Year of the Rat

melfeasance

Way back last year I met a really nice guy at the Breakfast Club for a Likemind event/Russell's coffee morning crossover who listened while I waffled on about how the internet gave us an opportunity for the planet to voice its opinion and instead of smiling as most people do when I blather on about this subject he fully agreed. Well he emailed me this morning about a project for the world to participate in the forthcoming U.S. elections and break down each countries votes for issues like say Iraq.

Rob has very kindly posted about it over here. I hope we all get a chance to say more about things like this in the future. If you know a way that you can contribute or spread the word that would be great because there is going to come a time shortly when it will be difficult to ignore people's opinions on the internet. Its happening already and I hope the developer of 10 questions gets this off the ground. Your support in publicizing it would be terrific.

Spring is in the air

I managed to slip out of the office yesterday for a very quick lunch and on the way I finally got to walk past the recently opened Beijing Opera House or officially titled National Centre for Performing Arts. It's surrounded by a moat like affair, giving the arts a sense of protection for which Beijing's reputation kicks Shanghai's dollar loving ass over. So forgive me if I slip a couple of pics from the Nokia N95 in because I've dropped this baby a couple of times now and it's miraculously past the flying battery and spinning battery-cover test which is always received with gratitude when it survives that particular tumble, and is indeed the first quality about Nokia that really turned me on to the brand. That and the banana shaped ones that we first got at HHCL which were iconic and still are in a retro way. But really, Its not meant to survive this kind of abuse so its like a second life for me which is worth a few hundred euros in reality.


But what I wanted to say is that even though I cannot bear the cold, I moved to Beijing knowing that I need to sacrifice some things to achieve others. However, even though there will be cold days ahead, spring has definitely sprung and there is a whiff of fast paced tarting up going on in Beijing in the last days before the entire planet thinks more about China than it has ever done in the history of this incredible country destined for a legacy that is even larger than its geographical size or population, because that is exactly how the numbers game works. Here are the flowers being planted in time for the arrival of the sun.

And many of the boulevards are going through intense tree planting each morning with entire sections of previously tundra like frozen mud now being dug up and prepped for beauty. China knows how to throw a few hundred thousand workers at a project. Like no other.


This is no time to go into the whole construction boom thing versus planning a city for 2050 but I will do at some point. There's something interesting going on here and I haven't quite found the words to embrace all of it.

The Office (Party)

Well you live and learn. I've always had a problem with planned entertainment. Spontaneity makes me happy and when I was informed that we were having our office party some weeks in advance and that a 'committee' was being formed to organise entertainment skits for different account teams I thought it was going to be more of that teeth pulling obligatory presence that I put up with a couple of months ago at the 4A's advertising awards in December.

I filmed that particular fanfare they put us through for each award, including say best banner ad in B2B public infrastructure project tenders - you get my drift. Here it is because you can't make this stuff up when it comes to the levels of delusion in the advertising business.

So that's my view on organised fun. However our annual party morphed into everything I could have wished for. We headed for the great wall of China via coach and stayed in some architecturally really interesting lodgings called the Kempinski Commune. The proceedings began after a meal that was perfectly balanced and proportioned for an event of this nature (I loath wasted food at events) and then the skits began. As a rule we Brits have to get lathered up on the juice to have a good time but in general the Beijingers know how to have really good fun with just a glass or two to help things along, and this they did promptly with all their entertaining.

I expected amateurish good humoured attempts to entertain but what I saw was a transformational effect both by and of the people who I work with on a daily basis. It was pure planning porn and that included the film parody of the Hong Kong star who kept pictures of naked starlet conquests that were subsequently discovered by those guys who fix broken notebooks. So I learnt lots and had heaps of fun too. There was some senior management dough giving ritual thing that I didn't fully understand but that too turned into a kind of competitive egalitarianism and I was close to giving it all away right there and then, because I loved my colleagues so much in that moment being an emotional sort. You can't buy that kind of passion even if you neck a Red Bull or Three.

So at the end of it all my colleagues started to sing this song and I don't know why but it was sung with the sort of pride that is not about solipsistic nationalism but about a collective and mutual respect for each other and an optimism for the future. Well that was the feeling of it for me and I'm sure there is more but it just felt good and I got it on Qik so here it is if you don't mind me giving you a quick slice of Beijing life which has so much more substance than Shanghai in many ways.

Sorry about the sound quality but that is live to the net streaming so it's still being improved. I've got lots of footage of the entertainment skits but I'd like to leave you with what really is the moment that sinks in deeper than any other so far which is The Great Wall of China. The folks after the descent told me that you aren't a man until you've visited it, but I was unaware of that when I arose early to climb a section of it where it's evident that despite stiff competition from Bagan in Burma, Angkor Wat in Cambodia and Borobodur in Indonesia is easily the most lasting and physical testament to what a people can achieve with brute force, vision and resources that put the goal way ahead of the cost of its execution. I look forward to the day when we collectively apply that determination to reducing consumption, applauding frugality and worshiping that which we are blessed with for an infinitely short time in the big scheme of things. The chance to live a life on this speck of a seemingly lonely planet. So here is the Great Wall and Great it really is.

He shoots. He scores.

Just before I got shipped outta London to Beijing I met up with some great guys from TBWA/RAAD who were talking about some very attractive Middle East planning action that would have meant a gold plated Royce, a Vertu mobile and a dental plan to force people at 100 paces to wear secret-service dark shades to protect their iris from my egregiously shiny white teeth. Sadly I couldn't take them up on their exploratory offer because of my commitment to move to China, but they did ask if I knew anyone I could recommend.

Which got me thinking!

It had to be someone who was into digital and I also thought international which isn't for everyone so it was a toughie. But one of my thoughts was Sam Ismail. I suggested it might be worth hooking them up. They asked me why I wasn't charging a fee for this but then disintermediation, reputation management and network nurture aren't easy ingredients to whisk-up into a sound bite on the spot so I just told them I'm nice because I needed the love right then. Anyway, as was the case with Famous Rob who landed a number oop North from an introduction I talked about back here I'm pleased to say that Sam is going to be a big planning Kahuna in one of the most dynamic and culturally rich places on the planet too. Fresh out of a psychology degree and straight into the world of marketing communications. It's an experience that will make him grow and I'm looking forward to the Middle East cracking out some innovative numbers because Sam is most definitely capable of delivering welcome surprises. All he's gotta do for this gig is kick back a little and let people get to know his heart of gold first and give them time to dig his burning intelligence second. He says the job thing is a lot down to me but like I told Famous Rob they should thank themselves (and their parent's genes).

That and the guy who started off the whole planning blogging gig in the first place because there was a generosity of spirit which not so long back was rare to find in the previously often pious world of planning. One that is increasingly now benevolent and collaborative. Vive L'internet folks. I feel we're just scratching at the surface of its potential and it's not about the electronics. It's about the potential of the human spirit, which for whatever reason needs nurturing and given every chance. Everyone needs an ounce of luck in this world and if you do get some, try to find a way to pass it on because karma is, in its own way, an investment in our collective future. As long we expect nothing from it. Another philosophical paradox folks but well done again Sam. I'm very proud of you and here's a dirty mug shot before the gay crew-cut look you've recently adopted to let you know I got it all on file ;)

Nonsense London

I wrote back here that the cost of buying cheap goods is way too high for those people who work hard, are paid inadequately and struggle day in and day out, so we can collectively brag about how cheap T Shirts are made. I've a post about that some day because vintage T Shirts interest me a lot after a spell living on Melrose and snapping up the coolest cheese on the planet. I digress. Rob Mosely who is a bit talented like has client with similar values and has created a sticky viral thing that is a great example of how to make communications slip in neatly with social media. So here is my attempt which was a doddle and fun as well, all done with charming cheekiness I would expect from those chaps at Nonsense London. Who also have a blog now I hear.

Destination or Journey?

More N95 edited on the fly in-phone


As for the camera I can't push it where I want to. I think Sony or Samsung might be tipping the scales for response, manipulation, speed and resolution in this respect.


Interesting and nice guy. Jewelery and clothes used to mask the scars incurred in Iraq I believe.


I don't feel it's fair to belittle a chap who manages to hobble his way to a Go Go bar on crutches. That takes a fair amount of commitment.


Not sure where to start with this character who sits on Silom, but think about the guy on Oxford Street some years back who warned us all against the perils of protein consumption and its inevitable conclusion of sexual congress.


Anyone for a Cashew?


I always advocate working girls engaging in a bit of Vonnegut before making the rounds. Breakfast of Champions in this instance.


Its all bit William Gibson dystopian on occasions is the city of angels at night. Paradoxically the Skytrain pictured below is a model of harmonious public transport infrastructure during the day. Looks can be deceiving.

I'm convinced Mary Shelley was inspired for her best novel from seeing something akin to this lady who without wishing to be brutal had an aura that the exorcist would have tip-toed around.

Goldfish

So we had this Goldfish in our tank with a propensity for swimming upside down. Now I know that's usually a sign for impending demise but in this instance my colleagues assured me that this was our fish's preferred method for over a year now. Personally I think he liked to show-off but then why not? A Goldfish's life isn't all that remarkable after all. Sadly he got stuck in the water filter later on the day of filming and is now floating in a different celestial current.

Then there was spice

Spice is one of those places where although they play nosebleed Euro Techno that hasn't progressed any further than a Josh Wink 'raised hands' volume platform circa 1995, the DJ's do take pride in their innocent enjoyment of a long dead genre of music and tweak a bit with care. I can't bear it really unless I've sunk a few B52's but I had a funny argument with my partner for the evening debating the merits of Lo-So versus Hi-So and in fairness she won. But only because I waited for the hot pop chicks to do their dance routine and subsequently slowed it down on the N95 while adding something more musically tasteful. Spice can be found in the basement of the Rembrandt Hotel on Soi 11, Sukhumvit and is not to be confused with Spicy in Ruang Muang, Soi 1 which is altogether a much more freakish affair.

Union City Blues

I know I've been a tough critic of the Nokia N95, but over the Chinese New Year I've been giving it some real punishment and putting it through its paces on the multimedia. I'm particularly impressed with the ability to edit in-handset with music, merge, add text, filters and lots of other functions. So here is a taster of my CNY trip to Bangkok. The N95 has a few reboot quirks that are annoying, its still slow, the battery isn't great, but now I've had the chance to explore more of the functions I'm sold on the ability to make engaging media content. But I'll let you decide.

Tasty Delicious Enable Happiness - Part Two

So now you know what Coca-Cola is in Chinese.

Tasty Delicious Enable Happiness

I've been tagged twice in the last week or so with two memes and it really is only sporting to participate. The first occasion started with the gifted Marcus in Munich and with whom despite inevitable titanic struggles over the meaning of meaning I'd love to work with some day. I just know we could push ideas further than I''ve ever had a chance to push before. So I'm crossing my fingers on that one. In the mean time Marcus has asked me to name five bloggers that I'd wish to be a little more like. Also I've been graciously tagged by Johnnie Moore who really is quite brilliant and curmudgeonly in a likable-professor way. I also suspect that he's closer to the meaning of it all even though he'd probably dislike that compliment.

Johnnie has invited me to share eight random facts/ habits and pass the meme onto a further eight. Well in the interests of symmetry and breaking rules (The best to the brave) I'll only do five and intersperse those five facts and five cross-meme links with some snaps I've taken today. Just in case that has confused those I've linked to it means that ideally you should pick up the meme mashup and do both as well.... if you like of course. So here goes.

First off is the admission that I was born in Germany and have a Maltese mother and an English Father so truthfully I don't really buy into any nationalism at all and see the planet as all mine wherever I choose to tip up. It's kind of liberating to discard a passport and inherit a planet. I also see how easy it is for different countries to start saying the 'we' word when lets face it, 'we' are all in this together. Particularly as the planet heats up. So shape up. I'm tagging Rob Campbell on this one simply because on top of living in Singapore and loving Asia like myself, he's given me some of the best laughs on the net if only for the comments section on his blog which is just ace.


Second I guess I can fairly admit to taking off more time than any planner I know and have made good use of tropical beaches, tropical rum and more books than I should have really ever had the time to read. I majored in Politics during this time and had just one of the best mentors to guide me on which books to read and where. I also picked up my McLuhan habit around during this period and can't see why he hasn't been canonized. Its all there in much the same way that Stephen King inventor of planning's writings were more pure from reduced clutter and yet at the same time so prescient. I'm linking to Faris on this one because its one thing to be super clever, its another thing to be a regular and likable guy with that much brain power kicking around. Duty of Genius and all that.


That's bubbling sugar above, and is used to make those toffee fruits I've talked about. I think I'd like to share my favourite place in the world. Its Luang Prabang in Laos. Laos is an unreconstructed Communist country and possibly one of the richest (spiritually) countries in the world. The people unlike those in Thailand have been sheltered from breakneck economic growth and is the only place in the world I've seen folk on motorbikes tugging friends along on bicycles at a sedate pace while holding a conversation. This is when I realised that a slower life is what we're all looking for. All I need are a few books in Luang Prabang and I'm content. My next tag is John Dodds. John is a top bloke with one of best marketing bullshit detectors as well as a good sense of humour. Even if he does do work on the side for MI5.


What else. I've quite a track record in marriage and relationship guidance. Even though I'm a walking disaster at managing my own relationships I seem to have a face that enables people to confide in me in a way that suggests my advice is valuable and I'm grateful for that because it makes me feel that I can be trusted. I hope its because I'm a bit more direct than is good for me in most instances but its fair to say I've rescued more relationships than I care to think about now that I start to dwell on the matter. I'm going to link to Charlie over at Tantramar for this one because he's one of the cleverest and most creative people I know. Now that I think of it he's just the sort of person that What If should be talking to because he's done more stuff than any of us put together.

Finally I think I want to share that I once had a gun pulled on me in Stringfellows nightclub in the 90's. Its one of those improbable stories that litter my life and was completely unanticipated but I remember thinking how sobering it was to be on the end of a barrel and how for once in my life I just kept my trap shut in the interests of not making it onto the front of the tabloids the next day. Good story though if you ever catch me with nothing to say. I think my last link for this occasion and completely unrelated to that little factoid should be Fiona because she needs a little prompt now and again and is shaping up as a lovely blogger.

Countdown

I"m not so bothered with George Bush as some. I feel a wave of mild embarrassment each time I see him pretending that what is happening isn't happening. I'm embarrassed for his poor grasp of geography, his shunning of history and lately a reversal on GOP economic theory by advocating 'trickle up economics' with the stimulus package. Now they say it's because poor people are more likely to go spend the cash, and the cynicism this reveals for trickle down economics is only now manifest. Have they been fattening their wallets all this time? Selling cheap loans to people who will spend the next decade paying them off?. Keynesian economics is now evidently being practiced by POTUS and the mantra of free market economics as the unfailing driver of good, is a boil waiting to be lanced.

This doesn't mean I'm not horrified by the grotesque spectacle of Bill Clinton pulling tricks I never thought I'd see in order to gain reentry into the Whitehouse and of course his desperate wife Hillary who looks way past her time and a little ugly like Giuliani with his never ending repetition of what he did for N.Y. But don't let that colour your impression of my politics because my favourite candidate so far has been Ron Paul of the Republican party for his ruthless pursuit of presenting the unpalatable truth to the U.S.

It is however increasingly looking like Barack Obama's time and I see potential in him to lead the country forward in a way that the United States both deserves and desperately needs. It's time to rid the U.S. of that unholy alliance of the fundamentalists and neoconservatives because its just obscene listening to those pro lifers support the war in Iraq.

Via Rebecca Mackinnon

Connecting Peoples

Earlier today I was passing that blood bank bus I've mentioned before when talking about brand utility, and I thought I'd do my bit and load up the People's Republic with some of my own juice as I had a pint or so to spare.


This nice Gentleman took all my details and loaded them up on the notebook.


And the nice nurse checked my blood pressure and took a sample to be on the safe side.


And I got on with taking a few pictures as the people on the bus were all the generous giving sort. (I don't count myself. I was looking for shameless blogging content).


And Bob's your uncle. No mess, no fuss, just juice. Which sounds like a line doesn't it?


And that was my Saturday afternoon, apart from buying some Stella McCartney's Adidas for a girl I haven't yet met, because I do that once in a while.....meet someone, figure out if I've bought the right size and if it looks like it will work, say 'here's something I bought earlier'.

Seriously though if there are any ladies out there who are really into this the Adidas 'Stella' the store on Wanfujing is doing 50% off and I can only justify buying the one item on the off chance of meeting a close fit, even though its easily the sexiest and most futuristic female clothing I've ever seen and it doesn't seem to be shifting over here. Its like Prada/Miu Miu meets Adidas. Which isn't a bad thing. Its still pricy but a half price sale is a fair chunk off. Go check out the current collection.

Snakeskin feel, golden touch

Yeah I know, I kind of like its unashamed sleaziness, but then as I said way back here I thought the Razr which was the must-have mobile phone of 2005 is the product that Motorola slashed its corporate wrists on. Via Maddison Boom

Joy Island

I've just come across the astonishingly talented Chinese Photographer Joy Island. Not bad for someone who started taking photos in 2005 is she? With creativity like this it shouldn't be too hard to breath some life into brands that all too often are sclerotic and asphyxiated with a marketing bullshit that has crushed the life, tonality, voice and ability to inspire or provoke thought, through endless quantitative measurement of the difference between idea free and idea less.

Great brands are about ideas, not about doing everything possible to avoid an idea, and we need to let let talented local Chinese creative people and artists connect at this level. Creativity doesn't come from an Apple Mac it comes from people. The brand idea that sticks out often gets hammered in, here in Asia, but with photography like this I just know that China has a brilliant future as long as the creativity is protected.

The Digital Divide

Get over to those top folk from Minneapolis, Zeus Jones, for a little more detail on a wonderful post about the digital divide as they see it. It's a compelling chunk of writing and for me has all the makings of a hallmark digital anthropology post.

Brilliant News

Famous Rob (Mortimer) has secured a job offer and is now set to blaze a brilliant career in advertising. Rob lives in the North of England where planning options are very much less frequent than London. He's done a brilliant job of getting to this stage, and the agency that hires him will be benefiting from a terrific eye for marketing communications. I believe from his carfully considered reviews of British advertising that he will be responsible for some lovely stuff in his career. Rob we salute you. Well done.

Speechification

If you haven't been checking out Speechification yet, then you should. The soundclip that goes with their post about Tony Blair's official portrait is every reason why the site is shaping up as one of the most engaging podcast resources on the net. There's even a player embedded so you can listen up pronto. The chilling point about the painting above, according to the artist, is that it depends on the viewers politics how the poppy is perceived. As I said. Everything is contextual. I'm betting Lauren is going to love this one too.

The brand idea that sticks out gets hammered in.

I just found this post lurking in my drafts folder from way back and thought it might be a reasonable opportunity to pop a pic I took on the Nokia N95 a few weeks back to add some spice.

I'm all for localization. I don't know anyone else who believes as much as I do that the tired old mantra of "think global act local" is more often both an oxymoron and an excuse for marketing economies of scale. OK, so as I said in this post, everything is contextual but for those who argue in favour of brand message uniformity at all costs, why doesn't that apply to the product itself. You may for example wish to try the McDonalds coffee I talked about over here, which in China is like amphetamine treacle and tastes most awesome; way superior to the coffee chain from Seattle that I can't bear to mention.

There's a whiff of intellectual brand bankruptcy hanging in the air for those who endorse brand identity uniformity as more important than product conformity. And no I'm not talking about adapting the product to local tastes because the coffee at McDonalds in China compared to say McDonalds UK is the equivalent of the difference between that Turkey you roasted over Chrimbo and the Turkey Twizzlers y'all rebelled over a while back.

I've been talking about brand adaptation a fair bit recently and for the life of me I can't see why a country as large as China can 'adapt' itself to working with say Microsoft Windows ("oh no" they cry. "Its not Chinese enough" - erm excuse me? Even I can operate Windows in Chinese because the layout is so familiar) or an iPod. I do believe that if the iPod was presented as a concept first, the local ahem marketing and agency 'talent' would be all over it with design changes and modifications to 'localise' it.

OK, there is a time and a place when sensitivity towards local culture and taste makes great business sense but the knee jerk reaction to adaptation is killing too many good ideas and its not as if the alternatives are standing out much better is it?

I'll say it one more time only. The brand idea that sticks out gets noticed. Just like that bloke in the picture above who is mesmerised by the flares they use to show off to the clubbing crowd that somebody has ordered Champagne. It's not rocket science is it?

Learning to count