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Let Me Suggest This: 156 Rants, Riffs and Real World Strategies on Business, Branding, Belonging and Believing
Interaction is the agent of human decision. If someone decides to pay attention to, press the like button for, buy something from, become a follower of, or tell others about your brand, it’s likely because of an interaction they had with another human being. Because real marketing isn’t about what you do to people, it’s about what you enable people to do to each other. It’s about creating social…
Three Brags About Engineering Genius Kelly G. Hering
HELLO, my name is Scott! But I’m not here to talk about me. Today I want to introduce you to my friend and colleague, Kelly Hering. For the last three months, Kelly has been a Creative Strategy intern at POKE New York. She and I worked closely on several projects. Sadly, her stint at our company is coming to a close. But not before I do a little bragging about her performance….
Zen and The Art of Wearing Nametags: How I Achieved Social Enlightenment Through A Silly Experiment
Hello, my name is Scott! I wear a nametag twenty-four-seven. Yes, even to bed. And in the shower. But we’ll cover that later. As the world record holder of wearing nametags – yes, I actually hold that prestigious title – I’ve spent the last five thousand days of my life on mission: Not to convince the whole world to wear nametags, but rather, to remind the everyone that they…
A Lot Of Talent But An Equal Measure Of Temperament
“Any field requires imagination if you want to be good at it.” Everyone is creative. Everyone. Even lawyers and accountants and republicans. Creativity is the dominant feature of the human endowment, the only common currency our species has and the highest example of what it means to be a person. And what drives me crazy is, the people who claim they aren’t creative. Bullshit. What they’re really saying is,…
The Knots Grow Tighter On The Ropes That Bind Us
“Who we are at seven is who we are forever.” When I was a kid, I was always the first one done with the exam. After fifteen minutes, I’d look up from my desk and realize everyone else was still on the second page. Woops. So my teachers cocked their heads. They figured I was either cheating, rushing or didn’t care. And my classmates rolled their eyes. They thought I was…
Three Reasons Your Company Should Hire Johnny Sciortino
HELLO, my name is Scott! But I’m not here to talk about me. Today I want to introduce you to my friend and colleague, Johnny Sciortino. For the last three months, Johnny has been a Creative Strategy intern at POKE New York. He and I were desk buddies and worked closely on several projects. Sadly, his stint at our company is coming to a close. Which means your company has…
I Want To Be A Surprise, Not An Expectation
“I’d much rather be the one creating things that people react to than be the one just sitting back reacting, too scared to make anything.” My first album wasn’t exactly my finest work. The lyrics were laughable, the singing was tolerable at the guitar playing was passable. But the best part about the record was, it was done. I could hold it in my hands. I could share it…
We’re Getting An Education Without Realizing It
“We’re not supposed to be one thing in life.” Peeling the human onion is one of life’s great joys. Any time we get exposed to a new layer of someone we know, it’s always a fascinating moment. Like when the guy we see at the gym every week releases a new documentary. Or when the girl we sit next to at work launches her own line of stuffed animals. We…
Even If There’s Only One Butt In The Seat
“True life comes when we’re willing to admit that we’ve reached the end of ourselves.” When I decided to retire from entrepreneurship, there was a noticeable grieving process. Which makes sense, since grief is the human response to the death of something we’ve formed a bond with. And if you ask anyone who’s ever owned a business before, that bond is like none other. For most entrepreneurs, it’s hard to…
Change Happens Regardless If Celebrated Or Denounced
“Money forgets but god remembers.” The advantage of making a lot of money at a young age is, you figure out your saturation level. How much money you actually need to support your lifestyle, underwrite your addictions and be happy. I remember the year I had the highest earnings of my career. Felt pretty damn good. Even bought a few nice things to celebrate. But the surprising thing was, I…