Daydream Away

Got a tough problem to solve? Try daydreaming.

Contrary to the notion that daydreaming is a sign of laziness, letting the mind wander can actually let the parts of the brain associated with problem-solving become active, according to Kalina Christoff of the University of British Columbia in Canada in a story for MSNBC.

Until the results of the study, scientists had thought that the brain's "default network," which is linked to easy, routine mental activity, was the only part of the brain that remains active when the mind wanders. But in the study subjects, the brain's "executive network" — associated with high-level, complex problem-solving — also lit up.

The less subjects were aware that their mind was wandering, the more both networks were activated.

"This study shows our brains are very active when we daydream — much more active than when we focus on routine tasks," Christoff said.

What's the takeaway for marketers?

Marketing, advertising, PR and the like, all require an understanding of the fundamentals, but their true power lies when we understand enough about these fundamental rules to know how to break them in the interests of creating a successful campaign.

So daydream away. The best marketing ideas are not found in a blog (not even this one). They are inspired by the world around us and born of our imagination.

Learn how your creativity, rather than your budget can win you business at your next trade show with our trade show tip, "Resist the Monkey."

Direct Mail Marketing Postage Rates Increase

Today, the USPS announced yet another postage rate increase. The price of a first-class stamp has risen to 44 cents.

The implication for direct marketing is simple. As postal rates go up, direct marketing budgets are less capable of delivering marketing messages to intended audiences with the same frequency. Ultimately, direct mail and postal list rental will no longer be a cost-effective medium. Marketers will need to consider alternatives such as email to pick up the slack.

Given this trend, what alternatives and new marketing best practices can direct marketing employ to enhance its efforts?

Check out JDM’s Direct Marketing Alternatives list on our website for a few ideas (no registration required).

Business is NOT a Game of Chess

Although hundreds of business books have been written about chess as a metaphor for running a successful business, this is just not true. Instead, the Chinese game of Go is a closer approximation of how to run a successful, sustainable and profitable business in today’s market conditions.

Funny that a 2,500 year-old Chinese strategic board game could prove a far more accurate business model than the almost cliché game of Chess, but it’s true. Chess is a game of strategic attrition. The goal of which is to achieve a single and specific objective—force the king to surrender.

Time and time again we see this mind-set played out in business—with dire consequences. Businesses set single and specific objectives. They use their human capital as well as their investment capital like pawns to mount a campaign.

It doesn’t matter how large your organization or how much market share you might currently have. What matters is that you’re playing a game of attrition against a single objective which cannot be conclusively determined to be correct until you’ve either achieved it or failed to achieve it. By then it’s too late anyway.

Rather, business is like the Chinese game of Go. Go has a generalized objective (surround your opponent) and a strategy based on controlling the most amount of territory using the fewest pieces possible. The addition of a single new piece has a negative consequence and therefore you are forced to alter your strategy in the direction of efficiency over brute-strength.

Each department are like stones on a Go board. Marketing, Sales, Operations, Human Resources, Production, Distribution, etc. should work together toward a generalized objective and with as much overlap as possible.

So, forget Chess. These days no business is too big to fail and none are too small to succeed.

Check out “Learning the Most from the Worst” to learn a few lessons I’ve learned about how NOT to run a business. It’s an oldie, but a goodie.