Small and incremental steps do make a difference! by Stephen Pauley

Life is all about margins – there is often a small difference between winning and losing, success and failure, hitting or missing a target, winning or losing an election.

I am sure that you can think of countless examples from your own life experiences. It can be the tiniest of margins that determine the outcome of a situation. We all sometimes mistakenly think that we have to keep taking massive action to get a result. The fact is that small incremental steps towards a goal accumulate into massive progress when applied consistently. 

One action per day applied every working day of the year, towards a specific goal amounts to 260 separate actions and seems somehow bigger when you look at it like that!

As I am writing this, I am reminded of that famous African Proverb, often attributed to Anita Roddick, Founder of Body Shop:-
‘If you think you’re too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a closed room with a mosquito’.
This quote always reminds me to keep in mind the power of small! A small action is better than no action and you do not achieve anything without some sort of action!

It is a great quote to use in your team meetings and interactions with staff about the importance of small actions and the huge impact they can have. Sometimes that little margin can be the difference between landing a big contract or missing out. It could be 1% extra effort seals the deal. That small action may just give you the edge over a competitor organisation.

A great example of edge is the story of Johnnie Wilkinson the England Rugby International who secured the Rugby World Cup for his country in 2003 in the final seconds of the final against Australia with a drop goal. Wilkinson’s kick won the game.

Wilkinson had spent the previous Christmas Day practicing his kicking. Johnnie had figured that any opponent he faced in the finals (who ever that may be) would not be out practicing on Christmas Day. He figured that little bit of extra practice and preparation may just give him the edge and so his theory was proved correct.

First Class Leaders look for the edge, they know that one per cent extra effort, action, or preparation could make all the difference. They understand the importance of small.

·       Where could you or team apply one per cent additional focus or effort?

·       What impact could that have on your results?

I enjoy helping Leaders and business owners deliver and sustain high levels of performance and have a life! Please feel free to contact me to arrange a chat to explore how I can help you or your team grow your results and give you the edge.

The Power of Visualisation by Stephen Pauley

The Power of Visualisation by Stephen Pauley

Major James Nesmeth had a dream of improving his golf game – and he developed a unique method of achieving his goal.  Until he devised this method, he was just your average weekend golfer, shooting in the mid- to low- nineties.  Then, for seven years, he completely quit the game, he never touched a club.  Never set foot on a fairway.

Ironically, it was during this seven-year break from the game that Major Nesmeth came up with his amazingly effective technique for improving his game – a technique we can all learn from.  In fact, the first time he set foot on a golf course after his hiatus from the game, he shot an astonishing 74!  He had cut 20 strokes off his average without having swung a club in seven years!  Unbelievable, not only that, but his physical condition had actually deteriorated during those seven years.

What was Major Nesmeth’s secret?  Visualisation.

You see, Major Nesmeth had spent those seven years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam.  During those seven years, he was imprisoned in a cage approximately four and one-half feet high and five feet long.  During almost the entire time he was imprisoned, he saw no one, talked to no one and experienced no physical activity.  During the first few months he did virtually nothing except hope and say prayers for his release.  Then he realised he had to find some way to occupy his mind or he would lose his sanity and probably his life.  That’s when he learned to visualise.

In his mind, he selected his favourite golf course and started playing golf.  Every day, he played a full 18 holes at the imaginary country club of his dreams.  He experienced everything to the last detail.  He saw himself dressed in his golfing clothes.  He smelled the fragrance of the trees and the freshly trimmed grass.  He experienced different weather conditions – windy spring days, overcast winter days and sunny summer mornings.  In his imagination, every detail of the tee, the individual blades of grass, the trees, the singing birds, the scampering squirrels and the lay of the course become totally real.

He felt the grip of the club in his hands.  He instructed himself as he practiced smoothing out his down-swing and the follow-through of his shot.  Then he watched the ball arc down the exact centre of the fairway, bounce a couple of times and roll to the exact spot he had selected, all in his mind.

In the real world, he was in no hurry.  He had no place to go.  So in his mind he took every step on his way to the ball, just as if he were physically on the course.  It took him just as long in an imaginary time to play 18 holes as it would have taken in reality.  Not a detail was omitted.  Not once did he ever miss a shot, never a hook or a slice, never a putt missed.

Seven days a week.  Four hours a day.  Eighteen holes.  Seven years.  Twenty strokes off.  Shot a 74.

The important role beliefs play in shaping your results by Stephen Pauley

Our beliefs mold and influence our behaviour.  Whatever we believe dictates how we respond to situations and the people we meet in our lives.

If you believe you will always find a way to succeed no matter what, you are more likely to do just that than someone who believes they can never have what they really want.  Most of our beliefs are formed by the age of seven.  They are shaped by our parents, grandparents, relatives, teachers, past experiences, media, culture, peers, friends & religion.  Aside from physical differences, it is our different experiences/interactions, schooling etc that make us all different and unique.

In most cases we do not realise what our beliefs consist of or how we have formed them.  Yet they influence every moment of everyday. Every belief has a structure to it which we can change if we choose to.  It is like carrying a recording in our heads.  If the recording is working for us, we can keep it, maybe updating it to refine it from time to time.  If however, the recording is limiting what we think about ourselves, we can take it out and re record it, so we have one that is working for us.

We accept opinions from influential people in our lives and hold them as facts.  They are not facts at all but perceptions formed through our own experience and others views.  Beliefs are views about us, others and the world.  These views determine the decisions we take and the way we behave. If we want to change our results it starts with changing our beliefs.

Beliefs determine how we think, how we talk to ourselves (our self talk) and this in turn determines how we behave.  If we are overly self critical or hard on ourselves, we need to start talking to ourselves in a kinder, softer and more positive way.  This will make us feel better and behave more confidently. Our results are more likely to be more positive if we behave in this way. Henry Ford once said, ‘if you think you can or if you think you can’t, you are probably right.’

There are two types of belief-Enabling (where we believe we can achieve, they propel us forward towards our goals, we feel confident and good about ourselves). The opposite is limiting beliefs-these hold us back, hinder us, and make us feel bad/less confident.

A famous example of how people changed their beliefs and conventional wisdom is Roger Bannister breaking the four minute mile record.  People urged him not to try it, telling him it was dangerous and life threatening.  He broke the record and once he did, four runners broke the record in a year because they believed it was possible and knew it could be done.  Athletes changed their beliefs, they told themselves they could do it and as a result their bodies performed more effectively.

In business, there are countless examples of beliefs missing the point.  For example, many said, photocopiers, personal computers and telephone banking would not catch on.  They have all become best sellers.  It is important for people to challenge the conventional wisdom of businesses. 

All of us have the power and control over our beliefs which shape our self talk/thoughts, behaviour and ultimately our results.

Academic Charts Online exhibiting at American Library Association

BrightMove Media bring digital advertising innovation to London's black taxis

BrightMove Media bring digital advertising innovation to London’s black taxis

Digital taxi-top advertising comes to London’s street with Magnum, MasterCard and Billy Elliot among the launch brands

LONDON, June 24th, 2013 – BrightMove Media has become the first innovator to deliver digital taxi-top advertising onto the streets of London, creating a new media opportunity that embraces 3G technology to bring relevant and timely brand messages to consumers.

BrightMove Media’s development, TaxiCast, launches in collaboration with Ubiquitous, the leading UK taxi advertising operator with over 30 years’ experience in this market, and works by using dual-sided, roof mounted LED screens positioned at eye level.

The first fleet of 25 black taxis will be released onto the streets from Monday and will feature advertising by Unilever’s Magnum, the hit West End show Billy Elliot and MasterCard. Other brands will be revealed later this week as BrightMove continues to work on media and creatives with Saatchi & Saatchi, Mindshare, Talon Outdoor, Kinetic and AKA.

TaxiCast has been created after an extensive TfL regulated and approved research and development programme, which not only included rigorous safety and electrical testing, but also took into consideration the general public’s admiration of the iconic shape of the London taxi.

Commenting on the new media opportunity, Andrew Barnett, Managing Director of Ubiquitous said: “For over 30 years the team behind Ubiquitous has lead the taxi advertising industry, so we are thrilled to be partnering with BrightMove to bring this exciting new format to the UK Outdoor advertising market.  Brands have long been attracted to the iconic black taxi as an effective and appealing way to reach urban audiences in large numbers. With the advent of TaxiCast, brands will now be able to deliver illuminated eye-level messages that are location (GPS) and time targeted, enhancing consumer relevancy and brand budget effectiveness.”

The carbon-neutral taxi innovation has a powerful centralised media platform that has been entirely developed in house using BrightMove Media’s extensive experience of enterprise systems development, enabling effective campaign management and accountable reporting for all the featured brands.

Piers Mummery Chief Executive Officer at BrightMove Media added: “We have worked behind the scenes for some time to ensure we deliver a technically excellent product, one which delivers flexible and accountable opportunities for advertisers. On bringing this innovation to the market in partnership with Ubiquitous, we have a collaboration with a proven track record of success in the taxi advertising market and one which will enable us to retain our leadership position. We are very excited to see our first fleet on the streets of London today, featuring our launch partner brands.”

MEDIA Q&A

TaxiCast’s Preferred LED Screens and Geo-Located Ad Posts

TaxiCast works by using dual-sided, roof mounted LED screens positioned at eye level on the top of licensed London Hackney Carriages . This preferred technology, also used by digital billboards in Piccadilly Circus and Time Square NY, provides a vibrant and visually arresting display in all weathers, including brilliant sunshine. 

The system maintains location awareness via GPS, allowing advertisers to tailor their campaigns to specific locations or areas of London, and to collate information on when, where and how often their adverts have been seen.

For example, a restaurant chain may only want their messages to be shown within 100m of their venues, or a bank may wish their messages only to be shown when the taxi is within the Square Mile. This ability to target a campaign so precisely by area, as well as by time of day, ensures maximum relevancy for the advertiser and the consumer on the street.

Carbon Neutral

This London innovation has been developed and built exclusively in the UK. It complies with the government’s Clean Air Act, using a combination of weight, design ergonomics and power management to ensure neutral carbon emissions. The system also has the ability to operate even with the engine turned off with no detriment to the vehicle.

ConnectaCast  Media Platform

The ConnectaCast Media platform uses a private and secure IP to IP link via 3G cellular networks to stay in constant contact with the TaxiCast platform. This enables new and updated content to be delivered in near real time. The ad serving deployment allows the system to be used for time sensitive advertising, such as marketing the last remaining tickets before a show, or to respond to current events within minutes.

This private network also provides a steady stream of logging information from each TaxiCast taxi ,  used to provide comprehensive reporting for each advertiser on where and when their campaign has been delivered..

The powerful centralised media platform has been entirely developed in house, using BrightMove Media's experience of global system development, delivery and operation. This has resulted in a unique approach that is focussed on rapid deployment of new materials across the fleet, and is ideally placed to keep ahead in the ever changing environment of digital out of home (DOOH).

The mobile network environment is a demanding one, and rigorous testing has been undertaken with thousands of operational hours and miles covered. The technology is proven, reliable and robust, having received comprehensive technical compliance for deployment in any UN and EU country.

Of particular note are the innovative dual sided LED screens that have low power requirements, coupled with a proprietary power management system to guarantee the vehicle's safety and operation.

The screens have been designed within a low profile shape for maximum height clearance, negligible impact on fuel consumption, and to look an integral part of one of London's most iconic shapes.

-Ends -

For further information, interview requests and photography for BrightMove Media please contact Kirsty Leighton/Sophie Lister on 020 7796 4133 

For London: BrightMove Media is a hot new entrepreneurial company started in 2012. Innovators in taxi advertising for London, TaxiCast is a new digital advertising service from BrightMove Media. It is the first commercial roll out of digital taxi top advertising which is fully approved by Transport for London and Transport Research Laboratory for black taxis.  It broadcasts digital real time messages from a dual-sided LED screen mounted on the roof of a licensed black taxi. All advertising has the ability to deliver time and geo targeted messaging to ensure greater relevancy and impact.

For Taxis: For drivers and taxi operators, BrightMove Media’s TaxiCast offers a slick design which complements London’s black cabs iconic shape. This new taxi based digital advertising service offers a new source of revenue and a further incentive to join the licensed taxi network. It is a carbon neutral service that is power efficient as well as London Clean Air Act compliant.

For Advertisers: TaxiCast offers a unique opportunity to provide a measurable digital outdoor advertising service, visible day and night and with the ability to use geo-fencing technology to deliver ads at a certain time, in a specific location and to the right audience. TaxiCast delivers the ultimate in delivering the right message, to the right person at the right time and in the right place; the Holy Grail of advertising!

About Ubiquitous

Founded in 2005, Ubiquitous is at the forefront of the UK’s taxi advertising industry and is an important stakeholder in UK outdoor advertising.

Ubiquitous has played a pivotal role in the development of the UK taxi advertising industry and passengers’ in-cab experience.  In 2013, the company launched CabConnect, bringing free Wi-Fi to a network of branded taxis and London passengers, as well as one-on-one brand communication opportunities for sponsors via Wi-Fi web hubs and NFC touchpoints. Ubiquitous was also responsible for the creation of many other well recognised taxi advertising formats.

The company’s leadership team boasts over 75 years of combined industry experience. Through a philosophy founded upon delivering first class service to advertisers and taxi drivers, Ubiquitous has experienced sustained and positive growth since its founding and today operates a national fleet of black taxis that carry advertising from a wide variety of valued clients, including Microsoft, BlackBerry, Virgin Airlines, Monsoon, QuidCo, Vodafone and UGG.

Taxi Facts

·       The audience is active shoppers, business influencers and leisure visitors

·       77% of Londoners agree that taxis are an eye-catching place for brands to be seen

·       40% of business commuters use taxis for travelling to meetings during the day.

·       98% of London adults see the black taxi as an iconic part of the city landscape

·       80% agree that they are a vital service for busy people

·       59% of Londoners have seen black taxi advertising in the past week.

·       A average black taxi travels 126 miles every day in London

·       30% of consumers recall a taxi ad more than a TV ad

·       77% - of ABC1s often notice new taxi advertising campaigns

·       70% of people who live or commute into London agree that black taxis are the most iconic form of London transport

Source:. GB TGI, Kinetic, Dipsticks, London Authority.