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Watch for the anecdotal rants to increase a bit as I continue another week or two of rest and relaxation (much needed).
My hope is at the end of this journ that in addition to missing my son greatly, I will also have a renewed energy and a fresh set of ideas for the business and our clients.
Need to reach me? Try that message in a bottle thing till I get back in december...
WBV
Here in San Francisco, Butler Shine Stern & Partners (BSSP) and their Influx Consulting arm put on another first class event - typical of everything they do. This year, the conference has a new name, Influx Ideas (formally Msquared) but one thing that's the same is the cast and caliber of speakers they brought together. This conference is always energizing to me. I really enjoy hearing from people out on the leading edge of marketing/branding/advertising success. Here are the speakers we heard from and my cliff-notes on what wisdom they dispensed...
Jonah Bloom - AdAge
a humorous & excellent talk regarding state of the game & the agency of the future.
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Christian Simm - Swissnex
Interesting discussion about branding a country, namely switzerland.
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Sarah Rich - DWELL Magazine
Green presentation. Consumer climate changes. Green will never be more SEXY than it is in 2007. Interesting presentation from an environmental perspective. Focus on the backstory...understanding where stuff comes from lends credibility to true green behavior. Interesting site was introduced "BadBuster" that constantly anayzes brand behavior in the global environmental space. Overall sarah had a very fact filled presentation which she 'read' - some of which hit home...however...much like other similar presentations on environmental issues, she is a little condescending towards mainstream brands/companies but she has good points and seems like a very informed and sincere person. I guess I am still waiting on someone to present this topic in anything other than an "I'm better-than-you" fashion...someone dynamic and interesting...possibly someone who can speak from experience from reinventing a green strategy at a big oil company, food company, etc. Otherwise mainstream GP will never embrace the movement and green will remain an evangelist effort of the creative class and socially motivated. Time will tell. Issues are real and can't be ignored.
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Scott Wyatt - NBBJ Architects
Branding buildings as a concept is very interesting. Building as an icon or symbol has incredible impact. Think of the Space Needle, Transamerica building, the Chrysler Building (which I have 100's of photos of) - all of which carry the spirit and persona of the companies & cities they represent. He pointed out the CCTV tower in Bejing and the olympic stadium are decadent and wasteful because their steel is 80% decorative & 20% structural. Overall, the discussion around space design, urban design, and your brand (and thus) advertising are all intertwined. Their global projects are some of the most impressive on the planet.
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Gregory Kennedy - Millions of Us
discussed the no-longer phenom SecondLife who's press approval has taken the track of Britney Spears. Since nobody wants to talk about secondlife, why is it still a topic? His take is that its not dead. Their recent projects for scion include whatisscioncity.com. His other clients include WB, Comcast, HBO, Microsoft, and others...which gives some credibility but I still don't see the fascination with the virtual world. He mentions that there are currently over 100 million people actively using virtual worlds globally. These include SecondLife (10mil)m habbo (7.5mil), zwinky, Gaia, etc. He says, immersive experiences and SL concepts appeal to younger folks because they don't have the ability to attain their material, social, etc goals because of their geo, financial, etc, limitations. Seems to me that with a highly skewed younger crowd in these UGC spaces that there really isn't value to a brand that targets a more mature person. I guess I'm just not cool enough to 'get it'.
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Kent Nichols & Chas Edwards - askaninja.com
Federated Media is a great example of the next generation of Publishing companies with their extense network of well-visited blogs. Their stance remains steadfast - your advertising is an ongoing conversation vs. A flighted "call to action". I couldn't agree more. I see this as so viable in branding and advertising. FM does this better than just about anyone. They believe advertising should drive people to content, where they share the experience, and spread the word. The search engines pick up on all this content and it creates a network of real content...displaying the conversation as search results. This may sound like a bowl of spaghetti, but in reality, this is a next level Landing page concept that is much more powerful than the traditional ones we do all the time...because it is all conversation/content driven.
Ask a ninja - ask + askaninja * mass advertising / social networks = a new advertising platform. the viral video is an edgie butter knife, sharp but safe. Great branding opportunities for advertising and humor - hyperengages vistors and stays true to the format.
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5x5 - 5, 5-minute presentations from participants.
Here are some of their topics (at least what i THINK they were talking about).
#1 TapProject - by far the best topic and cause. [learn more about tap project]
#2 Convenience as innovation.
#3 poop
#4 Teenagers scare the shit out of me - presented by Casey Ingle of Campbell Ewald in Detroit - If i were to have a beer with someone after the conference, it would probably be Casey because he seemed like a good guy. His topic was designed to shine on various generation gaps. His talk would have been interesting if remotely rehearsed. My feeling was that he wasn't prepared...and probably a little too irreverent for the setting (language was fine for a sports bar, but not the best for this sorta crowd - aside: I think i was introduced to about 10 new dirty words). But, that said, he covered his presentation issues with some good ad-lib and humor. Hung in to keep relevant with the youth theme and raised some decent points and opinions.
#5 ??? not sure...i was in the bathroom
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Becky Saegar - CMO Charles schwab
interesting discussion that reinforces that it's not about your products/services, its about how people associate your brand against other options and how working with you makes them feel. One question to ask your clients: would refer us to your friends, colleagues, family? responsibility of chief executives: need to stay connected to the world outside your company from your consumers perspectives.
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Some interesting 'other' things happening here at the conference:
» presentations captured digitally and published in real-time...more than just blogging.
» all materials produced on recycled paper products...very organic and cool.
Overall i was very satisfied with this conference much like all BSSP Events. Everything first class...just like we like it.
WBV
(another Treo post | sorry for the typos [and grammar])
Senator Randolph Townsend speaks at Reno Tahoe Open Press Conference at Montreux.
We are excited, as always, to be so involved with the Reno Tahoe Open and today we are very excited for our PGA tournament who just announced their new title sponsor. The tournament will now be known nationally as:
The Legends Reno Tahoe Open
Title sponsor, The Legends at Sparks Marina (a RED Development project) is a little $1.2 Billion master development in our home town of Sparks, NV. The Legends project is terrific for Sparks, and will be a giant entertainment, dining, residential, gaming, resort destination and is under construction now. Today's press conference had an amazing turnout and demonstrated a great amount of support for the event from sponsors, influential leaders like Senator Townsend, Mayor Geno Martini, RSCVA, Montreux, and on and on.
This new title sponsor is a great fit and will energize this tournament. As I have said before...get out and support this tournament. It is a fantastic event that supports our communities and drive enormous traffic to this area. More press to follow. For more information about the event visit: www.renotahoeopen.com
Sparks is on the map folks. Game on!
WBV
[another treo post - sorry for the typos]
Via AdRants I was passed along this funny article about our newly transparent lives. I personally am more than overloaded with the barrage of social media, uber connected services that are out there. I put myself out there to an extent, others take it even further, but below is an example where your social network addition bites you right in the ass.
Getting noticed, quoted, indexed is the easy part, I say, lets see if you can make yourself invisible to the world of search & social media. That's a REAL challenge.
Globetrotter...does that mean nothing to you??
WBV
Today I received an email rant from one of the marketing/tech recruiters I personally respect greatly, Marc Cenedella, CEO of TheLadders. He had an interesting observation which sent him off on a rant only another perfectionist can appreciate. Here are some excerpts from his message to me today regarding employees, the increasingly raggedy-ass airline industry, and what it should mean to you. [note - I bolded my favorite parts]
A grumbly Monday morning to you, Bryan,
...other people’s travel hell stories are about as interesting as other people’s "kids" or "new exercise regimen" stories, so I’m not going to bore you with one of those. And as a matter of fact, my recent flight on American wasn’t uniquely miserable. It was just run-of-the-mill lousy. But what really got me bummed out was my flight attendant’s outfit.
Katherine had gone to the trouble of wearing buttons with all sorts of sayings on her uniform. You know, when you’re on a flight on one of the legacy airlines, you kind of hold out hope that somebody - anybody - will give a damn. And like a drowning man might, I saw Katherine’s buttons as a statement. She cared! She was going to stand out against the ennui and mediocrity of her co-workers and let the world know that she, Katherine of American Airlines...was taking a stand! A stand for friendliness, and approachability, and caring about her customers...
...I am a bit of a nut for our customers. We love you. We answer all your emails within 24 hours, and 88% of them within 3 hours. We run all of our business out of the good old USA, right here in New York City, and don’t outsource stuff overseas...and we generally try to treat our customers like our family. So when I see somebody breaking out against the norm, standing up for customers, and daring to care, I can get pretty excited.
And so as Katherine approached me I strained to get my work weary eyes to read the fine print on her button. It was a light blue button with dark blue writing, and I could just about make out the words:"I"
"Have"
"No"
"Idea"
"Why"
"I"
"Work"
"Here"And I have to tell you, that was just about the most deflating, disheartening, dispiriting, depressing thing to read after a relaxing weekend. While I won’t share them with you here, the rest of her buttons were of an equally sour-puss nature.
And you know, Katherine and her type stand for everything that’s bad in the world. For every one of us trying to achieve great things, there’s a Katherine standing nearby ready to tear it down. For each of us trying to make the world a better place today, this hour, this minute, there’s a Katherine in the wings sticking her tongue out. And not only is there a Katherine, but there’s a company willing to hire her...
...And while Mom said if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all, I wish the Katherines...of the world nothing but failure. Failure in their campaign to pull down the productive people, failure in their efforts to keep winners from winning, and failure in the marketplace so that better people and companies can serve American Airlines customers.
So don’t be a Katherine!
His letter gets a little personal regarding good ol' AA (where I still hold my pre-board status), but as you can see, he is pissed. I join him on the piss when I come across 'katherine-esq' people who are pessimistic, argumentative, know-it-alls without the balls to get out and walk the walk. Agree with the tact or not, Marc shined a light on a problem in this world.
In addition to the pessimism and poor-me elements of the 'katherine' persona, there is also a mindset where many THINK they are smarter/better/richer/cooler/talented than everyone else, yet unwilling to step out and put their brilliance to the test, see if they can make a difference, or start something of their own, from the ground up and make it into something real. Carpe their own diem. I seem to see an increasing number of wanna-be entrepreneurs, bench racers, shadows, always quick with an opinion, rarely with a solution. I have completely lost patience for 'katherines', and frankly refuse to have them around me, around my business, and around my circle of friends.
I hope Fuze is forever devoid of Katherines. I encourage other employers to follow suit - sniff these people out and get rid of them. Marc concludes with a fitting sentiment:
You take your career and your work seriously, and we will take you seriously...whatever you do, don’t sell yourself short, and don’t let the Katherines of this world bring you down.
I’ll be rooting for you!
Warmest Regards,
Marc Cenedella
Founder & CEO
TheLadders.com, Inc.
I was so moved by this, that I just had to pass this on. AA will go on and on surviving but consider this a clear call out to all pessimists, nay-sayers, virus-spewing, jealous know-it-alls. Don't talk about it, be about it. If you're born to be a follower, then be a happy follower. But, if you aren't happy, instead of bringing others DOWN to your level, why not try taking yourself UP a new level [or 2]. You control your destiny. What you are or aren't, is ALL ABOUT YOU. The big blue marble is full of opportunity - this is quite possibly one of the best periods in history - opportunity wise. Make something of it, Katherines.
I will see those who choose the path of greatness in a winners circle someplace.
WBV
It's your future, you shape it, you're in the driving seat.
- The [real]Office
(Nothing to do with business, but hey, it's a Saturday and a borderline holiday weekend, so take 5 min to yourself you little rascals.)
Not new news if you are a car nut, but if not, then this should impress even the least interested. Alex Roy recently shattered the transcontinental driving record (previously 32 hours & 7 Minutes), passing from New York to Los Angeles in 31 hours and 4 minutes!!! The previous record had been standing since 1983 and was held by David Diem and Doug Turner. Certainly illegal (but still cool as hell), attempting something like this these days will take a hoard of technology, luck, skill, and CA$H to pull off. Here is a snippet of his drive and a sample view into the cockpit of that M5:
Wired did a full article on the madness.
Other links:
Visit Alex's site here There is also a new movie coming out to commemorate the Cannonball-esq events and nostalgia. It is aptly called 32 Hours & & Minutes - The Film. Now, as someone who grew up idolizing the Cannonball Run movies, all things racing, this documentary style film and all the rare footage it contains is something i am salivating to see. Here is the trailer (courtesy of Gravid Films delivered via the FUZEtube):
We had the opportunity to met Alex on one of the Bullrun events, and he is a great eccentric guy. Have you ever met Captain Ramieus, general?
Congrats to the NY wild man...wonder what's next?
WBV
Today, as if we went back to the dark ages, we had someone try to sending us a 50MB email attachment. This bowl-clogger nearly made me want to jump out the window (fret not, Fuze is only on the 2nd floor). Anyway, to help some of the email-ly challenged, and promote a cool service, i offer you SENDUIT (from the folks who developed Tumblr.
Using Senduit could not be more simple:
Not sure how these guys make caysh with all the bandwidth they must consume, but mine is not to question why. Of course our friends over at DropSend have a more robust service if you need to do this all the time.
Take a look at either, or both, next time you think about firing off an Inbox killer.
Enjoy the sweet speed of email downloads once again.
Enjoy!
WBV
I was simply bummed that i had to cancel my New York trip to FOWD this year. I paid for the conference and travel but had to bail out and i have been head down, pouting like a child, kicking rocks around the office and bitching ever since.
I heard mixed reviews of the conference, but regardless, i would have much preferred to be there. The trip was also a visit to our new New York client Lazaro Jewelry - a SoHo New York based jewelery designer to the stars, and one killer little storefront that we are excited to have been selected to represent for their electronic marketing efforts.
At any rate, with this trip on top of my other business travel, and our pending vacation, i would have been out of the office for 3+ weeks in November, during a very busy time. So alas, i had to let this one go.
I'll be back in NYC in March and we'll see FOWD in London in April so life is good folks. Life is good.
Fly safe.
WBV
Buzz buzz said the Bee (sorry I have been reading kids books). Via organic, i was alerted to this hearty chunk of online advertising that takes the viral > to landing > to microsite > to conversion concept to a whole new level. If you can believe it, this is from one of MY banks ING and is a tad racy for the financial world. The campaign is getting LOADS of buzz for its originality and global appeal. Take it on a test drive above. (FYI - You will get to decide if you want to make #1 or #2. I recommend trying both.)
If you want to access it directly and see the full experience (not just the porta-pottie), hop over to: i-needtogo.com
Enjoy this great advertising...oh, and get your budget calculators out :-)
BL
