Well do I have a Friday treat in store for you!

I came across this short YouTube video this morning and, I don’t have to tell you, it really puts global cost in perspective. This one-minute video showcase, and in some cases contrasts, impacting global costs—including the Iraq War, Google’s market value, how much is spent on video games and illegal drugs annually, how much it would cost to save the Amazon Rainforest, eradicate AIDS and national debt in the UK, and even lists revenues of corporate giants like Bill Gates, Tesco and OPEC even comparing OPEC’s revenue in 2009 compared their miniscule climate change fund. And all of this is done on a stunning graphic level set to music.

So check out ‘Information is Beautiful’ and yes I know it’s promoting a book (by the same name) from David McCandless, but I think its bigger impact is the beautiful visualization of such a profound message. It really does put things into perspective before a long weekend. Enjoy!

So I’ve decided to geek-up today’s blog post with a little Captain James T. Kirk insight into the situation. Why? Because, one, I like Star Trek. And because, two, this new way of thinking challenges each and every one of us to find alternative ways to solve problems—thus giving us more options to play with … and this girl loves options!

So how does one get in the habit of creating more options?

James T. Kirk coined this the practice of creating a “third option”, which means innovating and creating new ideas and new technology, not just out of self-interest, but also for the common good—as opposed to being stuck with just two undesirable choices. You see, I’m on to something here …

In my humble opinion, there are three steps involved in solving any problem:

1. First step back from the immediate issue and take a look at the big picture. After all, finding a solution to any problem is best approached by first understanding the larger whole (the problem itself is usually an ingrained part of the larger system after all). Am I right?

2. Next, come to understand the whole situation by bringing folks with different expertise on board—designers, artists, MBAs, technologists, sociologists, communicators, etc.—all add value just because they approach the problem from a different angle, with a different background, and with different skill sets.

3. Lastly, get a fresh perspective on the situation. You have to admit, breakthroughs in any field—medicine, technology, art—would never occur if people didn’t approach them with fresh points of view. It’s this lack of fresh insight that often keeps companies stuck in a rut, unable to break out of old patterns and politics. Anyone, no matter how clever, working at the same job and in the same position for many years, comes to accept certain patterns—never questioning, always accepting. Newbies, on the other hand, question everything—especially things that seem obvious to everyone else. You’ve heard the old adage “there are no stupid questions”? Well, outsiders have permission to question the standard way of doing things. And that’s often when results start to happen.

All Star Trek analogies aside … what do you think? Am I onto something?

MFX Partners Creative Director, Brock Hart, recently spoke at Communitech—a local organization driving the growth and success of Waterloo Region’s technology sector through leadership, connections and promotion—about Social Media Marketing Strategy for B2B (business to business) as part of Communitech’s Business Development and Senior Sales peer-to-peer series, which are scheduled on the very first Wednesday of every month.

In his talk, Brock spoke about the important steps to take and the tools to use before diving into social media implementation. “Do your homework before diving in—you’ll only drown in the massive social media ocean,” he said, along with his other recommended steps:

1. Listen: Locate your customers—where are they and what are they talking about?

2. Look: Seek out small and focused industry forums/groups and find out what topics are top of mind. Where does your consumer spend time online?

3. Know: What are your brand strengths? Pinpoint your social media business objectives. What social media tools will you use?

4. Plan: Ask yourself what product or brand do you want to push?

Here’s an important final message from Brock: “Your customers might not be online right now, but they will be. So if you don’t have a social media strategy, you may want to get started before you are left behind.”

For the full low down on Brock’s talk, please check out Wanda Eby’s post on the Communitech blog. And don’t forget to attend the next Communitech’s Business Development and Senior Sales Peer-to-Peer talk.

MFX Partners’ very own Senior Designer, James Bisch’s, submission to the R.G.D.’s (Registered Graphic Designers of Ontario) was selected as a feature in their inaugural Provisional Showcase newsletter (P.S.), which debuted on June 24, 2010.

The newsletter is sent quarterly and read by thousands of RGD members, sponsors and non-member subscribers, and it showcases the most impressive works from R.G.D. and Provisional R.G.D. members.

James quietly made his submission (a project he worked on for MFX Partners) a month ago. His work was selected along with 4 other impressive projects by the R.G.D. panel—including Bob Hambly R.G.D. (co-Creative Director at Hambly + Woolley), Karen Oikonen R.G.D. (Associate Creative Director at Up Inc.) and Jennifer Schelfhaut (Manager, Creative Services at TD Bank Financial Group).

You can view James’ selected submission on the R.G.D. website.

Alison brings a wealth of communications and collaborative experience to the team at MFX Partners. She acted as Director of Partnerships for the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) where she organized the Centre’s development, communications, marketing and built CIGI’s partnership program to enhance their global organizational ties. Prior to CIGI, Alison held the role of Executive Director for Forum for Young Canadians and also worked for Forum’s American sister program, Presidential Classroom and the Canadian Embassy in Washington and for Members of Parliament on Parliament Hill.

IT Gateway: Connecting People with Solutions

This replaces the former Aecon IT ‘Helpstar’ solution and represents a large internal project for Aecon, who came to the decision to rebrand after gathering internal feedback about the IT department. Even though the perceptions were generally positive, Aecon decided to use this as an opportunity to promote what IT does at the company—highlighting the single, easy-to-use IT Service Desk; improved IT staff training and access; the new transparent reporting process for all requests; and promoting the fact that the IT department can be a strategic partner if brought into the project process early on.

I know, it’s sad but true…

But what made me chose to admit this weakness to all of you was the greater question: How exactly did Burt’s Bees, the natural cosmetics company from Durham, N.C, become such a mass-commercial success where others of its kind have failed?

It’s true! I’m banging my brain to think of another “natural” beauty company that’s been as successful. I mean Burt’s is sold in large chains like Walgreen’s in the US and Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada. I can think of many natural products that base their marketing on the use of responsible exotic ingredients and earth-friendly advertising but I’ve seen these relegated to sales at flea markets and small local shops. No contest.

An article in the New York posts claims it’s all thanks to Burt’s Bees marketing.

Yes, Burt’s certainly qualifies as a “natural” beauty product—they make products using uncomplicated ingredients—like milk, honey, beeswax and almond oil—and they sell them in fun, kitschy retro packages that appeal to a diverse audience. But its seemingly low-key marketing campaign is free of any green gospel. Instead they use almost laissez-faire marketing to inspire word-of-mouth promotion, on one hand selling out in national chains like Shoppers Drug Mart, Wal-Mart, CVS and Whole Foods Market; but also in local bookstores and village gift shops.

According to analysts and market researchers like Leigh Anne Rowinkski, the Director of Client Solutions at Information Resources, Burt’s Bees sales qualify as “…lightning in a bottle.” The company straddles mass-market retail chains and homegrown shops—all the while maintaining it’s mom and pop image thanks to word-of-mouth viral marketing that spreads like wildfire.

Can you think of any other brands that straddle the best of both worlds like Burt’s Bees? If you can, please share.

So it makes perfect sense that I would be trolling the Internet in search of recipes—and of course, interesting tidbits to share with my favorite blog readers before the weekend.

Naturally then, when I came across this witty little number from MichelleB at TopRankBlog.com, I was tempted to share it. So my hungry readers, set your stove accordingly and clean the dust out of your grandma’s casserole dish, the five ingredients for a perfect Twitter marketing recipe are the special on today’s lunch menu!

So what ingredients do you need for the perfect Twitter marketing recipe?

According to Michelle:

1. A hearty serving of relevant, informative content

2. Another generous scoop of useful, enlightening content from another industry expert

3. A few dashes of exciting product offers and promotions

4. Some natural (no-sodium, no preservative) customer service

5. Top it all off with a useful portion of entertaining retweets…

And you’re set for the weekend my friends.

Is your Twitter Marketing recipe pretty close to Michelle’s? Or have you added some of your own tried and true ingredients to the mix?

And it explains why my interest was peaked this morning when my colleague, James, Tweeted about a group of Utah State University students who went to Switzerland to study creative thinking. This cultivation of right brain (or creative thinking) to solve problems and further innovation is exactly what many, like Berger, call “design thinking”.

And more and more students are calling on the right sides of their brains to not only solve problems, but to get a job. “There’s a new field emerging,” says Bob Winward, the graphic design professor who led the student trip, “…today’s successful businesses are driven by innovation and creativity.” Berger would agree that the world is undergoing a huge shift—our largely informational economy is transforming into a conceptual one where intuitive thought will replace logic.

And before you exclaim, “Well this might be all well and good in theory, but what about in real life?” Let me tell you, the students soon put “design thinking” to practice when they found themselves snowshoeing the Swiss Alps to the famed Great St. Bernard Hospice where monks tasked them with reconstructing gigantic kennels for the St. Bernard dogs—traditionally bred to rescue travelers caught in avalanches. The harsh conditions, risk of snow slides and 60-pound steel beams used to construct the kennels were all figured into the bona fide design thinking process.

But that’s not all…the students learned the most important lesson of all from the monks (clients) themselves, according to graphic design student Rich Wills, “You have to learn how to understand other people if you’re going to design things for people.”

“But [catalogues] are adjusting not disappearing,” says Leslie Linevsky, founder of Catalogs.com in an article on large retailers such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Barney’s, Sears, J.C. Penney, and watch company Fossil and their creative catalogue campaigns from USA Today. “Instead, [retailers] are scaling back on the number of catalogs they mail out and using them to drive traffic to their websites.”

Just check out Abercrombie & Fitch’s controversial A&F Quarterly Saturday. The retailer decided to launch an issue this year, after a seven-year hiatus and despite the bottom line, in order to drive traffic to their website and Facebook page.

Simon Doonan, creative director of Barneys New York, reasons that print catalogues from large retailers are specifically being aimed at young audiences in order to get them interacting with stores. The catalogues are creative, even 3D (like Barney’s) in the hopes of making direct-mail pieces more memorable and, as Doonan puts it, “The generation that shops at [Barney’s] is having fun with 3D…it resonates with the store’s audience.”