Forget SMS...Brain to brain communication is here!

Imagine

Imagine if we could communicate with one another simply by using thought; a two way brain-to-brain messaging system.

Well, according to neuroscientist Miguel Nicolelis, his particular experiments and the world of neuroscience have made some pretty epic recent breakthroughs.

In the words of Miguel, the possible implications of his experiments will "go to the limit of your imagination".

Imagine...

Beginners Guide to Developing a Brand

Branding: 

Some of the world's most known brand logo's are in the image on the left - recognise them?!

What do you think of when you see the logos? Probably the products they are known for but think beyond that....how does each brand differ from one another? If Google was a person, how would they be different to Microsoft, or how would KFC differ to McDonalds?

The point is, 'brand' is critical and it goes way way WAY beyond just the name or logo.

Sure you could have a quick brainstorming session to come up with a witty and memorable company name over a pint on a Friday night but what's a name without direction or strategy.....honestly pretty much nada.

Branding is about starting with the solid foundation of a sound business strategy, where insights and direction are based upon a thorough understanding of the marketplace and your potential audiences. One you have defined and understand your audience, the challenges, the opportunity, and developed a positioning statement, only then are you ready to deep dive into truly defining the why, how and what of your brand.

I created this three part 'Beginners Guide To Developing a Brand' off the back of educating and helping a friend develop his brand from scratch for his business startup of setting up a new Yoga School brand called Bright Light Yoga.

If you are new to marketing, setting up a new business, or simply want a quick recap on some of the fundamentals of branding, then this three part guide is for you.

As mentioned within the guide, there are various methodologies and approaches to creating a brand, some of which are not mentioned in this guide - the clue is in the title of this document, it's a guide. You may decide to complete all the points within it, you may decide to only do a few, or you may have another approach - that's completely fine. The point is, take what works for you - it's more about ensuring you do your research, consider the longer term picture, and really define how best to position your brand to your primary audiences.

I hope you benefit from it.

Weekly Round Up #1: Five interesting things from my week

With the new year upon us and my personal goal planning now underway (Short guide to personal goal planning), in terms of this blog I had a big think about a content plan for the upcoming months.

Part of my planning led me to think of creating more of a short, sharp and informative regular-weekly style of post. Consider it to be like a newsletter, where I encourage you to click out of my blog and indulge in whatever I have shared.

My Prerogative:
The process of sharing what I have found interesting, motivating and/or fun in my week with you the reader helps me set aside time to reflect on it all and I actually simply enjoy sharing interesting things with friends, so hopefully it's a win win setup.

So this is it, welcome to the first of what I hope will be many weekly posts called - 'Watch, read, listen, think, learn: Five interesting things from my week #1'

Enjoy.

The what, how, when and why of personal goal setting [Revisited]

Hello 2015: New years, new goals, old ways?

(Updated: This blog post is an updated version of a previous post written back in December 2012)

Work life for many people goes by at a thousand miles an hour. When life is flashing past this quickly it's almost to easy not to make time and headspace to set personal goals for the upcoming year. A new year gives us an opportunity or a trigger to make time. Some people don't believe in setting new years resolutions because they believe they will only fail in achieving them and to be honest that is their experience of them. When I hear this I actually feel sad. Goal setting should be about trying to maximise all elements of your life; be it health, financial, travel, spiritual, personal challenge, a new skill etc etc - why wouldn't you want to do this?!

The problem I think is that a lot of people don't know how to set goals, they set unrealistic objectives and do not have a plan as to 'how' and 'when' they are going to achieve their goals. To be honest, the goals these people set are pretty up against it from the onset!

The hidden meaning of 40 famous brand logos

Do you ever wonder why certain brand logos are the way there are? Or why certain icons or strange looking type face are used in a companies logo? 

I do.

Brands can and often do spend significant amounts of time, research and money to ensure that their logo's are not only as memorable as possible, but have significance. The fact that the meaning or rationale behind many brand logo's are missed by the standard consumer suggests perhaps that some brands focus a little too much on the (hidden) meaning.

That said, from the obvious to the more mysterious, and the clever to the tacky, below is a great infographic that I first saw on Gizmodo that sheds some light on the often hidden meanings of some of the best well known brand logos out there.

Interesting reading.

7 differences between Social Media & SEO (Infographic)

There are some key differences between Social Media and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and for any marketer these differences are definitely worth understanding.

Gone are the days of 'Matching Luggage' (Link article worth a read)...well in reality sadly not for a lot of brands, but gone should be the days of matching luggage where the expensive hero television commercial is essentially rolled out across digital touch-points for all to hail the campaign as being 'integrated'. These brands then wonder why the digital element didn't meet over-inflated expectations. It was flawed to begin with!

Anyway, that could be an entire blog post in itself.

Social Media and SEO are ever evolving and both can have critical roles in helping a business achieve its objectives. Different marketing channels can have (and should have) different roles - the marketing content created for one channel does necessarily work for another, the marketing tactics created for one channel almost definitely will not maximise effectiveness when used on another.

The infographic below created by Orbit Media Studios explains some fundamental and important differences between the Social Media and SEO across seven categories. Understand each one to maximise both your Social Media and SE0 strategies and to manage expectations of both.

#1 - Speed
#2 - Upper limits
#3 - Topics
#4 - Formats
#5 - Audience Intent
#6 - Effort
#7 - Measurement

Do we really only use 10% of our brain?

The short 5 minute video below is a really cool animation which discusses the common myths about humans only accessing 10% of their brains potential. Fascinating stats, cleverly scripted and convincing narration, and some slick animation makes this short video well worth watching. It certainly is a long shot away from the other points of view on the subject of humans' mental capabilities, which have been exploited by recent Hollywood movies such as Limitless and Lucy.

Enjoy.

 

About the author
Si Muddell is a Digital Strategist who has worked extensively both agency and client side. Si is fascinated about marketing, psychology & what motivates people, and loves guitar, surfing and travelling.

Get connected with Si on Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn & Facebook

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Who stole my calendar? - The Economic Impact of Bad Meetings

Like many others who have worked in advertising and the corporate world for quite some time, I hate having unproductive meetings for meetings sake. Unfortunately I find the vast majority just that; inefficient and under productive.

No agenda, no defined outcome, no preparation points distributed beforehand, no clock to track the time but yet just a big block of colour standing its ground on my calendar that distracts me from being productive..........sound familiar?!

Yup.

This post is about two things:

1. The economic impact of bad meetings
2. Tips to maximise the success of a meeting in terms of time efficiency and outcome. 

Imagine if your brain could connect to the cloud (TED Talk)

Imagine a world where you don't need to study to learn, where you don't need to remember information to recall information, where you can go from knowing nothing about something to knowing everything about something in a moment - now imagine!

The common debate / narrative that has been portrayed in recent films such as Limitless and Lucy is that humans only use 10% of their brains capacity - where even a small increase to this could arm us humans with literally 'limitless' mental processing potential.

If you are like me then after watching these kind of films you find yourself in an exciting headspace where for a few brief moments of intense day dreaming you imagine a world where so much more is possible.

The Facebook free bus has left this town

I recently read a good article by Jeff Bullas which raised some very good points about Facebook. For people who work within social media it is common knowledge that the proverbial Facebook 'free bus' has gone - this post is for the marketers that perhaps were not fully aware of that. 

Without alienating you with social media lingo that often gets bounded about ten to the dozen, my summary and takeaways below are in lamens terms.

Jeff's article focuses on the biggest social media platform of them all, Facebook. I think this is a very pertinent topic for many brands that are active on this platform.

For those of you who maybe aren’t too familiar with Facebook media / advertising, I have some bullet points at the bottom of this post that explain what is possible on this medium.

How to create a Digital Marketing & Analytics Measurement Model

Data. 

Those who work in the marketing world (and probably those who don't) will contest that this small four letter word that is often preceded by words like 'big' or 'small' has become so ruthlessly banded about that it is almost a commodity. Within a marketing context this 'commodity' can and should be used to continually optimise business success.

But you know the above already, it's obvious and 'data' isn't a new thing....

'Data' is banded about so often that it would seem everyone is an expert in it. Surely all the 'experts' out there are maximising data-analytics to drive continued ROI uplift, customer satisfaction, a 360 degree view of their customers, personalised dialogue with the customer to drive engagement and minimise churn; all of which equates to arming their brand with that competitive advantage.....right?!

Wrong.

This post isn't about what data is and isn't, there are too many great (and crap) posts on that. Nor am I yet another self confessed data junkie trying to preach that data is the all and everything in digital marketing because all of the other cool kids are saying it; creativity has never been more important and most definitely has its place (Previous blog post Imagination is more important than knowledge). Having a very digital acquisitions focused background where ROI and accountability is everything, this experience has however moulded me to believe that data is the backbone to digital marketing, which should be used to plan, benchmark, measure, understand and optimise our digital marketing initiatives.

The problem in this day and age (as I see it) for many digital marketers isn't really about the collection of data itself - there are hoards of sufficient analytics tools and tutorials out there with simple implementation processes to collect basic and complex data. The problem is the abundance of data and the ease of turning the tap on to get that data vs (the lack of) a considered data strategy prior to turning that 'data tap' on and an on-going measurement plan to benchmark against.

It continually amazes me at how often marketers jump head first into a digital marketing initiative - be that development (e.g - website / app build), optimisation (e.g landing page / sales funnel), campaign (e.g channel performance/attribution and ROI) before having a considered digital measurement strategy that ties back into the fundamental business objectives. And let's be honest, too often the business objectives are either so generic or just generally unclear.

If every person who works within the digital marketing space - client and agency side - knew, understood, and utilised something as simple and fundamental as the digital marketing and measurement framework explained below at the start of every digital marketing initiative, more brands would be dominating within this space. Dominating defined as real measurable results that meet real business objectives as cost effectively as possible. Despite the pure magnitude of self proclaimed marketing 'guru's', 'ninja's' and general know-it-alls, the sad reality is that something as simple, basic and fundamental as a digital marketing measurement plan is often forgotten, neglected or simply not used. 

10 Ways to Use Psychology to Help Increase Customer Conversion

Let's start with creativity & data 

Often when we think about digital marketing, or any marketing for that matter, we talk about two key things; creativity and data. In my mind creativity and data are at their best when they are working cohesively.

Holistically speaking, creative messaging from the consumers perspective is that tangible, end result execution or executions of a message that drives initial and repeated consumer interest and engagement amongst the quagmire of every other message desperately trying to get the consumers attention. Creativity may be effective because it resonates with the consumer on an emotional level (E.g - makes you laugh, is fun, is sad, makes you happy, shocks and horrifies you etc), exploits a truth, and/or solves a problem.

On the other hand we have data, which if used properly seeks, identifies, measures and optimises opportunities to drive acquisition, customer centricity and product development; all of which then feeds back into helping creative be 'creative' and effective.

Want people to listen to you? Tips for effective speaking (Ted Talk)

Sometimes, well often, the best things are the simplest and most obvious. Yet despite the obvious simplicity of many things such as talking and listening, we get caught up in overcomplicating everything to the point where simplicity and common sense gets lost in pride and BS.

This post is about a brilliantly simple TED Talk by Julian Treasure titled 'How to speak so people want to listen'. Julian studies sound and advises businesses on how best to use it. Julian charismatically covers a couple of important topics that relate to speaking and listening, and their close relationship to yield effective communication and genuine listener attention. Although not necessarily an exhaustive list, the topics that Julian covers he argues if adhered to, will create a more positive environment where people will maximise the effectiveness of how they communicate.

The key topics raised in the talk are:

• What not to talk about aka 'The 7 Deadly sins of Speaking'
• Four foundation elements to effective speaking
• The effective speakers toolkit
• Summary that Powerful Speaking = Conscious Listening

Coursera - How to learn from the best Universities for free

From watching TED Talks, to reading books, to asking lots of questions - I've always been passionate about personal development and learning about new and wonderful things. Sometimes, well often, the barrier of cost can get in the way when it comes to doing an accredited course, especially if your employer won't pay for it. The prospect of your own hard earned cash going on a course that you are unsure will benefit you may further reinforce you not to do the course, so, what happens - nothing. You continue reading, watching Ted Talks and generally procrastinating about doing some sort of course that in actual fact you will never do, because, you can't afford it!

Well, let me introduce you to Coursera, one of the best personal development tools I have used in a long long time that allows and enables you to learn at your own pace across multiple devices.

Maybe you didn't get a formal and orthodox education in the area of work you are now in (I have a BSc degree in Creative Music and Sound Technology but have worked in Digital Marketing for the last 9 years), or you want a refresher of a subject you did study, or you just simply want to learn about a new subject all together - Coursera is brilliant and I encourage you to check it out.

A selection of creative TVC's for Brazil World Cup 2014

Well, unless you have had your head buried deeply into the ground, have not used your mobile phone, or been on the internet, or read / watched any kind of news publication, and have also somehow managed to shunt all forms of social media, you may have heard Brazil World Cup 2014 is about to kickoff this weekend.

I along with millions of others cannot wait.

As with any major sporting event, many of the usual big brands of the world pull their creative socks up to maximise the advertising and brand building potential of such an event. So in light of this quadrennial event (had to look that word up and it means 'every four years!'), I thought I would wet your appetite for what should be an exciting and samba fuelled fiesta and showcase some of the short and longer-form commercials I really liked from around the world.

'Come on England' - maybe a slightly unrealistic wish, but if the ads below reinforce anything, it is that the World cup is a time to believe and dream.

Meditation - The what, why and a little bit of how

Need some headspace?

Meditation is something that as I get older I hear more and more about. The reality is I probably haven't really 'heard' about it more, I've just become a lot more receptive to it. It's something that I become increasingly aware that I should do and would likely benefit from. Sure, meditation in some circles has become the hip and cool thing to do and its benefits have in recent years become more mainstream through it's amplification across digital channels, but let's not forget that in no way is it a new thing. Some of the earliest references of meditation date back to the 6th to 5th centuries BCE.

If the pure monetary size of the self help industry is anything to go by (apparently worth $11 billion in 2013), which includes books, seminars, life-coaches and endless guides to 'a happier life', it would be fair to conclude that a lot of people feel unsatisfied, overwhelmed and in need of clarity and a helping hand with their lives.  From the compounding and often damaging pressures of a hectic work and social life, it's easy to feel that we are 'always on'. We lack the mental downtime we so badly need and get caught up with being focused on focusing on everything; at once.

Think about it....when was the last time you deliberately sat on the floor still, closed your eyes and focused on a single minded thing as simple as the air moving through your nostrils for 5 minutes, whilst blanking every other thought from your mind. Could you even do this without getting bored or distracted? Most of us (including me) find this extremely difficult.

From ultra successful business leaders such as Steve Jobs, to sport stars like Lionel Messi who are at the absolute top of their game, to the average working Joe who against all odds seems to be successfully balancing work and life commitments. These people understand that taking some regular time out or 'headspace' is hugely beneficial to their quality of life and success within it.

For many of us training ourselves physically is quite easy and normal, and increasing knowledge aka learning is also pretty normal in work and life, but training our minds to consciously focus on something whilst blocking everything else out is something that is pretty new and alien to many of us.

Well, this is where meditation comes in. This post is a brief look at what meditation is, what leading authorities say it's benefits are, a few simple exercises to start you off, and a few tools that I have recently found. It is written from my perspective of a beginner.

21 Things you need to know before entering the Marketing World (Slideshare)

Whatever the subject that you have studied and think you have mastered at University, School, or College there is always going to be quite a huge disparity between theoretical knowledge and reality in practice. That is not to take away the valuable knowledge that you have worked hard to gain from your studies but more a healthy reminder, understanding and expectation that your greatest learnings will always come from real-life practice in the workplace.

If studying is the preparation of food for a dinner party - like finding a recipe, having the right ingredients, marinating the meat, having the right cooking tools - then real-life experience is the actual cooking of the food. Cooking without the initial preparation may be detrimental to the end result, however you will learn through failure and success as you go, and preparation without the cooking makes for an incomplete dish!

The deck below created by Hubspots Inbound Marketing Manager Anum Hussain focuses on '21 things you actually need to know before entering the marketing world' and is aimed at Graduates of Marketing. Whilst graduates are the primary audience for this I think some of the learnings are a healthy reminder to us all and ring true no matter what your level.

How to optimise your brains performance (Documentary)

The brain needs no introduction

The brain is simply and paradoxically complicatedly amazing - the more I learn about it, the more amazed I become. I rather like how one of the worlds most foremost neuroanatomists Marian Cleeves Diamond describes the brain "It is the most complex mass of protoplasm on Earth, and perhaps in our galaxy. A simple essay can only begin to describe its magnificence on the one hand and its malice on the other."

Some facts and stats about the brain you may not have known:

• Your brain uses 20% of the total oxygen and blood in your body
• It's the same consistency as tofu and about 60% of it is fat
• When awake the brain produces enough electricity to power a small bulb
• There are over 100k miles of blood vessels in the brain!
• Aristotle mistakenly thought that the functions of the brain actually took place in the heart

A few thoughts about what digital is, and is not

We live in a world where 'always on' digital is the norm, where women are kick boxers and guys wear cosmetics, where small startup companies are becoming the biggest companies, and where some of the formerly biggest companies are no longer in business. (Or rapidly losing marketshare and being squeezed out)

Why?

If I wrote about and discussed all the reasons here it would probably make for a chunky sized book, however I believe there a few top level reasons why that I mention below. This is by no means an exhausted list, just some key thoughts that immediately come to mind.

Twitter - Trust, security and the sheer scale of tweets (Talk)

Below is a short, candid and interesting talk by Del Harvey, who has the arduous role of VP of Trust and Safety at Twitter.

Twitter has come along way in the last 5 years! From 2 million tweets per day back in 2009 to 500 million tweets per day in January 2014, which according to her maths is an increase of 24, 900%, and equates to the 2009 per day total of 2 million tweets now happening every 6 minutes! Del demonstrates the sheer scale of the task of trust and safety on Twitter, and what they are doing to combat it.

Delivered in an entertaining and almost positively satirical tone, you will hear about cats, street slang, the international space station and geo targetted images.

This is a good-sharp talk with interesting insights that makes me think how enormous their task of balancing trust and safety, whilst allowing freedom of speech and the many exceptions to the rule to exist.