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Good Reads: Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel (Part 2)

February 25th, 2010

Mitch JoelA long, long time ago (October 2009) I attempted to turn my endless hours on planes into something more productive: Kindle Book Reviews!

My first Foushy Read was my friend Mitch Joel’s book “Six Pixels of Separation,” that I reviewed in Part 1.

After finishing it, I had quite a few questions and Mitch was kind enough to answer them for me. So, despite the, obnoxious, long delay, I’m happy to finally be able to share this interview!

On how personal brands impact businesses:

Q: Your book chronicles the rising importance of the personal brand as a way of establishing a unique value proposition. What are some of the fundamental changes that are going to occur for businesses as we move towards a more individual-centric brand landscape?

The changes are going to be radical. When individuals have audiences that rival those of some of the biggest corporations, you can just imagine how this is going to change communications and marketing – both internally and externally. That’s the real shift because of Social Media that few people really do focus on.

When the guy in the mailroom can have 120,000 people following and engaging with him on platforms like Twitter, everything we know about hierarchy and speaking with “one, unified voice” not only goes out the window, but becomes fake to consumers. My hopes are that this new brand landscape will lead they way to more and more real interactions between real human beings, instead of corporate-speak and stock press release quotes.

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Upcoming Event: Book Launch June 4th, Toronto

May 6th, 2009

yes-we-did-cover

If you’re around on June 4th you should definitely swing my the Rotman School of Management and celebrate the launch of Yes We Did, the book that has consumed my life for the past six months!

Not only is this a big milestone for me, but I am really looking forward to seeing my friends and family. I’ve been in Geneva now for about two months and still miss them like crazy!

So what does the evening have in store?

  • The event will be hosted by Alexander Manu (Author of Everything 2.0) and Don Tapscott (Author of Grown Up Digital)
  • I’ll be giving a brief presentation on some of the ideas covered in the book.
  • There will be a book signing
  • Refreshments and mingling (my favorite part!)

Tickets are $30, and include a copy of the book as well as some tasty treats.

You can register for the event HERE.

Facebook event listing can be found here.

WHEN AND WHERE:

June 4, 5:00pm-7:30pm

The Rotman School of Management, Fleck Auditorium

105 St. George Street

More info about the book

Posted in Blog, Media, Seriously? | 7 Comments »

World Economic Forum – The Foush is Europe Bound!

March 3rd, 2009

http://mguinaliu.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/world-economic-forum-logo-1.jpg

It occured to me today that although I have been talking and twittering about the move to Geneva and the herculean effort it requires to relocate to a foreign country, I hadn’t actually announced why I was going or what I was going to do when I get there. (Hint: it’s not just about cheese, although that plays a big part.)

I am so excited to announce that I have accepted a position with the World Economic Forum to help co-lead some of their online community building initiatives. The project is slated to last one year, and includes some travel to places that I’ve never been before, so you can look forward to some international posts!

I will be popping up on CommandN from time to time doing some “foreign correspondence” for Amber,  and I’ll keep you all appraised of my adventures in the land of Chocolate!

The WELCOM Platform:

  • WELCOM is a powerful new online communication and collaboration space designed specifically for the world’s top decision-makers.
  • With a range of innovative tools for locating and accessing expertise, sharing knowledge, and meeting and working with peers, WELCOM empowers a multi stakeholder approach to addressing the most pressing business and global governance challenges.
  • WELCOM enables the peer-to-peer engagements that are the hallmark of World Economic Forum meetings to be extended, efficiently and conveniently, throughout the whole year.

The idea is to create a community that can continue to execute on the Forum’s mandate to improve the state of the world. Cool, huh? It will allow governments, NGOs and corporations collectively work together to help solve some of the world’s biggest problems.

It not a project without challenges, but for right now, let’s bask in the unmarred potential of a new opportunity, and not dwell on the fact that I have yet to find a place to stay.

Think good thoughts!!

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Seriously? Another Microsoft Ad FAIL

January 13th, 2009

Jesse just forwarded me a video of Microsoft’s new ad for Songsmith, their GarageBand competitor. I took a look and…wow. Before I say anything, I should say that if they were going for a deliberately corny feel, then I completely missed the point. But I did find it all sorts of hilarious.

The ad sets up the story of a writer-blocked dad struggling to come up with a jingle who spies his daughter using Songsmith. What, your kids don’t sing product demonstrations in the kitchen? Also, as a professional, why would you let you daughter put flower stickers all over your computer and install singing software on your office machine?

Let’s take a look:

Did you notice anything that was…out of the ordinary? A little bizarre for a Microsoft Ad?

Something like using a MAC BOOK PRO with the apple logo “cleverly” covered by a sticker!  What are you doing Microsoft? I actually laughed out loud when I saw it. Amazing. The song track options sound a little old, like something you would hear on one of those “best of the 50s” compilation CDs they sell on television at night.

My favorite part of the whole ad is when one of his buddies says: “Microsoft huh? So it’s pretty easy to use?” Right, because THAT is the association we have with the software giant:

So I decided to do a little digging and uncover some of the other hidden gems by Microsoft. Here’s what I found.

My Favorite Microsoft Related Videos:

1. I’m a PC Ad

I thought they overstated the stereotypes a little bit. What makes Mac ads so great is that they show instead of tell and I think Microsoft tried to overcompensate a little by spelling it out (“I have glasses!”)

2. If Microsoft Designed the iPod Package

An oldie but a goodie, this one captures the complex identity of all that is Microsoft!

3. Sarcastic Gamer’s Microsoft Surface Parody

I still think this is a cool concept, I just enjoy sarcastic commentary.

4. Windows “Mojave” experiment

I think one of the main problems I have with their ad campaigns is that they seem to spend a lot of time on the defensive. Trying to convince people that, no, really, Vista works, instead of innovating or improving the product. Although when they go “off message” we get things like this:

HOW DID THIS COST MILLIONS OF DOLLARS? Now, before you send me hate mail, I should disclose that I’m speaking as someone who has always owned PCs until last year when I got my first Mac. I was struck by the near unanimous joy that Mac users have with their machines. It was infectious enough that I had to try it, and sure enough, I was seduced by the sleek design, the simple interface and the usability. I think the Mac people agree:

Posted in Blog, Seriously?, Tech & New Media | 6 Comments »