And the winner is...

 Once again, the Haitian beer gets the gold, the glory and confirms its bragging rights…pinning one additional gold medal to its shoulders. This medal comes short after the Dutch brewer Heineken NV’s recent acquisition of Brasserie Nationale d’Haïti, the Haiti based brewer of Prestige; confirming Prestige’s Lettre de Noblesse in the American-Style Cream Ale/Lager category. 

Gathering an elite international panel of judges screening through 799 breweries from 54 countries and 45 U.S. states, entering 3,921 beers in 95 beer style category, the 9th bi-annual competition of the 2012 Brewers Association World Beer Cup is referred to some as zeu Olympics of Beer Competition.

"It's called 'The Olympics of Beer Competition' for good reason," said Charlie Papazian, president of the Brewers Association, the U.S. -based trade association that has put on the competition every two years since 1996. "The event brings together great brewers from all corners of the globe. Plus, the awards are highly regarded. It’s no surprise that a brewer who wins a World Beer Cup gold award knows that their winning beer represents the best of that beer style in the world.[1]

The emblematic Prestige is for Haitians a thing of pride; Evidence that Haitian excellence is possible amidst its tag of the poorest country in the Americas. Currently being exported to the US and Canada, Prestige now reaches its Diaspora, and the ever growing network of fans and aficionados.

Indeed, Prestige delivers a very agreeable, satisfying and distinctive taste. At 5.6% alcohol, it comes in strong but delivers to the palette smoothly. “There may bit a bit of voodoo in every 4th beer” says a foreigner tasting Prestige for the fist time[2]…surely referring to the lager’s nice kick, but also to the perfectly abstract, at times even supernatural nature of the Haitian people. Yep! From an island like no other, it’s a beer come true!

Prestige, born and raised in Haiti – with Dutch parents.

And compliments to Haitians worldwide! This is something to celebrate and to be proud of.


[1] http://www.brewersassociation.org/pages/media/press-releases/show?title=2012-world-beer-cup-winners-announced
[2] beerofthecaribbean.com

Fête champêtre: le Rhum des Connaisseurs a 150 ans !

De gauche à droite: Thierry Gardere, PDG de Barbancourt, Eliane Bayard, Directrice de l'agence, trois des creatifs qui ont oeuvré pour maintenir vivante la Magie du Rhum Barbancourt : OB (depuis 2002), J.Breham (1982), et S.Armand (2000). William Eliacin, Directeur Financier de Barbancourt.

Le dimanche 18 mars 2012, au cours de la première manifestation publique célébrant l’ouverture de l’année du Cent Cinquantenaire de la Société du Rhum Barbancourt, le Rhum des Connaisseurs et PubliGestion ont scellé officiellement leur partenariat qui dure depuis bientôt 30 ans.

En effet, l’idée de cette Fête Champêtre germait et prenait forme dans l’esprit de nos créatifs depuis que Barbancourt confiait à PubliGestion, il y a 3 ans,  la mission d’envisager une formule hors du commun pour célébrer leurs 150 ans.

Les dirigeants de Barbancourt ayant accueilli avec enthousiasme cette proposition, nous sommes passés à la phase de lancement de sa mise en œuvre en mettant à contribution toute notre équipe et en faisant appel     à un certain nombre de spécialistes dont Geneviève Gaillard Vanté qui a mis sur pied un très beau décor, célébrant la canne et le rhum, Geneviève Némorin pour la préparation du délicieux buffet typiquement haïtien: griot, mais ak djondjon, lalo, gratin de « lame veritab » et lambi créole ; Culinary Mix au bar où Michelle Angus, « mixologiste » de talent a su offrir des cocktails au rhum originaux et fort appréciés du public ; JEAFA …. pour ne citer que ceux-là. Sans oublier l’implication pleine et entière du personnel de Barbancourt qui n’a jamais marchandé sa participation au travail de Titan qu’a nécessité la réalisation de cet évènement d’envergure.

Sous le brûlant soleil de ce beau dimanche de mars, la super bande de rara « Follow Jah », des  spécialistes du tressé ruban, de ravissantes jeunes filles « bouteilles », habillées par Jocelyne Firmin de Jacmel, se mêlaient à la foule des invités abrités par de flamboyant parasols frappés du logo des 150 ans de Barbancourt. Une authentique ambiance de fête champêtre pour célébrer le Rhum de tous les Haïtiens.

Le jus de canne coulait à flot, surprenant de fraîcheur, tandis que son grand frère, distillé et offert en abondance, faisait le délice des amateurs.

Monseigneur Lafontant, après avoir justifié avec beaucoup d’humour la présence de l’Eglise à cette fête du rhum, a béni les lieux et les participants. Marie Brunette Brutus interprétait alors un vibrant Hymne National. Puis, successivement William Eliacin Directeur Commercial et Thierry Gardère Président Directeur Général de la Société, s’adressèrent    à l’assistance avant de remettre des plaques commémoratives aux employés faisant partie du personnel de l’entreprise depuis plus de 30 ans. Une dizaine de partenaires de longue date de Barbancourt, dont PubliGestion est fière de faire partie, ont également été l’objet d’une distinction de la part des dirigeants de la Société.

L’animation musicale de DJ Cash Cash était régulièrement interrompue par des prestations diverses : les Frères Dodo, musiciens troubadours ; la chanteuse Marie Brunette Brutus ; et finalement Samba…...accompagné par Manzè dans sa performance. A la fin de cette belle journée, chaque invité emportait avec lui, dans un sac-cadeau marqué du logo du cent-cinquantenaire, une bouteille de Réserve Spéciale numérotée, embouteillée spécialement à l’occasion de la fête. Un de ces t-shirts Barbancourt, de couleur orange, faisant de plus en plus  partie de notre paysage quotidien, était joint à la bouteille.

Thierry Gardère  exprimait sa satisfaction et nous présentait ses félicitations en ses termes : « Compliments à PubliGestion pour avoir    réussi à créer cette ambiance authentiquement haïtienne dans le respect       de la tradition de qualité que cultive la Société du Rhum Barbancourt »


Et que la fête continue…….avec Barbancourt !

Comfort Zones Make Creatives...ahem...Uncomfortable.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/vrogy/

“Well done!” says the Account Executive, proud to have delivered on time. “Right…” answers the graphic designer thinking he did it well, but had he been given enough time, it would have made the difference between “good” and “awesomeness.”

I heard or read somewhere that every creative needs something to rebel against, and in this case, the rebellion usually happens between the creatives and the accounts people.  Accounts wants to keep things on track: "We don’t change a formula that works!" The Creative reiterates: "I want to re-inivent the wheel."

And there it goes…the eternal incompatibility of character, lol.

To our beloved Account Managers and Executives here at PG, and all around...know that it is in the creatives’ nature to want to change things. DNA oblige, they can't play by the rules for the obvious reasons that rules are made to broken…but not “broken”in the delinquent sense of the word… but more like, breaking new grounds or breaking the top speed, or simply break dancing to Bach 9th Symphony because it feels good! Comfort zones make creatives uncomfortable.  

PG over, and out.

Rebo Expesso

We like to pay homage to our clients. This month, we’ve launched the Facebook page of Haiti’s first coffee shop of international standards: REBO Expresso.

Right in the heart one of Haiti's busiest business centers in Haiti, REBO Expresso is located in Pétion-Ville. When you go there, however, you feel disconnected from the hustle and bustle. You are in a world of delicious coffees, teas, and treats.

In our country, we are true coffee connoisseurs, and here at PubliGestion, the team working on REBO Expresso quickly got passionate about the coffee shop. We’ve heard a few friends mention that REBO Expresso is the local Starbucks, but seriously, it is not a copy. It's quite unique, and the owners made the smartest move they could have by inserting many Haitian touches throughout the café: from the building where it is located which is filled with Caribbean effervescence to the local and savory delights you will get to snack on, such as papitas and "doucelettes"! This coffee shop has nothing to envy the biggest coffee chains in the world.

And so, to keep it short, we whole-heartedly invite you to go have a real Haitian espresso there. Once you walk through those doors, you will be greeted, not only by the aroma of freshly grinded and brewed coffees, but also by one of the friendliest staffs around!

Click on me, or on the picture.

 

Quotes on Advertising / Citations sur la Pub

     This week, we're keeping it fun, as usual... ;-)

     Click on the first quote, and look at the quotes as a slideshow. Enjoy!

Manje Ayisyen (Haitan Food)

Found on Haiti Tourism inc's Facebook Page

Haitian food. You’ve had it. Or you’ve heard of it. Our food is no doubt the tastiest of this region.

Let’s elaborate: 

When a country’s taste buds and cuisine has been influenced by the likes of French, African, Spanish and Amerindian delights, it’s natural for its food to be so scrumptious and unique. Throughout our history, several foreign countries occupied our island, and introduced food and ideas from their native lands, many of which significantly affected the menus we modern Haitians eat. A true melting pot indeed. 

Though Haitian food is often grouped together with other Caribbean lands as "Caribbean cuisine", our country maintains exceptional and unique flavors. From endemic ingredients to distinctive recipes, Zagat or the Michelin guide would surely have fun sampling and rating our local restaurants and dishes. Ever had a good Bouillon cooked with the goat's head, simmered pork knees, Rum green pea pigeon, or Di Ri Djondjon ? The latter is one of our many specifically native dishes to Haiti. Diri djondjon is “black mushroom flavored rice”. It requires the juice from an endemic black mushrooms call Djon Djon, a locally grown fungi used to color the rice black. Trust us, it’s delicious, like rice with attitude. 

Some other truly Haitian dishes include TonmTonm ak Calalou, which consists of a bread fruit puree accompanied by seasoned okra; Finish that off with a pain patate desert, a sweetened potato, fig, and banana pudding (add some condensed milk to it)...and voilà! Make sure you have a good Rhum Barbancourt around to complement as a digestive and call it a feast fit for a king. 

There are a myriad of other dishes, and so we strongly suggest you buy yourself one of the great Haitian cooking books available in local libraries. May we suggest "My Favorite Recipes" by Marie-Denise Célestin. 

Ah! We started salivating at the idea of the food we’ve listed so far, but this blog wouldn’t be complete if we didn't list the following: Riz et Pois National (rice and kidney beans much like the Cuban dish), Mayi moulen (cornmeal mush), pikliz (spicy pickled carrots and cabbage), Bannann peze (fried plantains, similar to bananas), tasso (deep-fried beef), griot (fried pork), etc, etc...

If you haven’t had a chance to sample our cuisine, we can recommend a few places in Haiti and abroad to get a feel of what you've been missing:

In Haiti, try La Coquille: a very clean buffet style restaurant right in the heart of Petion-Ville.

In Miami, try TapTap: a typical Haitian a-la-carte menu. We recommend the poisson gwosèl.

In New York City, try Krik Krak: Krik Krak's dishes are full of flavors that are marinaded with celestial Haitian spices that will leave a smile on your face.   

Once you’ve had our food, you will open up your buds to our land and magic. Tasting our chow makes your understand our culture. Food for soul and satisfaction guaranteed.

Do you have a favorite Haitian flavored restaurant? In Montreal, Canada? In Washington DC? In Paris, France? In Atlanta? Wherever you are located. Share them all with us. Comment below. :)

We Are Nothing Without Knowledge

What is SOPA?

We're Hiring - Web Designer

by mashedpotatomonkey

Our Digital Marketing Department is growing, and we are hiring. Who are we looking for? That guy. Or gal. That person with the expertise to create a website from scratch, from front-end to back-end. That person who works at code level. That person who can design aesthetically, beautifully. That person who doesn’t have to be constantly looked after…we’re not in kindergarten.

That person who has the following technical skills:

1- Expert in Adobe Photoshop

2- Skilled in Adobe Illustration 
3- Expert in HTML & XHTML

4- Expert in CSS

5- Skilled in DHTML/JavaScript

At PG, each member of the team is an independent piece to the puzzle, and right now, we are missing a piece: YOU. You are talented. You are a team player. You are passionate about the interwebs. You are a creative being who gets inspired by the God(s) from above. Yeah? Yeah…you. You’re THAT person. Aren’t you? Yeah. You. Are. Email us: letstalk@publigestion.biz. Let’s Talk.

Below is a list of things not to include in the email you will be sending our way.

Ok, what we don’t want:

1- You call yourself a "Webmaster"

Any web person who calls himself a "Webmaster" probably isn't a master of anything. Okay, maybe of his own domain. The term "webmaster" has become a translation for the word "amateur" and is so passé. 

2-You’re a FrontPage expert

FrontPage will pass for your girlfriend who wants to create a website dedicated to your first time…at the park - not for brand or a service. It's not a professional look.

3- You have added a "Designed By ...." plug on the bottom of every website you’ve created

Our clients will pay us to create a marketing tool for them – not a billboard for yourself. Be professional.

4- You think a great splash page has to be done with Flash Animation

Translation: “You’re a dinosaur.” A- Flash is not cool these days. B- A splash page can be a barrier to entry.

5- You have recently added fit a “cool” counter to websites

You want to add an ugly plug-in so that our clients’ competitors have an idea of our clients’ web stats? Sweet! Not.

6- You’ve placed a "Best If Viewed in..." message on a website
No responsible programmer would place a "best if view in..." message on the front-end of a website.

If you are over-thinking it, think this:

If you come work with our team, you will become the teammate of the best of the best that there is in Haiti. Our team is highly specialized at an international level. We have the best in web development and design, as well as the best in online marketing (social media). You will work alongside the number one team in the country. The cream. Of. The crop. Join us. Let’s Talk.

New Year. New Bloggers' Block.

Sorta.

So there we are, a few bloggers under one rooftop at PubliGestion. We dubbed our blog "Bloggers' Block", a merger of six very distinct blogging voices: Olivier (Ob) our Marketing Director, Pong our Head Graphic Designer, Jacquemine (JL) one of our Account Executives (we needed to add at least one person from the "other" side), Richie (RM) our Producer, Keriko our friend from space (he comes in peace), and myself - Veronique (VC), our Digital Marketing Strategist. Ultimately, Bloggers' Block is a team effort and every single member of the PubliGestion team contributes in his or her way.

You may be wondering why we are suddenly introducing who is behind the blog. Well, this year, we're going to do things a little bit differently. Rather than posting every monday, we will post every wednesday. It's the middle of the week. You need a break from your reports, we need a break from our clients (we love you!), but we both need to share and consume knowledge. BTW, don't be surprised if we post twice in a week sporadically - life isn't about the walls and rules which constrain us ;). 

We promise you though that our voices won't change. Our blogs will be consistent as usual, but this year, note that there will be 6 distinct POVs sharing a common vibe of advertising, design, Haiti, inner peace, and all things net. En d'autres mots, a little something for everybody. We will be full of surprises, and it'll never be the same perspective - basically what you always loved about us. What we will keep on doing in the same way is that we will continue to jump in on topics together. At PG, we give out ideas for free because it's all about sharing the wealth that is le-savoir-faire. And on Bloggers' Block, you'll always get six for the price of free. 

PubliGestion, forever.

Our wishes for 2012

"Put on your party hat and raise a toast to 2012. This NEW YEAR will be full of excitements and mystery! Buckle-up to your seat and enjoy the ride towards new goals and objectives you will each give to yourself. Wishes of success, wealth, health and happiness to all of you;-)" - Nathalie, Financial Controller

"2012, here we come. It is our choice to fear or not to fear the 'catastrophic' year so many people are announcing. As for me, I am full of hope that this new year will bring us all love, peace, health, energy and creativity (and all the money we need to really enjoy all of the above). And if it were to be a very difficult 2012… I suggest we get our strength from one of my favorite quote : 'What does not kill you makes you stronger'… So bring it on 2012! Happy new year!" - Jacquemine, Accounts Manager

"The greatest lesson of this year: 'Having a well-organized life is not about adding on to it. It's about subtracting and putting careful thought on what you put in it.' Happy New Year!!! - Pong (@whitespacelover), Head Graphic Designer

"À chacun(e) de vous, je souhaite de chaleureuses fêtes de fin d’année ! ♥.Que votre maison soit rempli à craquer de précieux moments partagés avec ceux et celles que vous aimez, de fous rires, de joies, d'amitiés, de santé surtout, et, un dernier souhait que j'aime bien, : Que le bonheur vous court après... et qu'il vous attrape ! HeUrEuSe AnNéE 2012" - Rachelle, Account Executive

"2012, contrary to popular belief will be a year which will come with lots of hopes and possibilities. So, I am wishing that this New Year brightens up the lives of every single person reading this blog with new joys and lots of great surprises!" - Nathalie (@Nathoue), Event Coordinator

"Voici venir 2012 !
Plantons-y Trois Cent Soixante Cinq graines de Positivité,

pour récolter joyeusement Trois Cent Soixante-Cinq Jours

de Succès, de Bonheur et de Prospérité.

A vous tous, Bonne et Heureuse Annee 2012." - Eliane, CEO

"The greatest discovery our generation has the privilege to be the witness of is the power of the mind, the power of will and conviction. Yes, we've came to realize that any human being can alter his life and shape it by altering the attitude of his mind. YOU really can! It's a new year, a driving force, a trigger, a chance for you to become someone better, happier, stronger, healthier... Happy New Year!" - Jay (@jaydesignhaiti), Webdesigner and Coordinator

"May God give us all Protection all the way to 2012…." - Marie Carmel, Purchasing Agent

"En guise de vœux de fin d’année, je me propose de partager avec vous une pensée du philosophe indien Jiddu Krishnamurti. 'Tant que vous n'êtes pas prêt à être responsable de tout - mais vraiment de tout ce qui se produit dans votre vie- vous ne progresserez pas.' Que cette pensée, comme une prise de conscience heureuse, illumine la vie de tout un chacun sur le chemin sinueux de l’émancipation.Bonne et Heureuse Année à vous tous !" - Kanga, Copywriter

"I do not care about how you name him, for 2012 you must call him more.I do not know about how much you love them, for 2012 you must love them more.I do not feel how strong you believe, for 2012 you must have FAITH.'Cause only the strong survive.'" - Josué, Graphic Designer

"May you be where you wish to be, together with those you cherish.May you find the food tastier, the environment quieter, and the pleasure more fulfilling in anything you do. May you have an idea a day, but most importantly, may you fulfill the best of them. And so, a toast to 2012! Live it up! You never know if the predictions are true. ;)" - Véronique (@craav), Digital Marketing Strategist

"A little smile,a word of cheer,

a bit of love from someone near,

a little gift from one held dear,

best wishes for the coming year!" - Gisande, Art Director

"Because life is so precious. Because life is made to be abundant. Because the best things in life are not things. Because the greatest sense of achievement comes when its earned. Because there are miracles to be found everywhere if you look close enough. Because you have the right to be happy. Because you have the right to choose. Because sometimes life is about the “not to do” list. Because time is only a fiction of the mind. Because whether you think you can, or say you can’t, either way you are right. Because the body is a good slave but a very bad master. Because the Maya calendar is of no real importance. Because you are the best version of yourself. Because it’s better to learn from mistakes, preferably someone else’s. Because there is always room for improvement. Because change is the only constant. Because winning is a habit, but unfortunately so is loosing. Because only you is keeping you from reaching your fullest potential. Because reality can only exist in the mind of the observer. 2012 will be your best year ever…if you say so." - Olivier, Marketing Director

"Pou 2012, kenbe Prestige ou wo ! :)" - Monica, Account Executive

"Onè, to the year to come.
Respè,to the one that's gone.

We know we dream,we dream we know.

We laugh.We lie.We curse.We hug.We fear.We praise.We hope.We rise.We love.
And that's how the year unfolds.

If this year depended on what others have done for you, may 2012 depend on what you will do for others.

Happy New Year to all." - Ted, Graphic Designer

Prestige, la bière d’Haïti

So, we’re pretty sure that by now, you’ve heard that Heineken NV has acquired more shares of BRANA, the brewer of our national pride, Prestige and other leading brands such Malta H and Guinness. BRANA also produces and bottles other well-known-and-sentimentally-haitian brands such as Toro,  King Cola and Sources Crystal. They also produce Teem, 7up and Pepsi under license.

This comes at a time where there’s a lot of signs of Haiti being the apple of the eye of many foreign investors, where, perhaps Haiti is the new land of opportunity…Oh by the way (and this has nothing to do with our post today) the US is changing their slogan to “the United States of infinite possibilities”.

There are a lot of mixed feelings about the acquisition, but let us put you at ease with the idea, and show you how we see it. Mercedes Benz will always be German even if some of its cars are produced in Mexico. Budweiser will always be American even if a Belgian company owns it, and Prestige will always be THE Haitian beer even if produced by the third largest brewer in the world. This change will actually help propel Prestige onto another level. Sure, Prestige is already sold in certain states in the USA and Canada, but how proud would you feel if you found Prestige on a cruise ship, and in the most secluded of places!?

What we’re trying to say here is that Heineken NV making this move, the local market will surely benefit from it. For one, it means more jobs. I personally bet ya that within 2 years we will have at least 2 to 3 other local beers. How fun would that be to have the choice between 3 Haitian beers on a menu. I know that on a Monday night, I’d love a Prestige light. Okay, maybe two.

You see, the more there is demand for the beer, the more places the beer is sold, the more sustainable jobs here in Haiti there will be. Heineken is a pretty good example to follow when it comes to great Corporate Responsibility socially, environmentally and financially - and will continue on with BRANA's traditions. This opens up a world of possibilities.

Now, if you’re worried that by having a foreign shareholder means that Prestige will no longer be truly Haitian, you are surely mistaking. Prestige was born and raised in Haiti. Prestige belongs to us. It belongs to you. It belongs to me. It is us, consumers, who are the true owners of Prestige and it will belong to generations to come. 

Kenbe Prestige ou! 

Btw, Heineken NV is a publically traded company. Hint hint…You might want to buy a few shares yourself. ;)

Ever heard or read about “Six Degrees of Separation”?

According to our friends at Wikipedia, the original “six degrees” finding, published in 1967 by the psychologist Stanley Milgram, was drawn from 296 volunteers who were asked to send a message by postcard, through friends and then friends of friends, to a specific person in a Boston suburb.

The new research, uh… a much bigger group made up of 721 million Facebook users, more than one-tenth of the world’s population. Technology and social networks are linking us closer than ever. We are now just mere 4.something degrees away from one another. 

In other terms, the chances of you meeting your idol (The Dalai Lama? Your president? Heck, you could even add Oprah and why not add Mark Zuckerberg to the mix) is simply 4.something friends away from happening.

We’re not going to get into the way they made this deduction as it goes into some complicated algorithms that you would seriously need to be an analytical mind to understand. Frankly, you’d get a headache from our explanation. To keep it short and sweet, let’s face it, the social network era has provided us with tremendous reach. Any Jean, Pierre, Véronique and Paulette can share ideas with only a few jumps to a large portion of the world’s population and with even fewer steps to the entire population of a nation.

How did we go from carrier pigeons to 15MB/second speed Internet connections? Ideas now spread faster than they ever have, and the pixels of separation between you (in Haiti) and your mentor (on Mars) will become fewer and fewer. 

Long live innovation and the digital age!

PG, over and out.

Fix your Bike

For this post,  we will attempt to do an exercise. 

We invite you to take part in this process. If done well,   it will have thought us all a lesson... or two. 

Let's start by taking a look at this picture:

Take a close look and you will see many reasons why this bike is a pain in the you know what. While looking at the image, right here, right now, list ALL the things that are keeping YOU from moving forward. List all the psychologic or life flat tires that are inhibiting your success,  and write them down. It could be anything. Anything that is keeping you from reaching your fullest potential. Keep the list. We will.

By next monday,  fix your bike or fix your car or fix your laptop, and post it for your appreciation. By then, we will each take our individual list and learn, by looking at the restored "bicycle",  how to rewrite our negative life affirmations into positive ones. 

It could be a life changing week! Especially with the new year resolutions!  

Go! Go! Go! 

List at least three things that are keeping your tires flat... See you next monday. 

The State of Social Media

For today's blog,  we're doing something differently: we're using someone else's video to help update our dear readers,  yes...YOU :-),  on the state of social media. 

Keep in mind though that the numbers,  from November 22nd when the video was uploaded to now,  have changed. 

Millions of connections are made every day,  is your brand ready to take advantage of that and to start being a 'friend' to your consumers?

 Get out there. Observe. Connect. Grow.

Creativity

Were you born creative? Or were you brought up, groomed and brewed to become one?  Picasso says all kids are artists. We could argue the whole “nurture Vs nature” approach to continue the debate but this time, we will talk about how the use of your left brain vs. the right brain determines ones creativity.

When we did a quick survey around the creative side of the agency… it seems most of us at PG were brewed, by design, to do something creative, sampling the Arts for as long as we can remember, drawing circles, learning to play piano, playing with paint, writing on trees or on mom’s new sofa…  Do you think you have a creative mind? Chances are, YOU do, but you don’t know it! We get reprogrammed at an early age. From the day we step foot inside of a kindergarten, our memory disks are reformatted to develop the logical, language-based, rational capacities of the left side of our brain. You know, that side of the brain that is goal-oriented, intolerant, that loves to plan and lives in the past?  

What does this mean for us creative folks? Well, the left side remembers objects as they were thought to us. So, if you are asked to draw a hand, for example, we remember the symbol we have for "hand" from our left memory, replicate it like a robot and move on. By contrast, the right side is capable of expressing objects or feelings with restrictions only our imagination can limit.  
You want to muscle up the right brain and give your creative side a chance to shine? Follow the steps below:  

1. The first stage is to, as cliché as it sounds, step outside the box. Forget the past and remember that you have little use for it. The box in this case, is your left side of the brain that will already give you a concept based on what it knows. Of course, any creative innovation unavoidably is inspired by what came before it. For a journalist, this might mean reading extensively, cataloguing, assessing, defining, and ranking.  

2. Then, what you should do is, walk away. Literally walk. Since your right brain is linked with the left-side of your body and vice versa, walking will help you sync and balance your thoughts. When our left side and our right side are fighting to solve a problem, walking is a fantastic way to have great ideas come unconsciously.  

3. EUREKA! It came so unexpectedly! The lightbulb turned on! This will seldom happen at your desk. Give your left-brain some rest, and do something that would stimulate the right side: exercising, taking a long shower, sleeping (when sleeping, that’s when the right brain usually takes over, so get as much as you can!).  

4. Then, the left brain wants to take dominance. This is when you challenge the creative breakthrough you just had. Scientists do this in the laboratory. Painters do this on a canvas. Designers do it by translating a vision into pixels. If you are an accountant, you save the company a couple of buck on QuickBooks. If you are a mathematician, you do this by using new formulas. 

Ultimately, we are all born with pretty colors waving around in our brains. We are all creatives. Know the highest creativity is understanding how to engage your whole brain by moving docilely and deliberately between the right and left sides, action and timeout, determination and rest, breath and out-breath. That is also a simple prescription for how to live.  

PG, over and out.  

Conveying Emotion: "Voilà, 12 ans"

We haven't showcased a TV ad in a while,  and we felt you may want to see our latest creation. Not to toot our own horn,  but the feedback we've gotten is quite positive. This week,  we decided to go with our latest TV ad for Voilà.

Our favorite telecommunications client recently celebrated 12 years of serving the Haitian market. In this video, they thank their loyal customers for letting Voilà/Comcel be by their side during those years. The ad is in French,  but you do not need to speak the language for the emotions to flow in. It is a purely sentimental ad that goes straight to your heart.

"Voilà, 12 ans" is a collaboration between PubliGestion and Muska Productions. Go ahead,  leave us your comments and your thoughts. Tell us why you love it,  or if you don't,  please don't hesitate to tell us why,  as we love constructive criticism.

PG,  over and out.

2011 Mashable Media Summit - In our eyes.

VC, circled in red, in attendance at the 2011 Mashable Media Summit.

On Friday November 4th, our eMarketing Strategist (Véronique_code name: VC) , had the pleasure of attending the 2011 Mashable Media Summit in New York City.

In a quick click, if you don’t know what the Mashable Media Summit is, here goes: it was a conference attended by a group of dominant space-age species exploring how media-centric technology has forever changed our fields.

The house, the Times Center, was packed with over 360 attendants tweeting away and taking notes from tablets. On deck were some real rock stars from Facebook, Foursquare, Reuters, The New York Times, Buddy Media, Esquire, Gilt Group, etc, etc, etc… From Véronique’s own words: “My brain felt like a blank hard drive, downloading from the thoughts evoked by some of the most brilliant minds in our field.”

When asked who her top 2 presenters/sessions were, VC said:

1-    The Importance of Being Awesome by Faris Yakob, Chief Innovation Officer at MDC Partners/KBS+P, who she mimicked as being a total character. He was the presenter right after lunch. You know? That slump lot when everyone in attendance has the itis. “Awesome and unconventional” she furthers… a positively wacky and brilliant presentation summing up technology as "stuff that doesn't work yet" but soon to be the norm.

2-    Like a Virgin — The Ultimate User Experience  by Tor Myhren, President of Grey New York, who also used a positively deranged analogy to highlight how much social media is changing the way we communicate. Myhren told the participants he, as a boy, lost his virginity at 14 in a relationship that started over the land line. Flash forward to 2011, boys and girls still want to meet…but only this time it fist happens on Facebook with all the poking, sexting and the like. Demonstrating how "As technology changes, the soul of man (and his impulses) do not."

As for the day’s highlights, rather than rehashing what is already on the intrawebs, we invite you to check our Twitter timeline, or just do a Twitter search with the conference’s hashtag #MediaSummit. And since true success is knowledge applied…we look forward to applying ALL of that newly downloaded knowledge to the benefit of our clients. =)

PG, over and out.