That's what it all boils down to -- speaking to your customer on a one-to-one basis.

I remember, while studying news writing and copy writing in college, the instructors -- respected journalists and professionals teaching part-time -- talking about one-to-one communication.

"Yes, you're looking at a camera and talking to thousands of people. But, you need to write, then read, your script as though you were talking to just one person."

That was the sage advice of these respected journalists and copywriters. That was at least a couple of years before the Internet, I'm sorry to say. Today, those professionals might well be teaching blogging and Twitting. A recent Harris Interactive poll showed European consumers say the Internet is their most influential medium. It's twice as influential as television, and eight times more influential than printed newspapers.

Wow.

But why not? The Internet is a great big give-and-take free for all! One of the bummers of this research is that consumers don't quite trust the Internet, yet. While two-thirds of Brits polled say they use the Internet to "help them make better decisions," only one-fourth of that same universe trust the information they get. Maybe they're following that old programming maxim of GIGO, or maybe they're just Brits (no wonder we left the empire!). Sorry for the digression, stay with me... it'll be worth it.

Among Blogs, on YouTube, on Twitter, in Social Networks and other Internet realms of user-generated content (UGC), people are talking. People give and seek opinions of others, especially those who've built an online reputation for areas of expertise (I've seen a dozen or so wine judging sites in the last couple of weeks alone!) Those people are your customers. And your customers are talking about you. So join in the conversation! When a blogger mentions she enjoyed your product at a party the other night, Thank her for trying it. Offer her more insights into why it's made the way it is. Invite her to try brand extensions. Welcome her to send you further feedback in the future! When a c-level executive opens that dialog with a customer, you score major goodwill and build stronger relationships... not just with that consumer, but all who read her blog. And, just as importantly, you get honest insights from people who use your product.

To paraphrase the philosopher Kramer, "You're out there.... and you're loving every minute of it!"

This is a gospel we've begun preaching to our clients. Time will tell when and if they can trace sales to chatter on the 'net. But, it's one of those things that just feels like the right thing to do -- speaking to the consumer in a one-to-one environment. It's where we're headed. So, buckle up. And those college instructors' advice, those twenty-something years ago, is going to come in handy!

OK, there's much to be said for the benefits of our connectedness today.  We're always available, always in touch and always connected....or are we?

I remember when we all got our iPhones at the office.  I was hesitant, at the least, about being that connected.  The iPhone sat on my desk for nearly a week before I finally caved and activated it.  And boy did I activate it.

I was texting (with two teenage daughters, I was able to connect in their medium-of-choice for the first time), browsing, checking the weather, you name it.  I would pull my phone out in the middle of a conversation to seek out answers to a question that might arise, like "who was the Louisville Cardinals leading scorer in the 1986 Championship Season?"  Yeah, I was hooked.

Add to that, our ever-present laptops.  I habitually take mine home nightly.  And when I don't, I can still connect to our workflow management application, CurrentTrack, as well as access my email and company calendar via my home computer.

And this pervasive connection to my workday is beneficial, no doubt.  Beneficial to our clients and beneficial to our bottom line.

Just don't ask my wife or kids.

So tonight, I'm introducing a new benefit of this connectedness into my life.  I'm stepping away from the connection.

If you need me tonight, call my home phone.  I'll be connecting with my wife and kids.

Email and phone message will be here in the morning...

Part III
Sitting at a red light on a main traffic artery in Louisville's working-class south end last night, two small business signs caught my eye.
One was for a neighborhood bar:  D.T.'s
You're joking, right?  A bar? With the same name as a symptom of alcohol withdrawal?

Wow.  Either somebody has a wicked sense or irony or black humor, or....ok, nevermind, I'll go with irony.

Part IV
How about this one for a used car lot:  Circus Auto Sales.

My first mental picture was 14 clowns piling out of a Gremlin.  I had to laugh out loud.

Then I though, "who's the king of the Circus?"  Of course it's P.T. Barnum.  And we ALL know what P.T. (not D.T., mind you) said about used car buyers, right?

Part I

Say what you want about the mental capacities of our current president, Dub-ya never showed up on WWE.

I can't believe the three remaining candidates -- or their handers -- agreed to this! Honestly, I sat at my computer trying to discern if these were just really good lookalikes, because no candidate can hold the Office in appropriate esteem and do this!!! Play the sax on Arsenio Hall, but please don't denigrate the position of Leader of the Free World by endorsing professional rasslin'.

As a matter of fact, Mr. Obama, I do "smell what Barack is cooking," and it stinks. Badly.

You three are making Ralph Nader look serious!

As a voter, I'm insulted.

Part II

Billy Ray, have you lost your achy-breaky mind???? What part of "let your teenage daughter pose nude" could even start to sound like a good idea? Forget the fact that Disney has pumped millions of dollars into the Hannah Montana franchise to make her more famous and successful that you could have dreamed for your one-hit self. You're supposed to protect her! It's fathers like you who give Flatwoods and the rest of this great Commonwealth a bad name.

As a Kentuckian (and a proud member of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels), I am appalled. As a father, I'm insulted.

I'm going to try and have a good Derby anyway. Ten dollars across the board on Big Brown, please....

…or maybe Bourbon.

Absolut’s debacle of last week brought me to one of those “who the hell thought that was a good idea?” moments. It’s one thing to slam the competition, but to insult half the population of your #1 market? A five million case market? Wow. Is that some sort of new marketing chutzpah they’re teaching in business school these days?

So now that the leading premium vodka in the U.S. is going to take some hits, I’d like to recommend a couple of very nice options to the soon to be former vodka drinkers…

Have you tried a nice German Riesling? My favorites* are the full line of Rieslings from Schmitt Sohne and Schloss Vollrads. Not the overly sweet taste people often think of when they hear “Riesling,” but a range of fruits and florals, plus well-balanced minerality and acidity that allow them to pair well with just about anything but steak. I recommend them often. Yes, I do love my reds. At this moment I’m particularly fond of Pinot Noirs, blended reds and bargain hunting at Trader Joe’s. If you’re in the neighborhood (my neighborhood, not Trader Joe's), please feel free to stop by for a sample. I usually have a few Rieslings chilled (and often open!).

My all-American choice is Bourbon. Specifically, Kentucky Bourbon . We make a good number of those around these parts. My favorite is Maker’s Mark, but by late father swore by W.L. Weller (which has become impossible to find since my dad’s passing….hmmmmm). Again, I’m free with my samples if you’re in my ‘hood. (For a really special treat, ask me about the George T. Stagg hundred-and-oh-my-god proof Bourbon that was a gift from one of my favorite clients.)

So that’s it for the unabashed plugs in this revolting turn on vodka. I do drink them all and can offer tasting notes or pairing suggestions upon request. And I do share willingly with friends.

Revolt responsibly.

*Yes, Schmitt Sohne and Schloss Vollrads are clients of CurrentMarketing. And they make fine wines worthy of my hard-earned dollars.

A consummate ad man, Hal Riney died Monday. If you've been in this business more than a few months, certainly you've at least heard his name.

He was a visionary leader and innovator in our business.

I was a neophyte copywriter when I first heard of Hal Riney. He and his Tuesday Team put together the 1984 "It's Morning Again in America" campaign for Ronald Reagan's re-election. That was the campaign that made me fall in love with this business. I had worked a couple of years for in local politics for now-senator Mitch McConnell and there's a magical convergence of energy when you combine politics and advertising. So I was sucked in my Riney's (yes, he did the v/o) calming, almost grandfatherly voice broadcast over soft, gauzed images of a fresh dawn in America. Regardless of your political leaning, this campaign was arresting. It was compelling. It was perfection.

Other folks may know Riney for the true breakthrough of his Bartles & Jaymes wine coolers campaign. Frank was generally the spokesman while Ed, who seldom spoke but provided great sight gags, lovingly displayed the product. Frank ended each spot the only fitting way I could end this all-too-short tribute to Hal Riney, "thank you for your support."

So the other day a friend asked me how often I purchased online. Being at the upper end of the 18-49 demo, I thought it a probing question into my late-Boomer level of web savvy. I just so happened that I'd purchased - just day earlier -- a handful of flies for an up-coming trip to Kentucky's Cumberland River (don't tell anyone but IMHO it's the sweetest little trout stream east of the Mississippi). Less than ten minutes on Orvis.com, I found myself a nice assortment of Woolly Buggers - they KILL in the swift water that's rare on the Cumberland right now - and some Bead Head Nymphs for backup. I even had time to pick up a new fly line and shop the Outlet and Sale Tent. (I'd have closet full
of Orvis apparel if I didn't have two wonderful daughters in private schools, but that's another blog).

So my line and my flies will be here later this week, and I'll be as prepared as I can be to stalk the wily Brown Trout. Now I'm feeling guilty that I patronized a business hundreds of miles away, when there's a new fly-fishing shop just a 10-minute drive from my home or office. It's the same feeling I get in my gut when I walk into the bookstore up the street to buy a Sunday New York Times, but order my books from Amazon. It's a local/global balance I'm often looking to strike. Well, I'll get over to the new fly shop before the spring is out. Maybe I'll even pitch that entrepreneurial fly fisherman on an ecommerce site for his shop.

Imagine how many Woolly Buggers I could get on trade

Be wary in today's marketing world. It changes rapidly. In fact, in the time it takes you to read this sentence, at least five new blogs have been created.

The Wall Street Journal just launched a Facebook application.

Sales for Internet advertising in the U.S. will exceed those for radio advertising in 2008.

Economy, elections and terrorism be damned, the evolution is not slowing down. The art, the science of reaching consumers, and compelling them to act is evolving. Daily.

CurrentMarketing didn't create the Internet. Or Weblogs. Or Social Networks. We didn't come up with the idea of viral videos or podcasts. Nope, we did none of that.

What we do create are opportunities for our clients to use the interactive media now entwined in consumers' lives -- at home, at work, in their car - to build brands and build traffic. We're not the first. But we pride ourselves at being Louisville's leading interactive marketing agency; alone or in tandem with traditional media channels.

We understand that today's consumers want information, not to be sold. They want to be enlightened and entertained between meetings. Or even at a stoplight.

Enter UnderCurrent.

In this blog, we will share our observations about the evolving world of marketing. On the printed page. On the Tube. And, of course, online. Today's keen insights might well be tomorrow's cliché. It's just that fast. We'll discuss the Web and all its applications for communication. We'll distill (and of course credit) content from other blogs. We'll talk about our clients' challenges. Critique other marketing efforts - including traditional media - because we know those communications channels are not going away either. Just changing. All the time. We'll talk about creative we like and, at the risk of offending our contemporaries, what we don't like. And why.

In fact, if you come back here on Monday, you can see what our creative, media and marketing types thought of the multi-million-dollar adventures in Sunday's Big Game. We're calling it Hyperbole XLII (that's pronounced "Hype-r-bowl").

We'll make it entertaining, fun and informative. We welcome your feedback, comments and - we promise not to be offended - criticism when appropriate.

But remember, it's all subject to change.