Plaid tour 2009: painting the midwest plaid.
It's official. 2009 will bring the Plaid tour to middle America. The landlocked states. Where corn grows high and creativity blossoms.
The planning process has just begun - and there's already a load of new fun surprises for 2009. Middle America may never be the same. Routes haven't yet been established - so if you're situated in the 'middle' of this great nation, give us a shout (darryl AT thinkplaid DOT com).
Plow the fields, put the animals in the barns. Plaid is coming to town.
Labels: plaid, plaidsummertour, self promotion
posted by darryl ohrt @ 2:24 PM
0 comments
i am donna
Dr. Who is one of those shows that I always meant to be a fan of, but it never really happened. So I appreciate the fandom that exists around the show, even if I've never seen any of the new episodes.
But that shouldn't stop us from determining what character we'd be in the show, right? The Gas Agency (awesome name, btw) and 2 Entertain created a simple quiz that helps you determine which character you would be.
I'm Donna. Since I haven't seen the show, I don't know if that's good or bad. Judging by the sour puss on her face, I think it's bad. She looks to be just a little bit of a crank. And wears a pretty lame leisure suit. Clearly, the Dr. Who calculations are flawed.
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:33 AM
0 comments
feel the burn of advertising
To promote their coverage of the Tour De France, SBS setup their own cyclist to pedal power the animated billboard every day for 21 days, from 8am to 4pm. Really cool.
I wonder if the media buyer stood out next to the rider coaching him. Faster! We need more turns on the board!
Labels: ads, sports marketing, tv
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:26 AM
0 comments
go forth. and animate.
GoAnimate looks to be a pretty cool and fun tool to create your own animations. Simple to use, easy to publish.
Right now, there's just a bunch of really crappy unfunny productions online - so it would be cool if you would produced something that's actually good. Or funny. Or clever. Or entertaining. What are you waiting for? Go. Animate. Found by Bill Baker.
Labels: illustration, web2.0
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:17 AM
0 comments
stuff that i learned on tour: workplace culture.
Here's the first of what I hope to be a few posts sharing things that we've learned while on tour this summer.
Think cool environments are just for ad agencies and dot coms? Think that your company is too big to maintain a positive, cool culture? Think again. While on our agency's west coast tour this year, we met a host of companies - some in the agency business, most in other industries. And we were inspired but what we experienced.
What we learned: Work culture is everything. Create a successful culture and employees will want to work for you. They'll believe in your brand. And everyone on the outside will want to become a part of it. Great work cultures can exist in large environments just as much as independently owned small firms. I didn't really believe that, until this tour.
Here's an attempt at summarizing what we've seen work for some pretty spectacular brands during the PlaidNation Tour 2008:
Freedom of space.
Great company culture creates employees who want to work. Employees who want to do as little as possible will find their way to the boring, crappy workplaces. And they deserve what they get. Inspired employees believe in what they're doing, and love doing it. So give them space. Space to take naps. Space to goof off. Space to hang and space to explore. Don't worry about downtime. Give them freedom and trust, and you'll inspire them to do more.
Maybe cubicles are a necessity in your company - because of the size, and the number of employees. But do they have to be lame? At iiiDesign, they custom crafted their cubes. At Zappos, every department is decorated in a theme. The upstairs at Jones Soda feels more like a tree fort than office. Aptera decorated their office area like a giant fishbowl. All of these companies have one thing in common: Their workspaces reflect the collective culture of their employees.
Fun.
Great workplaces and workspaces need to be fun. The majority of workers spend their time on boring tasks in boring industries. But that doesn't mean they can't have fun. Fun isn't reserved exclusively for "video game testers."
Are your employees smiling? At this very moment? This is more difficult than most people realize - but it starts with little things. And it almost never has to do with money. Most of the places that we visited were filled with smiles. Humor. Friendships. Lively discussion. Encourage this, and let it grow.
Stop worrying about the board. About the bank. About investors. Your workspace wasn't created for them. It's for your employees.
Greetings are in.
As the phone becomes the most ignored device in the workplace, many companies have removed receptionists from their lobbies. But don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. We experienced some awesome greetings while on tour - and the majority of them weren't people assigned to answering phones. The "greeter" should be a new role in every firm. Sometimes assigned to a single person, sometimes a shared role - but everyone who walks in your door should be greeted as a friend. As a part of the family.
At Jones Soda, we chatted with Chris, and learned about Seattle. And some funny characters at Jones. At Zappos, the front desk friendly squad entertained us and gave us the pre-show to the company tour that would blow us away. At Twitter, whoever is within earshot will greet you with a friendly smile and make you feel welcome. Welcome. That's the key. Security is out. "Hello" is in.
Lobbies can rock.
Your lobby should be impressive. But not in a marble floors and 40 foot ceilings kind of impressive. Your lobby is the very first physical impression of your company's culture. The lobby at Zappos is messy. But you know what? I have never had more fun hanging in a lobby than we did at Zappos. There was food and entertainment (DDR!). Friendly employees. Conversation. Company history. Toys. Books. Drinks. The next time you're in Vegas - stop by and experience it yourself. You'll get the Zappos culture in about 30 seconds.
Get a Mayor.
Your company needs a mayor. Zappos has Jerry. While giving us a tour of the Zappos headquarters, Jerry greeted every single person from every department and every hallway by their name. Jerry knew every detail of the company's history. Jerry understands the industry trends and could remark on where Zappos was going. Jerry knew what couture was. I'm pretty sure that Jerry could replace CEO Tony in a meeting, if he needed to. Who's your Jerry?
I learned as much as I shared on this year's tour. Which is pretty cool. And you don't need a Plaid van or a summer tour to do the same thing. Visit firms outside of your industry. Who are the hot employers inside your market? Just outside of your market? You'd be surprised by what you can learn from a simple company tour.
Thanks to everyone who opened their doors to the Plaid van in 2008!
Labels: branding, plaid, plaidsummertour, workplace
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:31 AM
7 comments
how to get business at a social event
Jon Ray (shown above doing the world famous Brian Shaler jump) has some excellent advice for how to get business at the tweetup later today. Or the 2.0 party that's happening in your neighborhood. Or wherever you might be going to meet other people that you'd like to be doing business with. Five easy tips that make sense. (Brian Shaler jump optional.)
Labels: adindustry, productivity, workplace
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:47 AM
0 comments
ruby tuesday attempts 'viral'.
Ruby Tuesday has a new online campaign. We're supposed to believe that they've blown up the wrong restaurant, in a publicity stunt gone awry.
Instead, it feels like a 'viral' attempt gone wrong. All of the right ingredients: explosions, humor, video and microsites. But those are just tools. Former Plaid intern Katie says it's lame. I agree.
Here's where they went wrong:
+ The content doesn't seem aimed at a specific audience. Tweens? Twenty somethings? Families? This doesn't seem to speak to any of them directly.
+ What's the message? Anything about the food? Or the dining experience? Is "change" enough to bring me into your restaurant?
+ It's not believable. Or "hilarious" as the YouTube poster suggests. It could have been produced in a manner that left the viewer thinking "is this for real?" (Think of the Burger King campaigns.) Or it could have left the viewers understanding that it wasn't anywhere near real, but actually hilarious. (Think Paris Hilton for prez)
I'm curious to know what Ruby Tuesday has paid for the (currently) 13K views on YouTube. And how this differentiates them from Applebees, TGI Fridays, and BENNIGANS.
Labels: ads, hospitality, viral, yummyfood
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:15 AM
2 comments
cell phones: not what you think they're for.
You might be surprised at what the most used features on cell phones are. Not sure what the source for this information is (or the demographics surveyed), but it's interesting nonetheless. Calling is out. Calculating is in.
Labels: mobile, technology, trends
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:07 AM
0 comments
tweet your bank account
Here's an innovative use of Twitter - by the financial industry.
Wesabe, a financial planning/organizational tool now allows you to tweet your Wesabe account, and record notes about transactions. Just bought lunch with a client? Tweet "add to business expense" and you'll be able to sort it all out later. From best Twitter friend Ben Kunz.
Labels: mashup, social media, technology, twitter
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:21 AM
1 comments
the bible: rebranded.
This will certainly upset some people and certainly be a best-seller. Dag Söderberg is turning the Bible into a "hip coffee table version" of the Bible. Titled Bible Illuminated, this is an interpretation of the book in a more current view. With beautiful photography. And magazine style design.
See Dag tell the story of the project on the promotional site. Found on Animal.
Labels: art, photography, publishing, religion
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:51 AM
2 comments
chevy aveo: buy it for pennies
To promote their new Aveo, Chevy produced a billboard with the car realized in pennies. Supposedly the exact amount of pennies that it would take to purchase the car. This is a really cool idea that illustrates the low-cost factor of the car.
Although I'm not buying the point that the pennies only lasted 30 minutes. Especially with the staged photograph of people taking pennies. "Careful - don't obscure the Chevrolet logo, little girl."
Labels: ads, automotive, outdoor
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:27 AM
0 comments
welcome to the font conference
It's over a year old, but still funny if you haven't seen this. From Where's My Jetpack?
Labels: adindustry, design, typography, video
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:11 AM
0 comments
so clean, you can lick it.
Apparently this is a real campaign. I have a hard time watching this. But maybe that's because I'm off a recent tour where we stay in places that I wouldn't even remove socks for fear of the disease-ridden creatures that live on the floor.
But if you enjoy watching girls licking things, and you need a hotel room clean enough to lick - then this campaign is for you.
Labels: ads, hospitality, viral
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:17 AM
2 comments
social media illustrated
Maybe you're tired of hearing all of the hype around social media. Maybe you're concerned that you don't really understand it. Maybe you just need a simple illustration and explanation so that you can better understand all of these wonderous new tools.
No problem. Matt McDonald has just the thing. Matt's Definitive Explanation of Social Media is awesomely simple and just what you need.
Expect to see Matt's illustration (pictured above) to be the most used graphic in corporate PowerPoint presentations for the next few months. You can use it to explain social media to your boss. Or her boss. Or the board of directors. And then you'll get a sweet promotion to King of Social Media for the Northwest Division. And you'll owe it all to Matt.
Labels: social media, trends
posted by darryl ohrt @ 8:04 AM
0 comments
protect your identity. unless you have oil money.
Someone's tweeting as Exxon on Twitter - and it's not Exxon. Sure, Exxon has the luxury oil money, that would allow them to buy Twitter and shut it down. Or buy the town of the person that's Tweeting and shut it down, or buy every computer of every person and block Twitter. But you probably don't have that kind of oil money.
So you might want to protect your brand on Twitter before it gets hijacked. Even if you're not sure how to use it today. (And if you don't, maybe you should get an agency who does. ;p)
Labels: branding, social media, twitter
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:57 AM
3 comments
2008 Plaid tour: experience it all.
Phew. Another year on the road has screamed past faster than a Plaid van at 85MPH.
If you haven't had a chance to check in, or missed some key moments, now's a great time to catch up on the most glorious tour ever to hit the highways. PlaidNation 2008.
See all of the daily wrap up videos here. It's the next best thing to being there.
See the interviews and extra footage here. The interviews with Robert Scoble, Biz Stone and Cathy Brooks (coming later this week) are extra remarkable.
Read the Twitter stream. If you're new to Twitter (or just bored at work), this is a great way to see it's value. An entire tour has been documented (and archived) moment by moment, as it was happening. Reading the stream is like re-living the tour.
Watch the 11:40 shows. These vidcasts were recorded live at 11:40, wherever the van happened to be at that moment. You'll see additional discussion about what happened on tour, with extra detail brought to the show by the people on the tour. The most popular episode: Plaid gets kicked out of a popular celebrity cemetery in Hollywood, California.
Check out the Flickr photo stream. Better than your Aunt Lucie's vacation to the Galapagos Islands, you'll see other workplaces, cool locations and Plaid employees mostly avoiding trouble.
We've put all of this and more together for you, on the tour dashboard at PlaidNation.com
Thanks to everyone who wrote about it, talked about it, or became a part of it. We're already in planning mode for next year's tour, and have some incredible surprises. Just wait until 2009!
Labels: plaid, plaidsummertour, self promotion, smallagency
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:55 AM
2 comments
an opportunity for airlines
Fellow blogger Bill Baker is pointing to a problem. A problem that you're already familiar with. It's the situation that everyone talks about, but nobody does anything about.
First, imagine this scenario:
You call up to make a dinner reservation for two weeks from now. The person on the phone takes your reservation and asks you to place your order. Then you are asked for your credit card and it is immediately charged for the amount of your order.
Two weeks later, you show up to consume what you have already paid for, only to be told that the restaurant can not serve your food tonight. Further, they will not give you a refund because they think they can squeeze you in for dinner two nights from now.
Of course, Bill is writing about the airline industry. And while his personal quest is focused toward JetBlue, he's clearly pointing to an industry issue. And he's actually attempting to do something about it. He's filed a small claims case against JetBlue, and is documenting the entire event on a blog My JetBlue Lawsuit.
What Bill points out is an industry problem and and a horrible trend. From his blog:
"Today, service has deteriorated so much, that the airlines are trying to convince us that's just the way it is. If a flight happens to arrive any time close to the schedule, consider it gravy."
Bill's blog is getting a lot of attention. He's not the only person that feels taken advantage of. Early on, JetBlue stepped up and changed perceptions of how an airline could deal with their customers. It will be interesting to see if they (or any of their competitors) will step up to the plate and deliver a valuable customer service that breaks the trend which continues to make air travel a torturous experience.
Bill's not the only customer that would gladly pay twice the price for a product/service that delivered what it promised. Airlines: here's your chance.
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:09 AM
2 comments
search can be beautiful
Tired of all the Cuil hype? Check out Viewzi, a search engine that supplies results in a visually inspiring manner, while giving users several options to review their results. I'm not sure how long this has been around, but it looks to be a pretty cool tool. Thanks Rob!
Labels: google, productivity, search
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:04 AM
4 comments
places that you know you've seen before
Charles Maraia has a stunning set of photographs titled Unfamiliar Places.
These are the shots of space, architecture and places all around us, and possibly ignored, taken for granted or lost in a sea of 'too busy to notice.' Thankfully, we have people like Charles taking notice, and taking photographs.
Labels: architecture, photography
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:03 AM
0 comments
canada: size matters.
Canada. They're bigger than Texas. So they need a theater worthy of their biggness. How about a screen that's 1,968 feet wide? The Bunge Grain complex in Quebec City built just such a beast, in celebration of Quebec's 400th Anniversary.
They screened the film "The Image Mill", by artist Robert Lepage, created just for the site. You can see 10 minutes of the 40 minute film here - on your cute little tiny, tiny computer monitor. (Every time you play it, a Canadian is laughing at your smallness.)
I wonder if the popcorn, Swedish Fish and soda cups are oversized too. From Mave Gibson, via Facebook
Labels: architecture, film
posted by darryl ohrt @ 6:39 AM
0 comments
birthmarks: the new tattoo
Not sure you're ready for a tattoo? How about a fake birthmark? Many people have paid to have birthmarks removed. Now, they're getting them installed. Put them on your forehead and spell your name. Or start a birthmark gang, and challenge the Crips or Bloods. "The birthmarks."
posted by darryl ohrt @ 6:13 AM
0 comments
plaid summer tour: fun, information and inspiration
We're still barreling down the west coast, on the last few days of the Plaid summer tour. We've met so many cool, interesting and inspiring people.
Highlights from the last couple of days include:
+ Getting kicked out of the most celebtastic cemetery while broadcasting The 11:40 Show live
+ Interviewing Robert Scoble at his house, and then broadcasting the 11:40 Show from his front lawn.
+ Burritos at Dos Pinas. Hot Dogs at Pinks.
+ Danny Bonaduce smirking to the van on Hollywood Blvd, on the way to the gym.
Watch yesterday's wrap up show above, and then check the tour dashboard for all of the stuff you haven't seen yet!
Labels: plaid, plaidsummertour, self promotion, yummyfood
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:16 AM
0 comments
internet 'flips' are the next big thing.
Flipping houses is sooo yesterday. According to the New York Times, the latest new flipping trend is websites. People are buying crappy sites with potential, turning them around, and then selling them for a profit. Cool.
posted by darryl ohrt @ 7:06 AM
0 comments
got milk crates?
When I was your age, we used milk crates for everything. For hauling records to DJ gigs. For book shelves. For storage systems. And chairs. Soon, everyone will recognize crate culture. There will be milk crate meet ups, milk crate socials, and milk crate festivals.
For now, there's a crazy milk crate chandelier, and even a blog devoted to milk crate creations. Milk is the new black.
Labels: architecture, art, creativeinspiration, productdesign
posted by darryl ohrt @ 6:49 AM
0 comments
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