May 2011
2 posts
Handlebar Mounted Projector Turns Any Surface Into... →
This is cool, but … in Chicago we have tons of bike lanes which are pretty much ignored by everyone, most of all by the riders.
Top Engaged Facebook Pages →
April 2011
2 posts
How prices have changed over the last year →
Watchsemigoodlooking:
I’ve waited a long time and worked hard in this business to say this. It’s time we did more with our talent than just sell crap. This is a call to arms to all the writers, designers, artists, creative lunatics and misfits out there. I hope it speaks to you. I hope that all of you with talent and passion take what’s in this video to heart. And anyone who is restless, and weary...
March 2011
6 posts
Diet Coke Blasts Past Pepsi in Market Share - Coke... →
The news is not just a major blow to PepsiCo financially, as Pepsi sold 45 million fewer cases last year, but also psychologically. The beverage portfolio has been in the midst of a restage, which has had its fair share of hiccups, since 2009. The news that Diet Coke has surpassed Pepsi as the second leading brand caps a nearly three-year period in which Gatorade has stumbled, Tropicana has...
Zappos Founder - Why a Brand is a Lagging... →
Worth Reading: Pew State of the News Media 2011 →
“In a media world where consumers decide what news they want to get and how they want to get it, the future will belong to those who understand the public’s changing behavior and can target content and advertising to snugly fit the interests of each user. That knowledge — and the expertise in gathering it — increasingly resides with technology companies outside journalism.
In the 20th...
Why Foursquare is Doomed
I picked this up from DigiDayDaily. I couldn’t agree more. I don’t know the author, Theo Fanning, but I am sure I would like him a lot. One of my good friends and business colleagues is now mayor of a local Chinese restaurant. I do not know why this matters.
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I don’t like Foursquare. I never have. Just writing about it irritates me a little. While...
A VC on Marketing →
Feb 252011
Marketing
You asked for it Arnold and 84 others (so far). So I’m gonna talk about marketing.
I believe that marketing is what you do when your product or service sucks or when you make so much profit on every marginal customer that it would be crazy to not spend a bit of that profit acquiring more of them (coke, zynga, bud, viagra).
A very experienced and successful...
Learnings from Egypt, Nokia and The Huffington... →
August 2010
3 posts
Iconic Advertising from Leo Burnett →
Star Wars Modern →
June 2010
1 post
March 2010
1 post
Newspapers: Think of Sand Falling in an Hourglass →
“Unless some system of financing the production of content is developed, it is difficult to see how reportorial journalism will not continue to shrink, regardless of the potential tools offered by technology.”
January 2010
18 posts
digital muse for a beat poet →
This one is for Haley and her class.
help wanted: account planners
This post is directed to friends and associates in the business: we are seriously looking to fill several open account planning positions at all levels, including director, across multiple accounts at Leo Burnett and Arc Worldwide. Definitely open to freelance. Please contact me directly to express interest or refer candidates. I’m on Facebook, LinkedIn, or email. Thanks!
wired: the decision tree for better health →
typefaces in the new world of pixels →
Amazing article from the NY Times on designing type for digital applications.
the complete get a mac campaign →
For all of you Apple freaks - here is a complete listing of all the “Get a Mac” ads since 2006. Adweek recently named this campaign the best of the decade and I would have to agree, although some would argue the strength of the campaign is that it gets out of the way of the products. Nice when that happens.
mikey is on the watch list →
I believe it. On my most recent flight to Chicago, an 80-ish woman from Howell was asked to remove her sweater (they said it looked like a coat) and was frisked thoroughly. Why? They weren’t busy. When I shook my head in disgust, they decided to go through my backpack.
news flash: if not for advertising, the internet...
At least not at we know it. Then again, neither would television. Or radio or newspapers or professional sports franchises. All depend on willing audiences of content consumers. But the naivete demonstrated by the congressman cited in the article below (see post) simply mirrors the attitude of many otherwise well-informed people who believe that the Internet is somehow “free” and exist...
silent noise parties →
Must be fun to watch if you’re not wearing headphones …
conan's statement
People of Earth:
In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an...
portion sizes then and now →
healthy by force: introducing the nanny state →
Here’s an editorial from New Hampshire. I’m not sure, but I think the NH colonial motto was “Live Free or Die” during the American Revoluion. Maybe it still is. The article reflects this sentiment perfectly. Love it.
automated content states its case →
Here’s a good discussion of Associated Content’s algorithm model for sourcing and publishing content. Quality is the real issue. I sometimes write for AC and do my best to report accurately and fairly. This morning I read an article written by a “pharmicist” (sic) that claimed that ibuprofen and naproxen sodium are identical and can be used interchangeably. The author was...
December 2009
6 posts
predictions for the next decade →
These from Greg Martin of Clarkston UMC. I’m really intrigued by his second prediction: the rise of co-housing and eco-village living situations. Absolutely agree.
link to previous post →
I screwed up and didn’t include the correct link in my earlier post on pseudo-events. The article is by Joan Walsh and posted on Salon.com. Oops.
top ten pseudo-events of 2009 →
There was plenty of news in 2009: economic near-collapse. An eight-month debate over how to remake the country’s flawed healthcare system. Big elections in Iran and Afghanistan. Yet the media spent a lot of time chasing non-stories, from Balloon Boy to Sarah Palin’s death panels — so much so that Salon felt compelled to call out the top Bogus Stories of 2009. You can find them...
detroit admen cope with tough times →
A great article featuring my friend Chris Balicki.
dads engage in social media →
Could this signal the rise of the “alpha” Dad? Interesting article and a few links to sites.
November 2009
32 posts
the katsarelas scholarship →
George was a good friend and it’s terrific to see his memory honored in this way.
harvard business school on social network users -... →
Great quote: “online social networks are most useful when they address failures in the operation of offline networks.” That’s why men spend most of their time looking at women they don’t know?
itunes for magazines →
some big players behind it
language and flavor
Last night, I read an outstanding article on flavors in the November 23 New Yorker magazine. The science is fascinating, but for me the most interesting insights are in the use, or attempted use, of language to describe flavors and aromas. Here is the abstract. You will have to subscribe to get the full article online.
Growing up, Michelle Hagen lived near a factory in Cincinnati that produced...
advocacy journalism →
This is a good discussion of the “new” journalism which makes no attempt at objectivity. The writer makes a case that maybe this is nothing more than a return to the way things once were, or have always been. My observation, however, is that one can now experience ALL news through the tinted lens of partisanship and choose to NEVER hear the other side of the story, which creates...
vanishing
just read this article on the flight last night - fascinating
Writer Evan Ratliff Tried to Vanish: Here’s What Happened | Vanish | Wired.com
jason calacanis in a buying mood →
our client AOL in the news →
our research suggests AOL is one of the few most trusted online brands
foursquare →
Mashable suggests that this will be THE social media hit of 2010. It is pretty cool. But after a few minutes following the Chicago posts, I couldn’t figure it out. Has anybody else tried?
silverdome sells for less than my house →
but it doesn’t have the new hardwood floors and a basement rec room …
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