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When a SNL "Fake" Commercial is as Good as a "Real" Spot

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I barely watch Saturday Night Live actually "Live" anymore. I mean, SNL is like the KFC of late night TV. In the nature of great content creators like Jimmy Fallon and Ellen, the bits aired during their regularly scheduled time slots are only the beginning of their online digital longtail lives. Such is the case in the recent slightly skewering New Balance video featuring guest star Zach Galifianakis and not-ready-for-primetimers Tim Robison and Bobby Moynihan.

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Making the World's Smallest Movie

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Just watched the world’s smallest movie. It’s an animation made by some folks at IBM where each “pixel” consists of 12 atoms. First of all, it’s kind of mindblowing to watch. But make sure you watch the making of as well. As they move each cluster of 12 atoms on the surface to create the next frame, they can actually HEAR the atoms scraping over the surface.

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How Big Ideas Become Spreadable Content

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This week, General Motors signed the Climate Change Declaration, which states that tackling climate change is one of America’s greatest economic opportunities in the 21st century – and the right thing to do. They joined a growing list of global companies who have put their brands behind this, including including Levis, Starbucks, eBay, and Intel.

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What's Wrong With This Picture?

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The April 8 issue of Adweek  celebrated “Wired at 20”.  I love Wired, and I’ve been reading it since it launched.  But a picture in AdWeek’s article caught my eye.  Within the sidebar article “Still Connected” about how Wired has maintained its relevance over 20 years, there is a full spread photo on pp 24-5 with the caption “a bird’s-eye view of the Wired HQ”. 

wired at 20 adweek

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What Does Brand Planning Look Like From a Content Marketing Agency?

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We recently finished a mega-positioning exercise for a life sciences company. A few days before the presentation a team member—a recent hire—asked me, "is there a template we use for delivering positioning findings to clients?" Err….no. 

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What Our Manifesto Says About Content Today #2

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Our manifesto poster that states  “Fun and business are not mutually exclusive” was originally written to describe the value of a fun company culture. Companies that make time to have fun and socialize end up being more innovative and productive.  That's as true as it ever was, but the concept of fun and business going together like fondue, wine and Bert Bacharach is also highly relevant for today’s content marketing.

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Southland and the Power of Good Storytelling

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If you are not watching TNT's cop drama "Southland," then are you are missing out on some superb fictionalized entertainment. But make sure you also have a comedy on your DVR or Netflix / Hulu / Amazon queue to watch immediately after watching "Southland" because you will need some light-hearted fare to cleanse your mind's palette. TNT's drama - salvaged NBC - takes place in a washed-out de-saturated world of officers and detectives of the LAPD, whose personal and professional lives are fraught with moral ambiguities. 

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BICEP Names COI Agency of Record

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We're excited to announce that Business for Innovative Climate and Energy Policy (BICEP) has named us their first official agency of record! The Boston-based advocacy coalition partners with members of the business community and Congressmen to pass meaningful energy and climate change legislation. BICEP recently crafted a Climate Declaration, which was signed by 33 businesses, including Nike, eBay, and Starbucks, and local companies like EMC and Stonyfield.

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What Our Manifesto Says About Content Today #1

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It’s been a few years since we created our Manifesto, a series of posters designed to convey our philosophy and approach to the very changed world of marketing.   Since we made the Manifesto, pre-Twitter and YouTube, changes have only accelerated, but the basic truths in the posters not only have stood the test of time, they’ve become even more relevant in the age of content marketing.

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Content Lessons from Facebook Home

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As of this weekend Facebook Home, the new Android-only home screen application, has hit 500,000 downloads, a figure both encouraging and disheartening for the social media giant. While 500,000 downloads is certainly nothing to be ashamed of, considering it was launched April 12th, this represents only a tiny fraction of the billion Facebook users and half a billion Android devices out there.

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