Faramarz Hashemi

Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed on an equal or greater benefit.

2009-09-15T21:47:19Z

Napoleon Hill

Authenticity is invaluable; originality is non-existent

2009-02-18T02:23:55Z

I came across this great poster in a blog by Mark Malazarte and I just had write about it so to keep a copy in my archives that I can always go back for reminder. Originality is non-existent. How great it is to hear that by someone else! I think every creative person either knows this or has an innate understanding of it that enables them to do what they have been doing.

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Now ask yourself when was the last time you came across a new idea that just seemed to surface out of the blue. I can't, and Mark agrees; where would it even come from if it was truly an original idea.

So whether a product, service, or a new art piece, (whatever it is worth doing or thinking about) there is always an influential force behind it. You can find that energy by putting yourself in positions that accelerate the process, or other times you let it come to you naturally in it's right environment, BUT that's not important and what Jim Jarmusch says rings true to a lot of aspects of life. What really matters is taking the inspiration and interpreting from it something that speaks to you and no one else. A manifestation that carries with it your voice and therefore is totally authentic. the authenticity makes your idea invaluable and that's what really matters.

I think this quote would make a great poster

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.

2009-02-10T17:47:43Z

Henry David Thoreau

Search using Yahoo! and earn Airmiles.

2009-02-07T18:42:59Z

It seems that Google competitors will try anything to lure users away from the giant. You can't really blame them for trying either, whether they are a success is another story. Microsoft's last attempt was rewarding users through its cash back program for using Live search to find and shop on partners sites. The hype did not live up.

]]> This time Yahoo! is testing the waters with an incentive program. Yahoo! Canada has teamed with Airmiles to reward points for each search query. The way it works is simple, you install the browser toolbar, link it to your Airmiles account, and begin searching. The maximum earning is capped at 30 points per month, that's 360points a year if you frequent the search engine.

It'll be interesting to see if this approach resonates with people, starting with Canadians. As for me, I skip the search engine destination all together by using Google Chrome to browse the web. The address bar serves as Google search field. You cannot beat that!

(Press release)

Backpack across Europe for a whole month

2009-02-03T22:39:27Z

I realize it might be a stretch, but there is a Eurorail pass that let's you hand pick your train route across 17 countries, with a single ticket. I have to do this!

'For more information on lung cancer, keep smoking.'

2009-01-31T01:59:46Z

Bold isn't it? This print was run by the British Columbia Lung Association. The message is certainly clear. If you're a smoker I would love to know what you think.

Advertising Agency: TBWA\Vancouver, Canada
Creative Director / Copywriter: Paul Little
Art Directors: Angela Sung, John Williamson
Production: Julian Davis

(via adsoftheworld.com)

The meaning of life is to find your gift, the purpose of life is to give it away.

2009-01-29T05:01:22Z

Joy J. Golliver

The energy saving fundamentalist.

2009-01-24T23:41:54Z

The creative guys at The Play Coalition have made a light bulb holder that makes you fuzzy and warm inside just by looking at it. There is a (not so) hidden message to the design as well, see the images below. Neil, Dane and Joe -the bright guys behind it- are advocating the use of energy efficient bulbs or better yet, energy conservation by the encouraging gesture of the outlet guy. This little guy is appropriately labeled 'Martyr'. got a chuckle out me haha

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they didn't stop at the outlet..

A good rest is half the work.

2009-01-24T03:32:09Z

Yugoslav proverb

Friendfeed Widget

2009-01-16T21:33:24Z

Notice the awesome action stream at the bottom of my homepage? Thanks to the guys at friendfeed, you're able to take your online social activities anywhere with you. You can see their complete list of third party tools here (I'm using the embeddable feed widget).

I spent a good hour customizing my widget in CSS. I'm embedding the stylesheet below if you're interested is using or modifying the same style. Have a look at frienfeeds list of customizable markups. Enjoy!
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.friendfeed {
	border: none !important;
	font-size: 11px !important;
	margin: 0 !important;
	padding: 0 0 0 3px !important;
}
.friendfeed .logo img {
	display: none;
}
.body {
	padding: 0 !important;
}
.friendfeed .feed .entry .media img {
	border: none !important;
	width: 50px !important;
	height: 50px !important;
	float: left !important;
	padding: 0 2px 0 0 !important;
	white-space: normal !important;
}
.friendfeed .bottom {
	display: none;
}
.friendfeed .feed .cluster icon { }
.friendfeed .feed .entry .comments .comment .quote {
	margin-bottom: 0px !important;
}
.friendfeed .feed .entry .comments .comment a {
	color: #666 !important;
	font-style: italic !important;
}
.friendfeed .feed .entry {
	margin-top: -4px !important;
}
.friendfeed .feed .entry a {
	text-decoration: underline!important;
}
.friendfeed .feed .entry .info {
	margin-top: -5px !important;
	font-size: 10px;
}
.friendfeed .feed a {
	color: #000 !important;
	text-decoration: none !important;
}
.friendfeed .feed .entry .info a {
	color: #999 !important;
	text-decoration: none !important;
}

Build marketing into the product

2009-01-13T06:05:10Z

This brilliant campaign is pretty self-explanatory.

An Australian state is offering internationally what it calls "the best job in the world" -- earning a top salary for lazing around a beautiful tropical island for six months. The job pays 150,000 Australian dollars (105,000 US dollars) and includes free airfares from the winner's home country to Hamilton Island on the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland's state government announced on Tuesday. Source (Yahoo News)

Life in Perpetual Beta

2009-01-10T18:51:24Z

Melissa Pierce, life-coach and blogger, has an upcoming documentary which explores the question of what is creativity and what is authenticity, and whether the two are mutually exclusive. I'll save my remarks until i see the movie but her interviews with established creative thinkers and doers bring up interesting insight to the process of challenging creativity and authenticity on a daily basis. Short clips of the film are on her website, worth the look if you get a chance.

Blogging lesson no. 1 - Set a tone early (or not)

2009-01-08T02:27:44Z

I made a newbi blogger mistake and took myself a little too seriously. This blog is suppose to be an out loud copy of my thoughts, you know, random stuff. Informal. Quick and sporadic.

Instead, I set a formal and editorial tone with the previous two entries. That was not the plan. But because of that mistake, I found myself struggling to find the time to continue in that pattern, albeit in that style. It almost became a chore.

(Note to self: I don't want this blog to be a chore.)

The Starbucks Experience

2009-01-05T14:00:00Z

It's been almost a year since Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, returned at the helm of his empire and promised great things. With that announcement he admitted that for Starbucks to continue it's success, a shift in strategy was needed. Some hints were outlined in the press release which can be read here, but to paraphrase, Howard called for re-igniting emotional attachment with Starbucks customers. A grande order for any company.
]]> WHERE DO YOU START?
For starters, it helps if you're a progressive company like Starbucks. The rest is a matter of creativity and innovation. An example of one is to take the traditional focus group approach and flip it on it's head. Instead of gathering select groups of people and going through surveys, you create a space for conversation and the dialog will bring with it emotion. If you are doing your part by focusing on creating great product and great experience, people will notice and those who notice will care. They will care enough to approach you and make suggestions to be part of a solution rather than complain and continue with their day. Above all you're not interrupting people.

MyStarbucksIdea.com is one of Howard's re-invigorating initiatives and it lets customers do exactly that. It's also one of the latest cases where technology has played a key role in helping empower consumers or brand loyalist to engage in conversation with the product, and essentially with each other. They way MSI works is Starbucks goers sign up and suggest ideas on how to make their own Starbucks experience perfect (there is individuality that cannot be produced by focus groups). other people who share the same sentiment vote and engage in the discussion, and there by giving the suggestion weight.

Coffee cubes is a byproduct of the site. A user suggests making ice cubes out of coffee (or the respective flavour) so it doesn't dilute the beverage when melted. The idea has received 29,520 votes and 270 comments so far and soon you will probably notice a change of colour in your ice cubes. Another, my favourite, is one you probably heard about this past November, Free Cup of Starbucks Coffee For Voters. Great idea and great timing, which lead to a smart decision by company officials to put it in practice just in time for the historic US elections. The news was picked up by media outlets and word spread like wild fire. Starbucks even took the opportunity to advocate great citizenship with a short youtube clip (see below) which also ran during the during Saturday Night Live broadcast. Quite the reach in such a short time.

Consumer democracy at play! Starbucks observed and listened, and doing so, won itself lifetime loyal customers and attracted millions more. How do you think BillMac, the user who came up with the idea feels? Important I bet.

It sounds simple enough yet so many companies are struggling with ways to engage customers.

Starbucks has now become a utility. A Branded Utility being genuinely useful to their customers, employees, suppliers and the people they touch. US auto industry should take note!

Youtube spot: If you vote, Starbucks buys your coffee

Remarkable

2008-12-21T19:26:30Z

In the words of Seth Godin ― the marketing guru and best selling author ― if you want to be noticed and talked about, be remarkable. Not just by it's common definition of unusual or striking, but remarkable; to make a remark about. That is Seth's way of saying you have to take risks to be noticed.

The creative people at tda advertising realize this. Commissioned by USA Network to promote its hit espionage show Burn Notice, tda has put together a campaign kit that captures the essence of the show while doing it in a unique. The result is something remarkable, and it leaves a lasting impression.

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Each slip-covered, 3-panel, hardcover kit holds a UV flashlight and the instructions, "Steps: 1. Use this flashlight to reveal hidden text. 2. Deny you ever used this flashlight."

Across all three panels, no other words or images are visible, except under black light--at which point photographs of the lead actor and supporting actress, a list of six potential "Drama Series" Emmy nominations, and four press blurbs (e.g. "The show floats along on a spy's handbook. Narration that sounds remarkably convincing." - L.A. Times) come into view. Also, tucked into a slot are 4 DVDs with this season's 12 episodes, plus written synopses.

"Burn Notice," named for the C.I.A. equivalent of a "pink slip," is a drama about an ex-spy. The one hour show runs Thursdays at 10 EST on USA Network.

Source: www.frederiksamuel.com