The philosophical approach that drives my work (and life) is nothing if not drawn from experience.  Through the passage of time, I’ve had my share of encounters with teachers and tests of strength, and they have left their mark on me.  That’s how experience works. In her quote, Edith Wharton nails it.  Wisdom is very much a trial and error kind of thing.  You learn as you go.  Like all newbies, I started out green.  One foot in front of the other was the way I walked back then.  Then, as I travelled further in my life and career, some of my experiences seemed to strengthen my step, while others fell away.

In the end, I wound up with three areas of interest and expertise that form the platform for my philosophy today.  By the way, I’m a passionate believer in the “power of three”, so I’m convinced there is truth in this trinity.  Now it’s my job to convince you there is.

I’m a thinker.  I have trained all my life to be a thinker – from the earliest days of my traditional, Latin/Greek-based education in England to the strategic intelligence role I’ve taken on in my marketing and communication career – significantly sharpened by the experience I gained as a member of the strat planning group at a branch of the McCann Erickson advertising agency in the mid 2000’s, it definitely honed my strategic chops.

I subscribe to the belief –eloquently stated by the French poet, Voltaire – that “There is no problem that can withstand the assault of sustained thinking.” That, in a nutshell, is what my approach is all about.

I have this image of my head as one of those rent-a-space warehouses, where clients can rent a compartment for as long as they need, and while there’s a contract in place between us, they have full access to the thinking powers of my brain.  To be fair, I’ll likely have several spaces rented out to several different clients at any one time, and that’s OK.  When one assignment gets completed, the space becomes vacant again, and I look for another client to move in with their challenges.  It’s a happy little rent-a-brain scheme.

The thinking I do has two aspects to it.  1). A highly organized strategic process; and 2). A creative, pie-in-the sky moment… or two.   The highly organized strategic process is where we start.  It can be brought to bear on any business challenge and/or opportunity – especially in the areas of marketing and communication.  It really doesn’t matter what the product or service is – they’re all fair game to a primal thinker!  In fact, an important aspect of my philosophy is that it’s often better to work with me when I know nothing about what you do, because objectivity is the great equalizer.  I get to research the field you’re in, and my perspective is likely more objective than your own.  It’s what I call my ‘view from the trees’ – curious, prying primate that I am.

I could write a lot more about Sustained Thinking, but I won’t – at least, not here and now.  As it happens, I’m a writer, too.  Writing is, in my opinion, a sub-set of thinking.  One of my primary skills as a thinker is the ability to articulate what I’ve thought (and what I’ve gathered from the thinking of my clients and colleagues) in clearly written prose.  It’s a gift that helps to drive the overall strategic process forward.

Strategic and Creativity are two words that seem to fit together well. But how often have you worked with someone who was Strategic, but not Creative?  And how about someone who was Creative, but not Strategic?  iPrimate is both. No… we really ARE.

The proof is in the writing.  In fact, writing (i.e. composing meaningful communication using words) is Strategic Creativity or, at least, a lovely, figurative metaphor for it.  Look at it this way.  Every primate on the planet has at his/her disposal all the words in the world.  The skill of writing challenges us to use the right words (creatively inspired ones, mind you) in the right order (and even here there is creative possibility) to achieve a clear, powerful meaning.  So, what do we do?  We use the words strategically – planning and implementing a logical progression of them toward the goal of understanding. Then, on top of that, the gifted writer adds creativity.  And now you have Strategic Creativity!  Ain’t it grand?

So, Strategic Creativity is what we stand for at iPrimate.  I could go on.  At length.  However, for the sake of conciseness (and anything less would not be strategic, would it?), I’ll leave you with the description I’m most pleased with as an account of the work I do:

Primate says: “Not Art for Art’s sake, but art for business’ sake.”

So, what is this happy confection of words about – social currency?  On a practical level, Social Currency is actually about technology and, particularly, the digital water we currently swim in – social media.  However, philosophically, it’s about empowering people.  Yes, as trite as it sounds, Virginia, iPrimate believes in helping people to help themselves.  The social context that now ‘powns’ (sic) the communication marketplace in all its Web 2.0 glory has given everyday people the opportunity to do exactly that – and technology is the ‘money’ play we always knew it could be to make it happen.  Now more than ever.  However, all the technology in the world won’t amass any social currency if it isn’t put to work by creative technologists.  And that’s what iPrimate is.

By a happy circumstance, the ‘i’ in iPrimate has been deeply involved in the technology marketplace for the past 15 years.  In 1993, I did my first assignment with Microsoft, and it has led to literally hundreds more in the time since then.  This relationship has brought me close to technology milestones like the launch of Windows 95, Windows XP, MSN, Microsoft Home Magazine and even Microsoft Office for Mac.  Oh, yes… even that.  This is not a Microsoft commercial, however – it’s just to say that I’ve stayed really, really close to what is happening with technology.  And I still do.  For my sins, I am a technology evangelist – a vociferous advocate with a voice that says “Get jiggy with the diggy, dude” (or something like that.  Possibly less inane?-)

So, ahem… the Social Currency thing is something I totally believe in.  And can deliver upon.  Ergo… this site that you are currently visiting.  It’s my latest romance with the social intricacies that stem from the digital dream.

And, this concludes my little diatribe on the iPrimate Philosophy.  Are you still there?