Avery Soh

March 25, 2017

Web Design Inspiration

Make Me Pulse 2017 I love their use of pastel rainbow colours and the interactive style. You can light up a bulb, snap photos on a Polaroid camera, and launch a rocket into the sky. The whole website is so fun and whimsical. ...

March 25, 2017

Business Lessons From Willy Wonka

What businesses can learn from Willy Wonka Create crazy creative products (e.g. Three Course Dinner Chewing Gum, Everlasting Gobstoppers, Lickable Wallpaper for Nurseries, Hot Ice Cream on Cold Days) Make products that can help the world (can you imagine how the Three Course Dinner Chewing Gum would cure world hunger???) Scarcity and exclusivity are the Golden Tickets to marketing (the Golden Tickets were probably the best marketing stunt in history) Every business should have an equivalent of an Inventing Room - a special Department or CEO of Creativity to specifically encourage innovation. Embrace innovative technology and inventions (Wonka's Great Glass Elevator can go "up and...

March 25, 2017

Interactive Websites

Interactive websites Sortie en mer makes use of the first-person POV with highly effective audio, visuals, video and responsive scrolling to create a user experience that is interactive, immersive and impactful. ...

March 25, 2017

The Gift Economy

The gift economy The Kula Ring is a ceremonial exchange system practiced in the island communities of Papua New Guinea. Participants exchange red-shell necklaces that are traded to the north, and white-shell armbands that are traded to the south. If the opening gift was an armband, then the closing gift must be a necklace and vice versa. The Kula valuables are traded for purposes of enhancing one’s social status and privilege. Chase Buckley writes in his extremely insightful article, "The Future Draws Closer: 9 Design Prophecies for 2019": The Kula Ring is clearly a prophetic view of our own...

March 25, 2017

Out of the Ordinary Email Newsletters

Everyone's doing email newsletters... So you have to do something different to stand out. Some of my favourites include: Think Clearly's Handwritten newsletter Pen Parade's Illustrated Pen Review newsletter Don't be boring. ...

March 25, 2017

Funding Lessons from Airbnb

Independence and ingenuity "Whenever someone tells me that they can't figure out how to raise the first $25,000 they need to get their company started, remember that the founders of Airbnb repackaged cereals as Obama O’s and Cap’n McCains and sold them for $40/box during the US presidential election campaign period to fund their startup." ...

March 25, 2017

Tips from The Startup Playbook

Tips from The Startup Playbook From the book by David Kidder When there’s a disagreement about anything in the company, talk to your users. Don’t let your company start doing the next thing until you’ve dominated the first thing. ...

March 25, 2017

Business Lessons from Nature

Business Lessons from Nature Symbiosis Plants grow flowers to attract pollinating insects. Your business should do likewise to attract customers. Large, vibrant flowers that emit a sweet fragrance attracts bees and butterflies. Appealing aesthetics that engages the senses attracts customers. The relationship should be symbiotic: both sides interact with and mutually benefit from one another. The insects help pollinate the plants, and the plants offer nectar to them in return. Your business should not only take from your customers, but also offer incentives to reward them. Adaptation Make structural and/or behavioral adaptations to adjust to your environment. A...

March 25, 2017

The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs

The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs From the book by Carmine Gallo What is the one big idea you want to leave with your audience? It should be short, memorable, and in subject-verb-object sequence. Identify why you're excited about this company/product/feature, etc. Write out the three messages you want the audience to receive, and develop metaphors and analogies in support. Include a demonstration if your product topic lends itself to such. (Eg. pull the product out of your pocket if it is 'pocket-sized.' Invite partners and customers to participate. Include video clips if helpful, but limit to three...

March 25, 2017

Learning Presentation Skills from Steve Jobs

Learning Presentation Skills from Steve Jobs (Inspired by Steve Jobs Presentation Skills) Theme: have a theme and stick tightly to it Hook: start with a short, simple and memorable headline Story: sell with stories Visual: a picture tells a thousand words Simple: keep your message simple (e.g. there are far more accurate ways to do it = more accurate) Smile: smile and have fun (tell jokes, share relevant funny anecdotes, e.g. Steve Jobs prank called a Starbucks during his 2007 iPhone presentation and ordered 4000 cups of lattes) Don't narrate: don't read from notes or the slides Enthusiasm:...

March 25, 2017

Advertising exercises from The Advertising Concept Book by Pete Barry

Advertising exercises from The Advertising Concept Book by Pete Barry Hard Sell vs Soft Sell Take a basic hard sell ad (eg a basic price-led ad) and "soften" it. Keep the offer in the ad, but create an idea that works as an integral part of the offer, not something that looks stuck onto it. Single Minded Proposition Turn on the TV, or grab a magazine or paper. Look at each ad and try to work out what each one is trying to say about the product. Is there one benefit being communicated? Are they saying too many...