With a couple of presentations and significant client work lately… I’m a bit tapped out. The creative juices aren’t flowing as readily and I’m looking forward to the Christmas break as an opportunity to recharge.

But this is a time of giving, right? So, in that spirit here are a few links to some free downloads that I feel are more than worthy of the time it takes to download and read:

Tom Asacker – How to Connect YOUR Brand to THEIR Lives
snippet:

More information was produced in the last
20 years than the previous 5,000.
A typical weekday edition of
The New York Times contains
more information than a person would
encounter in a lifetime in the 17th century.
The amount of information is doubling every 4 years.

Michael Levine – Broken Windows Intro via johnmoore of Brand Autopsy
snippet:

Broken windows indicate to the consumer that the business
doesn’t care- either that it is so poorly run it can’t possibly keep up
with its obligations or that it has become so oversize and arrogant
that it no longer cares about its core consumer. Either of these
impressions can be deadly to a business,

Event Marketer Magazine – Experiential Marketing Insights via Experience the Message blog
snippet:

EVENTS SPUR IMMEDIATE SALES
HOW SOON AFTER ATTENDING A COMPANY-SPONSORED EVENT AT/NEAR A STORE DID YOU PURCHASE THE PRODUCT OR SERVICE BEING OFFERED?
Immediately 26%
Within a month 25%
Within a week 24%
Did not purchase 15%
Within 3 months 4%
Within 6 months 4%
More than 6 months 2%
SOURCE: Experiential Marketing Insights. © 2005 Event Marketer Magazine

Brian Millar – How to do great creative work without being clever or talented. via Ernie Mosteller of Tangelo Ideas.
snippet:

In the 1960s, JWT London were asked by
one of their clients, a flour mill, how they
could sell more flour. The Thompsons
creatives could have written some ads for
their client about the benefits of their
Wholemeal against Flour X. Instead,
they invented the idea of ready-baked cakes,
thought up recipes and a brand with an
identity and name: Mr Kipling. You can
still buy Mr Kipling cakes in any supermarket
in the UK.

(FYI: This, and much more is available in Nancy Vonk and Janet Kestin’s book Pick Me : Breaking Into Advertising and Staying There)

The Ultimate Tom Peters Free PDF Stocking Stuffer
Tom Peters! Company will generously stuff your stockings with a TON of free downloads (10 to be exact) of Tom’s writings and presentations.

So, there you have it. I hope your stocking is now full. Have a merry Christmas and don’t forget to buy batteries for all those toys you bought… and recharge your own.