http://my.barackobama.com/page/s/commitaugust

Last week was our Summer Service Day at DeVries (my company) we spent the day with 10th graders studying science at the museum of natural history - overall it was a great day and looking forward to doing it again - this is one of the animals we were looking for in our scavenger hunt!

One of my favorite places to stir up some ideas is Trendwatching.com. They consistently bring thoughtful and actionable insights to the planning mind and I recommend their latest report on Innovation. One of my favorite subjects!

Yes, we all agree that innovation is the only way out of the current mess that both mature and not-so-mature consumer societies find themselves in. We’re talking basically anything that will get consumers spending again, and preferably the kind of spending that involves sustainable goods, services and experiences. Since everyone from Seth Godin to the Harvard Business Review is providing you with excellent, inspiring insights and theory on innovation as a mindset, a process, a way of life, we'd like to contribute to the conversation with examples of actual innovations. As we see it:

Our Friend Debbie Weil shares with us, the latest viral idea spreading across the world in the form of a Rave? World Wide Rave is a new book by David Meerman Scott that focuses on how to create something with true viral legs, something that people want to spread far and wide, without any incentive.

A World Wide Rave is when people around the world are talking about you, your company, and your products. Whether you’re located in San Francisco, Dubai, or Reykjavík, it’s when global communities eagerly link to your stuff on the Web. It’s when online buzz drives buyers to your virtual doorstep. And it’s when tons of fans visit your Web site and your blog because they genuinely want to be there.

Taking a page directly from Where the Hell is Matt?, Meerman attempts to rebrand the term viral marketing due to all of the negatives now associated with that term.

Because the term "viral marketing" has taken on dirty and sleazy connotations by many organizations causing marketers and executives to become increasingly skeptical, I've started using the phrase "World Wide Rave" instead. I want to draw a clear distinction between the amazing ways that millions of people spread ideas and share stories online and the bogus crap that people are resorting to. According to The IPA one particular clause in the Regulations will make the following activities a criminal offence: - Seeding positive messages about a brand in a blog without making it clear that the message has been created by, or on behalf of, the brand. - Using "buzz marketing" specialists to communicate with potential consumers in social situations without disclosing that they are acting as brand ambassadors. - Seeding viral ads on the internet in a manner that implies you are a simple member of the public.

Attend the Book Opening Event

From our friends over at Trendwatching.com comes their March monthly trend report. This month doubles up on "greening" our world now despite these uncertain economic times - because - we really don't have a choice.

“ECO-BOUNTY refers to the numerous opportunities, both short and long term, for brands that participate in the epic quest for a sustainable society. Some of these opportunities exist despite the current recession, others are fueled by it, not in the least because of new rules and regulations. Downturn-obsessed brands who lose their eco-focus will find themselves left out in the cold when the global economy starts recovering."

"TRANSUMERS are consumers driven by experiences instead of the ‘fixed’, by entertainment, by discovery, by fighting boredom. They increasingly live a transient lifestyle, freeing themselves from the hassles of permanent ownership and possessions. The fixed is replaced by an obsession with the here and now, an ever-shorter satisfaction span, and a lust to collect as many experiences and stories as possible. Hey, the past is, well, over, and the future is uncertain, so all that remains is the present, living for the now. "

Our good friend Bethany Koby latest project for the Saint Etienne Biennial. She collaborated with John Thackara and the architecture collective exyzt to create a sustainable village in an old gun warehouse full of permaculture, fish farming, discussion spaces, a library, dry toilets and a "tool" shed of ideas. It looks like a fabulous project and I wish that I could have come over to London to see it but the photos will have to do!!

Congrats Bethany! See all photos here.

When was the last time you really listened?

"For almost three decades, John Francis has been a planetwalker, traveling the globe by foot and sail with a message of environmental respect and responsibility (for 17 of those years without speaking). A funny, thoughtful talk with occasional banjo."

Trendwatching brings us their monthly "goodie bag" of delicious trends to consume and devour. This month.... juicy "PERK" trends. Building off of their past report on status stories this one should definitely spark some creative ideas.

"PERKONOMICS: A new breed of perks and privileges, added to brands' regular offerings, is satisfying consumers ever-growing desire for novel forms of status and/or convenience, across all industries. The benefits for brands are equally promising: from escaping commoditization, to showing empathy in turbulent times. One to have firmly on your radar in 2009." "But as we move towards a consumer society that's based more on experiences, on status stories, on the ephemeral and in which, for many, time is now the only true scarcity expect perks and privileges to become an integral part of every B2C industry and sector."

The 2008 SustainLane U.S. City Rankings (2006 Rankings in Parentheses): 1) Portland (1) 2) San Francisco (2) 3) Seattle (3) 4) Chicago (4) 5) New York (6) 6) Boston (7) 7) Minneapolis (10) 8. Philadelphia (8) 9) Oakland (5) 10) Baltimore (11) 11) Denver (9) 12) Milwaukee (16) 13) Austin (14) 14) Sacramento (13) 15) Washington (12) 16) Cleveland (28) 17) Honolulu (15) 18) Albuquerque (19) 19) Atlanta (38) 20) Kansas City (18) 21) San Jose (23) 22) Tucson (20) 23) Jacksonville (36) 24) Dallas (24) 25) Omaha (37) 26) San Diego (17) 27) New Orleans (32) 28) Los Angeles (25) 29) Louisville (35) 30) Columbus (50) 31) Detroit (43) 32) Phoenix (22) 33) San Antonio (21) 34) Miami (29) 35) Charlotte (34) 36) Houston (39) 37) Fresno (37) 38) El Paso (31) 39) Fort Worth (46) 40) Nashville (42) 41) Arlington (41) 42) Long Beach (30) 43) Colorado Springs (26) 44) Indianapolis (45) 45) Virginia Beach (48) 46) Memphis (43) 47) Las Vegas (27) 48) Tulsa (40) 49) Oklahoma City (49) 50) Mesa (47)source:treehugger.com

TOMS Shoes is doing something that would make any company proud. For every pair of TOMS shoes you buy, they give a pair of shoes to shoeless children in third-world countries. This is a HUGE move and it comes from a very genuine place. Consumer Evangelism at it's best. A one for one ratio that stands out among the crowd and makes you feel good. These 10% deals that go on out there, "Buy our product and 10% goes to Sally Struthers" isn't cutting it. It is good to see people raising the bar to a level that actual means something to the people on the other end. They receive plenty of Word-of-Mouth marketing, sell lots of shoes (we hope) and feel great about coming into work eveyday. I wonder if they have my size? via: Brand Autopsy