1- “Big problems don’t require big solutions. ” In fact “big behavioral change can occur through small actions”.

2- “In his book ‘Little Bets‘, Peter Sims talks about how great companies stumble upon  greatness. It comes from experimentation and learning from placing little bets rather than ponderously trying to birth perfection.”

3- Build long ideas. The long idea is a brilliant thought first articulated (I think) by Jon Williams of Grey.  It’s a better objective than the big idea. They’re created by a stream of small ideas. It creates participation and realizes that the launch of the campaign is, in reality, the beginning.”

4- ”It’s about making communication products, not communicating a product”

His series of posts can be found on his blog (http://garethkay.typepad.com) with the first one being: Think Small, dated May 13th. Enjoy; they’re well worth the read and in my mind do a pretty awesome job at challenging the notion that only big ideas can win big.

Did your last marketing solution take cultural momentum into account? In simpler terms, did you ponder the fact that the ecosystem in which consumers live (and in which your ‘solution’ will be delivered) may change significantly mere months down the line?

If you think about that the next time you are trying to ‘connect’ with consumers, you’ll probably end up doing things differently!

Such airy statements prove that most people really haven’t understood the essence of the viral video. So, let’s make this clear once and for all: your video isn’t viral just because it’s shaky, poorly lit and cheaply produced. In fact, viral videos aren’t something you can make! You can only beg for them to happen. The term defines not the content, but rather how its spreads. Here’s the point: your video will only be viral if it connects with people in truly relevant and meaningful ways. Just start focusing on producing content that people can truly relate to and one day, your stuff will maybe go viral. Until then, take Faris Yakob’s (chief innovation officer at MDC partners) advice and stop using the term. Few people have expressed this idea more clearly than he has. So here you are. In Faris’s own words:

“Let’s all agree to stop using the word viral. It’s an unhelpful metaphor that is confusing us. Viral is a thing that happens, not a thing that is. There is no such thing as “a viral.” The metaphor suggests something is self-propagating, when what we actually mean is that lots of people are choosing to spread it around, for their own reasons. Focusing on what those reasons are is going to be a lot more helpful.” - Faris Yakob (@Faris)

Some of my favorites (featured below) include: Dulux’s let’s colour project which I blogged about a while back (produced by Euro RSCG) as well as Chrysler’s Born of Fire (by Wieden+ Kennedy). I encourage you to check to other ones out as well. Enjoy!

Stella Artois brings a largely residual advertising medium back to life in this stunning short documentary about wall painted advertisements. All while beautifully capturing the emotions and perspectives of a shrinking group of skilled painters that continuously struggle to keep their trade alive, Stella Artois exposes a largely unsung side of advertising.

It is mesmerizing to think of how quick we have forgotten about a medium, that no so long ago, was an industry standard! Although this form of advertising is virtually obsolete, I think that it can connect with consumers in a highly relevant way, as they will tend to recognize & appreciate its artistic merits, rather than see it as a mass-produced commercial message of limited value. At the end of the day this medium also serves as a valuable reminder that advertising is an art in itself! Enjoy the video and let me know what you think! Can such a medium still be used successfully in this day and age? Is it of any value to the industry? What is your take on the subject?