Malcolm Gladwell, best selling author of The Tipping Point and Blink, released a new book this week entitled Outliers, The Story of Success.  In Outliers, Gladwell tries to figure out what it actually is that makes someone successful, and like usual, he will take our typical thinking and flip it upside down.

I can’t tell you how much I love the way this man thinks.  The Tipping Point was early to the movement of word of mouth marketing and making a big difference in the small things.  And though Outliers isn’t a marketing book, I am just such a huge fan that I can’t help but tell the world.

I have forced myself not to buy this book until next week so I can spend some good time digging into it.  If you want a little insight on the angle of the book, read this review from Time Magazine online.

In sports the debate of which is more important goes back a long ways. In football you can’t win if you don’t have a great defense (Missouri) but you can’t win without an offense either (… i know, Auburn)

At Matchstic we have a constant conversation of whether we are on offense, or on defense. Are we leading the client through the process? Or, are they leading us? When you are on defense you can’t control the experience. You are only responding. It is impossible to surprise (in a good way anyways) or to exceed expectations, when we are being lead by the client

This is something that to be honest, I am still learning. I think it is something that as a manager I will be learning it more everyday. It is far easier to respond then it is to communicate, be proactive, keep up with the details, and ultimately delivering what you promise. But, at the end of the day, it is the only way to guarantee the result of a great experience.

Sorry for the call out Missouri.

Progressive. That’s an interesting word. I was having a conversation the other day with Craig, about the idea of progressive companies, and by all accounts I guess Matchstic could be labeled as one (after all we are working on implementing ROWE, a profit share, and our job relies on forward thinking!) but I’m curious to seek out and learn from more, especially in Atlanta.

Here’s a quick run down or check list to see if you are a “Progressive Company”:

• Are you constantly instituting changes for the better?
• Are you making progress towards better conditions?
• Do you experiment with new methods?
• Do you look at failures as valuable lessons?
• Do you strive for continuous improvement and better results?

If so, we’d love to hear from you. Email us at progressive@matchstic.com and tells us about your company.

Blake and Craig were honored Thurs night as one of ATLs “40 under 40″ - one of Atlanta’s 40 most promising young stars! We’re proud of them and all they’ve built together as partners that has created the framework for our house.

As part of the team, its really cool to see things like this happen as we approach our 5 year anniversary.

Here’s hoping they make it to the “40 over 40″ in another decade!

Click here to check out the article.

McDonalds Japan is testing out a new marketing/branding strategy, that can only be described as No Brand Branding. They have opened “Quarter Pounder Stores” in select locations in Japan. There is no mention of the name “McDonalds”, no sighting of Golden Arches, and even the beloved Ronald McDonald is no where in site. Word is, that curious customers are lining up to see whats happening behind the stark black and red storefronts.

Once they are inside they only have 2 menu choices, a Quarter Pounder with Cheese Set for 500 yen (about $5.15) or a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese Set that goes for 600 yen (about $6.20).

It’s an interesting strategy that seems to play on the “intrigue” factor to get customer’s through the door, but I’m not sure how effective it will be to get repeat business or to re-ignite customer’s love affair with the Golden Arches.

So I have officially survived my third day here — without any catastrophes, disasters or meltdowns. In fact, the whole transition has been pretty seamless. I think this can be attributed to the incredibly well-oiled machine that is Matchstic.

These days, everyone and their cousin’s moms are in the business of “branding”. What sets Matchstic apart is their commitment to really walk the talk. Every member of the team is incredibly smart and an expert at what they do. There is talent oozing out the cracks. The company dynamic and teamwork is effortless. For lack of a better word, it just “works”. It’s what attracted me from the beginning and undoubtedly what brings in their ever impressive client base.

Everyone has been extremely friendly and helpful and it already feels as if I’ve been there for a while. It’s an exciting time, and I look forward to learning, contributing and calling Matchstic my home away from home.

I recently changed my favorite brand on my matchstic profile from apple to levis. I really love levis jeans. as I explain in my blurb, i think they are amazing at branding, but also their founder’s vision to create the blue jean in the first place. something so tied to american culture came from a very small idea. (but i digress…)

I just got my new matchstic macbook pro, so for the day, i have a crush on apple again…

i have unwrapped quite a few notebooks, and desktops in my apple days, and even a few phones, and I am still blown away by how great, and simple their packaging is. it is both beautiful and effecient. this isn’t the video of the new macbook pro, but it is about the only thing that could top my experience today!

I am a huge fan of minimalism. Huge. And so when I see a brand such as Waitrose Fresh Herbs using such great design, it gets me excited.

It takes a strong brand to shed all the extras and display its core value. The beauty with this packaging is the fact that the product is on display. There isn’t a picture of basil printed on the plastic that looks better than the actual basil in the bag.

Also for those of us, not exactly versed in the world of cooking, the packaging gives you an idea of how each herb is best used. Brilliant.

“Branding at best builds from within.” I love to see a strong brand drive strong design.

I heard a great quote from one of our own here at the matchstic house. Justin and I were chatting about how our Identity work is more than just a logo to plop on an ad. He said it best, “Brands are an unbreakable force“.

I love saying it that way.

Brands are more than just an Identity and supporting design surrounding it. As many authors smarter than me have noted (folks like Marty Neumeier), brands are also about your culture, your tone, your office space, what the dress-code/non-code is…on and on. Looking at it this way, all these elements should tie together, work together, and be based on and around the same foundation.

Its a challenge for all of us, its a charge, and ultimately its a force to be rekoned with when done right. Like Justin said - it is an unbreakable force.

As I was watching the election coverage on Tuesday night one thing absolutely baffled me. It wasn’t the voter turnout numbers, stories of long lines at the polls, or the results. It was why CNN thought it was a good use of their time and money to take 3 weeks to build a tent with 35 Hi-Def cameras so they could “Beam In” a “Hologram” of a news correspondent into the CNN studio. See the video below…

The technology itself is impressive, but it served no purpose and was actually quite distracting. I’ve watched the clip numerous times and still can’t recall one fact about what was reported, because the whole time I was distracted by the “hologram”.

Brands live by the same rules. The strongest brands stand on their own and don’t need or let flashy new technology or other extras get in the way and distract from their core message. A strong brand is simple concise and above all communicates clearly with the viewer.