Vanity Plates have always seemed a little gauche. The rationale behind them has always been a mystery to me, sort of like as tattoo, but less permanent. What message would I like to send to my fellow drivers sitting behind me at the stoplight, so bored with whatever is going on inside the car that they are reading the back of mine? I could never think of one. A friend of mine and I tried to come up with some way-homers to our great amusement - QQQQ, Ki55-A55 - that we could try to slip past the censors in the County Clerk's office, but none that I actually wanted to pay the extra scratch for. I figure you have to really have something to say to the general public to go to that trouble. Although I was always partial to Kramer's vanity plate, ASS MAN...

Today, I saw an article about how the North Carolina DMV issued inadvertent vanity plates, and is offfering to replace them. Several residents complained when their new license plates started with WTF, and the state is going to replace them for free.

Finally, a vanity plate I can get behind. I kicked myself (literally) because I hadn't thought of that one. So I'm started a texting-shorthand-license-plate wishlist:

WTF
AFT
AMF
BFD
SOL
NSS

If there is a god, when I go to register my next car, I'll get one of these. And the best part is that only the kids will know. Meanwhile, I'll KMFC (Keep My Fingers Crossed - apparently, I made that one up!).

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...

We held our first public audition for television talent as part of a new campaign for Tumbleweed Restaurants and it was very enlightening! We spent two days in the restaurants personally inviting select patrons and then sent out press releases to several media outlets. We had no idea how many would come. And for two days I prayed that God would send us just the right mix--and amount--of Tumbleweed fans for our 4-8pm “cattle call.” And since we were going to be outside in a tent, I also spent a fair amount of time praying for good weather. Well, my prayers were answered. We had about 115 people come through and we never saw a drop of rain--when just north of us--storms were wreaking havoc in the form of flooding and tornadoes. Oh, the power of prayer!

I worked the “processing” portion of the operation with another employee, Danielle Carter. She and I tag-teamed on gathering the “talent’s” contact information and signed releases, processed them through a short visit with make-up and then sent them into the tent where each person gave us 2-3 minutes of why they love Tumbleweed in front of a green screen. This is where it got interesting. Some folks were just “naturals’ in front of the camera. They oozed with passion about Tumbleweed’s Monday Margaritas for 99¢, their mesquite-grilled steaks, chile con queso and “world-famous” burritos. The kids were funny because they were either “hams” and talked up our cheese pizza and chicken strips or they froze and wouldn’t utter a word. You could tell some kids were there because they had “stage” moms.. We even had some bonafide actors trying out and they brought headshots and resumes, showing up “camera-ready.”

Everything went swimmingly and we ended the night with a few pitchers of ice cold margaritas, after hearing so many people talk about them! Tumbleweed CEO, Matt Higgins and COO, Mike Higgins personally greeted and thanked many of the “fans” who came to “try out” and later commented on what a “WOW” it was to hear these loyal users talk about what they liked most at Tumbleweed.

It took about 3 business days to render all the footage and post it on Tumbleweed’s YouTube channel so that everyone who auditioned could see themselves in “action.” We’ve spent the week cutting together some :30 TV spots that will air on June 20^th.

And meanwhile the viral part of our strategy seems to be working. We’ve had a few thousand views already and the footage has only been posted for three days.

I can’t wait to go to the next city and stir up some more excitement for our Tumbleweed client with our “Right on the Tip of Your Tongue” TV Tour.

My father told me that hard work and common sense were the keys to success in life. And as I walked through the doors of current marketing on my first day, I reflected on his advice. What is common sense?

Common sense may be construed as the pursuit of non-stupidity. Interestingly a search for “stupid” on youtube yields hours of tear-inducing human situations caught on camera that may have been avoided had someone spoken up in the interest of common sense.

The Darwin Awards generated widespread popularity based on a seemingly universal notion of common sense that winners amply defied or ignored. And maybe that’s what the whole reality television thing is about as well. Watching other’s make mistakes and then basking in the warm glow of our own, more advanced, ability to avoid mishap (going on reality television probably being the first common sense step to not signing away your credibility as a sentient being).

In Common Sense Thomas Paine urged colonists to think rationally and yet unconventionally about their British rulers. His words came to be, paradoxically, the common logic on how to envision a world that is radically different. And before you assume that I’ve lost my copywriting mind, just remember how great a model that is for advertising success as well.

I guess that’s why I already feel at home here. The atmosphere is of a group of professionals not ready or willing to bow to what seems like common sense. I have noticed an abundance of rationality, but the nebulous and outdated notion of common sense has yet to make an appearance.

So, thanks for the advice dad. Common sense got me through driver’s education, African bus stations and an experimental adolescence with a few spare brain cells remaining. But the one thing I plan to leave at CM’s door is my sense that any creative work need be common. I just hope the euphoria of casting aside my common sense doesn’t lead to wetting the front of my pants, or eating out of the kitchen trash, because frankly, I have never done anything of the sort.

It's a phrase that's been used around the office quite a bit over the years as technology has gotten more and more advanced & crept into our daily lives. With the official announcement of Apple's 3rd generation iPhone looming, speculation of its improvements has been rampant on various blogs & chat rooms. In addition to some cosmetic modifications, one that seems universal is a real GPS navigation feature. It kind of seems a bit like a no brainer since the technology seems to be fairly common these days.

Although I will have to admit, the current quasi-GPS isn't bad. On a recent trip, I found it hugely helpful in finding my way around & getting me pointed in the right direction. It may not have pinpointed my exact location, but once I found a cross street or two, I had no problems. Plus it kept me from carrying the massive map that just screams tourist - ok, I like to blend in & feel like a local.

But to me, the most exciting speculative new feature is an improved camera for video calling. Seriously, video calling. I remember watching all of those great 1980's SciFi tv shows as a kid that all spawned from the popularity of Star Wars & ALL of them had video phones of some sort. If rumors are true, in a few months we'll all be walking around having video calls with our handheld comm devices. Can the flying bubble cars and Gary Coleman inspired butler robots really be that far behind?

Wow, what a blast! Blast of wind that is. 120 mph and one of the most fun sports I have ever tried. Of course we weren't jumping out of an actual plane. We were floating in a very controlled environment called a vertical wind tunnel and we had our "flight instructor" right there with us, adjusting our form and helping us maneuver right to left and up and down.

The folks we were with are "jump master" level skydivers and they say it mimics the sensation pretty well. The tunnel allows folks like me to try it out in a fairly safe environment. I would want to practice quite a bit more before I ever jumped for real.

And I am not sure I would ever get up the nerve. There are so many variables and things to remember. I might try a tandem jump sometime. And I definitely want to go back and indoor skydive again. Check it out!

Flowers.  Of course I love flowers.
I love the soil more.
I want to roll in it.
Bury my nose in it.
Dig in it.
Dig, dig, dig.

They're all over MY Courtyard.
Pots brimming with soil.
Begging me to rearrange them.

I finally did.
I tried to hide the evidence.
They knew.
They fussed.
I cowered.
Gave them the puppy eyes,
They melted.
I got a pass.

OK, so I went on my social networking safari and thank goodness I didn't adopt someone else's opinion as my own. I chose to join only the social networks from "Top 10 Most Beautiful Social Networks" that suited me.

I joined Pownce, Beautiful Society and Virb; all the while still a member of MySpace and Facebook. So I joined, signed on and got to searching.

Pownce was my first victim. This so-called "beautiful" social network, although neatly organized, doesn't strike me as "pretty." Rather, it's just pretty plain.

The only beauty in Beautiful Society is its name. It's easy to sign-up but the concept falls short at keeping people entertained. The all-forum-style setup of favorites, articles and "stuff" sections are outdated.

Virb was much like MySpace without the hassle of html coding. Like MySpace, you can customize your profile's colors; but that's all you can change. After browsing a bit I came to the conclusion that Virb had the user friendliness and components of Facebook with a MySpace look and feel. Virb is still lacking components that keep Facebook addicts coming back for more.

It's the "Beautiful Mess" state of mind I'm in when I'm on Facebook: scoping out friends, poking, messaging, writing on walls, looking through photos, reading my news feed, playing a game.... And well, you get the point!

Facebook is ever-evolving, keeping its addicts in a constant state of curiosity and interest. Even though it didn't make the Mashable beautiful list, I think it's beautiful- a "Beautiful Mess!" What good is a beautiful and user friendly social network if there are no users to socialize???

I don't know about you, but there are few things I love more than a good old-fashioned clash of cultures. And the culture I find myself most fascinated with/confused by is Japanese pop culture. I don't really understand Hello Kitty or PokeMon, Anime cartoons confuse me and Japanese horror movies give me nightmares. (I'm not proud.) But what I love most is the appropriation of our western culture by the Japanese, often with hilarious results.

Take for example celebrity endorsements. In the age of instant access and unlimited information, most celebrities go to great lengths to protect their image. They hire consultants and spin-doctors. They train their bodies rigorously and diet religiously. But one image concession even the biggest stars in Hollywood are willing to make is the big money grab of overseas commercials. Stars who would never consider "selling out" by doing strange commercials where they look ridiculous, (at least by Western standards) have been throwing caution into the wind for years and selling everything from cosmetics and alcohol to fizzy drinks and yogurt. Most involve a celebrity standing around looking beautiful and holding/pointing to/eating/drinking the product. But my favorites are the ones that get lost in the translation. Like watching a pre-Food Network episode of Iron Chef (sub-titles, please, no voiceover) or a black and white Godzilla movie, I often don't know what is going on, but I don't really care. But with my all-time favorite Japanese celebrity shill, I think very little is lost in the translation, mostly because I can't really understand this guy when he is speaking English. That's just bad acting, in any language.

arigato

Every year for the past 4 summers we have instituted Partner Days.
It made sense to me to control those desires that come about when one wakes up and decides today is too beautiful to go to work.
What if we planned for hooky?
What if every other week half the staff had Fridays off?
How would the work get done?

We went with each person having a partner in case something came in and had to be done. It took a lot of persuasion with my own partners. They were skeptical. And rightly so. Our assets are our people. If they are not here, how do create great solutions and meet all the deadlines?

Well, it has been an amazing program. We don't miss a beat. And the folks working at the office on partner Fridays say they get so much done! Our billings remain steady all summer and we have some very happy people. They can plan for short getaways and enjoy this wonderful time of year with family and friends. Or sleep in and get the list of errands run. When I have Fridays off I really feel like I had a weekend. That I turned things off and rested. Because it takes one day to wind down, one to relax and one to wind back up.

If it were up to me we would work a 4 day work week. And with gas prices at $4.00 per gallon, some companies are going to 4 10-hour days, cutting back the 5th day commute.
The challenge becomes having the right people here, on the right day, because we never know when a client will call and want to get together. And we're responsive. And known for our ability to makes things happen quickly. Our service is superior.

Working from home one day per week is another option. Creating a floating day for each person to choose to work from home if they can. Most of our creative staff have systems at home with the same software. Media and Account Service have laptops and internet access to the systems they use daily. Teleconferencing is so easy and GreenYour.com reports from The Business Travel Coalition that, "73 percent of companies have increased the use of video conferencing and other teleconferencing methods." It takes a small amount of money to set this up and most say it is as if the person is actually there in the room. And with GoToMeeting, everyone can see the same presentation and you can even record the meeting to save and review later or share with interested parties. We use this tool with clients out of town or traveling.

I used to think we all had to be on-premise between the hours of 8:30 and 5:00 to be productive. And through the years I have discovered I get more done when I work from home and during the hours that I choose. My most creative moments are very early in the morning when I am up and all is quiet. I am sure it is different for everyone. The "night owls" would probably start work at 7pm. Who cares when? If our creative product remains on target, meets the criteria and gets results. Something to consider as we digitally evolve.