How I keep track of my very, very random ideas

Do you have random moments of inspiration?
I find that creativity is incredibly hard to forecast. It sneaks up on me, triggered by some spark. Maybe it’s seeing a great photo, hearing an old song or a forgotten fragrance.
It’s been that way my whole life, and only finally did I get so disgusted with losing the [...]

Talking about beer

I’m a bit frustrated here…
I was going to share some great copy with the world here, but I can’t find a copy of it online anywhere.
It comes from Schell’s. They’ve been brewing beer up in New Ulm, Minnesota for about 150 years and today represent the second oldest American brewery, behind only Pennsylvania’s Yuengling. I [...]

Weezer’s salute to new media

This is getting passed around the Web pretty quickly, and for good reason.
It’s Weezer’s new vid, Pork and Beans.
It’s a good track, and it would probably win on its own merit. But the video itself is loaded with new media celebrities and it’s impossible not to share it with your friends. The 3.2 million views [...]

Free inspiration

Happy Friday, world.
http://www.aef.com/exhibits/awards/clio_awards/2007/02
Peruse.

Rebel copywriting

Harley Davidson has long been one of my favorite brands.
It’s not that they make the most reliable bikes (they don’t) and it’s not that they are ‘American made’ (a lot of the parts are foreign, which – ironically – has improved reliability).
A really easy reason to like Harley is because they’re brilliant at branding.
The brilliance [...]

Sleeveface

Sleeveface.com- home to uber cool / crazy / weird / brilliant stuff along the lines of this:
Yet another example of a simple, brilliant idea that is hugely popular and built to be viral.
Like what you see? Check out this Sleeveface video.

Telling your story through your copy

Seth Godin says the best marketing tells a story.
I agree. The best marketing tells a genuine, unique story and lives it every day.
A fundamental of telling your story is your copywriting. With more noise than ever before, we have no time nor patience for average stories.
We require a refreshing, dynamic voice that offers an immediate [...]

When brands keep it real

I was checking out the 2007 local Addy Award winners and I saw this Gold winner from Strategic America in the category of interactive media:

How about that intro?
So, you want to work at Kum & Go.
We should probably mention it’s no cakewalk,
It’s more like walking all over a cake,
then having to [...]

Seth Godin’s Meatball Sundae

While on my recent trip back home I was able to get in some book learnin.’ I took the time to finish up Seth Godin’s latest book, Meatball Sundae.
The rundown:
The ‘meatball’ represents traditional, boring products of decent quality made in mass quantities. These products have minimal differences thoughout their respective markets. Think meatballs or paper [...]

A few photos from southern Iowa

I grew up in Murray, Iowa.
2000 census population: 766.
Here, for your enjoyment, are a few photos I took over the weekend while stomping on some old grounds:

These are shoes – lots of shoes – stuck on roughly 200 yards of fence posts. Why, you ask? Me too.

You have to believe that at one time, this [...]