Hot House for Consumer Confidence

I asked for a meeting with a big boss the other day.

He'd come to one of our regularly scheduled status meetings to give us a state of the nation address and he told us if we had any ideas about how things should be done differently, to come and see him.

Well, I had an idea.

So I pitched it to the big boss, and he liked it.

The idea is pretty simple -- no one understands the hearts and minds of consumers like advertisers. Our gift is our curse.

But maybe we can use our power for good. By gathering the collective intelligence and creativity of the agency, maybe we can help jolt a bit of consumer confidence into the economy. Grease the wheels. If people feel hopeful, they'll spend their money rather than horde it. And if they spend their money, not as many people will lose their jobs.

Things might still be bad....but they won't be as bad as they could have been.

I proposed we do it Hot House style -- write a simple Brief, and then get teams to power brainstorm ideas about how to make it happen. They don't have to be client specific. Who knows, we might even end up with a Ministry of Happiness, like our friends in Bhutan.

But the idea has another purpose, too.

People throughout the agency are scared as hell. Holding a Hot House for Consumer Confidence will help everyone around the agency move from feeling victimized by the economy and the looming threat of job loss to feeling positive and empowered.

If we're all moving powerfully in the direction of doing good, I know for sure that good will come of it.

There will be blood

I'm joining a gaggle of girls from my office for a screening of Twilight tonight.

If you haven't read or heard about the Twilight phenomenon, you've been in a sensory deprivation tank.

It's all anyone between the ages of 11 and 17 can talk about. And, apparently, between the ages of 17 and 47.

Why are we all so preoccupied with vampire love stories these days? Is it because we feel the markets are sucking the life out of us?

I like to get on board for these things, because there's something oddly soothing and reassuring about being a part of something. Even if that something isn't particularly good.

Happy Thanksgiving, American Friends

In honour ...or rather I should say "honor"... of Thanksgiving, I thought I'd share some of the things I'm grateful for today.

I'm grateful that I'm in good health. I'm reading Philip Roth's novel, Everyman, in which his protagonist (an aging advertising type) grows older and more infirm. Roth explores illness with chilling precision. It's made me exceedingly grateful that I can wake up in the morning, leap out of bed, enjoy a full breakfast and take a vigorous walk to work. These simple pleasures are denied to so many folks.

I'm grateful that I have a job I love to do. While it lasts, I'm going to enjoy every minute of it.

I'm grateful that I'm enjoying my forties even more than my thirties. I like myself better now then I ever did....which is great, since I can't seem to escape me no matter where I go.

I'm grateful that I'm not a turkey.

I'm grateful that I work in an environment where we laugh loudly and heartily at least once a day. Usually way more than that. And usually not always at me, which is great.

I'm grateful that our neighbours to the south chose a leader who ran on a platform of positivism. Despite all the negative press about the economy, don't you just feel better knowing Obama is heading to the White House?

What are you grateful for today?

If...

If I suddenly grew an extra arm, the first thing I'd do is use it to hold my blow dryer.

I bet my hair would look fabulous every day, then. Although I'd probably have a hard time buying sweaters.

Metta

Boy oh boy did I find the perfect weekend antidote for time spent with mostly tortured advertising types: a Buddhist retreat with Sharon Salzberg.

I spent a good part of the weekend deep in the practice of metta meditation.

Metta is from the Pali world for "loving-kindness". There's a real structure to the way the meditation happens but it involves love without attachment. Love without dictating the outcome.

In my experience, it can be a transformative practice. Interestingly, one of the long term impacts of metta meditation is that it's thought to be an antidote to anger and fear.

I've been lucky enough to have had several instructions in metta meditation over the years -- including another by Sharon, herself -- and it never fails to make me feel better.

It seemed to work the same kind of magic on the group, too, who you might of guessed were the usual rag-tag group of Birk-wearing hippies and Bu-jews, the affectionate name for the Jewish Buddhists.

One person reported that after weeks of insomnia, she slept peacefully through the night on Saturday.

There's something about letting go that can do that.

Be not afraid

So, as usual, it turns out there was really nothing to be afraid of after all. Funny how the anticipation of fear is worse than the fear itself.

The assignment calls for heart -- something that the largely male teams are struggling with -- so, by virtue of possessing a pair of ovaries apiece, we're already ahead of the game.

Despite the pressure and the lofty expectations and the big shoes to fill, my partner and I have managed to produce some good work, in a limited period of time, for a large and lovely iconic brand.

We even managed to survive a meeting with one of the greats in the industry yesterday. One of the real Mad Men. A true legend.

I think I'll need to sleep for a week when this is over.

Keep sending the good vibes. They're helping.

Freedom from fear

I'm up early this morning because I have that sick, uneasy feeling that comes from believing I'll never have a good idea ever again.

If nothing else, I hope fear is a big calorie burner.

I welcome you to send me your ideas, no matter how big or small. They don't even have to fit the Brief. Anything would look better than a blank page at this stage.