A Gift for all My Friends and Followers!

How to Increase Your Winning Percentage: Just Say No

I'm not proud to admit that I once answered 127 RFI/RFPs in one year.  I went to a Mirren BizDev conference once, and the speaker asked how many people in the room answered 10 RFP's in a year.  Everyone's hand's shot up.  "25?"  Hands went down. "30?"  One hand left up.  I was embarrassed, so I pulled my hand down at that point.

Like the lottery ad says, the truth is "you gotta be in it to win it."  But, seriously, you can't be in all of them and expect to be "New Business Brilliant" every time.

You've got to pick and choose your battles.  The difference between a success and failure is sizing up the opportunity and then going after the ones that you know you can win.  Easy to say.  Hard to say "no".

Donny Deutsch talks about taking his father's company from $40 Million to $400 Million.  Do you know what he said his secret was?  He "learned to say NO".

Another famous Donny - New York Yankees First Baseman, Don Mattingly (Donnie Baseball) reminds me:

"Get a good pitch.  Hit it hard somewhere.  The rest is out of your hands."

I have always tried to heed the advice of both Donny's as I approach every new business opportunity.

Providence, RI: An Overlooked Gem of Business and Pleasure

I may have mentioned this before, yet it bears repeating.  My daughter is at school in Providence, Rhode Island. I've been to Providence before on business (Hasbro, CVS), and for pleasure (WaterFire).  Though, I have never realized what a gem of a city it was - until now.

On a recent "Parent's Day" weekend, we had the good fortune to dine on Federal Hill.  Homemade pasta.  Handmade cheeses.  Hand-crafted bread.  It was heaven-on-a-hilltop.  Dining alfresco, we were seduced by a the vocal styling of a "Big Band Revival" band.  Sinatra.  Bennett.  Damone.  Even Julius LaRosa.  They were all there -- en full throat!  The best part was that Buddy Cianci - the colorful ex-mayor/ex-con - upon whose back this revitalized city owes it's newfound resplendant glory -- was dining with us.  And, regardless of your politics, the warm glow of the early fall evening sun made everything seem right.  It was a good night.  And, for dessert?  You can't beat beat a Sfogliatella from Scialo Bros. Bakery.  Layer after flaky layer.  Emmm.  Emmm.  As Lidia would say, Tutti a table! A mangaro.

Roxy's Bone to Pick: Pets

Roxy reminds me that she is not a pet.  Quite indignantly, in her usual throaty growl, she huffs, "I am a DOG."

Her view on the matter is that pets are soft-in-the-middle, fufu house guests.  Dogs are unattached, uninvolved, and independent.

She points out that it was my choice - definitely - not - hers! - to disrupt her life - and bring her into mine.  She, after all, was minding her own business, nustling through the cedar chips with her new-found friend Lucy, until I came along.

"Well, excuse me," she huffs once more for emphasis.  "I never, not once, ever pretended to be all soft, cuddly, and puppified.  It was you - you - who projected your fancy, high-faluttin, suburbanated notions of what a puppy should be - onto me!"

She, of course, is right.  As usual.  To say that Roxy is of her own mind is an understatement. Roxy has no interest in pleasing me - or anyone else - animal or person.  That is - unless she wants to.  Until Roxy makes up her mind to do something, you will never ever convince, persuade, or cajole her otherwise.

Get off the couch?  "For-ged-aboud-it."  Play with the other dogs?  "Screwyou."  Stop barking?  "Grrrrrraarrragh!"

But, when she wants something -- really, really wants something -- she couldn't be sweeter.  "Rollover, you say?  Tumble aside Mary Lou!  You want soft and cuddly?  Check out my belly.  Go ahead, give me rub. Pat my head.  C'mon.  C'mon.  I can do soft and cuddly!"

Roxy reminds me that just because she can't talk, doesn't mean she can't communicate.  As a result, she has bestowed unto me that rare gift of a new perspective.  Because of her, I see things differently now.  Not as they are, but as they should be.   Like it or not Roxy, I appreciate that.

(You can see more pictures of Roxy -- and her friends -- over here.)

Holy Truck! Road Trip!

This post over at Mashable is inspiring.  My hat's off to the readers of Mashable for their list of favorite food trucks around the country.

Food Trucks are the "Target" of the Foodie world.  To me, they represent "The Democratization of Gourmet Food".  (You heard that here first, didn't ya!)  Great food.  Easy to access.  Lots of fun.

Well the Mashable post puts me in the mind to travel the country testing all the food trucks.  Perhaps rating them.  Maybe, it's time for a national-level Zagats-type guide to Food Trucks?  Or perhaps a Food Truck Ap?  If anyone knows of one, please respond back to me, as I would love to download it.

Another very cool site is Roadfood.com.  I am always sure to check it when going to another city.  I always want to sample the local fair - and I know of no better source than Roadfood.com for providing great intel on the diviest places!

A couple of summers ago, my sons and I, and my father too, went on a hotdog hunt.  Well - to be exact - a Texas Wiener hunt.  We visited all of the best Texas Wiener stops in and around Paterson, New Jersey - for my money - the home of the best Texas Wieners in the world - but this is for another post.

For now, I am busy plotting my course to fukuburger!

Going Postal - It's a Good Thing!

I love this post over at AgencySpy.  It really nails the heart and soul of the US Postal Service, unlike anything I have seen in the past (save the "Let the River Run" anthem developed by Grey that ran immediately following events of 9/11/2001.)

The US Postal Service is often derided, I think, unfairly.  Yet, it is part of the very fabric of our country.  In the age of interactive media and digital relationships, I have long held that the US Postal Service is really the only one true interactive network that delivers messages face-to-face to every home in America.  Now, I see their campaigns are beginning to pick up on this key differentiator.

The US Postal Service has been delivering for us since 1775.  Now, it's time for us to deliver for them.  As Congress debates the fate of USPS,  I hope it's not too late.

Google Minus?

Ok.  Ok.  So I wasn't one of the digiteratti to get an invite to beta test Google+.  But, like the social-faithful, I hastily followed the blue-arrow prompt and took the plunge a few weeks ago.  I must say, at first blush, I was underwhelmed with the experience.  It felt much like admiring a cool new sports car from afar, only to be left unfulfilled behind the wheel during the test drive.  Lots of goo-gaws and gadgets.  Clunky to navigate.  Few of my friends and colleagues participating.  So, like the rest of the reported 60%, I bailed.

Until yesterday.  Thanks to my new friend Kit Costello, I am taking Google+ for another, extended test-drive.  I'll put it through its paces in all earnestness this time, and see where she takes me.  Afterall, The Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu, can't both be wrong.  Thanks Kit.

The e-Fairness Act - Devaluating Your Company by 25%?

Did you know that internet retailers are supposed to collect sales tax on goods sold in California, Connecticut and five other states?  Big deal, you say?  Just wait until the 44 other cash-strapped states jump on the revenue-windfall band wagon.  You'll start getting notices from every company you did business with to collect back taxes.

That's bad enough for consumers, but - can you image the collection nightmare involved for America's businesses?  I know - no one cares about corporate greed, but this will surely end up coming out of your pocket at some point.

Thank goodness for companies like Amazon, and the Direct Marketing Association who are standing up to the legislation.  But the fight will be a long one, and the DMA could use all the support it can get.

If you are an internet retailer, you may be interested in a new free webinar being sponsored by the DMA that addresses many of the issues you will need to face.  To find out more, send me an email:  rtraino@comcast.net.

Do you twitter like a teenage girl?

Everyone from the Pope to the President to your kid sister are Twittering today.  But, let’s be honest.  All tweets are not created equal.  Personally, I prefer the transparency of my kid-sister’s tweets about the family dog, to the promotional, self-serving, insincere “twosh” (that’s a cross between the words “tosh” and “tweet”, coined here) from big brands.

It’s no secret that brands have discovered Twitter as a way to engage better with their consumers.  But, that’s the problem.  To mis-quote one of my favorite creative geniuses, Emily Soell, “I don’t want to have a relationship with my aspirin.  I just want my headache to go away.”

If you can only hear your own voice and see your own content in your tweetstream then you’ve misunderstood what you’re here for. Your followers are following you because they are hoping you will provide information relevant to them.  They’re looking for information to pass along to their friends and their own followers.

For such a simple format, there is an incredible complexity to the variety of tweets, and the metadata that go along with them. 

How would you judge your won tweet anatomy?  Do you tweet like your kid sister, or do you tweet like a corporate hack?

Virtual Shopper Marketing

These days, it seems that every other agency in the world has some sort of fancy-schmancy "pathway to purchase" model. Truth-be-told, though - most are thinly-veiled interpretations of the real McCoy -- er, a McKinsey. (But, that's for another blog post.)

Now, it seems, they will all need to re-calibrate their little shopper compasses. South Korea's HomePlus is testing a virtual store that allows shoppers with smartphones to buy their groceries while they wait for the subway. At Seolleung station, there’s a row of brightly lit billboards along the subway platform, with hundreds of pictures of food – things like instant noodles, bottled beverages and bunches of bananas. Shoppers (or strap-hangers?) can hold their phones over the black-and-white QR Codes under product pictures, snap, order, and indicate when and where to deliver.

Innovative and smart.  Are you on the right path to purchase?

Sales Tip of the Day: Be Fascinating

In the past few months I have conducted a lot of interviews, talked to a lot of people, and the one thing that I have found to ring true is the need to be fascinating.  People are more distracted than ever before, and in order to hold their attention for more than a nano-second, it is critical to engage them from the start - and throughout the conversation.  The trick I am finding, is to be fascinating.  And, I learned a very long time ago - the one key secret to being fascinating.  Do you want to know what that secret is?

I'll tell you.  I learned it from an adjunct professor at Glassboro State College - my alma mater.  Back then - it wasn't known as Rowan.  There were no fancy-schmancy luxury hotel-dorms or upper-east-side-esque health club-like gyms.  Just Mimosa Hall and Esby Gym.  Oy!

Well, back to being fascinating.  Like I said, this adjunct professor -- he wasn't even a real professor -- but I have held onto most of what he taught us in one semester for the past 30 years.  He said, "the secret to being fascinating is to be ..."  wait for it ... wait for it... "the secret to being fascinating", well, simply "is to be fascinated".

There you have it.  The next time you are at a cocktail party - try it out.  Rather than talk about you, you, you.  Don't talk at all.  Engage people in a conversation about the most fascinating person in the room -- them.  Ask them about their story.  Probe about them. They won't shut up.  And, in the end - they will think you are the most fascinating person n the room -- because they will have been fully engaged in your conversation - about them.

The same holds true for job interviews, by the way.  Keep the other guy talking - and you win.

Fascinating.

Maggie's Bread

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Peter Reinhart often talks about the transformational properties of bread.  Bread starts out as wheat, which gives up its life to become flour.  Flour, mixed with yeast and water, is transformed into dough - which has life again.  The dough, when baked gives up its life to become bread - which, some refer to as the "staff of life".  Not meaning to get all preachy here, but, it is a cool perspective on humble flour, water, yeast!

Today, though, I am realizing that bread has one more transformational property.  My daughter Maggie is learning the ancient craft of making artisan bread.  She is studying baking and pastry arts at Johnson and Whales.  Yesterday, much to my delight, Maggie shared with us two images of bread that baked in class.  Simple baguettes and rustic ciabatta.  As you can see from the photos, the bread is gorgeous.  I can't wait until she comes home and bakes some for the family.  I couldn't be more proud of her.

A month ago, I dropped off self-absorbed teenager at college.  Today, I can see that -- through the art and discipline of baking bread, the transformation of my daughter.

Ousted!

Well, it finally happened.  After a two month run, I was ousted as the Mayor of JWU West Hall.  I've never been ousted before.  And when it did happen, I felt stunned. I felt betrayed.  I felt an immediate impulse to check-in and protect my interests (even though JWU West Hall is over 400 miles away from Roxy's Run).  I wanted to know more about this "Amanda M" who seized my position in a stealthy coup.  Was this a premeditated plot?  Did she plan to overthrow me for months?  So, I am planning to make a trip to JWU West Hall to reclaim what is rightfully mine!  As the Mayor of more than 30 places, I do not take this surreptitious behavior lightly.

PeopleBrowsr: Brand Engagement from the Largest Database of Tweets in the World

Brand Managers - is your agency partner using PeopleBrowsr?  


If not, your brand could be missing a great opportunity to leverage the collective consciousness assembled through Twitter, Facebook, and other social channels.   


From CrunchBase:  "PeopleBrowsr can tap into this stream to create a rich metadata cloud built from data extracted from global blogs, websites and other social media platforms, collecting crucial information about a brand or event by providing real-time statistics and human-powered sentiment analysis."


Over the weekend, the folks at PeopleBrowsr invited me to test drive Engagement Center interface. (You can see me taking it for a test drive over at Screenr - btw - another cool tool if you aren't using it already.)


Straightup - good stuff.  I began to think of the whole experience as an "All Access Pass" to the largest cocktail party on the planet.  With this tool, I was able to identify the most influential folks at the party.  Listen to what they are saying about different brands.  Join the conversation.  Influence their opinions.  And motivate them to share more about a brand with all of their other influential friends.


If your agency isn't using PeopleBrowsr on behalf of your brand, then maybe it's time to engage with another partner.

Does Anybody Else Think The iPhone Sucks?

Don't get me wrong.  I love my iPhone for a lot of things (all the apps mostly).  But, let's face it, when it comes to the one thing I need it to do (phone calls), it just plain sucks.  Dropped calls.  Can't connect.  Sloooooooooow connections.  And don't you dare tell me it's my carrier (Verizon).  Believe me, Verizon sucks too (but that's for another blog rant).  But, when I had Verizon service with my Blackberry -- I never had a problem with any calls.  Now, I can't even get reception inside my home.  Thank heavens for the -- yes -- landline (Comcast - they suck too)! Seems Apple got everything right with the iPhone except for one thing - uhh - the phone!

What's the Half-Life of Your Tweet?

What happens to a tweet if it's posted and no one reads it?  Was it really posted?

I often wonder about this, as I launch what I consider to be the most profound tweet in the twitterverse -- only to be rewarded with -- crickets.  No response.  Did it go unnoticed?  Was it not profound enough to catch anyone's interest?  Chances are, it simply got lost in the stream of thousands of tweets that stream by every minute.

There have been various studies suggesting that if someone doesn’t see a tweet or a Facebook post within a few hours, they’ll never see it at all.

Bit.ly has measured what it calls the “half-life” of a socially-shared link. By half-life, it means the point in which a link has received half the clicks it will ever get. From the company’s blog post:

We can evaluate the persistence of the link by calculating what we’re calling the half life: the amount of time at which this link will receive half of the clicks it will ever receive after it’s reached its peak.

In short, after three hours, links shared on the two major social networks — Twitter and Facebook — are headed to obscurity. However, YouTube links last a bit longer. It’s unclear what Bit.ly means here, but I think it’s saying that a YouTube link that’s shared on Twitter or Facebook will attract attention longer than other types of links shared on them. I’m checking on this.

There is a great post on this stuff here.

How to Double Your Klout Score in Less than Two Weeks

The Klout Score is the current standard measure of online influence. Klout takes in terabytes of data of social interactions from across the web, from Facebook to Twitter to Youtube. Using large scale analysis and distributed computing, Klout is able to perform predictive analysis to understand when people create content, and how others react to that content. The Klout approach aggregates signals, content, and social graphs from various platforms into a single Hadoop cluster. Once the data is aggregated, Pig and MapReduce jobs run machine learning algorithms that produce metadata for users and their friends. This metadata is loaded into Elastic Search as well as HBase for consumption. Although this provides a robust and scalable data processing pipeline, a couple key areas that contribute to success are 1) understanding social media knowing what questions to ask of the data and 2) building feedback loops into your content so Klout learning models improve over time.


So, there you have it.  Blog more.

How Many Twitter Followers Does Your Chief Creative Officer Have?

As a business development leader at a top 10 global agency, I have filled out thousands (literally) of RFIs and RFPs.  When you consider that the average RFI/RFP has -- at a minimum -- 30 questions, then I have probably answered more than 30,000 questions.  What's amazing, though, is the fact that not one single client has ever asked me -- How many twitter followers does your Chief Creative Officer have?  Or - What's your CEO's Foursquare score?  How much Klout does your Digital strategist have?  How many facebook friends does your agency have?

Why aren't clients asking these questions?

If I was a procurement officer, or a CMO, I would want to know the answers to these questions before I even entertained entrusting my hard-earned brand to a potential marketing partner.  How can an agency offer counsel on emerging and social media, if they aren't actively participating in its narrative?  When agencies fake it (and, ghasp -- they do), they can cause serious damage to the reputations of the brands they serve - and the people behind them within the client organization.  

Falsities and truths mingle in the land of RFI/RFP writing.  But numbers don't lie.  Next time you search for any agency -forget about their D&B score.  It's their Klout that you are really interested in!

Mayor of ROI!

I learned today that I was elected to Mayor of Mansfield Community Park.  (Well, it's better than the Iowa Caucus!)  My official first act as Mayor is to raise revenue for the Central Smile Bank.  Effective immediately, everyone entering the mark must smile and greet their neighbors with a hardy, "Hi.  Hello.  Howareya?".  All dogs must receive increased favorable attention from children and seniors.  Parents will not be allowed to raise their voices at soccer games and little league, unless it is in praise.  Coaches can not argue plays, unless it is to give the other team the benefit of the doubt.  I know this all sounds so very goofy.  But, in today's climate, I think that the Return on Infectious behavior will be extremely positive.  Have a nice day :-)

What Does My Kitchen Sink Have to Do with CRM?

My Sorry Sink

The faucet on my kitchen sink broke today.  Tim-the-Tool-Man that I am, I got out my monkey wrench and went to town.  Mistake # 1.

An hour and a half into it, and it's off to Home Depot for a new "Handle Assembly Kit".  Only Home Depot ain't got such part.  So, I buy a new faucet.  Mistake # 2.

$268 and two hours later, I realize that this won't work.  Sooooo - at 1:45 PM - I send a Hail Mary pass to the plumber.  Unbelievably, the plumber says he will be there between 2 PM and 5 PM --- TODAY!!!! Did I mention it was Sunday.  Torrential downpour, hailstones the size of Texas.

My Plumber - He Deserves a Plug!

He gets here, as promised.  Tells me to return the new faucet for money back.  Pulls a "Handle Assmbly Kit" out of his butt - and stick a fork in it - she's done!

Imagine if Comcast (or insert any bloated quasi-monopolistic pseudo-service organization here), operated like my plumber!  Oh what a world it would.  What does my plumber know about CRM that many marketers don't?

1.  Service with a smile
2.  Stand and deliver
3.  Add real value

You just can't fake that stuff.

For My Friend Ken Beatty: The Smartest Guy I Know

Everyone knows that winning new business requires a great deal of creativity.  But sometimes, creativity comes from the most unlikely source – the data guy.

I was in a pitch once, and the Client said:  I agree with your recommendation, but I think you made a serious error in your ROI calculations.  Do you really expect me to believe that (2/10) = 2?  Prove it!

So, the Account Lead said – “No can do.  This is out of scope!”

The Media Lead said – “We can do it.  But we’ll need more budget.”  

The Creative Director said – “Well, I know it looks funny; but, technically, it’s still within brand guidelines.”  

The Strategic Planner said – “This is really strange.  But, let’s see how it plays in focus groups.”

But, the Data Analyst stood up and said – “That’s easy!”

                           (2 / 10)   = Two / Ten

“T” is common.  Hence   = wo / en

Now, “w” is the 23^rd letter and “o” is the 15^th.

Similarly, “e” is the 5^th letter, and “n” is the 14^th.

Hence,

                        (wo / en)   = (23+15) / (5+14)

                                          = (38 / 19)

                                          = 2

Analysts are never worried about what the answer is.  They will always ask, “Which answer do you want?”

That is my friend Ken.  The best data guy I know.

Account Management: You Can't Handle the Truth

O. Burtch Drake, once said, “the discipline of Account Management has been so inextricably tied into the DNA of the agency business, it has been taken for granted.”

I’ve worked in account management my entire career, and I couldn’t agree more.  For far too many years, account managers have been derided as smooth talking, over-privileged, hipster Madmen. That may have been the case during the age of the three-martini lunch.  But, in today’s age of social solipsism, I hold that there is no role more fundamental and more central to agency success than true account leadership.

No longer is account management simply about “handling” clients.  Nor is account management the whipping post of the creative elite (as in this spoof).  Agency innovation is now a very hot topic in the C – as in client – Suite.  Clients are very interested in re-interpreting the agency model – and account management is at the epi-center.

Every client I know is thinking about innovation – not just across their product lines and marketing campaigns – but across their entire organization.  And, every agency I know – should be thinking this way too:  How to innovate within their organizational structure; how to create a balance between re-energizing their core and attacking any white space; what types of people they need to staff their innovation function; and what capability gaps do they have that need to be filled.

It’s more important than ever for agencies to re-invent the way that their clients engage with them. Client expectations are higher than ever.  They want solutions faster than ever.  And, they demand that their agency experience is easier than ever.  Believe me, clients aren’t taking good account management for granted – and neither should you.

Happy Anniversary Dear

Today marks the 26th anniversary of my wedding to Missy - the most stunningly gorgeous, sinfully delicious (cook - shame on you all), graciously charming, amazingly clever, make-me-laugh-in-my belly, world's best Words-with-Friends playing woman on the planet.  How I won her, I will never, never know.

The first week of my freshman year at college, I attended a mandatory dorm meeting and sat down next to my destiny.  After that meeting, I remember telling my roommate that, "I had just met the girl that was going to marry."  Those were my exact words.  I know.  I know.  Sounds like something someone would say like, "Follow that cab!" in a "B" rated movie.  But it is the truth - I swear.

But then, maybe that's because my life has really been like a movie - or TV show.  "Bewtiched" to be exact.  Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to be Darren Stevens (not the Dick York version).  Like so many innocents who really don't know anything about the business beyond "Mean Joe Green" and "Where's the Beef", I was seduced by the lure of Madison avenue as a child.  (It wasn't until I got fired a few times before I realized it was actually a cold, hard business - not magic -nothing glamorous at all, in fact.)  Well, for nearly 30 years, I have followed the siren's call.  In the end, I have made a career of advertising (my first job was at BBDO - on Madison Avenue).  But, I never did marry a witch.

Instead, I married Doris Day.  After all these years, I have realized that my charmed life is more like "The Thrill of it All" than "Bewitched".  Sunny, vibrant, fun, chaotic, messy -- but always, always -- with a happy ending -- all because of Missy - my goddess, my muse, my Happy Soap pitch girl.  I love her.  I adore her.  I am intoxicated by her.

Happy anniversary Missy.

Accountability: The New Creative? Or, The New Creative Killer?

David Ogilvy once famously remarked that the best way to pick an agency was to watch TV - then call the agency that produced the ads you liked the most.  Today, though, I would challenge that notion.  Don't get me wrong - great creative is still a good measuring stick for finding a creative resource - duh.   Yet, today, a smart client needs to look further.  What's the ratio of finance staff to creative talent, for instance?  My Mama, (God bless her soul) always said - "Too many bean counters makes for bad soup." - and she never stepped foot on Madison Avenue.

Last year, I had the good fortune to be present for a keynote address that Alex Bogusky gave for Mirren (the New Business folks).  It was memorable for many reasons (he and his son drew stick figures for the presentation - you can view it here), but what I remember most was his warning about too much focus on FTEs.  "How many creatives, how many resources does it take to come up with a winning pitch?"  If it takes the entire agency to pitch in and develop the winning idea, then that is what it takes.  The temptation is to treat ideation and strategising like a fiduciary process that you can manage down.  In doing that, some agencies stunt creative development and miss the mark.

Better to focus on creative talent - than creative bean counting.

Bright and Shiny are Overrated

Ad agencies everywhere are notorious for their envy of all things bright and shiny. They attract us. We can't keep our eyes off them. Their glow is like a supernatural force, pulling us into their orbit - and we can't resist. We chase new user experiences, new technologies -- the newer, the shiner, the higher the demand.

Why?

Because we think that if we aren't keeping up with new media trends, we will be left vulnerable. Vulnerable to opportunities, stereotypes, the widening digital divide, political marginalization.

Yet, (and, yes, this "yet" is for you Wendy) as much as we like to think it may be so, the newest technology isn’t necessarily the best - or the right thing to do for our clients. In an increasingly over-mediated, over-saturated, over-shiny advertising world, sometimes - it still pays to "simplify, simplify, simplify."

One of my all-time favorite websites belongs to one of the richest men in the world - Warren Buffett.  Few would disagree with me that his company, Berkshire Hathaway, is a model for success for any business today.  Yet, his website, http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/, appears to break all the rules. 

User Experience design be-damned. There is no social media.  No links to Facebook or You Tube.  No Twitter feeds.  No flew-flewbers or tah-tinkers.  No Who-Whovers or gar-ginkers. The site can only be described as a throwback to the days of Compuserve and the Arpanet. 

Yet, even without all the bells and whistles, in liquid reality, the site is armed with meaning and value. Without the glitz and glitter -- the bling bling of Bershire Hathaway is unmistakable. 

However humble it is served-up, the content on the site reflects three major elements required for success in today's community-driven marketing world:  collaboration, sustainability and education.  These elements are not necessarily the bright shiny new things of the future. Instead, they remain the crux of successful marketing practice today. 

It's about the content - not the creative.

"Hello, World"

When I was a kid, my mother used to listen to radio station WNEW out of New York City.  I'm dating myself here, I know - but, the salute to William B Williams as the title of my first post seemed somehow irresistible. (Pardon the corn, you'll get used to it.)  Williams was the enigmatic voice of the "Make Believe Ballroom" for like 40 years.  He is also noted for coining the name "Chairman of the Board" for Frank Sinatra.


Willie B, as he was known, combined an intimate knowledge of music with personal anecdotes to create a smooth style that captivated listeners. He developed lasting relationships with the top singers of the Great American Songbook, including Lena Horne and Nat King Cole. Early in his career, he befriended Frank Sinatra when the crooner recorded broadcasts at WNEW. On one broadcast, Williams mused that since Benny Goodman was the "King of Swing" and Duke Ellington was a duke, then Sinatra must have a title as well, suggesting "Chairman of the Board." Sinatra learned of the comment and embraced the title. Later, when interest in standards flagged, Williams persisted in playing Sinatra's music and is credited with a key role in keeping Sinatra's career afloat. Sinatra, to whom loyalty was a key virtue, never forgot Williams and lauded him to any and all who would listen.

Through the years, my life has been enriched by people like Willie B who have an extraordinary ability to paint a vivid tableau with their words. I hope that the narrative that I share with you through this blog will color your world, your business, your life in the same way.   I hope to combine my intimate knowledge of the delicate underbelly of advertising with personal anecdotes collected from working at some of the world's leading agencies.

So, stay tuned.  It may not be the Make Believe Ballroom any more, but it will be just as colorful.