May 2008
73 posts
“In four years, online advertising will rise from the fifth-largest medium to the...”
– Information Week
May 31st
What’s your favorite ad campaign? →
It’s graduation time for all of you soon-to-be advertising junior copywriters and art directors. So if you have a portfolio that will get you in the door (the first hurdle), it’s time to prepare for…
May 31st
There is even live music at the airport in Nashville.
May 31st
The basics done well →
This site for Norton is pretty sweet. I love it when something that has typically been dry gets coolified. I can think of few companies that seem more dull and buttoned up than Norton, but here…
May 30th
watching lawrence of arabia. didn’t realize this movie was almost 4 hrs. long.
May 30th
“The solution, rather, is learning to “let the bits go” - so that one...”
– Good Experience Blog
May 29th
1 note
listening to people →
Here are a few things to think about the next time you are out listening to people in focus groups, on the street, in their homes, etc. question their answers: people don’t intentionally lie (at…
May 29th
“Adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder do 22 fewer days of work...”
– BBC
May 28th
People are strange. Until you get to know them.
May 27th
Week 2 of travel. Off to Nashville for the week.
May 27th
buy it like you mean it →
interesting new site asking users to review and rate a companies business practices.  they should just aggregate reviews from across the web, though. 
May 27th
Wow. I fought the World Market furniture and the World Market furniture won.
May 27th
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2008-5-25) →
Uncle Tupelo  Ryan Adams & The Cardinals  Ryan Adams  My Morning Jacket  Neutral Milk Hotel  Imported from Last.fm Tumblr
May 26th
I loathe Malls.
May 25th
“Cable prices have risen 77 percent since 1996, roughly double the rate of...”
– NYT
May 24th
ListenPoppy by TV On The Radio on Desperate Youth Blood...
May 24th
In Chicago for 10 minutes for a layover. Hello friends.
May 23rd
Enjoying the scenery in west Hartford. Hope the food is as good.
May 23rd
Off Target →
Through recent meetings with clients and agency partners I came to the realization that the perspective on how to target a market is still incredibly narrow for most. For most, if you’re targeting a…
May 22nd
The Ramp →
This is some footage shot from a train of a giant ramp that was built in the small German town of Oberpfaffelbachen. The ramp was built with the the intentions of launching a car…
May 22nd
Annals of Innovation: In the Air: Reporting &... →
May 21st
telling a story vs. joining a story →
It is often said that we as marketers need to tell stories. We need to tell our client’s stories and they need to be great. While I don’t disagree, I think the more accurate phrase would be that we…
May 21st
searching for cash
the recent announcement by Microsoft that they plan to offer searchers cash back on purchases they make through their search engine is interesting. clearly they are trying to steal share from Google, but is this the best way? potential problems: could attract a different audience (sweepstakes folks) changes the psychology of search from finding something to getting a good deal potential...
May 21st
1 note
May 21st
Dining w folks that have very refined taste in Hartford.
May 21st
“Roku Netflix Set Top Box Is Just Shy of Totally Amazing”
– wired blog
May 20th
May 20th
Re: luggage, would like it to move in all directions, charge my electronics, notify me of changes to my flights.
May 20th
Luggage is in need of some innovation in usability.
May 20th
On the first leg of the flight I did some work and watched Donnie Darko.
May 20th
I wonder if the people that get to board on the red carpet for united flights actually notice the red carpet.
May 20th
Aren't most advertisers wasting their time and... →
Perhaps the following ramble is simply the product of the brain-addling isolation of the freelance writer. Am I missing something? Am I stating the obvious? Or the obviously confused? After reading…
May 19th
Sampling the consultant lifestyle: up before 5am, fly across the country, stay all week, repeat next week.
May 19th
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2008-5-18) →
Elliott Smith  Wilco  This Will Destroy You  Godspeed You! Black Emperor  Red Sparowes  Imported from Last.fm Tumblr
May 19th
Wondering on whom the statement “we have smart people that do magic w data” works?
May 17th
“American consumer confidence is at its lowest level in 28 years, according to a...”
– The Economist
May 16th
comcast + plaxo = lame
i may be wrong, but if comcast hopes to enter into the “social media” space by acquiring plaxo they have slim to no chance of delivering upon that hope. from what I can tell plaxo is a facebook rippoff that attempted to trick users to sign up by offering a sort of business card sync.  i know I received about 20 invites from plaxo.   here’s their combined vision: “Together,...
May 15th
“Netflix.com does the best job satisfying its customers, according to the ForeSee...”
– Via Business Wire.  I find the last sentence of this quote funny.  Oh, really, satisfaction drives loyalty, sales and word of mouth.  That’s a shocker. 
May 15th
do targeted ads create a better experience online?
This quote from the NYT coverage of Charter’s plan to monitor its customers online behavior and sell it to a company offering behavioral targeting got me thinking: “All we are doing is, in an anonymous format, providing additional context to serve those ads. To the extent those ads are more meaningful to me as Ted Schremp, I will have a better Internet experience than the generic ads that...
May 15th
it is supposed to be 100 degree in the south bay tomorrow. yikes.
May 14th
Design is an Attitude
vastandgrand: Listen to Adaptive Path’s 10 Tools for Managing a Creative Environment Slide Share and then read leading Bauhaus figure László Moholy-Nagy’s “Designing is not a profession but an attitude” over your morning coffee. There is design in organization of emotional experiences, in family life, in labor relations, in city planning, in working together as civilized human beings. ...
May 14th
twitter voices
I’ve noticed lately that when I read twitter messages I hear them (in my head) in the voice of the person that twittered.  I had never noticed this before, and I don’t think it has any profound implications.  It just struck me as interesting. 
May 14th
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May 14th
why yelp works →
May 13th
May 13th