it is such wasted energy. If you have the bullets use them. Trust me. If you use them all and still get killed it’s because you didn’t have enough or you didn’t shoot straight enough … you didn’t get killed because you should have held one or two back. Plus. There is a fairly well-known fact that magazines <business bullets> are manufactured in quantities. You can always grab another magazine if you get the opportunity. Say what? No more magazines or bullets! Oh well. Just means someone was smarter than you and had more bullets. Holding one or two back ain’t gonna help here either. Use it if you got it.

Don’t be first, last or volunteer. This one is tricky. But I will give a personal opinion on this … I prefer, in business, to be a quick follower. I know that may sound strange <because leading implies being first and I like leading> but I have always tended to believe the ‘first’ <in general> were simply the most hasty. The most impatient. The ones most scared to not be first. In their desire to be first they just didn’t have all their proverbial shit together. In fact … my dream business scenario is actually to see 2 hasty ‘firsts’ coming out of the blocks duking it out and bludgeoning each other. Whew. Did I just say I liked being the 3^rd out of the blocks? Well. Yeah. If it could play out that way. Being last? Nope. Too late. But a quick follower? Absolutely.

If it’s stupid and works it isn’t stupid. In the business world … too often when things go right and someone perceives it happened out of sheer luck or ‘stupidity gone right’ … it gets ignored. It gets ignored as (a) non replicable and (b) don’t want to replicate <because it was stupid>. You want to know what’s stupid? Ignoring something that worked. I am certainly not suggesting that the ends always justify the means but I am suggesting that working is working. Somehow, someway … it worked. Therefore somewhere within what happened something was not stupid.

Please note that it is mostly the arrogant know it all senior managers who overlook the ‘stupid but worked.’ They “know better.” They “know the right way to do it.” Aw … baloney. They are being stupid.

Well.

That was fun <for me>.

Oddly <in my pea like brain> I thought of writing this using Murphy when I saw this list in some magazine from the J.Crew CEO on business. Maybe because some of the things he suggests would make great Murphy’s Laws at some point.

In addition? I happen to agree with him on his list. Here are his thoughts … the ones I really liked.

Creativity Tips From J.Crew CEO Mickey Drexler

- “Every business could be creative.”

I talk to so many people about the lack of creativity in companies in America. Part of creativity is contrarianism. Creativity battles common wisdom. Because if there’s common wisdom, there’s an opportunity. In my own experience, whatever was a good idea was a bad idea to most people.

- “Companies are in the Stone Ages organizationally.”

You can tell by the offices. “I’m going to see the king!” The king is on the top floor and there are 17 people in front of the king’s office. There are layers of bureaucracy. It shouldn’t be like that.

- “Most companies should have a rule about how big they get.”

Not necessarily assigning a billion-dollar value or a 10 billion-dollar value, but companies that become too ubiquitous go one way.

- “America’s companies are built to destroy creativity.”

If you become the head of a big company today, you’re not the youngest person in the world. You have a contract. You get a jet. You have a huge overpaid salary. You get bonuses. Do you think that CEO is going to screw around with fast, creative change? No. And the board of directors–the last thing they want is someone who’s going to change things. Steve Jobs–he would bet the company, he wouldn’t care. But there are very few people who run companies that way.

- “You have to keep moving forward.”

Everything has a trend to it; I don’t care if it’s appliances or engines. I always ask: What has a company done in the past five years that somebody’s noticed?

- “You cannot copy high quality.”

It takes a long time to get a reputation for quality. There are people in our industry, they’re basically copiers. Look at the cars on the streets. They all look alike. But if you put quality into a product, then have it validated, you have huge credibility. It takes time to earn that.

- “Simplicity is very difficult to achieve.”

Try to ask someone to make a really good roast chicken.

—–

Good stuff.

Smart guy this Mickey. Maybe he should meet Murphy and create some laws.

storytelling

May 14th, 2013

Ok.

This TV commercial will not be for everyone. But it is exactly for the audience it was designed to talk to. Teens and young people will be bored. It is slow and unfolds and … well … it tells a story.

Older people <old as well as aspiring old> … will enjoy. Get a chuckle.

Oh.

And the good news? It is for a household cleaning product.

Oh.

More good news? It is from a staple household brand with gobs of heritage <been around for gobs of years> so it is relevant to whom they are <and subliminally kind of reminds you that they have been around for gobs of years thru a really nice hyperbole-stretched reference>.

Clorox Makes Cleaning History: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdXxcoo8L-w

The commercial is about this new ‘no waste’ cleaner pump spray they have. Not only is it a nice product/packaging idea but it is a nice storytelling way to talk about it.

Relevant to today <no waste, efficiency, good value, best expenditure you could make, etc.> but they also suggest that the idea has always been relevant.

Why is that important? Well. First. People who are saving money don’t really want to feel like today’s circumstances are forcing them to save money. They would like to feel they are just being smart … and being smart is timeless. Second. People don’t want to feel cheap. Cheap as in “that last little drop really does matter to me.”

Now.

That is a wonderful little insight … and that wonderful little insight <which apparently I did not come up with> was utilized in this little TV commercial.

And I bet research was used … and I finally get to talk about how research can be used well <because I am guessing this is a good example>. Here is my guess on what happened.

- Trivial out loud, aggravating inside

They <researchers> probably had to work pretty hard to get people to not only talk about this … but admit it. it sounds so trivial <the last spray … or … the last little drop>, petty and cheap. People probably didn’t really want to admit it.

You’re cleaning, spraying … it spritzes a little … and then the next squeeze of the trigger … nothin’. Nada <insert thought bubble of ‘crap’ over users head here>. You shake the container and … hey … there is still something in there <albeit just a smidge>! So you point, squeeze and … nothin’. Nada. You know it is, at best, one more use … maybe even a halfhearted spritz remaining … but it is aggravating <on a variety of levels … you didn’t get to finish cleaning to the level desired - a lack of completing objective – as well as ‘I paid for it’>.

Whew. Even typing this it sounds trivial. Saying it out loud? You sound cheap and petty.

C’mon. It’s just the dregs at the bottom of the bottle. Yup. BUT. Aggravating nonetheless.

Good use of research.

Next.

- It’s not the 1000, it’s the 1 I didn’t get.

This may seem obvious after what I just wrote in the first point … but it is a nuance that has to get recognized <and you would be flabbergasted – I just wanted to use that word – by how many professionals would miss this important nuance>. So it is only obvious if you don’t ignore it.

This is a well forgotten Life and marketing truth.

It ain’t the first impression that matters … it is the last.

The practical <hack> brand manager is likely to think … “great value … they got 1000 efficient uses for only $x … that is only pennies per pull!”

The insightful brand manager thinks … “they aren’t happy with the product … well … they are feeling less than satisfied as they throw it in the trash <and listen to a little sloshing as it drops into the trash can> … their last impression is tinged with a sense of aggravation or dissatisfaction. Hmmmmmmmmm …. They are defining the product by the one spray they didn’t get rather than the 1000 they did get.”

Does that make an irrational consumer? You bet.

Does it matter anyway? You bet.

Perceptions don’t always match up to reality. You have a choice … manage the perceptions or change reality. Clorox was smart. They changed reality. They eliminated the ‘one I didn’t get.’ Smart.

Good use of research <and someone who could actually decipher it>.

<note: detergent manufacturers should take note of this insight because all the new ‘free flow’ liquid containers leave an aggravatingly large amount of detergent left sloshing around that you cannot get out>

Regardless.

I like this commercial for a number of reason.

Good insight(s). it’s smart.

Meaningful product enhancement <addresses a user problem>.

Heritage. Clorox has been around forever. In a nice understated way they remind you they have been around since … well … a long frickin’ time.

They make the user feel smart.

They even have a slight chuckle at their own expense <we did think of this a long time ago but lost it>.

And it’s a simple execution … but entertaining. It doesn’t have any of those flashy production techniques nor any of those quick cuts back and forth between random vignettes … but rather it is … well … a story.

Stories are timeless when told well.

Marketing people should remind themselves of this on occasion.

Well done Clorox.