change the world, 500 words at a time

Probably everybody knows this by now, but i still feel like posting about it. Hugh Macleod had yet another brilliant initiative: he asked people to change the world, 500 words at a time. The collection of mini-manifestos which resulted (and which is far from being completed, hopefully) is a very good, insightful, fresh and inspiring resource, which tackles all sorts of issues, not all connected to marketing, brands, communication and related.

However, one of the nicest examples is Rodrigo Dauster's Elusive Consumer Manifesto.

1. Listen, don't ask
Don't ask me what I want. To ask is to admit you don't know. If you don't know, it means you haven't been listening. If you haven't been listening it means that you don't care about me. So why should I care about you? Every day I express what I want and what is wrong with what I have. If you care about me, observe the joy I get from company; how hard I laugh at your jokes; how happy I am to by the time I get to the front of the queue to pay; the pleasure I take from drinking that coffee; how often I return.

2. Be honest
Yes, I am a fool some of the time. I don't have the time to be smart about everything; to always make the most informed decisions. That means others can profit from me in these moments of weakness, busy-ness or fatigue. But I don't forget. So if you rip me off; I won't trust you again.

3. Help me want less
Stop telling me what else I need to be happy. We all know that more this and more that will only lead me into a down-ward spiraling, unfulfilling consumption binge. If you really want to add value -- to be different -- show me how I can get more with less: simplify, defeature, unbundle, open up.