I agree with your view 'keep it simple, stupid', however I don't agree with your view that if you have to explain an idea it has failed. Think back to 'Plato's Cave' - the point that every individual/organisation is different and has a different 'Plato's Cave' life experience. Baring this in mind, communicating an idea has to be adjusted to reflect different peoples/organisations attitudes. What can seem like a simple idea to one person, can appear quite complicated, unbelieveable, ridiculous, .... to another...get the picture?

Could 'simple' (as we are discussing here) be a quality or concept that we, as humans, can all eventually grasp? A lowest common denominator perhaps and something that we can't truly understand why we relate to? - like Kant's Transcendental Idealism, if we want to continue the Philosophical theme. It may take us years to reach (i.e. laws of the universe and that infamous creative concept!) or infinite and various adjustments to explain (i.e. Lisa's Plato's Cave suggestion above) but really it's something so basic about ourselves and our world that we just can't help but 'get it'.

"Simplify, simplify."

Re the quote about keep changing or your finished - Sometimes you need to 'stand still' in order to take stock of where you are, how you got there and therefore going forward which way is best. Change is good as long as it is change in the right direction and not change for changes sake. I think management play a very important role in creating a working environment that allows for 'change' - some management structures/approaches are like big old dinosaurs - so large and cumbersome that any movement forward is painfully slow and utilises far too much effort in order to take a small step forward!

Uhhh, the subject line of your e mail was, weigh in and win. A compelling headline, with a promise, that is not fulfilled in your blog entry. Where is the offer?

so,where is the prize? I come cause your subject also, don't tell it's a unfulfilled promise ^0^

Weigh in and win....I guess I could have written Free Sex and seen the results -- seems to work on the web.....but that wasnt the point -- my expectation for this blog as outlined in the first posting was that it be a place to build on thinking; ideas; concepts and that folks who took the time would do so becuase they viewed the transactions as being valuable for themselves and for others. weigh in -- means make yourself heard; share your thouhghts; take a gamble and put it all out there. win -- means learn something new; feel good about helping others; make the network work. Sorry to anyone who felt the offer was a fake -- I've already benefited..... PS -- Ive also been known to share amazon gift certificates with corresponders who really add value......

to lisa's comment: I agree that even changing needs (not: takes) it's time. unfortunately, I have the feeling that today "in this modern world" change often is seen as a means to an end. the ability to step back and think things over - at least for a while - has been amputated by all the blessing of modern communication. if we - for a moment - believe that our work is all about ideas, it is indeed the case that people - not only clients - are used to things getting done "in a minute". I mean - maybe Einstein woke up one morning, thinking "oh, what a nice day. I think today I'll change the laws of physics forever". (he was a genius, after all). then again, I think he just sat down, crunched his forehead and startet thinking. and boy, it took some time! so yes - he had the right environment, he had the requirements, he had the skills. but most importantly, he had the will to change things. like with politics, it's easy to say that companies should create the environment for change. but I have to say (and I'm an office head) that all the people in my office are "the company", so it's up to everyone to start thinking in order to start changing. yes, it might take some time (see einstein) - but that should be worth it.

finally, a wunblog / and this for the topic / well thought of ! and another example of "the better=improving the good"

"Feel the fear and do it anyway" - I think it is a mind-set thing, there are business people who are 'yes-people' for a simple, boring, no-risk, stand-still approach to business - the 'dinosaur companies of this world' and there are a small proportion of people who are willing to put their head above the parapet and say what they think and why. It is these people who will drive the business forward. People will find their 'bravery' to speak up more if the company culture is condusive to such an environment.

It's true... 'Computers are dumb.' Until the communicators move into a new medium that medium doesn't reach it's full potential. It happened in Mail - where it was more important you knew 'the formula' than anything insightful about your audience. It happened in Online - where the early agencies were all technicians. And it will happen with the next new medium - whatever that may be. It's only when we see the human face that any medium becomes powerful. And yes, many clients are fearful of change. But can we really blame them. Change is scarey. Change causes problems. Whenever they change the train timetables in Sydney it's lead story on the news. And agencies are not immune. What's the first thing that happens with a new CMO? They throw out the old campaign. They put the business up for pitch. They challenge the status quo. Agencies hate that. The only answer is to embrace it. To help our clients cope by leading them gently by the hand. Take out as much of the risk. Start with small steps. Yes, change can be scarey. But if you're not moving forward then you're standing still.

Peter Drucker never faced Cylons. Or maybe he's a Cylon agent.