Benevolent UFOs Over Japan?

I've been keeping an eye on this story for a few weeks but the sheer volume of video content with odd shapes flying into the picture is way beyond the capacity of a people who have just been decimated by an earth shock, tsunami and radiation contamination. People have got better things to do than make Youtube clips so it's worth digging around for yourself and making your own mind up.

Precursor To A Spiritual Change

Hello My Lovely Friends,

First I want to thank you so very much for your concern for me. I am very touched. I also wish to apologize for a generic message to you all. But it seems the best way at the moment to get my message to you.

Things here in Sendai have been rather surreal. But I am very blessed to have wonderful friends who are helping me a lot. Since my shack is even more worthy of that name, I am now staying at a friend's home. We share supplies like water, food and a kerosene heater. We sleep lined up in one room, eat by candlelight, share stories. It is warm, friendly, and beautiful.

During the day we help each other clean up the mess in our homes. People sit in their cars, looking at news on their navigation screens, or line up to get drinking water when a source is open. If someone has water running in their home, they put out sign so people can come to fill up their jugs and buckets. 

Utterly amazingly where I am there has been no looting, no pushing in lines. People leave their front door open, as it is safer when an earthquake strikes. People keep saying, "Oh, this is how it used to be in the old days when everyone helped one another."

Quakes keep coming. Last night they struck about every 15 minutes. Sirens are constant and helicopters pass overhead often.

We got water for a few hours in our homes last night, and now it is for half a day. Electricity came on this afternoon. Gas has not yet come on. But all of this is by area. Some people have these things, others do not. No one has washed for several days. We feel grubby, but there are so much more important concerns than that for us now. I love this peeling away of non-essentials. Living fully on the level of instinct, of intuition, of caring, of what is needed for survival, not just of me, but of the entire group.

There are strange parallel universes happening. Houses a mess in some places, yet then a house with futons or laundry out drying in the sun. People lining up for water and food, and yet a few people out walking their dogs. All happening at the same time.

Other unexpected touches of beauty are first, the silence at night. No cars. No one out on the streets. And the heavens at night are scattered with stars. I usually can see about two, but now the whole sky is filled. The mountains are Sendai are solid and with the crisp air we can see them silhouetted against the sky magnificently.

And the Japanese themselves are so wonderful. I come back to my shack to check on it each day, now to send this e-mail since the electricity is on, and I find food and water left in my entranceway. I have no idea from whom, but it is there. Old men in green hats go from door to door checking to see if everyone is OK. People talk to complete strangers asking if they need help. I see no signs of fear. Resignation, yes, but fear or panic, no.

They tell us we can expect aftershocks, and even other major quakes, for another month or more. And we are getting constant tremors, rolls, shaking, rumbling. I am blessed in that I live in a part of Sendai that is a bit elevated, a bit more solid than other parts. So, so far this area is better off than others.  Last night my friend's husband came in from the country, bringing food and water. Blessed again.

Somehow at this time I realize from direct experience that there is indeed an enormous Cosmic evolutionary step that is occurring all over the world right at this moment. And somehow as I experience the events happening now in Japan, I can feel my heart opening very wide. My brother asked me if I felt so small because of all that is happening. I don't. Rather, I feel as part of something happening that much larger than myself. This wave of birthing (worldwide) is hard, and yet magnificent.

Thank you again for your care and Love of me,

With Love in return, to you all,

Anne

Brought To You By The Internet.

You Cant Make This Up

Propaganda

Nice find from the Granite Studio. The poster says "With Japanese, Chinese, and Manchu working together, a Great Peace can be brought to the world". It's interesting that this kind of message could even be peddled given how brutal the Japanese were with rapes and competitive beheading and of course the Chinese population are itching with revenge now to take Japan out. I'm not exaggerating.

However we see below that some things don't change. it's a subtle form of propaganda though given that it was paid for by the Royal Thai army backed regime who had just slaughtered over 90 Thais and alienated the majority of the electorate. Many were assassinated by telescopic crosshair sniper units. This is the same Royal Thai Army who then went on to massively increase their military budget to include the first submarine as part of the overall military package.


This is from an army that has never picked on a decent opponent like the Burmese Tatmadaw as the Royal Thai Army has since the 1930's historically performed much better at shooting its own people on behalf of the wealthy elite.

Naturally this could never happen in the U.S but there are still too many political reportage sycophants out there who think Obama is a saviour. Neither he nor anyone in the GOP is. It's the way it is. More on my propaganda and advertising thinking over here.

可愛さ (Kawaii)

I have a theory about the Japanese and technology. I believe that as they were (and still are the only people to be) on the receiving end of atomic/nuclear technological warfare, that they shed their Samurai traditions and embraced technology with a fervour that is drenched in Kawaii cuteness but is ostensibly, an all out potential pursuit of revenge. Well it's either that or they're just really 'into it', though I urge you to read a little into the history of Astro Boy before you dismiss my thinking on the subject.

Tokyo Gore Police - Wrist Cutter G commercial

It's very tempting to drill down a bit more into my knife is what you make it post and explain that story about the Singaporean girl who took me to Ajarn Noo to get that tattoo done. I noticed that she had a lot of self inflicted cuts on her arms on top of the tattoos. It's about as nuts as this fake commercial. I shouldn't really.

Instead if I urge you to listen to Jake Adelstein's interview on BBC world about Sex and the Yakuza. It's a cracker.

Reinterpreting Ronald

I got stuck into Ronald McDonald's character a bit over here and subsequently discovered this below. I can live with this interpretation. I take everything back as clearly there's lots of room for some exciting transmedia planning ideas when I see subtlety like this. One of the reasons I like Japanese creatives is their subtlety which can transform creative briefs into something more gentle and likable that is outside my imagination.

In this instance the less aggressive use of colour, which is just so much more powerful than rigid corporate identity imposed from afar, is instantly more likable to me. The Japanese often manage to keep their distance from that whole  international identity policing strictness. A common reason is because NPD in Japan, for say beverages, (particularly RTD) is so much faster than what the US is used to, and transcontinental involvement isn't tolerated or the product releases wouldn't keep up with the competition. A snooze you lose scenario.

I like this. But then I've said that already.

It's the Amygdala Stupid

This Evian ad is doing the rounds on the blogs and I thought it was a good time to revisit the neurological influences that drive some advertising through the our response or compulsion oriented reptilian brain or the R Complex or basal ganglia if you wish.

While I think it's a sweet execution, isn't it just crypto neuro marketing? Or is it coincidental that this was one of the biggest spreadable media (viral) content successes of the internet? Here's an updated version.

I was having a brilliant lunch with Rob last week and I realised that just shooting the breeze with him is solid gold planning lessons that ordinairly he invoices interesting brands for. So if ever there is a good reason to get blogging and get involved in the conversation instead of just reading or lurking on blogs, here it is because I've gotten to know Rob and   pester him for lunch through blogging. Though  of course it's OK if you just like to observe.

Anyway I got talking about my experience on the success of a Coca-cola drink brand called Qoo across Asia some years back because I met the Japanese creatives at Hakuhodo in Tokyo who came up with the creative concept and discovered a secret. Qoo is an expression that the Japanese make when taking a cold drink on a hot day. The beverage was named Qoo and a brand cartoon character was developed to appeal to children.

I learned that, much like the dancing babies above, the Qoo character is largely  a neurological hook; particularly for children. The cartoon character was designed sketched and refined 'on-the-fly' in focus groups with bits of paper going back and forth between the illustrator and the kids and it was seen that using traits such as a big head, baby eyes and a small body appealed to children most and there was no doubt at all which character made the kids most excited. The winning design formula had an unmistakably positive response to say the least.

This is why the product used to fly off the shelves in Asian markets. Strategically it's an RTD (ready to drink) low juice, sugared soda with a few vitamins added for marketing to mothers at a rational level, and the Qoo character for children at an emotionally responsive level. It was quite a learning experience discovering the design gestation process and seeing how well it performed with commercials as short as 15 seconds in the China market. I wrote about one execution I worked on in Hong Kong and Shanghai over here.

Hokusai

Hokusai did this print of The Great Wave and captured the imagination of the Japanese people in much the same way that Shepherd Fairey's Obamicon hit an emotive nerve in the run up to the U.S. election. Both in their own way represent something that is outside the commitment to try one's best. To go a little further.

Sean Howard invited a bunch of us to write a piece that was inspired by Saul Kaplin about The Passion Economy.

One of the terrific things about Sean is that he has a hardcore intellectual streak that sometimes leaves me bewildered realising there's whole topics I've never heard of let alone grasped and which you can discover here on his blog.

However, Sean balances that deep thinking drive with what I see as a big ol' generous heart and very kind words of infectious happiness. When he asked me to contribute, I was really flattered and said yes.

I am in with some toptastic people on this one, including Scott Suthren, Ellen Di Resta, Gavin Heaton, Mike Wagner, Mack Collier, Mike Arauz, Katie Chatfield, Alan Wolk, Peter Flaschner and Matthew Milan all contributing to this piece which I hope will persuade some, that we are indeed living in profound times.

Something's happening indeed.

The Passion Economy eBook

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Business eBooks passion brands

Why not download the ebook from Sean's site if you're a little short on time?

Asian Olympic Enthusiasm

It does look like Japan is struggling to be excited with the Beijing Olympics. I think the diminished enthusiasm is for historical reasons although the Hong Kong figures have surprised me a little too. I'm guessing that Australia will be on a par with other occidental countries. Via Thomas Crampton