Woolard Speak

I'm posting on posterous now

2009-09-09T13:45:00.001-05:00

follow my thoughts at http://woolard.posterous.com/

woolard speak is dead. long live woolard speak. for now.

Alright, I'm callin' it

2009-04-19T23:11:00.002-05:00

this blog thing is no longer inspiring me/you. let's put it on the table. i get it. you get it. i'm doing other things and communicating in new ways. additionally, i frankly am sick of thinking about blogging. it's an afterthought.

a hiatus till it's inspired.

in the meantime: http://twitter.com/Woolard

or, just close your laptop and go outside.

grab a drink

2009-04-12T21:55:00.002-05:00

interesting range of reports on how folks are dealing with the current economy:

How Twentysomethings are Coping
Unsure times, pack some heat
Feeling blue about your investment, how bout investing in time?

How are you/your consumers coping?

Why Southwest Airlines continues to charm

2009-04-01T09:43:00.002-05:00

in this time of economic blah blah blah wah wah....

you get it.

it's nice to see a company with personality AND spirit.

via A Brit Planner in the Rockies, check it.

A magical psa

2009-03-26T21:51:00.003-05:00

reposting a great video from Barkley colleague Mike Swenson via colleague Dave Thornhill.

things i love: the today edition

2009-03-24T16:22:00.005-05:00

Contrails. the resulting community, safety and public awareness is just a bonus to the satisfaction of leaving your own mark.

Mountain Hardwear's new online community. guilty of spending way too much time navigating the 3-D entry page today.

no link needed here, but i'm loving the idea of being outside, on my bike in about an hour.

Classic Cycling.com - a plug!

2009-03-20T15:39:00.004-05:00

one of the Hincapie/Gary Fisher/Barkley riders, Shane Martin, has launched a great online store for cycling gear/bikes/accessories: Classic Cycling. go check it out - you'll get sucked in and hopefully spend a few bones on some of the great deals/sale items, and even collector jerseys. my birthday's in a few months...i'm sure the 2005 Disco team Champes Elleyse kit would look good on me. just saying....

great launch of a valuable site, Shane.

knock knock

2009-03-15T18:37:00.004-05:00

seriously, i'm here. have been, just intentionally blacked out the Woolard Speak for a while. not sure i want to be back on the blogger train, but it's depressing to realize how long it has been since i've really posted. so here goes.

i've been twittering a lot more lately, basically due to its ease and my propensity for shorter engagement. i like following friends and inspiring stalk-ees via twitter and have been updating frequently.

frankly, i think i've just been overwhelmed by other things and in order to keep my head in one piece, i've re-prioritized. both work and life have organically moved me toward the real world. real people, face-to-face conversations, sweat, tears, sounds. and i think i prefer it to capturing thoughts here.

work has been nuts to say the least. staff changes, new business and increased client responsibilities. i've been drained, and i'd like to say it's in a good way. i think it is in most instances. the other instances make me want to close the laptop at the end of the day and not open it back up until i have to. might be one reason for the lack of blogging.

i've also been overwhelmed by an Achilles injury that occurred after the Dallas Marathon. i'd planned to run four marathons in TX this winter, but only got through two - and an ultra (keep forgetting that little 31-mile trail jaunt). being unable to run most of the winter has been good and bad. good, in that i've focused on strength training and cycling. bad, that i feel my normal outlet for stress (see above paragraph) has been eliminated. good news is, after doing everything according to the recommendation of my massage therapist and chiropractor, the running hiatus has paid off and i'm back on the road and trail, feeling like a complete man.

probably the most overwhelming happening was my dog Monk being diagnosed with two different types of cancer. Lymphoma and Mast cell. two surgeries and much recovery later, he's doing quite well all things considered, although we're dealing with a very real prognosis of months, not years.

as the temps hit 60 today and i reflected while at the dog park (a place a few months ago seemed like a fantasy trip) i realized it was a long winter in my life.

a few more updates before i turn my attention to the DVR'ed Paris Nice race (yes, i caved and got cable):
Interwoven Threads is keeping on keeping on. Just made another donation to an increased stable of great partners: reStart, Thresholds, Feeding America, USD 500 Homeless Liason Office . sales have slowed since the economy has tanked, which is concerning, as the recipients of Interwoven customers' kindness are those who are hardest hit when the economy goes south.

though work has been busy and my island of planning has been lonely of late, it's good work and things that i enjoy. additionally, i've been involved in a few pitches and new clients that fit my real-world interests perfectly. i'm ushering Barkley's cycling sponsorships again this year. look for hot new team kits racing across the US and abroad this year! i love this stuff and am honored to be part of two talented efforts. check them out: Hincapie/Gary Fisher presented by Barkley
Hincapie Development Team

what else? i moved from auto-drip to French press. i'm drinking more wine than beer. and maybe with the help of both, i'll try to post more often.

donation time

2008-11-10T22:44:00.002-06:00

it's the best part about owning Interwoven Threads: quarterly donations to three worthy partners: reStart Kansas City, Thresholds Outreach in Chicago and Feeding America.

Check it all out on the Do Better Blog. it was a banner quarter for donations!

remember you can buy online, at the wonderful Gifted Hands boutique in Crown Center (where 40% of Interwoven sales go to preventing domestic violence in Kansas City) and now in Chicago at the eco-boutique Grasshopper 510.

thanks to all who have supported this vision and mission.

look good, do better.

andy

"you're in 9th place...."

2008-10-22T08:58:00.006-05:00

the first of 4 marathons we're running in the large state of Texas was checked off this past weekend. Pa-Woo, Larry and I ran Marathon to Marathon in, well, Marathon, TX. it was a small marathon, but set in a beautiful part of the country, chock full of mountains, desert and quirkiness. we stayed at the Gage Hotel in Marathon - a place i'm already planning to revisit. not only was the hotel and its accommodations unique, its restaurant was one of the best at which i've ever eaten. even better was the chance to hang out with Larry and Sheri, who we have been lucky to befriend and travel to many marathons with.

I went into this marathon with the idea that i'd take it easy in preparation for this weekend's North Face Challenge Endurance Challenge - 31 trail miles in Madison, WI. but as i started off, with mountains around me and the course lit by a desert sunrise, i flat took off. felt great. kept feeling good on a very hilly course and when i got to mile 18, a man at the water stop said, "I think you're in 9th place."

i am not fast. and even if 10 people were running the race, i wouldn't guess to be in 9th place. so when he told me this, i cranked up a new strategy: finish this marathon in the top 10. i figured it'd be the only chance i would have in my marathoning. so, with about 8 miles left, i kept myself safely away from two encroaching runners, paced the women's winner, and flat skipped the water stops and the urge to pee. by the time i got to the finish line, i was still in 9th. a small step for mankind, a big step in my running world. as always, i ran in Brooks shoes, supplemented my nutrition and hydration with Hammer products and wore an aerodynamic do-rag.

the race ended and the rest of the fun began: lounging in a beautiful hotel courtyard, sharing war stories with dad and Larry, celebrating with good food and some post-race-party beer...appropriately served in the race's remaining gatorade cups.

i will definitely make a plan to run this again. hoping to get a whole crew to go down and spend some additional time in Marathon, TX. big thanks to Ma-Woo and Sheri for the incredible crew vehicle support. they made this possible, as always.

today's schedule includes a massage and some light running. tomorrow i'll hop on the chiropractor's table to ensure alignment before this weekend's ultra. more soon.

New Belgium does it again

2008-10-09T12:59:00.002-05:00

i have blogged about New Belgium Brewery before. it's not secret i love the company from a consumer's, environmentalist's, cyclist's, and marketer's view. the video the company just posted is another proof point that it understands its own identity and the power of connecting its roots to its consumers. kudos. again.
(via the mountain culture blog)

Oasis makes me smile for first time since 8th grade

2008-09-18T13:15:00.002-05:00

back in 8th grade or so i listened to Oasis. my friend had a big Oasis subway poster in his bedroom and i thought that was pretty tight. that was during the Champagne Supernova days. good stuff.

then nothing happened.

with the magic of, possibly, cryogenics, they are back and look exactly the same. this time, though, they've employed a sweet marketing trick to leak/promote their new album: get NYC street musicians to play the tracks.

love it. in fact, i love it so much that for some reason Blogger is embedding the vid twice below.

via the Fallon Planning blog.

where brand planning happens

2008-09-01T09:18:00.008-05:00

one of many reasons I came back to Barkley was to be part of its Active Lifestyle focus. as a planner, our discipline is tasked with staying on top of workout, nutrition, culture and gear trends within this category. part of my involvement includes getting into this category first hand. as a cyclist and runner, it's easy for me to pull insights and relate.

i'm spending labor day weekend in Greenville, SC for the US Pro Cycling Championships. if you've followed my facebook or twitter, you'll know that i've had a blast interviewing pros, fans, trainers, wrenches - anyone within a 10 mile radius of the action. this is the second trip i've taken to film cycling and running events and as i import hours of film right now, i'm stoked to see where these insights and learnings end up.

i'll share more about the active lifestyle initiative in a future post - we have an online community in beta right now. for now, here's a pictorial diary of my weekend.

this is actually how i ended my weekend - at the Hincapie after party - but a picture with Christian Vandevelde and George Hincapie deserves to be on the top. i didn't get the "no undershirt" memo.

one of the many yellow jerseys Lance dedicated to George. kind words.

Press conference. Fred Rodriguez (rock racing), George Hincapie (columbia), Ted King (bissell), Craig Lewis (columbia), Christian Vandevelde (garmin chipotle)

US Pro Time Trial Championship podium: Vandevelde, Tom Zirbel, and winner David Zabriskie (3rd consecutive TT win)

i call this "water bottles in red."

George before a vendor ride up Paris Mt., Hincapie Barkley U23 team kit.

the start line of the road race.

Byron from bikehugger.com - got to hang out a few times with the guy I've read for a long while. check out the blog - it's great.

Tyler Hamilton sips victory bubbly, while Garmin Chipotle's Danny Pate and Blake Caldwell look on.

Hincapie Sportswear's new line show, and premium denim launch party.

Scottie and Shane, two members of the Hincapie Coca-Cola Barkley Cycling Team. with their better halves at the after party.

what a weekend. in addition to interviewing tons of spectators, i was able to sit down with some big, big names in the sport: Vandevelde, Hincapie, Dave Zabriskie (who'd like you to know about his new product), Noel Dejonckheere, Fred Rodriguez, Ted King and Jonathan Vaughters, to name a few. also important was the time i got to spend chatting with riders from the Hincapie Barkley U23 and Pro teams.

the Pro team racked up a huge weekend. team manager Adam Little just phoned me to let me know Chris Harkey got 3rd in today's 100k Classic, which is a big-time NRC race in Atlanta. huge podium finish for the team within a very tough field of riders. this podium finish came just days after Scottie Weiss (above photo) placed 1st in the South Carolina State Road Race Championships. i couldn't be prouder to have the Barkley name associated with not only these talented riders, but even more impressive individuals. the team personality is about as good as one could wish for. congrats guys.

so i'm headed to the Atlanta airport in a bit, but feel completely satisfied and energized with what i'll be taking back to the ranch. what a weekend.

Helen Gold run/walk adds a 10K!

2008-08-29T08:03:00.003-05:00

if you're looking for a good local KC race that helps fight an important cause, the Helen Gold race is Sept. 13. the race is helping to raise funds and awareness for Parkinson's Disease. i've run this race a few times and always had a great time - the best thing about this year's race is the new 10K option.

this time of year seems to be one that necessitates little bumps in one's running and training. we're about to hit fall races, summer runs are behind us, etc. i'm facing five 26-mile-plus events in the fall and winter and need some motivation and energy. i'll run this race as a way to jump start my competitiveness and get myself back in the step of events and races.

the other thing i love about this race is that the company I work for, Barkley, has been an amazing supporter both creatively and in spreading the word. not that we're not want for ways to socialize internally, but running and walking with your co-workers, for a great cause, sure is a good way to come together.

hit up the Web site to learn more and show up on the 13th.

my dad plain rocks

2008-08-15T13:51:00.002-05:00

i've posted about my dad's blog a couple times. if you're an athlete, or even a maybe-i-wanna-be-an athlete, you will dig his posts. here's the most recent reason i'm proud to be his son.

sure do hope this is fake

2008-08-13T19:20:00.002-05:00

Mad Men's Don Draper has a Twitter account.

and that is the most sensible sentence you'll be able to find as you explore the fake relationship building and sort of creepy game of pretend here.

my guess is it's fake. my devious hope is some dumbass from AMC or whatever agency is promoting the show somehow sold this in as marketing communication steeped in Web 2.0.

either way, the weird collision of very different time periods is fun to observe.

New Interwoven Threads now online!

2008-08-07T20:57:00.002-05:00

check out the website for the two new designs - and a cool redesign of the Interwoven site!

based on customer comments, i've made the women's shirts longer in the torso - and these new shirts are super soft. even softer than the last designs. you'll love the way they fit.

also, again because of your comments, i created a new donation element. for every sale of the white threads, i'm donating $5 to America's Second Harvest to help fight the growing cost of food for lower income Americans. this will be a meaningful donation during a time when all of our budgets are stretched, but none so much as those who already were in need. the yellow threads will be the same one-shirt-donated-per-purchase model.

these shirts were designed by Suzanne Frye.

look good, do better.

When sponsorship works

2008-08-06T08:51:00.006-05:00

if you follow my twitters or facebook updates, you know i was in hog heaven this past weekend: North Carolina, three days of cycling, talking with spectators and racers and most importantly, hanging out with the elite team Barkley sponsors. Barkley is a presenting sponsor of the Hincapie Coca-Cola Cycling Team, a team of elite pros chock full of talent and true class. it was a joy to hang out with the team, and team manager Adam Little, who played host/educator during the various criterium races we watched.

(Jeremy pushes the pedals in the Presbyterian Invite Crit in Charlotte)

(Scottie at the line for the Presbyterian Invite Crit in Charlotte)

Barkley is also a sponsor of the Hincapie Development Team - a U-23 group that's kicking hind-quarters at races across the country. The New York times wrote a story about that sponsorship - check it here.

being that our elite team is so strong (both men and women riders were winning and front-of-pack at each of the races), i heard our agency's name quite consistently. but that's only one part of a successful sponsorship. the true measure of success was found talking with spectators, other racers and local cycling leaders who had looked up the Barkley website and also had stellar things to say about the character and talent on this team. the similarities in both organizations personalities was powerful.

(Blair moving the pack in the Hanes Park Crit)

much of why i was traveling to these races was to do my planner duties and talk to people. i took hours of video interviewing folks about what makes them tick in relation to sports and healthy lifestyle. from 5-year-olds on training wheels to professional cyclists, the insights were valuable and the conversations were a lot of fun to be part of.

the other thing i realized is how advanced that part of the U.S. is in terms of active lifestyle. the cycling culture there is insane. the average small-town spectator knew the teams - even some of the racers - and could rattle off the ins and outs of a criterium race easily. you don't see that in Kansas City.

big thanks, again, to Adam for rolling out the red carpet. kudos to the team for some big wins and great sustained effort during a long week of racing.

check out the team blog here for more. they have a nice post on the weekend here.

the argument for polarization

2008-07-27T18:41:00.007-05:00

polarization is a touchy word among brand folks. it's either a black or white or a very, very aspirational gray. you can't be both. and then add into the equation, the actual brand, which may be as vanilla as Wonderbread or steeped in niche and controversy. i, for a vote of one, believe brands must work as hard to have loyalists as they do to define for whom they are not.

that doesn't mean i'm advocating for an "If you're not with us, you're against us" strategy, but a firm stance in what the brand means and stands for. at the end of the day, much to the hopeful brand manager's dismay, you can't be everything to all people.

which leads me to one of the more inspiring brands i interact with - and, possibly uncharacteristically - am for. SWOBO bikes, one of which I ride, is a no-b.s., take-it-or-leave-it, this-is-who-we-are brand. the brand's blog, How to Avoid the Bummer Life is an often hilarious link farm, thought-provoking narration of cycling culture and counter-culture and just a darn fun read. sometimes the blog links to bicycle safety news, sometimes to YouTube's latest. but, in step with the overall brand, it has a distinct personality that you either love or don't.

i was catching up on SWOBO's blog this morning and ran across a great example of this polarization debate: Friday Heroes. the post leads with a blurb (below) from Bicycle Retailer containing a quote from a prospective buyer who loved the SWOBO Dixon, but didn't buy because after researching the brand, realized SWOBO is 100 percent against the Bush Administration. yup.

two things i love here: the consumer made a choice based on personal preference, which is the cost of doing business with a brand that has an actual personality. secondly, i believe it to be true that for every one person who is offended by the SWOBO ethos or its honest blog posts, five more find kinship, and that's a ratio as a marketer, I'm fine with promoting.

for those that know me, they know i'm not an alleycat-racing fixie-nerd. hell, i have a yellow lab and a Volkswagen. but being part of the SWOBO brand is as much a decision to ride a supple, solid bike as it is to connect to a side of cycling that is much different from my road riding and mountain biking. it's what i take to Man Date at McCoy's. it's what I ride to the store. it's what i ride when i put in the earbuds and ride aimlessly at night. it's not what i get kitted up for. it's not what i mix Hammer Nutrition in the water bottles for...it's what I dump the rest of a beer into a bottle for. it's one of many poles in my life and it fills a great place in my heart.

the funny thing about the above blurb is that i love Trek bikes. and i got to thinking - you don't have to be one or the other! i've owned two and admired many more. i love the Trek company. and you know, though the brand gets a bit of the short end in the above post, Trek's also worked hard to form a personality. it's done so successfully enough that it was included as the other pole in the post. and i think that's just as important.

i get the business risk, the brand reputation fears, and the sweaty marketing manager who is trying like heck to hold onto his or her job. but this post made me remember, whether you're known for tattoos on your knuckles and playing cards in your spokes or you're known as the Tour de France winning bike, you have to be known for something.

SWOBO, through both its online and offline communication has found itself a place in a specific culture, one of which customers and loyalists can relate to, and maybe more importantly, one of which prospects can aspire to get just a little piece of.

and by creating that sturdy brand image, and pitting your brand against something WHILE you define yourself in relevant contexts (social, cultural, usage) you can make friends or at least gain perimeter admirers who one day might, as i did, find your brand among others and buy on pure joyful impulse.

kudos SWOBO. that's good press.

Lunar Trek Ultramarathon Done

2008-07-19T19:37:00.006-05:00

so it started during one of the weekly "Man Dates" that a core group of us men gather for each Monday. there was beer, there was much talking and boasting and at the end of the night, there was my dad with a pen in one hand and a registration sheet in the other. i signed it, didn't think much of what i was doing and set about to recycle the damage of the evening.

what i signed was my reg for the Lunar Trek 50 K (31 mile) ultramarathon in Scandia, Kansas. i've never run farther than marathon distance, so tackling 31 miles was daunting. then throw in the fact that the race starts at 11 p.m. and you're not only battling mileage, but the fact that your body wants to be asleep. then, throw in mud - lots of good, slow, ankle-pranking mud - and you've got a heckuva race.

dad and i completed the Lunar Trek this morning...around 5:30, just as the sun was coming up. to say that was a weird experience is not doing it justice. i am, however, so pleased with our time (6:28 total - this included long stops at aid stations and some walking) and even more appreciative of the great couple of days I could spend with my parents.

i couldn't have done this without my dad's support. moreover, neither of us could have been so well prepared and taken care of without Ma Woo, who, as always, met us every five miles with everything from fruit to candy to a suite of Hammer Nutrition products to crazy stories of her own adventures throughout the night (see the state of the family SUV below).

the organizers deserve an incredible amount of praise. they did such a nice job not only welcoming us to their small Kansas town, but laying out a challenging course with ample support and fun. big thanks to the families along the route who opened their farms/barns/drives to us and provided everything from boiled potatoes to booming hip-hop to keep us going. i will be back next year.

the support vehicle. i used Hammer Perpeteum, Heed, Gel, Endurolytes, Gatorade, Sport Legs and some Twizzlers Nibs for my fueling regimen.

members of the Kansas City Trail Nerds showed up in force. we took a quick group shot before the start and then enjoyed seeing familiar faces at the aid stations and dark roads during the race.

sitting down at the mile-10 aid station. started the race with my Montrail trail shoes and Injinji socks. after completely caking the shoes with mud they were just too heavy and I opted for my Brooks road shoes. made all the difference. i also (again) cursed the Injinji's and threw them away. these socks have never performed for me, and now i'm done with them.

we came up to mile 25 feeling really good - we knew the end was in sight - but we were tired. seeing the evidence of mom's "muddin'" adventure was enough to keep our conversation going for the next six miles. she's truly amazing. got the car stuck, laughed it off and deftly maneuvered out of a pit to the rejoicing of the watching aid station crew. in all my 28 years, this is a top-5 moment on her cool meter.

I'm not sure where this is...late in the game I believe. headlamps were required, as was a reflective vest. i didn't like my vest, so it did not participate. finally got Dad to rock the do-rag.

i just noshed on a cheeseburger and am one Pale Ale into the "recovery" process. i feel great - not sore and just a bit tired. the blessing of running dirt and gravel roads is their forgiveness of joints.

here's a quick breakdown of my mental/physical state during the race...a bunch of folks have asked what parts were the hardest, etc. keep in mind this was an out and back, we made up our extra one mile at the turn-around point. thanks to all who provided encouraging Facebook posts/texts/e-mails/calls. really meant a lot to me.

Mile 1-5
Felt super tired, almost instantly. My body's way of saying, "It's midnight, dumbsh#t. What is this?" Rolling hills, lots of mud.

Mile 5-10
My favorite stretch of the race. Beautiful run near tree lines and on small dirt roads.

Mile 10-15.5
This was hard. We easily felt the extra half mile and the long, straight stretches were mind numbing. This was about 3 a.m. and my head was wandering and i got sleep-tired again.

Mile 15.5-21
After maybe my favorite aid station (mmm, boiled salted potatoes and hip-hop echoing through a barn), we booked it on this stretch. Felt great, but sort of stupid, as we hit the next aid station pretty beat. I got a good second wind here, but felt out of sorts.

Mile 21-25
Nothing sounded good at the last aid station, so I ate a peach and drank some water. this was a great stretch - we got our pace back and put our heads down. was seeing the end in sight and enjoying the upcoming ability to say, "This is the farthest distance I've ever run."

Mile 25-31
It was clear that at this point, we just wanted to finish. We kept up a good conversation, as we had the entire way, but our pace and our speed up hills increased slightly. We battled the mud pit again, which slowed us down and wore us out, but the focus was on the faint light of the Pike Valley High School on the horizon.

why i'm optimistic, part 1

2008-07-16T14:10:00.002-05:00

sitting at the dealership...

2008-07-14T14:58:00.003-05:00

...a couple observations.

www.bekanyenow.com - let's debate: nice execution to Absolut Vodka's "In An Absolut World"campaign, or a new high/low for Kanye's arrogance?

i was reading SPIN's interview with Coldplay. this line popped: (context is Coldplay's manager wanting a 30 second promo to its full-length music video, which MTV will be running)

"...The guys worry this could steal the thunder from a viral video they're preparing to put online, a mash-up of clips of dancing politicians...and they're not convinced the MTV premier will do much to help the song's success."

Well that pretty much sums up so many things.

Tour de France "Brand New Start" spot

2008-07-05T20:50:00.005-05:00

if you're watching the Tour de France (and why the heck wouldn't you?) you've surely seen an emotional spot in which everything moves in reverse. the peleton retreats. a time-trial goes backwards. the traditional look-ma-no-hands kiss to the crowd in reverse, a winner steps down from the podium and, if you haven't yet caught on, Floyd Landis' jersey is removed.

this is one of the powerful anti-doping, clean-slate advertisements Versus created for this year's Tour. it's the only commercial i'm not sick of watching during three rounds of recaps today.

check it:

Tour de France - Brand New Start

you see the laundry list of accused dopers (and from quite a while back). a quick message board search will reveal a lot of mixed emotions on whether this strategy is a) moving the tour forward or b) holding it back and beating a doped-dead horse. the spot comes in :60's and :30's and i love it.

my vote is that it is the emotional accompaniment to the Take Back the Tour campaign and is strategically brilliant. Why? Because the Tour and the overall racing community has been blamed repeatedly for NOT closing the book on even banned athletes. sure, Landis loses his appeal, and Millar ate crow and came back clean to be a leader. but, we've yet to have someone say, "They are dead to us." "They are not winners." this is a way of drawing a line in the sand. those tour victories don't matter. the stage wins are empty. the last-minutes sprints meant nothing. i believe it's ballsy and brilliant.

at Barkley, we have a strong position on cause branding. that when you stand for something greater than your bottom line, people stand with you. Versus is standing for something huge here. sure, its advertisers might have hoped the doping would have been talked about briefly, then swept back under the rug. sure, its viewers might have mixed feelings about repeated dialog on this sore subject. but this campaign stands for something, and i believe it's a much-needed step.

reaching into the back seat

2008-07-03T12:57:00.002-05:00

blogging's taken the back seat to an incredibly busy and enjoyable period in my life. i really have nothing important to say, but felt i was neglectful in my blog posts.

why is it that during the times you have the most to talk about, blogging lightens?

in short:

Work is incredibly gratifying and just plain fun
Interwoven is about to launch two new shirts online (more soon)
Interwoven shirts can now be purchased at boutiques in Kansas City and Chicago
The Floyd Landises of tennis are meeting in the women's finals of Wimbledon
Tour de France starts Saturday
Sleeping under the stars in honor of our nation's independence
Running, riding, repeat
Running the Psycho Summer 15 mile trail run this weekend
Running my first ultra the following week
Finally discovered Mad Men
Have a splinter in my foot that won't come out.

Do better this weekend! and new threads!

2008-06-05T11:01:00.002-05:00

Hit up the Do Better Blog for info on the Barclay Martin Ensemble/Interwoven Threads/HALO Foundation benefit concert this weekend! And get a sneak peek at the new summer threads!

This screenshot says it all

2008-06-03T14:16:00.003-05:00

The Jayhawks were in the Rose Garden today to be greeted by the current president. They gave him an autographed ball, and he immediately did what every boy learns never to do at a very young age: bounce the damn thing.

Ironically, the breaking news header is the solution to preventing this in the future, as well as, in my political mind, actually having a future we can be proud of.

Hat tip to Sara for the find.

Brand Timeline Portrait

2008-05-27T14:28:00.002-05:00

via my boss, IV, a very cool visual of how we interact with brands. kudos to Jane of the Dear Jane Sample blog for her honesty and thoroughness.

i think our planning department is going to give this a go. maybe i'll share....

Numa Numa gets paid

2008-05-23T15:24:00.001-05:00

this is just brilliant. a nice recap of recent Internet stardom.

Banjo Brothers = great customer service

2008-05-21T09:48:00.005-05:00

the light blogging has been a result of lots of great things going on at the day job, and the finalization of the summer shirts for Interwoven. dug a quick hole in my morning to post on a fantastic example of great customer service. the company is Banjo Brothers, a cycling-focused bag company. i purchased the above messenger bag this weekend from Volker Bicycles and got it home to find i had no idea how to adjust the shoulder strap. i don't claim to be the smartest guy, but i should be able to figure out how to adjust some buckles.

brought it to work and had some others look at it - we were puzzled.

so, not expecting much, i e-mailed the Banjo Brothers customer service address a few pictures of the section of the strap i was puzzled by and hoped for the best.

about 15 minutes later, co-founder Eric Leugers wrote back with a video attached and the following image, which he wrote on with specific instructions.

turns out, the ring was pulled into the buckle during shipping or what have you and i wasn't a complete moron (this time).

i quickly fixed the issue and now adjust on the fly as the bags are famous for allowing. and i'm that much happier about my purchase.

moreover, Eric's won a loyal customer in me, and many new customers in the people at work who are up on their own cycling commuter bags.

i received a couple more e-mails after the solution and each time Eric's personality was apparent and his passion for his company was obvious. kudos to him for prioritizing his large workload and allowing time to talk directly to the people who he built his company to serve.

Brand tags

2008-05-13T13:24:00.003-05:00

if you are of the mindset that customers own brands you'll be inspired by the Brand Tags experiment.

if you think what i just said is b.s., you'll get your pants in a knot over after seeing how normal, everyday people - aka consumers - tag some of the most famous brands. it's not all good, but it's all real.

brilliant.

tape scratching

2008-05-06T11:59:00.003-05:00

you've heard of DJ's scratching records. the influx of computer tech to aid in the mixing of records for the purpose of getting one's groove on is also rather mainstream.

and then there's this: the scratching of TAPES! love it.

there's an obvious art in mixing of any type and when a DJ is moving multiple tracks/records within a cohesive beat, the art is heightened. but check out the labor that goes into changing out tapes vs. vinyl.

this concludes my commentary on DJ culture. :)

Nau, now a then.

2008-05-04T09:08:00.003-05:00

got an e-mail this morning that sent me out of bed and onto my laptop: Nau is closing. the clothing store that innovated in every area - from organic cotton to category-changing activewear to donations - is closing. i found a confirmation on Treehugger - read this, it's a nice capsule.

or, check out Nau.com to get amazing deals as they closeout their inventory.

this development makes me very sad. i understand - especially as the owner of a small apparel business - that the current economy is putting the hurt on elective purchases. Nau's pricepoint was high, but not out of the realm of consideration based on the quality. moreover, i'm sad to see such an innovative, socially-aware company go off the stage. in just one year, Nau generated an incredible amount of press, commentary and worthy buzz because of the company's forward thinking. just think, if Nau could have survived financially, what changes it might spark in other companies.

i hope those founders, executives, store employees and even the factory workers responsible for some fine, fine clothing were inspired and in turn carry Nau's mission into new projects, brands and ways of life.

congrats, Nau, on the risk and i hope you, and your consumers, see the reward that came in the year of business.

here are a couple posts on Nau i previously published.

search tools

2008-04-30T11:27:00.004-05:00

fellow planner, Mikey, sent our planning group a couple tools to track trends and visual searches. i am a fan of Trendpedia's comparison function, but was blown away when I visited Searchme Visual Search.

nice tools.

here's what was found when i entered "interwoven threads." (pardon the fellow Barkley-blogger publicity)

new tunes. judge please.

2008-04-29T15:51:00.006-05:00

Scarlett Johannson, Falling Down. (yes, i read Perez Hilton. throw a stone, i dare you. it was the only site i found with the song's video (which i like).)
Death Cab for Cutie, I Will Posses Your Heart. update: just found this song too.
Coldplay, Violet Hill.

"weird, why's that girl from Lost in Translation singing in public?" I don't know, but she sort of rocks in a weird, "i-recorded-covers-and-am-rich-and-able-to-do-what-i-want" way. seriously, cameo by David Bowie? i don't hate it.

Death Cab: you have to wait approximately 15 minutes to have the first verse begin. by that time, you might have forgotten what is playing or maybe mistook the song for an audio lesson in bass tab. but it's good. a departure. i am looking forward to the rest of the album before i judge. i give them credit for evolving. "Cath." is the other song posted above. it's very much in the older DCFC mold. i guess it furthers my point on evolution. i am excited to see the River Market show coming up.

and Coldplay, they have an innovative "we're-giving-our-first-'tune'-away-for-free" model, which is so completely innovative, I don't know why more bands don't adopt....it's fine. not wonderful, not bad. the first 30 seconds are better than the rest of the song.

footnote: i started plaing DCFC's new song when i began writing this post, and they verse JUST started. it was like a surprise. "Hey! It's Death Cab!"

would love to hear your thoughts.

Planet Fresh launch!

2008-04-23T01:14:00.004-05:00

one of the perks of working at Barkley is the tapped kegs. oh, and then there's the new green initiative that launched on this earth day. most of all, it's the forward thinking and entrepreneurial spirit that many of our coworkers take on.

it's 1:16 and my Ozark team is kicking some serious ass on a presentation we'll surely give with minimal sleep. and as jump drives are being loaded and i'm waiting for new images, i surfed my bloglines to find a great recap of Barkley's green launch by Risley (back on U.S. soil).

really sorry i missed the roll out today, but our group will be home on Thursday, just in time for the green team's party on the rooftop deck. that'll be fun.

kudos to Susan Shank and many other green-thinking partners for dreaming, innovating and making our space and company better stewards of our surroundings.

ok...time for more coffee and some Keynote magic.

blurring the lines

2008-04-21T09:34:00.004-05:00

i'm headed to a little Ozark retreat with some folks from Barkley today to blur the lines. Barkley started sending a smattering of its employees - from all disciplines - to the Ozarks a few years ago. each time collaboration is king and ideas come from everywhere to address specific "assignments" launched on day one and presented on day four.

i didn't get a chance to go when I was previously at Barkley, so i'm absolutely stoked to head out today. this is just one of a number of efforts Barkley offers to inspire its employees and keep fresh thinking front of mind. can't wait.

according to Ozark legend (now would be the time to cue the Deliverance music), we work and play pretty darn hard - not sure i'll have a chance to update WoolardSpeak while there. but i'm sure i'll have some thoughts to share once i return.

Risley has a good recap from his time in the MoSouth here.

the one that got away

2008-04-16T10:56:00.004-05:00

the Fallon Planning blog points toward a new Craigslist-like service that is focused on NYC subway crushes that were cut short by the inevitable lack of courage or closing door. Subway Crush lets users post a note to the one that got away. as a midwest dude who relies on four and two wheels only, the thought of commuting and traveling by subway/train has always been romantic. it goes with my theory that everyone steps onto an airplane hoping to have their lives changed at 30,000ft. there's a collision of intention and random, schedule and serendipity that occurs in public transportation.

anyway, i like this social-network-meets-want-ad style. i think the increase in people habitually checking such a localized forum will spread into other arenas. as with most things organic, i wonder how brands might adopt this model.

this post also allowed me to use one of my favorite New Yorker covers.

a tale of two marathons

2008-04-06T19:24:00.006-05:00

the alarm went off at 4:30 a.m. this morning after i'd had only two or three hours of sleep (after celebrating the Kansas victory over North Carolina). an hour later, 12 folks from our usual running group and a few great additions arrived at Kansas City's Boulevard Brewery to embark on a 43 mile relay to Lawrence's Free State Brewery. also in attendance was my mother who for the next nine hours would be supporting my dad with a menu of foods, and Hammer products. here's where the story gets good: dad ran the entire length of the race. by himself.

we'd organized the teams in the hope that some of us could accompany dad on each of the 10 course legs. well, that plan was shot to heck - in a good way - and most of us did multiple legs ensuring that dad was never out on the course alone. big props to the folks running today for such an amazing amount of support.

so that's tale one. dad runs an ultra-marathon for the first time, six minutes under his goal time of 9 hours.

tale two involves yours truly (it's my blog) and starts with my lacking amount of rest and ends with dad busting out an 8:54 ultra after cutting minutes off his final five mile splits, cutting his measured 11-12-minute-mile pace and hitting the last leg hard at 8-9 minutes.

i knew i wanted to finish the race alongside my dad. i also knew i wanted to get in as many legs as possible. all mileage totaled, i ended up running 26 miles today and feel pretty dang good this evening (thank you, Fat Tire). i had no intention of hitting a marathon distance, and even less intention of trying to pace dad in the last leg as he kept knocking up the speed, completely full of juice even after 40 miles of hills, rough gravel and schizophrenic weather.

to say i finished the race exhausted is an understatement matched only by the amount of pride i felt to be able to run more than half of today's race with my dad. this man is a beast in Brooks.

the last leg of this race was one of the best sporting moments in which i've participated. getting my dad to his goal isn't something i take lightly and my nerves were almost as exhausted as my legs as i paced and pushed and in the end, tried to keep up with him to the finish.

moreover, my mom's support of not just my dad, but our entire crew, was astounding. she is the matriarch of our running group and she's so very appreciated.

here are some pictures. i'm sure my dad will post a recap on his blog soon. the day was full, tiring and a real friggin' blast. congrats, dad.

so that's the tale of two marathons. one, my dad's, was a well-trained-for ultra. mine, i'll call accidental, but more enjoyable than any 26 miler i've done to date.

pre-race

the first leg (needed some headlamps)

the scene at each leg station (note Ma Woolard's attire - she was a beacon of sustenance from yards away)

the ultimate soigneur (and Casey waits for scraps)

last leg on the never-ending levee trail
finisher. i don't think he's sweating.

back to the ship

2008-04-06T18:51:00.002-05:00

after a couple years away, i'm going back to Barkley. i accepted a job in brand planning, and i'm very excited about the opportunities, colleagues and clients that i'll soon join. i'll be in denver this week to hit the ground running. i'm sure i'll have more to share. in the meantime, here's a taste of where i'm headed.

well there goes my Facebook album

2008-04-03T11:29:00.006-05:00

PSFK alerts the masses of a new warning label possibly appearing on Photoshopped images in magazines. this news comes when Photoshop has launched an online version of its software for the amateur fiddler to use in (bulking up biceps) editing images.

the above image, for instance, shows a Photoshopped image. look hard, but i think the difference is the background color. if the before and after - and the opportunity to understand there was some doctoring - didn't exist, i'd have just assumed the red background had always been present. thank you, transparency in photography!

the good news is, if a Photoshopped image, such as the catalog pic below, would have a warning label, i wouldn't have assumed Thing from Addams Family was now a fashion accessory.

a new blog to follow

2008-04-01T08:42:00.002-05:00

turns out it is harder to get my father to blog than it has been to encourage clients. many of us that run with my dad have suggested he journal his training, race experiences and thoughts that go in and out of his head as he logs miles in preparation for marathons and now ultras.

well, he caved. and we sat at a coffee shop in Lawrence this past weekend and went over links, picture uploads and keyword strategies until he sort of nodded like he got it. and got it he did. check out Miles With Mickey to follow his views training, nutrition and life.

six things

2008-03-26T09:48:00.007-05:00

that caught my attention today:

1) from the always-attention-grabbing Jessica Hagy (why isn't she a brand planner?)

2) was pre-ordering the new Death Cab for Cutie album this morning and ran across the Vitamin String Quartet's tribute to DCFC. wow. perfectly mellow music for an overcast Wednesday.

3) Japanese taxi lights.

4) German company compares food-shoot images with real post-cooked product.

5) a flash of brand insight from Tom Asacker. brilliant.

6) muxtape. an online, social space to mix and share songs. instead of burning cds of your iTunes playlists, or hoping the object of your affection still has a tape deck and affinity for Rob Gordon-like romance, you can upload and mix and direct your listener to the site. brilliant. it's a bit slow to upload and load...not sure if that's new bugs or just the volume of traffic this great idea is sure to be receiving.

Happy Easter Inspiration

2008-03-23T14:31:00.004-05:00

I was doing some post-Easter-dinner blog reading and came across a teaser for a documentary on mountain biker Bobby McMullen. via "How To Avoid The Bummer Life" blog, here's a video sure to inspire you to burn off a few of those Peeps and be a bit more thankful for what your body allows you to do.

and a news story on Bobby (with a pretty hilarious transition from the Montel Williams show).

ready for a hard transition?

so, i was wondering if, in my lifetime, i'd ever find a more annoying song than this:

then i found this:

please tell me this is a joke. that Dolly's 80 year old inner-skeleton broke through centuries of plastic surgery and decided to give the Fine Young Cannibals (FYC) a go. some thoughts after considering both versions of this song:

Is it just me or do the FYC look like they are beating the hell out of their instruments instead of playing them?
I get that "Crazy" is part of the song, but that doesn't give a pass to the random chorus images in the video.
Can a man simultaneously try to sing falsetto and act manly?
If your song is titled, "She drives me crazy," and you dedicate a lot of your video to the element of "crazy," wouldn't you want to devote more time - or EQUAL time, at least to the "SHE" part? as in, SHE? she, like a women in the video? said crazy-inducing female? we see two women, but they are dressed in some weird costume jumping at each other. and it's a mere cameo in the balance of a number of dudes. just a thought. i'm not a director, but it looks like an erotic hair club for men commercial, or a "how-not-to-play-your-pink-guitar" tutorial.
I know that there are a number of WoolardSpeak readers who are of the age when this might have been a break-up anthem. please feel free to enlighten. 'cause I got nothing.
Does anyone remember a time when Dolly Parton wasn't at least 60?
However old, or plasticized, she still sounds more manly than the lead singer of FYC.

upon necessary due diligence what, then, am i to make of this?

i looked up YouTube's history on Wikipedia and it cites 2005 as the launch. quick math says this guy created the video in the last three years.

i guess the only reconciliation to what took an unfortunate amount of my night is that the above attempts are not alone in the sea of "artists" covering the FYC chart topper. even Muppets, and a "We Are The World"- caliber cast take on the song.

God bless YouTube. and my birth date.

back to being serious...hit up the Interwoven Threads blog for a couple new posts on doing better in your li'l corner.

on insight and innovation

2008-03-18T17:07:00.005-05:00

most of what i do is geared around uncovering insights and turning those insights into a relevant strategy. the other part of my day job is updating my facebook profile and downloading new music from iTunes.

planning/strategy folks go round and round about processes/resources/validation/research and very rarely agree on what it is, exactly, that they are looking for in an insight. many times, we back into an insight (or strategy) to validate an already-known mindset. that's not an insight. so what's an insight?

i think this slideshow by Matthew Millan explains insight in a brilliant way.

| View | Upload your own

so here's to Columbo.

another inspiring Internet find today: mass innovation. a short film by Charles Ledbetter. well put together and a great reminder of the world we live in as marketers and consumers.

A survey for surveyors

2008-03-17T07:47:00.005-05:00

those of us in planning and strategy are used to fielding and analyzing surveys of all types. via Craig Elston's A Brit Planner in the Rockies blog, a survey for those in the planning and strategy field. looking forward to reading the results...especially the findings regarding how an accent helps us do our job better (a theory i've long held). :)

in other news, China keeps ticking me off, this time in principle.

according to Brand Index, the Southwest Airlines brand may have suffered a blow last week, but its measure of quality and mindshare are strong even though its level of positive "buzz" fell sharply. another great example of good PR and differentiating brand strategy doing the heavy lifting during a brand reputation crisis.

a deep list of data visualization tools, via Make the Logo Bigger.

the Fail blog. man...my life just got so much more successful.

happy St. Patrick's Day. i hope you enjoy drinking yourself silly in the name of a Saint you don't know much about and a country of which you more than likely don't originate. ah, cheers to the legitimization of week-day drunkenness.

What's your cultural footprint?

2008-03-13T10:32:00.006-05:00

PSFK points toward an important conversation on Cultural Sustainability as possibly more important topic of debate than sustainability/green/CSR. i don't think it's more or less important, i do, however, think it is possibly the catch all and summit of what is sought through environmentalism, cause, CSR, sustainability, etc. here's a succinct def. of Cultural Sustainability by Danah Boyd:
At the same time, a company can be environmentally sound and completely destroy local economies and other aspects of culture through their moves.

Boyd expands on her blog. very simply, it's the dissection of a company like Wal-Mart, which has gone above and beyond to "green" its business, while being culturally harmful and anything but sustainable for many of the employees, communities and manufacturers with which the brand interacts.

so as we look at greening our brands. or making our businesses more sustainable, it's important to look at the the big picture. what's your cultural footprint?

on a lighter note, i was moving desks a while back and while shuffling cabinets and files from one floor to another, dropped my Oak Ridge Boys Sing Super Gospel Hits Vol. 2 album down the elevator shaft. i'm not sure where i got the album or why i like it, but i was pretty bummed. this morning our secretary let me know the elevator repairman had been here and found it. even better, he is a major ORB fan. i wish i could have met him. i'd have thanked him and then given the album away.

Internetspiration

2008-03-12T09:33:00.006-05:00

this post is as much about sharing inspiring links as it is about cleaning out the massive amount of tabs in my Firefox window. so here goes.

time spent online finds content is king. duh. now, we all understand the reasons why a site like Slate would command more time than a site like Facebook, even though your clients/friends/little siblings would immediately argue otherwise, this Adage piece is good fodder for remembering engaging content still beats flash and fancy. i think the point the article makes can transfer to advertisements. we marketers are the most to blame for tearing off our shirts and getting in a frenzy over the next great spot. many times we forget to ask, "Did it engage? Did it increase sales?"

speaking of engagement...Transport for London has created a very nice spot to underscore the need for motorists to be aware of cyclists sharing the road. watch "Do the test" here.

food fight depicts U.S. warfare since WW2. this is brilliant in its animation and use of stereotypes.

via stampkit, i'm moved by this collection of Polaroids exploring subculture.

now for some environmentally-minded linkage.

this would be another chance for me to get into my feelings about China as a global predator, but i won't. i'll just point toward another sad example of why the country's staging of the Olympics baffles me.

how green is your agency? unfortunately, many agencies that might utter "Green Marketing" and "Sustainability" are incredibly ill-suited to deliver on those topics. a nice reminder from Agency Spy (follow up to this) on agency life and environmentalism. and no, recycling ideas does not count.

and finally, if you're in Kansas City and are wanting to see Bodies Revealed, you need to buy tickets ahead of time. found this out the hard way last weekend. ne'er fear, we have purchased tickets for this weekend and I'll be wearing this in solidarity.

and then this happened

2008-03-08T17:30:00.006-06:00

spent the afternoon bouldering and then went to "check out" the new bike shop near my home (39th street). Volker Bicycles is a big fat "thank you Jesus" in my world. no more long drives to the bike shop. plus, the owner is a great guy and they've got an amazing stock of brands (from jerseys to bikes) you don't see around Kansas City. as icing on the cake, they sell Walz Caps, which makes me happy.

so i get inside and immediately see the Swobo Del Norte sitting in the front of the store. i have all intentions of not buying anything. i'm just getting finished converting my old mtn bike into a commuter for work and play and am planning to buy a new mtn bike this month...but, it's hard to miss with red rims/hubs/chain and silver reflective tape on the track-style handlebars. i did a couple laps, then got to talking about it. single speed, front and rear brake. steel frame.

and then i take it for a test ride. and lost all self control. steel frames are tight. rides like a Cadillac. the little machine hummed through Midtown and the fact that i was freezing my ass off didn't matter at all. i was falling in love.

get back and let them know i need to run some numbers (this is the new Andy...trading massive impulse for measured impulse). i think i was back at the shop in an hour and bought the little mama out from under a nice couple who were getting too close to my new toy.

i bundled up and have been riding since. it's just freakin' sweet. there's really little else to say. fits me perfectly, makes me 10 times cooler (thanks, Swobo!), will be a solid and stylish commuter come spring, and even looks pretty rad in my living room (the road bike is going to be jealous when it comes back from Multisport spin and sees its space taken).

("The detailing is phat," said Monk. "If I hadn't just been outside, I'd pee on it and make it mine.")

weekend tuneage

2008-03-07T16:22:00.005-06:00

we're overdue for some WoolardSpeak music recs. looking at a week full of iTunes purchases, i here's what i've been pumping through my earbuds.

The Khrusty Brothers - The Khrusty Brothers: this is plain Amazing. this KC band is part Beck, part Beastie, part Bright Eyes in my opinion. and i love it. they're playing tonight at the record bar to release the self-titled album. start with "On a Shelf."
The Everybodyfields - Nothing is OK - i was in a mellow, bluegrass/folksy mood this week (hence many of the following purchases, save Danger) and this group of ex lovers are to blame. start with "Aeroplane."
Iron and Wine - Woman King EP - start with "Freedom Hangs Like Heaven."
Yonder Mountain String Band - Younder Mountain String Band - start with "Classic Situation."
Danger - 09/24 2007 EP - check out "11h 30." little bit of a departure, but this song freakin' rocks.

"before you accuse me..."

2008-03-05T09:16:00.002-06:00

eric clapton got it right on so many levels when he challenged introspection before ridicule. jeff risley (see how i lumped him into good company - you're welcome) posted some very important points on greenwashing and consumer expectations.

i think a bridge between what corporations do and say and what customers do and say can be built through transparency. one of the most non-greenwashing companies around, Patagonia, tackles its own inequities via the Footprint Chronicles. Patagonia calls this the "examined life," which seems like a relevant statement per Risley's post.

a little honesty and introspection go a long way.

"Let's build a micro-site!"

2008-02-29T10:42:00.004-06:00

how often does this "differentiating" execution occur? these days, everyone has a micro-site. when micro-sites are on-strategy and communicate a specific idea succinctly, they work. they can engage in ways the mothership site can't. micro-sites can tailor a brand experience or provide a narrative for a new product.

alas, most end up far less strategic and end up heading to the little Internet in the sky to exist in some e-purgatory.

yesterday i was treated to not one but TWO wonderfully done micro-sites.

the first, from Adidas, does a superb job of telling the brand's creation story and putting a face (in claymation!) on its founder without being irrelevant and cheesy...instead, the film and very interactive site evolves nicely in a historical journey to today's products that any sports fan will drool over. (via joshspear)

the second, from Sprint, is titled Waitless. the site entertained the heck out of me, and is extremely strategic in its messaging. "Fast forward through the boring parts of life" is a helluva call to action and is an insightful nod to the power of mobile phones in our daily life. the minute you're bored, you pull out your mobile. why not apply that determination for efficiency and entertainment into other parts of your life? such as peeling bananas quicker. taking off your shirt faster? calming your crying baby? Waitless gives funky video instructions on how to cut time off of the most mundane tasks. my only complaint is the clear influence of will it blend in the look and feel.

both sites do a great job digging deeper and injecting some personality into two mega brands. kudos to those involved. haven't figured out the responsible parties yet, but when i do, i'll make 'em some quick-freeze sorbet. "Thanks Sprint!"

three bits of hump-day inspiration

2008-02-27T11:22:00.003-06:00

busy day today...gotta be brief. but wanted to point you toward three things that have me all amped up.

first, from the wonderfully insightful Ruby Pseudo Wants a Word, a look at youth tribes and their tatoos. every agency client should have a Ruby Pseudo at their service. i learn so much each time she posts.

This Ain't No Disco gives us an inside look at creative spaces. it's no shock to those of us in the creative industry that space plays a major role. an uninspiring scene often promotes uninspired work. how does your space match up?

i attended the Citizen Cope concert last night with a number of folks (and a lot of stoned college freshmen). a great concert and even better company (stoned freshmen excluded), but the highlight of the evening was Cope's encore when he launched into a cover of Radiohead's Karma Police. as i mistakenly predicted in just hearing the first few chords, it was not UB40 - happily. this is a poor quality video of the song, but you get the idea.

as i told Mark on the drive home, the amount of buzz and chatter Radiohead gets in online trendspotting circles is astounding. its press in mainstream media is even more noteworthy. attention to its music, its cultural impact and its tech/business innovation yields best practices for brands far removed from the music scene. the group has transcended mere "band" status into the arts-equivalent of U2 in my mind. remember the Amplive remix i pointed you toward? here's another well-known cover of Kid A by John Mayer. every artist and their mother has covered Creep.

enjoy, and be inspired.

a vision of students today

2008-02-26T13:14:00.003-06:00

just watched this insightful video by Michael Wesch, Professor of Anthropology at Kansas State University, via PSFK. the video was created by Wesch and 200 of his anthropology students to document changes in student learning, while traditional education remains very much intact.

when i talk to college students the biggest change i see is the existence of laptops in class. with wireless networks allowing online perusal during lectures - and many of those lectures being given to enormous classes, tuning out and surfing the 'net become the norm. i'm not sure how this habit has taken hold in the small, private colleges i attended, but i'd imagine where there's a will there's a way in any sized class.

i think the most interesting thing about this video is its relevance to the way many of these college grads act in the workplace. just as education is changing and technology is both positively and negatively affecting the traditional school setting, the workplace is quickly evolving to reflect the same trends.

it's a permeation of multi-tasking and shortened attention spans. it's a heightened sense of urgency, perpetuated by convenience and opportunity to feed and execute any desire/task.

what does it all mean? i look at this video, and look around my own office and see that engagement is king. from the class to the office, technology plays both sides of the sword when it comes to engagement: you can use it to engage an audience in a meaningful way, or technology can be the first suitor to lure a disinterested brain away.

kudos to K-State for exploring this. too bad they couldn't win last night's game (yeah, i was rooting for them) to position the Jayhawks a bit more favorably.

fashion and culture

2008-02-20T14:24:00.007-06:00

while at multisport spin last night, my friend and owner of KAT Clothing, Kate, delivered me an inspiring folder of finds from her various trips to sourcing and fashion shows over the past month. she and Interwoven Threads new shirt printer were my eyes at the shows i couldn't make. i may blog on some of these later on the Do Better Blog, but the various T-shirt companies further underscored the saturated market Interwoven deals in and the importance for maintaining and evolving the compelling social story interwoven (couldn't help myself) into the brand.

later at dinner, got into a discussion about the importance of attending these shows, fashion weeks, etc. not just to gauge style trends related to the fashion industry, but to understand overall cultural trends and cues. fashion, in my opinion, is the most accessible manifestation of personal style. more telling than home design, more on-display than music and entertainment tastes. it is a fascinating way to monitor micro trends that might otherwise go unnoticed.

as Interwoven's spring and summer designs are finalized and i am looking through 2008, i've been inspired by a deeper dive into the fashion chatter online. however, monitoring the weird world of clothing is as relevant to my ad job as to my side project.

here are a few examples of what gets me thinking:

The Sartorialist: great snapshots of street style (skews toward tailored, high-end threads) and even better on-the-street interviews featuring everyday peeps describing their outfits and personal style.

Rock Racing kits: may be that the Tour of California is on my brain, but ask any cyclist for his or her opinion on Rock & Republic founder Michael Ball's new pro team, and their wild ensemble is the least controversial element of the team's identity. (see below, Michael Cipollini finally at home in an equally-as-edgy-as-he RR kit. note that the TT holder, pictured behind Cipo, rides next to me at spin class...now i don't feel like such a bonker when he's pushing huge gears faster than i'm spinning the small ring.)

Andre 3000 (aka Andre Benjamin)'s new clothing line. Kanye West gets a lot of credit for challenging conventional hip-hop style, but Benjamin's been doing it longer, and in my opinion, much better than the simple West preppy.

international street style roundup, courtesy of the Coolhunter.

street clash. great photo/blog competition.

what fashion info do you follow? i'd love to add more feeds.

Is your product essential?

2008-02-19T10:31:00.006-06:00

what would you say, if asked "how many products are truly essential to your life?" 2 percent of the market shelves? 1 percent?

few brands are blessed with truly essential products. we marketers may attempt to convince consumers that products are essential and at the very least provide a benefit to one's life. but really, what do you (if you're a marketer) promote that one truly can't live without or might actually be essential to life? the percentage is low.

i was bouldering last night when i decided to take a quick "break" and do some top rope climbing. compare the two above photos, one of an ice climber and the following of a boulderer and you quickly get where i'm going with this post. the ice climber is sporting darn near essential products exclusively. from his crampons to his harness to his helmet and maybe most specifically, each bolt he sets on lead. the woman, however, relies mainly on her own strength, strategy and stamina, as her distance from the ground is not fatal (note the crashpad, a smart idea and in my mind essential).

my point on essential products wasn't realized in the more romantic way of being 30 feet up on a wall while my belay partner picked up the slack from the ground. it came when i was the belayer, carefully pulling slack and lowering the climber and seeing the value in the belay device that held the climber between feat and fall.

and i got to thinking about climbing products' genesis and obviously turned my focus to Yvon Chouinard and Chouinard Equipment - the Patagonia founder's first venture, which revolutionized sport climbing and environmental sustainability. each piton Chouinard forged was a link between life and death. each piece of equipment was relied on by climbers not only to be effective and provide functional benefits, but to ensure safety.

we can't all produce essential products. not every brand is in the business of creating essential friction between a climber and belayer. and i am certainly not advocating marketers bend their bounds to create an essential need when none exists.

but using the concept of essential as a filter surely will make our messages more focused and relevant. surely it can strip the superfluous from strategies and design.

clothing is not essential. organic clothing, however, could have a case made for being essential to the environment.
beef is not essential. naturally-raised, locally-produced beef, however, could be far more essential to consumer health than mass-produced/packed/shipped products that are gaining an unfortunate amount of attention.
cars aren't essential, safety is.

you see where i'm going with this. no, we may not work on the Petzel account, but we can add an element of focus, reason for importance and maybe even a case for essential to the way products work and are produced. this is a conversation far past "marketing." it's about design...which is a conversation that's becoming increasingly essential for marketers to have.

(above photo credit, Jimmy Chin)

Interwoven Threads update...donations!

2008-02-15T19:15:00.003-06:00

donated the last of the 2007 shirts to reStart today! read the Do Better Blog for a recap!

remixes, collaborations and brand strategy

2008-02-14T12:30:00.003-06:00

one little known love of mine is hip hop. yes, you can laugh at the notion. however, in addition to my love for slow geetar tunes and folksy rock, i nod my head to Notorious frequently. i'm working on a little pet project right now, dissecting collaborations between brands and in that process uncovered this video/song from The Pack: Vans.

got me thinking about collaborations and remixes that crossover between two very different brands or cultures. The Pack's video and the buzz that's surrounded it is evidence that a cross-over from one culture to another can have a powerful impact. whodathunk the traditionally white-boy-skater shoes could infiltrate the sneaker-zealot hip hop culture in such a big (billboard topping) way? cross-over of kicks in hip-hop culture aren't new (think Nike SB Dunks and Air Force 1s), but The Pack is suggesting quite a big change in the way people are dressing and that doesn't come around too often. moreover, i think this is an example of a shattered ceiling for some brands that might not have the guts or insight to enter into new markets.

keeping within the remix theme, i downloaded well-known DJ Amp Live's finally-released remix of Radiohead's In Rainbows. wow. brilliant composition and incredibly respectful evolution to a stellar In Rainbows. i ran some errands during lunch today and pumped the album. the Jetta is 10x cooler as a result. the below videos document Amp's attempt to get around a cease and desist from Radiohead's management, then the thank you video once Radiohead let Amp put the remix out (for free download, of course).

not only is the remixed album amazing, but it's a brilliant collab (per Radiohead's OK) across two very differnt musical genres (with equally proud fans) and ends up elevating both artists' brand and work. please download it. your afternoon will be better.

the most notable collaborations are the collabs you wouldn't have thought of, but once you see them materialized, make total sense. so how does one or one's brand get there? i believe the answer resided in an understanding of cultural needs and consumer insight. it's more than brand a looks great with brand b. it's about empowering consumers to crossover to a new style, culture or mindset via a remix of the familiar.

psycho wyco winter run

2008-02-10T22:37:00.002-06:00

The crew beforehand, still clean. Kevin's either following his heart to my shoulder or his hat's stuck on my CamelBak.

i joined a few of my friends to run the psycho wyco winter trail run on saturday. i ran this last year, and then did the summer version in july. the trail conditions this year surely beat the ice we ran on last year, however, the snow pack, slush and mud mixtures made things interesting.

my goal was to break two hours, which i did, coming in at 1:54. yeah - for a 10 miler! crazy slow. i had an average 11:23-per-mile pace. i thought without the ice i'd be much faster than my 2-hour time last year, but this year's mud and slush slowed me down...as did the hilly course.

another very well-run race by the Trail Nerds...great job guys. they took great care of the runners, providing everything from sports drink to lentil soup to coffee and donuts. that, however, wasnt' enough. we hit up Room 39 after the race for some much-deserved food and much-needed bloody Marys. more than anything, it was great to run this tough race with a good crew of people. here's to a nice cap on the winter racing schedule.

this is the second trail run i've done in my new Montrail Highlanders. i swapped them in for the Vasque Velocity kicks and have been really pleased.

parting inspirational shot

and an actually inspirational shot, via the Soiled Chamois. i love this poster for so many reasons.

what i'm digging

2008-02-07T09:09:00.001-06:00

time for another random sampling of the things i'm currently digging.

music:

nada surf, lucky. one of my favorite bands finally releases their much-awaited album. play the first track, See These Bones and tell me it's not the best intro to a song you've heard in a good long while.

jack johnson, sleep through the static. this green advocate put his money and music where his mouth is by creating a "green" studio. his label and its artists are following suit. traditionally mellow surf tunes.

guitar, tokyo. i found this artist via pandora. i love traditional japanese music, especially koto and shamisan instrumentals. guitar blends this with some german techno. seriously. it works.

stuff:

magnetic curtains. until i realize my dream of living in a warehouse nestled against the Rockies, i'm not sure i have a real need for these, but they look functional for offices or other large spaces in need of division. what a no brainer. (via designverb)

green collar jobs. i'd be more inclined to consider "green collar jobs" as those more in innovation than maintenance, but i do like where this is going and it's obviously one more way "green" is blending into the mainstream.

the kansas democratic caucus. my friend celeste has a good recap of the evening here. you're looking at the Obama line. as reflected in the results, there really wasn't a Clinton line to speak of.

kc multisport spin class. photo via little miss runner pants. this has proved to be well worth its cost of participation. had to miss Tuesday's class due to my participation in the political process, but i'll be back in the saddle tonight.

connections

2008-02-06T23:29:00.000-06:00

i have an entirely online kinship with Olivier Blanchard via his great Brand Builder blog and a few meaningful career conversations over the years. his is a blog i check the minute it goes live with an update in my Bloglines. i link to him frequently, we exchange comments and e-mails. i've failed to link to his business-partner-in-crime Roby's blog and i guess it's just simply time to do that. (and yes, both Olivier and Roby take phenomenal cycling photos and are based in the kick-assery state of SC).

Roby - whom i do not know - is in Afghanistan in defense of our country. did you get that? both Roby and Olivier have served their countries, which gives them bigger cred than i, and i have been absolutely leveled reading Roby's blog posts and looking through his photo galleries. Roby and Olivier both have insane photography skills, in addition to their marketing strategy and implementation abilities, those photography and writing skills are featured in Roby's documentation of his time in the "'Stan."

if you follow Olivier's blog, you'll know he is a no-B.S. guy, who sees marketing and his work through an incredibly clear lens. Roby's blog and gallery are equally frank and feature a look at war in a very human and real way.

give Roby's blog a look - it'll keep you grounded. and make sure you check out Olivier's blog for some in-yo'-face marketing speak.

as an onlooker, it's cheesy for me to wish Roby the best. but i am serious when i say i hope his ability to document the war is disseminated farther so others can benefit from these up-close-and-personal accounts of a life that preserves the lives we lead stateside.

the problem with trends

2008-02-05T13:26:00.000-06:00

wow. this will be worth ten minutes of your life.

i'm not even going to try and summarize or offer too many thoughts, as i want this to sink in to readers. PSFK outlines the trouble with the trends biz and does so in a way that is relevant to everyone: from agency creatives and strategists to CMO's to the armchair trendspotting nerd.

check out the post here. Piers' list here provides a nice gut check for those of us who research, mine and follow trends in the attempt to make brands better.

Bob Roll delivers classic Bobke-isms, great night

2008-02-03T16:39:00.000-06:00

friday night my buddy Kevin and I headed to Lawrence for the Sunflower Outdoor/Bike Shop's friends/family night with former pro roadie turned mountain biker turned very colorful commentator Bob "bobke/boobke" Roll. Roll perched on the steps of Sunflower's bike side and gave an hour-plus storytelling session including everything from his time riding with Lance Armstrong to his seasonal job as Tour commentator for Versus.

via his bio on the Versus site, Bob's cycling experiences include:
• Member of the Cycling Hall of Fame as part of the original 7-Eleven Cycling Team
• Former member of the Motorola Cycling Team
• Four-time Tour de France, three-time Giro d'Italia, eight-time Paris-Roubaix, and three-time Tour de Suisse racer
• Won stage three of the 1988 Tour de Romandie
• Won stage 11 of the 1985 Coors Classic
• Won the 1997 & 1998 San Franciso Hill Climb
• Raced in eight World Championships

Roll was great - all shaggy from his time off at home in Durango, the guy was extremely entertaining. also fun was the chance to catch up with some old Lawrence friends and empty a few Free State kegs by night's end. here's a nice article from the LJ World.

i could stop here and most would be satisfied, but this can and does tie into the marketing world by showcasing Sunflower's incredibly loyal customer base. there were close to 200 people attending, only told via word of mouth and an e-mail. kudos to Dan Hughes for putting this on and keeping on Bobke to come deliver one of his few speeches per year among middle-of-America flatlanders. Sunflower was set up with 20 percent off discounts for this friends and family group - all loyal cu$tomer$ - and the vibe was that of thankfulness and revelry in what is a strong cycling and outdoor community, much a credit to Dan and the Sunflower folks.

now i'm ready to pull the bike off the indoor trainer and hit the roads. had a long afternoon of climbing at Monster Mountain. not sure i like it as much as Ibex, but certainly appreciate its close proximity to my pad. now, time to crack some beers and watch some commercials.

escapism

2008-01-30T15:14:00.000-06:00

i've opined on this blog on the love i have for travel and more specifically, the feeling you get when you GO. the change in lighting as you cross from the terminal to the jetway. the welcomed thud when the airplane's landing gear first hits the destination tarmac. the first step out of a hotel in a new city. a stamp on the passport. it's a feeling that is in every way freeing, overwhelming, invigorating and empowering. you're moving. escaping. going.

i needed an afternoon break from a couple projects and grabbed some stale joe and jumped onto the Influx Insights blog, finding a great post on escape, just when i needed a mental vacation. not only does the post feature one of my favorite authors and stories, Thoreau's Walden, VW's nightdriving spot is embedded.

in short, a British theater company is performing Walden in a parking garage. more here at the BLDblog. a juxtaposition of Thoreau's focus on solitude and nature and the man-made concrete incubator that is a parking garage. it got me thinking of how i define escape. the important act of clearing one's head and experiencing a freshness one can't get just by cycling through life. not literally cycling, though, as it's quite a great escape. how do brands allow for escape? how do our hobbies, likes and activities provide a window into what our soul fights to make constant?

Walden in a garage, awesome. the veedub spot, equally insightful. both underline what I think was one of Walden's main points: awareness.

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived...

Walden was certainly a precursor to modern stories of solitude. just re-reading the excerpts in the BLDBlog made me think of the way I felt while reading Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer and now as I read Desert Solitude by Edward Abbey. so where are you trying to go? where do your customers want to be transported? and most importantly, for your wallet, how do you get there (and get them there) without booking a cross-Pacific trip?

Big finish in the Arctic Challenge

2008-01-27T09:21:00.001-06:00

what was billed as an "Arctic Challenge" was unseasonably mild, which only dulled the pain of a very tough trail running and mountain biking course. first, big kudos to Patrick and Joel of KC Multisport on a very challenging and well-organized event. it's the first of what i hope is an annual occurrence. really nice job, guys.

the race consisted of two run stages, which were mostly off-road, and one mountain bike stage, which was filled with slick, icy, slushy, muddy trail conditions and many dismounts to hike to checkpoints along the way, or carry/walk the bike through un-ridable conditions.

i teamed up with my buddy kevin, who had stellar orienteering skills and pushed me past a pulled thigh injury i incurred the night before. thanks to some great anti-inflammatory drugs and a good Ace-bandage tape job, i was good to go.

the race was peppered with 17 checkpoint areas, which were marked by an orange kite (small) normally off the trail and into the woods. we relied on a map, instincts, compass and orienteering skills to get from checkpoint to checkpoint.

the first run section was tough, mainly because we hadn't really warmed up and were immediately headed into a hilly route. we came in right behind the leaders at the transition area, feeling pretty good about our positioning going into the bike section. at each transition area, a team-builder was presented. from building a perfect square out of imperfect shapes to a word find to our worst task: balancing and walking as a team on two boards.

hitting the bike section gave my thigh a chance to recover, which felt nice until we got onto the snowy-slushy trail. i've never seen that much mud and crap. it was one of the toughest bike rides i've had.

we moved into the final run knowing we'd broken from a pack of teams and only passed by a couple teams finishing the other way, giving us the momentum we needed and the fantasy of standing on some sort of podium receiving flowers and kisses from pretty girls in cycling jerseys (did not happen, but we got some great chili at the end). we did however have a couple pretty girls cheering for us the whole way, which really helped. it was fun to participate with two other friends, Caroline and Joel, who were part of a very strong coed team (even with Caroline riding on slicks!).

we ended up coming in third in the men's division, which was a pretty sweet finish considering the strength of the competition. many of these folks are in my KC Power Hour spin class and almost all were experienced multi sport athletes. with a number of cuts and caked-on mud covering my legs and pretty well physically spent, we all headed to Barley's to refuel.

Andree

2008-01-24T22:41:00.000-06:00

this is one of those posts i don't know how to correctly write. i am posting for my own benefit, largely, and for the memory of a dear friend who passed away this morning. but i think i'm mostly posting to raise awareness of a disease that is so brutally inclusive.

Andree Rice died this morning outside of seattle. her family was with her. her wonderful husband Bob, her spirited daughter Madison, her mother and sisters and others. her breast cancer had ebbed and flowed substantially since her 1999 diagnosis. the entire time i've known her, since working with her in the Breast Cancer 3-Day, she's battled challenges related to breast cancer. the entire time i've known her, however, not a week has gone by without an e-mail - largely to a group of her "angels" as she called us - updating us on her procedures, treatments, health and most importantly, imparting a joy and wisdom upon us that seemed unfairly backwards. it was she, suffering, gutting it out, who carried us, who didn't understand the things she knew well, and weren't living the life she was reveling in.

it was Andree, who was the true angel in the equation.

the above photo was taken during the Seattle Breast Cancer 3-Day. that's Andree, in the yellow poncho being interviewed live for one of the station's morning shows. it's a picture that cracks me up each time I see it and think of it because of the back story. Andree, a jubilant, infectiously beautiful breast cancer fighter volunteered to be a media spokesperson for the Breast Cancer 3-Day while I was working PR for the event. we had a few calls, did the requisite media training (which she didn't need) and spoke on the phone a number of times prior to the event. it was as if i was her best and only friend (a sentiment many have attested to since), which ended up being one of her best traits. when we finally met on the event, we embraced like it'd been forever since we'd last spoken, although i'd been pestering her (and her husband) about interviews for weeks.

i think she even brought me chocolate-covered macadamia nuts from her home state of Hawaii that morning.

well, one of the TV stations wanted to include a walker in a live feed the first morning of the event and i wouldn't think of having anyone else go live but Andree. she attracted and engaged everyone who spoke with her. problem was, she got caught up in friends, emotions, hugs and the crowd and was exceedingly late to our meeting place. i later realized that asking Andree to simply walk to a meeting place is lunacy, as she'll find a hundred people and things to discover along the way. when we finally met up, we were minutes, literally a couple minutes to air time. the station's producer was screaming at me on the phone, the reporter was e-mailing, the rain was coming down and we were nowhere near their designated satelitte feed.

the producer gave me an out, saying we could do the interview over the noon show or some other time, but i wasn't - nor was Andree - going to have that. we pulled maneuvers reminiscent of stunt films, laughing the whole way, getting drenched in the process and clipped her mic on her with mere seconds to air, at which time she - fully composed and without a hint of the past few minutes' craziness - nailed an interview and melted the cameraman's (and anchors') hearts.

it is a memory that i will always chuckle at and hold dear, as it encompassed the wellspring of life Andree exuded at all times.

i'm sad that wellspring seems dry tonight. i hurt for Bob and Madison especially. but at the same time, i know it to be true that in just the three years i knew Andree, she has changed lives. she has raised awareness of the importance of breast health and prevention. she has encouraged living and promoted love. and all things considered, it's a joy to have been part of that party.

god bless you, Andree. thank you for all you've made me understand.

you can learn more about the fight against breast cancer, breast health information and prevention at komen.org. now's also a great time to think about honoring your loved ones who have fought or are fighting breast cancer - or celebrate your survivorship - by participating in the Race for the Cure or the Breast Cancer 3-Day.

A healthy exchange rate

2008-01-24T08:59:00.000-06:00

i read an interesting piece in Ad Age last night about Google and Publicis exchanging execs to further each entity's ideation, product development and marketing. brilliant, in my opinion, but with these two behemoths joining forces, came a few cynical thoughts on how calculated the touted ideation and product development will be. i moved on, had some dinner and then read this today.

my friends over at Brains on Fire are starting a Marketer-In-Residence program. i've always admired this shop's innovation and dig Robbin and Spike on a personal level, so this development was not as much a shock as it was a no-brainer (ha!) for this company. kudos guys.

the first M-I-R is John Moore! good luck to both parties, i hope they continue (both) blogging on this experience.

spot sounds

2008-01-22T09:52:00.000-06:00

i was fishing around for the singer behind the MacBook Air spot (Yael Naim) and found her full video of the featured song, New Soul. here it is.

the song is perfect - even in light of the entire video - for the message behind Air. this little hunt got me thinking about a debate i had with a fellow VW and Wilco fan on Sunday, over Wilco's music in the new veedub spots.

Wilco's "Either Way" spot, which blends the song with spot strategy seamlessly:

and Wilco's "Walken," which despite a solid strategy and great execution (especially for the Gen X market) just doesn't seem to work as well. might be better with a lullaby-like song? i know of a number of songs on Sky Blue Sky that fit (Please Be Patient With Me, You Are My Face, On and On and On, for starters).

and speaking of car commercials, this Kia spot has a great strategy, and is executed nicely with the help of a very fitting song by one of my favorites, Joe Purdy.

what's your favorite song and spot matchup?

design inspiration

2008-01-17T12:13:00.001-06:00

i've been del.icio.us-ing a lot this week, after finding some great inspiration throughout the interweb, both for Interwoven Threads and for my ad job.
here's what's inspiring me.

Nike Considered, by Jeff Staple. Nike's beautiful eco-friendly new line...plus a new air jordan!

Information Aesthetics. Data visualization

Scrapture. Japanese style/fashion site with great (non-Harajuku, thankfully) images of street style.

Five to Nine Magazine. not only does this mag feature a lot of us who get our creative on between the hours of 5 to 9 (brilliant name), but is available for free PDF download. a growing trend, which I love.

The Sky Is Falling, by the Ecospot Grand Prize winner, animation artist Dave Schlafman.

saturday tunes

2008-01-12T10:33:00.000-06:00

i've had a super-productive saturday morning. as most mornings go, it began with the Monk-dog burying his head under the covers, then jolting it upwards to jar me awake. may have been that i just felt under the weather this week (or that it's now saturday), but I bounded out of bed and took him into the backyard to drink some coffee (me) and partake in some squirrel intimidation (him).

filled some interwoven threads orders (preparing shipping packages gives me an insane amount of joy) while listening to the new Radiohead album (for the love of God, this is a great effort). i especially love the model Radiohead experimented with, in offering the album for any price the consumer wanted to pay. not only did that reap great pr and sales, it only encouraged folks to buy the album in box-form when it became available in the real world. it's currently numero uno on the Billboard chart. victory! here's the band's special NYE video, Scotch Mist. amazing....

just downloaded the new album from Coconut Records - actor Jason Schwartzman's one-man (with help) band. it's stellar. great weekend music. it's amazingly ADD in its sound, moving from mellow and melancholy folk (think Ben Kweller) to funky dork (think Weezer). i'm loving it. it's a nice surprise to find an actor making quality music. i got impatient and bought the album from iTunes, however, if you buy it from Coconut Records, Schwartzman throws in a Polaroid Pic for your extra consumer effort. check the below video for one of my instant favorites from the album:

here's what i'm not going to do this weekend. too cold to jump on the trails. i think part of the cold i battled last week was from inhaling too much mud last saturday.

instead, i'm headed to ibex to climb with a friend (her first time bouldering!). should be fun.

have an invigorating weekend.

agencies, brands doing good

2008-01-11T14:54:00.001-06:00

friday afternoons call for some inspiration to put you into the weekend.

via the inspirational planning for good, a quick video on why agencies and brands should be focused on doing good in the world. we hear a lot about brands good work through corporate social responsibility, cause and philanthropy, but not a whole lot about the powerful work agencies can do to support such causes on their own. as our clients are increasingly looking to do good work in their industries and for their consumers, they'll rightly look at their agencies to ensure like minds are present.

are you scaring anyone?

2008-01-11T08:30:00.000-06:00

been a while since i've posted a link to the brandbuilder blog. it's surely overdue, and here it is.

via Olivier, via Kathy Sierra, a wonderful reminder. are your ideas scaring anyone? are your ideas big or just status quo? are you actually creating change or simply creating sameness?

"If your new Big Idea doesn't scare the hell out of you, it's probably not a new Big Idea. If it doesn't scare other people, it might be because you allowed the consensus (or what you imagined as the consensus) to smooth the pointy bits, buffing and polishing the idea into a nice safe state that displeases nobody and delights nobody."

here's to a little ruffling of the feathers.

happy friday.

it may be the cold medicine....

2008-01-09T19:46:00.000-06:00

...or the Sigur Ros booming through the stereo speakers, but i was just blown away by the new project We Are Multicolored. check it. what a concept for a time such as now.

Green technology? Oxymoron?

2008-01-09T13:29:00.000-06:00

just posted a little ditty on the Do Better Blog regarding the electronics industry and green technology. check it.

while you're at it, don't forget to add the Do Better Blog to your RSS or blog reader.

Please stop talking, Bill

2008-01-08T14:11:00.000-06:00

i'm a big fan of Bill Clinton. always have been. i have many good things to say about his work both in office and out of office. but i'm getting pretty sick of him talking out loud lately. we all have inside voices and i don't fault his, however, he's coming off as bitter, arrogant and rather unsavory lately, when he should be the calm that covers the storm that is his wife's presidential campaign. as Hillary summons tears and locates something known as emotion, President Clinton has been making me cringe in his own video clips and interviews.

writers' strike be damned! bring the drama!

i thought this one was bad...

then today i saw this clip of President Clinton in New Hampshire.

we'll see how the New Hampshire primaries go tonight. another Obama victory will be a powerful signal that America might rather go with a "fairy tale" as President Clinton references, than another dynasty.

so, what is your thinking? was Hillary the puppeteer of a well-timed emotional cloud break, or did we see a side of her she might have been mistakenly covering all this time? was this her Howard Dean moment?

speaking of Dean, whom i do respect and had an enjoyable conversation with on an airplane once, i think i've finally realized the cause of his unfortunate audible (ha ha...get it?). i'm spending the day home sick, finally bowing to a cough and cold that i've been wrastling with since Christmas, and i realize, in my weakened vocal state, that if someone gave me a microphone and a little dose of energy, that's the exact sound I'd make.

so, "ryaaaahhhh" New Hampshire. "ryaeeeeaaahhhhhrrr" democracy. we'll see what happens this evening.

my friend sara sent me this New York Times opinion column by Gloria Steinem. it's pretty thought-provoking. regardless of what tonight's and this election's outcomes are, we are moving forward as a country, a step long overdue but profound in its impact.

i'm off to the doctor.

Enjoying solitude, safely

2008-01-07T22:10:00.001-06:00

i've been heartbroken over the death of Georgia hiker Meredith Emerson. tonight's CNN story on the discovery of her body, aided by her accused assailant got me thinking about how we find a balance between the solitude and peace being outdoors provides and the dangers we all face - not just women - when we set out alone.

i have a number of female friends who run, hike and bike alone often. when i hear their recounting of running through dark trails or setting off on a day hike without their cell phone, I cringe a bit. but, it's them. it's what they do and love. as with myself and many of my male friends, it's part of our DNA. but it doesn't overshadow the fact that going out alone is inherently dangerous. from a slip and fall to getting lost or being caught unprepared at the change of weather, there are a number of risks one assumes in the outdoors. i get this, and can respect that danger. it's part of the adventure. what i don't understand and can't rationalize is that we live in a time when instead of greeting fellow hikers or outdoors people with interest and graciousness, we must - especially females - be overly cautious of their intentions. it's just sad.

it's a reminder to think twice. pack the things you need. take your dog along. grab a good knife or pepper spray. stuff that extra tire tube in your saddle bag. take plenty of water. and as tempting as it is to leave your cell phone in the car when going off, take it.

i did a quick run through Google and found some sites that provide good tips on hiking safety.

HikeSafe
Tread Lightly
Sierra Trading Post

be safe. my thoughts and prayers are with Meredith's family and the family of John and Irene Bryant, who also were found dead while on a hike...i'd heard about their deaths before, but just now realized the two cases may be linked. i hope both are solved quickly.

Interwoven Threads on the tele and Exactitudes in my head

2008-01-03T13:53:00.000-06:00

i put my PR experience to good use yesterday morning and media trained myself (it's much easier being the trainer than the trainee) before jumping on the Fox 4 morning show to talk about Interwoven Threads. check out a clip of the interview and more details here.

i about spit out my soup as i perused Exactitudes, which might be the most inspiring and insightful photography project i've ever seen. thanks to josh spear.com for the heads up.

How to run a business: New Belgium Brewery

2008-01-01T18:32:00.000-06:00

i spent a few days during the winter advertising agency break in denver visiting friends and being reminded why i should live in colorado. alas, i'm back in the flatlands missing the mountains terribly. while there, we went to Fort Collins to imbibe in the fruits of two of my favorite breweries, Odell and New Belgium. while my time at Odell was delish, this post is about New Belgium and why it is setting a standard for companies, employees and employers everywhere. as the owner of a green(er) and socially-conscious company and an employee in the marketing world, many examples, best practices and innovations were taken from the tour, all of which, if heeded and followed, will make my own corner of the world better. first, some beer shots.

(@ Odell)

(@new belgium)

i've been a New Belgium loyalist and Fat Tire advocate for a long time. in fact, the first draft beer i ordered (legally) in college was New Belgium's hearty 1554. there is simply so much good to say about New Belgium that this post would begin to be a rambling love fest if i don't organize somehow, so here's what we're going to do. a review of the brewery and its relevance to corporate culture in two parts:
1) The company
2) The employee

so here's the environmental-and marketing-framed review. grab a brew and enjoy.

1) The Company

Let's start by getting the obvious out of the way: you'd be damn lucky to work here. and here's the fun detail in that statement: being around beer is not even the best part of the job. no, after touring New Belgium, I realized that this company's best asset is that it sees itself as something much, much bigger than a brewery and in turn, its employees and customers share that unique vision. if you have a short attention span, getting to this point has pretty well summed up the rest of the post, which will attempt to legitimate that claim.

so how does a company gain that kind of "something bigger" brand personality? by being attentive to its every working part. it's clear, when you tour New Belgium, that they've considered all aspects of production, customer interaction, employment and brand relationships to ensure they are doing better each step of the way. from taking a burden off of Fort Collins (and bettering New Belgium's efficiency) by treating its own wastewater to instituting an employee-owned culture that actually engages employees in major decisions (not the superficial "employee stock option" plans so many companies tout, but do little to make relevant). the employees vote on everything from the purchase of new technology (like the new brew kettles below) to new positions created within the staff.

as far as perks, the company gives each employee a custom-made cruiser bike upon their one-year anniversary (the building is teeming with bikes and the culture promotes pedal-commuting as equal parts fitness and environmentalism...and yes, i had a nerdgasm over this perk). employees get up to a case of beer per week to take home (most are not only environmental and cycling zealots, they know their beer backwards, sideways and suds).

but back to the main takeaway, the company has focused on every single moving part to find a way to make it better, meaningful and consistent with the brand. waste is turned into livestock feed. or, wind-powered production.

while most companies (production and service) work hard to cut corners, New Belgium is reaping brand and profit benefits from leaving no stone unturned. a great example of this brand attentiveness is New Belgium's sourcing of furniture, sculpture and merchandise from recycled-bike-parts-artists Resource Revival. here's a pic of the tasting-room barstool, constructed out of recycled bike rims.

New Belgium is well recognized among the green and sustainable circles as one of the best examples of a "green company." and like most successful companies, it gained this recognition (could be "innovative" or "socially responsible" or "design-centric") by implementing a mindset in each step of it's growth in an honest way. New Belgium didn't adopt sustainable production and management because it's trendy. it adopted the sustainable mindset because it was good citizenship, good business, and moreover, an inextricable part of its founders' and employees' personality. what a novel idea: believe in what your company stands for.

click here before going farther to get a great, short, view of the way the New Belgium has utilized its focus on sustainability and social consciousness to be profitable AND fun. an example in vision and strategy all companies should follow.

2) The Employee

the most commonly asked question and topic of conversation during our tour was "how do I get a job here." people hounded our wonderful tour guide. it spoke volumes about the company that he was such an educated zealot and perfect brand ambassador after just four months of employment. you'd think he was a founding partner. and that (bosses, managers, owners reading) is exactly what you want your employees to convey. he had buy in, both literally in his ownership plan and in his loyalty. he had excitement for the brand that was as sincere as you can get (not the dog and pony company tour or recruitment b.s.).

i enjoyed hearing him describe his employer. he loved his founders and reveled in the sacrifices they made to build the company. it was certainly a tone you don't hear often and his excitement for the brand and knowledge of its history was remarkable. he splits his time from bartender in the tasting room to tour guide (a hybrid position many employees have) and let us know that everyone from the founders to the marketing folks to the receptionists give group tours (how well does your receptionist live your brand?).

sure, he digs the perks. as a cycling nut, he is anxiously awaiting his one-year gift (what did you get at one year? a pen? nothing? was anyone keeping track?) and is thankful that his employers recognize and reward his contribution. he digs taking home new brews at night and sharing them with friends (all of whom are jealous of his job). he likes the fact that his employer is one of the most green companies around (click here for its sustainability overview). he likes that the cruiser bike he'll get in a few more months is representative of the company's growth strategy: slow and enjoyable, like a spin on a fat-tire cruiser and not just some corporate gift.

New Belgium employees benefit from open-ended growth opportunities, proven profitable ownership and from my short time there, a healthy HR program. this is something that has come to be a pet peeve of mine. HR is such an essential feature of a company. the employee benefits are huge, but moreover, if the HR dept. is in sync with the company's brand strategy, the way that brand is lived and absorbed internally positions the company to spread a level of brand awareness essential to success.

it's my experience that companies can be divided in two ways, both of which involve the way an employee is viewed: employee as a means-to-an-end (also referred to as a cog, replaceable, etc.) and employee as an irreplaceable linchpin able to propel the company forward or take it down. we've all worked for the first type of company and most of us spend much of our professional careers trying to find a place in the second type. New Belgium is one of the best examples of this second type i've ever seen. it's clear - from the genuinely enthusiastic bartender to the nerded-out brewer to the guy who cut me a 15 percent off deal on merchandise for being involved with Team Wonderbike - that empowerment is a cultural norm.

in short, New Belgium is a company that tries harder and does better. in return, its employees are more valuable and its customers go the extra mile to advocate for and be loyal to the brand.

whew! i'm thirsty.

Interwoven Threads in the KC Star!

2007-12-21T07:23:00.000-06:00

Fashion Editor Jackie White included Interwoven Threads in a wonderful story for today's Kansas City Star. as part of a local gift ideas theme, three images were included (courtesy of photographer Tom Foley).

as a reminder to anyone thinking about giving Interwoven Threads for Christmas, today's orders will be shipped via Priority Mail by end of day today (Dec. 21) and the good folks at the Post Office told me today's shipment should arrive Saturday or Monday depending on which corner of the world you inhabit. as a disclaimer, Interwoven Threads is not responsible for the U.S. Postal Service's delivery schedule during this busy time of year. the stated delivery time for Priority Mail is 2-3 days, however, local (Kansas City-area) packages normally move across town in a day. information is included in each shipment on the benefits of organic cotton and the story behind Interwoven Threads and its donation program.

if you're freakin' out and want to guarantee the gifts are in your hands, i am willing to deliver in the Kansas-City Metro through Saturday at noon. you just have to ask nicely. any questions can be sent to shout (at) interwoventhreads (dot) com. i'll respond right quick.

Bruce Mau talks to strategists, planners

2007-12-21T07:03:00.000-06:00

it's friday. before a holiday break. cold probably. you are finding things to keep yourself from doing actual work and ways to speed the hands of time. i'm here to help...while still connecting the dots professionally.

this video from PSFK of Bruce Mau (author of Massive Change) is of a speech Mau gave to advertising strategists and planners to "liberate them from their jobs." beautiful. it makes sense to bring his Massive Change agenda to the world of advertising and more specifically strategic planning, as it's our job as strategic arms to spark the inspiration and follow the insights to change.

the vid is short and powerful and will make you want to do better. period.

things i'm diggin'

2007-12-16T21:11:00.001-06:00

it's been a while since i've posted random recommendations and interests...so here we go:

1) Peter Bjorn and John.

2) Ergon packs. i tried one on today and wanted to dance in the store.

3) Sunday bouldering.

4) singing Sufjan Stevens in church.

5) church.

6) sending Interwoven Threads directly to unsuspecting Christmas gift recipients. it's like i'm also giving the gift and i like that in a weird voyeuristic way.

7) knowing i'll be in colorado in a bit over a week from now.

From dynamite to peace

2007-12-13T10:32:00.000-06:00

on my drive in this morning, i heard Al Gore's scathing comments on America's role in deterring a global climate treaty. Gore was speaking at the UN Climate Change Conference. "My own country the United States is principally responsible for obstructing progress in Bali," Gore said. that's a cold - but true - bowl of chili. listening to the news story prompted me to pull Gore's Nobel Peace Prize speech and it sparked a couple thoughts.

obviously, the speech is powerful on an environmental level. but it also carries a strong call to action that is hard to ignore no matter what "purpose" you might be pursuing. call it inspiration for this thursday morning...but here are some statements that particularly resonated with me (see excerpted transcript here).

on doing good:

One hundred and nineteen years ago, a wealthy inventor read his own obituary, mistakenly published years before his death. Wrongly believing the inventor had just died, a newspaper printed a harsh judgment of his life’s work, unfairly labeling him “The Merchant of Death” because of his invention – dynamite. Shaken by this condemnation, the inventor made a fateful choice to serve the cause of peace.
Seven years later, Alfred Nobel created this prize and the others that bear his name.

-----
on leadership:

However, despite a growing number of honorable exceptions, too many of the world’s leaders are still best described in the words Winston Churchill applied to those who ignored Adolf Hitler’s threat: “They go on in strange paradox, decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all powerful to be impotent.”

-----
on opportunity

Seven years ago tomorrow, I read my own political obituary in a judgment that seemed to me harsh and mistaken – if not premature. But that unwelcome verdict also brought a precious if painful gift: an opportunity to search for fresh new ways to serve my purpose.

it goes without saying that i wish the tables had rotated in Gore's favor...in a way. i'm confident our world would be in a better place politically. however, what a profound statement of reinvention, hope and tenacity.

some questions floating in my head:

are you serving your purpose? are you given the opportunity? if not, why not?
are you leading change or "deciding only to be undecided?"
are you facing condemnation, failure or frustration with a solution?

we all face these questions in varying degrees. and i believe we all can see reflections of ourselves and those around us in the quotes above. at the end of the day, though, it's up to us, individually to make a choice.

powerful, inspiring words from the man who was once the next president of the United States.

check out the rest of the speech...it's a good'un.

Dallas Whiterock Marthon: done

2007-12-10T20:56:00.001-06:00

i'm back in sunny Kansas City...err...after a wonderful weekend in Dallas. ran the Whiterock Marathon on Sunday and enjoyed every mile of it...especially the last half, which I gutted out a negative 10 minute split. after what's been about two years of continuous marathon training, i'm happy to reflect in the glow of this race as i lower my weekly mileage and enjoy sleeping in on the weekends for a while. i've dealt with a nagging stomach issue, torn cartailage in my foot, a re-injured Achilles tendon and am well tired of gritting my teeth through training runs. but crossing the line on Sunday, nailing my goal time with 58 tenths of a second to spare (4:10:42), well, it was all worth the pain.

i started out rather conservative due to the injuries i was bringing into the race. but at mile 16 or so, i knew i was having a good day and just let it loose. passed a couple pace groups and then with 2 miles left, passed the 4:15 group and decided 4:10 was attainable. spent the final two miles in a dead sprint. but dang it feels good to be done. i do believe i could have bested my last PR (3:54) yesterday if i'd have cut my mile-by-mile time down on the front end...maybe next time.

(camera 1, camera 2...)

the best part, though, was running with three of my favorite people. my good friend Joel (and Interwoven Threads collaborator) ran his first marathon and did a heckuva job (and got the bug, i think!). it was great to run with him for the majority of the race and be part of his huge accomplishment. my Dad ran an expectedly smooth race (i honestly don't think he broke a sweat). our wonderful family friend Larry not only hosted us in his new home, but he and his wife treated us to the best Texas hospitality we could imagine. he's a really talented runner and even better guy.

(...camera 3, camera 4)

we messed with our layers and technical choices until the very minute we started the race. felt great though in what we all wore. i decided on a Patagonia Capilene 2 base layer with another Cap2 long sleeve over that, then my Brooks water/wind-proof jacket and Brooks Trance 7 shoes. i wore the injinji socks that have become a favorite in-training sock due to their ability to prevent blisters, but was really disappointed in them during the race. they just didn't provide enough stay or cushioning. also very poor wicking ability. i think that was their last race. i was on and off with the jacket the whole way, but having it definitely helped during the rain showers that accompanied the 30-40 degree weather. it was rough...and the north wind hurt.

last year's houston marathon is still my favorite - it's part personal record and part great fun - but this may well be number two. man...just keeps getting better. i needed a vacation and this turned into exactly that. great laughs, wonderful food and drink, even better company and a chance to get my head out of KC. moreover, i needed a successful finish to get the bad taste of the Chicago Marathon out of my mouth. my hat's off to the people of Dallas and the race organizers and volunteers. they had aid stations at EACH MILE, filled with water and Gatorade (Chicago, take note). and i will venture to say the neighborhoods bested Chicago's for enthusiasm and fun (not an easy feat). even in the cold and rain, people were outside holding block parties and front-yard parties. they handed out food and drink (lots of beer!) and cheered consistently. it was a well-run race and a great city to run. thanks to all involved for the experience.

Interwoven Threads in Present Magazine!

2007-12-07T12:41:00.001-06:00

check out the latest edition of Present Magazine for a nice story on Interwoven Threads.

Interwoven Threads/Barclay Martin collab

2007-12-06T16:15:00.000-06:00

check out the Do Better Blog for the news of Interwoven Threads first partnership: a collaboration with singer/songwriter/documentarian Barclay Martin.

get a look, buy, do better here.

some new news

2007-12-05T10:47:00.001-06:00

been quite busy between work and Interwoven Threads and preparing for this weekend's Dallas Whiterock Marathon. here's an update, at the Do Better Blog.

bridging the marketing/Interwoven Threads gap, PSFK posted a nice review of Interwoven on its fashion site. additional media coverage is planned for this month. i'll pass it on!

more soon....

Green Marketing Manifesto

2007-11-29T14:09:00.001-06:00

John Grant sent me a pre-release copy of his new book, The Green Marketing Manifesto last week. i cracked it open last night and darn near de-inked my highlighter. i'm not nearly far enough in to provide a meaningful review, but what I've read has not only made great sense, but laid a nice road map for the future of green marketing.

reading a post from PSFK today, i found what would be a helpful bit of info to post here, before i am able to react to the book. an interview with John Grant here.

i do agree with Amanda, that the power of the takeaway might well be John's idea of not making the normal green, but making green normal. it's a theme he follows in his blog and one that i hope to see continue to unfold in the book.

thanks, again, to John for the copy and i look forward to carving out some more time to dig in.

The importance of narration

2007-11-28T12:43:00.000-06:00

i was reminded yesterday, during a new business pitch, of the importance of narration. storytelling. the ability to narrate offers a chance to connect with one's audience. it's a chance to form a bond over an idea or point of view, or simply a story that needs to be told. when we think of narration in the context of presentation, it's the difference between steve jobs' minimilist slide design and most of our overpopulated PowerPoint slides, filled with every bullet and sub-bullet we must not forget to touch on (follow this link from Presentation Zen for an example of Jobs vs. Gates).

i'm not using Jobs vs. Gates as the end-all example. both have very relevant styles for their respective audiences. my point, especially for creatives, would be that our presentations might be better served looking more like Jobs' visual, dramatic, minimalist presentations than the fill-to-the-gill presentations Gates uses. Jobs allows for narration.

so what can we do better? here's my list of things that will help and encourage narration.

1) Draw a line: the presentation is for storytelling, hooking, energizing and connecting with the audience. the leave-behind is for the details. the footnotes. the sources. the sub-bullets. i've never been in a presentation that lacked Q&A, whether during the presentation or after. keep yourself ready to answer the details with the leave behind near you should tough questions arise.
2) Posture: determine if the story is better told sitting or standing. oftentimes, we jump up next to the screen and go to town, losing all connection and community with the audience. in addition to a more welcoming, collaborative seated posture, sitting at the table provides resources at your finger tips.
3) Stop: remember to pause. after big points or simply between slides. make eye contact, take a breath, adjust your notes.
4) Smile: seems obvious, but smiling does two profound things in presentation. first, it makes you more enjoyable to watch and easier to connect with. second, it relaxes you, personally, and keeps any nerves at bay.
5) Question: whether you stop to make sure everyone's in agreement, or ask direct questions, this is an important and effective way to engage your audience. also provides you some breathing room and a chance to be seen as collaborative.
6) Bring props: don't rely on the presentation slides to provide the stickiness your audience needs to stay engaged.
7) Go multimedia: there's no excuse not to incorporate some tunes, videos and images into the presentation. easy as pie from a technical standpoint and extremely rewarding for your audience.
8) Dress comfortably: if you're not comfortable in your clothes, your audience won't be comfortable looking at you.
9) Control your own destiny: or at least your own slide progression. there's little more annoying than watching two people try to coordinate slide progression. this is especially important if you're using bullets and treating the slide content like talking points. you'll need to move naturally, at your own pace. if you're worried about how to technically do this, or are the only person presenting, simply take your wireless mouse and click through. it's bulkier than a slick presentation remote, but the benefit of staying away from the computer is worth it.
10) End on a high note: sometimes, actually many times, your presentation peaks before the last slide. oftentimes, it peaks before you have to get to the budget/estimate slides. figures. if you're able. make a hard stop at this point. relish in the excitement, bond over the victory, then transition into the remainder. plowing through a positive moment can cost you momentum and lose the good impression/vibe you worked so hard to achieve.

hope this helps. it's certainly a work in progress from my standpoint. but a quick reminder of these certainly help me focus. and remember the importance of narrating, not talking at, my audience.

what did you do today?

2007-11-24T19:10:00.000-06:00

in a perfect world, our talents are put to good use - not just selling more widgets or spinning brand blemishes, but creatively communicating important ideas . it's a hope many of us have and a hope many within our audience have for advertising. via the The Dozen blog, i took note as a consumer and a marketer when i saw the campaign for the Dutch charity People in Need.

what a relevant execution and message, executed in a clean, nowhere-near-desperate way visually with copy that carries the campaign. now is a powerful time to be conscious of the privilege most of the world enjoys. falls within that gut-wrenching category of "what did you do today?"

the day after

2007-11-23T11:46:00.000-06:00

the only thing better than Thanksgiving is the day after Thanksgiving. college football, leftovers, house is quiet, three-day weekend.

i woke up in my parents' basement this morning to a big Labrador licking my face and a funny sensation in my belly: hunger. had some almond-butter French toast and coffee. now i'm doing what is to be done the day after Thanksgiving: sitting on a couch watching football.

i have to conserve my energy today for tomorrow's Border War. read Jason Whitlock's column on the game. i believe it's written for Missouri fans, but i appreciate his political correctness in thinly-veiled inclusive language.

hope everyone was able to pause and count their blessings and then figure out how to count their caloric intake.

a great night

2007-11-14T22:37:00.000-06:00

what a night. i'd call it darn near perfect. a mix of old friends, good entertainment, a great (and quad-burning) ride throughout kansas city and a nightcap with some of my favorite people. after a long day and then a bum rush to get some errands run after work, I jumped on the Trek to pedal downtown to the Sprint Center to see two former clients/friends who were working the absolutely amazing Komen for the Cure mobile unit outside the Garth Brooks concert (no way was I going to brave parking/driving down there tonight). it was a great night to be downtown. stopped at JP to get some requested hot chocolate and it was packed to the gills. each bar/restaurant I rode past was equally full. this is Garth's final of 203 shows he's played in the past week. anyway, it was so nice to see these folks and hang out for a second in a very, very relevant mobile execution - which was PACKED by the way. love it.

then, rode the bike through the craziness that was DTKC tonight (I love seeing and being a part of the energy down there), up hospital hill and through Crown Center and Midtown to Westport where I met some friends for a pre-screening of the movie Juno. wow. see this movie. if you put Arrested Development, Napoleon Dynamite, Little Miss Sunshine, Superbad, Singles, Once and Goonies in a blender, you'd have a Juno shake. and you'd love it.

juno is going head-to-head with "Once" as my favorite movie of '07. in a dry, sarcastic, very "i'm-a-kid-dealing-with-things-way-above-my-maturity-level way." it's charmingly crude. it's sweet. it's romantic. it's troublesome. the group i was with laughed throughout and was stilled by some very well-played scenes. the soundtrack also seems great...the signature song is "Anyone Else But You" by the Moldy Peaches (the other songs sort of bite). the song gives you a good idea of the ironic, innocent feel. granted, the movie is a little bit of a disenchanted hipster anthem...but it's far from intolerable. in fact, you want to be in this movie. i'll give it to Fox Searchlight, they are in tune with the Andy this year. just saw Darjeeling Limited and love it as well.

we cruised down the road to Harry's, then i rode home. perfect night. old friends. current friends. seeing kc from wheel level. can't beat it. for the gear geeks reading this, i sported a couple new additions to the winter wardrobe tonight. both fared very well. threw some SmartWool liner gloves under my cycling gloves for added warmth. they worked well, distributed heat evenly, and were thin enough that shifting/braking wasn't an issue. i had my new corduroy Walz Cap on under the helmet tonight...loving this hat (as most who've seen me in the past week know). it worked great as a noggin-warmer, and converted nicely to a stylish cap to wear to the bar. i was going to wear the new Ibex Meru cap...but the dang thing's back-ordered. should be on my noggin by the 17th. yay.

alright. time for another Fat Tire and some QT with the Monk dog.

Media that Matters

2007-11-13T12:39:00.000-06:00

brilliant...enjoy a hearty helping of inspiration. or a reason to have faith that stories of substance still exist and have found a medium to be told.

via the Forsight Feed, here's a link to the Media that Matters Film Festival.

what's strangling your creativity?

2007-11-08T20:18:00.001-06:00

i just watched this video from the TED conference. the brilliant Larry Lessig talks about how the law is strangling creativity. yes. i agree (and even if i didn't, helluva presentation). he touches on user-generated content.

so then i started thinking more about creativity and what kills it. or strangles it. or just stifles it. here's my list of ten things, in no order. some speak for themselves, some need a bit of elaboration.

1) Lack of collaboration
2) Fear
3) Ego
4) Borders
5) Singular tradespeople. At one time, being a tradesman was a valuable distinction. "I'm a blacksmith." No one lists one skill on his or her resume, so why do our workplaces, our titles and our roles reflect it? I won't get into the argument for or against generalists...that's farther away than where I'm standing. But the people with true creative muscle see a big picture. And can play in any stadium. Home or away from their "title."
6) Creative department. Or any label with creative involved. And labels without creative. Agencies, especially, have effectively limited the number of minds free to think creatively, and bestowed sometimes unwarranted power of minds that are tagged as creative. This ties directly to numbers one and four.
7) Process. Processes. And more processes. Many of which are more creative than their output.
8) E-mail. Or any other passive communication that eliminates the need to talk, face to face, to someone.
9) Repetition. "Sacred Cows." not as in those pedestaled people who could literally vomit on a podium without punishment. Sacred cows are pesky executions that seem to pop up in every brainstorm, for every client, for every need or strategy within each market known to man. And then paid off as unique.
10) Right and wrong. We live in a culture of right and wrong. Creativity is gray.

food for thought. i'd love to hear reaction or others' lists of creativity killers. i certainly left some out. notably, as Lessig noted in his speech, the way we're raising our children and our next generation of creative thinkers.

this is the time for creativity. creativity is the solution to problems from brand launches to climate change.

New Interwoven Threads!

2007-11-06T15:51:00.000-06:00

mosey on over to the Do Better Blog to find out who is the first collaborator to launch a shirt on the Interwoven Threads line.

and click here for some end-of-the-day feel good.

Worst...brand...in the woooorld

2007-11-05T08:20:00.000-06:00

before i cut the cable cord, i enjoyed keith olbermann's Countdown news show. i really liked the "Worst Person In The World" segment, where he names someone for doing something truly bad...a politician, CEO, or civilian moron. you get it.

PSFK just posted on the Consumers International poll of the worst products and brands, based on a lack of corporate responsibility (or, really, a conscious). check out the link for those named.

a lot of marketing muscle goes into communicating good deeds and overall awareness of a company's responsibility to its consumers, environment, community. it's equally important to hold those brands accountable that actually try to avoid responsible action.

how to kick ass

2007-11-01T21:08:00.000-05:00

you know, i read a lot of blogs. (what a stupid way to start a post). but it's true. and oftentimes i start new feeds and in the first few posts, i can usually tell if i will find value or not. for a couple years now, i've been searching for whatever happened to the old branding shop kindred keziah. i blogged about it in 2005. well, after a friend in colorado sent me a post from the Egg Strategy blog a couple days ago, i've been reading "the dozen" and it's previous posts with interest.

not only do my brand strategy interests collide with Egg, turns out they are the outcome of a merger with kindred keziah. well, slap me around and call me serendipity.

tonight, after being absolutely engrossed with a back issue of Fast Company and learning more about design powerhouse fuseproject, i sat down at my Macbook to do some follow up on the companies/people i was reading about and found this nice post from Egg...on a company i have an overwhelming amount of respect for (and consumer dollars in), Patagonia, and a leader i'm pretty sure i'd walk on fire to follow, Yvon Chouinard.

it reminded me that a couple weeks ago, Andrew the Planner and i absorbed the google zeitgeist video of Chouinard and friend Tom Browkaw, below:

for some reason, i never posted my thoughts. probably due to business. most of you know that i follow patagonia with a zealot's obsession and built Interwoven Threads' social constitution in many of the same ways patagonia is run.

well, there it is for the absorbing. grab onto the Egg Strategy feed. what i've read has been both insightful and challenging. Egg, fuseproject, Patagonia...all kicking ass. how can you be part of it? how can you learn from it and develop something new? how can you kick ass?

say what?

2007-10-31T10:50:00.000-05:00

i enjoy reading/hearing sound-bite-ready quotes and other corporate speak from spokespeople and pr folks. you know, the statements that make you say, "do they know someone with a brain is going to read this? do they really think someone will believe this?" it's sort of a nerdy outcome of my profession, i guess.

i was reading my grist newsfeed this morning and ran across a post on White House spokesperson dana perino's remarks on the health benefits of climate change, in response to the Centers for Disease Control's report on the affects of climate change (which some believe the white house played down). really? i wonder if perino actually levitates when she stands still, from the gyration caused by her spintasticness.

"Seriously, put a ball on my finger. See what happens."

so faaaar away....

2007-10-30T20:51:00.001-05:00

i've been out of commission due to some new biznass at work and a crazy life schedule. they've combined to keep me off Woolard Speak and away from society. the craziness that has been the last few work days was made better by my new super-fantastic productivity machine. yup...for those of you who know me well, you know that it was a sad day was when i left barkley - for many reasons - including my having to give back my company-issued BlackBerry. i loved that thing. a lot. not only did it help me do my job better (and provide endless entertainment between co-workers), but it kept me scheduled, connected and engaged. not an easy task.

as many of my friends know, scheduling something with me is like throwing a dart at a moving target, while blindfolded and possibly in a snowstorm. i am not good at scheduling. i forget. i don't even remember in the first place. i have too much going on, yet still over schedule myself.

well, after doing some finagling with Sprint, i'm back on the productivity wagon with a hot little Palm Centro, which has done nothing short of changed my life in the past week. Interwoven Threads has grown to the point that the hours around 9-5 are packed with shipping orders, talking to customers and collaborators and working out donations. having the phone helps me keep logged into my e-mail as well as stay fresh on my calendar.

but it's also allowing me to be more productive. and i appreciate that almost as much as an updated, synced calendar.

so, i'm connected. i can text people without yelling at them for costing me 10 valued cents. i can check multiple Interwoven e-mail account plus my bank account. plus, i was a good line-tower and even added my work e-mail to the Palm. it's funny, now that i have it again, i'm not sure how i lived without it.

changing the subject....

one of my newly-favored pr shops (you'll understand why as soon as you hit the link) posted a hilarious video on its feed yesterday. it was exactly what i needed to remedy a day of annoyance. hope it will hit you in the funny bone as it did me. from the outdoor flacks at Backbone Media, i present you with a universal question answered.

japanese television is the best. when i lived there, i used to watch this stuff each night. my japanese roommate was dumbfounded at my entertainment level. what can i say, we got reality tv, they got race walking and samurai.

have a great wednesday, all. more substantiative posts soon.

Planet in Peril

2007-10-23T09:36:00.000-05:00

new post on this new documentary at the Do Better Blog.

anyone want to invite me over to watch this tonight? :)

Fringehog

2007-10-22T15:19:00.000-05:00

pretty sure this will blow your mind.

That vending machine has feet

2007-10-22T09:46:00.001-05:00

my friend moe helped me indulge my love for all things Japanese this morning with this link.

i love that the "experimental" designer likens this to ninja camo. man...i want one. just to throw on when people start boring me. i need to tap into my peeps in Tokyo to see if i might acquire this by Halloween.

"Are you supposed to be a vending machine?"
"No, I'm a modern-day ninja. Duh."

instead of running in the pouring rain this morning, i sat on my couch and made a mix for the rainy day. then i realized i haven't posted a mix on WoolardSpeak for a long time. So here. Happy Monday, this is what's in my ears today.

FM Radio - Joshua James
No One's Gonna Love You - Band of Horses
Crystal Village - Pete Yorn
Mushaboom (Postal Service Remix) - Feist/Postal Service
Ricky's Theme - Beastie Boys
Boy With a Coin - Iron and Wine
Land of Sea - Chris and Thomas
On Your Way - Album Leaf
Silent Sigh - Badly Drawn Boy
Love in the Lies - Amos Lee
Orange Sky - Alexi Murdoch
Side with the Seeds - Wilco
Moonlight Mile - The Rolling Stones
Thinking About You - Norah Jones
Everybody Knows - Ryan Adams
To Be Alone With You - Sufjan Stevens
Screen Door - Jeff Tweedy
New Slang - The Shins
Chandelier - The New Tragedies
Paris is On - Paul Brill
Don't You Evah - Spoon