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TODAY'S COMMENTARY by Jack Myers #151 Thursday, December 28th 2006 Jack Myers Media Business Report CLASSIC JACK: Memo from Leo Burnett The commentary below was written by Jack Myers in 1991 and is re-published here as both a retrospective as well as an opportunity to assess your current approaches to a radically changing business environment. Originally published in 1991. In light of the challenges to traditional advertising business models, it might be worthwhile for the industry to reflect on the words of legendary Leo Burnett, who founded the advertising agency in 1935 during the great depression. Following is a definition of Burnett'sadvertising objectives, which serve as important insight into a credo that is even more relevant nearly fifty years after they were written. Following is just a small part of an eight page memo written by Burnett to his staff. By Leo Burnett People sometimes ask us: 'What is your technique?' The answer is: We have none. We think the ma...

I believe that everyone feels alone or questions themselves from time-to-time. When it gets bad, it is akin to losing one's MoJo...where you doubt your instincts and find a bit of paralysis-by-analysis setting in. In baseball it manifests itself as a slump. Pretty soon you are standing at the plate and the ball looks really small...almost like a BB. And because the ball appears so impossibly small, you begin to believe the only way you'll ever hit the ball is if you begin to 'guess what pitch is coming next.' This then leads to BIG SWINGS...at curveballs...or LATE SWINGS...on fast balls. Net/net you look ridiculous! And the biggest thing...you LOOK lost...and everyone in the grandstands can see it! This happens in relationships as well. You start to lose your MoJo and doubt yourself in your relationship. You doubt the other person's feelings...your own contributions emotionally and intellectually...whether the person is still 'into' you...and you get a bit ...

I got a note today from one of my Jewish friends today telling me all the good things one can do on Christmas if one is Jewish. What I loved about the note is that it was both a reminder that we live in a world where what is commonplace to one (Christmas) isn't nearly so to another (my Jewish friends). And it also was uplifting, as it mentions different organizations where the Jewish workers will volunteer to work on X-Mas so that Christian workers can have the day off and celebreate X-Mas. So what is this blog about? Simply this...the world is made up of wonderful and diverse people and cultures...and while I have never thought of one of my friends as 'Jewish' or 'non-Jewish'...I am privileged to have friends from every race, religion and nationality...and I love them all...for the wonderful mix of stories, lifestyles, opinions and overall diversity that they represent...and that I only tend to notice when it is brought up to me. You see...to me...they are simply m...

TO THE BASEBALL FIELD After meeting Suzanna Zanolli and negotiating our mutually beneficial contract...her translation skills for 'making conversation' - we were ready to get a job playing baseball in Italy! The problem was that Laerte (Baseball Federation President) didn't really want to talk via a translator. In fact, once I returned with Suzanna in tow it wasn't more than a few minutes before we jumped in his Olive Green Mercedes and went screaming down impossibly narrow alleys to the ballpark in Verona. At this point I had been traveling for nearly 20 hours...awake for about 30 hours and was feeling a bit punchy! However doing 50 mph down a narrow cobblestone alley was enough to get me to put my seat belt on and wake up a bit. We arrived at 'al Centro sportivo Gavagnin' (Gavagnin baseball field) where much to my delight there appeared to be a full fledged baseball practice in progress on a gorgeous baseball diamond. The familiar sounds of balls being hit......

ARRIVING IN VERONA, ITALY to PLAY BASEBALL On the train from Milano to Verona I found myself being suddenly freaked out. My family-heritage-enthusiasm was starting to leave me...and self doubt started to pop up. In moments like this...and in my lifetime I had plenty...I did what I was taught to do on the baseball diamond...stick to the fundamentals and don't try to do too much! So I took a deep breath and kept thinking to myself, 'one thing at a time...and the first thing is to get rid of this HUGE, unwieldy, ridiculously heaving duffel bag!' There are two things everyone should know about Italian train stations: Left Luggage - you can leave your bags with them, thus unburdening yourself for a small fee. Buses - there are lots of buses outside of train stations and if you take Bus #1, it will take you to Il Centro (the center) of town. So with this knowledge I rented one of their changing rooms for 30 minutes...took a shower and sorted through what I needed to begin my que...

Living in Italy is Magical! Living in Italy and playing baseball is even better... Italy is full of all the usual things you have heard/read so much about - cobblestone streets, architecture, food, wine, art, history, beautiful people, gorgeous English teachers at German Schools, hand made masterpieces, gorgeous cars, siestas, loving families and talking with ones hands. What you almost never hear about in Italy is the wonderful sport of baseball. Yes...baseball... I have had the privilege of living in Italy three times in my life...for three baseball seasons. An American finding himself going to Italy to play baseball isn't easy. While there are many roads to Rome, there are shockingly few roads to Italian baseball. This is where my adventure began... I had decided that I wanted to play baseball in Italy and had no idea how to go about it. I had heard of Coach John Noce (pronounced NO-CHEE) of San Mateo Junior College (San Mateo, CA). Coach Noce had sons who had played in Italy a...

Baseball has a rhythm and pace that is like life and unlike any other sport. Baseball doesn’t have a time clock …the game unwinds in an unhurried, meandering pace that is unique and beholden to no one...in its own time. The game progresses at times to appear like an eternity and yet frantic in its final moments…just like life. Baseball is the hardest sport on the planet when one considers these simple facts for an 'average' Major League Fastball - 85 mph is the 'average' major league fastball - many pitchers throw much harder It takes 4/10 of a second for the pitch to go from the pitchers hand to the hitting zone A 'major league hitter' can get the head of the bat to the hitting zone in about 2/10 of a second Translation = a hitter has 2/10 of a second to decide if the pitch is a ball or strike, decide to swing and hit a round ball with a round ball...squarely...on an 'average' major league fastball There is nothing harder than hitting a pitched ball .....

All the 'sayings' that I heard growing up are turning out to be true, but not as a reflection or condemnation upon society or others...but rather simply through self experience. 'Youth is wasted on the young,' does not demean the value of our youth (of any generation), but rather suggests how we could have benefited if we had had wisdom when we were young. I remember stories. I tend to learn better from stories; however great storytellers are in short supply. It is almost as if storytelling and the gift of storytelling has been affected by the instant gratification society we live in. This scenario begs the question of how can one take the time to hear a great story if we are so focused on the 'quick and easy?' Stories take time to unfold...they have a natural rhythm to them that is much like nature and cannot be rushed. How does this match the title? Simply this...there are many things in life that eventually are uncontrollable...and the sooner one is exposed...