posted by on January 02, 2009 at 03:51 PM
filed under:
Strategy
So it’s that time of year again…New Years Resolutions!
I’ve always been a big fan of setting and tracking goals. It’s gotten me to run marathons, finish grad school, and complete other daunting tasks. I suggest others to set realistic goals by using the
SMART Goal Setting method)
This year I have 12 resolutions! Yep, it’s a lot. Surely full of unpredictable blows, as well as the following tasks I plan to accomplish. Because some goals are complex, I decided to dissect them into clear paths. This will help to achieve them, as well as aid in tracking my progress. Also, I’ve been missing work and aching to do some diagram sketching! Enjoy, hope it inspires you with your own goals!
Here’s my 12 resolutions for 2009, in no particular order….You can also find the diagrams in a
Flickr set
1) Buy a House in SF &
2) Get a Dog- workflows
3) Compete in 1st triathlonPage icon denotes a separate document coming soon,16-week training schedule.
- workflow
4) Run 3rd Marathon- workflow
5) Drink 8 glasses of water a day-12 hr clock
6) Maintain weight +/- 5 pds- visual scale
7) Help 3 people with their health/fitness related goals- Hyperbolic Tree
8) Turn 30!hoping this one is relatively easy.
-Calendar date
9) Resurrect 3 lost/broken friendships-Life Cycle Diagram
...and a couple extra without diagrams!
10) Regularly track finances/investments through Mint
- accounts set up, but need to add investments & set budgets
11) Take a writing and/or public speaking class
12) Blog at least once ever 2 weeks
And that’s it!
Happy 2009, hope all your dreams, goals, and wishes come true this year!
posted by on June 04, 2008 at 08:00 AM
filed under:
Strategy
Merger talks in the beer industry have got everyone wondering whether or not Budweiser is gonna fall into foreign hands.
AdAge article today suggests that if a Brazilian company takes over the All-American company and the All-Americanist of brands, Budweiser, that drinkers may revolt, or at least that’s what the distributors are saying. Crap. I believe jingoism and commerce went wayside with
Y2K.
A-B is not going to change its brand strategy. It’s still gonna be Budweiser, the American beer.
It’s not gonna become Companheiroweiser just because a few Brazilians own the most shares.
posted by on May 10, 2008 at 01:53 PM
filed under:
Strategy
Such an interesting time in the advertising business. Who should clients rely on for brand strategy? Media strategy? Digital? In the old days, when television advertising was a given it was simple: the ad agency. Today? Well, I guess it depends. It must be tough for clients to decide and to separate strategy from execution. Either way, it’s fun to watch.
posted by on April 23, 2008 at 12:07 PM
filed under:
Strategy
So since I’ve come to , I’ve found myself thinking more and more about the state and future of advertising, and all paths of thought have led me to a singular conclusion: The Internet will be the end of Advertising. As we know it. And we should be glad.
posted by on April 23, 2008 at 10:55 AM
filed under:
Strategy
All clients want are ideas that solve their problems, period. And yes sometimes that’s a television ad, sometimes a website, sometimes an LED display on a blimp, sometimes all three. But, who the hell knows ahead of time?
Digital is constantly evolving and it is also portable and malleable, and because of these things we are forced to develop ideas in the absence of execution. It’s a necessity. We really have no other choice. We don’t know. It could be anything. The good news is that technology enables almost everything. The Internet. A wall. Your phone. Something on Tivo. The moon. The key thing is to understand the problem and discuss solutions at a much higher level, and then figure out how to deliver them. This is how we operate, most of the time. Post the problem to the company, let ideas build, decide which ones best solve the problem, then figure out how to deliver them. It’s actually very sensible. And the more people we recruit from all walks of life the better the ideas are getting.
So, forget everything you’ve done before. Discard all your beliefs. Be agnostic. That’s kinda how we work. It’s actually pretty fun. And sometimes you’re making
t-shirts.
posted by on April 21, 2008 at 10:33 PM
filed under:
Strategy
It’s interesting, though. I note two threads in those comments: first, that we were known as a Flash house, so why do we have such a “boring” site? And secondly, “too many words!” Who has time to read all those words? I felt a brief surge of panic that I always feel when hit with a little criticism, but I figured hey! We have a site where we have to write all the time now! I may as well write out our thinking on the matter.
posted by on April 21, 2008 at 02:26 PM
filed under:
Strategy
So having watched the industry grapple with the participatory, user-led, web 2.0 nature of the internet for awhile now, I have been heartened by a few positive themes that have emerged over recent years.
While many marketers want the kind of success that can be had with user-generated content and/or a successful viral campaign, they struggle with how to do that without losing control over their brand.
However, the savvy ones have decided to embrace a policy of brand transparency and experienced a moment similar to a
stage dive, throwing yourself on the mercy of the mosh pit, and praying that you’ll end up
crowd surfing rather than flat on your face on the floor. But now there are many stories of brands who have managed to engage their audience in a dialogue that has actually contributed to the success of the brand.
This dynamic also has marketers realizing the need for brand authenticity and to not try to be something that they’re not. Even the entertainment world, who has been quick to tap into user-generated content and social network communities, has had to be careful when creating “fake” blogs or site properties in support of a film. While there is certainly an opportunity to create an online experience of the entertainment property (or even expand the narrative, providing a deeper experience), even having the characters interact with social network communities, it has to be done in the right way. Audiences are willing to suspend their beliefs online in the same way that they do in-theater, but not if they ever feel tricked or lied to.
So all that said, it was especially great to join
TBG and see that these very same principles were at the core of every discipline within the agency. From user-centered design, to a user experience strategy, to agile development methodologies—all of these involve the user in the beginning, listen to them and adapt accordingly. While it might make for a different process than a client is normally used to, it’s definitely much better than the unknown predicaments of a
stage dive, and pretty much ensures that by launch you’ll be
crowd surfing like the best of ‘em.
posted by on March 27, 2008 at 02:06 PM
filed under:
Strategy
We’ve had our heads down for a while working on some SERIOUS BUSINESS, as well a new website, for a while now, but one of the projects we’ve been working on for months now made a debut on the internet today and we thought we should poke our heads up and let you know.
Today Adobe launched Photoshop Express an online, web app version of the venerable Photoshop. Except it’s cooler than that. Like it does more. Online stuff. Galleries. Hosting. Sharing. That sort of thing.
We’ve been working with Adobe on this for months now, and there’s more to come, but this marks the auspicious beginning of an extended friendship. Congratulations, Adobe, on your launch and thank you for being such a good partner.
And feel free to become a fan of this fine product on Facebook! The app is integrated with your facebook photos and can edit and stick them back in your album, which is seriously hot.
on January 02, 2009 at 03:51 PM
