Note to CMO: Contrast, Framing, and the Cynic

“Our Assumptions Determine Everything.” Monimus the Cynic The Cynic was right. Our assumptions determine everything, from the prices of commodities to whether we like the third ad concept the agency has shown us. What comes first is our frame of reference; what follows either looks bigger or smaller by comparison, depending on where our understanding […]


Note to CMO: Contrast Phenomenon, Authority and “Green”

Dear CMO: No, not Lewis Green — I mean “green”, as in the last post. Consider this a quick post-it attached to the previous memo. Lewis’ comment spurred another thought that warranted a separate piece, so I wanted to share it. The Fujitsu “biodegradable laptop” discussion is ripe for two approaches, both of which highlight […]


Note to CMO: Authority, Consensus, and Green Envy

Dear CMO: I’ve got a piece going up at The Daily Fix shortly on The “Green” Bandwagon. I could just as easily called this “Green Envy.” Or how about “Green Confusion”? Any or all of the above works. The point is that the groundswell of half-understood science and pop culture has propelled “green” into mainstream […]


Note to CMO: How to Not See Patterns

Dear CMO: The World Bank released a report restating China’s real GDP downward by 40%. That’s a lot. It seems that with all of the highly sophisticated modeling that goes on to determine GDP, a very basic assumption – namely the relevance of converting currency into US Dollars, so we can all compare apples to […]


Note to CMO: 2008 and The End of The Year of Nonsense

Dear CMO: In the spirit of trying to show some type of direction for the new year, let’s see if we can put some body English on 2008 and see if we can steer ourselves onto firmer ground. Here are a small handful of fearless predictions for the new year. The Age of Nonsense will […]