Once there was a little girl who loved yo-yos. Nancy loved the way they twirled. She loved the tricks they did. She loved the way she could control them with just a flick of her wrist. One Monday morning Another kid brought his yo-yo to school. To him it was just another toy. It was […]
Oh, The Wonderful, New Places You’ll Go
June 27, 2019 by Leave a Comment
Congratulations! Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places! You’re off and away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go. […]
Want To Lead A Movement? Start With A Story
April 16, 2019 by 1 Comment
Two children were born on the same day in Uganda. Two children grew up in the same Ugandan village. One boy One of those boys dropped out of school. He never learned to read. He ended up cutting sugarcane. He eventually struggled with alcohol abuse and parented many children out of wedlock. The other boy […]
What A Doughboy Knows That We Don’t
March 19, 2019 by Leave a Comment
It’s the beginning of a new semester. And Bob is at it again. Each semester, Bob shows a video to his international students. It’s this one. Behold the Doughboy effect “Does this make you hungry?” he asks them. They laugh nervously and answer, “No.” “Does this make you think of family or getting together […]
Empathy: The Overlooked Secret
March 5, 2019 by 1 Comment
By Mark Clevenger Mark Clevenger is the President of Clevenger Associates, a marketing research consultancy specializing in human behavior. Empathy is for practical people The question: “Knowing our customers is important, but isn’t empathy getting into la-la land?” Mangers worry. How can we improve efficiency? Detours are the enemy. Stay focused. Find the quickest path […]
Empathy, Experiences, Stories, Oh My
February 25, 2019 by 1 Comment
Joe is walking down a street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep he can’t get out. A doctor passes by, and Joe shouts up “Hey you! Can you help me out?” Sympathy The doctor writes him a prescription, throws it down the hole, and moves on. Then a priest comes […]
What Now? Designing Action Into Experiences
November 27, 2018 by 3 Comments
Janet stood facing the huge, metal monster. Shaking. In sheer freight. It was just an MRI scan, but fear of the unknown overtook her. She sat shaking on the side of the machine and then lay down. A harrowing experience While she was lying there, still waiting for the procedure to begin, she noticed a […]
We’re Asking The Wrong Question
January 9, 2018 by 3 Comments
Whether we like it or not, our future depends upon the questions we ask. Whether we accept it or not, the wrong question can take us in the wrong direction. Or in an old direction that wanders about and wastes our time and effort and creativity. Alice stood at the crossroads Before her floated the […]
Earning The Right To Be Heard
June 1, 2015 by Leave a Comment
When you really stop to think about it, the brands that enter our lives, and especially purpose-driven brands, are not about messages. The brands and organizations that matter to us are about experiences. Adrift in the sea of indignity That occurred to me last Saturday, as it does every Saturday, while I slouched over a […]
