[Mental Health Break] Things you ONLY do online

Buzzfeed proves that there is quite a gap between our online & offline lives.

The Power of Images

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words.

I usually think that just sounds cliche, but after seeing this photo project by Angelo Merendino, I've changed my mind.

Angelo's project starts with a beautiful love story:  

"The first time I saw Jennifer I knew. I knew she was the one. I knew, just like my dad when he sang to his sisters in the winter of 1951 after meeting my mom for the first time, “I found her.” "

It was a whirl-wind romance that culminated in a wedding in Central Park.

Jennifer was diagnosed with breast cancer 5 months later.

"Five months later Jen was diagnosed with breast cancer. I remember the exact moment…Jen’s voice and the numb feeling that enveloped me. That feeling has never left. I’ll also never forget how we looked into each other’s eyes and held each other’s hands. “We are together, we’ll be ok.”

Angelo did the one thing he knew how to do -- take photos.  

He chronicled the journey and brought a face and a name to the illness that affects 1 out of 8 women.

It's definitely worth checking out the photos and learning more about their story 

Advertising Technique: Elicit Empathy

Source: Design Taxi

"The distress we see someone experiencing — the compassion we feel for them — isn’t determined by the objective facts on the ground; it’s determined by who’s looking. … It’s not the severity or the objective facts of a disaster that motivate us to feel compassion and to help — it’s whether or not we see ourselves in the victims." - David DeSteno

If facts alone were convincing, the world would look very different.

We'd take global warming seriously.
Hunger would be a thing of the past.
And, cigarettes would not be on the shelf.

Instead, we need stories to be convinced.  We need to feel a connection.

That's why I really like this Equal Pay campaign by Publicis & the International Women's Media Foundation.  

"According to statistics, women’s earnings in the US “were 77% of men’s in 2011”, while in Switzerland, women earned “roughly 20% less than equally skilled men in comparable positions”. 

If this fact really resonated with us, we'd be a lot more vocal.  In reality, progress has stalled.

To bring the stat to life, they launched an "Equal Pay Day" where men received 20% less money when they took out money from an ATM.  They got to actually walk in someone else's shoes for the day. 

See the video below.

Wanderlust on a Friday

Would you take Heineken up on this offer?

I sure would.  After watching this video this morning, I have intense wanderlust.

Luckily, I'm off to a weekend of diving in the Philippines next weekend :)

PS - You can check out the adventurous people on the road here

Advertising Technique: Shocking Truth

Source: Design Taxi

Most people have an unconscious bias against women in the workplace.  Fact.

Even cultural nuances like selecting your sex on an immigration form (M comes before F), referring to a mixed group as "guys" or calling a group of grown women "girls" hint at sexism.

The Ad Agency, Ogilvy & Mather, highlighted rampant sexism in its new ad campaign for UN Women.  They used real Google searches and showed the "auto complete" results.

Here's how autocomplete works:

"As you type, autocomplete predicts and displays queries to choose from. The search queries that you see as part of autocomplete are a reflection of the search activity of all web users and the content of web pages indexed by Google."  

It's a good proxy for the most popular queries using the start of the sentence as a reference.

After seeing this ad, I assumed it was only applicable to more restrictive societies.  I'm in the US this week and tried it out myself.  Here's some of my results:

Those are some pretty telling results.

We shouldn't work, vote or go to college.
We should stay home.
We can't have it all.

If you really want to know someone, look at their Google search history.
If you really want to know public opinion, look at Google autocomplete.

There's still a long way to go in the women's rights movement.

Advertising Technique: The Witty Response

Last week, we held a Brand Workshop at Google Singapore.  This is one of my favorite advertising examples from the 2 days...

Bodyform sells "lady products" (i.e., sanitary napkins).  It's not the sexiest product on the market.  Traditionally, they've advertised with ladies bike riding, ladies riding roller coasters, ladies swimming in ocean -- all during that "special" time of the month.

Well, Richard realized it was all a hoax.  It's really not all that special.  He even posted it on Bodyform's Facebook page, and 78K people "liked it."

Rather than write a generic response, Bodyform produced the video below in 8 days (which is incredibly fast in the advertising world).

It's really funny.  And, increased sales by 260% during the 3 months after the video (yes, this needs to be fact checked -- I'm using my memory) and has 5.3M YouTube views to date.

Check out the video...

Poem for a Weekend: I Carry Your Heart with Me

http://www.sparrek.org/

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

- e. e. cummings

Beauty and the Beasts

On Saturday, I went to Bistecca -- a European steakhouse in Singapore.

The food was incredible.  

Based on their media page, I think a lot of others agree.  It might just be my favorite restaurant in Singapore (yes, I went that far).

In addition to the delicious things that went into my belly, I loved the artwork inside the restaurant.  Check out the photos below by photographer, Scott Woodward, along with a few quotes from him on the project (it was a tough, but rewarding one!)

"As a broad concept, Megan wanted me to integrate wild European animals and beautiful, fashionable women into each of five photographs to be used as advertisements to promote Bistecca and as art to hang on the walls of her restaurant"

"Of course, once we determined and agreed on our concepts, the next puzzle that needed to be solved was how we would bring these animals -- some giant, others ferocious -- to life inside Bistecca.  It was crucial to me that every wild animal look completely lifelike.  I therefore quickly determined that compositing existing stock photographs of these animals into the scenes would not yield the faithful outcome I was seeking.  Additionally, bringing the animals to Bistecca and shooting giant Tuscan bulls or a raging wild boar inside the restaurant was clearly going to be impossible. "

 "It took more than six long weeks of illustration and digital post-production, but this past Monday we finally completed the job.  It was the most challenging creative assignment I have ever undertaken; hundreds of hours of blood, sweat and (quite literally) tears were shed by the illustrator, digital imaging team and my entire production staff -- a true labour of love, resulting in finished artwork of which we are all very proud."

Success from the Eyes of a Kid

Logan, a 13 year-old boy in Nevada, gave this TedX talk on hacking his own education.  At such an early age, he's already sick of the question: "what do you want to be when you grow up."

Grown-ups want to hear kids say "neurosurgeon" or "rocket scientist," but in reality, they want to be pro skaters or video game makers.  They want to do things that make them happy.

Adults give them a recipe for happiness: "go to school, go to college, get a job, get married. then, boom, you'll be happy." 

But, Logan doesn't believe it.  Therefore, he's hacked his homeschool education around 8 pillar of happiness:

• Exercise
• Diet & nutrition
• Time in nature
• Contribution & service
• Relationships
• Recreation
• Relaxation & stress management
• Religious & spiritual

Makes sense, right?

His formula seems more likely to induce happiness than the adult formula. 

Then, why do we still teach children that money leads to happiness?

Check out the popular children's games below with their Amazon descriptions.  Take a close look at the symbols and wording.  

Success is money
Success is a flashy car
Success is a big house
Success is accumulating property
Success is following the "right" path

While I agree these are legit status symbols, I'm not sure if it's a good use of children's time to play out these adult scenarios.  They are incredibly impressionable and moldable.  

Shouldn't we encourage them to strive for bigger and better things?

No wonder 35M Americans are depressed when society sets them up with these expectations of happiness...

"Practice makes perfect in the game of Life. Try marriage, kids, and more. Will you go to college and take out student loans? Or join the working force and collect on payday? Will you go bankrupt, or earn millions in stock and real estate? Anything's possible with a spin of the Life wheel! A classic family game that can be a reality check--or just a fun time." 

 Margaret Quinn, Game of Life 

"In 1934, in the midst of the Great Depression, an unemployed heating engineer from Pennsylvania created the game of Monopoly. Realizing that his get-rich theme might appeal to other Americans, he had the game printed and distributed in a Philadelphia department store. When he couldn't keep up with the overwhelming requests for more sets, he arranged for Parker Brothers to take over the game. And the rest, as they say, is history. But Monopoly is far from a quaint historical relic. To this day, it remains a riveting game of luck, chance, and savvy wheeling and dealing--all of which can make some lucky dog rich, rich, rich! Based on the purchase of Atlantic City real estate (a city currently renowned for its get-rich gambling opportunities), Monopoly is now printed in 26 languages with more than 200 million sets sold worldwide. Players still scoot the same beloved board pieces: the old shoe, the terrier, and the hot rod. This set also includes rules for a shortened version of the game and a new token, winner of Monopoly's recent "design a token" contest. This is capitalism at its most fun and ruthless, a must-have edition in the family game closet."

- Gail Hudson, Monopoly 

 "The freedom of The Sims 3 will inspire you with endless creative possibilities and amuse you with unexpected moments of surprise and mischief. Create millions of unique Sims and control their lives. Customize their appearances and personalities. Build their homes - design everything from exquisitely furnished dream homes to quaint cottages. Then, send your Sims out to explore their ever-changing neighborhood and to meet other Sims in the town center. With all-new quick challenges and rewarding game play, The Sims 3 gives you the freedom to choose whether (or not) to fulfill your Sims' destinies and make their wishes come true....Your Sims can pursue random opportunities to get fast cash, get ahead, get even, and more.  Choose whether, or not, to fulfill your Sims’ destinies by making their wishes come true. Will your Sims be thieves, rock stars, world leaders? The choice is yours."

 - SIMs description, Amazon

A prayer for adventure

Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky 

A prayer from 1577 by Sir Francis Drake. 

Disturb us, Lord, when We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.
We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

May we all get disturbed when life becomes too comfortable and routine.

Not your typical Craigslist Ad

I'd say take a bet that 75%+ of jobs posted on Craigslist are escorts or "booth girls".  

And, then there is Aaron Belz.  He sells his poetic service.

Would you take him up on the offer?

(here's one of his poems)

Worms

Cyclists, as a rule, think bikers are cheating,

because they have engines. Pedestrians, in turn,

think cyclists are cheating; they use wheels.

People in wheelchairs think pedestrians

have a leg up, for obvious reasons,

but pedestrians think the same thing

about people in wheelchairs; they use wheels.

What makes people in wheelchairs unique

is that they also think cyclists and bikers

are cheating. Their disdain is uniform.

The wheelchairists' hypocrisy lies,

however, in their use of automobiles.

Everyone uses automobiles except worms.

Worms think they're better than everyone.

Worms think they're more authentic than everyone.

This is why people say worms are self-righteous.

To worms' credit, however, they aren't hypocritical,

except the ones that glide down the sidewalk

on hundreds of tiny legs, blithely ignoring

their wilted, sun-blackened comrades.

Those worms are called millipedes.

Those worms are really bad apples.

Neat: Strikingly

Awhile ago, I blogged about square space, which makes beautifully designed websites easy (without coding experience).

I've recently stumbled upon Strikingly, which is even easier to use and created by a Singaporean!

You get one free site -- try it out!  I made a mock this week for a start-up idea I'm testing with a few friends.  It was unbelievably easy.

[Mental Health Break] Texas State Fair

D Magazine

Yes, that actually is a sculpture made entirely of butter in honor of the Texas State Fair.

To compliment the image, check out this list of crazy fried foods -- including salsa and bubblegum. 

A Silent Dinner Party. Could you do it?

Not sure if you've heard of it, but PechaKucha is a newish (cool) public speaking event concept started in Japan.  Think TED Talks for normal people... Except more concise.

The presenter gets 20 seconds per image.  20 slides in total.  That's 6 min 40 seconds.

No rambling allowed.  The powerpoint slides will move on their own regardless if you're ready.  Note: I desperately wish this happened at business meetings...

Today, I watched one on silent dinner parties.  Two hours.  No talking.  All strangers.  It sounds like a fascinating (and very tough) social experiment.

Think you could do it?

I'd have a very hard time based on my 2 day silent meditation retreat (I need a monk to keep me in line).

Can you imagine life before anesthesia?

I've been a regular at the dentist lately.
3 fillings last week.  
2 fillings this week. 
Lots of anesthesia.

It's been a relatively painless experience, but what if I was transported back in time?  

Let's say 1840 in Boston.

"In those days, even a minor tooth extraction was excruciating. Without effective pain control, surgeons learned to work with slashing speed. Attendants pinned patients down as they screamed and thrashed, until they fainted from the agony." - NewYorker

I can't really imagine what an amputation would have been like.  Luckily, things changed.

"On October 16, 1846, at Massachusetts General Hospital, Morton administered his gas through an inhaler in the mouth of a young man undergoing the excision of a tumor in his jaw. The patient only muttered to himself in a semi-conscious state during the procedure. The following day, the gas left a woman, undergoing surgery to cut a large tumor from her upper arm, completely silent and motionless. When she woke, she said she had experienced nothing at all." - NewYorker

By December, anesthesia had spread to Paris and London.
By February, it was available in all major European capitals
By June, it was available in most regions around the world.

That's fast.  That's also before Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.

Why did it move so fast while other ideas move so slow?  

It cured a very visible problem (people screaming, doctors slashing, nurses holding down patients).  
It's also why it's taking longer to fix global warming or hunger in countries where we don't reside.

Advertising Technique: A Visual Pun

"All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages."

- Shakespeare 

Spikes Asia (i.e., the Cannes of Asia or for non-agency people, the Emmys of advertising) took place in Singapore last week.  Here's a list of the award winners.

I was personally amused by the print ads by India's Penguin books.

The illustration beautifully conveys "classics on audiobook" by turning Shakespeare, Mark Twain and Oscar Wilde into headphones.  Awareness increased by 15% in a few days and sales went up 7%.  Plus, they came home with a Gold.

Advertising Technique: Displaced Actions

"Every two days now we create as much information as we did from the dawn of civilization up until 2003.  That's something like 5 exabytes of data"

- Eric Schmidt

We get a TON of messages of everyday.  If an advertisement is not interesting, it won't stick.

That's why I like this ad from the Texas Department of Transportation (TX DOT).

Instead of using a generic crash scene, TX DOT displaces the crash and brings it to the dinner table.  By doing this, it grabs the audience's attention and makes them think about the actions which cause drunk driving.

PS - Check out this other great PSA announcement from Melbourne

A View from a Stranger

I discovered this photographer, Satoki Nagata, via My Modern Met yesterday and absolutely loved his work.  The images evoke feelings of nostalgia -- of americana and people making their way in the world.

Here's his artist statement:

"I am a Japanese photographer who has been living in downtown Chicago since 1992. In the sixteen years I’ve lived here, the city has not just changed; it has changed me. My goal as an artist is to find and show the various connections that form the reality in which the city and its people exist. 

 I have learned from Zen Buddhism that our existence is composed of various relationships. This notion has inspired me to use photography to create relationships with the world to find myself. 

The camera is a powerful tool that allows me not just to approach the subject, but to capture the relationships as well as create a new relationship between myself and my subjects.I am always trying to create intimate bonds with my subjects while photographing, and I believe that this is the only way to show their reality and their relationship to the world. For me making photographs is equal to making relationships with the world. Through these images, I hope you will discover the subtle but substantial links captured in my photographs and feel a connection to the world I document"