Different And Superior

I've Moved.

2009-11-18T18:09:00.001-08:00

That's right: I'm a company man. You can find scintillating marketing insight at Hafenbrack's smokin' hot blog. All the sales and marketing you loved, without any of the French. (Toutes mes excuses.)

Twitter Unveils Business Guide, Search Widget

2009-07-24T14:37:00.000-07:00

As always, I'm reserving judgment on the efficacy of this technology.

Twitter Got Hacked? Could You Be Next?

2009-07-24T13:50:00.000-07:00

A client recently shared news from the TechCrunch article about the French hacker who compromised Twitter. He did it buy guessing passwords from one Twitter employee and then went all the dominos.

It all got me thinking about strategies for protecting passwords. And along came this article to give me a hand.

International Business Travel Tips

2009-06-18T03:32:00.000-07:00

They're not mine. They belong to Greg Cash, a CEO who travels more than anyone I've ever met. He has a lot to share about what works and what doesn't. And he relates it in a humorous fashion. Check him out at his View of the World Blog: http://mondevoyageur.blogspot.com/.

5 LinkedIn Tips You May Not Know

2009-06-17T20:08:00.000-07:00

From the Linked Intuition Blog.

FaceBook for Business

2009-06-16T04:17:00.000-07:00

Facebook Inc. is providing businesses with a way to keep their names from being taken as one of the millions of user names that are expected to be taken this weekend. Read more here.

Mo. family Christmas photo turns up in Czech ad

2009-06-11T15:18:00.000-07:00

I've been complaining for awhile about the overuse of the same stock photography in advertising. The Czechs have taken matters into their own hands.

Will Ferrel, Man v. Wild

2009-06-01T19:15:00.000-07:00

Two of my favorite entertainers, brought together in one program.

Brushing Up On World Language For Commerce

2009-05-22T04:46:00.001-07:00

So I mentioned that I enjoyed my first new business development initiative in France. There you go, mom and dad: You didn't completely waste your money on a French language degree from a Jesuit university. Opportunities to use the language within the region are limited (at least organically--except for the ladies I bumped into at the Springfield Panera two weeks ago?), so keeping active and sharp requires extra initiave. And sometimes, that can pay off professionally.

Want to brush up on your language skills? Want to leverage those talents for business? Here are a few places to start.

Breaking The Barrier (http://www.tobreak.com/): I know the series creator. Great guy with a real talent for helping Americans understand the language. He's developed a workbook and audio series that is easy to use.
Berlitz (http://www.berlitz.com/): If you live in a city of decent size, you should be able to find a Berlitz facility. They accommodate professionals with evening classes, taught by native speakers.
On-Line Solutions: This link was posted at Teresa Demana's Twitter page: http://www.businesspundit.com/7-websites-that-teach-you-foreign-languages-for-free/. It may be a good first step toward something bigger--a low-risk way to see if you want to do more.
Local University: Give the foreign language department a call. Tell them your story. They'll probably have a courses and a club for the language you want to learn. And they may set you up with some area native speakers.
Concordia Language Villages (http://www.concordialanguagevillages.org/): This is the language instruction program par excellence. Language is best learned, say I, in an immersion environment. So if you can't go abroad, why not bring abroad here? Summer programs are geared toward young people, but a host of fall, winter and spring programs are available for adults.

Article Translated

2009-05-20T17:14:00.001-07:00

How a façade of the Place Plumereau lends itself to install itself on the façade of the French cottage of a famous linquistic summer camp, in Bemidji.

To the sounds of Exobrass—the brass band of Tours—the symbolic concrete boundary stone reuniting Tours to the little American city of Bemidji (in Minnesota) was inaugurated Friday afternoon at the Place Plumereau. Several months ago a similar inauguration took place in front of a building under construction (completion in 2011) at Concordia Language Villages (a very famous summer camp for learning world languages), located on the shores of Lake of the Woods in this little city. The construction of this building covering 4500 ft. sq., housing the French Language Village, adheres to American green building requirements, the equivalent of France’s HQE sustainable construction.

The friendship between Bemidji and Tours was born from the foreign studies of American students in Tours, under the initiative of Alex Loehrer, who spent eight months in Tours in 1996. He held a fond memory of his time in Tours and wanted, once back in his home city (Bemidji) with the Indian name, to bring to it a touch of Tours.

An association, Plumereau – Lac du Bois, was thus born in 2004: it is actually headed by Jean-Louis Delagarde, the architect from Tours who is overseeing the design of the building.

The inauguration of the stone—a pretext for solidifying, if it even still needs it, the friendship between the two cities—permitted Colette Girard, cultural director for the city, Jean Louis Delagarde, Alex Loehrer and Christine Schulze (director of the Language Villages) to talk about the the project which is all at once real-estate realted, cultural, linguistic and aesthetic … and terribly nice. The French organization, France-Etats-Unis, represented by Beatrice Pawlik, was present at the ceremony, which was an occasion for any number of passersby to learn about the city of Bemidji.

De Retour ... de Tours

2009-05-20T13:15:00.000-07:00

It's been lamentably long since my last post. I just got back from a trip to Tours, France, which combined a whole lot of business with a fair amount of pleasure. The trip was a victory on a lot of levels. My wife joined me, which was great, and we traveled sans enfants, which was alternately saddening and liberating. The trip allowed me the chance to see my host mother, who is just as delightful as she was in 1996 when she first welcomed me to her home. I conducted some really solid new business development in the country with the help of the Mairie from the City of Tours, as well as with the assistance of an old friend who hails from Benin. Finally, we made significant headway in our efforts to solidify a partnership between Tours and Concordia Language Villages, ensuring tourism and cultural exchange for years to come. La Nouvelle Republique covered the event.

Twitter, Your Days Are Numbered!

2009-04-28T12:50:00.001-07:00

DBJ weighs in:

People are joining Twitter in droves, but far less than half of them are sticking around more than a month on it. The blogging site that requires users to share thoughts in 140 characters or less has a retention rate of just 40 percent, said David Martin, vice president of primary research for Nielsen Online. That pales to other social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, each of which have retention rates around 70 percent.

Ever wonder how big $1 trillion is?

2009-04-21T16:10:00.000-07:00

This video illustrates how little $100 million is in comparison. (I just like the Dr. Evil reference.)

"Eye-vertising"

2009-04-21T01:53:00.000-07:00

I'm creeped out. Apparently, other people aren't. So prepare yourself for the placement of your favorite products through retinal ad space.

Twitter Makes You Immoral

2009-04-15T04:42:00.001-07:00

I'd comment on this article, but after a busy morning of posting tweets, I have the itch to go kick some puppies.

Cincinnati Dominos Stung By Hidden Web Content

2009-04-03T04:12:00.000-07:00

It's not uncommon for us to build functionality or content at Internet sites without making them "go live," i.e. they are on the site, but the viewing public can't find them ... theoretically. We do it in some instances to be ready to flip the switch once another element--a product launch, a news release, etc.--occurs, and in others because clients simply choose not to go ahead with a certain promotion in favor of something else that is more urgent or immediately promising. A Dominos Pizza chain in Cincinnati found out the risks with such a practice. The result: 11,000 free medium pizzas to the public. Details here.

Advertisers brace for online viral marketing curbs

2009-04-03T04:00:00.000-07:00

It's hard to say how this type of regulation could even be enforced without costing gazillions of dollars. The larger issue, in my humble opinion, is the First Amendment. New media have given regular folks the ability to express their views on a range of things ... even the quality of products and services produced by seemingly unaffiliated companies.

UK Guardian Goes Twitter Only

2009-04-01T04:28:00.000-07:00

It was inevitable: "Twitter switch for Guardian, after 188 years of ink, Newspaper to be available only on messaging service, Experts say any story can be told in 140 characters." As inevitable as the passage of time ... and the arrival of April 1.

Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn

2009-03-28T13:12:00.000-07:00

Posted at the bottom of my profile at LinkedIn. Helpful tips on using the tool more than most of us probably already do.

Springfield Symphony Orchestra Live ... On Your Cell Phone

2009-03-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

Nice coverage of an initiative by the Springfield Symphony Orchestra to create awareness for their amazing work: Pushing out snippets of their performances as ringtones. Click here to see how it works.

Fargo, Flooding & Facebook

2009-03-27T04:29:00.000-07:00

I lived in Fargo--yes, Fargo--for three years. I worked for a great organization, Concordia Language Villages, and in that period I made some great friends. It was really a fun place to live, boasting a vibrant and creative community of talented professionals. It also boasts a giant, milk-chocolate-colored river that flows south to north and occasionally spills its banks in grand fashion.

Right now, the cities of Fargo and Moorhead are preparing for a thousand year flood. It's going to be really bad. I talked to some friends earlier this week and they relayed stories of worst-case-scenario preparation and unexpected human kindness. One of those stories appeared in my newspaper this morning and featured my friend, Kevin Tabosa. Kevin is a talented web designer and developer, who is spearheading a Facebook initiative in Fargo-Moorhead to let people know who needs help and how to get there. Great story.

Qwirk In The News

2009-03-26T04:59:00.000-07:00

My friend and associate, Neal Roberts, gets some pub in the Columbus Dispatch for the business he launched last month.

Getting you fired in 140 characters or fewer

2009-03-25T15:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a story on the dangers of Twitter. More accurately, it's on the dangers of being stupid while Twittering. To see the next stupid item in Twittering, visit my Twitter profile.

Falcon Cam 2009

2009-03-24T20:17:00.000-07:00

It's become an annual rite. My associate Margaret informs the team that the falcons have laid eggs. So here we are, the 23rd of May, and there's been a sighting. A few years ago, a nesting box was placed on top of the 5/3rd building, in the hope that indigenous falcons would nest there. And they have. We lost one female along the way, but our banded male has managed to find love again, with an unbanded female. Last year, they had two chicks. And after several months of hopping over the carcasses of smaller birds, strewn about the sidewalks of our downtown, we lost one of the juveniles to a collision with the PHP building. Darwin would argue the evolutionary superiority of that building. Alas, we have fresh start in 2009. And thanks to the Falcon Cam, we get a close up look at downtown Dayton's newest, environtmentally friendly litterers.

Lest Dayton Become Detroit

2009-03-15T10:54:00.000-07:00

On the heels of news that the Arcade has been purchased by developers, I stumbled upon a collection of photos taken in Detroit and published in Time Magazine.

Synergism/Independence Hallmarks of New Economy

2009-03-11T05:40:00.000-07:00

Whether they've recently retired, they're balancing work/family, or they've just found themselves downsized, more and more people are leveraging consulting capability in low-overhead business models. A good friend and advisor has made a healthy business over the last several years serving as the one-day-a-week CFO for small businesses that need his assistance but couldn't afford him full-time. Other contacts have begun carrying a business card for partner businesses, affecting opportunities synergistically for them and for the businesses, without ever appearing on the businesses' payrolls. I'm willing to bet that the FTE structure of most companies is far different from public perception. Partnerships and synergies are low-risk, high-independence ways of making a great and rewarding living.

So it didn't surprise me to see a great idea come out of the mind of a St. Charles alumnus (and his wife--that's usually the only way SC grads can function) to tap into the vagabond private-consulting economy that is evolving in America. Qwirk is the brainchild of Neal and Bonny Roberts. Here's the value proposition:

For those new to coworking, the idea is simple: Coworking is an emerging trend for work-at-home professionals, independents, tele-commuters, freelancers, and people who travel frequently. Basically anyone who ends up working in relative isolation or dreads fighting over a power outlet at coffeeshops and cafes. When you become a member of Qwirk, you’ll finally have access to a professional office environment designed specifically to help you get the work done, while networking and socializing with other members and the community at large. All so you can meet talented people and grow your business and social networks through real connections and events.

So the next time you're in Columbus and looking for a professional and accommodating temporary space, consider Qwirk. I have a feeling, looking at the URL, that you'll be able to find Qwirk in other cities soon.

World's Worst Cultural Mistakes

2009-03-04T06:45:00.000-08:00

Planning on growing your business internationally? It always helps to know the cultural do's and don't's of the country where you'll be working. I got a quick lesson on protocol for sharing business cards in East Asia and put it to use in a presentation a few weeks later. Not knowing how to do it would have been disasterous. Here are a few additional tips from Yahoo Travel to help you navigate the cultural waters on your next trip.

Hafenbrack Celebrates Annual Addys/Hermes

2009-02-26T08:59:00.000-08:00

Each year, the Greater Dayton Ad Association sponsors its Addys/Hermes Awards. There was a lot of great work by a lot of great agencies, and Hafenbrack managed to walk away with some hardware. I was happy to accept those awards, in spite of my negligible contributions to the work that earned them. Congrats to our researchers, strategists, , PMs, conceptors and designers.

Check out our award-winning stuff here.

Standing Up In A Down Economy

2009-02-18T18:23:00.000-08:00

Sure, times are tight. But there is opportunity in any market for smart businesses to grow. Here are eight simple things you can do for free to grow awareness and revenue opportunities for your company, or to reduce your current marketing spend.

Resist the Urge to Run Away From Prospective Clients.
When markets tighten, short-sighted business owners shore up the bottom line by contracting marketing. It seems like a good strategy, but in truth it’s the worst thing you could do. Why would you want to hide from your prospective customers when you need the business so much? You’re competitors are probably doing the same thing, leaving you with unimpeded access to loads of prospective customers. Instead of dropping marketing dollars, think of your marketplace like the stock market: When the markets are at their lowest, it makes sense to invest. Those who have capital in the markets, reap the rewards when things take off again.
Check Your Strategy With The Experts: Your Customers.
A soft market provides the perfect opportunity to take a step back and analyze your strategy. If you don’t, you risk trying to selling what nobody wants to be. So take some time to ask a few pointed but critical questions. Are your products and services really meeting the need that exists in the marketplace? Are your customers optimized, or are you selling to too many customers who buy little and suck the margin out of every sale? And once you know who ideal customers are, are you targeting the right people within their ranks? The best way to get quick answers to these questions is to survey your current (and former customers). They’ll give you accurate and valuable feedback, letting you know things you can do to make you more competitive or things that you do exceptionally well. (This is great material for testimonials and case studies.)

Does all this seem daunting? You’re not alone…or at least you don’t have to be. As a part of your strategy review, consider creating an advisory board. Recruit experts whose specific talents align with your growth strategy. They’ll leverage their talents on your behalf for a nominal fee—they just want to help. Then they’ll keep you faithful to your strategy. If you want to start a board, www.aileron.net can help.
Focus Your Message On Value.
Your clients will naturally try to focus discussions on price. Don’t go down without a fight. Find out why your products or services address challenges unique to their business and focus on the value of what you deliver—not the price. In the end you may have to sharpen your pencil a little, but you will have enhanced your brand equity in the eyes of the customer by talking about the value of your services. That’s a little better than being forced to try to beat the “other guy’s” price.
Best Clients First. New Clients Next.
There’s an expression in the world of coaching: You dance with what brung you. That means that what has worked in the past has validity now. Your best historical customers know you, like you, and are easier to get in front of than cold prospects. So go to your best historical customers first to talk about the challenges of their businesses and how your new, refined, market-relevant service offering can help. Consider creating customer continuity programs that reward them for sales to date by offering them incentives on additional purchases. Personalize the business relationships wherever possible And openly ask them to refer you to businesses they know that might be able to use your services, if you haven’t already.At the same time, you should be identifying new market segments and prospects. Find the lowest hanging fruit and target them first. (See #5.)
Go Small Or Don’t Go At All. (Experiment and Measure)
What do Albert Einstein, Jonas Salk, Marie Curie and Sir Isaac Newton all have in common? For the purposes of this list, not a one of them worked in marketing. That’s because marketing isn’t a science, and it shouldn’t be approached that way. Marketing is a calculated risk, a best-bet prediction of customer needs and behaviors. Get it right and there is great reward. Get it wrong and you lose your investment. So in this slow economy, when you know you need new customers, commit yourself to bringing them on board—but do it in a way that protects you financially. Experiment with prospective customer segments in small numbers and use marketing tools that are MEASURABLE. If you’re using direct mail or any type of advertising—print, outdoor, broadcast—incorporate unique URLs and phone numbers for each medium so you can track the progress of the individual tools. Consider search-engine marketing to drive qualified traffic to your website. You can run activity reports daily to see how an online program is working for you. In short, give new markets a try. Do it smart ways that can fail without hurting you. If an initiative proves not to work, don’t do it again. And if you find a winning formula, redirect budget in it grow revenue and awareness.
Deals Abound. Take Advantage of Them.
If all of your competitors are cutting back on marketing, you can be sure that the advertising outlets you all use are feeling the pinch. Now is the time to save some money by locking in some great deals. Renegotiate your insertion rates. Shop your business around if it makes sense. Chances are that you’ll a) save money on your current spend and b) make a more meaningful impact on your target audience since you’ll be communicating in a less crowded competitive space.
Become A Believer In PR. But When You Can’t Afford It, Try “Free-R.”
You have experts on your team—let people know about them. There is a host of outlets that allow you to generate awareness about your organization at little or no cost, other than your time. - Identify the groups and associations that have an interest in the expertise of your associates, and then send those team members out to speak to those organizations. The engagements won’t be a commercial for your business, but they will keep your associates front of mind with people who can influence the purchase process at your prospective clients—especially if their presentation-specific genius is being delivered on a PowerPoint template.-Create relationships with the leading trade publications for your industry. Send them articles written by your associates and news releases about exciting product and service developments at your organization. Before you know it, those same outlets will be proactively contacting you and your associates to ask for your insights as they develop upcoming publications.- Start blogging. Blogs offer an easily updatable forum for the presentation and exchange of information relevant to your prospective customers. They deliver insight and entertainment, all the while adding credibility and dimension to you and the experts in your organization. They’re also free. Start a blog in five minutes by visiting a free site like WordPress or Blogger.
Mine Your Vendor Network.
Every day, your business relies on the talents of vendors and professional services providers to keep you in cash, in service, on time and, in some cases, out of jail. These are your bankers, attorneys, and accountants, along with the myriad of vendor partners who are critical to your businesses success. These partners have a vested interest in helping you build on your success. They know a lot about your business. And they have exposure to a lot of your prospective customers. So it’s good practice—in good economic times and in bad—to schedule appointments with all of them to talk about ways they can help you grow. Sometimes, it takes little more than a phone call to get their wheels turning on your behalf.

So we’ve shown you eight things you can do for free starting today to drive revenue and power awareness for your business in a tight economy. Just imagine the kinds of services we deliver to paying customers! Check out some case studies at our website.

FaceBook Etiquette

2009-02-15T18:54:00.000-08:00

There's been a lot of talk recently about the value of social networking websites. Although college students were all over it in a focus group I led two years ago, FaceBook has gained a lot of relevance in my social network since the start of the year. Unfortunately, the technology is new enough that social convention hasn't developed to create "rules" for using the site. After catching a miserable interview on the Today Show yesterday morning (Lester Holt admitted prior to the interview that he didn't have a FB profile), I connected with some colleagues to put together a list of do's and don't's for FaceBook. If you're reading this page, you've probably already internalized them. Still, you may want to share with someone close to you.

Creating A Profile
If you have friends that use the Internet regularly and with whom you want to keep in touch meaningfully and quickly, you should create a profile. So that's pretty much everybody in the world.

Content: What to Post
The short answer is, anything that you want anyone else to see. You have the ability to control who sees what in certain instances, I've been told, but it takes work. If you're lazy like me, the smarter choice is not to be a jerk. Remember: HR departments have taken to looking at FB pages to vet prospective (and probably current) employees. The only private means of communication on FB is by the "send a message" feature. If you're hell-bent on creating a page that allows you to be you without fear of retribution from the general public, consider creating an alias profile that only your best, most sympathetic and possibly most inappropriate friends are aware of, while maintaining a more professional page for the public-facing you.

Friending
Friending should be limited to people you actually consider "friends." Think about it: If you met someone at a party last week, you're not really friends. If you met someone at a professional networking event last week, you're definitely not friends. And just because you're related to someone doesn't mean you're friends either--always be mindful of trans-generational issues. Here's the takeaway: A FaceBook profile is extremely personal. If you don't know someone that well and would like to get to know that person better, there are more appropriate and effective ways of communicating.

Ignoring Friend Invitations
Don't be worried to turn someone down. You're really protecting that person from conversations neither of you really wants to have. For example, a business contact or associate doesn't want or need to know what a moron I was for four years of college. Always respond with a polite e-mail explaining that you'd prefer to keep in touch in other ways. I've been directing a lot of invites to my LinkedIn account--it's what those folks were looking for anyway, so it's resulted in a lot more meaningful interaction.

Defriending
It was referred to on the Today Show this morning as the "nuclear option" of social networking. You should only do it if you really don't want to have anything to do with a person anymore. If a person is completely inappropriate in postings that make their way to your site, defriending is a good option. However, if you just don't care about the mundane status updates a friend offers every five minutes, FB gives you the ability to limit the amount of content you receive from that person.

So there you have it. Master these steps and you can move ahead to more ambitious features of FB like affinity groups, narcissistic lists, and time-wasting apps. Or you can write and mail a letter to your mother.

SNL Product Placement

2009-02-03T17:35:00.000-08:00

Clever approach to advertising: Pepsi places its product in a popular SNL sketch, and then drops the sketch, exactly as it would appear on the show, into a commercial spot during the Super Bowl. Richard Dean Anderson made a cameo to boot. Unfortunately, the folks at Yahoo complained about the corruption of such a pristine brand as SNL to hawk soda. (Has anyone forgotten that SNL's guest roster for the last 30 years has been actors and celebrities using the show to promote themselves or their screen endeavors?)

I thought it was a funny premise and smart idea. Movement of Pepsi cans will determine whether the trend continues. Watch for yourself.

Paris rejects 'Obama-style' stimulus program

2009-02-03T03:40:00.000-08:00

Much has been made about the best way to lift the U.S. out of its economic slump. (It will happen, by the way. There have been 10 recessions since WWII and we've gotten out of every one on our own.) I have my own opinions on the best way to do it, and it involves allowing people who create jobs to want to try to make more money. In any case, France may just give us the chance to determine whether that approach or a program that attempts to stimulate growth from the bottom up is more effective.

Never did I expect this day to come. "Paris rejects 'Obama-style' stimulus program."

Super Bowl's Best Ads (Historical)

2009-02-01T18:40:00.000-08:00

Yet another program about ad executives. At least they're using product placement to deliver some real entertainment. Here are some of the best Super Bowl ads of all time.

Setting Up A Blog

2009-01-22T13:47:00.000-08:00

Smart businesses are creating additional buzz by developing off-the-shelf blogs.

Skyline Wins

2009-01-21T17:30:00.000-08:00

Skyline (14), Hot Pockets (3), Gold Star (1).

Gold Star Chili Launches 2-Phase Branding Campaign

2009-01-16T03:55:00.000-08:00

In the regional chili wars, Gold Star is stepping up its marketing efforts, with the hopes of becoming the hometown favorite. Chili and spaghetti, a bizarre combination that is as delicious as it is potentially offensive, was completely foreign to me until I moved to southwest Ohio. People here eat a lot of the stuff. So for Gold Star to move opinion about its brand, especially in the market that gave birth to it, makes a whole lot of sense.

It's my hope that the initiative produces excellent creative ... because JTM needs some competition in the Cincinnati Reds TV advertising rotation.

Survey: IT Workers Less Confident About Future

2009-01-16T03:45:00.001-08:00

The headline is counter-intuitive: You'd think if anyone were sanguine about the future, it would be IT workers, what with all of the new technologies and robots and teleportation equipment awaiting them. Nonetheless, according to surveys, IT workers have concerns about the ability for their industry to create and support jobs. Here's the money quote, though: "Conversely, the percentage of workers who are confident in the future of their current employer increased by two percentage points, to 67 percent, in the fourth quarter of 2008." Perhaps pragmatism is instinctive--people are naturally concerned about the other guy, in spite of the fact that they're really pretty comfortable with their own prospects. I, for one, am extremely excited for the future, and here's why:

Law Firm Mergers Shot Up In 2008

2009-01-16T03:41:00.000-08:00

DBJ highlights the number of acquisitions within the legal industry. I would guess that the trend extends to other industries, especially professional services. In a bad market, buying a business is a good investment. In a really bad market, selling a business is the only way out.

Effectively Using LinkedIn

2009-01-13T21:20:00.001-08:00

I use LinkedIn. I can't believe how much I'm bumping into it in resumes and interviews. Here are some quick facts on this web-based networking service.

All 500 of the Fortune 500 are represented on LinkedIn. In fact, 499 of them are represented by director-level and above employees
More than 1.4 million members self-identify as senior executives
Most members tend to be between 30 and 55 years old
LinkedIn is intended to appeal to its average user: the 41-year-old, white-collar professional with an income of $109,000 a year

So now that you know the details, you'll probably want to know how to get better at it. Enjoy.

(Incidentally, I disagree with #4 in the "Best Practices" section. LinkedIn's recommendations are more often than not the result of a conversation that goes something like, "Hey, I'll write a great recommendation for you if you write one for me." They're generally valueless. It would be better if LinkedIn qualified recommendations with accompanying results.)

French Cultural Innovation: Le Soutitrage

2009-01-02T14:26:00.000-08:00

Justin Timberlake danse pour Beyonce - Blog

The Shallowest Generation

2008-12-30T05:27:00.001-08:00

A great article about America's current and impending financial difficulties. The culprit: The Shallowest Generation, America's Baby Boomers. (And, naturally, the advertising industry took a hit for its penchant to convince people to buy things they don't need with money they don't have.) It's a long read, but well worth the time.

My question: Is my generation any less guilty of the irresponsible habits that are attributed to my parents'? I don't think so. And it's not getting any better.

Rebranding Highlights ... And Lowlights

2008-12-29T12:37:00.000-08:00

Hat tip to my friend Chris Schutte at Little Yellow Notes, who linked to the Best and Worst brand refinements and redesigns of 2008.

For the record, my dad played Basketball at South Dakota State University in 1966. He's reserved judgment on the new logo.

2009's Worst Business Predictions

2008-12-29T10:38:00.001-08:00

In defense of those listed in this article, there aren't a lot of good business outcomes in 2009. So combing through all of the financial predictions and identifying bad ones isn't too difficult. And in indictment of the article's author, there are people who have no place on the list because their predictions really played to their interests. Barney Frank, George Bush and T. Boone Pickens all had something to gain by telling people what they did.

Take That, French People!

2008-12-29T04:29:00.000-08:00

As a worthless French major, I spent a fair amount of time trying to master a language whose pronunciation was at times maddening and seemingly impossible. I endured any number of chidings about my mispronunciations of some regional cheese or other. One day, though, a kindly French person pointed out to me that French people are biologically incapable of pronouncing "purple squirrel"--there are just too many Rs for them to deal with. They try in vain and then turn to cigarettes and tiny cups of coffee for consolation.

In any case, it was with great delight that I found the following article. I've sent it to all of my friends in France, encouraging them to talk about it among themselves and to share their feedback.

Online Jihadists Plan for 'Invading Facebook'

2008-12-18T20:39:00.000-08:00

I think I speak for everyone when I say, I wish they'd selected MySpace instead. Article here.

30 Best Careers for 2009

2008-12-12T14:01:00.000-08:00

This article could equally be titled, "30 Best Careers for People Who Don't Ever Want to Risk Job Loss." It's a tough economy, for sure. And the jobs on the list convey a lot of pessimism. I have a lot more confidence in the perseverence and ingenuity of my fellow Americans than the article's authors do. My comments follow each job as listed in the article. (NB: Marketing Services Provider was somehow omitted from the list.)

Clergy - Because you'll need spriritual direction when your reality is revealed for the worthless sham it actually is.
Curriculum/training specialist - For your new career when your old one decides you no longer have any value.
Firefighter - When your new habit, smoking in bad, produces its first negative outcome.
Fundraiser - Everyone needs money right ... unfortunately, no one has any.
Genetic counselor - Perhaps an alteration to your DNA would engender in you with the talent to hold meaningful employment.
Ghostwriter - Real writers are too expensive.
Government manager - It's a government job ....
Politician/Elected official - More government work....
Landscape architect - To tell you what you're going to be doing by yourself in your yard since you had to fire the help.
Librarian - Because now entertainment falls into two catergories: paying and free--and free just got a lot more attractive.(Plus, you've always considered yourself sexy behind your glasses.)
Locksmith/Security system technician - Because we've all been forced to turn to crime.
Mediator - Because we argue a lot more now.
Occupational therapist - Because you threw out your back out at your part-time warehouse job.
Optometrist - Because health and illness are recession proof.
Pharmacist - See above.
Physical therapist - See above.
Physician assistant - See above.
Registered nurse - See above.
School psychologist - See above.
Urban planner - Following foreclosure on your suburban home, you decided to shorten your commute to work by taking up residency on a park bench in front of your office building.
Veterinarian - Because a dog will always validate you as a person and lead you to believe that you have worth ... so long as you feed it.

Big 3 Bailout

2008-12-09T05:28:00.000-08:00

It's tough to take a position on the Big 3 bailout. Much like the credit bailout, I am opposed on a principle level. Giving government money to prop up a failing business model flies in the face of everything I believe about competitive markets. With the credit industry, at least I could justify the bailout for its ability to deliver credit to businesses wanting to grow. The Big 3, however, hold no such promise. I don't want to endorse the unemployment of thousands and thousands of auto workers. But I don't think that would be the outcome if the automakers were to file for bankruptcy. Instead, I think they would restructure and either sink or swim. The sinkers would be acquired by competitors. (It's interesting that none of those competitors has an interest in buying these companies, while our government essentially does.) They would develop products and services that the market wanted to buy at prices the market would bear.

The prospect of a nationalized automanufacturing industry isn't encouraging. Instead it promises the performance of other government-owned entities. Like Amtrak and the USPS (yeah, I know, it's not technically government-owned), the auto industry will be allowed to run at a loss--this will not be the first time we bail it out.

Still, I'm willing to be convinced otherwise.

Benjamin Steel & The $0 Marketing Inititiative

2008-12-08T10:33:00.000-08:00

A tight market is the last place to skimp on marketing activity. Smart companies are finding smart ways to be proactive about the promotion of their services. Solid Public Relations activities like speaking engagements are a great (and free) way to position yourself as an expert in a certain area of specialty and, in turn, to create awareness for your organization. Regardless of your industry, there is always an organization, association, website or publication whose members can benefit from your unique insights into their professions.

Kudos to Hafenbrack client Joe Massaro of Benjamin Steel for his appearance in United Performance Metals' webcast for November 2008, which focused on the outcomes of the Metals Service Center Institute's 2008 Economic Summit. Benjamin is a regional leader for carbon steel products, value-added processing services, and specialty engineered solutions. Joe's appearance accurately positions himself and the organization as thought leader and solutions resource for thousands of structural steel users. And all it cost him was a trip to Nordstrom for a snazzy new tie.

Collegiate-Scented Fragrances

2008-12-03T12:32:00.000-08:00

A Harrisburg, PA-based company has developed a line of collegiate-scented frangrances. This Holiday season, Penn State Alums will be able to arrose themselves in a bouquet of scents particular to the campus. There are plans for six new fragrances to be released in 2009. More on the company here.

So how long until John Carroll University gets the nod? More important: What will constitute the JCU fragrance? Take the quiz to the right and weigh in.

Rubber Duckies to Help Track Speed of Melting Glaciers

2008-11-23T17:43:00.000-08:00

It turns out that the most reliable technology in the study of global warming is a $2rubber duckie. Or at least so maintains the lead scientist driving the project.

Yang Leaves Yahoo

2008-11-18T03:14:00.000-08:00

I have to admit: Although it's not the leader that it perhaps could have been, Yahoo is pretty substantial. As Yang steps down, this article speculates that it will become part of Microsoft.

Remains are Fossett's

2008-11-04T04:36:00.000-08:00

DNA testing has confirmed that the remains found near the scattered personal effects of Steve Fossett are in fact his. It was a sad story all around, but I'm certain this confirmation brings closure for his family.

I had the pleasure of seeing Fossett at one of his final speaking engagements at WPAFB. His career was absolutely amazing. American military and our commercial aviation benefited enormously from his work.

King Of The Hill

2008-11-02T17:54:00.000-08:00

Thank God for cartoons. For about a decade, they were the only good entertainment on network television. We will say "goodbye" to a good one at the end of the season. King of the Hill will be put to rest after 13 years on television.

Remember: "Guns don't kill people. The government does."

Tough 2009 For Ad Agencies

2008-10-29T05:37:00.000-07:00

That's a good way to start a Tuesday morning. I think some pencil sharpening is in order, but I think the right services for the right mix of clients will allow a lot of agencies to remain profitable and growing.

I Could Only Be So Lucky

2008-10-23T05:35:00.001-07:00

Cool technology makes a seemingly interminable campaign a little more sufferable.

Marketing Natural Resources

2008-10-14T04:02:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, a key differentiator isn't something new and innovative. It's not the result of weeklong ideation initiatives. It's not the product of incubator companies. Sometimes, your key differentiator is something that was here well before you arrived, that sits around you and underneath you, and that occasionally falls from the sky.

The Dayton Development Coalition will begin marketing one of the region's premier assets, a reliable and abundant supply of water, to attract businesses to the Miami Valley.

GPhone Reviews Trickle In

2008-10-13T04:20:00.000-07:00

Reviews are starting to come in for the gPhone, as people are calling Google's Android, a response from the Internet giant to the successful iPhone. I suffer from iPhone envy--our corporate service locks me into Verizon-compatible hardware, so the AT&T iPhone is out of the question for a while. And according to initial reviews, it sounds like my envy will continue on. Money quote: "...the new cell phone featuring Google software is the best high-end cell phone not called Apple iPhone."

The real genius in the gPhone is its naming. Going head to head against the iPhone, gPhone marketers selected a name that falls ahead of iPhone in the alphabet and in the Yellow Pages. So as people look through the book to find the newest in wireless communications technology--which they always do--they come upon gPhone first, call a friendly Google operator, and have a new phone on the way in no time. These savvy marketers could have accomplished that aim by simply calling the Google product "hPhone." Jumping two whole letters head is nothing less than a shot across the bow to the bradning team at Apple, which was obviously asleep at that wheel. Bush league.

I'm Just Sayin'

2008-09-15T05:16:00.001-07:00

A certain marketing executive was featured on the nationally synidcated program of John Gibson on FoxNews Radio. My comment had to deal with the Charlie Gibson interview of Sarah Palin. I don't expect it to be replayed on the Best of John Gibson anytime soon. Nonetheless, it was my radio debut. A star, in his own mind, was born.

RIP, FTB

2008-09-15T05:07:00.000-07:00

We lost a great one last week. Father Thomas Bennett passed away after some 46 years of service at my alma mater. He will be missed by his colleagues and the legions of students who passed in and out of his classroom. He spent his time perpetuating the myth of his grouchiness and disdain for others. In truth, he cared deeply about the students he mentored.

Here's a clip of him at his best: seemingly disintereseted, affable, self-effacing.

Catholics Forgetting Bible

2008-09-11T04:14:00.000-07:00

A recent survey of Australian Christians showed that Catholics were the worst among them at performing devotional readings of scripture. Among Catholics, 59% claimed to rarely consult their Bibles. As the written in the article, "The Catholic Church traditionally has had a greater role in interpreting the scriptures for individual believers."

From personal experience, the claim that practicing Catholic laity consult scripture less than practicing Protestant laity is absolutely true. What isn't taking into account is that the Catholic Mass includes scripture readings from the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms, and the Gospel--all interpreted for the congregation by a religious leader. Nonetheless, Catholic laity are generally poorer at navigating and quoting scripture than Protestant brothers and sisters. It's the Catholic pickle: Embrace individually the divine word of God, compiled by the Church, and risk misinterpretation, or rely on the Church to interpret for you, but only as much as you can have access to a Church leader. There's most likely a solution somewhere in between.

It's Going To Be Slow

2008-09-07T12:04:00.000-07:00

I love politics. Unfortunately, when you own a business, your discouraged from sharing your political leanings. As Michael Jordan so accurately said it many years ago, "Republicans buy Nikes too." Just ask Oprah whether she agrees.

So this poor blog will be as entertaining as it can, will its author remains distracted with news reports, op-eds, and blogs related to the elections.

RFID In Dayton

2008-09-07T12:02:00.001-07:00

I'm delighted to see the city of Dayton finding itself at the intersection of research and business enhancement. Radio Frequency in Dayton is the third RFID-based tehcnology organization, I've bumped into in the city in the last two years.

Strickland Opposes Sick Leave Issue

2008-08-25T02:01:00.000-07:00

The guaranteed Sick Leave issue is a major concern for business owners. It's the best incentive I've seen for business owners not to grow their business intentionally that I've seen in a long time. Fortunately, Ted Strickland and Lee Fisher oppose it.

MS Taps Seinfeld to Save Vista

2008-08-22T04:30:00.000-07:00

Giddy up! Microsoft is paying Jerry Seinfeld $10M to convince the world that Vista doesn't stink. I don't know that $10M is enough. I made the switch earlier this year. I hate it. Nothing is where I remember it. Seemingly simple tasks take ten times as long as they used to, as I navigate a seemingly endless and unintuitive row of tabs trying to find some simple command. With that said, I can't stand Macs. I'll never switch. Fortunately, I'm not the only one. (Caution: A couple of f-bombs.)

GM And The Historical Importance of Dayton

2008-08-14T04:07:00.001-07:00

Nice article in the Detroit News about GM's first century of making automobiles and the role Dayton, a "GM Town," played in that success.

"Should I Keep My Yellow Pages Ad?"

2008-08-08T14:05:00.001-07:00

It's a question I hear more and more. In an increasingly digital world, customers are questioning the value of spending marketing dollars to cover an ad in "The Book." You can't argue that Yellow Pages have gotten thinner and thinner in the last decade. Still, for some businesses, they're a good fit. Here's a summary of recommendations I made to a client as he was preparing to meet with his Yellow Pages rep.

• Is this ad doing anything for you? Do you get any clients because of it? Have any clients told you they found you in the book, or do they come more reliably from other sources?
• What kind of information can the rep provide to you about the success of your particular ad? Is he able to demonstrate to you how effective it has or has not been? This will tell you whether he knows your challenges specifically or whether he's just trying to sell you ad space like he will the next door he knocks on.
• Can he offer any recommendations for enhancing the effectiveness of your ad based on work they’re doing with other businesses in your industry {in this instance, professional services} around the country? It’s good to know “best practices” for your industry.
• Yellow Pages providers have created Internet advertising programs. Is a combination of a print listing and Internet listing a good solution for you? Or should you do Internet advertising alone? Or should you do print alone? The rep. should have plenty of answers to this question.

You may have stopped reading after the first bullet. If you can say confidently that you’re getting no business from the print ad, drop it and redirect the money to some more promising initiatives. However, if you feel that the ad may have value, but you don’t how to measure it, I have some advice.
• Have the rep outline a plan to make the ad more effective and more measurable. If it makes sense, go with it. If not, consider redeployment of your dollars.
• Create ad-specific contact information, e.g. a special Web address that you can redirect to your website and/or a unique phone number that will roll over to your office. You can check these monthly to determine if anyone has been using them. That will give you a pretty good idea of whether to continue or not when the next printing rolls around.
• Make sure you ask people who contact you how they found you.

I don’t have anything against the Yellow Pages reps. On the contrary: They are professionals providing a service that may be valuable to you if done correctly. At the same time, it may no longer be the right fit for what you do. Either way, as long as you work from measurable data (as much as possible), you and your rep should both be on the same page about whether you should continue investing your marketing dollars with them.

RIP, Alexander Solzhenitsyn

2008-08-05T04:51:00.000-07:00

I read Solzhenitsyn's "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" for the first time last year, after it was shared by an acquaintence whose wife is Russian and who had lived at the end of communist rule. Reading that particular book, she claimed, was the compulsory act of rebellion against the government if you were a teenager. (My guess is that the book was read by more than just teenagers.) It documented the miserable existence of a Siberian gulag detainee.

Solzhenitsyn can rest in peace. There are many who claim responsibility for the fall of communism. He is one who can legitimately share in that responsibility.

Dayton, Springfield Symphonies Fill Cols Void

2008-08-04T17:50:00.001-07:00

I was recently asked to join the board of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra and happily accepted. Much like the Springfield Museum of Art, it's an absolute gem. And it appears it will shine more brightly in the wake of the closure of the Columbus Symphony. Dayton and Springfield have both stepped up efforts to market their service. The unfolding of events in Columbus was sad and everyone hopes the symphony will return to the capital city. Until then, there are is a stellar alternative just 40 minutes from Columbus' West Side.

Obama Rocks Germany

2008-07-28T03:53:00.000-07:00

Barack Obama pulled a crowd of 200,000 in Berlin last week. Sunday shows dissected his speech, but polls weren't yet able to determine its effectiveness--that is, polls of Americans. Germans, on the other hand, loved the speech and overwhelmingly support him for the U.S. Presidency. And since when have Germans been wrong about judging the talents of iconic American figures?

MadMen Gets Emmy Nod

2008-07-22T05:57:00.000-07:00

In a bizarre and unpredicted twist of events, super-ego creatives are forced to admit appreciating an ad "series" they weren't responsible for. "MadMen" depicts work and life at a 1960's NYC ad agency. I love the show. And apparently, I'm not the only one. The series was nominated for an Emmy in the Best Series category--the first prime-time basic-cable program to earn such recognition. It's on Thursdays at 8:00, which means I never see it. Much like Flight of the Conchords, it will become part of the DVD collection.

Female Ordination

2008-07-21T04:11:00.000-07:00

These stories pop up occasionally and I'm always interested. Proponents view female ordination as a way of dealing with the shortage of priests and a perceived double-standard. Opponents cite explicit Church teaching and the example of Christ's actions for the ordination of men only. In either case, one of most notable ordained is the ex-wife of former Ohio governor, Dick Celeste.

Soccer Hooligans ... In Ohio

2008-07-21T04:09:00.000-07:00

It's nice to see that Major League Soccer really is catching on in the United States, evidenced by a 100-fan brawl at Crew Stadium in Columbus.

Time Magazine Sees Bright Side, Shows Agenda

2008-07-03T07:21:00.000-07:00

Time Magazine delivers the environmentalist apologia for rising fuel costs in the form of a top-ten list that is at best naive and at worst revealingly insensitive. Let me be the first to say that there aren't ten good things about $4/gallon gas prices. There aren't any good things about $4/gallon gas prices. The notion that a vital commodity with the ubiquity of dirt is being withheld from the public because of bad legislation to the great suffering of most of the population is not anything to make light of. Time's tongue-in-cheek attempt to portray a massive drag on the economy as a good thing is simpy out-of-touch. As extremely wealthy city dwellers, the editorial staff of the magazine is relatively untouched by high fuel costs. So they see an overall reduction in the consumption of fuel--regardless of why it's happening or how it's hurting people--as a net gain. Yet another affirmation of the value of the electoral college.

Starbucks to Close 600 Stores

2008-07-01T13:32:00.000-07:00

A sign of a weak dollar? A flagging economy? Or just the diminishing of a fad? In any case, Starbucks is closing 600 retail stores, which amounts to roughly .0006% of all Starbucks.

Starbucks retooled this year, hired the original CEO, and came out with a new marketing strategy, which included not making mistakes. That's a tough one--I can speak from personal experience just this week. The better approach would have been delivering premium quality coffee more quickly. But who am I to criticize? (I'm just the owner of that precious contraption pictured above. That's all I'm saying.)

Photoshop Controversey

2008-06-17T13:38:00.000-07:00

Neat clip on the ubiquity of Photoshop in major magazines. It's really amazing how good artists can make things look. Of course, they screw up sometimes, too.

Passing of Tim Russert

2008-06-15T18:07:00.000-07:00

I caught Meet the Press this morning and enjoyed the hour of reminiscing about the life and career of quality person. Tim Russert was the last major network journalist who was able to shelf his opinions and interview with the goal of allowing the viewer to form his own opinion. He was, by all descriptions, a talented mind, a kind person, and a loving family man. He will be extremely hard to replace, not only at NBC, but in television journalism in general.

A quote from Mary Matalin really registered with me. I'm paraphrasing, but she said something to the effect that Washington friendships are generally "transactional." Tim Russert was different: Whether you were on your way up or on your way down, he always remembered you and treated you well. I wish only Washington, DC was affected by this notion of transactional friendships. Too often we objectify the people in our lives, confusing admiration for usefulness.

More Bad News for the EU

2008-06-15T18:05:00.001-07:00

My peeps derail a 27-nation treaty. There's probably some good crack (I think that's how they say that) at Temple Bar tonight.

Finally, I get an answer why the Irish public shot down ratification:

The no vote was boosted by concerns over sovereignty, possible tax harmonisation, neutrality, and fears that the treaty could erode Ireland's abortion ban, all issues that analysts say are fatuous.

Sarkosy, Bush United Against Iran

2008-06-15T17:57:00.000-07:00

It's amazing the difference an administration can make. Five years ago, the notion of a unified front, threatening force, between the United States and France was impossible. Chirac prided himself on his defiance of the U.S. Sarkozy, on the other, seems to embrace the rapprochement, repositioning the country as a legitimate Western influence.

I'm headed there in the fall. It's always interesting to see the reactions of the French in light of these types of alliances.

"Idling Law" Has Greater Impact Than You'd Think

2008-06-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

Most people would dismiss the following article as waste of newsprint. As a former resident of Minnesota, I can tell you there's a lot more to a Minneapolis law against idling a car than most people would think. In a state where temperatures don't exceed zero for weeks at a time, idling a car is about the only way you ensure it will still be running when you get back to it. And turning off a car while you wait inside of it for an extended period of time just isn't an option. I mean, this is a state where women are routinely advised not to wear jewelry for fear it will freeze to their faces.

Does the law surprise me? No. Minneapolis is a progressive politics kind of city. So the fact that a mayor and city council would tell citizens how they can and get epxend the fuel they put in their vehicles doesn't surprise me. What's unfortunate is that idling is a convenience for people with nice cars to keep them warm in between errands. But for the poor of Minneapolis, an idling car is a car that will get them to and from work and family commitments reliably and keep them warm in the process.

Jim McKay, Dead At 86

2008-06-07T11:35:00.000-07:00

Sad news from the world of sports. Jim McKay died this morning. He was a fixture in broadcast sports and the voice of the Olympics. His coverage of the murder of Israeli athletes by Palestinean terrorists was the most sobering we'll ever see. According to the linked article, McKay's favorite sport was horse racing and he'd planned on watching today's Belmont Stakes.

BB Cannibalized By France's Left

2008-06-04T04:13:00.000-07:00

Brigitte Bardot has been convicted on France's version of hate speech, after writing a letter to a politician that referring to France's Muslims as a "population that is destroying us by its acts." Bardot will receieve a 15K euro fine as her penalty.

What has been left out of most accounts of the trial is the affiliation that prompted her letter. An avid animal rights activist, Bardot was objecting specifically to the slaughter of sheep which occurs during Muslim feast of Aid el-Kebir.

Her statement was made as a representative of PETA. The lawsuit was filed by an anti-racism group. Two special interests have been placed at odds in a legal system that caters to special interests. A suivre....

Czechs And Balances

2008-05-27T18:33:00.000-07:00

Without getting into the debate over global warming, as promoted by Albert Gore, Jr., I'm glad someone is pushing for a debate over global warming. To date, Gore has been extremely succesful at sharing his views on the environment and deflecting the criticisms of detractors. Czech President, Vaclav Klaus, is detracting. He has a new book to sell and it asserts that environmentalism is the new communism in its zeal to control the lives of free peoples. He's the first head of state who's taking Gore to task. It should be a great debate.

Life On Mars?

2008-05-26T19:50:00.000-07:00

NASA spent $420M to answer that question. They could have just asked a nerd. Or the father of a three-year old. (Editor's note: Does anyone else see a resemblance?)

Colorado University Seeks Right-Wing Prof

2008-05-14T07:34:00.000-07:00

And I thought my search for an accomplsihed Account Executive was going to be difficult. CU is funding an initiative to bring a series of right-wing thinkers to teach on campus.

Maxim's Least Sexy Woman?

2008-05-12T18:10:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's what they decided.

Iowa to Play Role in Presidential Election

2008-05-12T18:02:00.000-07:00

At least that's my take after reading about the raid that yielded 700 arrests related to illegal aliens in Postville. Postville amazed the rest of the country when Hasidic Jews moved in large numbers to create a kosher meat plant. Iowans are great people and welcomed them as fellow Iowans. We have a healthy Amish community, so an unconventional religious community wasn't too hard to deal with. On the contrary....

In any case, be prepared for Iowa to take center stage in the great immigration debate. It's not a bordertown. It's the heartland. I'm sure news media will have a field day with it.

A Creative Approach To Work

2008-05-02T07:59:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to comment on this article about a Columbus-based agency, other than to say, "If they can make it work, good for them." (And if pressed I would ask, "In that system, how could someone possibly not be a fit and need to be fired?")

Starbucks Earnings Sink 21%

2008-05-01T09:11:00.001-07:00

It's no secret that Starbucks is going through some major challenges. NYT is reporting that revenue dropped 21% in the last quarter. They add a few lines later that the overall revenue is up 12% YTD over 2007. The remedy? Howard Schultz, the new (and former) president and chief executive, seems to have a plan:

Among the many changes Mr. Schultz is expected to unveil in coming months, in addition to cutting costs, is the addition of a line of fruit smoothie drinks, the start of a broad effort to offer healthier drinks and expand beyond coffee beverages.

I dont' agree. I'm sure that a luxury like premium coffee is something that antsy comsumers (and we're not in a recession, by the way) are eliminating from their budgets. Good coffee is inelastic. I'll pay what I paid last year for it as long as it's good. When I go into Starbucks I always have to wait. Lines are out the door. And no one is every seated at the ample tables and chairs throughout the store. A better mechanism for delivering coffee quickly would probably get me back into the chain faster than health drinks and smoothies.

Chris Farley As Matt Foley

2008-04-24T08:32:00.000-07:00

I'm posting for a colleague who wasn't familiar with this character. Hard to believe it's been ten years since his passing.

De-Toonifying Jessica Rabbit

2008-04-23T07:12:00.000-07:00

A display of Photoshop, turning animation into digital art. I caught it on YouTube. It's hard to believe that the actress whose sultry voice made a cartoon into a sex symbol had her most recent smallscreen appearance playing the transvestite father of Chandler Bing on Friends.

Women Through The Ages

2008-04-21T04:05:00.000-07:00

A great film showing the evolution of portrait subjects in western painting throughout the last several hundred years. I was amazed at how the eyes of the subjects seem to make and hold contact with you throughout. There's classical accompaniment for those interested in a quick, relaxing break from the rigors of ... well ... surfing the Internet.

Ich Habe Ein Doppelgänger

2008-04-09T09:25:00.000-07:00

This isn't me. But it kind of looks like me, I will concede. An associate found it while perusing stock photograhy for a client.

Usually, depending on my fluctuating BMI, I hear that I look like Jimmy Kimmel or Sean Miller from Xavier. This is a slightly skinnier version. Perhaps if I undertook more of this "exercise" which is being demonstrated in the picture, I would slim down and more closely resemble the poor sap.

Rare Brain Disease Linked To Surge Of Creativity

2008-04-09T09:09:00.000-07:00

I (joyfully) work with creatives everyday and marvel at how the same world can be viewed, interpreted and recommunicated so much more vividly than I initially see it. Creativity is an occasional product of the work I develop. For my associates, it's commonplace.

I found the following article about the creativity surge purportedly created by a rare (and fatal) brain disease to be fascinating. The link between one sufferer and the composer who fueled so much of her work is equally interesting.

NYT's Tips For Blogging

2008-03-30T06:07:00.000-07:00

I was on track until they said I should be attracting a volume of traffic. Good insights, nonetheless, for people who want to create a meaningful blog.

Nearly 1 in 10 Ohioans on Foodstamps

2008-03-26T04:48:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what to make of those numbers. They're certainly not trending in a healthy direction.

I moved to Ohio from Iowa in 1989 at the age of 13 and was amazed at the number of large cities and the number of people. Granted: I moved to Columbus, which is one of the few cities that has seen consistent growth because of the proponderance of service-based organizations. Still, the state seemed amazing. And though I will forever be grateful for the secondary education our move afforded me, the state of Ohio isn't what it was 19 years ago.

Merger Approved

2008-03-24T13:07:00.000-07:00

XM and Sirius are official. The Justice Department approved the merger, claiming that consumers wouldn't be adversely affected. Interesting quote:

"The likely evolution of technology in the future, including the expected introduction in the next several years of mobile broadband Internet devices, made it even more unlikely that the transaction would harm consumers in the longer term," the Justice Department said. "Accordingly, the division has closed its investigation of the proposed merger."

Can We Still Be Friends, Google?

2008-03-24T12:26:00.000-07:00

So I called out Google in a post the other day for copying the innovations of firms they aren't able to buy. It was around that same time that I tried loading all of the images I'd been storing in iPhoto on an EMac for the last two years onto the new PC I'd bought to replace the EMac. (For the record, I hate Macs. I might actually be dorkier than the actor who portrays the PC in the commercials. I really don't care anymore.) Unfortunately, those images are completely incompatible with just about every PC photo-editing software out there ... SAVE FOR ONE. That's right: Google has a solution called Picasa. After a quick install, the software found every image and video file on my machine, including all of the photos from iPhoto.

So I'm sorry, Google. I just was going through a "thing." It wasn't you; it was me. I was hoping you could give me another chance.

Springfield Connection To "Horton Hears A Who"

2008-03-16T16:47:00.000-07:00

Springfield's own Dave Catrow, a cartoonist for the News Sun, was tapped for art direction of the new Horton Hears A Who. The reviews are poor, but the art scores big points in today's NYT review.

Google's Android

2008-03-16T16:43:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how I feel about Google. It's almost as if they're taking the Dell approach to copying innovations and seeling them at a lower cost. In this instance, Google imitates and then reduces cost by offering open-source add-ons. We'll see when Android is launched. Google claims it will be better than the iPhone. Then again, would they send out a release to say the phone sucks?

Gates On The Right Side Of Education/Immigration

2008-03-16T16:34:00.000-07:00

Bill Gates and I aren't always on the same page. For example, in the last decade, he has advocated for work that has generated billions of dollars of wealth. I, instead, pushed for a more modest path that would yield a few hundred thousand dollars in personal earnings. Po-tay-to. Po-tah-to. Nonetheless, Bill Gates hits the nail on the head in a recent speech before congress. The U.S. has lagged in its development of math and science professionals. He advocates for increased spending in support of the development of these skills among American children. And to close the gap, he wants to ensure that the foreign students who receive an education in the U.S. stay here for at least some time after graduation to apply their talents in America.