The president is promising us change, we’re bailing out the banks, and now we’ve got cash for clunkers. Our economy seems to be turning the corner but I still feel the fear in the air from consumers unsure how or when the "stimulus" is going to start kicking in. Is this "stimulus" really going to work? Is this really the kind of "stimulus" we need? 

I think the first thing we need to ask is what really drives our economy? Is it money? Is it lowering interest rates? Is it Banks opening up more lines of credit? Or is it something bigger? I believe it’s ideas. Fresh, creative, provocative, powerful, ideas. We’re living in an age of ideas and our economy is driven by the development of new ideas. From new products like the "snuggie", to movies, music, novels, art, and breakthrough advertising. ideas are what drives our economy and the worlds. 

In advertising, big ideas are what helps brands buy the "mindscape" of consumers. How much "mindscape" an idea can purchase is relative to the size of the idea. Small ideas buy little tracts of "mindscape" that are eventually consumed by bigger, more powerful, ideas. Keep feeding that big idea and soon it’s governing consumer thoughts and actions. The bigger, more creative, and powerful the idea the more "mindscape" it occupies and the more influence the idea has on the consumer.

Advertising legend Bill Bernbach once said "nothing is more important than bringing spirit and life to an advertisement."

A great deal of advertising these days lack that spirit and life.  I once read a great comparison of today’s advertising to Frankenstein’s monster – prior to getting lit up by lighting and bringing it to life. 

Just like the monster, an advertisement can come to life when it gets lit up by great idea. All at once it became larger than life, powerful, scary, and misunderstood. But at the same time very human with compassion and empathy. And guess what? Those are also the qualities that make great advertising. 

But those qualities are not what make the advertising great. It’s the idea that make’s it great. A powerful idea that’s larger than life, scary, and misunderstood. An idea that can cut through the clutter and connect with people. 

To create ideas, you must free yourself from everyday life and live in the land of "what if". You cannot be tied down by the reality of everyday.  Just like "Nero" in "The Matrix", you have to remember "there is no spoon". 

So where are these ideas that are going to stimulate and jump start our economy? Somewhere inside you! Finding them will take understanding the landscape and having clear business objectives for success. Then listen, listen to those crazy voices inside your head, the ones we all try to ignore at times. Those are "ideas". Powerful ideas that want to be set free. Powerful, creative, and innovative ideas that will once again stimulate our economy. 

 It’s a new year and I was wondering who is really ready to get serious about social media? Getting serious means more than just joining facebook and checking it once or twice a week. I’ve got a few friends and clients that all think social media is a great tool for marketing and want to use it. But when it comes to the time needed to truely invest in it they grossly underestimate and eventually feel over whelmed and lose interest. Social media really isn’t something new, it’s just an extension of what we’ve been doing for years when we create brands and try to connect those brands to people. It’s just another way of bringing that brand to life and creating a connection to the consumer. And it’s not a quick fix, like building a brand it takes time and it takes a strategy for what you really want to accomplish. 

But if you are ready to get serious about using social media in 2010, then here is a great post I ran across on Social Media Today(a great little site!) by Amber Naslund about "10 Ways To Get Serious About Social Media". She has some really good points that might help excite and focus you again on your social media strategy! 

10 Ways To Get Serious About Social Media.

If this is your year to buckle down and tackle a social media strategy, it’s time to get serious. The time for oohing and ahhing is rapidly drawing to a close, and instead your efforts have to become about practical, methodical application.

Here’s 10 ways to get serious about social media this year. There are plenty more, too. Add yours in the comments.

1) Quit counting fans, followers, and blog subscribers like bottle caps.Think, instead, about what you’re hoping to achieve with and through the community that actually cares about what you’re doing.

2) Learn how to measure stuff, and quit making excuses for why you can’t do it. Katie Paine’s blog is overflowing with stuff. Here’s some metrics you might consider if they’re applicable for your goals. And here’s how you canstart setting measurable objectives.

3) Learn what case studies can and can’t do for you. Stop saying there aren’t enough of them and go Google the term “social media case studies” or spend a few minutes on my Delicious links. Then, get busy writing your own.

4) Understand the difference between making a business case for social media and chasing the next and greatest fad. If you don’t understand how to explain where social media impacts areas outside the business besides your own, make a concerted effort to learn.

5) Stop lauding social media as the thing that’s going to fix it all. Fix your business first. And read Jay Baer’s blog (including this post) for a reality check.

6) Approach social media methodically, and with the same care that you would any other business investment you make. Tamsen McMahon will help.

7) Quit waiting for the water to be perfect before you get in. It’s not going to be, ever. Try something that makes strategic sense for your business. Julien Smith articulates a bit about why waiting for one tiny thing is often what holds us back.

 Think long term, and commit to it. That doesn’t mean some of your experiments can’t be finite, but the overall approach has to be for good. Mitch Joel even says so.

9) Focus on what you’re good at. Know the core of your business, and make that the center of your work, especially through the amplifier of social media. Chris Penn reminds us of the importance of this, as he’s apt to do.

10) Recognize that potential missteps shouldn’t paralyze you into inaction. Acknowledge that there are ways to recover from, say, a misguided communication effort. Having a plan to pick yourself up is the key, rather than trying to avoid failure at all costs (including stagnation).

What else would you add? What’s your buckle-down strategy this year, and how are you turning your approach from theory into application? Share your ideas, favorite posts, and strategies in the comments.