Three Million Moments

Let Innovation Fly

Katherine von Jan — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 19:26:24 +0000

Thanks to globalization, and the democratization of, well, just about everything, air travel is simply a way of life today. Our parents grew up dreaming of long distance journeys and the luxury of flight. This generation’s nomadic youth jets around the country like they were going to the mall. And with this new attitude and wanderlust lifestyle comes ripe opportunity to innovate the airline industry. Unfortunately, it’s just not that easy to get up and go.

I’ve been waiting for months for the DOT’s decision to let Virgina America offer service in the US. The news came in early December that the government was not convinced that the airline was truly 75% US citizen owned and operated (the law). Virgin America has responded with additional proof of US ownership, and in January appointed a decidedly American patriot, former Secretary of the Department of Transportation under George Bush Senior, Samuel Skinner to Vice Chairman the VA Board. VA also launched the Let VA Fly website to give anxious would-be Virgin flyers a collective voice to convince the government that their service is a Good thing for the American traveler.

I could imagine some legistlator with a conscience asking, “Do we really need one more air carrier polluting our airways?” It is only a matter of time before people start to realize the impact of the superhighway in the sky on the environment. But this isn’t about one more. It’s about one better, and perhaps a few less. Maybe it is time for a new breed of airlines to replace the legacy airlines (and establishment) that litter our marketplace and airspace.

If you look at traveler ratings of airlines, companies like JetBlue consistently make the top of the list with 4 or 5 stars (ok, despite their own embarrassing hiccup last month). Companies like Delta, US Airways, United and American Air all fall in the mediocre range with a barely respectable 3 stars. Some of these have even been riddled with bankruptcy, yet we protect them under Chapter 11, and give them another chance to dig themselves from the dredges. Can we really expect the kind of complete reinvention it would take for them to create a superior journey experience? I am sorry for Delta that Song didn’t make it. But I have even less hope that Delta will really integrate the best that Song had to offer on its nationwide service.

I am sure the airline business is complicated. But what we can guess from their website is that the Virgin America difference is passion for reinvention, or actually, passion itself. They challenge the old rules and refuse to be complacent or indifferent. We travelers need a player like Virgin to change the game from operations to experience to customer relationships (including creating different, better words for describing these things and inventing the travel business language of the future.)

The travel experience begins the moment we dream of being with distant family, or realize it would be better to work with a colleague sitting at the same table versus a virtual one, or fantasize about salty margaritas in sweet tropical breezes. I am not sure the American traveler has found a partner to be there from those moments of inspiration all the way through to their gleeful sharing of vacation photos on flickr, or receiving their expense checks in the their bank accounts. Until this country has an airline that really understands life’s journey, I vote for more airlines. And quite frankly, pull the life support on the airlines that were once innovators and today just business as usual.

It is simple. Let VA fly, and let travelers decide.

That pesty persistence

Katherine von Jan — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 03:54:34 +0000

I have a hate-hate relationship with my T-Mobile Dash phone. I bought the phone a couple months ago, which was replaced with a brand new Dash by the company last month due to the “known issue” with the volume touch strip. The customer service folks are always lovely, patient and very validating when I call. I have to give them a lot of credit for what would seem to be a fairly good method for talking people off the ledge, and saving many a phone from flying through a window, followed by a healthy trampling accompanied by deep, diaphragm-bellowing screams that voice instructors and life coaches everywhere would be proud of.

Today, I called to report that my Dash volume touch strip was functioning on its own again, and I was seeking a replacement of any other kind. “Just not a Dash.” The admittedly troubled customer service rep insisted that she could not do anything other than send me yet another Dash. “This time it will work.”

I was calm. “But you (T-Mobile) told me it would work the last time you sent me a replacement.” Long silence. “Didn’t you just tell me that this is a known issue with the Dash?” In my moment of desperation I pleaded, “I just need a phone that will let me make and receive phone calls… is that too much to ask?”

We went in circles until I asked to speak with the Supervisor on duty. Actually, we went in a few more circles after she claimed the Supervisor would not have any better solution. Then I explained that I am wasting a Saturday afternoon away from my family to try to resolve this issue, and I would be better off switching my service, telling all my friends about the abominable device (that the original T-Mobile Sales Rep insisted was the best on the market) and creating a little web PR nightmare against T-Mobile (yes, tmobilesucks.com was already snatched up by T-Mobile themselves, but I could think of something). I asked to speak to the Supervisor again. I was put on hold for about 2 minutes, and when my customer support friend came back, she was authorized to give me the newest, top-of-the-line Blackberry 8700g. She asked if that would be ok. Sigh of relief. “Yes. That will do. Thank you.” Phew, phone and email.

I am happy with the results, but I feel so emotionally drained. I was being ripped off, and I got a great resolution. Persistence paid off. But why should it have to be that hard to just be Good? If the company knows they were selling a lemon of a product (already discontinued), why not do what the car companies do and offer a recall? Think how much more time I could have spent actually talking on the phone and burning away those minutes?

I have been a loyal T-Mobile customer and friend since they were Voice Stream. I will stay, and give them another chance. But I have to admit, our relationship has been tarnished a bit. This wasn’t just about getting a new phone. It was about respecting my needs and lifestyle. A highly mobile, connected lifestyle. It is about work, about family, about life. I just wonder if they really got it.

Persistence clearly works today to get resolution, but is that the best we can do? In our immediate gratification, instant, pervasive access culture, is persistence culturally relevant? No one expects absolute perfection today. But appreciation and understanding go a long way. Wouldn’t we all feel better about the companies we did business with if they were more proactive, more thoughtful, more in-tune with us to provide us the right solutions at the right time? If we didn’t have to argue or ‘persist’ to get what we really expect from our brands: a friend.

God bless your mess

Katherine von Jan — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 18:00:42 +0000

Chaos, disorder, your own personal little mess. Once the evil devices of Satan, today Columbia University professor Eric Abrahamson and co-author David H. Freeman are bringing you some Good News. In A Perfect Mess, the authors maintain that a little mess is actually a good thing, and a lot of order is a bad thing. Chris Norris interviewed Abrahamson in Mess Up Your Life in a recent New York Magazine devoted to understanding Inner Peace from a New Yorker’s perspective.

The idea is not that we should all be extremely messy, but that there is such a thing as “optimally messy”. This is a huge relief for all of us who have already abandoned the idea that we can ever have everything perfectly in order in the first place. These authors are validating what we already experience everyday. That despite our streamlined, IKEA clad homes and the advent of master organizers like the Container Store, we are learning to accept things being a little out of place.

You might even say (in the spirit of Wabi-Sabi design) a little imperfection may be the future of perfection. And that value of absolute order is evolving to embrace the natural balance of chaos and order in our lives, rather than fighting it.

Much of the structure we have today is simply legacy from a time when we desired a perfectly ordered construct (think 1950’s). The idea that things can and should be orderly. How long has it taken for the media industry to take citizen journalism via blog, vlogs and wikis seriously? On the surface, the mess of all those opinions fly in the face of the tradition of journalism. And the blogosphere of content may may appear to be unnecessary, undesireable chaos. But the culture has voted as seen by the vanishing newspaper, rejecting traditional formulas and single voice of authority. The culture is hungry to discover prescious knowledge and insight from that mess.

Perhaps living with a bit of mess means living with the idea that we don’t know everything, we don’t know what the ultimate order is or should be, and that we can appreciate the process and spontaneous creative benefit from our messes, whatever our messes might be.

Yes, you are a super star (and so is everyone else)

Katherine von Jan — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 20:49:25 +0000

Get the sense that what you have to say matters? That it matters more than ever and your actual being is a stake? What about your neighbor? Does what they have to say matter… to them? What about your virtual neighbor from another distant time zone?

The World Values Survey Association is a network of social scientists studying the evolving values and beliefs across 80 countries on 6 inhabited continents. Among their findings is the Ingelhart-Wezel Cultural Map of the World and a quick and dirty 20 page powerpoint presentation (unfortunately, no direct links, but you can find these and more on the WVS website). The net net of which is that despite wherever one culture falls today on the clever 2×2 culture map (from traditional to secular-rational values and from survival values to self-expression), all cultures have moved from being more traditional and community-dependent, valuing ‘constraint’ to being more secular-rational and individually-confident, and valuing ‘choice’.

The authors contend that the growing emphasis on choice and self expression around the globe stems from economic, intellectual and social prosperity. More material wealth means more independence in consumption. Increased access to information and knowledge creates independence of mind. And as barriers between people dwindle and social networks open access to endless relationships, we gain independence from old, limited means of connectedness via geographical proximity or familial status. All of these things result in people acting more independently, demanding more choice, and with more choice they gain more ability and desire to self-actualize.

Chip Conley, founder of Joie de Vivre Hotels and author of “Rebel Rules: Daring to be Yourself in Business” and “Marketing that Matters”, is launching his third book “Peak: How Great Companies get their Mojo From Maslow” in September. Chip is an inspiration and a messenger from the future. To quote Chip quoting Abraham Maslow, “What man can be, he must be.” Conley’s book provides cultural insight into a modern workforce that is in the midst of self-actualization; one that demands respect and is seeking a way to create a meaningful life on this planet for themselves, through work (Chip also provides experience and guidance to other leaders who are committed to valuing the self-actualized worker and their needs). Our colleagues at the WVS are discovering and validating this modern social shift on a global scale. And Maslow, after all this time is more relevant than ever before.

As successful mavericks like Conley help today executives learn to adapt and create environments that honor people’s self-actualization and choice, they usher in a new age of collective individualism. By collective individualism I mean a genuine appreciation of (and trust of) the individual in the context of society at large. And as opposed to the 1980’s style, ‘everyone out for themselves’, power-driven belief-system this is a more mature belief system that honors our connectivity, our value to one another, to ultimately reveal and nurture one’s own individual capacity and value.

This is not to say that we will all share the same likes, dislikes, tendencies, attitudes and behaviors. But it is to say we will honor that we each have a right to decide and live these things for ourselves, co-exist, and mutually benefit. The WVS concludes that the shift toward self-expression creates a stronger desire for democracy, and at the same time leaves people more critical of democracy’s performance (let’s call it the paradox of democracy). The result is a democracy that protects all of our collective individual rights, and creates a pedestal for every individual; ultimately a globe of people on pedestals. Sort of like a massive, pervasive reality TV show.

It may not be anything new for you to feel like a confident, self-expressive individual seeking a meaningful life. But what may be new is the awareness that this is indeed a global, cross-cultural phenomenon. And you are not, by any means, the only super star in the room. How can you better love your own super star within… and the one you’re sitting next to at the same time?

From the Family Dinner to Family Disco

Katherine von Jan — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 20:52:54 +0000

For all those Gen X moms and dads, there is hope beyond a few hours of blinking and buzzing Chuck E. Cheese style. Now there is something for parents and kids to truly enjoy together and get some exercise. Baby Loves Disco takes over Club Element in Manhattan’s LES March 10th. It’s an afternoon dance party with real music spun by real DJs. As a matter of fact, Baby Loves Disco is taking over one night-club at a time, all across the country, providing a little special “we” time that excludes the likes of Barney and Teletubbies.

There is an interesting shift in parenting happening, and at it’s root is a deep passion for spending time with your children, sharing activities and experiences. Moms and dads are prioritizing time with their children. They aren’t leaving them at home while they take vacations, they take them with them. They get home by 6PM so they can feed and bath them, and put them to bed themselves, even if it means working a few hours later to catch up. Child-rearing is not an obligation, it is a joy.

Let’s be clear, it’s not about mom and dad giving up part of themselves to accommodate some societal idea of what they should do. In fact, if you tried to tell them what they should do they wouldn’t listen. No, mom and dad are very self-aware and are fulfilling themselves in a multitude of ways. One very important way is by sharing their lives with their kids. Discovering something about themselves through the process. Mom and Dad are taking care of themselves by taking care of their kids. Giving to themselves.

The family dinner is just one way they are sharing time together, but their are thousands of opportunities ripe for innovation that would provide more “we time” for families. Places like the Tea Lounge in Brooklyn hit the parent-child-we-time-sweet-spot (I happen to be working from Tea Lounge as I am writing this). It’s a menagerie of Apple and non-Apple (PC) users, Maclarens and Bugaboos, serenaded by coos, and yes cries (no, my daughter is not here with me right now, but I still enjoy the family vibe). Tea Lounge is a free wireless hotspot-family-friendly-entertainment-eatery, complete with children’s concerts on weekdays and movies in the evening. It’s really not about the food (as much as I love the decadent Fluffer-nutters and all shade grown, organic, fair trade coffee at fraction of the Starbucks price). It’s about the community. It’s about a place where kids and grown-ups not only co-exist, they commingle.

Today’s kids are growing up in what seems to be child-friendly, adult-friendly environments with child-friendly, adult-friendly activities. If that is the case, are they growing up to soon? Are adults just trying to recapture the feeling of their own childhood? Or are we creating something highly inclusive that allows the best of both worlds with the support of our communities and loved ones.

Diamond in the Rough

Katherine von Jan — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 19:39:40 +0000

If blood diamonds are red, than good diamonds are green. Russell Simmons is using his voice and fashion company to support D.E.F.TM the Diamond Empowerment Fund, a group dedicated to developing black leadership in Africa. Among other things, the group teaches locals how to clean and cut diamonds, in the hopes of keeping the industry within the continent and empowering the next generation of Black African diamond executives.

Simmons challenges the diamond industry to be a leader in Black empowerment, and rather than boycotting an industry, his solution is to create a jewelry called the Green Initiative. Twenty-five percent of all proceeds support D.E.F.TM. You might have even spied Forest Whitaker dawning one of the pieces as he accepted his Oscar last month (the stunning piece featured an ueber-trendy uncut, unpolished diamond sans sparkle).

The Green Initiative and D.E.F.TM acknowledge the value of Africa’s natural resources as a vital part of the solution for changing the situation for the better. It mirrors the UN’s Oil-for-Food program, however functions as a commercial effort, counting on consumerism to fuel change and provide education and opportunity for the poverty-stricken society.

A Green Home is a Good Home

Katherine von Jan — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 03:15:47 +0000

For the first time in about 2 years, we (actually, my lovely husband) cleaned the bathroom with those funny, happy scrubby bubbles. We wanted to use up the last few sprays and finally rid ourselves of the rusty tin aerosol cans quarentined in the deep and distant darkness of a childproof closet. I secretly felt decadent about using the ‘good’ old faithful chemicals I grew up with. I anticipated the real smell of clean, the chemical peel of dirt and grime and germs. Somehow, I thought, my bathroom will sparkle and “shine like the top of the Chrysler building” (thank you for the reference Charles Strouse). I know the chemicals are hazardous, and I avoided them during pregnancy, and since my daughter arrived. But now, a veteran mom, I thought, how indulgent to use my forbidden formaldehyde friends. Not only is it frugal, and my duty to finish the old reserves, but every now and then it must be “good” for our family to completely kill every possible micro-life form infecting our habitat.

What I didn’t anticipate was the nauseating smell that forced us all out of our home for a good three hours. And then we had to leave the bathroom window open overnight, in sub-freezing temperatures to defeat the horrific odor. I felt so dirty, so unhealthy. So bad. So guilty. And so reaffirmed that I am in the right relationship, with today’s mom’s new best friends: organic, natural, non-hazardous household cleaners.

This isn’t about me. I am not alone. And for all you nay-sayers out there, the non-toxic cleaning products such as Seventh Generation and BabyGanics are as effective as the toxic ones. Read New York Times article Soap Scum Challenge.

Actually, it seems incredible to me, that we are even talking about toxic chemicals in the home. (And frightening that some marketers are still creating products like the Scrubbing Bubbles Automatic Shower Cleaner. They seemed to catch mom’s need for convenience and time-saving solutions, but missed the sustainable-planet and holistic wellness trend. The New York Time’s Marcelle Fischer writes in A Safe Home that “Dusting, mopping and scrubbing with natural dirt-busters is going mainstream.” And that, “Some schools, hospitals and government agencies are replacing chemical-based cleaning agents with natural alternatives.” It is only a matter of time before legislation such as the Kids Safe Chemical Act passes, and marketers are pressed not only from moms and dads, but ultimately from the government, to rethink how their products will fit into our lives and our homes of the future.

The Corporate Social Responsibility Myth

Katherine von Jan — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 16:46:43 +0000

CSR. I’ve heard anecdotally (please someone with some real stats respond) that this year US corporations will spend $1 Trillion collectively on CSR programs. And why are we doing it? Tax deductions? Nah, it’s supposed to make us feel good. And at the end of the day, our best intentions are that it will actually do good.

The problem is, today people just don’t buy it. They don’t trust that corporations really care, and see CSR as a manipulative ploy to earn their spending dollars. Or so found the DDB Brand Integrity Group in their recent trust survey on CSR. Read more about it on the Cause Marketing Forum. They cited three reasons your CSR efforts may be perceived a myth, and tips for successfully creating and communicating effective CSR programs.

First, “respondents cited insincerity with first-party seals of approval, and rejected campaigns that lacked specificity and transparency.” People today have an appetite for more intimacy, and need to know more to establish trust. Don’t just share more detail, but involve your market in the campaign. Create opportunities to let customers be part of your giving, so that they know first hand that your giving is real. Whether or not they actually get involved, they will appreciate your effort to include them.

Secondly, “respondents did not find donation-with-purchase programs compelling.” CSR isn’t only about giving donations, or sharing part of your proceeds. There are other more meaningful ways to give including training, operational support and time. Focus on real tangible involvement, rather than a tax-deductible line item on a spreadsheet. Be authentic about who you are, and what you are supporting and how. Align your corporate cause with your company’s DNA.

Thirdly, “partnerships between corporations and nonprofits were often seen as self-serving efforts.” Self-serving doesn’t have to be a bad thing. As long as in serving yourself, you are also serving the greater good. (That means, you can’t serve greasy burgers and fries on one hand, and support charities fighting childhood obesity on the other.) You have to be ‘good’ in all aspects of business. Be courageous and align your company’s mission and operations to provide truly ‘good’ solutions. Rather than create another CSR myth, leave a real legacy to be proud of.

Take a Good Bite

Katherine von Jan — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 15:54:05 +0000

Did you know that if just 10,000 people gave up eating beef once a week, they would save 1.5 BILLION gallons of water usage, and would stop more than 60,000 pounds of fertilizer from being released into the water table? Did you know that cocoa has twice as many antioxidants as red wine, and three times as many as green tea? Did you also know that non-organic cocoa is second only to cotton for the most pesticides used on the crop?

Ideal Bite is serving up delicious tips and tid bits for creating a sustainable planet through simple, small actions we can take every day. They provide easily digestible information that can directly impact your buying decisions and change your habits.

NBC Reported that 85% of the site’s 65,000+ members are women, the ideal target for marketers, particularly in this case, educated 30-44 year olds motivated to save the planet for their children.

Cause Marketing Forum reported, “These ‘new environmentalists’ are not wearing Birkenstocks, and they are not living in yurts. But they are consuming with a conscience. They are guided by their values and vote with their dollars. This is a $230B US marketplace, representing one out of every four Americans. The time is ripe for creating a more sustainable world through simple changes that add up, and send a message to companies from the bottom, up.” (Jen Boulden, cofounder and director of public relations and marketing for Ideal Bite.)

Slinging Stones at the Fashion Industry

Katherine von Jan — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 22:13:26 +0000

Sling & Stones jeans are made from organic free-trade materials (including actual gold thread) and leading-edge, earth-friendly sustainable and ethical manufacturing and delivery processes. And a portion of all sales is contributed to one or more of several good causes. In this case, doing good and feeling good converge for $350. If today’s luxury is tomorrow’s mainstream, expect to see more customer consciousness, and the H&Ms of the world scrambling for their own opportunity to do good.