Category: worth mentioning

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David Armano’s Incomplete Manifesto

Here’s something that might provoke a few thoughts…

I came across David Armano’s Incomplete Manifesto recently, and it struck a chord. If you haven’t heard of David, you owe it to yourself to check out his blog, Logic + Emotion. David is the VP of Experience Design with Critical Mass, and is incredibly active in the social media space. He originally wrote this back in June of 2006, and updated it in October 2006.

Here are a few excerpts from his manifesto:

Ask.
Ask questions. Lots of them. Ask the silly ones. The ones that no one else wants to ask. Ask about the bigger idea. Ask about the details. Ask why—but also ask yourself why you are asking the questions.

Be Someone’s Hero.
Everybody needs a hero. We just don’t want to admit it. Find someone who needs a hero. Not your boss—but the person looking for guidance—a word of encouragement or inspiration. Be that hero even if your own heroes don’t exist for you.

Tear Down The Wall.
Corporations thrive by having distinct departments and teams. Collaboration is encouraged—but authentic collaboration rarely happens. Why? Because it’s messy business. People are born with egos. Egos need to be un-learned. Replace your natural born ego with intense curiosity. Do this and you’ll be able to break down barriers, and do great things. When Harley-Davidson wanted to design their first high-performance motorcycle (the V-Rod), they went to Porsche for help. That’s checking ego at the door.

I would encourage all of you to read David’s entire manifesto over at Logic + Emotion. Is it going to change your world? No, probably not. But if it causes you to look at things just a little differently next time, then well done.

And to David, I have to say – outstanding work, as always.

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Hanging solidly at 419

On theAd Age Power 150! Who ever said you had to be good at math…

Seriously though, the Power 150 list ranks the top media and marketing blogs, and features some outstanding company, such as AdRants at number 6, and American Copywriter at number 82.

Even to be on the same list at those types of sites is a tremendous honor, especially for this little blog out of Idaho. And while our friends over in Cleveland would like to see a higher position, I’m just thankful to be on the list.

So, to those of you who read, subscribe to, and comment on this site, I say thank you.

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Spotlight on Carew Co.

A couple of weeks ago I had a chance to sit down for coffee with Paul Carew.

Paul spent the past decade+ with Oliver Russell, most recently as Creative Director.

Then, in the first part of July, he struck out on his own, opening Carew Co. According to Carew Co’s website, “Form needs to function. Creative has to work.” In other words, the pretty pictures alone won’t get results. There has to be a solid plan behind it.

Since Paul started up the shop in early July, he’s kept himself incredibly busy, and from the sounds of it there’s no sign of things slowing down.

To Paul, and everyone else who’s taken that leap of faith to strike out on their own, I offer up a hearty congratulations. It’s a bold step to take, so make the best of it.

Be sure to check out the Carew Co. blog as well for updates and a little peek behind the curtain.

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Advice for Newbies – a primer from Advergirl

Now I’ll be the first to admit that there are more marketing-related blogs around these days than I could even begin to keep track of. But when one of the few that I do keep up references another one, I’ll usually take a look.

Such was the case this time.

Last week I saw a post on AdRants titled “So You Want to Work In Advertising? Read This First.” I was intrigued, so I read further. Turns out it was a reference to a piece written recently by Advergirl, who shared her version of a new employee “welcome kit” so to speak.

Take a few minutes and read through it once or twice: Advice for Newbies: Meet You New Boss. You’ll be glad you did — its a very insightful piece.

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Agency competency test

I’ve been a fan of Bart Cleveland’s contributions to the Ad Age Small Agency Diary for several years now, and his most recent article is no exception:

Give Your Agency This Simple Competency Test

Bart serves up four questions to help you evaluate where you are. As he mentions toward the end of the article, “Whether you own an agency or just work for one, you should be asking yourself these questions and planning your course accordingly.”

It’s a short article, but lots of good ideas to chew on.

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