We cannot help it! Engagement after presentation after fieldwork after conference after brainstorming session after strategic planning retreat we encounter oodles of ideas and notions that all seem to have merit. Just like there's no such thing as a bad question, maybe the same can be said of ideas? Here's a newsletter full of 'em - you decide if any have even a kernel of goodness ...and, heaven forbid, how to execute against any?!

Good luck...

• It's been forever ago, but a one time Dillard's regional manager in the southeast only somewhat facetiously said, "...if the presentation is more than 3 ppt slides, it's too long!" Wouldn't that make all our lives easier? You bet. In most cases, the truly RELEVANT information can be conveyed quickly. Who dares try that?
• Or, this variation on that theme...for those good clients who see dozens, or even hundreds of ppt presentations from ALL media, why not actually present something wonderfully unique? Arrive in costume...create a truly interactive presentation...be the 'buyer' and create a presentation from THEIR pov...be the customer in a focus group and react to the proposed ad campaign as you envision it would really happen...something really different - though still on point - would slay them!
• GODAWFULLY BIGTIME OPPORTUNITY - Readers expect us to get the facts right and to rely on our ads pretty much all the time. When you think about how close we get to achieving this "daily miracle", it's amazing. That's simply our minimum cost of doing business. The standards (rightfully or wrongly) are high. That's why mistakes should be handled in over the top ways! How hard would it be for someone to call back the party who was accidentally misquoted or the advertiser with the incorrect ad and personally apologize? Or, for us to come closer to granting position requests regularly? Or, for us to call every subscriber (especially those who have been paying in advance for 5+ years!!!) to thank them and tell them HOW MUCH they are valued! Or, to confirm (this could be an automated, internet based system) a private party ad worked? If it didn't, to make a follow up offer?

The world is going to get even more technologically advanced, accelerated and downright goofy. If you accept that premise, see if you agree: the organization which better harnesses their human capital to create emotional connections (brands) to all their audiences, is the one which will thrive. [you KNOW that's true - what is being done to create that future??]

• Internet Schminternet. It's real, it's here, it's going to impact us (everyone, all media, in more ways than we can possibly conceive of, in all facets of our lives) and it will alter our audience relationships. Get over it and PLAN for it in ways which fulfill our duties to all stakeholders. Maybe this is crazy, but if Google offers the capability to search EIGHT BILLION (8,059,044,651 the last time I checked) web sites, I'd call that a world class case of fragmentation...something we should be capitalizing upon. Even with "trust" down (as it is with respect to almost everything) the newspaper and its' web site are the #1 and #2 reach vehicle in almost every market. We MUST build upon and exploit that solid position.
• Regardless of the channel (and, who could argue with the fact the Internet is the mother of all channels?) and especially assuming the future is always on, then content becomes an even grander royalty! We should deliver relevant content when and where it makes the most sense to the end user. And, by doing so, we become even more valuable to our advertising customers.
• Think of Flash Mobs in a positive, helpful way. Not just using cell phones to virally assemble groups for an event, but deploying news about concerts, events, homework, store sales, volunteer opportunities (whatever is relevant) via cell phones that would help that particular audience with a vital nugget of information. Using those few examples one might-

Call these Flash News or Flash Sales or Flash Fax, it doesn't matter, but that's how we are going to have to eventually think of using the internet to distribute our content. (Hint: a lot of this will be content we are NOT distributing very well right now, but in this future, it will have value and, best of all, our advertisers will love this.)