Why metaphors?
Because they aid in any communication mission at hand. Metaphors are like little elves that break tough concepts into small bites of stuff folks get. Turns out, researchers at Stanford agree too. The Wall Street Journal included this find over the weekend in Metaphors Matter. When metaphors were added into a report, in the beginning that is, the context is framed, and it changes opinions on the subject. When they appear at the end they disappear like bunnies.

Next time you need to change someone’s mind, sell a concept or even get them to buy into your cause, a metaphor can make the difference.

Want to learn more about metaphors and marketing? Check this book out. Marketing Metaphoria: What Deep Metaphors Reveal About the Minds of Consumers by Gerald and Lindsay Zaltman.

VN:F [1.9.7_1111]

VN:F [1.9.7_1111]

Kristen’s post about what helps her get in the creative groove made me think about a time in my life when I lived in the groove. We all probably felt more creative when we were younger. Remember when you were armed with crayons, fingerpaint, chalk or watercolors and you fearlessly put what was in your head down on your canvas of choice? Or, when you would belt out tunes in music class with no inhibitions. What about when you came up with your own theories on things, or just said what was on your mind? As we get older something happens to our moxie. I’m still glad I learned reading, writing and ‘rithmetic, but I found school rewarded creativity less and less as I progressed from grade to grade.

I came across a speech by Sir Ken Robinson on Broken Bulbs. It’s a great speech about creativity, education and innovation. I found it very entertaining and inspirational. Watch it and decide if you were one of those kids who used to fidget. I was.

VN:F [1.9.7_1111]

VN:F [1.9.7_1111]

This is odd. Were you aware that EasyJet does not own its brand?

From Wikipedia: “unlike most other airlines. Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, the founder and largest individual shareholder of EasyJet, has sole ownership of the ‘easy’ brand and licenses it to the airline (as well as to all other easyGroup businesses). For most ‘easy’ businesses, the business pays a specified fee to Stelios for the use of the name. However, given the strength of the EasyJet brand and the high amount of free advertising and publicity it lends to the other ‘easy’ businesses, it was agreed at the time of flotation that EasyJet could use the name on a perpetual license for 1.

VN:F [1.9.7_1111]

VN:F [1.9.7_1111]

Created by OnePlusYou – Free Online Dating

Related: What a great little marketing gimmick this is.

VN:F [1.9.7_1111]

VN:F [1.9.7_1111]

Ok, so they’re telling me that the economy is, like, the worst economy ever in the history of time and space and we’re all gonna’ die from like, some blood-borne sub-prime thing and I know it’s all true because the AP is reporting that we’re all moving back in with our parents. Yeah, even the olds.

But here’s my question. What age do you have to be for this action to be your parents moving in with you? You know, because you’re now taking care of them? Is it who moves their rocking chairs and Preparation H into who’s house? Just asking.

You can all go back to running around in a wild panic now.

VN:F [1.9.7_1111]

VN:F [1.9.7_1111]

Saturday, April 22, is World Water Day, “an international day of observance and action to draw attention to the plight of those without access to safe drinking water.” This year’s theme, Sanitation!

NPR of course has been all up in the hizzat this week about it with Science Froday host Ira Flatow quite literally, maybe, peeing his pants about the devastating prospects of an almost guaranteed global water shortage. (Hey Ira, treat that spill and it’s potable!).

The future global water situation is something you better just ignore because it. is. horrific. That whole Darfur thing George Clooney keeps getting his handsome undies in a bunch about between robbing Las Vegas casinos with Mr. Jolie? Yep, all started because of water. And it’s only going to get worse. Read about it if you must (we recommend against it because, IT’S SATURDAY! Ugh.)

But seriously, you ask, what can I do how can I get rich off this?

Well, Ira probably recommends that you do something like become a vegetarian, don’t flush and/or stop having a lawn. The problem with this is that, like all other precious commodity markets, somebody else will just use more, in effect, drinking up all your milkshake (I’m looking at you, Georgia.). So what you can do to help AND maybe enrich yourself in the process? Invest.

Siemens just opened its new Global Water Research and Development Center in Singapore.

Here’s Google Finance on “water.”

Water Stocks is a clearing house with directories of publicly traded water companies. There’s a lot of info there and it might seem a little daunting but it will be worth it. If you get confused just invest in ANY of these companies; they’ll all probably be the next Exxon.

Or navigate over to them via their awesome because it’s true URL: www.waterthenextoil.com.

Then someday you can cash in and use the profits to buy $850-a-barrel “reclaimed toilet sewage” Evian.

VN:F [1.9.7_1111]

VN:F [1.9.7_1111]

Recently, Portfolio magazine looked at the potential spending for this year’s presidential election and settled on a probable figure of $1 billion. That, Portfolio rightly noted, is a serious bargain.

Porfolio’s reasoning is that, comparatively, $1 billion buys a lot more than, say, Microsoft’s $500 million to promote Vista. One gets you written into the history books and access to the purse strings to the most powerful nation on earth; the other, a substandard OS upgrade that will be replaced in a half-decade But by these guidelines, the Presidency is nothing compared with the bargain that is health care.

Knee replacement surgery, even at its most expensive, runs about $40,000. Compare that to $20,000 for a new Chevrolet Malibu. One buys you the ability to walk again. The other, a rental-agency-quality car.

In an even more extreme example: Appendectomies run about $35,000 (and as low as $14,000). Compare that life-saving dead-without-it surgery to one academic year at Sarah Lawrence College: $36,088.

VN:F [1.9.7_1111]

VN:F [1.9.7_1111]

Have a question? Any question*. We’ll put our collective heads together, leverage our experience and try to answer it for you.

Send it to info@oddpodz.com

What do you have to lose?

*No. Go and see a doctor for that.

VN:F [1.9.7_1111]

VN:F [1.9.7_1111]

Are you one out of 1,000? The one of 1,000 that can smell sound? It is a psychological phenomenon called synesthesia, in which an individual can smell a sound or hear a color. Most of these people are not aware they are synesthetes: they think the way they experience the world is normal. This accoriding to Science Daily.

Continue reading…

VN:F [1.9.7_1111]

VN:F [1.9.7_1111]

This is an oldie, but a goodie and sort of contradicts our Smart Tip of the week, where we suggest that you should boil down your PowerPoint slides to as few words as possible. But, hey, we like to hear all sides of an argument and challenge our own Smart Tips.

This article from the New York Times December 14, 2003 discusses Edward Tufte’s (the famous theorist of information presentation) 28-page pamphlet that claimed that Microsoft’s PowerPoint forces people to mutilate data beyond comprehension.

What do you think?

VN:F [1.9.7_1111]

VN:F [1.9.7_1111]