Nike ran its first commercial with shamed golfer, Tiger Woods, and perhaps not surprisingly opted to continue commercially with the rehabilitation track Woods started on for his own personal sake. If you didn’t click on the TV spot link above, do so now and watch the 30 second ad. It’s the only way to appreciate this pivotal moment in the resurrection of Tiger Woods celebrity star. And just so you know, the voice is Tiger Woods’ deceased father.

I think the Tiger Woods/Earl Woods ad has the potential to be genuinely moving. Sure, Woods was probably instructed by the director to look sorrowful, but it was well done and appears honest. It is a valid and valiant attempt at contrite introspection … if you were a normal chap. Unfortunately, … (more…)

Listening is an obligatory activity, perhaps even a mandatory innate mindset or behavior for any business and especially for brand consultants counseling their clients. Whether that listening is to clients, employees, peers or even competitors, essential insight is gained first by listening and then by responding accordingly. The benefits of listening for your business are sometimes overlooked or only lip service is paid to its practice. Friday November 27 is the National Day of Listening. Perhaps the act of listening in its social context can remind us of the power, beauty and heartfelt engagement that comes with truly hearing someone.

Listening to a spouse, family member or friend is to honor their story, to learn about perspectives, to reveal hidden emotional connections and to open the door to understanding our common humanity. It is a celebration of life.

The National Day of Listening is a project inspired by StoryCorps and is an initiative that is itself inspiring. A couple of years ago, I took part in this StoryCorps interview with Ky-Antre, a fantastic young man I mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the resulting interview was edited for public broadcast. You can hear it here (after the brief NPR plug!):

Are You Listening?

Omaha’s local NPR affiliate, KIOS, is recognizing Friday’s National Day of Listening during this entire Thanksgiving week. It has been humbling and delightful to listen in as the participants from our community listened to each other. Will you be listening this Friday? Who will you converse with? What could you learn? Will you truly engage? Will you take this chance to celebrate life?

I enjoyed this interview in the Wall Street Journal Magazine with Dave Droga of Droga5. There were some comments that I thought were trite, but also some that succinctly and eloquently articulated a vision of the branding and advertising industry. This particular comment hit home for me, though: “I’m a big believer in not having an agency style.” Where clients ask agencies to replicate an aesthetic they have seen that agency produce for someone else, “eventually you end up giving everyone else fake versions of someone else’s DNA.”

That truly captured what I feel about my firm in seeking actively to hard-wire variety in our business. Of course, we have centers of excellence, whether in a sector, such as real estate, energy or manufacturing; a field of communications, such as investor communications, internal brand expression or social media; or in a service, such as brand architecture consultancy, Web usability or identity design. The main point, though, is that we have sought to avoid being imprisoned by any one particular discipline.

Whether external, respecting type of clients, or internal, respecting your “style,” there is much to be said for focusing on a niche given the depth of experience or expertise that can provide. What is missing, though, is that open door to a diverse, holistic awareness that is essential to generating genuinely unique and audacious thinking.

Our innovation and inspiration, our creativity and culture rely upon variety. We are able to leverage our experience, insight and passions across a miscellany of sources, all of which make our lives more enjoyable and our collaborations more potent. Frankly, it is fun.