The Musings Of An Opinionated Sod [Help Me Grow!]

So I spent today talking to a Hindu Priest, a surfer, a historian, a member of the tourism board, a hotelier, a backpacker and an economist.  At the same time. Brilliant.

And whilst we went off on all sorts of tangents [as you would expect] a number of things came out that were of particular interest, including …

1. While Bali still is attracting similar numbers of people as they did ‘pre-bomb’ [even though they now come from different countries] … they now spend approx 50% LESS time here.  [4 days instead of 8]

2. The immigration department [managed by the Indonesian Government] contributes to the problem by only allowing a limited number of countries either ’freedom of entry’ or ‘visa on arrival’ facilities. [I also think there’s abit of an issue that a page in your passport is taken up with their official ‘VISA’ every time you come here … which for someone who travels alot, is a real pain!]

3. As Bali is a Hindu nation, they are very, very humble … meaning that anything they do, must follow these values.

4. Compared to the competitive markets in SE Asia, Bali has a fraction of the marketing funds available to them. 

5.  Bali has dramatically fewer airlines flying into the country than the core competitive markets in SE Asia.

6. Surfers believe Bali is one of the greatest surfing points on earth.

7. Bali has 45,000 registered hotel rooms available.

8. Most Indonesians don’t visit Bali because [i] they feel it is expensive and [ii] the difference in religious culture.

9. Bali and Bali tourism are not mutually exclusive entities …  they are so inherently linked that people treat them as one and the same.

10. People believe in the greater good of Bali, not just the greater good of themselves … so they don’t see tourism as a Gold Rush, they see it as a foundation for the nations long-term future.

So what did all this say to me?

Well, like I mentioned yesterday … there are some short term opportunities and some long term needs.  Without doubt, things like organising corporate conferences, improving visa-on-demand status, putting out some positive PR to places like Australia and Japan, increasing the number of airlines that fly here are all going to help … but I still think they’re more tactical solutions than a true, long-term solution.

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However, in today’s meetings, I did get a few ‘clues’ as to what may be the foundation for moving Bali forward and it actually came from the surfer and the Hindu priest.

Basically they felt the spirituality of surfing was very similar to the spirituality inherent in Bali. 

Their view was that both are about interacting with nature … both are about purity and simplicity … both give people a sense of belonging … both have specific rituals attached to them … both are difficult to get to [In the sense that Bali is difficult to actually get to and surfing takes great patience and skill to find/ride great wave] … both ‘cleanse the mind’ of day-to-day troubles/issues … both have a heritage that is passionately maintained, despite changing times … and on and on they went …

And so when I took all this in and looked at the issues raised over the subsequent days, I believe I’ve identified something that is the perfect embodiment of Bali’s psyche [or brand essence] and which can form the foundation for any communication we end up doing …

UNCONDITIONAL GOODNESS

You see, it doesn’t matter what happens to the people or the place [be it internal or external factors], this is a forgiving culture … one that is inherently warm and caring, optimistic, respectful, humble, peaceful, natural, inclusive and human.  Bali is so much more than just nature [though it believes in natural] … just peace [though it believes in harmony] … just calm [though it believes in grace] … it’s a civilization where inherent goodness shines bright – regardless of who you are or what you do.  Infact, these values are taken very, very seriously indeed … which is why each day they perform offerings of music and dance to ask God to maintain the spirit of calm that keeps this place so special.

In essence, Bali could be described as  ‘God’s greatest work’ … and given many of us live in a fast moving, ever changing, materialistic obsessed World … Bali has the ability to offer the World something truly special, valuable and unique.

Infact, at one point … I thought this could be turned into an interesting comms proposition of “BALI: IT’S HARD TO GET TO THIS PLACE” [based on the fact Bali lets visitors  ‘re-discover themselves’ emotionally and spiritually PLUS the actual island is difficult  to get to] but after about 3 seconds, I realised it wouldn’t work because …

[1] it is not a humble statement and as such, would not resonate with locals.

[2] it’s far too advertisingy.

[3] the whole ‘re-discover yourself’ has been done to death.

,,, however after some more thought, one area that I think could be interesting [and it was thanks to a comment from the surfer dude again] is “SIMPLE, PEACEFUL, NATURAL PLEASURES” … where in essence, Bali celebrates those little [natural] things that make us feel happy, loved, positive, alive and optimistic. 

OK, it’s only a thought … and there’s lots more to do … but I really feel this UNCONDITIONAL GOODNESS has something in it [as do the people I’ve spoken to about it so far] and I am genuinely excited about doing something special for this place – because in a weird way, I’ve sort-of fallen in love with Bali, mainly because I’ve seen more acts of genuine kindness in the last couple of days, than I’ve experienced in a very long time.  It’s sort of restored my faith in mankind.  While Bali’s around, the World still has hope.

Comments gratefully received!

[Oh, and thanks Hari, Sean, Pete, Barry, Jacki, Michael, Philip, Andy, George, Jenny, Petra and Michael for your emails of advice]

So another celebrity has jumped on the ‘adopt an African child’ bandwagon!  Hell, it’s fast becoming more fashionable than a Louis Vuitton handbag!!

This time it’s Madonna who has ‘signed up’ … and though her husband apparently expressed concerns as to her reasons for doing it  – you can’t help but say that in the big scheme of things, it’s great.

Not only does a kid get an opportunity to turn the potential of their life into a reality … but it also promotes greater racial harmony to the trash-mag buying public.

Infact, the only thing that pisses me off is that these celebrities can seemingly go out on a whim and ‘get a child’ … when loads of Mr and Mrs Averages spend years circumnavigating red-tape and jumping through hoops without any guarantee of success.

Some friends of mine have been trying to adopt for years … they are both successful, loving, kind, intelligent, decent people and yet, for reasons of ‘age’, they have been turned down time and time again.

It makes no sense … they’re not that old [45?] they’re in a very stable relationship and they really, really want a child… any child … yet the adoption department deems them inappropriate for parenthood.

I just can’t imagine how much that must hurt them … especially when people like single parent Meg Ryan [45] qualifies, lesbian Rosie O’ Donnell [42] qualifies and now, Madonna – a 48 year old singer who continually travels the World and is a follower of religious ‘cult’ Kabbalah – qualifies.

There’s a complete lack of consistency in adoption agencies criteria for parental approval – and given we’re talking about young kids lives [and older peoples’ desperation to have a ‘family’] , it makes me sick.

Fame can buy alot of things – but that shouldn’t mean you are able to buy ‘instant parental approval’ … especially as I could argue that being famous increases the probability of becoming an inappropriate parental candidate. 

Look, adoption is a truly wonderful thing – and ultimately, what Madonna has done [whatever the reasons] is fantastic … I just wish the path to bringing home a child was as easy for the ‘everyday men and women’ as it seemingly is for the famous. 

Is it any wonder that so many people are doing everything in their power for their 15 minutes of fame when the ‘benefits’ now even extend to your ability to ‘have children’. Now that’s real brand power!

As you know, I am in Bali for a few days working on a project to help increase tourism to the place.

Now while there’s some obvious ‘quick fixes’ that can help with their goal … like targeting corporate conferences etc … long term, they don’t want to turn Bali into another Singapore – and to be honest, I don’t blame them, it deserves better.

So today I went out searching for tourists … and despite hotel occupancy rates currently at less than 14% … I did find a few and whilst there was the odd Brit, Chinese, Singaporean, Yank and Aussie walking around – the overwhelming nationality of people holidaying here was Russian.

Now asking people questions when they are on holiday is always difficult because lets be honest, they just want to be left alone – however nearly everyone I talked to was really happy to ‘put up with me’ for a while – even if it meant we communicated via sign language and/or translation books.

So what were the things I found really interesting?

1. It is really difficult to ask questions when the person suddenly decides to take their top off and model a bikini that would put most of the girls in Rio to shame.

2. It’s even more difficult when ‘said ladies’ Neanderthal husband/boyfriend turns up and demands to know ‘what is going on’!

3. While concerned about terrorism, most people generally felt it was pretty safe – even though they tended to stay within the confines of their resort rather than venture out into the typical tourist areas.

4. Many of the Russians staying here are of ‘new money’ [read into that what you will] and see Bali as a place that represents ‘status and achievement’ – both to themselves and the people around them.

5. Almost all the Russians [well, the men] mentioned ‘they know people or have been in situations far scarier than an attack from terrorists’!!!

[Yes, points 4 and 5 may be inherently linked]

So what am I suggesting …

Well nothing really – except that in my few conversations with people today [about 20 individuals] Bali seemed disproportionately attractive to those who have experienced – how shall I say it – a more ‘colourful life’ than that of Mr and Mrs Average … probably because to them, terrorism/violence/crime are all elements they [may have] experienced in their everyday home life – so it’s just not something that causes them adverse concern.

OK … so lets get a sense of proportion here …  there is no proof the ‘Russians’ I spoke to today, are in any way connected to crime [and in no way am I generalising that ALL Russians are crooks] … nor am I really suggesting Bali is going to become the new ‘desired home’ for Soviet Crime Lords  … it’s just that I was pretty shocked how Russians have become [at least today] the primary tourist in Bali, given they live much further away than the traditional visitor of S.E. Asia, Australia and NZ.

Hahahaha … reading this back, it could qualify as the most ridiculous post I’ve done yet!

… the person who sold ‘crappy paper umbrellas’ as a sophisticated addition to drinks WAS a genius.

He/she literally invented a market that served no purpose at all – yet still made millions. 

And I don’t believe it was just a case of ‘luck’ . .. more likely they identified a deep-rooted human need that they figured a paper umbrella in a glass, could fill.

Maybe it’s the same person who decided every drink needed a slice of lime or lemon on the rim – even though it adds absolutely nothing to the taste of the beverage.

Then again, maybe it was a lemon and lime farmer who wanted to sell a shedload of product, and thought this would encourage far greater sales than the typical eating or drinking usage.

A bit like the folks at Y&R Malaysia who got LG mobile to create a phone specifically for the Muslim market in Indonesia. 

Rather than having tons of fancy features like cameras, blogs or bluetooth … they got them to simply add a digital compass that pointed to Mecca – enabling Muslims to know which direction to face when praying. 

Their idea  … based around cultural and lifestyle insights, not product or category at all … not only differentiated LG phones from the competition, but went on to sell an additional 4 millions units.  FOUR MILLION!  Now that’s a real creative idea!

So why am I going on about this? 

Because ultimately, I think this is the sort of ingenuity Bali needs if they’re going to truly transform their fortunes again. 

You see it’s not just the bombs that are keeping people away … it’s other things like increased competition from Malaysia and Thailand, the lack of a national airline and an Indonesian Government who don’t invest enough in tourism because they feel Bali acts too independent from their rule.

Of course I don’t know what that magic ‘idea’ is [yet] – but it’s going to be interesting and something really worth while for once.

Any ideas gratefully received.

Some of you may know how many, many, many moons ago … I was a session guitarist for tons of incredibly sad 80’s popstars all residing in the ‘Where Are They Now?’ file.

However, whilst my main source of income is no longer associated with playing the guitar, I am still completely obsessed with music and am currently having a fantastic time orchestrating the soundtrack to the new SONY brand commercial we’re about to launch.

Why is it so much fun?

Well there’s a couple of reasons …

First is the fact that I helped create a piece of music that takes people on an emotional journey in just 60 seconds …  something that lifts them up and brings them down without them even realising how or why it is happening.

[It was only after I watched a shedload of movies that I realised how key, key moments in a film rarely use any background music at all. It’s like audiences have become so accustomed to hearing music with their visual entertainment, that when silence ‘appears’, it represents a really important and dramatic scene is about to happen. Infact, if film makers really want to create the ultimate explosion of drama … quiet is the best way to do it.  Go and watch the opening scene to ‘Saving Private Ryan’, to see what I mean] 

Secondly, I am loving it because thanks to some amazing music software, I am able to do it all on my laptop regardless of whether I am at home, on a plane or even in a hotel room in Bali! [Yes, I am buggering about with it as I type!]

It used to take vast amounts of time, patience and money to create recorded pieces of music … yet now you can have a 48 track recording studio, full of instruments, singers and effects for the price of a meal in a half-decent restaurant AND you don’t get any of those ‘creative differences’ that have plagued bands since the beginning of time.

Saying that, I wonder whether Beethoven, Mozart and Bach etc would have found this technology useful. 

OK, I know I’ve just banged on about how quick, easy and powerful it is to create music – but the thing is, rather than using your imagination to create music, you tend to go straight to the technology and ‘doodle around’ with the tons of samples you have at your disposal – which results in you tending to create music by crashing lots of bits and pieces together rather than starting with something pure. 

So what’s bad about this?  Well nothing really, except it means you don’t tend to ‘experiment’ as much as you could. Or should.