Balcom Agency

Thursday, February 5, 2009

9:30 pm

Sitting in the parking lot of On the Border in Arlington, I call my voicemail. I follow Ashley's BMW around winding roads and turn left at the awkward intersection that she described to me. I drive west on I-30.

So the other day I’m enjoying a little snack, wiping my mouth with one of Starbucks’ signature brown and green napkins, when I see it. A friendly little fine-print note:

“Made from 100% recycled fibers…”

Okay…recycling is good. It’s not like it used to be someone else’s napkin, right?

“…with at least 40% post-consumer material…”

It was someone else’s napkin? Okay…remain calm. I’m sure they used some kind of disinfecting process.

“…in a bleach-free process.”

What? I put my MOUTH on this! It was probably a white napkin the first time around. Ih. Who knew the "green initiative" would come to this? What next? Picketers defending the rights of bacteria? Protesting the use of Lysol?

Despite this startling revelation, I know I’ll still go to Starbucks. Why? Because according to H. G. Wells, when Martians invade the Earth, germs will be the only thing that can stop them. Plus it's the only place you can get a Caramel Apple Spice.

UPDATED:

Disregard everything below except what I wrote about a book.

WOULD I BUY THE NEW iPad (iDud) for that price? Not a chance

I still love Apple, but they really missed on this one.

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I love books.

Granted, I hardly ever find time to sit down and read a good book these days. But, when I do, I love everything about it. The solitude. The quiet. The cover design (I am a designer at heart afterall.) The way my mind races with images I dream up from nothing but the words on the page. The feel of the pages between my fingers as I flip to that last page.

I love books.

I hate the Kindle.

Seriously? Couldn't they come up with something better than a bare, grayscale screen with text, and the occasional crappy illustration (only in the Kindle 2?) It's 2010 for pete's sake!

I never gave it the time of day. Never even considered buying it. Why would I want a cold, lifeless machine that I had to push buttons to turn pages? What about my beloved page flipping?

I love Apple.

Everyone who knows me (and some that don't) knows I LOVE Apple.

Only Apple could come out with a device that I would use to read a book. And, I almost guarantee, that this device will make the experience of reading books even more enjoyable.

I'm 37. My son is 7. He is learning to read. He's just now learning the idea that reading can be fun. Now, imagine if he gets his hands on this new device. Wow! He would love it!

I've only talked about reading. But, this device (I predict - among others) will revolutionize the medical industry, education and many others.

Tomorrow, just like the summer of 2007, will go down in tech history as Steve Jobs introduces the next wonder by Apple.

I told you I love Apple.

Oh, yeah, forgot.

Would I buy the new Apple Tablet?

You bet I would (am)!

p.s. That is obviously not the device above :-)

We’ve all been shocked to hear the news of the recent earthquake in Haiti and to see the disturbing images from news reports. The damage and suffering is hard to comprehend. In fact, sometimes whenever disaster strikes in an area of the world that seems far away it is easy for us to see the stories on the news and be concerned, but then go back to our daily routines. However, when you get a first-hand account from people you know, it really hits home. This happened to me this week on a couple of occasions. First, I received this report from a relative who serves on the board of directors of Hope for Haiti’s Children: http://www.hopeforhaitischildren.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=101:onthegroundinhaiti&catid=57:earthquake&Itemid=92

Then, yesterday I see this Facebook posting from a college friend who has traveled to Haiti as part of a medical relief team: “I'm in Haiti now. 10,000s dead. Many still trapped. We performed 35 surgeries last night. Many amputations. Need morphine, IV, antibiotics, Orthopeds and anesthesia. Please pray.”

Their stories are obviously heart-wrenching. The needs are great and will continue long after the news coverage subsides. Please pray for the people of Haiti and the relief workers who are risking their lives to help others. Also, there are many good organizations that need your donations, including Hope for Haiti’s Children. A couple of others are listed below. I’ve made my donation; please consider making one, too.

Hope for Haiti’s Children: https://npo.networkforgood.org/Donate/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionId=1001511

United Way: https://volunteer.united-e-way.org/uwwwdisaster/donate/

Christian Relief Fund: http://christianrelieffund.org/web/index.php

There has been a lot of talk about the Jay Leno/Conan O'Brien battle, so I thought I'd throw my digital marketing gloves into the ring. For the record, I'm Team Conan.

Conan's target is younger males (probably around 18 - 35). Most young males don't watch NBC or care about Jay Leno. I'd jump ship to a network willing to take a chance. The FOX crowd (with the likes of The Simpsons, Family Guy) would be a perfect fit. FOX would be happy to give him the 10:35 spot. However, I wouldn't depend on TV to build his personal brand. Instead, I'd recommend Conan investigate these opportunities:

• Offer his show on iTunes - both as a full show and bite-size pieces. Do it for free. Get some big-name sponsors to do funny product placement bits (à la Stephen Colbert).
• Conan has always been more interactive with his fans. Imagine the best-executed Facebook page, where fans could submit jokes, videos, comments and ideas. 
• Conan is great off-the-cuff. He would be great personality for live Q&As with his fans.
• Jimmy Fallon has 2.4 million followers on Twitter. Imagine insight into Conan's life on Twitter. It could be incredibly funny.
• Equip him with a phone to broadcast live video. Similar what we did to Justin Bent Rail, his never-before-seen moments could be more popular than the (sometimes) well-rehearsed show.
• Give each of his popular characters a chance to have their own presence. Fake twitter accounts have attracted millions of followers, I'm sure some of his characters could do the same.
• If Apple's much-rumored tablet comes out to fruition, knock down Apple's door to be one of the founding content providers.
• Create a robust, mobile-friendly site with video formatted to work on many devices (Blackberry, Windows, Android, etc.). Encourage visitors to get text-message updates when new videos are posted.
• Offer free stand-up shows to those following Conan on social media or text-message.

After a few years holding down a Blogger account, I registered my first domain in 2003. Over the next six years, I changed it three times. (What can I say - I was indecisive.) I played with WordPress and Type Pad, but still, despite the fact that it can be a pain in the rear, my favorite blogging platform remained MovableType.

Eventually, I threw in the towel. I felt like I had said all that I had to say. I was tired of sharing, so when my last domain expired in 2009, so did my blog. I said goodbye to lots of blogging buddies. I've made some great friends, and I've had the pleasure of meeting some wonderful people "in real life" thanks go blogging.

When we tackled the redesign of BalcomAgency.com, we wanted to have a voice, a way to reach out and interact with you: our clients, our vendors and our friends. Blogging became the doorway between our lives and our workplace and yours. We give you some industry insight. We tell you funny stories. We make you read about quilts. (Okay, that's just me...)

Here at the B, I am the most frequent blogger so much so that we all poke fun at and joke about my (excessive) posting. Of our collective 130ish blog posts, 55 are mine. As it turns out, I wasn't out of things to say after all!

With all of this nerdery under my belt, it's with great excitement that today, I bring Delurker Day to the B.

Delurker Day is loads of fun for bloggers. We know that we're posting things, that somehow you're finding your way to us, and that you're reading (after all – we are in love with our analytics!). We appreciate every comment we get and love interacting with you. But we also know that some of you are the quiet type – that you take in the things we say without ever replying because, let's face it, sometimes, "Neat!" just doesn't feel comment-worthy.

Today is the one day we're asking you to say hello. We want to know who you are. Do you feel like you always comment and that, "Nah – they already know me!" Go ahead – say hi anyway! Maybe you've never commented before? Give it a shot. You'll love it.

Be sure to visit the blogs of all of your favorite B's today and say hello! We'll B Excited to hear from you.

After learning about the earthquake in Haiti late last night I just shook my head. How is it that this tiny little country gets beaten down with every kind of imaginable abuse: AIDS epidemic, cruel and corrupt leaders, mass drownings in shark-infested waters, extreme poverty, and now THIS?

A 7.0 earthquake smack in the middle of the capital city that topples government buildings and destroys the infrastructure?? How can a people endure?

I hope Haitians experience an enormous outpouring of donations and volunteers. I want to share with readers the group I'm donating to: Partners in Health. Started by Paul Farmer, a good friend of my sister's from Duke University, PIH is on the ground in Haiti right now caring for the wounded and really needs funds for medicine, bandages, equipment ... you name it. PIH provides primary healthcare to the poor year-round in Haiti and other countries. Here's the website if you are as moved as me to give: http://www.pih.org/home.html.

As you've probably heard, Domino's recently re-invented their pizza. While a lot of branding pundits criticized Domino's for tarnishing their image, I think they did it right. Here's why:

• In the new world of social media that bleeds transparency - they lived it. They were 100% transparent about what people were saying about their pizza (plus the world already knew the pizza wasn't great).
• In saying how bad their pizza was, it gave them a chance to explain why that hurt them, how passionate they are and how they were going to change.
• They started the whole campaign online. Online/social media people are habitual early adopters. They want to tell others about their experience.
• They encourage the videos to be shared/tweeted/etc. to build excitement about the new pizza.
• They even encouraged Steven Colbert to poke fun of the new pizza. That hit one of Domino's target audiences on the head.

Dear Santa:

We've just stepped into December, and it's already overwhelming. We've known each other for, what, twenty six years now? By now, you've learned that my solution to managing chaos is to make a list, and this holiday season, I have handled things no differently.

When I put pen to paper, I came up with a long list of items that I am taking care of or participating in this holiday season. Company breakfasts, lunches and happy hours, dinners with friends, decorating, wrapping, cooking, mailing, white elephants (two this year!), parties, special plans – and that's just the beginning.

I made an executive decision and decided that I shouldn't even stress myself out with mailing cards this year, and in making that decision, I feel like I'm letting people down. Where did this pressure come from – to buy and wrap and cook and go and plan and party and what not? Who set these expectations? I'd like to have a word or two with them...

Santa, last night, I wrapped the packages that I've already purchased – the ones that have been tucked away in the toy box at the foot of my bed for months. It's not all of the gifts I need to acquire, but it's a start. I hung the stockings on the mantle, turned on the lights on tree and collapsed onto the couch to admire it all. And while my living room was bathed in a warm glow, I thought – I want to remember this forever. I want to remember how my house feels at 3:30 in the morning when I can't sleep, the snorts of my sleeping, snuggly puppy, the music humming from the end of the hall, laughter so big and unrestricted, it makes my sides hurt and even the quietest times when all that can be heard is the flipping of book pages and the rustling of pieces of fabric.

It's now, Santa, that I can say with the greatest deal of certainty that there's not a thing I need from you this Christmas. It's been three years, Santa, since life has been this happy, this full of fun, this wholly complete. And while I'd appreciate anything you decide to drop off? Please know that it's not necessary. I've already got everything I need or want.

Merry Christmas, Santa. I hope your holiday is as beautiful as mine.

Love,
Emily

If you've seen the movie Apollo 13, you know how I wake up every morning. The sound my alarm clock makes is a slightly higher-pitched version of the shuttle's Master Alarm. Except for the mornings I wake up early enough to shut it off before it sounds, I am awakened by a frightening electronic honk that seems to scream "We're all going to die!" As soon as I realize that I am, in fact, in bed, and not hurdling around the moon in an oxygen-depleted cockpit, and the earth is not about to be destroyed to make way for a hyperspace bypass, I turn over and switch it off.

Why don't I get a new alarm clock?

Because there are certain benefits to getting up in the morning with adrenaline in my veins. 

Such as:

Instant brain activity

No need for a caffeine drip

Superhuman strength

Okay, maybe not the first one.