Sometimes you just see a snapshot that makes you laugh.
I know this baby, and her parents. So it's okay?
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Heads up
Sometimes you just see a snapshot that makes you laugh.
I know this baby, and her parents. So it's okay?
Monday, July 28, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
I love cops (or "sex sells")
From Droga5's Honeyshed project.
Sort of an MTV-meets-QVC concept. I first read that in Fast Company. Then in an email I received from former Slingshot guru, Joel.
Great idea in theory. A little underwhelming in execution.
My prediction: the second person who does it will make it unbelievably cool.
And then THIS will replace MTV. Or TV in general.
UPDATE: took the obnoxious self-starting video down. Your welcome.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Bad. And worse.
Moo
Like a cow,
I was lured, herded, penned and milked.
for an iphone.
it's nice.
shiny.
uh, smudgy.
easy to use.
hard to put down.
I predict you'll find me walking into walls while I check email, update facebook, find myself on GPS, twitter the status of my bruised forehead, and take calls from my friends family and coworkers.
It's sitting here on my desk.
Glinting.
Begging for a poke, a touch, a squeeze.
Irresistable.
Instinct? What Instinct?
I was lured, herded, penned and milked.
for an iphone.
it's nice.
shiny.
uh, smudgy.
easy to use.
hard to put down.
I predict you'll find me walking into walls while I check email, update facebook, find myself on GPS, twitter the status of my bruised forehead, and take calls from my friends family and coworkers.
It's sitting here on my desk.
Glinting.
Begging for a poke, a touch, a squeeze.
Irresistable.
Instinct? What Instinct?
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Following Up
A few weeks back, I delivered some tips for the creative department on handling a new business pitch.
An Update: we won.
Here are a few tips for celebrating the good news:
Search out the folks that presented (in person) and shake their hands. Look them in the eye. Congratulate them as you might congratulate someone who has just had a baby, gotten married, survived crucial surgery.
The copy-all "great job everyone" email is spam. The handshake on a different floor of the building is something we like to call "a little extra effort". People remember your handshake. And remember that you know who they are (even if you didn't know who they were until right then.)
Drink-buying is a good idea. Asking to see the work is a great idea. Asking to work on the business is an outstanding idea.
Take credit humbly and graciously. And spread it around.And savor it because it's not an every-day thing. Even for the good guys.
An Update: we won.
Here are a few tips for celebrating the good news:
Search out the folks that presented (in person) and shake their hands. Look them in the eye. Congratulate them as you might congratulate someone who has just had a baby, gotten married, survived crucial surgery.
The copy-all "great job everyone" email is spam. The handshake on a different floor of the building is something we like to call "a little extra effort". People remember your handshake. And remember that you know who they are (even if you didn't know who they were until right then.)
Drink-buying is a good idea. Asking to see the work is a great idea. Asking to work on the business is an outstanding idea.
Take credit humbly and graciously. And spread it around.And savor it because it's not an every-day thing. Even for the good guys.
Practicing what you preach
When it comes to integrating your agency's brand, few do it like the Plaid crew.
Last year, I met up with them at a skanky bar in Fair Park to hoist a cold one at the conclusion of their tour across the states, spreading buttons and brand fever in a swarm of twittering, vlogging, blogging, flickering, and general craziness not seen since Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters took the New York World's Fair by storm in a dayglo bus full of acid freaks.
But where Ken Kesey's resulting maelstrom of film footage and recordings was a jumbled mess pieced together by folks with few brain cells to spare, Plaid turned their winding tour of the states into a new business machine with results.
And not only that, they've preseeded likeminded bloggers (me, Dave at Jetpacks, etc.) with a pre-tour shwag drop to help them promote it.
So I'm doing my part: Check it out.
UPDATE:
My PLAID-SHWAG goodie kit has arrived w/ tshirt, button and keychain. Thanks Plaid!
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Watch this
Apologies if you've seen it. It's been around for a few months. I always admire something that has this kind of effort attached to it.
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
BEST. SITE. EVER.
I used to go to parties. Or not go to parties and WISH I HAD. Well no more, because now I (and you) can see what I was missing. And I wasn't missing much.
via Vulture Droppings
Out of my league
Cool little concept. Strung together minisites.
This one is funny.
Love the full-screen video movement.
I know a writer at Anomaly and DANG this sounds like him.
Start here to see 'em all.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
For the kids
I've been busier than fuck.
We had a new business pitch and I take it very seriously.
It occurred to me a new generation of youngsters might not yet know the phenomenon of the new business pitch. Let me lay down some ground rules:
For the interns:
New business pitches are the equivalent of childbirth for an agency. They are long, drawn out and painful. Even after you've done a couple of them already, they demand your time and your full attention. You have to be careful, you have to be mindful, and there is almost guarenteed to be a little pushing, a little cursing, and kind words from those who would like you to push a little harder.
Par for the course. THIS IS ADVERTISING.
New business pitches are also a lot like buying a house. You set a budget. You blow the budget making modifications. And then you immediately start compromising and looking for ways to make it more marketable so you can sell it in less than a day, and somehow make your money back.
Please ask before you go home the night before a pitch.
For the juniors:
At least you're getting PAID to stick around the agency until 12AM, sacrificing your fingernails to poorly-wielded exacto blades, learning how to change the toner cartridge and reboot your mac for the FIFTH FUCKING TIME! Consider: you could be unemployed - and most likely you will be if we lose this pitch. (I know, that's the wrong kind of message to send to juniors - but I'm kind of old school like that.)
For the mid-level folk:
When one person pitches, we're ALL pitching.
For creative directors:
If I'm there, you're there (unless you've stepped out to arrange a spa day for your team.)
For those of you who are presenting:
Be the one that everyone talks about after the pitch like this "YOUR NAME HERE kicked its ass. HE/SHE was perfect."
For the rest of you:
There is no crying in pitches.
No family.
No sleep.
No happy hours.
No guarantees.
Never enough time.
No good presenting position (but always take last, because people have shitty memories).
There is the camaraderie of working late and commiserating. And the satisfaction of knowing you couldn't possibly have worked any harder, given the time you had, to make that pitch as good as it could possibly be.
And all that isn't worth a shit when you lose. Losing doesn't hurt. Losing sucks. Losing - burning yourself at three ends trying to deliver the moon in 96 hours - sucks bad. Even if EVERYONE did what they were supposed to do. Especially then. Because then you have no one to blame but yourself.
Should have kerned that line of copy. Thought harder about that headline. Agonized over that trimline. It's like coming in second in the Olympics. All this work for SECOND FUCKING PLACE?
This might seem bitter from a guy who has only been doing this stuff for eleven years. But I've been through a lot of new business pitches. I know what it takes to get through one. And I know what it feels like to win a few. A few too few.
We had a new business pitch and I take it very seriously.
It occurred to me a new generation of youngsters might not yet know the phenomenon of the new business pitch. Let me lay down some ground rules:
For the interns:
New business pitches are the equivalent of childbirth for an agency. They are long, drawn out and painful. Even after you've done a couple of them already, they demand your time and your full attention. You have to be careful, you have to be mindful, and there is almost guarenteed to be a little pushing, a little cursing, and kind words from those who would like you to push a little harder.
Par for the course. THIS IS ADVERTISING.
New business pitches are also a lot like buying a house. You set a budget. You blow the budget making modifications. And then you immediately start compromising and looking for ways to make it more marketable so you can sell it in less than a day, and somehow make your money back.
Please ask before you go home the night before a pitch.
For the juniors:
At least you're getting PAID to stick around the agency until 12AM, sacrificing your fingernails to poorly-wielded exacto blades, learning how to change the toner cartridge and reboot your mac for the FIFTH FUCKING TIME! Consider: you could be unemployed - and most likely you will be if we lose this pitch. (I know, that's the wrong kind of message to send to juniors - but I'm kind of old school like that.)
For the mid-level folk:
When one person pitches, we're ALL pitching.
For creative directors:
If I'm there, you're there (unless you've stepped out to arrange a spa day for your team.)
For those of you who are presenting:
Be the one that everyone talks about after the pitch like this "YOUR NAME HERE kicked its ass. HE/SHE was perfect."
For the rest of you:
There is no crying in pitches.
No family.
No sleep.
No happy hours.
No guarantees.
Never enough time.
No good presenting position (but always take last, because people have shitty memories).
There is the camaraderie of working late and commiserating. And the satisfaction of knowing you couldn't possibly have worked any harder, given the time you had, to make that pitch as good as it could possibly be.
And all that isn't worth a shit when you lose. Losing doesn't hurt. Losing sucks. Losing - burning yourself at three ends trying to deliver the moon in 96 hours - sucks bad. Even if EVERYONE did what they were supposed to do. Especially then. Because then you have no one to blame but yourself.
Should have kerned that line of copy. Thought harder about that headline. Agonized over that trimline. It's like coming in second in the Olympics. All this work for SECOND FUCKING PLACE?
This might seem bitter from a guy who has only been doing this stuff for eleven years. But I've been through a lot of new business pitches. I know what it takes to get through one. And I know what it feels like to win a few. A few too few.
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