A few weeks back I picked up a business card sized slip of paper while at Starbucks.  It challenged me “Have an idea for us?” and then pointed me to MyStarbucksIdea.com.  Part virtual suggestion box, part social network..I think that the concept has merit.  (Actually, Dell proved that it does…Perhaps Michael and Howard are golfing buddies?)  Far too many companies see their customers as an unintelligent herd and discount their wisdom accordingly.  Sure, there will be work involved shifting the grains of wheat from the chaff…but one grain can eventually yield a field of opportunity.  Also, Dell and Starbucks have to make sure that they respond to the community…otherwise the “wishes” will stop flowing and (even worse) Starbucks/Dell will be accused of not listening.

Of course it is no surprise that this concept resonates with us.  We are big believers in leveraging technology to increase customer feedback and open-source innovation.  After all, we have been creating Customer Cabinets (customer advisory communities) since 2004. Just click on the people figures in the scholar’s cabinet to learn more.  I know, I know…shameless plug….but WE ARE BIG BELIEVERS IN THIS KIND OF STUFF.  That said, we believe that the idea of a “suggestion box” just doesn’t take the concept far enough.

Some have roundly dismissed Starbuck’s idea-site–but I think that they are making progress in the right direction.  At the very least, mystarbucksidea.com is a great way to signal to the world that Starbucks is valuing its customers a bit more than it has in recent years.  Perceived hubris and “inside the beltway” thinking hurt Starbucks in recent years…refocusing on the beans and the customer experience will be key to its evolution in the years ahead.

No new idea is perfect.  That said, the fact that Starbucks conceived and launched MyStarbucksIdea so quickly should be lauded….it very easily could have existed on a silver platter, with rose petals and glitter…unexecuted.

BTW…This is an interesting piece by Forrester on the movement toward online customer feedback/innovation communities.

We are big believers in “movement making”…and how, one, beautifully simple idea can ignite the masses.

Our most recent find is Obama Baton.  This idea is a nice one.  Leverage the kinship that marathoners feel to spread the Obama-virus in a visually stirring, emotionally poignant and creative way.

What is even more impressive is the timeline for this project…from concept to community…in about ten days.  It is amazing what a shared passion and the courage to “just jump” can enable one to achieve.

Nice job El Gaffney, Clay Parker Jones, Kevin Panke & Hustlewood.

Kurt Perschke is creating a one man revolution about awareness, art…and how adding a bit of absurdity into our daily “public” lives can free us up to think about what it means to PLAY (and why we may be holding back).  Perschke’s 250 lb inflatable ball has made an impact on humans as far afield as Portland, OR and Sidney, Australia.  Well…(drumroll)……The RedBall project has come come to Chicago.  Check it out.

If you do search out the ball, play close attention to how others interact with it.  They tell me that kids tend to “dive in” and bound into, touch, squeeze and laugh about the piece…whereas  many adults seem to try to ignore it.  

 What does that say about our license to “play”?

For $3,000 you get a lobster trap for the year…and everything that it hauls in.  You pick the captain you want to “team up with”…and you are off.  They promise you a minimum of 52 lobsters…but what you get is a unique taste of The Experience Economy and a lesson in the power of a value added business model.

Seth Godin would be so proud.

From video clips from your captain, to maps that show the location of your trap on that particular day, to “all the fixins”, these two brothers have created a niche business that is built less upon overnight seafood delivery (there are a number of Maine companies who do that) and more about “getting your feet wet” in a unique industry that takes place in a special part of the country.

Finally, this approach increases affinity for and awareness of an industry that is under fire.  A number of factors from climate change to “over lobstering” have pushed this craft to the brink.  Catch A Piece of Maine is not just a fascinating “change the game” approach to the lobster business, but it just also may help bring positive waves of change to an evaporating American craft business.

Photos courtesy of Pingmag.  

(If you get the chance, Pingmag is worth a look)

Graffitti fascinates me.  It seems to exist in the perfect intersection of authenticity, art, culture and belief.

note: I came across this on a site that is a favorite of Tracy Jones’ www.ffffound.com

Tevis’ creative solution relied on three things we admire…

1. Creativity

2. Ingenuity

3. Authenticity

The “game” is changing.  

But a handful of new politicos like Tevis and Obama are leveraging it to make movements and forge a new political reality.

Where politics goes from here is exciting to ponder.

NPR today recounted how the Hello Neighbor project leverages photography and the curiosity of children to break down the fears, prejudices and divides that exist among those who live in a rapidly gentrifying section of Portland, Oregon.  

Photo journalist Julie Keefe’s vision was not just successfully executed…it is an example of one person doing something truly significant.