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By Vegasbab, February 9, 2011 1:39 pm

In today’s advertising world, is the creative brief outdated? My vote is absolutely! But, it also shows that we, as marketers, continue to ironically be awful communicators. While we have 100′s of “new” tools for communication, we still have to revert back to the outdated method of RFPs and creative briefs. Why? What would happen if we did neither? What would happen if we broke tradition and “rules” and requested creative/campaigns/ideas informally and like normal people? Is making agencies/subordinates jump through crazy hoops simply an ego boost and power trip?

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By Vegasbab, September 14, 2010 7:45 pm

As always, iMedia Brand Summit was enlightening, inspiring and totally recharged everyone in attendance. I can’t wait for the next one! Below is my favorite stream of tweets encapsulating the event:

The #iMediaSummit is just awesome. Here’s my top ten fun learnings from the event…

#10. If they take you on a four hour bike ride, make sure you apply a couple coats of sunscreen. #skincancer #recreation?#iMediaSummit

#9. The rep from FunnyorDie does not think I’m funny.#depressingrevelations #iMediaSummit

#8. Zappos is more than just shoes! #Prada #Gucci#AnneKlein #KennethCole #Nike #Reedbok #iMediaSummit

#7. I wish Diamond Shreddies had US distribution.#ComboPackCoupon #iMediaSummit

#6. One minute match-ups end up a lot like most of my relationships, not so good. #shewon‘tcall #iMediaSummit

#5. You can bribe an agency for a good $5k off a quote with a few cigarettes after midnight. #isthisjail #giftshopisclosed#iMediaSummit

#4. Fantasy Football and the #iMediaSummit do not mix.#iMediahatestheNFL

#3. I’m pretty sure I can get into the University of Phoenix.#notacommunitycollege #iMediaSummit

#2. The bar tab at the #iMediaSummit this week is likely higher than the GNP of most developing nations.#alcoholicsanonymous

#1. National Geographic has inspired me to not only drive a hybrid, but to attend state fairs and eat rattlesnake. #kickass#iMediaSummit

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By Vegasbab, December 6, 2009 11:38 pm

Oh yes, this guy is for real and too funny not to post. Gotta love the “not so high rollers” of the Vegas Strip.

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By Vegasbab, December 5, 2009 6:16 am

I loved this post so much, that it was totally worth re-posting here. I never quite know how to explain what I do, but this is a good start

This post is for my Dad.
I don’t think he understands my job.
I work in advertising.
On the account side.
A lot of times people ask me what I do.
Here’s what I tell them:

When Churchill retired from politics he tried painting.
He set up his easel in his garden.
He got just the right size canvas.
He organized all his paints and brushes.
He’d chosen a perfectly comfortable stool.
He made sure everything was absolutely right.
Then he tried to decide where to start on the painting.
He stared at the pristine, white canvas.

Should he start in one area and work his way across?
Or should he sketch in the rough outline first?
Should he try to include the whole landscape?
Or should he pick one particular part to concentrate on?
How to begin exactly?

Two hours later his wife came out with a cup of tea.
He hadn’t painted a thing.
He was still sitting there thinking.
The canvas was still perfectly white.

His wife asked him why he hadn’t painted anything.
He said he couldn’t decide where to start.
So she picked up a brush and painted a huge squiggle in the middle of the canvas.
Churchill went ballistic.

“What are you doing, you’ve ruined a perfectly good canvas.”
She said, “Well now you’ll just have to fix it won’t you.”
And he started to fix the mess.
Scraping off the paint, and painting over it.
And pretty soon he’d painted his first landscape.

See what was stopping Churchill was knowing how to start.
What his wife did was take the start-point away.
She gave him a problem to fix instead.
The man who could lead Britain in a world war didn’t know what to do with a blank canvas.
Give him a problem to fix, a massive mess that no one else could sort out.
Fine.

But how do you start when there is no problem?
Creative people are good at fixing problems.
Good at responding.
Not so good at creating from nothing.
With no brief, no direction, no ideas, nothing to get hold of.

So that’s what I do. I draw squiggles on a blank canvas.

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By Vegasbab, November 25, 2009 7:48 pm

Lighthearted video that reminds us to ignore the critics. Everyone’s a critic. Everyone will see things differently. Everyone will find something to complain and nitpick about. Screw ‘em. Don’t let team members try to bulletproof the project so much so that it ultimately ruins the original objective.

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By Vegasbab, November 4, 2009 9:41 pm

So funny it deserves its own post:

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By Vegasbab, October 19, 2009 9:05 pm

There’s so many things I could say about this video. Instead, I think I’ll let you form your own comments. BUT, I sure as hell would like a shirt that makes me writhe like that.

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By Vegasbab, October 10, 2009 7:53 pm

This linkfest has been sitting in my drafts for weeks, but still, a few good links.

1. QR Codes. People still don’t quite see the possibilities. However, this article does a great job expanding on some of the possibilities and reasons why hotels would benefit from utilizing QR Codes.
2. Funny comic on the Joys of Tech
3. My guilty pleasure is AXE advertising. Always edgy, always cutting edge. The incomplete ad that marries traditional print with mobile marketing is simple and pure genius.
4. I can’t wait for Best Buy’s holiday ad campaign to debut. The way they’re using cookies to engage and provide “value” is brilliant.
5. At least once a week someone declares, “Facebook is dead.” But, here’s one reason Why I Don’t Think Facebook is Dead

And, what post would be complete without a little College Humor and a Font Fight?

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By Vegasbab, September 9, 2009 8:35 am

I can only laugh at the pure irony of this one…

For FIVE months I’ve been asking for x. In those five months, I got zero clarification on x. Ironically, after the project tanked because there was no clarification, there was a blog post written clarifying x.

All I can do is say, “Are you fucking kidding me?” and laugh at the irony.