Unexpected Wedding Repertoire in Sao Paolo

I just got a huge kick out of the Jewish repertoire of this Brazilian wedding band.

I never got an answer if they were Jewish, but I'm willing to bet that some/most of them aren't. I particularly like the “Mashiach” song.

Here’s video 1 and video 2.

Arriving in Caracas…

Image by ¡Que comunismo! via Flickr

In my travels through South America, the refrain that I heard in Sao Paolo and in Bogota was “the city is like any other city. There are some areas you go to that are safe. Some are dangerous. Just be smart. Maybe it makes sense to not go around alone at night and you’ll be fine.”

Caracas was different.

Pretty much I everyone I spoke to about Caracas said…”It’s dangerous. You probably shouldn’t leave your hotel unless you are with someone you know.

Don’t take a cab. Arrange for rides.”

So, I did.

My usual travel philosophy is “Make sure I go out and do something unique to that city so that I don’t just stay in the hotel.”

In Caracas, I suspended that rule. My activity consisted of “hiring a private driver and car (via an approved service through Microsoft) and going from the airport to the hotel…all the while, looking out the window.)

So that’s what I did.

Now, when you arrive in Venezuela, you see the beautiful beaches, the beautiful mountains, the equatorial climate and it looks nice.

The airport is clean and modern.

But, then you see it.

Everywhere…and I mean EVERYWHERE, you start seeing signs for “Independencia y Revolucion” and “Socialists Grande” or something to that effect.

The propaganda machine is in full effect.

But, just because you say something doesn’t make it true.

Once you clear immigration, get your bags, and go through customs, there’s a small area with some railings behind which stand family members and car service pick up people holding signs with names.

I wasn’t going to leave that area until I found my guy (which I did quickly, fortunately).

Now, here’s the strange part…no fewer than 4 different security guards in that restricted area came up to me and said “Cambio?" wishing to exchange dollars on the black market.

Now, even if I was going to get the rate of the century, I certainly wasn’t going to do it in the open of the airport with a security guard.

And, for all I know, I would exchange it on the black market and then the guy would promptly turn me over to the police.

No, thanks, I’ll pay the official rate…kind of like a bribe, I suppose.

And, once my driver (Miguel—really nice family guy) took my bags and escorted me out to the parking lot, another 4 people asked “Cambio?”

I wasn’t getting the distinct “lipstick on a pig” feeling in this place.

The car, a generic Chevrolet with tinted windows (I guess to protect the anonymity of the gringo inside), was fine. The driver was great and friendly. We made light conversation.

Of course, my usual topic is the political situation and economics, but I shied away from that this time around.

As you drive into and through this city of 7 million, you can’t help but notice the contrasts (not between rich and poor like in other S. American countries-though I’m sure that exists), but between the propaganda proclaiming how great everything is and the raw fact that the city is just really dirty.

You’ll see the occasional sign of wealth, a DirectTV satellite dish, a Mercedes, a fancy apartment building with not only high walls, but electrified wiring on top of it, but for the most part, everything is just plain falling apart.

The buildings look like they haven’t been renovated since, I don’t know, 1975…the slums (and there are many of them) are just a mess. Even the central business district which has a few “semi-modern” buildings is just dirty. The windows haven’t been washed and are covered in grime. Like the whole place needs a shower.

It’s not that there is trash everywhere…some parts yes, but nothing obscene. It’s just that entropy has set in.

The cars are rusting, held together by string and wire, and Bolivar’s image is all over the place.

A few times, I heard a siren and thought “usually, I know the siren isn’t coming for me. Now, I’m worried that a corrupt cop might just pull me over.”

I was excited to meet the Microsoft folks. They had intimated to me that not everyone buys into the philosophy here.

But, as I rode through the streets, I thought “WHAT am I doing here? It’s at odds with everything I believe.”

I get to the hotel. Nice, friendly, clean, western. Everyone had told me that the hotel was my safe reservoir.

The bellboy, a very nice guy named Guillermo, helped me with my bags. I had no Venezuelan Bolivars with me. I said, “I’ll change some money later and find you.”

To which he said, “Oh, you need to change money? I can help you with that.”

More on Caracas coming soon…

The Jew of Bogota…

Not everyone will appreciate how ridiculous this story is (at least from my perspective).

I get to the Business Class lounge in Bogota, going to Caracas, and I look over to see a guy wearing tefillin (phylacteries) and saying/finishing the morning prayers.

When he’s done, I start talking to him.

Turns out there are 2,000 Jews in Bogota, where he’s from and, of course, there’s both an Ashkenazic and Sephardic synagogue. The latter was 9 blocks from my hotel (he invited me over for Sabbath dinner “next time you’re in Bogota”-have to work on that one.)

They were off to Panama to see their new grandson and his wife works for, hang on, the Jewish National Fund (Colombia division).

Definitely not something I was expecting to see.

One thing I learned in Bogota…

My Spanish comprehension is actually a lot better than I realized.

And, my vocabulary, while not stellar, would be in the “Advanced Basic” Category.

I basically carried on a conversation for 1 hour with my non-English speaking guide.

I was pretty happy about that.

Bogota…Not What I Expected

Image via Wikipedia

If I had a list of things I’d probably never do, “Tour of Historic Bogota” would probably be one of them.

Well, as if you needed further proof that life takes unexpected turns, that item is now off the list.

Admittedly, I was a bit nervous about Bogota.

I’d heard the horror stories of kidnappings, pickpockets, robbery, etc.

I also had the standard, I think, American perception of the country as Pablo Escobar-land of lawlessness.

My driver, Domingo, quickly began to dispel those notions.

He also dispelled the notion that my Spanish is poor as I was able to essentially carry on a conversation with him en Espanol for over an hour, but I digress.

Sure, there are unsafe parts of the city and you do need to be careful, but in the last 10 years, the country has, according to him, undergone a renaissance.

Security is way up. Corruption is way down. Inflation is under control and people feel confident.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say that Bogota is a beautiful city, but I was certainly impressed by how clean and well-maintained some parts of it were.

Parque Simon Bolivar, for example, is massive and immaculate. The downtown historic area, known as “La Candelaria” isn’t spotless, but for an area of town that is close to 500 years old…it’s looking pretty good.

The central square, Plaza de Bolivar needs a bit of love (Bolivar’s big here—in fact there’s a house he stayed in and apparently jumped through its window, but I didn’t get that whole story. Also, his mistress was here, I think)

The city is 2625 meters high and lies on a plain (kind of like Denver) below some towering mountains. Given the altitude, I was looking forward to working out!

I took a cable car up to the Church of Monserrate to take it all in. That was certainly worth it…as you can see.

I didn’t have my camera, so I found an American to take a pic w/his iPhone and email it to me.

Domingo kept pointing out the Universities all around town (a lot of them) and I subsequently read that it’s called the “Athens of Latin America.”

There’s poverty, dirt, and grime. No question.

But, there’s also a big investment in infrastructure.

I was standing in the middle of Plaza de Bolivar on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, watching the Colombians do their thing and while I had a hand on my pocket, I also realized that it was one of those moments when I realized I had simply feared the unknown.

It was actually uplifting to hear the positive attitude of Domingo (echoed by the hotel staff as well) of the direction that this country, notorious for its narco-terrorist past is taking. 

The Stories We Tell Ourselves…

In marketing, we know that the best way to convince or persuade someone to act is to help them create their own narrative as to why they want/must buy something.

We do this in almost all parts of our lives.

Case in point..my recent (insane) travel schedule.

It’s tough on the NFO and tough on KKR. No doubt.

Now, I love travel. I love marketing. And I love getting paid to do both, BUT…part of the story that I tell myself is that I am ultimately going to be a BETTER father by taking these trips to distant lands, taking me away form my kids.

Why?

Well, it’s no secret that globalization is a powerful force.

It’s no doubt that it’s only starting and we have ways to go.

So, I reason, the more I can understand some of the different factors that affect globalization, some of the countries involved, and the issues they face…many or all of which will (I don’t think it can be argued) have an impact on the future lives of my children, the better I can prepare them for that world.

True? False?

It doesn’t really matter.

It’s the story I’ve convinced myself is true, so I can live with it.

How Sao Paolo Controls Water…and Traffic

In the central part of Sao Paolo, there are pretty big dips in the road at each intersection. Think of them as inverted speed bumps.

The primary reason, I’m told, is to control the flow of water during the rainy season (which is intense).

Otherwise, the streets flood (and sometimes even in spite of that).

But, they also have another affect.

It prevents people from speeding through downtown.

One change. Two impacts. Kind of neat.

Brazil and Coffee

Image via Wikipedia

I should have mentioned this in the first post, but perhaps I was too wired from caffeine to think straight.
It’s no secret that Brazil and coffee go hand in hand.
Sao Paolo, at 800 meters elevation, is the center of the coffee region for the country.
And people here drink coffee…ALL THE TIME.
It’s very strong and has a ton of character.
I loved it.
But, I probably averaged 6 espressos for each of the first 2 days I was here.

Know someone looking for a job?

If you know people who are looking for a job/just want to know about the market, tell them about the Never Stop Marketing job board.

When ppl in my network ask "do you know anyone who...?" I post the jobs there.

Already a few good ones this week.  Sign up here.   http://groups.google.com/group/never-stop-marketing-job-board?hl=en

Sao Paolo Traffic Rules

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

People in Sao Paolo love to talk and complain about the traffic.

In a city of 20 million, you can imagine that it gets pretty crazy.

They have an interesting system for managing traffic flow. At least I had never heard of it before.

Depending on the day of the week, certain cars are prohibited from driving on the roads between 7am-10am and 5pm-8pm.

And, it is according to the final digit of your license plate number.

Day of Week	Final Digit of License Plate Who are Prohibited during Rush Hour
Monday	0, 1
Tuesday	2, 3
Wednesday	4, 5
Thursday	6, 7
Friday	8,9

As you might imagine, this creates additional challenges, opportunities, and novel solutions.

People have to either leave work early..or stay late.

If you have two cars (some buy two), you have to think strategically about which person needs to go where on which day and at what time.

Just interesting.

Motorcycles (of which there are many…and 2 deaths EVERY DAY-I’m told) are always permitted.

Public Unions and Undercover Boss…

Image via Wikipedia

I’m sure this will create some controversy, but hey….look at the tagline for this blog.

What’s happening in Wisconsin is fascinating to me. In some respects, I think the future of America hangs in the balance.

It’s no secret where I stand on unions and even though that can sometimes lead to anti-Semitic diatribes by NEA board members, I’m ok with it.

When I look at this debate, I tend to (no surprise) look at with my marketing hat.

Where I think the unions and public sector employees are hurt is in the perception of their attitudes about work and responsibility.

The public discourse seems to be most often about “benefits” and “entitlements.” You’ll frequently hear stories about people who leave their jobs at the pre-appointed time whether the work is done or not.

Living in the DC area, you hear this a lot.

You hear people talk about vacation days they’ve accrued, etc.

It’s like (and again, this is just perception), the concern by public employees is about these benefits and the need to protect them.

I think very few people these days say “we need unions so that bosses don’t abuse people on the job.” There are enough safeguards around that the Triangle Shirt Factory Fire (or its public sector equivalent) is a widespread problem.

Now, I’m not saying that the perceptions are right. I’m just arguing that this is what the perception is.

Changing that perception is part of the battle.

Watching Undercover Boss the other day (perhaps the best reality show on TV), I saw an episode where the mayor of Cincinnati, Mark Mallory, went on the front lines with sanitation workers, parking attendants, etc.

What that show did for me (and judging from the comments, millions of others) was help to change that perception.

That’s a good thing.

If the public unions can do more of that and less of the stories about benefit and salary abuse, they will help their cause.

I still think that public sector unions are a bad thing and a huge drain on the resources of the economy (see this story from California), but just because I think it doesn’t mean that’s what will happen (though it should).

Related articles

• Everything that Is Wrong with Public Sector Unions in Thirty Seconds (biggovernment.com)
• Collective bargaining is not a right, it's a privilege (apostleislands.wordpress.com)
• Walkom: A lesson for Ontario in sneaky union-busting (thestar.com)
• Wisconsin Budget Problems (kevinhannigan.com)
• Behind public standoff, Wisconsin lawmakers talked - Reuters (news.google.com)

Internal Struggles...

Ever have one of those internal struggles between what you REALLY wanted to do and what you think/know you probably should do?

I had one recently and it was keeping me up at night and drawing my attention away from what I should be focusing on.

It was really troubling.

Then, somehow, while lying in bed in Sao Paolo, I summoned up the courage to do what I thought (hoped) should be done..

We'll never know, I suppose, but hopefully it was indeed the right decision.

Enough said and, no, I'm not giving specifics on this one.

Sao Paolo—Gateway to the West

When the Portuguese colonizers decided to explore the interior, it was from Sao Paolo that the expeditions began.

That history is reflected today in many ways, the coat of arms of the city has a hand extending to the West. A prominent statue has explorers in a boat facing that direction, and its centrality as the commercial heart of Brazil is undoubted.

Apparently, 25% of all of Brazil’s wealth is generated in the city and surrounding state of Sao Paolo (both have the same name.)

Named for St. Paul the Apostle because the first colonist arrived on Jan. 25th, which apparently is the day that Paul became a Christian, the city boasts nearly 20 million people in its greater metropolis area.

Everyone says that traffic is incredible, but honestly, after 1 day only admittedly, I haven’t seen it.

What I have seen is the proverbial melting pot of Brazil with whites, blacks, mulatto (at they are known), natives, Japanese and more all living together.

The flag of the city has red, white, and black to represent the various ethnic groups.

What this city does seem to have is energy and a commercial focus and that’s something that Sao Paolistas (?) seem to have a great deal of pride about. There’s a sense of superiority here vis a vis the other parts of the country and that also seems to be a part of the legacy of the country.

In 1822, when Brazil became an Empire, one of the discussion points was how much autonomy Sao Paolo (along with Minas Gerais-another powerhouse state) would have so that they stayed part of Brazil.

I’ve been reading a book called The New Brazil which describes the evolution of the country from hyperinflation madness (40% per month) in the 80s to burgeoning economic superpower.

90% of the cars in Brazil are “flex” and run on sugar-cane ethanol, making the country energy independent, for all intents and purposes.

Thanks to my friend, Hallely Azulay, I was able to procure the services of a first-rate guy (let me know if you need him), who gave me context, showed me how great coffee can taste (it’s good!), and provided some insight into the mind of the Brasilieno.

Challenges abound. There’s obviously a significant divide between the rich and poor and it sounds like access to education (as well as corruption) really haunt the country like a weight around its neck.

This post doesn’t do all that I saw any justice, that’s for sure, and there’s more to come, but I wanted to get my thoughts down for now (it’s late) before the next day of activity hit.

Networking for Introverts

Devora Zack claims that one of the most important airplane flights of her life occurred while she was an MBA student at Cornell and flew to NYC for a job interview.

The whole time, she was sitting next to the Dean of Cornell University and hadn’t recognized him, thus squandering a potentially valuable networking opportunity.

Her lesson?

You never know to whom you are sitting next to on a plane trip.

And that’s why I received a copy of Devora’s new book: Networking for People Who Hate Networking: A Field Guide for Introverts, the Overwhelmed, and the Underconnected

You see, about 7 years ago, I was the one sitting next to Devora on a plane trip from Albany to DC. We struck up a conversation and though I have only seen her once since then, we’ve stayed in touch.

So, perhaps I was the 2nd most important flight of her life?

This book isn’t for me at all, but that’s not to say I didn’t find it extremely interesting or valuable.

First off, when I share posts or ideas or teach courses on a Global MicroBrand, I often make the mistake of assuming that people can do things the way I do.

Wrong.

Second, I know there is a demand for this book. As Chris Hagner asked me (and to which I blogged), “do you need to be an extrovert to successfully use social media?”

I answered no, then, and after reading Devora’s book, still answer no.

What makes this book so valuable for people who consider themselves introverts is how Devora (who claims she’s an introvert-though I’m skeptical, but I’ll take her word for it)

1. gives such useful, relevant, and helpful prescriptive guidance for the introvert to that you can redefine what networking is
2. helps us all recognize that life is a constant networking opportunity, but not necessarily a networking event, and…
3. BEST OF ALL, understand how through “networking,” an Introvert can actually leverage his strengths.

For me, the “platinum” rule (which replaces the Golden Rule) was a key insight:

“Don’t treat people how you want to be treated. Treat them how THEY want to be treated.”

Written in a very conversational, frank, and humorous style, I think this book is perfect for people who are paralyzed with fear at the idea of having to go to any type of networking event and for Introverts to see that networking is not a four-letter word.

If you know an Introvert who struggles with networking, this would be a good gift for them as well.

Related articles

• Successful Networkers go in for the Long Haul (speedcommunications.com)
• Networking 101 for Introverts (psychologytoday.com)
• Hi, my name is... (iowabiz.com)

Least Favorite Hour of the Day…

is from 8am to 9am.

It’s during that time when the NFO and I are faced with the daunting challenge of convincing Lakkanen/Roberts/Nadia to

1. get up
2. eat breakfast
3. get dressed

As a parent, sometimes you know that there are moments in your child’s life that you have to savor…they will be gone before long.

This isn’t one of them.

It’s possible, but very difficult for me to believe that, at some point in the future, I’ll look back at the time I had with her when she was 3 and say, “wow, I really wish I had made more of that 8 to 9 am slot every day while we were fighting and begging with her.”

Yep, not seeing that happen.

The Blind Side (movie)

Cover of The Blind Side

Better late than never, the NFO and I watched the movie The Blind Side.

You may recalled that I LOVED the book and read 300 pages in 2 nights.

Well, I thought the movie did the book justice. We were captivated by the true story of the homeless black teen who gets taken in by a white Christian family in Memphis.

Ultimately, he goes on to get a Division I football scholarship and play  in the NFL.

Definitely worth our time.

Not surprising that Sandra Bullock when Best Actress for this. She deserved it.

Nothing novel here, of course. Just sharing.

Related articles

• On the Blind Side (viviennedubourdieu.blogspot.com)
• The Other Blind Sides (theroot.com)
• Christian Movie Review: The Blind Side (csahm.com)
• 'Blind Side' Star's Next Role (huffingtonpost.com)
• Carrie Underwood, 'The Blind Side' win ICM Awards (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Oher's HS coach named Arkansas St. head coach (cbssports.com)
• "Amazon: The Blind Side DVD $3.99 + FREE Video on Demand Credit" and related posts (couponing101.com)

8 Clients. 22 Seconds. 26 Words.

What do you think of this new promotional video re: Never Stop Marketing?

The Power of Vulnerability…

Fascinating talk about the role of vulnerability and its centrality to self-fulfillment.

February Travel Stats...

For those keeping score, the Feb. travel month statistics are:
3 continents, 7 countries, 8 cities, 13 flights, and only one travel delay!  Interesting tidbit...on the 4 Wednesday in Feb, never in the same country and a total of 6 countries.

Fun, but VERY glad to be home....for a while, that is.

Here's the travel map for the last few months. Crazy.

First Game with my son…

I haven’t been doing the “father thing” for all that long.

7 years now, but I suspect that there are some stereotypically meaningful father-son bonding moments.

One of them is the first time you attend a professional sporting event together.

I took Paco to see the Wizards play the Kings at the Verizon center and it made me feel so young.

I saw how EVERYTHING was a novelty to him. All of the “show” aspects of the game which I’ve seen hundreds of times by now were fresh to him and I just soaked it up.

The music, the t-shirt tosses, the bathrooms, the concession stands, taking the Metro there…you name it.

I had purchased pretty cheap tickets (relatively speaking), figuring that he wouldn’t care.

Since I knew we would be high up, I brought some binoculars for him.

We weren’t in our seats for more than 10 minutes when a representative from the Wizards comes over and asks “are you here with your son for the first time?” (I guess he had seen me check-in on Foursquare.)

When I said “yes,” he pulled out two tickets for the $200 courtside seats with access to the free buffet/snacks/drinks.

Jokinen went to town on orange juice, ice cream, and popcorn and I just relished this small moment in our lives together.

Everything was an adventure, particularly when he said “I have to go to the bathroom NOW!!” and he didn’t necessarily understand that arena restrooms sometimes have lines…it was dramatic.

I was prepared to leave at halftime, but he insisted on staying, despite the fact that he was obviously quite tired.

The game, for two lousy teams, was actually pretty good and pretty dramatic. High-scoring as well. Nick Young had 43 points in an impressive shooting performance.

With 40 seconds left, the Wizards were up by 6 or 7 points. I asked if he wanted to leave “No.”

Then, the Kings managed to stage a comeback so that, with 3 seconds left, the game was actually tied, the Wizards had called timeout to get a last second shot for the win.

That’s when he turns to me and says, “I want to go now.”

“Now?!” I asked. “The most exciting moment of the whole game? No way, we have to stay.”

The game went into overtime and we left with about 2 minutes to go in that. It looked like the Wiz were going to win (they did), but we had had enough.

The poor guy fell asleep on the subway and I had to carry him up the escalator (he got his 2nd-8th?-wind because he loves using the farecard machine).

I asked the guys behind us to take a picture of the two of us with the court behind us.

His smile made it all worthwhile.

Related articles

• Wizards Vs. Kings: Nick Young Scores 43 As Washington Holds Off Sacramento, 136-133 (sbnation.com)
• Young has 43; Wizards defeat Kings 136-133 in OT (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Young's 43 points lead Wizards past Kings in OT (sports.espn.go.com)