Companies always want to be cool, but few companies actually are. Most are predictable and boring. If you’re predictable and boring, and you ask an agency for cool, what you’ll get instead is slick. Cool requires only one thing: Be unique and do interesting things. Companies that are cool embrace their quirks. They don’t find the latest trend and hop in front of it like a dude desperate to lead the parade. They add to the culture and remix it; they don’t exploit it. Read More...

Ideas, like tea, need time to steep. Beneath the surface of the water, or the surface of your mind, magical things are happening. Unfortunately, all too often people try to generate great ideas with sheer brute intellect. They suppose if they think about it long enough and hard enough, the answer will come. But that’s rarely the case. In James Webb Young’s tried, true, and excellent little book A Technique for Producing Ideas, he describes a five step process for creating ideas. Read More...

Rocky Mountain Power’s Utah customers have a new tool available to them: Cool Keeper is an example of a tool Rocky Mountain Power is deploying to be wattsmart. Jeff Hymas of Rocky Mountain Power is making the media rounds in Utah to spread the wattsmart message. This week Jeff appeared on Salt Lake’s NBC affiliate to discuss energy saving tips. This post from STAND FOR LESS gives an overview of the power grid and discusses issues affecting the grid as we look forward to a future Read More...

Rocky Mountain Power has a program in Utah to help manage power usage in the summer . . . Learn more about Cool Keeper. This post from STAND FOR LESS gives an overview of the power grid and discusses issues affecting the grid as we look forward to a smarter grid and a future with cleaner energy. Thank you Rocky Mountain Power for implementing this innovation. Pretty cool! Read More...

There are two theories of history. The “Great Man” theory states that history can be understood by looking at the impact of extraordinary individuals over the course of world events (Hitler, Napoleon, Cromwell, etc.). This theory is contrasted with the “World-System” theory. The “World-System” approach proposes that history can only be understood by properly examining macro-economic factors. Advertising history generally espouses the “Great Man” Read More...

At this year’s Tour de France, Bottle Boy was a hit. Bottle Boy represents Clean Bottle, a new reusable sports bottle that unscrews at both ends. The rather simplistic design concept makes the job of cleaning residue out of the bottom of the bottle easy and helps prevent mold, a concern among runners, cyclists, hikers, and other athletes. The product is available through REI and others. Clean Bottle launched only months ago with a limited budget. So Dave Mayer, founder, built the Read More...

Bill Levitt, the long time mayor of Alta, photographed in front Alta Lodge. I met a man recently. He’s no longer with us but he lives on—through the legacy of community. His is a community in an exalted place. A place that exists high in the mountains. This man gave refuge to the famous and the destitute. He ran an inn–a simple place, a place where family is paramount. When you visit his mountain lodge you feel like you’re home, surrounded by strangers and friends who it seems Read More...

How many creative strategies can one brand successfully execute at one time? Conventional wisdom suggests one and one only. Be focused. Be consistent. Hammer it. You’ll grow weary of the campaign long before the audience is even aware of it. Geico has broken this rule of thumb again and again. With seeming success. Martin, the talking gecko, is most closely identified with the Geico brand, but he no longer has to do all of the heavy lifting. The cavemen characters handle some of that, Read More...

Eye Care for Kids is a non-profit organization that provides eye glasses for children from low-income families. Amazingly, for a donation of 25 dollars they can provide an eye exam and prescription lenses along with cool-looking frames to a needy child. RIESTER and Cosmic Pictures of Salt Lake City donated all of the services to create this commercial. The new spot is based on a true story of a child who received a pair of glasses. She then went outside and for the first time in her life saw Read More...

Marketers, it’s getting harder to pretend your audience isn’t using Facebook. Facebook announced today that it has reached the 500 million user mark. That’s half a million users in six years. Put another way, that’s the population of the United States, Japan and Germany…combined. The most visited site on the Internet has marked the occasion by showcasing Facebook stories, tales of how some of its users have been impacted by using the social network. At brainwoo, we have a different Read More...

You’ve probably heard of design by committee, and it’s probably never been in a positive light. Design by committee is one of those stock phrases that you can rely on to explain why there’s so much bad design in the world. “Who approved that?” we think. Everybody and nobody. The truth is, great design doesn’t come from a big group of people, check lists and a long series of approvals. But now I’m preaching to the choir. Let’s talk brand by Read More...

Re-posted from: Bloomberg BusinessWeek By:  Felix Gillette July 15, 2010 http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_30/b4188064364442.htm Natalie Malaszenko has always loved pets. A 31-year-old resident of San Diego, Calif., she has a dog named Sarge and a cat named Leo. Years ago, when she lived in Texas, she took care of cows and horses and even a stray emu. In [...] Read More...

“People don’t buy what you do. They buy why you do it.” This quote by Simon Sinek eloquently captures a key concept I’ve presented in previous posts. That is, the strongest brands (sometimes called affinity brands) are centered around intangible attributes, not tangible ones. They stand for some greater purpose or ideal than simply making money. Being true to some inner value is attractive to those consumers who share the same value. Previously, I have used Patagonia as an example Read More...

There’s an old saying in boxing: “A round is not a round, and not all miles are created equal.” There’s a huge difference between merely going through the motions of your workout, versus attacking your workout as if you’re life depended on it. Two people can do the exact same workout, but the amount of blood, sweat, and tears they put into it can be entirely different. It’s simply a matter of intensity. A mile is as hard as you make it. The same is true of Read More...

We are back from taking a break with our posts and look forward to connecting with you again weekly – as we have done over the last few years. It is always interesting to hear how many companies are still fearful – of leveraging social media and use negative responses from customers as a reason to not dive in. As you have seen via many large companies Nestle, Motrin, Boeing to name a few – avoiding those customers who are complaining and or unhappy – can create issues Read More...

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It has been 68 days since I first wrote about the BP oil leak.  At the time, I thought it would be a quick fix and BP would be tested in their crisis management for a few days.  As it turned out, this has redefined crisis management and corporate identity protection/destruction.  Never before has a company had to be on guard for so long, never before has an organization had to redefine the landscape and the message more times than BP has over the last three months.…read Read More...

Interesting article on the acronymization of established brands. Not a new trend necessarily (FedEx and others have been doing it for years), but there’s definitely been an uptick lately. In fact, just the other day I got in trouble for saying “Chevrolet” instead of “Chevy.” Read the whole thing as they say and let us know your POV. Read More...

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Who says nepotism doesn’t work? After hiring my cousin Jason Bagley as a young copywriter years ago at EuroRSCG in Salt Lake City, and yes, teaching him everything he knows, he’s gone on to an incredible career. He is the Creative Director on the wildly successful Old Spice campaign. Yes, he’s on a horse. And it’s running fast for Jason. He and his team just launched a social media campaign featuring the Old Spice stud played by actor Isaiah Mustafa. Over a three day period they Read More...