Playgroup | Creativity through play

I’m not a great wordsmith but I have a passion for great communication - and the more direct and verbal, the better. There are some rich and useful words in our language, like:

Pulchritudinous - a pretty ugly word that means beautiful

Anatidaephobia, which as we all know is the fear that somewhere, somehow, a duck is watching you (although it is not in my condensed version of Collins).

or

thaumaturgy - which is the performance of miracles. Something our clients regularly demand!

I have 5 children so have always been particularly keen on fecundity - the capacity of abundant production.

Then there are the words that are conveniently made up to succinctly describe a more modern phenomena, such as:

Giraffiti, which is vandalism spray-painted very high up.

And of course, there are words that we regularly misuse, such as:

Coffee, which is not actually a popular hot beverage, but a person who is coughed upon.

I’m a pretty average Scrabble player, but hate to lose, especially to my Mother-in-law who normally beats me.

So, I am disappointed and confused to hear the announcement of the millionth word to be formally added to the English language - it is ‘Web 2.0’ 

The main reasons for my disquiet:

• it is not a word
• it is a subject that we have been talking about in our industry for many years, so it is hardly new
• the decision to add it to the English language was made in the US

• and most importantly, it is not achievable in Scrabble, so the Mother-in-Law still has the upper hand!

Hopefully word a million and one will be more useful. Any suggestions?

• Comment on this post

Like most people, I find it hard to set aside any quality time to think. Life is a mixture of busy work time and busy family time. Moments of reflection are few and far between.

I have just been through a short period of poor health, largely brought on by stress, poor diet and little or no exercise. The GP told me what I already know and so, not for the first time, I have set about improving my lifestyle.

I discussed it with my mate Tim, (mate somehow seems an inadequate word) and he quipped, “…and how long will it last this time?” and he is right. Like many people I only seem to be able to do the right thing in phases. But this time, I really need to stick with an improved routine; change my way of life.

I was swimming yesterday which does provide a rare opportunity to think and reflect – there is nothing much else you can do. Whilst in the pool, I was thinking of something else Tim and I were discussing – the challenge of regular engagement with social networking and latest innovation.

So I have decided to combine everything into one promise. I will find time to swim nearly everyday (minimum 5 times a week) and during that time, will aim to come up with some thought – poignant or otherwise – to post daily on Twitter. It will keep me fit and committed to the exercise.

See if I am keeping my promise at www.twitter.com/mikegowar

• Comment on this post

I have two teenage boys aged 19 and 17. They are good lads - help around the house; get actively involved in family life and don’t get into trouble - well, not that I get to hear about anyway.

The problem is, every evening they disappear into their bedrooms with their laptops and we don’t see anything of them. They each have vast networks of friends who they actively communicate with on a much more regular basis than they could face-to-face. They create groups of friends and discuss things, arrange parties and probably loads of other stuff they don’t share with me. They transcend geographical barriers; have instant dialogue and create new relationships. And it doesn’t cost them a penny.

But is this kind of networking really social, or is it in fact very anti-social?

I have always been an advocate of good, face-to-face communication. Eye contact, conversation-making, listening to others. These are all valuable social skills that are essential throughout your life and Facebook, MySpace, and the like could be threatening the development of these skills. Could we one day see Job interviews carried out by SMS using only words with no vowels?

On the other hand, the boys do appear to have successfully built a greater network of friends than they could have by travelling round and meeting everyone. And at least they are not just sitting in front of the TV, interacting with nothing at all.

Writing this, I probably sound like I am getting old and grumpy - but at least I have the TV remote control back!

• Comment on this post

It's a key part of every brief these days. 'My communication is competing with many others. It has to stand out.'

This is quite a challenge when the average person is confronted with 3,000 marketing messages a day on everything from posters and web site banners to bus sides and till receipts... and research shows 99% of them are ignored!

So how do you get your message across?

At Playgroup we believe a successful communication has three important elements.

1. A clear and concise message.
Keep it single-minded and built around the most compelling benefit. Make it interesting and choose the words your target audience will care about.

2. The right choice of media.
Try and reach your audience in a new way. Surprise them.

3. Great creativity.
Be outrageous. Take risks. To stand out from your competitors you've got to be fresh and imaginative in a way that's appealing and relevant to your audience.

Recently for Unilever we converted a PowerPoint presentation into a powerful cinematic experience; delivered the story of a major corporate brand through a 3D rubber product, and created a cartoon family to deliver quarterly financial results. All with amazing and measurable success.

So don't just think of producing a brochure or a poster, think about what you need to achieve. With a strong, simple idea, delivered in an engaging and compelling way, your message will get noticed, understood and remembered. This approach has helped us achieve fantastic results for our clients and it can work for you too.

• Comment on this post