Eating to Think

A social person, I like to dine out with friends to enjoy their company and coupled with great food, I could not ask for anything more satisfying.  While meeting up with a good friend, he pulled out his iPhone 4 (I stared in envy because I have the iPhone 3Gs), he accessed one folder of applications and utilized Foursquare to check into the restaurant at which we met.  As a result, we began to talk about the benefits of such a new social media and I began to think (scary, I know).

What is the future of this innovation?  Currently, users can check into their destination, linking it to other social media networks such as Facebook and Twitter.  A person can be appointed as the mayor of a location or be ousted from their mayoral position.  Healthy competition is good, so this relatively new application has been gaining buzz.  Yes, it is fun and good methods for free advertising in localized social networks, which can boost brand awareness – but can it do more?

My answer – YES.  Companies that wish to gain brand loyalty can incorporate this technology into their rewards programs by awarding points to their customers for visiting their store or partnered businesses.  This incentive could be more successful if Foursquare users decided to which program points would be sent.

Foursquare could also give companies demographic insight regarding consumer attitudes, purchase intentions, shopping preferences, etc. based on the types of places they check into.  By gaining insight about consumer preferences, Foursquare could customize advertisements and suggestions to users that relate to previous check-ins.  As a result, Foursquare could increase their portfolio by creating a Research and Development division to provide companies with consumer insight.

After dozing off for a second, I realized that my friend had not skipped a beat with our conversation.  We continued to discuss the applications that we think will impact our society when it has come to fruition.  I have to say, though I gazed off in thought a little, I DID enjoy the company of my friend and the amazing food.

When I Grow Up...

Like most kids, I aspired to be a doctor. And not any type of doctor - no, no, no - a dermatologist. I was going to fight acne like no one else's business. With a little perseverance and a class project, I was able to convince one of the many dermatologists in New Orleans to allow me to shadow them for a day.

After learning that dermatologists work with burn victims and the wounded of other gruesome events, my career choice had quickly shifted.  Stumped with career choices, I began to write, one of my favorite pasttimes.  With thoughtful consideration, I decided that I wanted to do something that combined my creative side, as well as my problem-solving prowess. And alas, I arrived at marketing communications. 

Originally, I was going to rant and rave about marketing communications in this post. But for many of my friends, colleagues, and family members, it would be OVERKILL.  They already know about my passion with this craft.  For everyone else, please look me up and I'll give you an idea about my drive and devotion to this discipline.  As a result, I have made an effort to constantly improve my thought processes to create ideas and concepts that are made to stick.

I recently applied to Digitas Boston for one of their coveted summer internships.  A requirement for their application process is to provide a creative sample.  Here is my sample.  I know, a WILD and far-fetched concept, but I relate to chocolate in several ways. Watch and listen to find out how.

Pilobolus and the Yellow Brick Road

I know what you're thinking - how is he going to connect Pilobolus with The Wizard of Oz? You'll see.  But now that I have your attention, I wanted to show you one of my creative works from my Creative Problem Solving in a Global Context class.

My friend Mona and I were assigned the same creative group for this class, even though we went in different directions as far as the assignment's overall execution. The dance company, Pilobolus, is an imaginative and unique creative force that uses a holistic approach in constructing a dance experience with simple concepts. Their processes are dynamic and largely democratic, where dancers and the choreographer collaborate to create artistic bliss.  Despite our different approaches, Mona and I collaborated on one project that was not required nor assigned - a short clip that was meant to express Pilobolus' creative process.  We called it, "The Four Seasons".

Although the inspiration arose from Debussy's Claire de Lune, we delved into this creative process not being aware of anything, except desiring to be creative and truly gain an understanding of alternative creative approaches and portals of inspiration similar to that of Pilobolus and Dorothy, whose journey was unclear and did not bear any preconceived notions.

 

As you may see in the video, this unselfish and unyielding ideation process allowed us to deliver an interesting, unified concept that mirrored those of Pilobolus.  Like Dorothy, after her visit on the Yellow Brick Road, we were able to gain attributes that we didn't have previously.  So, go out there. Dance your heart out and unlock the endless possibilities.