One of the things I love about Christmas is the chance to slow down and chat with friends and relatives. One of our debates this year focussed on the 2012 elections, and who were good candidates in our local areas.

This raised the fascinating thought – if elections test the preferences of the electorate, what would happen if every ballot paper had a box that could be ticked – “None of the above”.

Think about it for a minute. What would happen if we treated an election as a true market research test – where we were provided with a range of options, including the option to say, “Actually I don’t want any of the candidates presented”.

“None of the above” could be treated like a third major party – if it won the majority vote for an electorate, all the parties would have to go back and start over:  finding new candidates and doing a better job of explaining what they offer.

Yes, it would be organised chaos for a while – but it would be interesting to see what changes the major political parties make as a result. My guess is the rate of informal votes would dramatically drop and we would see some interesting shifts in policy and the choices of candidates.

What do you think – should we have a “(c) None of the above” option in elections?

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance Writer

I talk with many business owners throughout the year. Many of them have big dreams, but only a few follow them up with action. There are always reasons why they can’t pursue their dream.

That’s why I love this video. First of all there is only 2 musicians. 2 … that’s it. The bands that make it big are the ones with a full band, complete with lead singers, back-up singers and a lot of pizazz.

And these 2 musos don’t exactly play the world’s sexiest instruments. One plays a piano – the other a cello. Guitars and drums – sexy. Cello and piano … ?

Normally people in their millions don’t stop to watch a cellist or a piano player.  But put these two guys together, add in dreams, a bit of determination, a splash of creativity and darn hard work, and you get …

At last count nearly 3 million people have watched them play, and a percentage of them (me included) have gone on to buy their music.

If just two guys, playing highly unsexy instruments can do this … what’s your excuse?

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance Copywriter

PS: If you want a laugh, then watch this video of theirs (shows they can also laugh at themselves and their craft!)

I was sent a challenging email today – challenging in that it made me stop and think. I have taken out the anti-Asian rants and kept the essence of the message – which can be boiled down to … This Christmas Shop Local.

As the holidays approach … this year will be different. This year Australians will give the gift of genuine concern for other Australians. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by Australian hands. Yes there is!

It’s time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in overseas produced wrapping paper?

Everyone — yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local hair salon or barber?

Gym membership or personal training sessions? It’s appropriate for all ages who are thinking about some health improvement.

Who wouldn’t appreciate getting their car detailed? Small owned detail shops & car washes would love to sell you a gift certificate or a book of gift certificates.

For the Gardeners on your list – how about some lovely healthy pot plants or plants for the garden or even a gift certificate from the local lawnmowing man.

Are you one of those extravagant givers who think nothing of plunking down  a large flat-screen? Perhaps that grateful gift receiver would like his driveway sealed, or lawn mowed for the summer, or games at the local golf course.

There are a bazillion owner-run restaurants — all offering gift certificates. If your intended isn’t the fancy eatery sort, what about a half dozen breakfasts at the local cafe. Remember, folks this isn’t about big National chains — this is about supporting your home town with their financial lives on the line to keep their doors open.

How many people couldn’t use an oil change for their car, truck or motorcycle, done at a shop run by the Australian working guy?

What about a gift certificate from a local home handyman for some chores to be done around the home?

Thinking about a heartfelt gift for mum? Mum would LOVE the services of a local cleaning lady for a day.

Someone’s computer could use a tune-up, & I KNOW I can find some young guy who is struggling to get his repair business up & running.

OK, you were looking for something more personal. Local crafts people spin their own wool & knit them into scarves. They make jewelry, & pottery & beautiful wooden boxes.

Plan your holiday outings at local, owner operated restaurants and leave your server a nice tip. How about going out to see a play or ballet at your hometown theatre.

Musicians need love too, so find a venue showcasing local bands.

You see,  Christmas is now about caring about Australia, encouraging our small businesses to keep plugging away to follow their dreams. When we care about other Australians, we care about our communities, & the benefits come back to us in ways we couldn’t imagine. THIS is the new Australian Christmas tradition.

I love the concept. This year, instead of buying things – think about supporting local services and artisans. Buy services and experiences as gifts; and remember that psych studies have shown that experiences bring more happiness than things.

Small business has done it tough – and many areas of Australia have been tested by natural disasters. So think about spending at least a portion of your Christmas shopping budget on local goods and services. Perhaps you will help one small business keep its doors open, or one more person keep their job.

What do you think? Can Santa shop locally?

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance Copywriter

Back in the 70′s and early 1980′s, women faced an uphill battle at work. I remember working as a Research Officer for a union, having to present to the then Premier Sir Joh Bjelke Peterson & our relevant Minister about a particular legal case we were working on, and then, as I was the female staff member, having to wash up the lunch plates after the meeting. It was common place – women always did the washing up no matter how high they were in the organisation.

I also remember as a young keen person applying for a role in the Industrial Commission, being asked if I was  going to resign when I got married, as the Commissioners didn’t want to hire me if I was going to leave within 5 years to get married and have kids. And this was after the anti-discrimination laws were in place.

I celebrated the “equal pay for equal work” cases as they went through the Commission, and did a dance of joy that my daughters would not know the challenges of blatant discrimination in the workforce. In other words, I lived through some pretty interesting times, and have my war wounds to prove it.

For a time I worked as an Equal Employment Opportunities Officer, working to remove direct and indirect discrimination from government services. Indirect discrimination occurred when the exclusion was not deliberate … it just somehow happened. And in the process, it excludes a whole group of the population from participating or seeking a service.

And one of the things that we learned in those years, were that people liked to see “people like them” in a workplace through photos or through employee representation. People are more comfortable with a business that looked like it represented them, and they were more open to accessing services that a business offers.

I still look at the photos businesses use in their marketing. It makes sense – if your main customers are retirees, you don’t use photos of teenagers.  If you want to promote yourself as an upmarket exclusive boutique – then you use photos of paper-thin white models who don’t know how to smile (can anyone say Gasp Jeans). And if you are trying to attract women scientists to your business, you don’t only show pictures of male scientists in all of your marketing collateral.

It becomes an occupational hazard after a while – looking to see the sort of customers people are specifically targeting with their marketing.  On the weekend I went to Supanova here in Brisbane. It is a celebration of all things pop culture, anime & science fiction. What is pop culture? A reflection of the popular thoughts of society.

And what really hit me when I browsed the many stalls packed to the rafters with books & collectables, was how one entire generation was missing from the representations.  As far as the eye could see, you could spot images of teen, kids and young adults. You could also see images of men of all ages from young to senior citizens.  But as for women – middle aged women did not exist.

If you really did some digging, you would find the odd middle aged woman buried in the meme – usually in the role of either a mum (think Marge Simpson or Mrs Weasley from Harry Potter) or Sue Silvestor from Glee. So, according to pop culture, it appears that middle aged women only fill a mother type role, or are bitter and twisted because they don’t have children.

According to pop culture, guys can be heroes no matter their age. Think of Hugh Jackman in Wolverine, all of the Doctor Who’s and even Rocky. But women, they are only permitted to furtively scurry out from the mantle of motherhood for the odd skirmish, and then race back to where they are supposed to be.

And, who actually turned up for Supanova? Teens and kids in their thousands. If there was an adult around, they were usually male. Us middle aged women who attended, quietly nodded to each other as we passed – we were in the definite minority. It was a very sobering experience, and brought back the feelings I had washing the dishes all those years ago.

So, I think we need to create a new Anime character, or at least a new superhero. Smart, together, funny, sexy, courageous middle aged women with lives outside their families.  What do you think?

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance Copywriter

I’m always on the lookout for new creativity techniques – and this bunch from New Scientist is brilliant.

1. Lie Down

Two of the world’s great authors,  Nabokov and Truman Capote, could not think unless they were lying down or stretched out on a couch. And yes, there are dedicated scientists who have studied if lying down on the job actually makes a difference. Darren Linicki and Don Byrne at ANU in Canberra have found people solve anagrams 10% faster when lying down compared with standing. I can see a rush of office memo’s being drafted requesting couches!

2. Strike a Pose

You know that lovely statue by Auguste Rodin -The Thinker? Turns out he may have been onto something. Joel Crestenet and Vincent Dru from Paris West Uni found volunteers who struck “The Thinker” pose, performed much better on creative thinking tasks.

3. Look Left & Right

This is even more esoteric – it appears that simple eye movements left and right across your field of vision help you think more laterally.

Extra bonus points if you look right and left while you are striking a pose! Me … I’ m going to find a nice couch to stretch out on.

Ingrid Cliff

We put your business into words

Heart Harmony – Freelance Copywriter