Field Notes Inside an Integrated Communications Agency

I was privileged to spend yesterday hearing bold predictions and cautious expectations from communications leaders at top companies like Pepsi, IBM, Wal-Mart and J&J as well as top agencies (including Capstrat) at PRWeek's NEXT Conference.

Everyone acknowledged they don't really know what's coming next, but the excitement about the dynamic nature of our industry is a great antidote to the doom and gloom on the front pages of the business section. Our industry is looking ahead to how organizations can do a better job of engaging the audiences that matter most to their success. And, we seem to be embracing the possibility that digital media can help us better measure our value.

There were many nuggets of truth and anecdotes that caught my attention. But one stuck with me. Bill Persky, a screenwriter who has worked on timeless programs like the Dick Van Dyke Show, That Girl, Kate & Allie, said, "The time to think has been replaced by the ability to reach someone quickly." I see evidence of that everyday. I love moving fast to adapt to what's next, but I’m resolved to take more time for the lost of art of thinking.

P.S. How will digital media rewrite the future of communications? Capstrat is co-sponsoring PRWeek's NEXT Conference where CEO Ken Eudy plays a leading role. Find out more.

Save your notes.

 

Today I saw a quote from Andrew Wyeth. "I do more painting when I am not painting. It's the subconscious."

Which got me to thinking. Whether you are a painter, a leaf blower, a mayor or a surgeon, don't you do more of what you do when you aren't actually doing it? Isn't your subconscious constantly busy making what you do a core part of who you are?

I don't know about you but I hire my subconscious to do the job of improving me when possible.

Years ago I had a client at the University of Chicago who was a psychologist, genius, heretic and a man who never paid his bills. He wrote a book called Flow. It was about how people drop into slots of concentration and lose time while doing what they do.

When talking to this man, he mentioned that when not doing what you do, you open a channel to figure out how to do it better or how to derive more pleasure or satisfaction from the event the next time you do it.

Bottom Line: Notice what you are thinking about when you are driving to the store, waiting in line, watching mindless television, sleeping/dreaming, taking a shower or exercising. You just may notice that you are re-inventing how to do whatever it is that you do so that when you next do it, you do it better. 

Today I come to you in the midst of what we, in my inner friend circle, refer to as "NP1." No, it's not code for a top secret mission, but rather, for us, represents "nuptials – phase 1." You know what I'm talking about, the first wave of marriages post college graduation, when approximately 50% of your college posse trade in their roles as your Friday night drinking buddies for two rings, wedded bliss and a mortgage.

I suppose it's this whirlwind of bridesmaids dresses, vows and a changing dynamic in my post-college friend group that's got me thinking about marriage in today's society. As we move into 2009, technology and the web are more a part of our lives than ever.

Army wives all over the world are using Skype to have web cam dates with their deployed husbands in Afghanistan. Is the internet becoming the new love letter from home?

Significantly increasing numbers of individuals continue to explore shared interests and intense experiences through video games in the virtual world, sometimes leading to marriages based on interpersonal relationships built through gaming. Is gaming replacing convening at the watering hole after work to meet the new, hot singles?

All of this seems second nature to my generation, it is true, but in our web saturated world, it's sometimes interesting to step back and reflect upon our definition of marriage and dream of what it could potentially mean in a completely virtual world.

In a world where emoticons replace kisses and personify physical embraces, I continue to be intrigued as the line between traditional marriages and online marriages becomes hazier with each passing day.

Indicator	Recent Activity
Dow Jones	-40% YTD
Consumer Confidence	-31% in Oct 08
US Jobs	-240,000 in Oct 08
Shiba Inu Puppy Cam	+ 3.4 million views

Editor's note: Here's a graph compiled by Todd Moy that suggests a negligible correlation between the DJI and Google searches for "puppies".