What's the difference between an insight and an observation?

For the past week I was working on a post about insights vs. observations. Before publishing my draft I did a quick search on the topic only to discover this post from More About Advertising. In all honesty Mr. Simons (no relation to our agency founder) nailed it.


I was sitting in a meeting the other day with an advertising agency in London and one of the agency team said they had a really good ‘insight’. After further discussion it seemed to me it was more of an observation than a flash of inspiration.


It got me thinking a bit more about that particular word because I have seen it used in job descriptions more frequently recently, both on the client and agency side so I thought it was worth a bit of investigation.


My conclusion to date is that the word ‘insight’ is a fad and an over-claim. [READ MORE, CLICK HERE ...]


And one more from Farrah Bostic's Blog PLH (prettylittlehead.)  http://bit.ly/jYjnaw

Get the door please

Joe Louis Arena is preparing for the Detroit Red Wings 21st straight playoff appearance. Here's how we've helped our client dress up the place for the show. The idea was to decorate the Joe doors. All 69 of them. I'll leave the Franzen captions to my readers. Go Wings!

We all learn from "The Boss"

"Rumble, young musicians, rumble. Open your ears, open your hearts. Don’t take yourselves too seriously and take yourself as seriously as death itself. Don’t worry. Worry your ass off. Have iron clad confidence. But doubt! It keeps you awake and alert. Believe you are the baddest ass in town and ... you suck. It keeps you honest. Be able to keep two completely contradictory ideas alive and well in your heart and head at all times. If it does not drive you crazy it will make you strong. Stay hard, stay hungry and stay alive."

— Bruce Springsteen at SXSW in his keynote address. As a leader of a creative company I certainly took this to heart.

NHL Announces 2013 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic is Coming to Michigan!

If you're a hockey fan. If you ever skated on a frozen pond or a backyard ice rink, you know why the NHL was able to call the Winter Classic a "classic" on day one. Should 2012 not be the end of the world then on January 1, 2013 two Original Six rivals are going to play hockey in front of a crowd equal to five straight sell outs at Joe Louis Arena. 


As a member of the Detroit Red Wings family I couldn't be more excited. Move over Rose Bowl, the Big House is in the spotlight on New Year's Day 2013! 

Continuing a TED discussion on "Starting with Why."

 Every agency wrestles with self-positioning. In our case it has revolved around what we do, how we do it, and even for whom (escape brands). Until we got energized about WHY we do what we do. It doesn't start with the almighty dollar! (Or somewhat mightier than the Euro dollar.) 


No, it centers on the fact that for 83 years now clients have TRUSTED us to develop ideas for their business. Ideas we believed would positively impact their brand and business. Sounds simple. But that's what excites us every day. Not awards. Not page views. Not short-lasting false buzz. 


We earn that trust through a straightforward and proven approach we call Listen. Think. Do. 


Thank you to Mr. Sinek and his TED talk for inspiring us and for boosting our confidence in how we present SMZ. As the video says, "the believers will find us." Let's hope!

Sherlock Holmes movie with whole agency

We had a very nice agency event last night. Our social committee arranged dinner and a private screening of the new film, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Guy Ritchie's modern interpretation of Holmes played by Robert Downey Jr. is rapier smart, fearless, and kicks ass. So why this movie for a companywide event? Well it's "elementary" my dear reader!

Cellphone Courtesy at the Table

Sometimes a family meal just looks wrong. I'm not talking about the food. Rather when you look at the table and see everyone holding cellphones and no one talking to each other. Now we have to be magicians to get our smart phones to become "dumb." Enter the phonekerchief. This innovative, service-blocking hanky made with silver fibers effectively blocks incoming calls and texts. "My phone is off for you," it says.


The Phonekerchief fabric is conductive because it is partially made up of silver fibers. When the fabric creates an unbroken enclosure (when it is wrapped tightly around a phone without any gaps), it creates a phenomenon that is known in science as a "Faraday Cage". This means that any external static electrical field, such as a phone signal, will cause the electrical charges within the conducting fabric to redistribute themselves so as to cancel the field's effects on what is inside. In order for the Phonekerchief to work effectively, the fabric must be wrapped tightly around the phone and create an unbroken enclosure.


Napkins at our dinner table just got a bit more interesting ...

Playing with playlists

Consider this an interactive post all started when, during the long (long) drive from Detroit to Florida, my daughter piped up from the back seat, "hey, got any music from this century?" She was right to ask. Between my iPod filled with 70's classics and The Bridge on Sirius/XM we should have been driving in an Olds Custom Cruiser station wagon. In all fairness I did sprinkle in a few current tunes. And our family playlist competition spanned 50 years worth of music. Unfortunately I finished last.


To my mighty throng of readers I ask for one recommended song to add to my music collection. Only rule is that it must have been released in the past two years.


Move over Steely Dan, I can't wait to blast the "new stuff."