This morning I felt guilty about Starbucks...

I'll bet you haven't thought about T.S Eliot's "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" in awhile. Okay, maybe ever. But listen to this!

... time yet for a hundred indecisions,
And for a hundred visions and revisions,
Before the taking of a toast and tea.

This morning, standing in line to purchase my $3.52-plus-tip latte, I thought "But we're going to have a recession! No! A DEPRESSION!" but I bought it anyway because it's really good. And I'm really tired and, well, feeling a little negative this morning.

But this is how it begins. Do I dare to eat a peach? (Yeah, Prufrock again.) Day to day, most of us trust the government to be foolish BUT NOT THIS FOOLISH. We trust the markets to not shoot down to negative numbers (hmmm, can that happen?)

And then when we find out we're wrong, we stop buying lattes, we don't travel as much, we don't buy that new house. Bosses don't hire new people, people don't start new businesses... and the economy tanks. Its engine relies on all of us.

So THAT'S why I'm doing my part. Lattes for the sake of the nation.

Please... do your part. Your government lacks the will!

Shall we throw them out?

To all the representatives who voted against the bailout plan... thanks for nothing.

We're watching the market drop now. We know you didn't want your constituents to be angry with you right during - you know - your election campaign. Why? Because you need your job. But your constituents - not all of whom have vast economics knowledge - need their jobs, too, and there's a good chance many of them will lose those jobs during the next year or more.

Here's the roll call for today's vote, so each of us can decide whether our specific elected officials deserve to get on the unemployment lines or toddle back to their seats in Washington.

Meantime, the rest of will redouble our efforts to pay for fuel, put our kids through school and maybe start (once again) saving for retirement.

This is the opinion of a voter, business owner (generally a bit of a free-market capitalist, but I know when to make exceptions), parent, investor, and citizen. And in each of those roles, I am sad, disappointed and, at the moment, disgusted with the House of Representatives. I wish we had heroes. I wish we had good leaders.

"This is the time to remember..."

[caption id="attachment_135" align="alignnone" width="128" caption="Prescient words?"]
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"... because it will not last forever." Billy Joel wasn't singing about the U.S. financial system in that melancholy song. But I'm guessing a few investors and small business owners are biting their nails this morning. We're watching history happen, and the few who rule and get extraordinarily rich hold a big piece of our future in their fingers. As Congress votes on a bailout, voters continue to barrage their elected officials with angry, anxious calls and emails begging them not to reward greedy Wall Street, and not to allow financial CEOs to collect huge golden parachutes as they depart their floundering firms. Many people don't want this bailout, thinking it "rewards Wall Street." So now our elected representatives, who to their credit have been hammering away to create a passable plan, must fear for their jobs if they vote for it.

Our grandchildren will read about this crisis. Will they say that "ordinary Americans" and elected representatives were unable to stomach helping out the fat cats and thus led us to a depression? Will our grandchildren learn that citizens weren't able to understand that when financial institutions crumble, one after one, legions of jobs are lost, retirements are ruined, families can't get loans for homes or college, and we experience a deep recession or even depression - the kind we've all hoped won't happen in our lifetimes?

Or will we face up, pay the piper (sure, with oversight and safeguards in our plan) and start cleaning up the mess created by the financial wizards and Gods of the Universe? I opt for the bailout. Painful as it is.

Flying without radar.

[caption id="attachment_121" align="alignleft" width="103" caption="In business, as in life, not having a clue what you're doing often ends poorly."][/caption]

One of the many lessons one could reasonably take away from the Wall Street/Main Street/Bailout debacle is this: It's dangerous not to understand the intricacies of your work. And if you're a boss, and you don't understand these intricacies, you'd better make sure that the people you rely on are on the same page as you. On Wall Street, risk is the name of the game, of course. To a certain extent, risk is inherent in every business enterprise. But the ambient dangers of any business venture (economic factors, competitive pressures, trends that affect the need for your product or service, and all the rest) are sufficient without piling ignorance on top. In the financial sector, we've seen a rather pervasive degree of ignorance of factors including:

-What happens when virtually incomprehensible mortgage-backed securities behave badly

-Why a housing bubble might just maybe burst someday

-Why the likely "depth to the bottom" is going to be really, really embarrassing. To say the least.

Now, turning our attention away from Wall Street... the last decade has challenged many businesspeople, especially veterans (yeah, that means old people, like, you know, 40). For many of us, changes in technology alone - whether in computer science, medicine, biotech or the like - have meant long evenings of research or, in some cases, toying with the temptation of early retirement (like, you know, at 40). The fact is that, when managing any career that matters, each of us has to keep our radar turned on, our eyes and ears sharp and our focus firmly on understanding the changing business/tech/financial concepts that, let's face it, we are duty-bound to master.

Funny is good.

[caption id="attachment_111" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Minnesota Interactive Marketing Association (MIMA) explores brainstorming at its upcoming conference."][/caption]

Creative brainstorming is a part of what our company does. Oh, it's not as big a part as interns and other neophytes hope, as evidenced by our laughter when a bright-eyed young interviewee offers, "I can give you great ideas." (Actually, we were hoping she or he was a whiz with the postage meter, or perhaps calling to collect late payments.)
But, back to the point. Creative brainstorming is crucial, particularly in cases in which the soul of outreach is ear-catching words, innovative graphics, or some virtually unheard-of new interactive approach.

Getting there is fun. Humor and offbeat ideas are a surprising route to the really, really, great idea. Say we're marketing a new macho product and need a name for it. Generally, someone in our "creative brain trust" ends up laughing so hard his or her stomach hurts, shouting out ridiculousness such as "buzzcut!" or "dude!" until finally, 5,761 completely unusable ideas inspire The Answer.


Our work is serious. Really. But when we want to get to that part of the brain that yields wonderful, original concepts, we need to unleash childlike abandon.

Nice work if you can get it, eh?

The imperial campaign of Sarah Palin.

[caption id="attachment_103" align="alignleft" width="135" caption="Sarah, can we hear you?"][/caption]

You're right if you think I'm picking on Sarah Palin. I don't like her, and I really don't like the idea of her being one breath from the presidency.

You know it's bad when the press threatens not to cover Palin's events at the UN conference because access to her has been so severely limited that journalists are angry and disgusted. Essentially, Palin's handlers are allowing only photo opportunities, no questions.

There are two big problems with this:

One, she's running to be vice president and providing only scripted comments at planned events means that her words come from someone else and that we rarely see how she thinks on her feet... or what she really thinks when left to her own wits.

Two, the reason this is happening is that the McCain campaign doesn't WANT us to see how she thinks... or what she knows... or, perhaps most of all, what she doesn't know.

Limiting the damage.

A new American Research Group poll indicates that zero (yes, that's 0) percent of Americans think the economy is getting better. I suppose the specter of a $700 billion bailout will continue to cast a long shadow on public confidence. There's a good argument, though, for adopting a certain dogged optimism. At the risk of sounding like McCain when he recently said the economy's fundamentals were sound (oops), I've been through enough downturns to know that our economy is a massive machine with great momentum. Further, I think our emotions play a big role, and that "group negativity" deepens and extends periods of economic gloom. For example, as a business owner who works with corporate clients, I remember well that 9/11 was almost immediately followed by a freeze in corporate decision-making and an end to many marketing outreach programs. Why? Fear. Certainly, the economy was already in a tech bust, and 9/11 was terrifying. But I strongly believe that we worsened our situation by, in too many cases, putting the brakes on normal activity. I virtually never think George W. Bush is correct, but when he told Americans to "go out shopping" after the attacks, I reluctantly agreed with the motive behind the message. I didn't want our economy to be yet another victim.

I think we're at another turning point. The financial mess the U.S. and the world have gotten into is bad, of course. However, my firm's clients are still selling a lot of products, I'm still buying groceries and shoes, and, as I look around, I see some people are still buying homes and getting new jobs. Let's keep a sense that we can empower ourselves. Let's also assume that the sky isn't actually falling, just sagging. Let's assume the stock market will lurch back into a positive trend over time. As business people, consumers and human beings, I believe we have the power to keep ourselves moving forward economically - despite it all.

I remember: "It's the economy, stupid."

... Only this time I've started worrying it's me that's stupid... okay, maybe not stupid exactly, but ill-equipped to be an investor in these times. Not that my concern will stop me - My greed (oh, must I call it that?) outweighs my caution when it comes to stocks and mutual funds.

[caption id="attachment_84" align="alignleft" width="116" caption=" Remember poor Mr. Bill from SNL? He's been investing. "Ooooh nooo!""][/caption]

But here's what scares me. Commentators such as Andy Serwer, speaking with Anderson Cooper on CNN, postulate that the market has become so complex, with its derivatives, complex mortgage securities and arcane computer modeling, that even the top people at investment banks and other firms DON'T COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND THE INSTRUMENTS and how they'll work. Kind of like artificial intelligence gone mad... or Frankenstein's monster... Ooooh nooo!

Age 12, creativity unlimited.

Well, it's not just the sun that's brilliant... William Yuan, age 12, from Portland Oregon just invented a revolutionary solar cell (12 year old invents solar cell).

Imagine thinking about solar cells, to this level of detail, at age 12. Imagine following through and inventing a new one. It's one step toward viable use of solar energy. From a seventh grader.

Agility: business, watch the candidates and learn...

It's been nearly impossible to tear my eyes away from the computer as of late, because the news is as engaging as... a train wreck. We have financial giants on their knees begging for federal assistance. Plus candidates wriggling to get into new, advantageous positions vis a vis each day's hot issues.

[caption id="attachment_70" align="alignleft" width="80" caption="Gumby knows how to bend with the times."][/caption]

Well, the candidates take it a little far, and tend to be transparent at times. Since yesterday, McCain and Obama have become deeply, deeply concerned about regulating Wall Street. Also, McCain has shrugged off his "experience matters" overcoat to embrace the clearly untested Palin. Obama is sweating to shed his image as an "elitist" and become dearer to the working folks whose votes he so badly needs.

Sure, it's nauseating to watch. (I said "train wreck", did I not?) At the same time, I think our illustrious candidates have a lesson for Wall Street.

Think fast! Act quickly! Change when conditions demand it. And most of all, stay agile. Sinking behomoths like AIG are simply too massive and sleepy to respond promptly when market conditions demand.

Responsiveness is one area in which smaller businesses, or larger ones with smaller, "independent" units, have the winning edge. Although maintaining more credibility than a politician.... is good too!

Positioning matters in the news, for sure.

Goldman Sachs posted a profit this morning. It was 71 percent lower than the profit for the same quarter last year, to be sure, but it was a profit, in stark contrast to other investment banks who've precipitated the Great Skid on Wall Street.

The AP headline read: Goldman posts worst quarter since going public

Not: Goldman posts lower-than-expected profit

Or: Goldman remains in the black last quarter

The selected AP headline works well to add to the doom and gloom, doesn't it? I'm not advocating being a PollyAnna, but it's smart to keep a wary eye on the news media which, after all, is in the business of selling its wares. Big, exciting and even horrifying headlines sell. But if we care about our economy, perhaps we could position "somewhat bad news that could be a lot worse" as something else than yet another financial disaster.

Thank you, Mr. Greenspan.

It's great to know that Alan Greenspan recognizes a financial crisis when he sees one. Speaking about the mess that began with the collapse of the subprime-mortgage market and that's now highlighted by the demise of Lehman Brothers, the sale of Merrill Lynch and the woes of AIG, he informs us that this is a big one, "probably a once in a century event'', that will likely include the failure of more big financial firms. "There's no question that this is in the process of outstripping anything I've seen, and it is still not resolved," he assures us.

Seems to me that Greenspan should be more than a Monday morning quarterback. Such as... responsible in part for our current problems. Didn't he help inflate the housing bubble by supporting too-low short-term rates  for too long?  Greenspan has said the problem lay not in the loans, but in their repackaging as securities and subsequent sale to investors, but c'mon. Why couldn't he see that the policies that encouraged reckless lending would come to roost somewhere up the Wall Street food chain?

I'm increasingly disappointed in our "experts," from Wall Street to the White House, on the election trail and beyond.

Palin: "Perhaps so." Perhaps NOT.

Sarah Palin stepped boldly into the arena of foreign relations with two stellar displays of readiness for the presidency while talking with interviewer Charles Gibson yesterday:

• Asked if the U.S. should go to war over the Russian incursion into Georgia, Palin said, "Perhaps so."

• Asked what she thought about the Bush doctrine, she was apparently unfamiliar with the term and surely so with the doctrine's bent toward waging preemptive war to prevent potential attacks or related security threats.

[caption id="attachment_47" align="alignleft" width="115" caption="Palin Action Figure! Zowie!"][/caption]

Oh, dear. I think I'll return my new Sarah Palin Action Figure to the store. She looks pretty but she knows almost nothing that would prepare her for said "action."

Steve Forbes says a true thing.

Speaking to The Commonwealth Club of California on August 7, 2008, Steve Forbes talks about his support for a flat income tax. I'm not sure that's such a good idea.



http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=AVtVA48kYYg&feature=user

But he also discusses what has set the U.S. apart - and allowed us to thrive economically - for the past 200 years. He says it's the secret to our future success, too.

Forbes says the U.S. is the world's innovation leader.


I agree with him. It certainly won't be paying low wages leading to low prices that will keep us afloat. It won't be manufacturing plants that resemble ant farms, with workers living, working and buying goods all in the company "village." It certainly won't be blind loyalty to our employing entities.

Just look at your teenage kids, if you have some.


(If you don't have any, why don't you stop reading this stuff and go out dancing? Take a cruise?? Celebrate life!) Okay, back to my point. The American teen is nothing if not recalcitrant. You say it, he or she argues. In the U.S., we nurture independent minds, free-thinkers, video game whizzes, kids who challenge their teachers, and sometimes young adults who will come up with ideas we've barely considered. These kids are tomorrow's innovators. As long as we remain a stubbornly independent, quick-to-question-authority people, we may well continue to lead the world in innovation.

Financial markets sick? Dumb? Diagnosis unknown

It occurs to me that the people who know the most about the financial markets - presumably high-ranking investment/brokerage executives and portfolio managers, Wall Street traders and the like - don't know very much at all.

This is evidenced by the ostrich-like dealings with Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae (how many investment professionals kept stacking layers on that flimsy house of cards? How many mutual funds were still heavily invested during the most recent nose-dive?) It was surely feasible to predict this debacle - several years ago, my own father, a retired physics teacher, saw it coming and completely divested his Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae holdings. But the pros couldn't or wouldn't face reality. Are they so dumb that short-term greed led to the current market crisis?

Or maybe Wall Street is suffering from mental instability. The wild-eyed thinking that fosters rocketing from exhilaration to panic and back (the Dow is up 2.5% one day, down that much the next) tells us that few traders are thinking much beyond that day's news flash.

We "small investors" are frequently advised to sit tight and play for the long term. How come the professionals operate in blind reflex thinking?

Could it be that financial market professionals don't know what in heck the future holds and run scared every day?

That's comforting. And it affects us all.

Yet another reason we love the Web

I spend time in Vermont, and there's something so inspiring about the broad valley and mountain views, the stretches of green... I thought I knew all the reasons for Vermont's beauty, and then I read one of the information center signs the state kindly provides for tourists.

Oh. No billboards.

Vermont, it appears, does not permit these bastions of outdoor advertising.

I've been involved in many a billboard design project, I think billboards can be very effective and I often enjoy reading (okay, critiquing) them. And yet. A mostly rural state without billboards is uninterruptedly beautiful.

Which brings me to my point. The Web is a wonderful thing, because it allows us to communicate and market efficiently, without cluttering the landscape (or your mailbox) and it's even environmentally advantageous by comparison. It won't wipe out billboards, direct mail or newspapers. But the Web looks smarter as a key marketing tool every day.

Here's to green mountains.

Cynical, anyone? The communicator's dilemma.

Sure, I'm way too emotionally involved this election season. But I consider the time and the hand-wringing an investment in my professional tool set, because this year's presidential campaigns are studies in marketing, and very cynical marketing at that.

Which gets me thinking... how on earth can a communicator be believable when she has something "for sale"?

Personally, I look at everything the candidates and their cohorts do through a glass darkly. Picking Sarah Palin as the Republican Vice Presidential nominee? Don't get me started about how cynical THAT was - and I so hope the women of America don't vote for her just because she has XX chromosomes. Obama's growing sympathy for the gun-totin', God fearin' working class? (Didn't he say something about them clinging bitterly to something? Guess hangin' around a few town halls in Pennsylvania wised him up...) Even the small stuff: Cindy McCain holding Sarah Palin's new baby on TV? Awww... but I notice she REALLY doesn't want that kid to barf on her dress. The cynic in me sees only a photo opp, not brilliantly handled.

Trying to learn from the mistakes of political campaigns... okay, so what about marketing products and services? The same problems can arise - it's tough getting a cynical audience to believe anything professional PR people and other communicators say - even when it's absolutely true.

Letting the truth be the point. That will help. The truth looks true. It sounds true. Maybe it's funny, eye-catching or new. The truth doesn't shift message just to be expedient. It doesn't underestimate the intelligence of its audience. It doesn't pull a bait-and-switch.

When you can't say something good and true about the product or service you're selling? No kidding - as a marketer, you should just say no. Save yourself for something worth talking about.

Integrity, over the long term, equals believability. I think it shines through - and that's where my own cynicism ends.

What's the inspiration here?

I've become convinced that the world is spinning into a new era. We're not fussing about "sustainability" and the environment for nothing. Our kids will need incredible skills, not just an education, to get the careers they'll need if they want to live in a house, drive a car and savor the occasional Ben & Jerry's pint. And we don't even need to mention oil prices. Or the roller coaster stock market. Or the U.S. mortgage crisis.

But I don't feel dismal. Not at all. I'm an optimist, so I'm exploring the boundless potential of creative, out-of-the-box thinking to change - well, anything.

My conclusion is this: conventional thinking isn't going to cut it for long. Not for leaders or intellectuals or business people or parents, or...

May I suggest a great movie about creative thinking and quantum physics? (don't be scared; if you know less about physics than I do, I'd be amazed): www.whatthebleep.com

Sarah Palin... do I remember her from a bad dream?

Yikes! Last night, listening to Sarah Palin's national debut, then the pundits' unabashed adulation, I felt ... so alone. Was I the only person in America who was horrified by her mean-spirited, small-minded speech?

Prime example: Palin mocks Obama for advocating that suspected terrorists, when arrested, be read their rights. And the audience agreed! Big time! Loud boos and vehement nodding of their Uncle Sam top hats made it clear that Ben Franklin's statement, "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety" is passe. Ouch.

I'm a marketer and a PR professional, so I should be able to understand how the masses think. Why then, as I heard Palin promoting her "hockey Mom" credentials and direly warning the crowd that this is a "world of threats and dangers" best managed by a man who has been tortured, rather than one who hasn't - why was I so worried that I alone, really alone, think Palin is a horror show?

In the light of today, I've encountered more enlightened individuals, none of them toting rifles or wearing the American flag as a costume, who weren't enthralled by the new candidate. And for that, I am truly grateful.