Random stuff I’m diggin’ lately

Athlete’s Honey Milk – we were introduced to this recovery drink at the Zilker Tree 5k, and wow – recovery has never tasted so good! It’s also been on sale at HEB this month so our fridge is packed with the stuff!

Mumford and Sons – I guess I bought their album, Sigh No More, after the Emmy’s. They have surprisingly religious overtones all throughout their lyrics. …sort of Irish folk meets country/rock. Very addictive!

Michael Connelly – I started reading The Lincoln Lawyer – which was really good. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but Dana and I have plans to go soon. I’m now reading The Fifth Witness and its great too.

5 Hour energy GRAPE – I know I posted about this stuff before, but I actually can tolerate the grape flavor. I have always loved grape for some reason. …who else remembers GrapeApe?

Wellness abd Better Health Chiropractic – John Tuggle aka TheTriDoc is a good friend, and when I  injured my back recently, I turned to him to keep me training for the IronMan. Great, godly Doctor. If you need a good chiropractor, go see him!

Surrender?

I love the scene in 300 where the messenger from Persia tells the Spartan King, Leonidas, “All the god king Xerxes requires is this: a simple offering of earth and water. A token of Sparta’s submission to the will of Xerxes.”

King Leonidas’s response is classic: “Submission… Now that’s a bit of a problem.”

I think most of us feel the same way.

I know I do.

I like to be in charge. I like to be in control. I like to think that I know what’s best …for me, and usually those around me too!

Submission is hard because it means giving up what I want …what I feel I need …what I think I am entitled to …what (again) I’m sure I need.

I actually heard a great message today at lifechurch.tv by Judah Smith that related really well to what God seems to be trying to teach me about submitting. Judah spoke about the “meantime.” Meantime is the space and time between where you used to be and where you know God wants you to be. And what’s the main lesson God wants to teach us in the meantime? I think maybe its submission.

One of the books I am currently reading is The Me I Want to Be, by John Ortberg.

This morning as  I was reading it with my morning coffee, it nailed me. It had a whole chapter on submission… I probably could have highlighted the whole chapter, and I almost did!

Since my Kindle saves all my highlights, I thought I would share a little of what I read with you. After all, I doubt seriously that I am the only one that struggles with submission Enjoy…

John Calvin said that the only haven of safety is “to have no other will, no other wisdom, than to follow the Lord wherever He leads. Let this, then, be the first step, to abandon ourselves, and devote the whole energy of our minds to the service of God.”

There is no way for a human being to come to God that does not involve surrender.

His [God's] purposes are often wiser and better than our desires. Jesus does not come to rearrange the outside of our life the way we want. He comes to rearrange the inside of our life the way God wants.

The Twelve Steps followed by recovery groups lay out a way of life that is the single greatest path to freedom for addicts the world has ever known. But at the core of the steps lies a great paradox: In which of the twelve steps does it say “now try really hard to not drink”? In which of the twelve steps does it even say “now decide not to drink”? Amazingly enough, the most powerful tool against the most powerful addiction in the world never asks people to decide to stop doing what is destroying their lives. Instead of mobilizing the will, its followers surrender their will. Try to overcome the problem by your will, and it will beat you. Surrender your will, and sobriety becomes possible. Surrender, which we think means defeat, turns out to be the only way to victory. This is not just the case with alcohol. It is also true with other addictions, with habits, with brokenness — and with sin in general.

It is possible to receive power to become the person I want to be. But to do so, I have to hand over the keys. [and let God be in charge of driving my life...]

“Okay, Jesus, today you lead, and I will follow. Whatever I have to do in my relationships, my body, my health, and my finances are in your hands. I won’t try to figure out the rest of my life. I won’t try to solve every day. Just today. You lead. I’ll follow.”

I am sure I could have quoted more too… All from Chapter 5, Surrender: The One DecisionTthat Always Helps

Exploring the mind of an Idea Guru: Jay Heyman (part 2)

So again… Today I get the pleasure of introducing you to and interviewing this guy ——————————————————————->> His name is Jay Heyman. He’s an author (find my review of his book, All You Need Is A Good Idea here), and a blogger, but more importantly: he’s an idea guy. I love idea guys!

Here’s the link to part 1 if you missed it.

On to the rest of my questions…

Jay, your book is really designed for people who can’t afford the big ad agency? Do you think the big firms will feel threatened?

No. If you have read my book and now actually see what constitutes a good idea, you will know the questions, both creative and strategic, you should ask of your agency when they present their work to you. Agencies will work even harder, knowing you will not accept less than their best work. As O. Burtch Drake, president and CEO, American Association of Advertising Agencies (1994–2008) said, “Anyone working in advertising today—from the mailroom to the boardroom—should buy Jay’s fantastic new book. Chock-full of illuminating case histories and real-world advice on how to hone and unleash the creative voice from within.” (And yes, I am blushing.)

I think your book really translates across markets – I see this benefiting a small business owner or a church pastor or a advertising veteran – have you found that to be true?

Yes. (Hey, I’m not getting paid by the word.)

Let me take a little more of a personal turn… If you had a child who was trying to break into the advertising/marketing industry where would you tell them to begin? 

I do have a child. Two in fact. And I would, and do, tell them this, cliché though it may be. Whatever you decide to do in your career, if you make it something you love doing, you will never work a day in your life. For advertising/marketing, take some courses and see if it is something you really enjoy. More specifically, what part of the marketing communication process do you enjoy most. If their desire is to be in the media department, or research, or to become an account executive, I would point out that they should follow whatever dream they choose. I would also point out that they have broken my heart, and that my next creative assignment will be the re-writing of my will.

What qualities or skills would you suggest this newbie develop?

Ask more questions. Care about people. Go with your gut. Be curious about everything. Read books. Read magazine. Read graphic comics. Read blogs. Read anything and everything. 

What made you decide you wanted to do this for a living? How did you get started?

I have always liked words, plays on words and clever ideas in general. I think the die was cast way back in grammar school, when a student running for class president asked me to write his campaign slogans. (I still remember one of them. “The bell’s for the teacher. And we’re for Steve.”) He lost, but I was hooked. Though now I try to get paid for my ideas.

How does someone trying to get a job in marketing/advertising separate themselves today? This economic market is brutal and jobs aren’t exactly plentiful… 

Like everyone else in that tough situation, network at every opportunity. Put together a portfolio to show the quality of your ideas. Don’t be different for the sake of being different. Join advertising clubs. Use social media. When I started out it was difficult also. They wouldn’t hire anyone without experience, yet how do you get experience if no one will hire you? Somehow, it happens.

Is it as hard to find and keep a job at the entry level (of marketing/advertising) as it is at the top?

As with most careers, the path is shaped like a pyramid, more room at the bottom, and as you move up towards the apex (do pyramids have an apex?), there are fewer and fewer places available. For the most part, entry-level positions have lower salary requirements so there would tend to be more positions available. Today, unfortunately, unemployed but experienced people are competing for the entry level positions that are available, so it is definitely more difficult.

Finally, what’s your favorite part of the idea process? What do you enjoy the most?

After more years in the business than I care to mention, my favorite part is what it always has been—creating the ideas. It is the thrill of creating a group of ideas, polishing, rewording, discarding, and then seeing what you know is the solution to a client’s problem pop up on the computer screen.

I still remember, as one brief example, developing ideas for New York’s Stage Deli. The strategy was to convince a tourist that though the sandwiches were indeed expensive, they did provide terrific value given their huge size. I was writing, and writing, and all of a sudden, the visual of an outsized Stage Deli sandwich jumped into my mind, complete with the only line of copy necessary: “REMINDER: PLEASE BEND KNEES WHEN LIFTING.”

It made me smile then. It makes me smile now. And amazingly, that is often the indication of a good idea.

Exploring the mind of an Idea Guru: Jay Heyman (part 1)

Today I get the pleasure of introducing you to this guy ——————————————————–> His name is Jay Heyman. He’s an author (find my review of his book, All You Need Is A Good Idea here), and a blogger, but more importantly: he’s an idea guy. I love idea guys!

Who Is this Guy? Here’s Jay’s Bio: 

I  am an advertising agency veteran. My entire career has been spent working in the creative departments of agencies large and small, creating local, national, consumer, collateral and business-to-business communications. 

Currently, as the co-founder and creative director of Porte Advertising, a sixteen-year-old advertising agency in midtown New York, I continue to generate the kind of idea-driven advertising that has built clients’ businesses in the past.

Accounts I’ve worked on include Skippy Peanut Butter, the Stage Deli, Oxydol detergent, Trix cereal, Cocoa Puffs cereal, The Curaçao Tourist Board, Anacin, Texaco, Drambuie Liqueur, Beechnut Gum, Frigidaire Appliances, Burgie Beer, Total Cereal, Fruit Stripe Gum, Thrill Dishwashing Liquid, Hardee’s, Kangol Hats, Sharp Watches, the American Arbitration Association, Bistro le Steak, ClearVision Optical, Bounty Resorts, Hero Dog Food, Old Spice Deodorant, Rapid Park Garages, The William Kaufman Organization, Dallas BBQ restaurants, Tony’s Di Napoli restaurants, Prevent Blindness NY and Host Apparel.

Honors I’ve received include the prestigious CLIO and ANDY awards; my commercials are in The Paley Center for Media (formerly the Museum of Television and Radio of New York).

My creative ability and strategic sense, such as they are, have been honed by a career that has one basic objective: come up with the simple—but unexpected—idea that links the strategic core of the product to the consumer’s needs. I’ve learned that every client—no matter the size—has the same need for powerful creative marketing ideas. Smaller businesses, however, don’t always have the resources and large staff to develop these ideas. That is why I’ve written my book and created this blog.

So… On to some questions!!

Jay,  what’s your greatest idea ever? or the one that brought you fame, fortune, and acclaim?

I am still waiting for the fame, fortune and acclaim part. But the concept I usually think of when asked this question, is for a campaign I created that, for various reasons, was never produced. But it has all the elements of what a good marketing idea should be. It was for a brand of timepieces called Sharp watches. The print ad showed a grouping of different scraps of paper, each with a different message on it, each written with a different pen, pencil or marker. Each message said things like, “Curtain at 8:00 p.m. Sharp.” ‘Call Bob tomorrow at 4:30 Sharp.” “Pick up kids at 5 Sharp.”  These pieces of paper surrounded these words in the center of the page: “Ever Notice That When People Are Serious About Time, They Always Mention Our Name?” Relevant, unexpected, a great mnemonic and certainly more effective than “Meet me at 5:00 p.m. Timex.”

In the current economic environment, are you seeing marketing/advertising budgets being slashed, or not?

The smart marketers ask themselves one question: do I intend to be here when the economy rights itself? If the answer is yes, then you have to continue to market your company, particularly if your competition has radically cut back. You must continue to, at the very least, sustain your brand. Look even harder to find good communication ideas, which by definition don’t require massive media budgets. 

I’m sure that has a bearing on the “quality of” and need for a good idea, right?

Exactly. I truly believe that, particularly in these difficult economic times, there is nothing more efficient or economical than the power of a good marketing idea. 

I loved your explanation of a good idea, can you summarize that? I mean, why not go for the great idea?

Perfect, it is said, is the enemy of good. You, Charles, would still be sitting there pondering your first question for me, wondering if it was intelligent enough, made you appear silly, or if it was insightful enough. And I would be standing motionless, at a creative standstill, discarding every one of my answers because it wasn’t brilliant enough. An idea is good if it sounds fresh and new and grabs attention in a relevant manner. Going for the “good” is not compromising; it is simply more realistic than waiting and waiting and waiting for that one great idea. 

Read part two of the interview right here

Review: All You Need Is A Good Idea

The past month or so, I’ve had the good fortune of reading read Jay Heyman’s book, All You Need Is A Good Idea.

It was sent to me, and I am actually reviewing it as part of this year’s Idea Sandbox: Post2Post Virtual Book tour. My posts today are part of the tour: I’ll do this review, and a two part interview of Jay Heyman.

So here are my thoughts about the book…

Jay’s main point is pretty simple – All you need is a good idea. You don’t need a great idea. In fact, most people wait and wait and wait for something great, and end up waiting to long or getting stuck somewhere in that chase for perfection. A good idea is all you need – and if you’ve ever wondered what makes an idea good? This book is for you!

Ideas are what the book’s all about. Jay writes with conversational ease and allows even rookie idea ‘students’ to see behind the veil. Whether you have been working with ideas for years, or you’ve just begun, I believe reading this book will actually help your ideas get better! (Jay actually boasts that, and he delivers!)

The only negative… Reading this book for me created so many ideas that I often was forced to shut the book, pick up a pencil, and start writing… Imagine that – an idea book that actually helps you instantly have ideas – good ones too!