Nobody does it quirkier than Richard Branson!
In the past, one sought to conform as much as possible to the IT crowd.
“Be part of this cool collective!”
Why Being Quirky May Be Better
How To Write Like a King
Courtesy of NPR.org
One of my lifelong dreams is to write and publish a book.
As a purveyor of the written word, I relish opportunities to create a polished piece of prose that can influence others or contribute to the body of knowledge in the world.
Why Alcoholic Ads Are ‘Belly’ Funny
Being one who don’t mind an occasional tipple (or two or three), I have always wondered about why alcohol advertisements – particularly those touting beer – have always set the benchmark in terms of humour and hilarity.
Targeted at largely men, alcohol ads often tackle the lowest denominators of male desire. It is little wonder then that sexy scantily clothed females, outright sillyness and football/soccer/footie (or any combination of the above) are often used as themes. Somehow the idea of having a good time, getting a beer buzz and laughing till you drop seems to flow beautifully together. Oh and of course celebrities like the sensational Jessica Alba and the whimsically whiskered George Lam, amongst others.
The Most Precious Resource in the World
Courtesy of ToniVC
What is the most precious resource in the world?
Is it gold? Well, if you dig hard enough or visit enough pawn shops, you are apt to find some.
Choose Your Own Cartoon Adventure
Hey kids (or parents of kids)!
Ever thought of directing your own cartoon clip but can’t draw for nuts?
Want a Dream Job? Blog, Tweet or YouTube It!
Here’s a riddle.
What job allows you to drink endless quantities of fine wine, live in a Victorian mansion, and do all the blogging, Facebooking, Tweeting, and chatting that you want?
Give up?
World’s Biggest Rocking Horse and More
Have you ever wondered how the Greeks defeated the Trojans in Homer’s epic tale? Or marvelled about the excesses of childhood fantasies?
Well, we had a chance to find out the answers to these questions recently when we visited the Biggest Rocking Horse in the World. Located close to the fertile wine producing Barossa Valleys of South Australia just north of Adelaide City, the wooden (or was it concrete and steel?) wonder was billed as one of the must-sees in the festival state. While the object in mind was certainly mind-blowingly colossal, the record according to the Guinness Book of Records belonged to a much smaller albeit truly rocking variety from Japan. I suppose if one takes out the need for motion, South Australia’s colossal artificial equine would win hands-down.
Here’s a photo journal of our journey in the South. Enjoy!
How HP Marries Art with Technology
Through the kind invitation of HP and their PR agency Edelman, I was privileged to attend a special experiential showcase of HP’s ‘Touch the Future, Now’ technologies last Saturday night at VivoCity (11 July 2009). Its great to see technology companies focusing on enlivening the complete user experience beyond just the features and specifications alone, and HP has done a good job doing that.
Part of their “Touch the Future, Now” Campaign, HP partnered with five local illustrators (or artists as I prefer to call them) – Brian Chia, Soh Eeshaun, Ben Qwek, Neo Ann Gee and Michael Ng – to construct and share their visions for the future around music, art, communications, gaming and the cityscape in Singapore. Their works were projected within the visual of an HP TouchSmart PC on the façade of VivoCity as part of a HP ‘Touch the Future, Now’ Light Show Extravaganza.
First, I made a trip to the “Touch the Future, Now” Experiential Zone at VivoCity Central Court B. Featuring HP’s TouchSmart Technology, it allowed one to interact more engagingly with the PC beyond just the usual mouse and keyboard interfaces.
Of Tribes, Leaders and Heretics
I just completed marketing maven Seth Godin’s book on leadership titled “Tribes – We Need You to Lead Us”.
As a long-time fan of “Sethology”, I have always marvelled at his cutting edge ideas and thought provoking approaches to marketing, lapping up past works like “Purple Cow”, “The Big Moo”, “The Dip” and “Meatball Sundae”. I am also an avid reader of his wonderfully written blog, which is a must-visit site on my list of must-visit sites.
Irreverence Or Irrelevance?
An extreme example of sex selling in NYC (courtesy of lickyoats)
The unassailable growth of consumer clutter has led to two things for marketers to consider.
The first is the need to conceive increasingly innovative and creative ways to attract attention. Most of which are so “In Your Face” that your senses have to be incredibly inured to ignore them. Witness how the outdoor advertising environment has blossomed significantly in the past few years, as well as the rise of online ads that not only pop up or pop under, but also animate themselves, generate annoying noises, and just plain irritate the hell out of you.