This week was a tough one for spotting things that really inspired me, but the few that stood out were priceless.
Magnetism Renewed
In elementary school, we used to have science projects and what better way to spend time with dad than for him to do the science project for me! We had this science experiments book for kids and I kept choosing to do stuff from it. Okay so he gradually made me take on all the work but nevertheless, I still remember the whole experiment surrounding magnetism and iron filings. In case you don’t know what i’m talking about — here’s a photo courtesy of School for Champions (alas, no i did not attend…it did not exist during my time in elementary school).
The idea was to actually have a magnet below the piece of paper — sprinkle the iron filings on — and then use hair spray or something similar to keep the filings glued in position so that when you remove the magnet — ta da! You’ve got yourself a natural piece of art.
Anyways, if you thought that was cool — check out these crazy magnetic fields displayed in this video because it is brilliant. Okay you’re probably asking me why I am so inspired? Simple. The opportunity to actually visualize how magnetic fields and frequencies are acting and responding to the environment is fascinating to me and if that’s a little too scientific for you — think of how people typically respond to an advertisement or a sales person or even to one another. If we can visualize the interaction in a similar manner, we can begin to understand the influencing factors — why sales people on the floor scare people like me away, or why some people adore bookstores while others (like me) dislike how booksellers have traditionally operated. Sound far-fetched? Perhaps, but I’ll leave it there for some more thought while you check out the actual video.
Magnetic Movie from Semiconductor on Vimeo.
Marketing != Good or Bad, Marketing = Ideas and Choices
I happened to over hear Sonny Gill retweet David Mullen’s call for marketers and media to wield their power for good. I guess it’s a struggle and burden that all marketing people have to carry because typically the ultimate goal for any sales and marketing role is the sell-through of a product but ultimate question would be — are we all truly profiting in the long-term by distorting perceptions and ignoring our impact on society (no matter how big or small) for short-term gain?
Perception is such a strong force in the world that it can make or break economies (just think of the stock market) — and it can do so with societies as well. So if we each have that opportunity do something greater for the world around us — why don’t we choose that over the numbers? That was rhetorical so don’t answer that …
David pointed out a number of great videos notably one called “Amy” and he states:
So I found myself asking “do marketers and media have actual influence over how consumers’ view themselves and the world around them?” I say, “yes.” That led to a bigger question. If so, do we have a responsibility to use that power for good more often? I’m interested in what you think about that.
Okay, on to the videos… My personal favorite is “Amy,” because it sums up how 99% of men feel about their significant other, even though they usually don’t believe us.
I think this is a great video and that Dove has pushed a tremendous initiative but at the same time, it is important to keep in mind that this is merely just the beginning because it is technically trying to address what we have done wrong for such a long period of time.
Getting the BIG Picture
I happened to hear Darren Barefoot over twitter mentioning some BIG photographs. Now it’s hard for me to resist checking out anything photography related so I was pleasantly surprised by some stunning photographs by Yann Arthus-Bertrand presented by The Boston Globe. He shares his photographs as wallpaper (although I wish I could get them at higher resolution) but nevertheless make sure you check them out for yourself — a whopping 2000 of them.
My favourite is this one here.
These photographs seriously changes your perception.
