Wii want one

It should come as no spurise that the physics engine is getting a kick in the pants for the next evolution of the Nintendo Wii. Revealed at E3 the "Wii Motion Plus" is an attachment that "...attaches to the end of the Wii Remote and, combined with the accelerometer and the sensor bar, allows for more comprehensive tracking of a player’s arm position and orientation, providing players with an unmatched level of precision and immersion. Every slight movement players make with their wrist or arm is rendered identically in real time on the screen, providing a true 1:1 response in their game play."

Thank you baby Jesus and my Tiger Woods 2010 will thank you too when it proves how bad my backswing really is.

New-skewl 'flash mob' that you can sink your teeth into

Not that it should come as any surprise that twitter is being used as a flash mob aggregator. However, the fact that a couple of tiny Keorean/Mexican (Kogi) rolling restaurants are using it as half scavenger hunt, half "foodie" pool is incredibly cool! I've been a big fan of flash mobs, not simply from the tech trend factor but also from the performance art aspect of pooling like-minded people together. Let's review some of the better designs for this thinking:

• Pillow Fight – As you would guess the concept is simple. Driven most often by SMS texts people spread the word about a time and a place for a giant pillow fight. Appropriate client: pillow company, Bath & Body Works
• Zombie Walk – While mapping up on the theatrics a bit the zombie walk is, again, much what you would expect with the caveat of some extra make up and the love for brains. Appropriate client: movie opening, publicity stunt
• Silent Disco / Mobile Clubbing– Take an FM frequency and casts it within a given area for participants to listen to through their own receivers. Ergo, the adjacent populous sees people seemingly dancing together without music. Appropriate client: iPod, club opening, music release engagement
• Naked Bike Ride – While not a traditional flash mob as it simply requires much more planning it still has the grass root components of any basic gathering – sans apparel. Appropriate client: bike manufactures, body paint : )
• Improv Everywhere – are a group of performance artists that have been "causing scenes" for almost ten years. They're an amazingly talented group that not only creates performance art in public places but engages the audiences to participate if only for a moment within the context of the scene. Appropirate client: Just about any client with the balls to do something progressive.

With all that said how should you fold that into your media mix? Frankly, you probably can't, but you can start thinking that there are ways that you can make something as boring as a lunch wagon and turn it into an engaging experience.

BIG talent, in small packages.

I've spent some percentage of my career freelancing and consulting as me, myself and I. Big Block Studios, came out of the idea that you could create a team around your project, rather than taking your project to a team. The point that I want to make is while agencies have incredible talent and incite, don't forget that you can bring to the table anything that you want – trust me they'll love you more for it. Don't be afraid to reach out to smaller shops for great thinking on your Web site, social media and related brand visions. Even drunks for the weekend's barbecue might have some bit of brilliance that should not get filtered out.

It's a advertorial cycle of "should we outsource our interactive (social media, video/content, e-learning), or have a full-time department?" Either way you can get BIG talent, and more often than not minimal budget contraint with smaller shops. Let them run the whole show – no. But it keeps everyone honest, and the best thinking on the surface of all projects. It's also an outstanding way to cross feritilize fresh thinking. Ask your agency who would they might recommend, more often than not they have a handful of shops that they respect and have already done work with.

This post was inspired as I cut down my demo reel to this two-piece band 'The Black Keys'. This small band creates big sound in a time when the Blues have all but been forgotten.

If that doesn't sum up it up then I've failed you all.

Get to the point – Online Surveys

I just waded through a customer service follow up survey from Acura. It got to the point that I almost gave up and logged out but I didn't. Now I know that Honda is super critical of their dealerships, and that these surveys also go a long way in achieving JD Power & Associates awards. But if you want %100 completion on your online surveys – get to the point. Was it length of stay, product knowledge, or cleanliness of the showroom. Push the items that really need answers to the front. Additionally, here are some important tips to get the most honest results:

• K.I.S.S. factor "High"
• Get the answer you need up front, if they close it out before completion you at least got what you needed.
• Incentives for long surveys (coupons work well; sweepstakes do not, as people think giving you all "A's" will better their chance in your contest).
• Keep your range within five– bad, poor, fair, good, and great. No one really feels a little over fair but not nearly good!
• Provide a percentage to completion status. People want to get the feeling of completion even if they don't know how many questions you really have.
• Follow up with user post-survey and ask if they would be willing to take other future surveys. This way you can keep your surveys small and succinct. This engagement also give the user a greater sense of ownership.
• Create multiple surveys, ask poignant questions pertaining to their varied experiences, your feedback will be of greater quality and reinforces that you're aware of why you're contacting them.

Online survey's are awesome tool but don't use them to answer everything that wrong with your business. If you have loyal customers they'll continue to give you their feedback.

Think it's child's play?

I've been thinking of writing a children's book series for some time now. I've spent a growing amount of time in the children's area not simply for my 20-month old daughter, but also for research. I've come to find out that there's more talent not simply in storytelling but in design and theory than I'd ever anticipated. If you want to see some great work here are some initial suggestions that I bet you'd enjoy just as much as your kids:

The New School:
• Skippyjon Jones
• Walter The Farting Dog
• It's Not A Stick/Box
• Zen Shorts

And The Classics:
• Where The Wild Things Are (those that know me, know that this is an extremely important book to me)
• Where The Sidewalk Ends

Ready, set, go.

It appears that Google is officially selling chrome – again. Some cool Avant-garde little films to push the marketing, give em a look: http://www.youtube.com/googlechrome