Blog | Cooler Insights

Earth Movie Review – Spectacular and Sobering

April 24, 2010 • Blog • 24 comments

Probably one of the most moving films ever made about the beauty of our planet and the predicament of its creatures, Earth by Directors Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield provided spectacular nature and wildlife footages set against the story of three animal families. A re-cut version of the BBC Series Planet Earth, the movie was narrated by Patrick Stewart and set to a stirring soundtrack played by the Berlin Philarmonic.

With breathtaking shots of hundreds of thousands of birds flying in the air, and astounding scenes of school fishes escaping from their aquatic predators, Earth was a visual feast second to none. Here’s a trailer to whet your appetite.

Garrulous Gourmet Globetrotting with Ian Wright

April 21, 2010 • Blog • 2 comments

At the kind invitation of Belinda Ang of MS&L, I had the privilege of attending a Discovery Travel & Living event (co-sponsored by Starhub) featuring the hilarious Ian Wright. For those of you who don’t know Ian, he is well known for being one of the most travelled man in the world, exploring far flung places like Siberia, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and Okinawa of Japan. Here’s a preview of his misadventures in freezing cold Siberia:

Do check out his television show Ian Wright: Out of Bounds, which will be premiering every Thursday at 9 pm from 20th May onwards on Starhub’s Disovery Travel & Living.

Who Says Blogging Is Easy?

April 17, 2010 • Blog • 3 comments

If you think your job is hard, wait till you try theirs! (Courtesy of College Life)

One of the most misunderstood concepts in social media content generation is that it is easy.

All it takes is just a couple of minutes (or perhaps an hour or so) of your time each day, and voila! Another insightful/interesting/ingenious work of art is published or uploaded, ready to be savoured by the world.

Appointing Customer Champions

April 7, 2010 • Blog • no comments

Make customer advocacy the pinnacle of your business (courtesy of MIT Sloan Management Review)

Anybody who has been in the field of marketing would be familiar with the term customer champion. However, few have truly understood what it means in the context of today’s organisation.

Being an advocate for customers doesn’t merely mean spending all your days (and nights) at your client’s offices, or conducting an endless round of surveys, focus groups and tea sessions. It isn’t just about understanding what customers want and desperately trying to fit one’s products and services into that itty bitty space called “consumer desire”.

Who Says Museums and Families Don’t Mix?

April 4, 2010 • Blog • 2 comments

Yesterday, my family and I decided to check out the Circle Line Open House at NHB Museums after hearing about it from my colleagues. Held in anticipation of the opening of the highly publicised Circle Line on 17 April, the Line includes the Bras Basah MRT Station which is smack in the middle of the National Museum of Singapore and the Singapore Art Museum!

Despite the dreary rain and drizzle that morning, the crowds still thronged the museums. I saw queues in front of the National Museum, and many families popping into the Singapore Art Museum with kids totting their Circle Line balloons. As I’ve been to both museums recently, we decided to make a bee-line for the Peranakan Museum and the Singapore Philatelic Museum.

Feeding My Mind

April 4, 2010 • Blog • no comments

Following the tip-off of a friend, my family and I visited the wonderful MPH Warehouse sale at Singapore Expo and hauled back about 40 titles. Admittedly, most of the books were for my son as well as gifts.

I picked up a total of five titles covering digital culture, grassroots/evangelistic marketing, socio-psycho trends, social media marketing, and related topics. Beyond Buzz is actually a loaned copy from the wonderful National Library of Singapore’s public libraries.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I will spend more time reading and less time surfing…. Yeah right!

We are all Creatures of Habit

April 2, 2010 • Blog • no comments

Courtesy of cartoonstock.com

There is an age-old saying that you cannot make a leopard change its spots. Or teach an old dog new tricks.

Habits, especially deeply ingrained ones, die hard. Sometimes, they can be so addictive that they not only fail to perish, but linger on. Day after day. Week after week. Year after year.

Would You Apply For This Job?

April 1, 2010 • Blog • 1 comment

Every now and then, you come across a nice marketing idea that not only catches the eye but changes conventional perception of how advertisements should look like. As I was flipping TODAY newspaper this morning, the following job advertisement caught my eye.

What I like about this ad is that it chooses not to adopt a conventional job advertisement format which lists down the various job requirements in bullet points, and is often written in a more straight forward manner.

The use of the visual provides a nice touch, and the use of colours is balanced in a harmonious manner while highlighting certain text which needs special attention. What’s more, the copy is beautifully written and pitched at the right level for the premium world-class restaurants that the Marina Bay Sands will be opening.

It would be great to see more organisations take the plunge by investing in creative and innovative job recruitment advertisements. People are the most important resource in any company, and it is absolutely critical to ensure that you hire only the best that your money can afford.

We Should All Be Curators

March 28, 2010 • Blog • 4 comments

The art of curating and storytelling drew 8.5 million visitors to the Louvre in 2009 – many just to catch the Mona Lisa here!

One of the insights which I have gleaned in the hectic past few days from Steve Rubel and his thoughts on digital curation was this:

We should all be curators. Every single one of us in the fields of marketing, public relations, and advertising. And not only in the digital realm, but all others too.

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