One of my all time favourite films is ‘The Prestige’. I especially love the opening sequence where the voice-over shares how every magic trick has three parts – ‘the pledge’, ‘the turn’ and finally ‘the prestige’ - I recently attended a couple of conferences and did find some of the great speakers unravel their talk... Read more »

Selected illustrations employing negative space by Tang Yau Hoong More artworks! Design You Trust RSS Feed | Design You Trust on FB | Design You Trust on Twitter | Design You Trust

New York fashion fotographer Jamie Beck in collaboration with the motion graphic artist and designer Kevin Burg is the author of the series “cinemagraphs” – animated gif photo halfway between video and photos. More photos! Design You Trust RSS Feed | Design You Trust on FB | Design You Trust on Twitter | Design You [...]

If you want somebody to know something – tell this to him in words. Language and text as its written representation was once created as the means of communication between people and since then it has been the primary source and means of human civilization development and progress. Text logos, we have in the showcase [...]

Really creative idea to create a filpbook!

Advertiser: MTV

Volkswagen is promoting the seventh Passat model in Australia with “Pleasure for Business”, an integrated advertising campaign focusing on recreation and work. The new Passat is the first Volkswagen with fatigue detection and City Emergency Braking function. The Pleasure Before … Continue reading →

Moby has released a music video for “The Day”, the first single to be taken from his forthcoming album and photo book, “Destroyed”. The video features Heather Graham as a nurse and guardian angel in a hospital, protecting a patient … Continue reading →

• What is normal vs. What is new
  I ran across this quote via a tweet from Doc Searls. (I am continuing to experiment with the "new" delicious.com. I plan on bookmarking some of the things I post other places so that I can have a daily post on my blog of things I consider "best of." I apologize to those who will experience some redundancy -- for example, people who read my blog via Facebook or Linkedin.)
• Popular baby name database | Social Security Administration
  Check out the feature that allows you to see the historic trend of your first name.
• The Fortune 500+ Web app | Fortune
  While this is a web-app, this is how magazines can "save" themselves -- not just a brand extension, a content and service extension.
• Longform.org
  I've mentioned Longform.org before, but I wanted to include it as a delicious.com link and test of the daily link post on RexBlog.com. Because of Longform.com, I have discovered and read more great journalism (by saving it to Instapaper and reading it on my iPad) than I've read in years. Fortunately, longform.com contributors are finding great stories from years ago, when I overlooked it. I'll be blogging more about what a great -- and important -- combination of services longform.com and Instapaper have become.
• iPhone app - Leafsnap: An Electronic Field Guide
  Take a photo of a leaf and it will provide name and details about the tree. Yes, I'm in awe. (Trees are filing privacy lawsuits, however.)
• Stolen Camera Finder [@R]
  Stolen Camera Finder - Uses serial number stored on photos to search web for photos taken w/ same camera. http://re-x.me/stolencamerafinder [Selected tweets from 5/6] 

Yet another look at the emergence of Brands as Media « excapite MediaPost Publications Clarification: Bloomberg Terminals Carry Online Ads 05/06/2011 – high value target online advertising Cool vs Isolated Japan? | A New Japan – dichotomy between cool and ‘Galapagos’ aspects of its culture and business Information Processing: What use is game theory? Erasing [...]

Young parents all over Belgium rely on Nutricia babyfoods every day. And now, Nutricia has found a way to support mums even before their baby is born – with Baby Connection: a unique iPhone app that helps gets the dad more involved in the pregnancy. Baby Connection works best when you use it as a couple. There’s a mum version and a dad version – and everything each parent adds is automati...

View the campaign Nutricia launches unique dual-screen pregnancy iPhone app for couples

Check out the McJazzy pictures below to take a look at one of the hottest video chicks in the game. While a lot of video vixens have a big butt, McJazzy’s butt seems to actually be real instead of silicone enhanced. And really, her face is also a plus — ... More »

Post from: EveryJoe

super sexy & simple hanging bike rack made from reclaimed wood by Vancouver’s Cantilever & Press as seen on Supermarket (a nice alternative to Etsy).

Apparently, FEMEN‘s partitular form of protest is infectious. At least, it has inspired this group of models in Manchester, UK, who have gone shirtless and body-painted to support British troops:

I’m not sure which is more distracting, their nudity or their stage names. Nonetheless, a trend worth noting.

Author: Tom Megginson

Britvic is promoting Juicy Drench in the UK with a new advertising campaign featuring the The Smart Hydration People, a fictitious group of scientists dedicated to finding innovative ways to bring smart hydration to the nation. Two new television commercials … Continue reading →

Ariel laundry liquid was put to the test in “Big Stain”, a technologically innovative campaign developed at Saatchi & Saatchi Guangzhou. The campaign involved giant digital t-shirts, and an interactive ‘Ariel Wii Game’ using Wii consoles disguised as giant bottles … Continue reading →

I am not aware of a Twitter app for either mobile devices or personal computers that keeps track of the tweets that you have read to filter them out so that you don’t keep seeing them. It’s the type of behavior you see with Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed readers or newsgroup apps, but not with Twitter apps. MetroTwit, which is a Windows Twitter app, and Rowi, which is a Windows Phone 7 Twitter app are teaming up to develop what they are calling the The Nest, which will be a cloud-based backend for their two applications.
continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Have you ever been at a social event and run into someone who you want to add as a friend on Facebook? You either have to remember to add them when you get home, or go through the process of adding them using a smartphone, which involves multiple steps. An Android app called Instant Friend makes the process of adding a Facebook friend as simple as scanning a QR code using your phone.
continued…

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Repeat after me: Social media marketing is not advertising. Social media marketing is not advertising. Social media marketing is not advertising. I can already here some of you getting warmed up for the comments, so let me say this. Yes, in social media you can buy advertising. But social media in itself is not advertising. [...]

These days it seems that everyone is running a marathon. Certainly there are many training tactics rookies and veterans use to make it through the 26.2 grueling miles.  Yet, yesterday, I read about a method that is neither advisable nor reasonable to anyone with an IQ over 4.  Joe D’Amico, from a suburb of Chicago, [...]

Social CRM means different things to different people.  If you ask three people to explain social CRM chances are that you’ll get four different responses.  The thing to remember is that all of this “social” stuff is about solving customer facing problems that address people’s change in behavior, expectations, technological fluency, and communication methods. These [...]

For a little fun this Friday afternoon check out these videos: First is from our friends at Mommy Juice Wines.  The video is well-done, a lot of fun and supports the attitude behind their brand. Next up is a video showing off the house that was used in the filming of “Home Alone.” The video [...]

I’ve gotten plenty of heat for saying Katy Perry hasn’t looked her best recently — especially when she visited Australia and the much discussed Katy Perry without makeup picture. However, I have to give credit where credit is due and say the Katy Perry Vanity Fair picture they used for ... More »

Post from: EveryJoe

It’s wine o’clock (somewhere) …

For this week’s wine-related repurposing find, I am pleased to present this photo of Jan Elftmann’s Corktruck — taken at Houston’s Beer Can House. (Of note: A 1997 New York Times art car story says the corks were saved during Jan’s 13 years of working in an Italian restaurant.)

For additional adult beverage-related repurposing inspiration, check out earlier Unconsumption posts here (wine) and here (beer).

Cheers!

The judge in the Oracle patent and copyright lawsuit of Google has severely limited the number of patent claims that Oracle can raise.

The company is a prisoner of its own success -- the wrinkle-killer added 10 percent revenue growth in Q2 2011 and newer products have failed to impress.

Tattooist Art Magazine Tattoo of the Week: Artist: William Yoneyam This is one outstanding back piece. DOWNLOAD FREE TATTOOIST ART MAGAZINE: CLICK HERE FaceBook: Tattooist Art Magazine Design You Trust RSS Feed | Design You Trust on FB | Design You Trust on Twitter | Design You Trust

Butterflies create a perfect symmetry. More artworks here. Design You Trust RSS Feed | Design You Trust on FB | Design You Trust on Twitter | Design You Trust

new illustration by toronto based art Jacqui Oakley.……See more illustrations here Design You Trust RSS Feed | Design You Trust on FB | Design You Trust on Twitter | Design You Trust

I make no promises. But I suspect if you do some of this stuff, your customers will thank you. Or, they won’t notice the stuff that used to make them curse you:

1. Make every page on your site load 1 second faster. Start by taking every image on your site and compressing it. Please. It makes a difference.
2. Accept PayPal. Just because you hate it doesn’t mean they do.
3. Do a little basic typography: Increase line spacing, use a bigger font. Make your site easy to read.
4. Put no more than 15 words on a line. See above.
5. Put no more than 5 lines in a paragraph.
6. Break up your page. Use lists, images, subheads and such. Don’t give them one big blob of images or text.
7. If they ask you a question on Twitter or Facebook, answer it.
8. If they compliment you on Twitter or Facebook, say thanks.
9. Instead of giving them a discount, give them a better product.
10. Before you pay $45000 to redesign your web site, pay $4500 to make the existing site easier to use. Then use what you learned on the new site.
11. Don’t even imply that your customers have to log in before they can buy. Put that stuff at the very end of the checkout process, on the ‘thank you’ page.
12. Trade ‘elegance’ or ‘personality’ for ‘clarity’ and ‘obviousness’. Watch your sales go up.
13. Remove one feature that you wanted, but your customers didn’t, from your site.
14. Stop reading about marketing stuff and go do it.

Other stuff

• Automate Linkscape reporting with Google Spreadsheets
• Why all web developers should learn SEO
• Why SEOs should learn programming
• Dan Cobley: What Physics teaches about marketing
• Analytics plus SEO equals content
• The internet marketer’s guide to the apocalypse
• Follow me on Twitter
• The Real World Unscary Guide to SEO Copywriting

In this day and age - from real-time Twitter updates to Facebook statuses - everyone is moving at the speed of light. But when it comes down to making meaningful connections, nothing beats face time and live get-togethers. As a...

Last Wednesday, Colorado affiliates heard news that may signal a shift in the fight against so-called “Amazon taxes.” On May 2, 2011, Colorado lawmakers introduced HB 11-1318, which repeals Colorado’s version of the “Amazon tax,” while also requiring online retailers to notify buyers that, depending on their state, they may owe use tax even if a retailer doesn’t collect it at the point of sale.

Introduced by the Republican House Majority Leader, Amy Stephens, and Representative Sue Schafer (D-Wheat Ridge), HB 11-1318 appears on a fast track with bill supporters hoping for passage before Colorado’s 2011 legislative session ends. Bill proponents, both Republican and Democrat, easily carried the House vote this week. The bill now heads to the Senate.

While supporters are optimistic that it will pass in the Democratic-led Senate, some senators who continue to support the original HB10-1193 have voiced concern that repealing the law could hurt local businesses trying to compete with online retailers. They also challenge claims that the law would be overturned in court, despite the District Court decision earlier this year.

HB11-1318 is Colorado’s answer to the preliminary injunction handed down by the U.S. District Court in January 2011. Judge Robert Blackburn’s ruling put a halt to the implementation of HB10-1193, which stipulated that online retailers like Amazon must collect use tax. Blackburn stated as part of his ruling that “there was a substantial likelihood the law would be thrown out at trial as an ‘undue burden’ on businesses.” The suit to stop HB10-1193 was brought by the Direct Marketing Association.

As it has done in other states that have passed similar laws, Amazon pulled its affiliate program from Colorado since that was the basis the law used to require Amazon collect taxes. While Amazon has not committed to bring its affiliate program back to Colorado, it has indicated that it’s willing to comply with the law proposed in HB11-1318. Stephens, Schafer, and other supporters are encouraged and consider it a good sign that Amazon and other online retailers may once again offer affiliate programs in Colorado if the bill becomes law.

 

I'm a huge fan of TED Talks. What started out in 1984 as a conference to bring people together to share ideas about Technology, Entertainment and Design has blossomed into a wonderful online portal for inspirational ideas. I TRY to catch at least one talk a week. This week I caught a really interesting talk from former MoveOn.org Executive Director and current President, Eli Pariser and his recent experience with search results.

The crux of his talk focuses on the levels of personalization services currently being implemented by a lot of websites. From Facebook to Google, the information you see every day depends more and more on the data these sites collect about YOU. Interact with more friends than others on Facebook? Those are the friends you'll see more of. Are most of your Google searches related to travel? That's the kind of content you'll see when searching a current news event location like "Egypt".

Pariser believes there is a danger within this framework of personalized filtration - and I have to say I agree with him. We seek information for a variety of reasons. To learn, to broaden our world view, to find important support information for work or home - whatever the reason, our optimistic hope is that we are getting the full spectrum of information. That somehow when we search online we get a good sense of the whole picture collected from a global perspective. If sites like Google and Facebook start to "decide" what content I access, what does that mean exactly and what are the long term ramifications?

Watch the whole talk. I'd love to hear your opinion. Well, if that's okay with Google.

I am gearing up to write my next article for CUES CU Management Magazine. You can read my other articles here. For this new article, I'd love to include a quote from you if you are a young credit union employee or a young ex-credit union employee. I won't be checking your birth certificate, so I'll let you determine what young is!

Here's the premise of the new article:

Fired up for life or just for now?

With so much attention on the next generation members and employees these days I've been noticing a trend with young credit union employees. There is a whole group of fired up young people who are super passionate about credit unions. Most are communicating on Twitter, have entered the Next Top Credit Union Exec challenge, are members of the Crash Network or have attended the CU Water Cooler Symposium, etc.

There is both a positive energy combined with a palatable sense of frustration. I've noticed that a bunch of the folks I follow on Twitter have moved on from the credit union industry. I find it really curious how people can go from "I am a credit union lifer—let's change the world" to "I've taken a job with ABC Company, I wish you all the best" within a matter of months.

I'd like to explore this topic and reach out to those that have left to get their insights on why they left and mix that in with quotes from those have decided that they are sticking with credit unions for their career and try to see if there are clues there. Is it just opportunity and money or is there something more?

I'm very interested to see if you think it is an issue with the credit union industry itself and how it treats its young leaders. Or is it a more general problem of big, but young, thinkers in lower roles trying to get their ideas heard higher up. Young employees across industries experience this to some degree, but perhaps the credit union industry is particularly guilty.

It would also be interesting to hear from some of you that have stayed in the industry. Maybe your credit union is doing something different, something right?

I typically write about marketing and social media for CUES, and I know I am not an HR expert, but I think there could be some great learning. What do you think? Care to give me a quote? Please leave a comment or send me an email at tmcalpine@currencymarketing.ca.

I will be compilling the article next week, so please chime in by Tuesday, May 10 if you are interested. Include you name, title, credit union and city. Thanks in advance.

Tim

At least your feet won't feel uncomfortable.

Advertising Agency: AJF Partnership, Melbourne, Australia
Creative Director: Joshua Stephens
Art Director: Michael Gagliardi
Copywriter: Michael Skarbek
Photographer: Chris Budgeon
Published: April 2011

Find a creative new logo for your company at StockLogos.com. Customization is free.

At least your feet won't feel uncomfortable.

Advertising Agency: AJF Partnership, Melbourne, Australia
Creative Director: Joshua Stephens
Art Director: Michael Gagliardi
Copywriter: Michael Skarbek
Photographer: Chris Budgeon
Published: April 2011

Find a creative new logo for your company at StockLogos.com. Customization is free.

At least your feet won't feel uncomfortable.

Advertising Agency: AJF Partnership, Melbourne, Australia
Creative Director: Joshua Stephens
Art Director: Michael Gagliardi
Copywriter: Michael Skarbek
Photographer: Chris Budgeon
Published: April 2011

Find a creative new logo for your company at StockLogos.com. Customization is free.

I am in California right now, allegedly for a brief vacation and the Bar Mitzvah of a cousin, though I've spent the better part of the day, of course, on conference calls. We got to the hotel in Redundant Beach around 12, and naturally our room wasn't ready. So we dropped our bags and my daughters, wife and I borrowed bikes from the hotel and went for long bike ride on the Strand.

Around 2, we stopped at a little restaurant in Hermosa Beach, and because we had no locks for the bikes sat outside at a dirty little table so we could keep tabs on them. I must have looked away for a moment, because I suddenly saw some creep riding away with one of the bikes. I imagined having to pay the hotel $300 for a crappy piece of shit bike. I jumped up from the table, grabbed my bike and went after the guy.

In about a minute I caught him. I yelled with my loudest voice (which would cow Pavarotti) "Hey, gimme back the bike."

Apparently I scared the crap out of the punk-ass hood. "I thought it was a rental, man," he said to me. "Did you ask anyone if you could take it?" "I did, and no one said no" he answered.

I grabbed the bike out from under him, lifted it up and rode back to the restaurant carrying it in my right hand.

Not bad for a 53-year-old alte kocker wearing bedroom slippers.

Crosby/Wright, a Scottsdale-based public relations and advertising agency, has hired Shelby Tuttle as a Public Relations Account Executive. Prior to joining Crosby/Wright, Tuttle worked at Kirvin Doak Communications, a leading public relations firm in Las Vegas, where she focused primarily on hospitality, entertainment and green technology accounts including CityCenter, MGM Grand Detroit, Sirens of TI and the 2008 National Clean Energy Summit.

At Crosby/Wright Tuttle will manage public relations campaigns for multiple client accounts.

Tweet

Let me share with you some of my thoughts over the past week or so about how what you do online is your face to the world.

How tweets misquoted Mark Twain; which social media network doubles as an espionage tool; and Converse’s secret for building a Facebook network. It’s all on this past week’s top 5 most-clicked links in SmartBrief on Social Media: Tweeted misquotations go viral after bin Laden killing Converse runs away with the social media crown by doing [...]

Listen up all do-it-yourself PR pros… Would you like to win a customized list of media contacts from The Oprah Winfrey Network to Good Housekeeping?

In honor of The Brenda Novak for the Cure of Diabetes CEO Pierce Mattie is auctioning off his famed rolodex of media contacts. Pierce will give you the best magazine editors, TV producers and websites to pitch your brand, book, product or company. Any industry welcome; beauty, fashion, jewelry, lifestyle, books, etc. (the auction item reads specific to fiction authors as that is the theme of the charity)

Contacts can be both national and regional. Pierce will not only give you their names, but also their email addresses, telephone numbers and mailing address.

Pierce will also critique your press kit, help create a PR calendar and role-play with your pitch.

To view this item click here.

NOTE: This does not guarantee any media placements. Pierce will not pitch the press for you but will help you do it yourself.

Leading media platform company joins elite group of vendors receiving IAB Compliance Seal, providing safe environment for brands NEW YORK & IRVINE, Calif. – Specific Media, a next-generation media platform company, announced its certification through the new Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Ad Network & Exchange Quality Assurance Certification program. Specific Media is one of the [...]

This week we add number 61 from The Little BIG Things Video Series. In this video at YouTube, Tom reminds...

And this right here is why people hate advertising.

Via

It’s the first week of May. Spring has finally arrived (in Chicago). The flowers are blooming. My tulips are colorful. The hyacinth smell great. It’s warm enough to ride outside. And everyone is writing gut-wrenching blog posts. So get your Kleenex (guys, you too) and settle in for this week’s Gin and Topics. I apologize [...]

The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:

Sports Authority, 5/5 — Happy Cinco De Mayo! Save 15% During Our Cinco (5) Hour Sale‏
21% of retail emails yesterday mentioned Cinco de Mayo, including this one from Sports Authority. That’s up from 14% last year. While still a very minor holiday, that suffers some from its close proximity to Mother’s Day, retailers appear to be recognizing the growing importance of Hispanic shoppers.



Northern Tool, 5/5 — New Product Alert - NorTrac XT Series Tractors w/ Free Shipping‏
Most items promoted in retailers’ emails are not nearly as much of a considered purchase as the $7,500 tractor in this Northern Tool email. Because of the price tag, Northern Tool’s strategy is to try every way possible to get subscribers to click through and learn more about it. They provide a link to the digital brochure, to product details, to additional images, to information about the brand, to a video, and to their forum to ask questions about the tractor—plus links to the more expensive tractors in the product line. I also love how there’s a phone number at the very top of the email to talk to a product expert. This is a great example of an email that focuses on education and moving subscribers down the sales funnel.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
ShopNBC, 5/5 — Fiesta! Special Pricing and 5+ ValuePay!‏
Linens ’n Things, 5/5 — It's a Fiesta: Save 20%‏
TigerDirect, 5/5 — 50 Deals up to 50% Off: 20" Acer LED $99 & More Caliente Deals‏
Fingerhut, 5/5 — Fingerhut: Happy Cinco de Mayo – SAVE 5%, ENDS Today!
Musician’s Friend, 5/5 — Musician's Friend: Top Gear Deals for Cinco De Mayo!‏
Cooking.com, 5/5 — Top 10 Bean & Cheese Casserole Recipes‏
Walgreens, 5/5 — For Mom: FREE 8x10 Collage Print, 50% OFF Posters + 10 Cent Prints‏
Ross-Simons, 5/5 — Guaranteed Mother's Day Delivery Ends Tomorrow at 3pm ET + Private Sale‏
Eddie Bauer, 5/5 — In-Store Exclusive: 25% Off Great Gifts for Mother's Day.‏
Williams-Sonoma, 5/5 — In-Store Cutlery Demo – Find the Right Knife for You‏
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BROWSE... Archive / Post Categories / Selling Seasons / Topics Covered / Retailers Tracked

My latest spin around the mediasphere turned up the following nuggets:

>>Tweet of the Week: @JennMilks: Social media's a party. Email's an intimate date. How are u romancing viewers thru the inbox? #mpeis

>>Mike May of Real Magnet shares some great nuggets of wisdom about relevancy, including asking whether your emails are like the USPS or FedEx. >>Follow the ping

>>Loren McDonald of Silverpop writes a mini-manifesto on preference centers. >>Follow the ping

>>Email marketing consultant Jordie van Rijn shares his favorite tweets from the Email Insider Summit. (Don’t overlook the links to the best tweets from day 2 and day 3 at the bottom.) >>Follow the ping to Florida

>>Ros Hodgekiss of Campaign Monitor discusses using lightboxes for email sign-up forms. >>Follow the ping

>>Matt Vernhout of EmailKarma answers a question about point-of-sale email opt-ins—and while the answer pertains to Canada’s anti-spam law, the practice is applicable anywhere. >>Follow the ping

>>Bryan Quilty of MindComet talks about the tactic of using background images to encourage subscribers to enable images. >>Follow the ping
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BROWSE... Archive / Post Categories / Selling Seasons / Topics Covered / Retailers Tracked

World Wildlife Fund UK is campaigning to stop deforestation in the Brazilian Cerrado [Wikipedia] that is being caused by soya farming. The short film above aims to communicate both the urgency of the situation in the Cerrado and the simple action UK consumers can take to help save it.

As much as 21% of Brazil is covered by the little-known but precious Cerrado savannah. But right now the Cerrado is disappearing faster than the Amazon rainforest. One of the main causes is commercial agriculture – especially vast fields of soya.
WWF UK is asking consumers to ask their supermarkets to commit to buying all their soya from RTRS certified sources by 2015.

Brighton based agency Neo made this beautiful short film. Maybe we have the ‘Making of’ soon which I’m very curious about.

Author: Marc