Having a successful career in communications depends largely on the ability to communicate, successfully. It’s a simple idea that sounds obvious when put into words. But think about the last time you tried to explain something to someone who just couldn’t quite grasp the concept. Now consider the advertising industry. Imagine being tasked with convincing [...]
Monthly Archives: April 2008
Because I Could Not Stop For Death
I never read comics as a kid. I discovered the publisher Vertigo, home to Neil Gaiman’s cultishly popular Sandman series, well after I became an adult. I immediately fell in love with Death. Older sister to Sandman’s central character, Morpheus, Death helps guide the recently departed from the corporeal world into the next realm. However, [...]
Be A Good American… Or Else
An Internet acquaintance sends me a passel of emails on a fairly regular schedule. They are mostly the kinds of things we all get in our box: “CC’d” and “Forwarded” bits of humor, hope, and political ramblings. A recent letter included a modern retelling of the Ant and Grasshopper parable. The updated story imagines the [...]
Something Old, Something New
Amid declining sales and slowing growth, Starbucks has unleashed a flurry of effort to rejuvenate its brand. Beginning with Howard Schultz’s return as CEO, further efforts have included retraining baristas, a new signature brew, and a curious return to their former logo seen above. Although the design change is temporary, it has been met with [...]
Posted in Culture, Marketing Tagged apple computer, branding, corporations, howard schultz, starbucks Leave a comment
The Truth is a Bitter Pill to Swallow
“They fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration…” What Senator Obama said about the lack of jobs leading to bitterness has been repeated ad nauseum. I won’t reprint the quote here, but you can read and listen to the speech for yourself. Besides, if we insist on confusing pull quotes for actual insight, [...]
A Good Fortune
Occasionally, life’s random occurrences seem to be guided by a greater hand. Today is such a day. Another blah Tuesday of another blah week was suddenly made a bit brighter by my fortune. If you feel the same way, pass it on.
Stop Dreaming; Wake the Hell Up
I have a different way of observing Martin Luther King Day and the anniversary of Dr. King’s death. I don’t attend rallies. I don’t wear anything out of the ordinary. And I don’t listen to his “I have a dream” speech. In fact, for years I have favored a moratorium on playing that epic speech. [...]
I Want My DTV
Like a ten minute drum solo, it’s coming. Beginning midnight February 17, 2009, Digital Television (DTV) will be more than a cool buzz phrase. It will be the law. At that time and by FCC mandate, full-power TV stations will turn out the lights on their analog transmitters. Cue the transition party-goers! Grab a stiff [...]
Posted in Tech, TV & Film Tagged digital television, dtv, fcc mandate, february 17, high definition tv, tv stations Leave a comment
Hello Old Friend
Dear Blog, How have you been? As the days have grown longer, so have my absences. Having gone through the most stressful 12 months of my life has certainly contributed to the void. But even as Spring moves forward, renewing life, I feel you maturing in your own silence. Leafy green tendrils of posts are [...]
