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The Future of Your Brand is a series of articles exploring the changes and challenges facing brands in the immediate and near futures. It is broken down into the following topics:

• Introduction: A brief intro to this series.
• The Future of Your Brand is PLAY: Part 1 looks at what can we learn from kids and the way that they comprehend and respond to marketing. Part 2 digs into the anatomy of P-L-A-Y. Part 3 looks at how is this shifting to adults and proposes an approach that allows brands to learn from kids and to tap into our kid-like behaviours — kidsperience.
• The Future of Your Brand is MICRO: Looks at the small brand interactions that are crushing the concept of the "big idea".
• The Future of Your Brand is PERFORMANCE: Underway … looks at the power of performance and what "live" means for your brand.
• The Future of Your Brand is CONTENT: Underway … looks at the reasons that content will drive the future of your brand.
• The Future of Your Brand is YOU: Underway … what is the personal dimension of your brand and why it is important to go beyond the distancing strategies of traditional marketing.

There may well be additions to this list as the project rolls on.

At the moment, the plan is to produce this series as a book or PDF download. It will be available via Lulu.com. AND you can even buy a The Future of Your Brand T-shirt at Cafepress!

You have probably already seen this, but the folks over at Blogged.com have setup a way to easy discover new blogs. There are plenty of categories to choose from and even some reader reviews. And if the Blogged Editors have had a chance to review your site, they will give you a ranking.

I am ranked at 7.8 — “very good”. But there seems to be plenty of room for improvement! What can I do? Is there something more you would like to see? Something less? Let me know!

Oh, and you can get a little graphic to show your allegiance. Just like this one!

Sounds like a golden opportunity that should be on the radar of all marketing grads (via David Bausola).

“The idea is to find a diverse group of motivated young people who want to join together to create a few really neat projects. The tools used will range from online video to blogs to copywriting to design. Topics might include politics or Squidoo or book promotion or inventing a new kind of web interaction … no scut work, no cold calling, stapling, collating or errands.”

But if you are interested, you had better get in quick smart!

I was scrolling through Lynetter Web’s excellent archive of technology and futurist quotes today and found this one. And while I do see this website as a personal idea scrapbook, it also has a very personal and social aspect to it. Blogger Social, which now happens in just a matter of weeks will be the first time that I have the opportunity to meet in person with the many friends that have come into my world over the last couple of years.

It is going to be fabulous!

If you ever have to do business with Australians it may take some time to understand their strange idiosyncrasies. Greg Davies is an Australian living deep in the heart of Oklahoma and has put together a great post that provides you with a cultural background on Australians and our ways of thinking.

It is a must read for anyone wanting to understand why we are the way we are. Especially check the section on beer and Fosters.

Thanks to Meg Tsiamis.

When we see two people who are alike, we often say that they are “two peas in a pod”. Sometimes this relates to appearance, but it can equally apply to behaviour or attitude.

One of the things that is interesting about the community side of social networks is that we are able to reach past the differences that may otherwise keep us apart. For example, geography is now no impediment to friendship or connection. And it certainly does not stop collective action or emotional support.

A great example is the effort that has gone into imagining, creating and delivering the Frozen Pea Fund website inspired by Susan Reynolds. All contributions to the Frozen Pea Fund until October 2008 will go to Making Strides, the breast cancer campaign of the American Cancer Society.

Now, while I live in Australia, I personally don’t care where the cancer riddle is solved or by whom … I would just dearly love it solved.

And tonight as we are all looking forward to the comfort of friends and family in the lead up to Christmas, please also spare a thought for Susan and the many others in her situation. Spare a thought and some change … and help make the world a better place for us all.

I think this is a great idea … open your blog up to the chaos of individual content and perspective! My good friend and co-Age of Conversation conspirator, Drew McLellan, has opened the door to you all!

That’s right, one of the world’s most respected marketing bloggers is offering a spot EVERY Friday. All you need to do is take a look at the profile of Drew’s readership and then e-mail Drew with a post.

I, for one, am looking forward to this series. It is bound to be suprising.

Oh, and do you like this photo? Wonder if they are related to Sean who apparently is my “naked nemesis”.

When the Sydney chapter of Planning for Good all came together to discuss a brief for UNICEF, we found ourselves sitting on milk crates in the streets of Darlinghurst. We were interrupted by planes and by passing trucks, but there must have been something to it, for one of our ideas (ok, it was Katie’s) was selected by the client.

So, tomorrow, we are meeting again, this time in more comfortable surroundings (at the Cricketers Arms in Surry Hills around 6:30pm). The brief is for Live Earth (get it here).

ALL ARE WELCOME.

Oh, and don’t forget to join our Facebook group too!

We approach a momentous time in the history of the Australian nation. The recent election swept the Labor party into office, and with it came a new Prime Minister in the shape of Kevin Rudd and a new Deputy Prime Minister in the form of Julia Gillard (wonder twin powers?).

Now, despite the similarities of policy, the differences between the parties will largely be in the form of action and deed. This is where the Australian people will feel the difference between the two sides of politics — where policy meets people. And today is a great example.

From around midday, for the first time in since federation, Australia will have a woman leading the country. Julia Gillard will take over from Kevin Rudd as Acting Prime Minister while Kev07 starts working on the global Kev08 agenda (in Bali to talk Kyoto Protocol).

Now that is what I call a climate change. Let’s hope it is the first of many!

Does blogging “nothing” equal action?

In a world of conversation does silence make a point?

To find out I had an email chat with Jason Verwey, the instigator of Blog Nothing Day.

See what he had to say over at MarketingProfs.

Oh, and while you are there, check out the rockin job they have on offer.