the daily view from Thru Other Eyes

My marketing hero Mother Theresa

June 3, 2009; RAI Congress Center, Amsterdam @ 11.45

I usually don't go to these anymore but my good friend Peter asked me to go with him to a marketing congress and trade show. We primarily went to see this event called 'Naked Poodle.' It is a combination of pressure cooker brainstorm and competition with a bit of theater thrown in.

Four 2 - 3 person teams enter the ring and are given an assignment. They have 30 minutes to come up with a solution which is then presented to the public and a judging panel. While they are working two emcees roam around the ring asking questions about what they are doing. They also roam around outside the ring among the public doing short interviews with people about the subject at hand. All the while, the work in progress is projected from the 4 teams' computer screens onto large screens for the audience to follow.

The theme of the congress was 'New Marketing Heroes' and the assignment the teams had to work on was developing a new marketing model for 2009 and beyond.

I have perhaps become too cynical about marketing and advertising but the juxtaposition of marketing & heroes seems like it's giving too much importance and significance to something that is basically still selling snake oil to the unsuspecting.

As I watched from the floor I happened to end up on the interviewee end of the microphone as the emcee asked me who my marketing hero was and if I had a favorite marketing model. I don't know where it came from but I had a moment of mild inspiration. The emcee and the public were a bit surprised and puzzled when I said my 'marketing hero' was Mother Theresa. It began to make a bit more sense when I explained that she taught us the value of authenticity and the power of servant leadership - two qualities severely missing in both our public and business institutions yet desperately needed in these times of confusion, challenge, doubt and lack of trust in major institutions. Maybe I am on to something... who knows.

Brainstorm day

April 21, 2009; Reeuwijkse Plassen (lakes); Reeuwijk, The Netherlands @ 07.50

Me and a mate were here today to lead an all-day brainstorm session for a client. The location was a restaurant annex meeting facility in Reeuwijk about 40 minutes from Amsterdam. We didnt have to be there until 9 AM but we wanted to avoid the morning traffic jams so we went early. It was a lovely location, the weather was sunny and warm enough so we were able to do a lot of the activities outside. Always makes a full-day meeting a lot more pleasant.

The Sawmill Cafe

April 17, 2009; Westerstraat 182, Amsterdam @ 13.50

After a meeting we went to lunch at EetCafe De Zagerij. An 'eetcafe' is a cafe that also serves a limited menu ('eet' from the word 'eten' meaning food or eating). De Zagerij is located in the Jordaan section of the center. It used to be one of Amsterdam's real proletarian workers neighborhoods but has been almost totally re-gentrified over the last 20 years. 'De Zagerij' means 'the sawmill' and the building used to be a small sawmill and wood working shop. It is a slightly more stylized version of a traditional Dutch brown cafe. Note the Jugenstile light fixtures over the bar which are not usually found in a brown cafe. De Zagerij is a nice example of how our multi-cultural city sometimes finds a positive synthesis. One of the owners is Turkish and the menu had a nice combination of Dutch fare, a few Turkish items and their most popular dish - hamburger on fresh Turkish bread which is what we all ate.

Tulips of the field

April 16, 2009; Somewhere along highway A6, near Oldeouwer, the Netherlands @ 11.50

I had a meeting today in a small village called Aldeboarn (150 km from Amsterdam) which is in the province of Friesland. About 40 km outside of Amsterdam it's all rural with some small cities and small industrial parks. But for the most part it is all farmland where for the most part potatoes, beets and grains are grown. Some farmers also grow tulips and although the outdoor growing season for tulips is almost finished, we passed one large field with mostly yellow and pink tulips still in the ground.

Shop till you drop

April 10, 2009; Kalverstraat, Amsterdam @ 15.30

Although there are stores everywhere, along the street and in shopping centers, European cities have the concept of what the English call a 'high street' or shopping street. Many high streets are pedestrian only like Amsterdam's primary high street called the Kalverstraat. It runs for probably 2 or so kilometers through the city center. On one side of Dam Square it's called Kalverstraat and on the other side it continues as the Nieuwendijk.

Ouch, that seat is hot

March 24, 2009; Home @ 16.45

His pants are smokin'! This guy is really in the hot seat today, getting an incredible grilling from some representatives as he testifies before the House Financial Services Committee. I was home today a little bit sick (nothing major, just an uncomfortable head cold) so I watched some of the testimony. By the way, if you want to know how your Congress works (or doesn't - depending on your point of view), watch some important committee hearings. It's great to see which congresspersons use most of their time giving vapid self-serving speeches and which actually ask sharp and insightful questions.

A messy desk, a messy mind

March 10, 2009; home @ 17.40

Some days actually feel as messy as they look. Got to prepare that session for tomorrow and the visual mess of table top is an accurate reflection of the lack of order and overview in my head today.

Also just noticed that the last three days' photos are all from the house; maybe I need to get out more hahaha.

The Fog At The Top

Feb 27, 2009 Prins Bernhardplein, Amsterdam @ 10.30 AM

Looking in one direction, beyond the train tracks entering the Amstel Station is the mist shrouded Rembrandt Tower, the international HQ of Philips. Having seen their stock price tank by 50% in a year and their 2007 $4 billion profit turn into a 2008 $186 million loss, the view from the executive suites is probably figuratively always gray and misty in these days of financial and economic crisis.