Of course we all know that Groundhog day is a lie – albeit a fun one.  Winter is dictated by the position of the Earth circling the Sun, commonly measured by our Calendar.  Winter will be over the same time it is over every year.  Still, there is no fun in that is there?  So we perpetuate the lie in a good way.  We have fun with the doldrums of Winter by giving it a Mascot and a fairy tale.  It gives us something to hope for, chat about, and have fun with.  We want to believe that our weather is dictated by a cute rodent because it is silly and fun during an otherwise gray time of the year.  This is the concept that Seth Godin writes about in his book, All Marketers Are Liars – of his best books, with one of his worst titles.

In life, it helps to be able to spot the difference between valid predictions and fairy tales.  Doing so does not render the fairy tales meaningless, and can sometimes even make life more meaningful.   Lying is good?  Not exactly.  Let me explain…

The lottery is a fairy tale.  My brother in law describes it as a tax on people who are bad at math.  I know the odds are that I will never win,  but I still it play occasionally.  It is fun to dream about what I would do if I won, and every few months that is worth a buck. I buy the lie for fun, and deep down know the truth is that I will still have a stack of bills come Monday.

Here is another example.  I like to drink Gatorade.  Deep down I know that Gatorade does not make me a better athlete.  If I want to do something like run a marathon, no amount of colored corn-syrupy salt water will make that happen.  The truth is that to accomplish something big requires hard work.  Still I buy the lie that drinking it after I run is helping me to achieve my goals.   It is a mascot for my reality. It takes the monotony of running, and makes it more interesting.  It keeps me engaged.

Moleskine notebooks provide yet another example.  Much to the dismay of my wife, I love them.  These leather covered notebooks are the same as those used by Hemingway.  They are cool.  Having a Moleskine alone does not make me a better writer.  What the Moleskine does for me is add mystique to the writing process.  I buy the lie.  Sometimes just the little extra push of having a cool notebook gives me a silly reason to write, draw, and capture my thoughts.  I become a better communicator by actually practicing my communication skills.  I know this to be a fact.  Still, the lie of the Moleskine makes it more appealing, so I buy in.

Be careful what you buy in life.  Realize that much of what we do and buy and talk about is a lie.  Use this knowledge to place things in proper perspective, and then buy in accordingly.  Buying a mega-millions ticket here and there may be silly, but the value for most is the fun of dreaming.  You may not want to drop your paycheck on a daydream, but a buck here and there just might be worth it.

Whether it is wearing your lucky jersey on game day or eating the same breakfast every Tuesday, there is value in the fun of the stories we create.  Groundhog day to me symbolizes this idea to me, and that is why I enjoy it.  That is why I buy in.  It has absolutely nothing to do with the weather, and everything to do with people having an excuse to talk about the weather in a different way, once a year, every year.  We buy the lie, because it makes life a little more fun.

Happy Groundhog Day!

Without Sanctuary is a display of photographs, newspaper articles, and various cultural artifacts that depict the more than 4,000 lynchings that took place in The United States of America between 1882 and 1968.  I never realized how widespread and common this barbaric practice was in the United States.  There were more than 26 lynchings in Ohio alone.  One took place in my childhood home of Springfield, Ohio at the intersection of Main Street and Fountain Avenue.  I know this intersection well.  It is in the heart of the city, which at that time would have been bustling with people.  I was able to read an account of the event, picture where it took place, and visualize the horror that must have surrounded that tragic day in the early 1900’s.

In fact, many of these lynchings were quasi-social events, put on in plain view of the public.  I had always assumed that most of these events took place under the cover of darkness, far from the view of society.  Photo after photos showed people smiling and mugging for the camera as puzzled children looked on at the victims who had been brutally put to death.  These were common people, actively and passively engaging in atrocities against humanity – very disturbing.  Many of the photographs had actually been made into postcards by attendees of the lynchings, who then sent them to fellow family members to tell them about the event.  To think that modern man is capable of such callous acts of evil is frightening, confusing, sickening and sad.

Without Sanctuary also features a reflection room, where you can stop and write down your thoughts about the exhibit in a public journal.  You can also draw on a public whiteboard or record and share a video testimonial.  After seeing something so powerful and disturbing, it was good to have a few moments to gather my thoughts, reflect on the meaning of this, and move forward back into the “real world.”

My take away can be summed up with one of the signature quotes for the event.  It is as follows:

“We must remember, because if the world forgets evil, evil is reborn.”  - W.E.B. DuBois

The exhibit was educational, painful, and powerful.  While this is not something that people want to see, I believe it is something people need to see.  We are a nation preparing to celebrate the one year anniversary of our first African American President.  It is easy to assume that with this milestone, the demons of our past have been put to rest forever.  While it is true that we have made significant progress as a nation, we must remember that we are not so far removed from our  these horrific days in our history.  As we move forward, we must not forget our past, but rather learn from it.  When we see injustice, we must have the courage to intervene.  When the very fabric of humanity is being ripped apart before blindly staring eyes, someone must have the courage to cast a light upo

n the darkness.  Without Sanctuary puts a bright and shining spotlight on the very face of evil.  Stare into that face.  It is shown in picture after picture.  It is a face very similar to your own.  Understand what the face of evil looks like, and let it not resemble you or me.  More importantly let it never manifest itself on the faces of our children.

I hope that you will take the time to see the exhibit.  My feeble description in this post does not do it justice, but I hope it convinces you to see it for yourself.  I extend my thanks to Pete Blackshaw, Kevin Dugan, and Paul Bernish who were kind enough to invite me to check it out.  Thank you.

Well through the magic of Google, Patricia found my post and was kind enough to leave a comment thanking me for including her book on the list.  I was humbled by this act, and sent her an email to tell her how much I appreciated her comment.  After an exchange of digital niceties, we decided that it might be a good idea to record a podcast.  So – without further adieu, here is my conversation with the brilliant, kind, and insightful Patricia Ryan Madson.

A few weeks ago, opportunity came knocking – actually it called my iphone. It was a call from a Walter Ohlmann, President and CEO of Penny / Ohlmann / Neiman, Inc. – an advertising agency based here in Dayton, Ohio. Turns out that Walter has been looking for someone to help him bring a more modern approach to their service offering. In particular, while the firm has a great depth of traditional public relations, strategic marketing and creative resources, they were looking for someone with experience in developing marketing strategies that incorporate the use new media and social technology. He had been given my name by a mutual friend, and out of the blue, gave me a call. (Knock, Knock, Knock)

After a few conversations, an offer was made, and I said yes. So, starting February 1st, 2010, I will take on the role of Chief Marketing Strategist at Penny / Ohlmann / Neiman, inc.

There are a number of reasons why I am excited about this opportunity. First, I am going to get to share my creativity, knowledge of marketing strategy, and passion for social technology with businesses in Dayton, Ohio and beyond. I have been exploring this area for some time now, and really look forward to delivering these services with the capabilities of an agency behind me.

Second, the fact that this will be a new service offering for Penny / Ohlmann / Neiman means that I will get to build the practice from the ground up. Make no mistake, this is going to be a big challenge. I realize that success will involve a great deal of work both internally and externally, but I know that I am up to the task. It is going be very rewarding to see this come to life over the coming year in the form of happy clients and a reinvigorated agency. We will practice what we preach, and our results will be testament to our understanding of what modern marketing is all about. We will face the same challenges our Clients face, and ultimately we will use passion, time, dedication and talent to steadily evolve into something remarkable.

Third, it is exciting to be a part of a company with such a rich history. Penny / Ohlmann / Neiman has been around for a long time. My job is to make sure the company is around a long time from now. The agency has a good reputation, exceptionally nice people, and has worked with just about every business in the Miami Valley at some point in time. The primary weakness that I heard when asking people about the firm was that they really needed to update their service offering. My hiring should send a strong signal of the intention to do just that. I plan to make the firm far more progressive in what it can offer to clients, while not losing site of the fundamental services that have made it successful. It is not about just slapping on some social media, but rather taking a modern view of what a marketing services firm can offer to Clients. Hopefully, my hiring is merely the first of many, as the agency adds Clients, services, and ultimately more people in the years to come.

I am also excited to be back with a company based in Dayton, Ohio. This is the place where I was born. Most of the professional connections and personal relationships I have are in this community. While I have done my best to maintain these relationships since departing for Cincinnati two years ago, it will be great to once again call Dayton my professional home. Cincinnati is amazing, but there is no place like home. It will be great to once again be able to get involved with projects, programs, and organizations that are working hard to make Dayton prosperous.

I am also looking forward to giving my friends at Hafenbrack, the talented folks at RealArt, my friend David at The Next Wave, and others around the city some friendly competition. They have set the bar pretty high, so I know I am going to need to bring my “A game” in order to succeed. Ultimately competition helps to drive innovation, so hopefully we all engage in what I like to call “coopetition.” I look forward to taking part in our collective success, and the collective success of our clients – the businesses and people of the Miami Valley.

There are a bunch of other reasons I could list, but you get the idea. It is a big change, and one that I am very excited about making.

As for my former employer, LÛCRUM, I want to thank the company for giving me so many opportunities to succeed. I have enjoyed my time with the firm, and was given the freedom to explore a lot of new marketing territory. I made so many friends, accomplished some great things, and enjoyed the ride thoroughly. With the new direction of the company focusing on delivering Business Intelligence, Data Warehousing, Data Visualization, and Data Strategy Services, I anticipate much success for the firm in the years ahead. I learned so much about the transformative capabilities of technology while at LÛCRUM, and I hope to apply that knowledge to drive success for Clients in my new role.

So in the coming days, I have a lot of loose ends to tie up, a lot of calls and emails to answer, a lot of updating to do, and a lot of preparation work to accomplish so that I can hit the ground running. Come February 1st, if you are looking for an innovative approach to marketing strategy, please contact me.

Finally thank you to my family and friends who have supported me over the years. Life is an adventure. Your love, kindness, and generosity have helped me to realize great success. Without such support this opportunity would not be possible. I hope to make you proud to be a part of it all.

P.S. The manifesto is a teaser to Seth’s next book, Lynchpin – which comes out on January 26th.  I can’t wait to talk about that soon.

Why did I feel compelled to buy letter shaped tater tots? Marketing!

I have two little ones who are fascinated with spelling. My 3 year old son in particular loves letters. “Daddy, how you spell Google chrome?” is a common utterance in the Bowman household. What parent does not want to encourage their kids to be interested in reading, spelling, and education?  Not only do my kids love to spell, they are sometimes hard to please when it comes to dinner. Overall they are pretty good eaters. Still, they are kids, so mealtime is frequently an adventure in dining. As a parent I will take any advantage I can get in an effort to get the kids into the clean plate club. Enter letter shaped tater tots into the equation.

Upon arrival at home, I quietly stashed the tots in the freezer. (the tater tots that is, not my children) When it was time for dinner, I called the kids to the table and told them I had a big surprise. Along with the hamburgers and fruit that was on their plate we were having something else. I then opened the oven and revealed the crispy potato alphabet that was waiting to be devoured. They were excited beyond my expectations. “Letters!” “We can eat the letters!” Dancing, yelling, spelling, and general mayhem then ensued. Totally worth the 3 bucks I spent on silly letter shaped potatoes – which were actually eaten too!

This product is an example of great marketing. Marketing as described by Seth Godin in his great book Free Prize Inside. Marketing that had nothing to do with advertising.   Marketing that sold a product to someone who was not previously aware of it or interested in buying it.   Marketing that made two kids excited about eating dinner.  Marketing that created a great experience for a dad. Marketing that is now generating positive word of mouth for Ore-Ida… for free.  Marketing that was as simple as potatoes and the alphabet.

I could have bought un-brand tater-tots at a lower price.  I could have bought the better tasting “crispy crowns” for the same price.  I could have ignored them all-together and just stuck to my list. However, Ore-Ida was smart enough to know that mom’s and dads sometimes buy things for other reasons – experiences, surprises, education, & the off chance of a successful meal.    Because of this understanding, they created a remarkable product, made the sale, and got me talking about, of all things,  tater tots.

What can you do to make your product or service appealing to people in a different way?

Michael Berry, President of the National Ski Areas Association, said that ski resorts had often been “optimistic” with their past reports.  However, he went on to say that this practice is quickly dying.  Why?  Two reasons  – the iphone (or any mobile device) and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.  These tools and technologies are rendering snow reports obsolete, as users report conditions to their friends in real time.  The researchers stated that the number of exaggerated snow actually reports dropped off sharply with the release of numerous iphone apps enabling users to document conditions.  Mobile and social technologies are growing fast and empowering people to better understand the world.  Many of the techniques and tactics that “optimistic” marketers could get away with in the past, are now becoming problematic.  If you are not working on building trust as a core part of building your business, you are simply lying to yourself about your future prospects.

Berry had a great quote in the piece – one that transcends skiing.  “If you try and create a reality that you perceive to be the truth, it had better be consistent with the reality on the ground, because the consumer will remind you of it instantly.”

Service truly is the new marketing.  Every consumer is a researcher.  Every customer is a journalist.  Everyone is now what Mike Wallace or Consumer Reports once was – armed with flip cams, iphones, and 24 x 7 communication networks.  People trust the advice of their friends. so work hard to make friends, earn trust, and dazzle your customers.  Real people and their tweets, posts, and updates either represent your next great new ad campaign or a damaging expose on the truth about your company.

One way I am going to achieve this goal is read books related to the topic of Creativity.  I know I will make modifications, but thus far my list is as follows:

• The Back Of The Napkin – Dan Roam
• Drive – Dan Pink
• Why Not? – Barry Nalebuff & Ian Ayres
• Mindfulness – Ellen Langer
• Happiness – Thich Nhat Han
• All Marketers Are Liars – Seth Godin
• Black Bodies & Quantum Cats – Jennifer Ouellette
• Presentation Zen – Garr Reynolds
• Thinkertoys – Michael Michalko
• Mastery – George Leonard
• The War of Art – Steven Pressfield
• Orbiting the Giant Hairball – Gordon Mackenzie
• Musicophilia – Oliver Sacks
• The Artist’s Way at Work – Mark Bryan, Julia Cameron, & Catherine Allen
• Rules For Revolutionaries – Guy Kawasaki
• Free Prize Inside – Seth Godin
• Purple Cow – Seth Godin
• The Dip – Seth Godin
• The 80/20 Principle – Richard Koch
• Ignore Everybody – Hugh MacLeod
• Lateral Thinking – Edward DeBono
• Flow – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• Finding Flow – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• Creativity – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
• Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite – Paul Arden
• The Creative Habit – Twyla Tharp
• Simplicity – John Maeda
• The Whole Brain Business Book – Ned Herrmann
• A Whole New Mind – Dan Pink
• Improv Wisdom -  Patricia Ryan Madison
• Emotional Design – Donald A. Norman
• The Tipping Point – Malcolm Gladwell
• Blink – Malcolm Gladwell
• Blue Ocean Strategy -  W. Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne
• Outliers – Malcolm Gladwell
• Don’t Think of an Elephant – George Lakoff
• The Now Habit – Neil Fiore
• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey
• Getting Things Done – David Allen
• Influence – Robert Cialdini

The list is designed to explore multiple dimensions of creativity.  This includes topics such as design thinking, leadership, time management, business strategy, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and motivation – all of which are essential parts of living a creative life.  I am sure other titles will be added as the year rolls on (The new Seth Godin and Garr Reynolds books will definitely be on the list).  I am open to your suggestions too.

I am also going to continue to enhance my Creativity by writing about some of the things I learn from each of these books. This represents a way to improve my writing skills as well as to internalize the concepts conveyed in each book.  Additionally, many of these books contain programs, exercises, and activities designed to enhance creativity, which means that I am going to be spending a considerable amount of time being creative too.  Examples include performing an exercise from the book Creativity Workout by Edward De Bono every day, and writing 3 pages of text by hand each and every morning as prescribed in the book The Artist’s Way at Work.

Ideally all of this results in new adventures, challenges, and accomplishments for me, as I not only develop my creativity, but use it to change my world.

Exercise:
I want to continue to exercise more in 2010.  2009 was a good start, but in 2010 I am going to push much harder.  There are 3 numerical goals that I am going to attempt to reach with regard to physical exercise.  They are doing 50,000 push-ups, 50,000 sit-ups, and running 1,000 miles.  That amounts to about 137 push-ups and sit-ups per day and about 2.8 miles per day.  I know that there will be days that I don’t exercise at all.  To compensate for this, my approach will be to do at least 200 push ups and sit ups daily, and running a minimum of 3 miles – allowing for the occasional off day.

I am going to track all of this activity by creating a form using Google docs.  I will put a link to the form in my gmail inbox using the quick links feature, and then complete it daily with all of my activity.  This information will then feed automatically into a spreadsheet where my results can be measured.

Can I do it?  As of right now, I have 49,800 push ups and sit ups to go, as well as 996.8 miles to run.  I also hope to do more yoga, weight training, bike riding, and just being more physically active overall.

I am not just going to track my exercise, there are other things I want to track as well.

Diet:
If I am going to take time to log information into a form, I might as well make it worth my while.  One of the things I want to track is what I eat and drink every day.  I am going to track what I eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, the number of  beers, sodas, coffees, and waters I drink, as well as any snacks that I much on throughout the day.  I am not looking to track everything precisely.  I am not concerned with capturing everything exactly.   What I want is to get a general idea  of what I am putting into my body, and gauge it against my overall health.  Perhaps I will find that I need to eat more fruit, drink less soda, or drink more beer.  It will be interesting to find out.

Sleep:
Sleep is important to health.  Everyone knows it.  I have never tracked exactly how much sleep I get every day, but I know it is not enough.  In 2010 I plan to roughly track when I go to sleep, when I wake up, and how soundly I was able to sleep.  If I stick with the exercise program, I have a bunch that sleep will not be a problem. My hope is to get at least 8 hours a day – hopefully this is more than a dream.

Television:
I watched less television in 2009 than in 2008, but still watched more than I needed to.  I am going to watch less television, especially mindless television in 2010.  I have no problem with tv, but sitcom re-runs and TMZ are doing nothing to enrich my life.  I like watching sports, and will continue to do so within reason.  Not having cable television helps to limit my choices.  I will also will continue to watch a lot of PBS, as it brings so much entertainment and education to my life.  I will also watch other select programs that I enjoy.  Still, I am going to be much more quick to hit the off button and find something else to do.  I don’t want my life story to be about me sitting around in a catatonic state staring off into the abyss.  I would rather do things.   I plan to track how many hours of television I watch, and plan to be stunned with how much of my life is still being wasted.

Reading:
One of the activities that add tremendous value to my life is reading.  I know it.  Still, as Goethe said “to know and not to do is not to know.”  Thus my goal is to spend over 5,000 minutes reading books in 2010.  If I  spend only 15 minutes a day reading, I will beat this goal by almost 500 minutes.  Hopefully I will be able to beat it by even more.  I know that I want to read at least 25 books on Creativity, and Seth Godin, Garr Reynolds, and Dan Pink all have new books either out or on the way.  To get all these books read is going to take effort.  I am certain that I am up to the task.

Writing:
In 2010 I want to write 150 blog posts.  That amounts to about 3 posts per week.  These posts will force me to write and will also include more podcasts, videos, and photos too.  I look forward to applying my creativity and creating some interesting content for those of you who are kind enough to spend time visiting my site.

2010 is going to be a great year.  I have a lot to accomplish, and a lot to track.  I will keep you posted on my progress.  Wish me luck.  Happy New Year!

• I completed my first 5k and then my first 1/2 marathon, doing both with my wife Colleen by my side.
• I helped my daughter learn to ride her bike, and then rode with her in the 4th of July bike parade.
• I made a lot of chalk drawings on the driveway with my son.
• Not only did I get to do a podcast with Chris Brogan and see him speak twice, I also got to have dinner with him too.
• I presented to thousands of people at dozens of events on topics ranging from social media and marketing to data analytics, presentation skills and creativity.
• I was quoted in an article about social media that appeared on the CNN / Fortune Small Business web site.
• I was given the privilege of writing a column for the monthly publication Dayton B2B.
• Twice last summer, I performed original music at Canal Street Tavern with longtime friend and musical collaborator Derek Wade.
• I also played guitar and sang a song I wrote to open a presentation on PowerPoint at a meeting of business professionals in Cincinnati – something completely new for me.
• I helped to plan and then got to emcee SummitUp, a social media conference here in Dayton, Ohio.
• I shed some tears as my daughter hopped on the school bus for the first time, and watched in amazement as my son began spelling word after word at age 3.
• Seth Godin left a comment on my blog.
• I got to interview, among others, Kevin Dugan, Artie Isaac, Bob Gilbreath, and Peter Shankman.
• I saw The Dayton Marketing Community social network that I launched at the end of 2008 grow to over 350 members, and I organized and led 3 successful Big Idea Breakfast events.
• I continued to offer my time as a member of the board of the Epilepsy Foundation of Western Ohio, and attended my first Mud volleyball tournament – an event that raised nearly $80,000 for the organization.
• I drank approximately 2,000 cups of coffee, read about 40 books, took 2 trips to the beach, got my first bass guitar, and got my wife her first drum set.
• I won a flip cam from sharethis.com and a multiple books from inbubblewrap.com – thanks!!
• I shook hands and said hello to smart guys John Battelle and Peter Kim.
• Just last week, while picking up some last minute groceries for Christmas Eve, the COO of Dorothy Lane Market recognized me from my blog, introduced himself, and thanked me for writing about how much I love shopping there – a very gratifying experience.
• On a sad note, my grandmother died just a few years shy of 100. She was an amazing woman, a huge influence on me, and someone who made everyday count. Thanks Grandma Peg for teaching me that playing it by ear beats the hell out of not playing at all. We should all be so lucky as to live life like she did.
• I helped to organize the 2009 Martin Luther King Jr. Day march in Dayton, and a day later witnessed history as America inagurated our first African American President.
• My idea “User Generated Healthcare” was selected as a finalist in the Cincinnati Innovates contest. Although the idea did not win, it was a huge honor to be a part of the whole thing.
• When my Blackberry finally gave out in September, I finally got an iPhone – how did I live without it for so long?
• I discovered Nike+, became consumed with tracking my every step, and learned a lot about where marketing is headed.
• I got to meet Tim Westergren, founder of music site Pandora.com, and introduce him to the crowd at a Cincinnati Social Media Breakfast event.
• Speaking of music, Wilco, Pearl Jam, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, and Phish all released music in 2009.  I spent a lot of time enjoying the fruits of their labor.
• I made hundreds of new friends, and connected with hundreds of old ones.  How lucky I am to know so many great people.
• I spent a lot of time with my family, who never ceases to amaze me, always supports me, and serves as the inspiration for all I do.  I love you.

2009 was a year filled with amazing adventures, exciting challenges, and pleasant surprises.  Thank you to all who helped make it so great.