Sustaining Guelph

I wrote this article for "Guelph Sustainable Solutions" (www.guelphsustainablesolutions.com), published June 5th, 2013.

What Sustains Guelph for me?

What sustains Guelph for me is the fact that my children know their hometown as a walkable place and a vibrant collection of people that do things together. Their home town is so much more to them than a scattering of houses, schools and stores, and it seems so important for children to feel this way about their home.

On summer Saturdays we walk together downtown to the City Hall splash pad (where they always meet countless friends), before sharing cookies (for the kids) and coffees (for the parents) at a downtown cafe over newly purchased books from an owner-run bookstore. On a Friday winter evening we build ice-block sculptures in the downtown square during Fourth Fridays. We walk along river paths in the spring and watch the nesting geese. Their school trips travel to concerts at the River Run Centre, and to dairy farms that are only a short bus ride away. They see community volunteers working together to make great things happen – from Hillside Festival events, to Guelph Humane Society education programs, to the Christmas tree pickup that supports the Guelph Children’s’ Foundation.

I often think that Guelph is Canada’s largest village – it certainly feels that way when you look at our community through the eyes of a child. Even though we attract world-class arts, cultural and sports events, the community is still small enough for a six-year old to recognize the Mayor as “the lady with curly hair who is always smiling” - because they have met on numerous occasions about town. Global industries thrive alongside a growing culture of cross-sector entrepreneurs who know that creative collaboration is the clearest path to success (and the most enjoyable one). We can watch Hollywood movies at lavish theatres, or locally filmed documentaries at a repertory cinema. OHL, or pond hockey? Tiger-Cats, or touch football? Avant-garde jazz on Wyndham Street, or country music at the Ranch? A bustling mall or a busy Farmer’s Market?

Guelph is a magnificent place to raise a family because so much of the community operates as a family – doing its best to be caring, nurturing, thriving, educational and fun. Like any family, you get out of it what you put into it – but if your family embraces this community enthusiastically, there is so much to be gained.

Rob McLean – Owner, Sociable Communications & Marketing, / Vice-Chair, Guelph Chamber of Commerce.

Consultants, Rules and Conformity

Dear social media “experts”: f&%# off with the rules. The point of online communication is that it is self-published. There aren't supposed to be any rules - in fact, rules miss the point entirely. Your intentions are likely honorable in trying to make other writers adhere to your vision, but seriously - it takes gall to declare yourself the voice of reason in a system that in anarchic by nature. The only “rules” anyone should follow with online communications are their own – the same rules that they live their life and conduct their business by. Anything less would be inauthentic and dishonest.

Many “consultants” proclaim various “rules” under the guise of providing “business advice”, but seriously - the only time cookie-cutter advice should apply to an entrepreneurial enterprise is if someone is trying to build a business EXACTLY like someone else’s. One of the main reasons why it’s great to be an entrepreneur is that it gives you the freedom to play by your own rules: it is supposed to be anarchic. It is supposed to be the precise vision of the founder, rules be damned.

People take social media far too seriously. I’m guilty of it too – one of my Facebook “friends” recently chose to share their pro-handgun beliefs - repeatedly. I took them to task on it, only to be told to “chill out”. No big deal there – just a sharing of viewpoints, really – but if I heard them discussing this topic at a party, what would I do? Call them on what I think is bullshit, or would I just walk away to find a discussion more suited to my taste? Probably the latter, and yet, there I was continuing to be engaged with this person through the gauze of the Internet. Why don’t I just “walk away”? Better yet, why don’t I “unfriend” them? It’s not like I’m breaking ties forever – it’s only Facebook, right? If I’m not enjoying the discourse, then why continue? I gain nothing from sticking with a conversation that I’m not engaged in.

Another thought: I recently received a Facebook message stating, “On April 30th, I will delete all Facebook friends that haven’t “liked” my business page.” My first reaction was that this person has paid too much attention to a social media consultant…. but at the end of the day, do I really “know” this guy? Nope. Do I know what his business is? Not really. Why are we Facebook “friends” anyway? He’s a nice guy - I think we met at a networking event or something. But if I haven’t engaged his services professionally then I can’t choose to “endorse” his business with a “Like” (which is my view of what a business “Like” means – everyone is entitled to their interpretation of “rules”, right?). So, there goes a Facebook connection.

But really, who cares? How well do I really “know” all of my Facebook connections? How about you? Can you say with confidence where they all live? Have you been to their homes? Are they friends – really? My answer is “no” in about 25% of my Facebook connections. That just seems weird to me – I mean, I post photos of my kids there. Lots of ‘em. I also strive for a work/life balance, which means that I don’t really want business connections to know about my daughter’s birthday party – it’s simply not relevant to our business relationship. We may become friends in the future, but if someone added me as a “friend” to preach their real estate listings, but I don’t recognize them on the street, then we ain’t friends yet.

So, I’m choosing to stick with people that I do recognize immediately in person for Facebook, and I’m keeping my professional contacts in other areas. That’s not to say that my future best pal isn’t lurking in my current group of Facebook friends already – but I don’t believe we’re going to become best friends through the trolling of each other’s complaints, accomplishments and family photos. It takes an actual personal connection for that relationship to grow. That will come later – and if it does, I will be honored to ask for their hand in Facebook friendship once again.

My point? This is all my choice – it is how I will choose to manage my human connections. People will tell me differently, and they are entitled to their opinion, but they shouldn’t tell me I’m wrong. I may not be “right” - I may even actually be “wrong”, but I don’t adhere to most business rules anyway (within the law, of course): it won’t do me (or my clients) any good to be fake about that now. We are all unique, and our uniqueness is the value that we bring to every relationship – professional, personal, real, online, or imagined.

The Local Entrepreneurial Economy

There has been significant growth in the number of Canadian start-ups over the last few years. Blame the economic downturn for sending a bunch of former workers to entrepreneur-land if you wish, but I believe it has never been easier for someone with a great idea to hang out their own shingle – and it has never been more straightforward to keep a small business sustainable.

Ten years ago, a company like Sociable would have required a physical office, an office manager, an in-house creative director, office supplies, and even a sign on the door. This would have carried a price tag of at least $100,000 per year – with no guarantee of customers.

Now, my entire business infrastructure is plug-and-play, and it travels with me, including all partners and client services. I conduct real-time meetings with partners and clients regardless of their location (or mine): my “physical location” is stitched together between online meeting rooms, partner spaces, and a variety of low-cost (usually free) web tools that make face-to-face meetings a pleasant luxury, rather than a day-to-day necessity.

Does this mean it’s easier to do business? Absolutely not: now more than ever, innovation and ideas have the opportunity to flourish on the open market – but you have to fight for them, and availability of distribution does not guarantee ease. It takes a lot of hard work. That hasn’t changed regardless of evolving business models. Independence comes with a heavy price in terms of effort and engagement, and while affordable technology makes it easier to work, you still have to do the actual work to earn any results.

The key element that an entrepreneur needs to cultivate is respect, and respect is granted to independent entrepreneurs now more than ever: no longer derided as a basement-dwelling wanna-be, an independent entrepreneur can command respect as a savvy, efficient and agile results-generator. The trick is that you need to provide evidence of results – not BS on a website, but real, measurable, repeatable results – and that means good ol’ fashioned effort, by bringing your ideas to life.

Finally, even the most locally-focused business or organization can benefit from global reach, which is now readily available. It’s not just that you need to engage a new global customer base these days – far from it. Rather, your local customers can reap the huge benefits that your global networks can provide: distribution and supply-chain logistics, lightweight technologies, production, muted trade barriers of language and culture, and even foreign market knowledge and shared best-practices will benefit even the most local of businesses.

Self-employment is not easier than it used to be, but it is more sustainable, and the tools exist to make your customers more satisfied - with less time required, and a much better cost for the services they require.

Compelling Storytelling - Emotion in Marketing

A good story doesn't need to be novel length. In fact, a compelling narrative can be just a few words. In marketing copy, it should be.

Good marketing communications should tell a story. It should evoke emotions. It should lend credibility to its source, and should compel a person to action. This is the biggest piece - we are talking business communications here. Without inspiring action of some sort, marketing communications is just noise.

Sales and marketing are often seen to be the same beast. This isn't true, but sales and marketing can't be viewed in isolation from each other either. We all have "something to sell". If you aren't successfully compelling someone to take action towards you, then you aren't successfully marketing yourself, and you aren't selling anything.

Tell a story. Involve people. Give them the opportunity to be a part of your story. Build a relationship. Sales is like the first date, or the consummation - but don't ignore additional opportunities to build trust, curiosity, enjoyment and passion.

The Central Idea of the Occasion: 272 Words

A short attention span isn’t necessarily a bad thing - distractibility is usually preferable to obsession. Quick decision-making is an admirable skill, as long as the decisions are rooted in some semblance of informed wisdom. Many people have little patience for the time it takes to understand complicated ideas. Many huge decisions - like signing a mortgage, buying a car, or casting a vote – are often made based on the most readily available information.

The essence of effective communication is sharing a complex idea in a concise manner, providing just enough information to convey your point quickly and persuasively.

Politics provides many examples of successful concision in communications. The Gettysburg Address – one of Abraham Lincoln’s most enduring, effective speeches - was just 272 words, lasting less than two minutes. Edward Everett made a two-hour speech on the same occasion, and he later wrote to Lincoln “I should be glad, if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes.”

It has been argued that the 2012 US Presidential election was won and lost on the centrality and resonance of each candidate’s message – their ability to communicate the true core of their positions. People seemed to know where Obama stood, for better or worse. Romney, with an electorate willing to listen, was unable to articulate the core of his platform in a manner that was satisfying enough to earn a majority of votes.

Understand your central idea, and reveal its core, in order to be successfully persuasive.

272 Words!

Intuition, Information, Incubation, Inspiration: The Reason You Pay a Creative Professional

There are lots of acronyms and clever concepts that go with marketing tips and tricks. Many appear in blogs just like this one. However, I recently stumbled upon a concept that is mentioned almost in passing by Howie Cohen, the copywriter behind Alka Seltzer’s “I Can’t Believe I Ate the Whole Thing” campaign from 1972. The concept of “The Four ‘I’s of Creativity” appears to be his own (it doesn’t show up anywhere else on Google), and it is worth examining in greater detail.

Cohen characterizes his process of intuition, information, incubation, and inspiration at 4:38 in this video:

This concept resonated with me immediately because it codifies the professionalism and process that validates what a creative professional is worth. People rarely question legal fees because they are supported by a lawyer’s education, experience and skill – but the work of a creative professional is equally skilled, and informed by ability, experience and insight.

Cohen’s process also resonated with me because it reflects how I work with creative problems – particularly when it comes to creatively solving and/or articulating a business challenge, whether it is defining the core essence of a brand, mapping out a strategic plan, or defining key messages, mission statements and copy. This is how the “Four ‘I’s” are employed when I work with clients:

1.     Intuition: We have a strong general idea of what a brand/business challenge represents and/or needs, and we have a strong sense of who the target audience is, but we need to unwrap it and study it in much greater detail.

2.     Information: We gather as much information and intelligence as possible that will support solutions to our business challenge. Decisions are easiest to make when you have the accurate information you need to guide your judgment.

3.     Incubation: This is the core of creative talent and expertise – the ability to season and simmer the “creative soup” to reveal the core elements, to get to what is most compelling and relevant.

4.     Inspiration: This is where “the idea” appears – the fully formed, resonant, and accurate idea that is the culmination of the art and science of creative communications. “The idea” tells the full and complete story in a manner that is simple, concise, accurate, and interesting.

Near the end of this video, Cohen also notes (with complete nonchalance), “an ounce of emotion is worth a pound of facts”. This is the core of concise communications: pounds of facts are great, but they can also be time-consuming and boring. A concise creative solution to a big business problem exists – but you may need to employ the skill and experience of a creative professional to pull your “idea” out of the ether.

Keep Calm, Join the Dark Side

Sometimes graphic designers are either lazy, stupid, or really, really devious.


Walmart redesigned their logo in 2008, and the shift was apparently pretty haphazard, if this report is correct. It is certainly a friendlier look. I remember when Wal-Mart stores (then hypenated) appeared in Canada, and its logo look barely less friendly than an outpost of the US Army:

The uppercase letters were monolithic, and the star was as American as... well, the US army:

The logo change in 2008 was softer.... the font was lowercase, rounder, and more "friendly". It's more "approachable", for sure. It was surely designed to embrace Walmart's (now un-hyphenated) growing global presence.

Nobody knew what the starburst was supposed to represent, but hey, it looked pretty. Like a flower, perhaps - or a flash from a far away galaxy.

Unfortunately, Walmart's global expansion has been viewed by many as a form of economic colonialism - taking over the world, one rollback at a time. This new logo was likely created in part to address this concern by appearing more friendly, and less American.

Which brings me to my point: was the designer lazy, or insidiously devious? Either way, you have to admit.... the new logo looks a hell of a lot like the logo of the Galactic Empire.

Party on, Darth.