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ADMIN

SJ + BG = BFF

May 31, 2007 | Leave a Comment

An instant classic.

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Technology, Video

Bookmark This: Dozens of Mobile-Friendly Small Sites in One URL

May 31, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Killing time on the train with your Q? Reading the news on your Treo while driving to work? Eating sushi alone with your BlackJack? Need a convenient place to find all your favorite mobile-friendly sites? Look no further.

As the owner of a Motorola Q, I want to browse my favorite websites without the wait for giant downloads. So, to provide a convenient location for small-screen content, I assembled a page of mini site links. Now, you can bookmark http://toddand.com/q and immediately access dozens of mobile-friendly sites. Enjoy.

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Links, Marketing, Media, Technology

Power Profile: Brand Flakes For Breakfast

May 30, 2007 | 12 Comments

Years ago, Darryl Ohrt used to read tons of newspapers, trades and blogs. He sent the interesting, relevant stuff to clients and friends. Later, he realized that a lot of that content might be helpful to all his clients. So Brand Flakes was born.

Brand Flakes For Breakfast is written for marketing and brand managers who don’t have time to keep up with the blogosphere. And Darryl knows what brand managers want to read because he is one. Darryl is brand manager and founder of Plaid, a Danbury, CT-based design and brand agency that loves emerging media and mingles with celebrities. The blog features marketing-related news that might ordinarily get lost in the shuffle, cool ads to inspire and just plain fun stuff to help make boring days brighter.

I asked Darryl a few questions - some standards and some oddballs - to dig a little deeper and give readers the inside scoop on Brand Flakes For Breakfast, No. 138 on the Power 150 global ranking of marketing blogs (May 29, 2007). Here is your Power Profile on Brand Flakes’ Darryl Ohrt:

How would you describe your blog to your mom?
It’s a website, where people can go to find cool stuff that’s going on in our industry, or our company. A great place to learn, or be inspired, creatively. And a good place to waste otherwise productive time.

How does your blog fit in with your business?
We’ve intentionally kept the self promotion very, very light. Who wants to hear about another design/branding firm bragging about themselves? Instead, when we talk about Plaid, it’s usually poking fun of someone on staff, or sharing some of the fun things that we get to do, that you can’t do as a marketing manager in cubicle-land. They love that stuff. And it does work on a self promotional level, too. We’ve found that BrandFlakes helps existing clients bond with us - kind of like having a window into their agency. It’s also brought business to our door. Potential clients can see what kind of an agency we are - and if they like our blog, they’re going to love the real thing. ;-). Now, when we meet with clients for the first time, it’s like they already know us.

With our company’s re-branding to Plaid, we realized that there’s also an audience that wants to hear more about life at a small agency. So we just launched a new blog, http://blog.thinkplaid.com, that’s all about what’s happening at our firm. We also integrated the feed into our firm’s site, www.thinkplaid.com. It’s still in it’s infancy, but we’ve built a small audience that really digs it.

What two blogs do you read most often?
I love all blogs evenly.

How many hours a week do you spend blogging?
I spend about 2 hours each night reading blogs, and looking for cool stuff to write about. I’d do this even if I didn’t blog. I then spend about an hour each morning writing posts.

How long do you expect to continue blogging? What’s your end game?
Wow. Does it have to end? Why? Who says?

What non-blog websites and publications do you read?
Wired Magazine, Communication Arts, How Design and Transworld Business off the top of my head. Geez, I used to read at least 15 magazines. Now it’s down to about five or seven.

What is your full time job?
I’m the founder of Plaid (www.ThinkPlaid.com) – the most wonderous design and branding firm in all of the land.

Have you launched anything viral? Results?
Ha. We’ve launched a couple of things. Probably the most famous was our greeting card from a couple of years ago. www.AchristmasGory.com. It got featured on BoingBoing (amongst many others) and we could barely keep up with bandwidth. I still see people refer to it. Last year, we launched www.SantaHunters.com. Also very popular, but nothing compared to Christmas Gory. Oh yeah. And we’ve produced quite a few success stories for clients, too.

What cell phone do you use? Who is your service provider? How would you rate them?
Motorola Razr, ‘broken’ by Verizon. But I really, really, really want an iPhone.

What kind of computer/set-up do you run at home?
At home, I work off a MacBook Pro laptop. LOVE it. We run two wifi networks at our house – and have one additional Mac (an older G4), a PC, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS, all connected. I can’t wait for the day when internet is in my car.

What is your next big technology purchase going to be?
I’m really, really, really hoping to get an iPhone. But I’m stuck in a Verizon contract for the next year, so I’ve got to figure this out somehow.

Favorite food to eat (or beverage to drink) while you blog?
I live for Mexican. But right now, I’m eating Twizzlers and Diet Pepsi. I guess one offsets the other. Or something. I would kill for some gummy bears right about now.

What one thing would you change about your blog if you had the time?
I’d write more editorial style stuff. Not enough space to explain here, but let’s just say it would be the most awesome blog anywhere, but I’d be out of a job because it would take too much time.

What other hobbies do you have?
I am an internet-aholic. Really. But I do get outside, and like mountain biking. And I just started running, to try and get rid of some blog-fat. And I like shopping for shoes like a little girl.

Tell us something interesting about yourself that your readers don’t already know.
People always think that I’m gay. I must give off awesome gaydar. Even gay guys think I’m gay. I’m not. I’ve ended up in some really hilarious situations as a result of it. It’s a good thing that I’m married, or I’d have a tough time finding a girl.

What famous person do you most look like?
You can’t really look like me and be famous, so nobody. I would like to look like Johnny Rotten. But I don’t.

How do you think newspapers will evolve over the next 15 years?
Didn’t realize they were still around. ;-p

What was your first job?
First job ever was as a paperboy for the Chicago Tribune. I still remember how heavy the Sunday paper was. Only six fit in my paperboy bag, so I had to make many, many, trips. On a bike. In the rain. Do they still have teenager paper boys? I’ve had some pretty fun jobs, since. The Texas Taco – the world’s only punk rock Mexican joint, and a club DJ for a while. Good times.

What kind of car do you drive?
Mini Cooper. I hate cars, and wish we had public transportation. I buy a car solely on looks (and brand essence!), and don’t care (or understand) anything about performance.

Has blogging made you gain weight? How much?
Age has made me gain weight. I used to be able to eat everything. I no longer live on pizza and burgers. I used to have a 28 inch waist. Now I’m sportin’ a full 35/36 inches.

Tell us about your 15 seconds of fame.
In college, I did a very popular punk rock radio show, and a local music video show on cable. Featured in Rolling Stone, trade mags, etc. Anyway, once a 14 year old girl ran away from home, and told her parents that she was going to live with me. I didn’t even know who she was. The police showed up at my job, and started asking questions. Really embarrassing.

What is your most embarrassing email/cell phone/blogging (pick one) moment?
I once sent a joke voice mail to a co-worker (in response to something we were joshing each other about), and said something to the effect of “I’m gonna kick your a__ in the parking lot at 5:15, a__h*le.” He then forwarded the message to everyone in the company. All day, people were coming up to me, “what’s your problem? What do you mean you’re gonna kick my a__?”

How has the Power 150 helped you/your blog?
I use it as a bragging point to clients. “Our blog is considered to be one of the top 150 blogs in our industry.” They seem to go for that, so I’m gonna keep it up.

What would you do with $3 million dollars?
Pay for my kids college, by a house in Miami. Maybe a really nice house. Oh, and if there’s enough left, maybe a small place in the West Village, NYC. That would rock.

Photo credit: Derek Dudek

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Power Profiles

Power 150 > 300 + Power Profiles

May 29, 2007 | 10 Comments

Yesterday, the Power 150 global ranking of marketing blogs surpassed 300 listings. In honor of this momentous occasion, I’ve decided to add a new feature - Power Profiles. Once a week or so (emphasis on ‘or so’), I’ll be interviewing a different blogger listed on the Power 150 and providing some rare behind-the-scenes details for readers. Currently, the Power 150 is averaging about 3000 visitors per week, but those folks only see numbers… and lots of them. The Power Profiles will slowly add more substance and help put faces to the Power blogs. Expect the first one soon.

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Marketing, Power Profiles

The Case Against Homework

May 27, 2007 | 4 Comments

Happy end of the school year. To celebrate, check out Sara Bennett and Nancy Kalish’s book “The Case Against Homework,” an effort to dispell the myth that homework improves educational outcomes. Cory Doctorow posted a great summary and analysis on Boing Boing, the online directory of wonderful things, has a great summary and analysis.

“The authors start by tracing the explosion in homework since the eighties, and especially since the advent of the ill-starred No Child Left Behind regime, which has teachers drilling, drilling, drilling their kids on math and reading to the exclusion of all else.

“Kindergarten kids are assigned homework. Kids get homework over the weekend. Over vacations. When they’re away sick for a day.

“What’s more, all the credible research on homework suggests that for younger kids, homework has no connection with positive learning outcomes, and for older kids, the benefits of homework level off sharply after the first couple assignments,” according to Cory’s report. Sounds like a solid summer read - as long as it wasn’t assigned for homework.

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Educational

Pearl of Wisdom: Don’t Be Misheard

May 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Back in December of 2006, I wrote about the greatest slogans being lost in translation - slogans that had been meticulously developed by some of the world’s leading advertising and PR executives, but cross-culturally or cross-linguistically misinterpreted. In marketing, it’s critical that our messages are clear and not misheard or misunderstood. One recently related case that comes to mind is the Boston litebright bomb scare, a case in which marketing execution was completely misinterpreted.

So, to reiterate the importance of clear messaging, I turn to Pearl Jam. Specifically, to the misheard lyrics of their song “Yellow Ledbetter,” which was one of the first songs written by the group yet left off the grunge band’s debut album Ten. The song ended up as a B-side to the smash single “Jeremy” but “Yellow Ledbetter” became a fan favorite and was frequently performed at concerts as the closing song.

As a former improv comedian, I know there are times when you want to mumble and use gibberish, but please take note (see below video) from Pearl Jam for the times when it’s vital to keep your communication clear (especially when you don’t have the lyrics sheet next to you and you want to sing along to the song in your car).

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Advertising, Educational, Humor, Marketing, Public Relations, Video

500 Years of Art

May 25, 2007 | 4 Comments

My wife, the art teacher, would appreciate this… 500 years of female portraits including works by Da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Rubens, Renoir, Dali, Klimt, Matisse, Picasso and many more.

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Design, Random, Video

World’s Best Presentations

May 23, 2007 | Leave a Comment

Below are the first and second place winners in the World’s Best Presentation Contest by SlideShare, a great site for sharing presentations and slideshows. Both winning presentations have strong messages and facts for marketing pros. Take note.

Nod: PR Blogger

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Posted by toddand | Filed Under Design, Educational, Management, Marketing, Presentations

Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War

May 20, 2007 | 2 Comments

If you couldn’t tell from my bookshelves, I greatly admire President Abraham Lincoln - not only for his obvious leadership and the fact he’s from my home state of Illinois, but also for his persistence.

Lincoln was born poor, soon lost his mother, later lost his first love to fever, married a woman who became mentally ill, lost eight political elections, twice failed in business, and elected president of the United States in 1860. Re-elected in 1864. He was the only president during the American Civil War, which took place from 1861 to 1865.

Over 1.3 million people died from the American Civil War or about three percent of the American population. Three percent of today’s 300 million population is nine million! The death toll included 618,000 soldiers. Based on 1860 census figures, eight percent of all white males aged 13 to 43 died in the war, including six percent in the North and an extraordinary 18 percent in the South. Of 180,000 African Americans who served in the Union army, 20 percent did not survive. Some reports say two-thirds of all deaths were due to disease.

Back in 2005, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum opened in Springfield, the capital of Illinois. My wife and I were among the first to visit. The museum is very impressive and was definitely worth the three-hour drive. The most moving and powerful part of the experience was a four-minute animated video showed during the American Civil War exhibit. I just discovered the video today and thought I’d share it. Take note of the casualty counter in the bottom righthand corner.

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