I'm a real supporter of marketers using stories in their efforts to capture the attention of consumers. It is going to become more of a differentiator - but will be thwarted as long as there are some companies who miss the power, intent and value of using stories. One prime example is this one that Rich...! spotted:

Tut, Tut!

Rich...! also referred to a significant post from Seth Godin on the role of stories in marketing:

Great stories make a promise. They promise fun, safety or a shortcut. The promise needs to be bold and audacious. It’s either exceptional or it’s not worth listening to.

Great stories are trusted. Trust is the scarcest resource we’ve got left. No one trusts anyone. People don’t trust the beautiful women ordering vodka at the corner bar (they’re getting paid by the liquor company). People don’t trust the spokespeople on commercials (who exactly is Rula Lenska?). And they certainly don’t trust the companies that make pharmaceuticals (Vioxx, apparently, can kill you). As a result, no marketer succeeds in telling a story unless he has earned the credibility to tell that story.

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I've been spending some time in the South African town Welkom (Vel-kom) working on a project with Sonja. Welkom is renowned for its traffic circles. Welkom is in fact the last bastion of traffic circles as a traffic management system in South Africa. There was uproar recently as Welkom installed its first traffic light. They are very proud of their traffic circles and take their associated identity as a town more seriously than their support of the local rugby side. This patriotism is embodied in a simple joke:

Q: How do you know if there is a Jo'burger in Welkom?

A: There are accidents at the traffic circles.

A traffic circle is a wonderful example of a organic, naturally-flowing system. The argument for traffic circles over traffic lights seems to make much sense. Check out the Magic Roundabout - there is apparently never congestion in Swindon as a result of this system.

 

It really isn't that often that you see Simon Cowell's jaw drop. But this is one of those priceless moments. Paul Potts embodies a wonderful underdog narrative. Enjoy - make sure your sound is turned up.

This is an anecdote that comes from a company I was doing some Talent Retention work with recently. When analysing some of the elements of the business that aided talent retention, a policy around a R&R Day (Rest & Recover Day) was listed, but fairly low down on the list of effective attractors.

The company, being project-based, wanted to allow staff to take some time off in lieu of weekends worked on projects. So, the powers-that-be instituted the R&R Day on the Monday following the weekend stint as a reward for extra effort put in. The original R&R Day was fraught with difficulty though as it was laden with strict criteria for when a R&R Day could be allowed. After much deliberation, consultation and frustration with heavy-laden criteria, the company decided on to apply only one criteria to the granting of an R&R Day ... it was to become the sole discretion of the Executive of the business unit.  read more »

I really like Noam Chomsky's work - but perhaps that's because I'm not an American citizen. He's known for his contribution to the field of theoretical linguistics, but is more widely known for his political activism, media criticism an blatant criticism of the US.

In a video interview he spoke of the disparate conditions impossed on mainstream and dissident opinion. As a dissident himself, I suppose he understands this better than most. And so, as Chomsky has written about terrorism, he shown how terrorism corresponds to power, that therefore the power powerful states are more involved with terrorism. The peak of this argument is that the US is the most powerful state and by argument, is involved in massive terrorism.  read more »