It's 2009 and we're going to see what AdPulp can do this year. And what social media can do. The impetus for this is personal, in that I moved from South Carolina to Oregon last August, worked remotely for BFG until the end of the year and am now a member of Free Agent Nation, once again. This time, I'm not looking for a job, I'm looking for business. It's a subtle but important distinction. And I'm willing to look …
Needed To Power The Inters: Black Swans With Impeccable Taste
Stephen Baker of BusinessWeek looks closely at ThisNext, a social network of shoppers, in his piece on "free labor". Laura Sweet, an advertising creative director in her early 40s, is at the center of the story. Sweet creates content for free on ThisNext, which profits directly from her labor. Gordon Gould, who runs ThisNext describes what's in it for the volunteers. "They can build their brands," Gould says. "In …
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When Bartle Bogle Blogs People Listen
Apparently, foul mouthed ad man, George Parker, keeps it clean when a reporter from The New York Times calls. Advertising agencies have dabbled in side businesses for decades, but "inventing their own brand, not dependent on clients' largess, is the big new thing," said George Parker, an ad agency consultant and writer of AdScam, a blog about the industry. As the economy worsens and ad budgets tighten, "the creation …
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Alex’s School of Rock
If CP+B Shred School and the holiday gift of 900 guitars to its staffers is any indication, Boulder is really starting to get to the Crispinis. Put another way, the Crispinis are settling in and starting to get their Rocky Mountain grooves on. [via The Denver Egotist] …
FDR – A Change Agent’s Change Agent
Roberto Ramos, president and CEO of The Vox Collective, thinks brand managers ought to look to FDR for inspiration in these troubled times. With Adweek as his stump, Ramos suggests, a four step approach. Here's how he addresses "structural reengineering": A salient aspect of the New Deal was the creation of new programs to address specific challenges and the population's concerns. The imperative for branding …
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A Sliver of Social Media, An Entire Helping of TV
Alan Wolk sees a new dawn for branded communications when he speaks of "The Great Unleveling". ...for the past fifty years, brands have been able to rely on marketing to "create a splash" for low-interest products and services. So that a clever TV spot with a catchy tag line really could have significant impact on brand awareness for the general public. That's because that TV spot was competing for your attention …
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Let’s Do Lunch
Journalists like to meet interesting people. It's one of the perks of the job. Apparently, so is lunch at Michael's in New York City. Media Magazine claims they don't care for lists, yet they've made a rather long one called "100 people we'd meet at Michael's". It's not just about being rich, powerful or influential. It's about being someone who can contribute something meaningful to the conversation and leave us …
Jerry Ketel: Conductor
During Monday's snowmageddon, Jerry Ketel, President of Leopold Ketel & Partners and the Portland Ad Fed took time out from answering an RFP to meet with me in the well appointed lobby of his "idea studio." Ketel has an infectious laugh and a sense of ease about him. He's also full of big ideas. He talked to me about creating social memes, how Facebook is huge in China (a communal society) and how I'm at the nexus …