Brains on Fire

• 

  wtf!

  Posted on April 29th, 2011 by Geno and currently 7 commenting.

  We need to use our BRAND AMBASSADORS

  so they can get some VIRAL BUZZ
  and our 
COMMUNITY INFLUENCERS
  can EVANGELIZE 
the PRODUCT SEEDING
  and create some
 SOCIAL MEDIA about it.

  Then we’ll TWEET
 about it and
  update our FACEBOOK status as
  we check in on FOURSQUARE.
  

• 

  If You Say You’re Going To Listen, Then Listen

  Posted on April 28th, 2011 by Eric Dodds and currently 1 commenting.

  “Listening” to your customers has become quite the trend in marketing practice, especially when social media channels are utilized. It’s incredible when you think about it – there are people talking about your brand, and you can see those statements and conversations happening – in real time. Now, the influence of offline conversations is still more influential than social media online, but these new technologies have given marketers insights that simply weren’t available before. Very cool stuff.

  But what happens when a brand wants to use ‘listening platforms’ to broadcast marketing messages to their customers they same way they have in the past? Many companies who employ the broadcast mentality find themselves repeating a familiar cycle in a new venue: coming up with catchy hooks over and over to keep people excited. (The traditional model isn’t wrong, it just leaves a whole lotta potential on the table.)

  Other companies take a more precarious route, making the claim that they want to listen, but not acting on the exchange they have with their customers. Many brands actually make this work, but it can turn and bite you if you don’t keep a very careful hand on the leash.

  Motorola provided a shining example of this recently. They asked their 300,000+ fans, “What cool Android apps would you like to see next from developers?” (1)

  Many people expected requests for music players or a Netflix streaming app, but unfortunately, this opened up a deeper issue for Motorola. Their users want more control of their Android devices. (Bear with me through the nerdy paragraph below.)

  

  Specifically, they want an ‘unlocked bootloader.’ (Don’t raise your hand if you know what that is.) I’ll spare you the nerd details, but essentially, Motorola and other phone manufacturers leverage Android’s open-source operating system to install their own user interfaces on devices. Motorola’s version is called ‘Motoblur,’ HTC’s version is called ‘HTC Sense,’ and so on. Some versions include some pretty slick interface features.

  For many users (yes, lots of geeks), the downside to a slick interface is that the phone manufacturer locks you in, limiting your control of the device. pocketnow.com, one of the sites that broke this story (2), says that an unlocked bootloader gives you ” the ability to do what you want with your phone.”

  Here’s the fascinating part: as far as I can tell, Motorola didn’t respond.

  I lack the technological knowledge to if Motorola has a legitimate reason to manage software the way that they do, but not responding to an overwhelming response (around 10,000 people requested an unlocked bootloader (3)) raises a lot of questions in customers minds about whether Motorola really wants to listen, and whether they will do anything with the feedback that they do get.

  Maybe opening the poll to user suggestions wasn’t such a good idea.

  

  We’ve been known to recommend that clients not engage in social media because they weren’t ready to put the work in that is required to have a real conversation.

  If you say you’re going to listen, listen.

  • (1) You can find Motorola’s Facebook Question about Android apps here.
  • (2) You can see the original pocketnow.com article here.
  • (3) The article citing 10,000 responses is here.
  Tags: android, customers, Facebook, listening, Marketing, motorola, opinion, poll, question, Social media
• 

  The Power of Storytelling

  Posted on April 26th, 2011 by amy and currently 6 commenting.

  A few weeks ago the name TMB (Thailand Military Bank) started popping up and onto my radar. I was perplexed. Thailand isn’t exactly in our neighborhood, after all. I found myself wondering what had inspired people on my side of the pond to talk about and care about a bank 9,000 miles away. So off I went to uncover the mystery.

  It wasn’t long before I stumbled upon a video posted by TMB on YouTube. A bank commercial that had inspired over a million views in just over a month? And it’s not even Super Bowl season? Hard to believe.

  Only a few seconds into the video, it became abundantly clear that it wasn’t a bank commercial at all.

  So what was it?

  The power of storytelling.

  “TMB (Thai Military Bank) has launched a new brand vision “Make THE Difference” by making a film to inspire people to start thinking differently with a hope that they will start to Make THE Difference to their own world. It doesn’t have to be big, but a little can create positive changes.”

  Set in the tiny village of Koh Panyi, this five-minute mini-documentary is based on a true story. In 1986, a group of children in Koh Panyi decided they were sick of just watching soccer – and decided to build a soccer field of their own. One problem: Koh Panyi is a floating village built on stilts in the sea. It didn’t have an inch of spare soil – let alone enough space to build a soccer field.

  But the children of Koh Panyi didn’t let that stop their dream. They just started thinking differently.

  I’ll let the video tell the rest of the story…

  Writer Robert McKee once said, “Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world today.”

  We are all storytellers…and story collectors.

  Whether you’re tweeting from a concert, chatting with a colleague over morning coffee or writing the next great American novel – your story is who you are.

  So…what ideas are you going to put out into the world this week? This month? This year? This lifetime?

  What is your story?

  Tags: amy taylor, Brains on Fire, stories, Storytelling, writing
• 

  Happy at Work Project.

  Posted on April 25th, 2011 by Robbin and currently 8 commenting.

  
  Photo via LIbby Williams. Kindness is underrated…

  The other day I got the most interesting text from a new friend. It simply said:
  
  Are you always so optimistic or is it an act?
  
  Hmmmm.

  I have to admit, that question stopped me dead in my tracks and got me thinking:

  Is happiness a choice? Is it really?

  So I started doing a bit of research about happiness at work and personal happiness. Trying to see the connections.
  
  Do you know that only 45 percent of Americans are satisfied with their work?

  Wow. I realized I might live in self made bubble here at Brains on Fire, but how can that be? And what would it take to bring more joy and meaning to our work? Is career happiness a privilege or a lucky break?

  Or is it something in our control?

  If how you choose to look at life (being optimistic or pessimistic) is a choice or even an “act” at times, is happiness too?

  Happiness at Work matters.

  According this article: If the job satisfaction trend is not reversed, economists say, it could stifle innovation and hurt America’s competitiveness and productivity. We don’t want that to happen.

  So, let’s start a “Happy at Work” movement.

  Here are eight things that I think you can do to make your work happier. As leaders, bosses and employees, let’s take shared ownership on getting that “Happy at Work” percentage a bit higher.
  
  1. Try and find the higher purpose in what you are doing. Reframe even the most challenging tasks. I was talking to @mackcollier this week and telling him that about 10-20 percent of the people who reach out to me are looking for work. At Brains on Fire we try hard to answer every single one of those emails or calls. We are not perfect at it, it’s a challenge, but between about three of us, we try really hard. Looking for work is tough and sometimes lonely, so we have decided as a company that offering encouragement and little bit of time is the least we can do for those that reach out to us.

  2. Help someone. Ask yourself everyday at work how can I help someone today? Studies have shown that giving is essential to happiness. While we often think that we will be happier when we receive, the truth is we are happier when we give. This is also something in your control. So help a coworker. Mentor someone younger. If you are young and can help someone older at work, just do it. If you have a difficult client, find a way to make their life a bit easier. Chances are they are being difficult simply because they are dealing with troubles you can’t begin to imagine.

  3. Find a way to get outside every day. And encourage your teammates to do the same. Sunshine and nature and fresh air are vital to happiness.

  4. Listen more than you speak. Period. My partner Greg Cordell told me once that the main thing he tries to do in life is “seek to understand others”. And that makes him a great natural listener. and someone I am happy to be around.

  5. Stop judging others. Period.

  6. Focus on what you can control. This one is obvious but I am amazed at how much conversation can go on about things we simply can not control. Let go of those things.

  7. Keep your promises and do what you say you are going to do. So much conflict could be avoided in the workplace if we all did a better job at upholding this act of integrity. So even with the tiny promises, like “I’ll call you back. I’ll get you that list.” And certainly with the big ones like trust and honesty. keep your promises. With yourself and others. You’ll sleep better at night.

  8. Honor the “best friend at work” policy. Find a confident. Don’t spread misery but promise each other to support and lift each other up. Share happiness. It’s better when you do.

  I am sure you can add more ideas.
  
  How can or how have you made the work you do in the world more meaningful and happier?

  Come on. Let’s share.

  Tags: Happy at Work Movement, Mack Collier
• 

  Happy Birthday, Cordell

  Posted on April 22nd, 2011 by Eric Dodds and currently 0 commenting.

  It’s easy to make someone seem like more than they are in a biography, but it is infinitely more impressive when words can’t express just how much someone actually is.

  When I first started working at Brains on Fire, I knew there was talent roaming the halls. But I didn’t know exactly how the bios I read online would work themselves out in real life:

  At Brains on Fire, Greg is not only a principal, but he’s also our conduit for inspirational energy. (We don’t call him our Chief Inspiration Officer for nothing.) He’s a visionary. A philosopher. He gets employees and clients excited about what could be and then finds ways to make it happen. And Greg is constantly figuring out how to take the tired and make it inspired – across all industries and across all brands.

  Those who know Cordell will agree that’s a darn good crack at describing what he brings to the Firesphere (and the lives of everyone in it), but also know that still doesn’t convey what it’s like to be in the same room as him when his energy starts flowing. Not only can he cut to the heart of an issue with surgical precision (while most others are still debating details), but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen someone come up with so many brilliant and creative solutions at such a rapid rate.

  When you’re with him off the clock, though, you realize that it’s not a switch he turns on for work, it’s simply the way he views life. He’s the creativity and imagination of a child’s heart paired with a razor-sharp brain. (No wonder he has a thing for disco balls.)

  Cordell, this place wouldn’t be what it is without you. It’s a privilege to work with you, and we value you more than you know.

  And we wish you a very happy birthday.

  —————-

  Here are a few pictures of the bash we threw, courtesy of our kindred spirit Libby Williams.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Tags: amy taylor, band, bio, biography, birthday, brilliant, childlike, cordell, courteny cordell, energy, Eric Whitlock, geno church, Greg Cordell, inspiration, kim hebert, Magic, Megan Byrd, Mike Goot, party, Shannon Kohn