Patricia Martin

Six Cultural Trends Being Driven By Technology

2013-02-07T16:12:33-05:00

Trends come and go. But every now and then a major wave arises that ripples across the culture, and seeps into everything.

This is one such time, and the mega trend is this: the Internet is adapting us, not the other way around. It's our culture's Flux Capacitor, converting outmoded things into something the future can use. The next big thing is unlikely to be hatched from a garage in Palo Alto. Rather, it will be the power of collective technologies to transmute broader social concerns and, in so doing, change the nature of the problems themselves. Issues like job growth, family stability, equality, and citizen action will be set upon by digital dynamics, triggering a wave of change that will open new frontiers for many businesses.

To be sure, the social and business innovations poised to break through in 2013 have been percolating for some time. It's the intervention from people -- mostly younger -- empowered by social technologies that will give rise to changes.

The new year is still in its infancy -- it'll be exciting to watch these social innovations break through:

1. Vocation, vocation, vocation.

A journeyman's card will be a sought-after credential.

Vocational education is losing its stigma. The proliferation of quality online learning makes education available to everyone 24/7. The DIY movement and fear of taking on college debt in a weak job market are forces swaying the pendulum back to practical knowledge. Community colleges will continue to boom. Public schools will revisit part of a system they had once abandoned -- training 21st century plumbers, mechanics, carpenters, and craftspeople who will find jobs, grow businesses, and make money based on practical, everyday needs.

"Suburban moms used to brag, stroller to stroller, that 'Madison has been early accepted at Harvard but of course is waiting for Stanford'. Then the rave was 'special needs': ADD, ADHD, ODD, Aspergers, and so on. But in 2013, the buzz will be all about vocational education--Voc-Ed. 'Lindsey is learning woodworking and will apprentice with a master craftsman,' while 'Schuyler will be in Germany working on computer systems for the newest Mercedes models'." --John Zogby, Founder of the Zogby Poll and Senior Analyst, JZ Analytics

2. Business starts looking like America.

Mono-cultural marketing becomes taboo.

Social diversity in business is an opportunity with 20+ years of study and advocacy. That makes it ripe for breakthrough. Women, blacks, and Latinos play powerful civic roles elsewhere -- some within the highest levels of government. However, corporate America still lags behind. It's common, for example, to attend a professional event or flip through a professional journal and find no women or people of color among the noted experts or keynotes. The Internet is a visual medium that's making us voraciously visual consumers. A quick glance through any corporate website reveals its diversity bias. In 2013, this becomes a marketing liability for branding and recruitment.

"Content marketing will soon be the only marketing that people authentically engage with. Employing a diverse wellspring of professionals who share a common experience with today's audiences is the only way brands will be able to create compelling content for all of America, not just the white part of it." -- Esther Cepeda, writer and columnist, The Washington Post Writers Group

3. Renewable energy scales up.

Renewable energy is America's next trip to the moon -- difficult, but achievable given our technologies.

Wind power, hybrid vehicles, and solar power -- we've heard about clean energy for 15+ years. 2013 is a watershed year and here's why: the Obama administration's tax incentives have helped dozens of communities buy and install wind and solar power. In 2011, natural gas jumped to 49 percent of energy capacity in the U.S. Wind energy was 32 percent of the installed energy capacity, according to Energy.gov's Wind Market Report.

On the consumer level, adoption of electric cars will gain traction. According to Virginia Hudson, an automotive research specialist, electric cars were all the rage at 2011's Detroit Auto Show. At last year's Auto Show, electric vehicles were just part of the mix. That means more electric and hybrid vehicle options and more manufacturers looking to stimulate buyer interest. Expect consumers to be aggressively marketed to by automotive manufacturers using generous rebates and pricing -- thereby speeding adoption.

4. Democracy reboots.

Digital natives will revolutionize civic discourse in ways that speak louder than votes alone.

The Internet belongs to everyone -- not just the marketers and celebrities who dominate it. But it has yet to be harnessed for large-scale social progress. That wave is coming. The 2012 presidential campaign showed Americans the power of social technologies. Grace Rodriguez, a Houston-based brand and social media strategist whose clients include political campaigns, expects that "in 2013, the new wave of digital natives learn from the successes and failures of Occupy and Tea Party movements, move toward a middle ground, and leverage technology to take back democracy."

5. Liberating men.

Collaborative culture calls for new rules of engagement by which men and women take turns leading and following.

The digital age has changed the composition of employment in the America. More male-centric jobs, such as manufacturing and new construction, have been hit hard. In 2012, a barrage of popular media all but declared American males unfit for the future. The social costs are adding up.

"In 2013, seemingly separate issues that have been emerging will get connected: brain-injured football players, tragic victims of PTSD, disturbed boy killers, murdered and murdering teenage boys of color, and octogenarian men who take their lives at a rate more than 1,000% higher than women of their age. These will be seen not as sad, disconnected and unsolvable, but instead as deeply related cries for new thinking and sensitivity." -- Dan Mulhern, co-author of A Governor's Story and former First Gentleman of Michigan

6. Millennial overkill.

Those eager to engage Millennials will stop wondering about them and start winning with them.

For a decade, the world has tracked and translated the minutia of Millennial cyber-habits. It's a textbook in overstimulation. As Millennials, otherwise known as Gen-Y, enter adult life, they are no longer in a constant state of texting or celebration. They are finding work, settling down, and seeking a place for themselves in society.

Today, most insights about Millennials are too broad to be actionable. According to Carol Phillips, Instructor of Marketing, University of Notre Dame--and expert in Millennial buying behaviors, "Millennials are still different. But different in so many different ways, it is starting to defy generalization. The discussion is no longer whether we should target Millennials, but how we will win with Millennials. Winning requires more than generalizations." Expect a focus on targeted projects and smaller-scale campaigns that show promise for building more meaningful bonds as Millenials mature.

(Insights for this forecast were derived from a yearlong social media monitoring effort, interviews with focus group leaders, and interviews with noted experts. The complete study is available here.)

The Future of Libraries in a Digital Culture

2012-10-11T13:32:49-04:00

During my morning run, I cut through the public library's parking lot. My books are overdue, I remind myself. Like many Americans in the downturn, I've increased my use of the local public library. In 2011, OCLC -- a library consortium -- reported that library usage increased for 36 million Americans. All told, 69 percent of Americans currently use public libraries. My library is a remarkable value -- a banquet of books and periodicals, earnest service, and free WiFi. Lately, libraries are playing an unheralded role in the economic recovery by helping people find work and build businesses.

As the jobless rate hovers around 8 percent, some libraries are stepping up with resume-writing classes and online job-search tutorials. According to research published by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and quoted by Karen Perry, Senior Program Officer for the U.S. Libraries at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 30 million Americans rely on libraries to find a job. For hopeful entrepreneurs, libraries help with free access to otherwise costly business databases like LexisNexis. Some libraries are even helping patrons better understand how to manage their money with unbiased financial information.

Until recently, public libraries had little reason to innovate. Then Google arrived. More disruptive technologies followed, causing an identity crisis for librarians. Now the profession is re-thinking its purpose -- a quest that lured a gathering of 350 eager librarians to Telluride, Colorado recently for the R-Squared (Risk and Reward) Conference.

As I circulated, knots of librarians huddled to share ideas and solutions. If there was a common thread it was the need to understand the increasingly complex lives of customers. Pre-Internet, a library could be object oriented -- all about books. But the confluence of digitization and a prolonged recession has triggered an evolution that puts a focus on people, not things. Doing so has a ripple effect that invigorates a community. The idea has been backed up by Forrester Research, who asserted that meeting customer needs across a life cycle, through online and off-line touchpoints, is essential to community-based innovation.

Despite the difficulty involved in overhauling a public institution like libraries, the folks gathered in Telluride proved game for the task. To get their juices flowing, they wrapped themselves with live snakes, scaled climbing walls, and listened attentively to inspirational talks on creativity from business leaders including Detroit-based author and venture capitalist Josh Linkner.

Americans need help navigating a way forward -- whether it's to find work or explore a new career path. It's no wonder people are rediscovering their local libraries as a place to begin. That's why libraries need to innovate. Otherwise, they risk becoming an object of nostalgia -- the emotional step right before irrelevance. Deadly. Research shows that when taxpayers stop expecting public institutions to transform, they invite entrenchment. Consider the battle to reform public education in America. The same hollowing-out could happen to America's public libraries at a time when we need them most.

There's hope. It's heartening to think that there are more public libraries than McDonald's restaurants in America.

Imagine the impact of their re-animation.

Maybe we don't need a new government program, or a bailout or a tax incentive to cure what ails us. Perhaps the quickest fix for local stimulus is a public librarian with a fire in the belly to make change. Such a deal.

Photos used with permission of The Risk & Reward Conference.

Civic Marketing Trend: Mayors ARE the Brand

2012-08-29T10:41:45-04:00

It was the last Saturday evening of the summer. A breeze off the lake cooled the crowd gathered in Millennium Park's Pritzker Pavilion to bid farewell to the summer. A former dancer turned politician, Mayor Rahm Emanuel introduced the Chicago Dancing Festival. He radiated pride as he welcomed his electorate to a night of world-class dance where all the seats were cheap seats...free in fact.

I jostled my way to the front to get this snap. Noting my presence, Emanuel turned and made eye contact with my camera lens, smiling serenely. For a guy noted for his intensity, it was a subtly commanding gesture.

Pundits wonder whether Emanuel can fill the shoes of the passionate, straight-talking Mayor Daley. Time will tell. But on one account, he's already delivering in spades--he IS the brand. Hard-working, hard-charging and wielding a reliable contempt for phonies, Rahm embodies Chicago's brand.

Civic marketing is helping cities tap the economic benefits of expressing a brand identity. Art and technology are key assets in that equation, as I discovered while undertaking an ethnographic study of Houston's creative economy. In an age of social media and 24/7 news cycles, big cities need big personalities to break through the clutter.

Consider the impact Cory Booker makes by personifying the come-back spirit of Newark, NJ. In Philadelphia, Michael Nutter cleverly evokes the spirit of ingenuity that birthed our nation to position his city. With a rapid ramp-up of 400 new startups, it seems to be working. I'd like to argue that any aspiring Mayor worth his/her salt must be a skillful brandmaker to position a city for success.

These days, brandmakers in all industries must kick down the doors of convention to break new paths toward growth. It's ambitious work for leaders willing to be a little weird. For a dancer-turned-power-broker, Emanuel seems like a natural. His training means he's nimble, disciplined, and pivots gracefully--all vital talents for new-economy leaders.

We, the people, have our part to play as well. Hacking our collective way toward brighter days demands creative thinking on the part of citizens and city employees alike. It's a scenario that necessitates that we kick our addiction to nostalgia about America and rally around leaders willing to speak frankly about vexing problems we need to solve together.

If the people who embody them define future brands, civic or otherwise, then winning politicians are Brand Ambassadors-in-Chief. From where I sit, Rahm has those dance steps down cold.

Photo credit: Patricia Martin

Cowbird: A New Cultural Force on the Internet

2012-02-16T16:54:47-05:00

Since 2008, I've been keeping an eye on Jonathan Harris. He's a renaissance man for a new century: artist, computer scientist, visionary. He caught my attention with his mind-blowing show at MOMA -- I Want You To Want Me, done in collaboration with Sep Kamvar, which took the pulse of the world's emotional state.

With his latest social media foray, Cowbird.com, Harris is poised to become a cultural force on the Internet.

Cowbird is an online community of storytellers who use photos, audio clips and words to convey a brief, personal story. It has the addictive usability of Pinterest, with a soulful subtext that allows people to witness and connect through themes and stories. Harris describes it as a "Public library of human experience."

It's a good analogy. Maybe that's what gives Cowbird such a serene vibe. It feels like hanging out in the stacks, looking and reading to your heart's content.

Already the site contains thousands of stories from around the world. Its community connection design is fluid, allowing people to search, click, love and refer with ease.

I encourage you to experience it. Although, you'll need to request an invitation. Nothing heavy-handed, mind you, but a simply request to participate.

That's also an important twist on social media. Cowbird is an intentional community. It seeks to set a tone, rather than swing for the fences and build a super-sized audience of yakkers. (Really, there are days when Twitter gives me a headache!)

Cowbird is about quality and substance. A rare bird, indeed.

Why Millennials Won't Grow Out of It

2011-12-27T15:28:12-05:00

On my holiday lunch circuit with clients, I kept hearing a similar refrain from people. They are struggling to manage Millennials right out of college. They appreciate that they're tech-savvy, creative and enthusiastic. But harnessing those qualities in the work place is elusive. As people, they seem so different, I kept hearing.

It's no hype: folks between 18 and 29 are very different from the rest of us. Their aspirations, political leanings, attitudes and beliefs set them apart from generations preceding them.

This infographic by Online Graduate Programs does a good job of summing up the data:

Created by: Online Graduate Programs

The question is: will they grow out of it?

Like previous generations, they may fall in line once they settle down and start families. Right? Don't bet on it. They seem willing to postpone marriage indefinitely.

Millennial politics will also have a lingering effect. Check out the second panel about politics to see that 66 percent voted for Obama. Historically, voting behaviors are set early in a person's civic life. It's possible to predict a "lost generation" to the Republicans and it helps explain why Newt Gingrich is gaining traction among the base.

The same may be said for the future of organized religion. With 25 percent of Millennials having no affiliation, they're the most God-less generation of Americans. Faith is also a cultural phenomenon set in motion early in a person's life. More church closings seem likely once Boomers meet their maker.

So the disconnect other generations may be feeling seems legit. But it doesn't have to be negative. It's also a generation eager to better itself. And that looks to its elders for guidance and sponsorship to face a future with few job prospects and an abundance of education.

Are Americans Still Eager to Learn?

2011-12-13T15:31:44-05:00

At a recent leadership conference, academic leaders voiced concerns about the future of education in America. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, their remarks were punctuated by angry protesters who openly confronted the panel of college presidents about the high cost of a college education.

What struck me is how much "Occupy" behaviors are creeping into daily life. People are no longer willing to politely sit and listen when they hold a collective grievance. This open defiance frays the warp and woof of authority and raises the question: who's in charge?

Last week, I was in Denver giving a talk to non-profit leaders. They shared their anxieties about the road ahead. After years of uncertainty, there seems to be confusion about what it means to be a leader. In the past, authority and leadership went hand-in-hand.

Unless you live in a cave, you're already feeling the impact of the societal shifts underway. These tremors are being amplified by a rising generation no longer willing to knuckle under to authority. Why should they? The status quo has failed them. In large part, it has made the core value proposition of getting an education all about failure and hardship, rather than striving and achievement.

Henry S. Bienen, a former president of Northwestern University, pointed out that just 8 percent of the graduates of the Chicago public schools, on whose board he sits, are college-ready. That's 8 percent of a population already narrowed down by attrition -- only 57 percent of students in Chicago finish school. Shocking!

When we make learning all about difficulty, we diminish its potential to lift people up. Call me old-fashioned, but we used to believe in learning in America. Otherwise, we never would have instituted the GI Bill or the land grant college system. The former allowed my father, an otherwise indigent kid for Appalachia, to get a college education. The latter made it possible for me to afford tuition at Michigan State University by waitressing and tutoring athletes.

Are we still eager to learn?

As a marketer, I wonder what it would take to revive our enthusiasm for learning. Can we market our way toward a better set of beliefs about education in America?

I make my living advising clients how to seed the culture to speed the adoption of new social norms. I want to believe that it's possible to foster a culture where learning is nurtured as a way of life.

By all indications, tapping into the passions of the young protestors will be part of the solution. Hint: They're in charge.

Changing the Culture of Student Debt

2011-11-18T09:55:04-05:00

Occupy Wall Street may be an amorphous, platform-free movement. But as the protests that began in New York in September have spread across the United States, and the world, one clear issue of concern has emerged: student loan debt.

For over a year, I've been working on a foundation-funded project that hopes to change America's debt culture, especially among Millennials.

I've begun following the young people on "We Are the 99 Percent" Tumblr, and am taken by their use of handwritten signs with their personal stories. It's a stunning testament in its authenticity, and more powerful than any high-priced ad campaign conceived on Madison Avenue.

"I have $50,000 in student loan debt and my B.A. is useless," one wrote.

From another: "Graduated college: May 2010. Debt: $35,000. Jobs in US: None."

Some are resigned: "I am 38 years old. It will take me almost 30 years to pay off my student loans (in 2023)."

Others cry out: "I am 24 years old and am $90,000 in debt from getting a college education. Why are we being punished with debt for getting a higher education?"

The trends are converging into a perfect storm: rising college costs, an increasing need for access to higher education for low-income students, more borrowing and fewer entry-level jobs for new graduates.

The student debt issue is not going away. It's too pervasive, and it puts pressure on higher education to prove out that a college education pays off.

We live in curious times. Some of the things we've taken for granted for so long in American culture are being questioned, in particular the power of education to change a striver's lot. What we are witnessing is a re-organization of our belief system about what it takes to get ahead.

I feel fortunate to be living in these times... no matter how unsettling.

People are finding their issues and raising their voices.

In a democracy, that's a good thing. We can all believe in that, right?

Is President Obama Using Social Media for the Right Reasons?

2011-08-04T12:26:32-04:00

President Obama doesn't tweet non-stop. He shouldn't. After all, the leader of free world has the business of the keeping the United States safe and solvent to contend with. But because he was the first presidential candidate to "socialize" an election, pundits wonder what happened to the pre-presidency levels of social media activity once he took office. Some contend that he abandoned the vast tribe he built once he it had served his purpose.

President Obama's recent Twitter blunder hints to the possibility that using social media only when you need others to do something for you is usury -- and hence a flawed social media strategy. But there's something deeper afoot here. It seems there are ways we like to be engaged to achieve political ends. Twitter may be too terse and too immediate for relaying more complex issues. It may be showing us its limitations as a medium for protest and debate. But it's perfect for affirming your approval of a candidate.

Twitter may be the digital culture's happy-talk medium. Save the hard news for longer format social media is what I'm thinking.

True, social media is about "engagement." That means different things to different people, but at the end of the day, the key to effective engagement is that everyone involved feels that he or she is getting something out of the interaction. If you want social media to work for you, you have to provide good reasons for people to tweet and re-tweet that gives them relevance among their own audiences. The recent debate about the debt ceiling was a revelation to many people. It showed beyond a shadow of a doubt just how broken Washington is. It's hopelessly partisan, and a costly juggernaut, operating untethered to the American public's daily reality of fragile mortgages and lack of employment. So why waste a tweet on that?

For the rest of us mere mortals, it's important to remember that the 'relationships' we form through social channels not only need nurturing to keep them alive, but they need useful expressions. People need to benefit, directly or indirectly from the messages we all put out there. Otherwise it's just more noise. Because even if the leader of the free world can't motivate people to take up his cause in a time of crisis, most individuals and businesses can't either. Social media is getting more, not less demanding. It requires constancy and content -- not "cut and run."

Patricia Martin is the author of Tipping the Culture, a guide to using social media as a tool for engagement.

Portrait of an Arts Entrepreneur: Artisan Businesses Now an Economic Indicator

2011-05-06T16:42:40-04:00

If you need evidence that the pallid economy is regaining its color, just ask mural artist Doug Coggeshall. Last week, I caught up with Coggeshall for coffee between estimate meetings with clients. After 25 years, he considers his custom mural business serving metro-Chicago's most prominent residents "a canary in a coalmine" for the economy. Coggeshall felt the impact well before we reached the frothy tip of the credit bubble.

In 2008, the recession kept Coggeshall's business on a near-starvation diet. "You begin to wonder what cat food might taste like," he jokes. Despite his many devotees, Coggeshall admits that, "I'm selling a luxury. The society benefits from having art; it helps us understand who we are. But you don't NEED it." It was also the end of an era fueled by a consumer culture obsessed with lavish home decorating.

Lately, his phone's been ringing again.

The downturn forced him to innovate and expand his palette of projects. For example, he's painted sacred spaces and has been brought in to cut costs by camouflaging architectural flaws to save the expense of remodeling. For instance, when a client couldn't locate rare tiles to complete a backsplash, Coggeshall hand-painted an entire wall to look like detailed tile work at half the cost.

Despite the ups and downs, Coggeshall lights up when I ask him to describe the best thing about his small business: "When I stand inside the full surround of a very large piece and get lost in it. It makes me dizzy with pleasure."

Given the volatile nature of the economy, I ask if he's ever been tempted to throw in the "trowel". He shakes his head resolutely. "I painted my first mural as a little boy. I have to paint. It's not a hobby. It's a career."

Now that business is picking up, all from referrals, Coggeshall claims that the recession made him "feel stronger, more powerful" for having gotten through it.

One artist's story only renders a thumbnail sketch of a larger economic landscape, but artisan businesses are not a stray indicator. Consider also that Sotheby's and Christie's both report sizzling markets for art in China, according to China Daily. When people have the means and are freed from debt, they return to art.

With his mural business on the rebound, Coggeshall is feeling good about the future. "I love my work. I will paint until I drop." Smiling broadly, he shakes my hand and breezes out the door to get back to the business of making spaces beautiful.

SXSW Update: Al Franken on the Future of Creative Work, Net Neutrality

2011-03-14T15:24:35-04:00

It's 9:30AM on a Monday in a hotel ballroom that is filled to the brim with people eager to hear what Al Franken has to say. Last night, Austin was overflowing with parties, so I figure most people dragged themselves here with hangovers. Al Franken is sober. With appropriate gravitas, he warns people straight up that the indie party is over for the Internet. Corporate interests are moving in and bringing bags of cash and controlling mindsets, Franken says.

Franken wants big telecom to, "Leave the Internet alone!" And he cracks up the tweeting audience. He explains the coming pricing intentions of major telecoms who will create a paid class system. First class service gives people a fast lane. Coach class is a throttled, slow, low-res dirt road of service.

Other warnings from Franken:
Higher prices are coming. Comcast is looking to kill Netflix. Corporations want control over distribution to give the content they own the biggest audience. This will kill the Long Tail. (I'm wondering if Wired has a reporter here and what Chris Anderson would say to his producer.)

Indie creative content can be created, but will have trouble getting seen. This will choke American creativity. Corporately owned distribution systems serve up a certain kind of content. Predictable, mainstream, vanilla.

Franken says he wants two things:
1. For artists to get paid for their work
2. To have access to open and free distribution platforms to reach audiences.

Franken urges Internet "job creators", as he sees the audience gathered at SXSW, to call their Congressmen and speak up. "As tech entrepreneurs, you create jobs and in this economy legislators want to hear from you." And, yes, he says--"You will get your call returned." He mentions Bandcamp, a service beloved by the Culture Scout Blog from its inception. Bandcamp is a platform that helps indie bands promote themselves to audiences and manage their fan base. One band grew a 12 person staff as they grew an audience through Bandcamp.

"Let's not sell out. Let's keep the Internet weird, let's keep the Internet free."
Audience goes wild!

Cybersexism Meets Its Match: High School Girls Demand Respect

2011-02-03T15:01:01-05:00

The girls at my local high school are fighting back in outrage over a Social Network-style website that rates girls using sexually explicit and racist remarks. Their counter movement, RESPECT, is making headlines. Because many boys joined in solidarity with the girls, the ruckus says a lot about the future of gender politics in America.

Let me explain.

Hundreds of Oak Park-River Forest High School students donned black T-shirts with the word "RESPECT" on the front, and on the back a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: "In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends."

A total of 800 shirts were ordered, the next morning another 300 were ordered after the supply fell far short of demand. Large black and white RESPECT banners appeared in hallways and gathering spots.

Over the last few decades, it seemed as if feminism had lost its oomph. Its been noted that Gen X women felt anxious about the F word, and sought to separate themselves from the label.

Some pundits proclaimed feminism dead. The RESPECT uprising says otherwise.

According to recent Census data, women constitute 51% of the overall population, with a 57% presence on college campuses. Notoriously, women still earn less--81 cents on the dollar. They hold fewer positions of power, while multitasking frenetic career and child-rearing lifestyles.

As the economy haltingly recovers, it's clear that men and women may have a new level of economic interdependence. Survival may depend on new norms of socialization based more on collaboration than dominance/dependence.

The RESPECT skirmish tells us that cone of silence on sexism is being lifted by a rising generation of females, and males. After all, many boys helped the girls fight back.

Feminist author Susan Faludi observed in her controversial book, Stiffed, that men had been equally harmed by societal norms that contorted what it means to be a man. The future, she theorized, would be won by men and women working together.

Now that's an idea worth respecting.

Bill Shakespeare Tops Bill O'Reilly in Popularity

2010-11-16T16:41:52-05:00

Using statistical tools at its sibling blog, AllFacebook, Galleycat compiled a list of the most popular authors on Facebook.

Authors are arranged according the number of Facebook fans they counted as of this Nov. 11, 2010. Shakespeare's still hot, rocking the #4 slot in most Facebook fans. Saucy lad! Bill S., not Bill O. Now who's the freshest one of all? Turns out the dead guy is.

Education Needs a Communications Overhaul

2010-06-23T10:24:22-04:00

Some conservatives are saying it's time to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education (DOE). It's a sign that the public may not understand the Department's role. That's a shame, but understandable. For the last three decades, people in education have been focused on talking to each other. In a frenetic attempt to outsmart each other, the conversation has gotten so wonky, so down right impenetrable for the average citizen that people are clueless about what the DOE actually does. This is dangerous for Arne Duncan, who is making some headway with programs such as Race to the Top. If the DOE goes under attack, there will be no movement of impassioned voters who'll rise up to defend it.

It's a prime example of what a failure to communicate causes. In a knowledge economy, can a failure to communicate get you sacked? It should. On the bright side, there are some rising leaders in education ready to speak plain English about what it takes to improve schools in America.

Meet Jessica Johnson. She's a turn-around expert at Chicago-based Learning Point Associates. Her recent testimony to Congress is served straight up, without a twist. (Disclosure: We helped Learning Point build its brand several years ago when it transformed from a wonkish think tank to a force for reform). The presentation is pure Jessica. Committed, succinct and simply smart. It's the kind of communication style that's possible when an organization's culture encourages people to stand up and stand out, rather than conform.

It takes courage to build a brand in the education arena. There are plenty of fretful PhD's in the wings willing to click their tongues in derision over something so utterly banal as branding. But now, more than ever, the entire education sector needs re-positioning if it hopes to rise above the morass of mediocrity in which it flounders.

Having quality schools in America is too important to be left to the dead hand of business as usual. This is a global knowledge economy, dammit, and 40 percent of Americans don't finish high school! Could it be more serious?

It's time for the leaders in education to speak plainly to the American public and ignite some passion for their mission. It's time to get out of the huddle and onto the field. And to promising young leaders like Jessica, I say... go long!

The Politics of Astrology and the Secret Lives of CEOs

2010-03-22T11:16:10-04:00

Remember when the Reagans were scalded by the media for consulting an astrologer? It makes me wonder if times have changed. Will the Obamas be consulting their astrological charts any time soon? I put the question to Susan Miller, the popular astrologist and columnist who was in Chicago on Sunday to give a lecture.

Over slabs of glazed salmon at the Drake Hotel dining room, Ms. Miller and I discussed the astrological year ahead for American politics. Cheerful even when delivering hard news, Ms. Miller offered up the following outlook:

Healthcare reform will pass, but undergo tweaks and revisions for several months to come.

President Obama should not stop with health care reform, she twinkled. "He's going to be very powerful these next few months and he should use it to his advantage."

Up until June, that is. Ms. Miller leaned into me gently, explaining with her kind, mellifluous voice that the sky holds a rare alignment for an eclipse on June 26 that'll brew up trouble in Washington. For Leos like President Obama, it could mean the departure of a trusted ally or assistant. Is that a potential dateline for Rahm Emmanuel's return to Illinois? I didn't ask.

I did ask Ms. Miller if opinions had softened toward her profession since the days of the Reagan administration. She gave me the low-down on who's seeking her advice these days. Interestingly, it's media moguls and CEOs who make up her A-list. "It's not politicians or movie stars," she told me. Rather, it's the sectors experiencing the most turbulence in uncertain times -- media, publishing and finance.

So what would be the most dangerous liason for a Wall Street CEO -- a secret affair or a standing appointment with an astrologer?

Susan Miller is an author and columnist, as well as the editor and publisher of AstrologyZone.com. A contributing editor for "Elle" magazine, she has also been a regular contributor to Vogue Japan, "W" Korea and "Eve" in the United Kingdom.

Why We Love Dogs -- Customer Journey Research

2010-03-17T13:37:00-04:00

Meet Killi. She's a German Shorthaired Pointer who is gracing our lives while her human family takes a holiday. Her owner brought her by this weekend for a meet and greet. It was love at first sight.  

Sadly, my own dog passed away last year. We miss her terribly. A brutal travel schedule and indifferent teenaged kids make my home inhospitable for pets, so I've been dogless ever since. But for the sake of my research for the pet supply category, I'm playing host to Killi for two weeks to reacquaint myself with the rituals and purchase decisions of life with a dog.  

Killi is re-teaching me why people love pets. They are vessels for love. They can be frustrating, difficult, and in some cases, destructive. But the well-loved pet is a compassionate creature. They come to our aid, lick our boo-boos and protect us from danger.   

I feel like I live in an emotionally casual world. In the digital culture, people court and break up using text messages. Online dating is a digital hit and run affair. As I gaze into Killi's eyes, her brow is cocked up as if she's trying to read my emotions. I think to myself, "She may be more socially civilized than some humans." I chase that thought away. So cynical. But I may not be off base.

Recently, I had dinner with my friend Frannie who showed me photos of her new puppy. When her dog died, she rescued a dog from the pound within a month. "I'm divorced and have no children," she explained. The simple truth is that many of us are lonely. Animals are helping us fill the need for love and comfort in a world where human contact is scarce and relationships are virtually played out.

The pet supply industry reflects this trend. Doggy boutiques and bakeries, upscale grooming salons and pet attire are all part of a booming industry. According to American Pet Products Association (APPA), $3.2 billion dollars was spent on pet services such as grooming and doggy day care in 2008. This number was said to grow more than 6% in 2009. And APPA projects a continued growth of 2% for spending on pet supplies in 2010.

Our pets, of course, are completely unaware of their significance. Yes, Killi is an upbeat gal -- prancing and pointing the way to the squirrel hunkered down in the bushes. But she is also an example of the connection so many of us are lacking -- one that stays and lasts, and demands nothing but face to face love in return. She's a reminder that love can be simple without being casual. And she doesn't even know it.  

Now I just have to figure out how to let go of Killi when my experiment is complete. Or rather, her family returns and she wags her tail out of our lives.