Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Understandig your worth! Men and Women

My BFF and I chatted today about the worth and value of women and men. Do you understand that value you bring to any relationship - professional, personal (friends, family and romantic)? I call it your personal value proposition. I think everyone has and should be able to articulate it to the people with whom (s)he has a relationship.

A couple of examples got me to thinking about my worth and value proposition.

1. A gentleman recently "hit on me at a restaurant." I guess that's flattering. I wasn't interested, but asked him what his value proposition was. He was offended. Why I wondered. Surely a 38 year old man could articulate it beyond his career. I really wanted to know why I should entertain his request. How would he contribute to my life? How could I contribute his life? I told that if he had asked me what my value proposition is, I could articulate it. Point is: I am worth so much more than my education, the value of my job (though really nice), my friends (though really super fabulous and successful), the designer threads that grace my body or even the brand of car I drive.

Let's get deeper folks. Just because you have a job and no children does not make you a viable candidate to be my friend or my beau. I'm worth so much more, but more importantly, so are you.

2. My friend recently realized the value and worth of his girlfriend after she broke up with him. We all have 20/20 vision in hindsight. Yes, indeed. I heard all about how wonderful and amazing he thought she was after the fact. I kindly explained to him to tell her and not me. Again, he had been so self-centered that he forgot what a prize person she was and he himself. The story ends beautifully, but again, I wondered...Does he really understand his value and his worth.

This is where I ask you to weign in and share your thoughts on the subject. Inquiring minds want to know.

I wonder what this is worth... Seems like very little until you're hot as heck and tired from climbing a mountain. Suddenly, its value changes!


Located on the mountain side of a Chilean Winery.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Living your highest and best life today: Drop those bags!

I'm living my best life today - well that's the plan...

I am reminded of Eryka Badu's song, "Bag Lady" today and was pondering all the weight we carry around that prevent us from seeing, receiving, giving, loving, feeling, hearing, being free and ultimately living our highest, best lives today. This week was pretty significant for me. I celebrated Yom Kippur (translated the Day of Atonement), the Jewish highest holy day. It was a time of personal, introspective reflection.

I realized I was carrying a few bags too many myself and released them. The bags came in many forms – people (friends, associates and otherwise), worry about things I could and could not change and even some tangible things. But where will they go? Who will pick them up? I first started to wonder and then I was reminded of a popular Scripture from the Bible. I have some blessed Bible thumping friends who love to quote this, "...cast your cares on Him for He cares for you..." Well it did not really matter who picked them up - Jesus Buddha, Allah, the rich man, the poor man, the faceless man. Just someone else take them please.

I felt a point of vulnerability... The truth is I thought I was responsible for the bags, but I really wasn't 100% equipped to carry them. No thank you! And it happened at once. I just DROPPED THE BAGS. One second I was carrying them and the next I wasn't. Quite an exhilarating feeling... I instantly felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders and from my mind. The truth is I probably should not have been carrying the bag in the first place.

This release has enabled me, at least for this day to live my highest and my best. What are you doing to live your highest and your best? Remember, no one is promised tomorrow so you may live today like it's your last.

I'm eager to get more tips...

Photographs I shot in Costa Rica that inspired me today:



Costa Rican floppy-eared cows. Serenity!



The bird chills...Not a worry in the world. Just trying to get a worm for the day. This is clearly his highest and best for the day.


Thursday, October 1, 2009

Shooting what inspires me...

Images from a beach in Jamaica I shot and wanted to share...

Abandoned Beer Stand...

Future of Marketing Series: Part 2 Mandates for Marketing Organizations

o what should marketers be doing these days to stay ahead of the dynamic space.

Mandates for marketing organizations in a digital-enabled world


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  • Industrialize tools and media to enable JIT marketing and decrease operational costs. Offer consumers whatever content they desire at the time they want it and in the medium in which they want to consume it.

  • Evolve from joining and creating communities within social networking to targeting the influencers of such communities as they grow their networks.

  • Understand new technological capabilities within the digital space and anticipate end user behavior and adaptation such as apps, mobile apps, widgets, augmented reality.

  • Prepare for enhanced personalization and content specialization. Consumers have become self-centered and want marketers to not only speak to them directly, but also dispay the preferences of people in their respective networks.

  • Evolve direct/email marketing to leverage social functionality and recommendations from those in the community.

  • Converge content across mediums from television to audio to web to phone.

Keep metrics and data collection fluid and dynamic so that they provide insight and direction for subsequent marketing activities. Metrics in some instances will become more important than others e.g. pull opt ins and widget downloads should be monitored more frequently. 

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Future of Marketing Series: Part 1

Why marketing will never be the same again...JIT Marketing- there's a concept.



Comsumers are now in charge and they now understand the significance of their voices and buying power. This shift in consumer power:
  • Has become prevalent with among other things, the evolution of the Internet, Web 2.0, social networking and collaboration and sharing functionality that gives them a voice and credibility that is louder than the marketer.
  • Extends beyond purchasing which impacts bottom lines, but also to dictatorship in content consumption despite the medium which impacts every aspect of the marketing supply chain and lifecycle.
  • Means consumer loyalty has to be earned and not just one person at a time, but one community at a time.

Advances in technology which now facilitates almost every marketing medium has become so dynamic, rapid and widespread that marketers must be adaptable, proactive and reactive.

JIT (Just in Time) Marketing .The speed of change and delivery also means marketers must:
  • Anticipate comsumer behavior and trends and if they are not ahead of the pack.
  • Have capabilities in place that enable them to react itelligently with saavy and appeal.
  • Extends to consumer behavior yielding swift changes in consumer behavior and trends in products, content consumption and even virtual hotspots. Today it’s Twitter, but tomorrow could be something totally different.

Show me; don’t tell me and I’ll decide. It could be the classic case of the dog and pony show, but this time comsumers demand it. Brands must:
  • Demonstrate their value propositions in ways that are cutting edge and in line with current trends.
  • Serve content to consumers in the manner in which they want to consume it whether it is television, mobile, Internet, etc video, interactive credential, circular podcasts or a whitepaper.
Gone are the days when brands and organizations can tell people what to do, buy, think, watch and sell giving new meeting to marketing science. Comsumers have joined forces and created communities in which they seek approval, affirmation, reccomendations, advice, etc.

Content consumption has changed – television is still a powerful medium, but the Internet is just as powerful. Sometimes comsumers want to consume content like fast food on their mobile devicwa – hot, quick on the run and sometimes, they want fine dining where they can enjoy, engage and explore in front of the laptop, PC or ITV.

Consumers will increasingly help drive product development and indirectly influence how ad dollars are spent.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

30 Something and Counting. Learning Something New Daily.

I've decided to document my obsessions and thoughts about being an educated, professional, black, single female. I hope you enjoy the Chronicles - not sure what you will get these days. I tend to go from feeling extremely focused to simply crazy and erratic.


Today, I woke up feeling inspired about all the possibilities of life...I have a a myriad of work deadlines I will tackle today and check off the list. Gold star for me. But beyond how I fund my fabulous life and it is quite fabulous not to gloat, I've decided that I should learn something new each day and that truly is the goal. I need to learn something that is valuable and fruitful each day. I've decided to brush up on my language skills and even tackle a new one - Spanish. Anyone interested sending me tips on how to expand my conversational Spanish vocabulary?

What Men Want - Solve the Riddle!

I'm perplexed on so many levels after a friend recently told me I need to dumb it down to get a date. Really? Dumb it down he says...This got me to thinking and as I started a very informal poll of other male colleagues, friends, associates and even some strangers, I realized he might be on to something. The results are resounding - some men really want women to not necessarily dumb it down, but pretend they know less than they do, are super helpless and or we are clueless, but of cute no less.

I don't think men want us to dumb it down or do they? Do tell...What on earth do you want?

Like my other wonderful freinds - married and single - I've spent countless hours (if you think about the number of hours we spend talking about amongst ourselves, watching Oprah, reading books, talking to our male friends, brothers, colleagues, etc.) trying to figure out what men want. We hear they are simple beings, but are they really? Sometimes yes and other times no. If they are so simple, we should just do what Steve Harvey recommended on a recent episode of Oprah - love him, support him and engage him physically. Yes, we can do all those things without speaking or thinking and it seems easy enough. At least sometimes. But clearly, it's not enough. Sorry, Steve Harvey is not really an authority on the subject anyway, but that's for another post.

Should we take it back to the 50's when the divorce rate was much lower and families stayed together? That was a fun time. Women were always dolled up - gotta love a hot mom in makeup serving up a lovely caserole from fresh organic veggies and the best meat in town. I guess this no longer works since we (us girls) at least some of us, want equal rights/equal pay. I've been considering giving up this fight too. I can be cute everyday and just have dinner ready except that I want to be paid for it. LOL.

Before I ramble about all my opinions on the topic. Will the men, if and only if the know, please help me solve the riddle.