This morning when going to a wifi café I turned on my computer as usual. But it was something strange going on. Every move I took was watched by the other geeks at the café; they were studying every move I did. How I open the laptop, how I search for the power button and how I tapped on keyboard. I recognized it from marshal art – when the masters are showing of their moves to establish their level of mastering their art. This morning was for me my first Geek marshal art class but not the last.

Many concepts have often been so developed that they have lost its rots, and are not connected to what the corporations really are good at. I am a fan of Bollywood and sadly I have to say that they did exactly that (getting lost in the space of developing with no direction). But yesterday I watched the latest movie Rab ne banayi jodi with my favorite actor Shahrukh Khan (he is nr 1 in Bollywood). It was like watching a movie from the 1970 with a modern touch. Don’t think all people like it but in a world of terror and bad news I guess most people demand some romantic view of live from Bollywood (even if its innovation going backwards).

Did here about the latest innovation in how thief’s steel cars, so watch out when Christmas shopping. This is how it works: You leave the mall, open your car and then when you back out of the parking you see that someone has put adverting on your back window, you open the door and go out and remove it (so you can have an clear view out of the window – and also see what it is). Then the car thief jumps in to your car and drive away.

How say advertising don’t are effective anymore? It would be effective if it were advertising for car insurance (but an bit cynical).

The latest innovation on steeling cars is as always based on that today’s cars are too hard to steel if the owner is not there and open it (the lock technology is to good). So what could be getter than having the owner start the car, back it out and leave the car? Valet parking?

 Merry Christmas

 and Happy 2009

Have you ever seen a marketing association acting as Charlie’s Angels?

Don’t think so, but see this video and you will see how the Belgian Direct Marketing Association are kicking and moving marketing to a hole new level (it is not actors doing so but the people working at BDMA).

Most men think Internet is provided by connected testicles and not by servers around the world. Well, my point here is not based on male exception like me and maybe you. For many years I been researching and trying to understand why women are so much better than men in socializing with each other. The effect of their superior socializing is that they will rule Internet or already does so, when it comes to social media and using Internet to ad value in life (not computer codes). My theory is this: It is all about survival instinct. That’s why women tell each other much more about good news than men. Why? Because men think good news is for them only (they gain, are the winners etc). Woman are not as physical strong in general as men so they have to be smarter with what they gain so they share the information. This information adds value to all of them to feel good and it will make them survive, if something is happening they can share the value of their gain. In other words women build tribes for survival online to secure their DNA for the future. Social media is nothing else than a survival sport for woman that makes them rule Internet. If men don’t understand women offline they won’t get in online. But one thing is for clear and that is that Internet is not in any way controlled or provided by testicles.

Yesterday was the last day of Eurobest, it was nothing else than an success. Over entries into broke all previous records with a total of 5,896 entries from 680 companies in 38 countries. The best of the best has chosen the winners and you only have to click on www.Eurobest.com to learn how to be a winner yourself. The last day seminar and al the content this days has been really good, I will get back to it later on this blog, today we congratulate the winners and I hope you are one of them next year.

I could only stay half the day at Eurobest seminar today (did hold an lecture my self at anther place). The day did start of with what I would say was the most intellectual speaker for the day, Julian Wade, Design Director, 180 Amsterdam. This agency is really interesting. The level of work they do is impressive (not al are world-class but few agencies has so many word-class cases to show off with). Julian did point out that working together with a common goal is the key to create success for brands today. More ore less did al the speakers today talk about the point in stop fighting about how owns the client and the ”big idea.” He did mention that today’s brands need soul and I could see that they for the Adidas campaign had a lot of soul but for the BMW did not (in my opinion). Think he was meaning that soul keeps it real. Sometimes it was more conceptual communication art than advertising like for the Amstel (but that can create a lots of emotional buzz). I think today’s advertising is develops around finding “profiled touch points” and agencies as 180 Amsterdam is damn good in finding them. Julian did deliver one-liners as: “Be ready for a new world, because it is a new world.” I guess Adidas was ready for that new world and nothing else.

Watch this Adidas commercial, – Impossible is nothing. It is building on going from nothing to what you can create in your life. Created by 180 Amsterdam.

Did also go to the workshop: Creative Social. Basically the workshop was about how to bring advertising into social media. There was a lot of digital talent and ambitions. Sadly this talented people were lacking the business dimensions of why and how social media builds bottom line for clients. But they will learn does steps when clients demand more out of social media. MySpace.com did show a lot of good dimensions of how to tap into social media (I do hope they stop to develop what they are doing, so I don’t need to update the books I am writing on…).

My one lecture and workshop today was full of soul, it was real (not smiling faces only – but real discussion about being real for doing business in the future as well as today). Thanks for being real (you know how you are).

Today was the Eurobest seminar start. There where more to cover than two eyes could cover, but sense I was there here are some of the best Eurobest think I did see and learn today. Advertising is moving and developing into entertainment. Why? Because of the world need positive message in hard times. After terror, nature collapse in the advertising community offering happiness online and offline.

Advertising is moving its business into Internet. Why? Agencies see that they don’t need to buy expensive media (like television and print), instead they can spend money on getting consumers to pull the brand out into the world wide web. This is the reason for why so many brands create their own media channels ore platform so they can talk directly with consumers (in an dialogue). A good example is The Absolut World. What ever I do in life I love to meet talent, and this world-class seminars are full of talented people from around the world, here is what Alix Pennycuick, Creative Director, Draftfcb did say about the above to me: “You have to reward people to play with the brand.”

It was rewarded to talk and listen to Alix. Another speakers Jesper Andréasson from Absolut Vodka did say: We don’t want to be a fat and happy cat, we want to young and hungry. That sounds good but they are today develop into a bit an Absolut Stiff Brand Today – and stiff is as bad as fat (in both cases you lose your edge as a brand).

Best speaker of the day was: Jonathan Mildenhall, Vice President Global Marketing Strategy and Creative Communications, Coca-Cola. He pointed out that he likes to buy creativity from the best and it doesn’t need to be a big agency. Lukas Dohle, Global Interactive Campaign Manager, Volvo Car Corporation. Gave use a good picture of what’s behind the brand and how to drive successfully with online advertising. Apple did point out: ”we live in a digital world.” But Nicke Bergström from Farfar did show how to rule in that world with creative advertising. Farfar is the home of world-class talented people. I did ask Nicke how they get al this talented people to join their agency. The short version of his answer: We work with open doors for talent and we have fun when working together with clients we like to work with. And off course winning some awards as Eurobest do help to attract talent.

Next week are many of the best in the advertising world in Stockholm. The reason why they are coming to Sweden is Eurobest are coming to town. If you can make it I recommend that you don’t miss the three-day seminar with speakers from Farfar, Coca-Cola, Apple and Great Works etc. I will report from the seminars from this blogg. Why, to become one of the best is simple to learn from the best. Thanks to Pia Grahn Brikell and college at The Advertising Association of Sweden for bringing Eurobest to Sweden. Pia is the CEO of that organization and also a blogger, check out Pia´s blogg (in Swedish).