Mr. D told me last night he can’t wait until it snows just so I’ll stop talking about why we don’t have snow yet. But did you know that Chicago had snow on October 16 last year? It’s November 19 and it’s supposed to be SIXTY DEGREES on Monday.
Bah humbug, is what I have to say! I WANT SNOW! I told Mother Nature yesterday if we don’t have snow by Thanksgiving, I’m never speaking to her again. My friend Michelle Olson doesn’t think that threat is likely to work.
What does this have to do with the top five stories for the week ending November 19, you ask? Not a darn thing! I just want snow! And now that you’ve made it this far, I’ll reward you with five outstanding pieces of news you will be glad you didn’t miss.
5. A Hilarious Animated Take On the Federal Reserve. This is the best six minutes you will spend all week. It is an animated video on printing money, deflation, and saving the world’s economy. It’s a bit tongue-in-cheek, but if you don’t understand how inflation, deflation, printing money, increased costs, increased taxes, and decreased stock prices affect our economy, this is an easy way to understand how the Fed is working to “save” us without any real experience.
4. Why You Should Treat Your Employees Like Children. This initially caught my attention because I was SHOCKED a business leader expert would suggest treating adults like kids, but it’s just a sensational headline (and it worked). The content is great, in terms of fostering creativity, collaboration, honesty, and innovation.
P.S. Did you know Encyclopedia Britannica has a blog?! The times really are changing!
3. Holiday E-Commerce to Hit $38.5 Billion. You MUST check out these stats from eMarketer on the 2010 projected holiday sales! Even though economists are saying we’re headed for a double dip in the economy, these numbers show consumers are spending money. Which, BTW, is EXCELLENT news!
2. Too Much Start-Upping? I really hope Les McKeown wasn’t talking to me when he wrote this Huffington Post piece. We’ve had Project Jack Bauer going for 18 months, Les! Plus, if I don’t launch this new business in May, I will actually go crazy. So I fit that mold. If you work for a start-up, are planning on building a start-up, or just don’t understand that market, this is a great piece on what happens when there is an influx of businesses, which causes a bubble, which inevitably bursts.
1. How Neuromarketers Tapped the Vote Button In Your Brain to Help the GOP Win the House. I don’t think it will come as any surprise to most of you that I sit more on the liberal side than on the conservative side (except when it comes to money, which I guard with my life so I can spend it on ridiculously expensive shoes). So we talk internally all the time about how it was that the Democratic party lost on, what we see, lack of communication. We are, after all, communication experts and can’t understand how a party doesn’t talk about the good they are doing for the country.
Regardless of your politics, this is a great piece from Kevin Randall that shows how politicians are using neuromarketing to help us make more informed decisions. Better understand it, both as a consumer and a marketer (thanks to Christopher Burgess for sending this to me this morning).
Have a great weekend…and a very happy Thanksgiving!