Starbucks earns respect, less fear from smaller coffee shops

Although many independent coffee shop owners respect Starbucks' achievements, they don't fear the big-name competition as much as they once did. Starbucks' popularity actually boosted the coffee business in many areas, and some small coffee shops attract customers who want to avoid a corporate ambiance.

SeattleTimes

i want to live in that world...

Great story, amazing art direction, leaves you puzzled and yet inspired. This is creativity at its finest. Watch this video and you'll know what I mean. I'd love to work on a project that can articulate its vision like this. Enjoy.

Something to think about...

Ban the plastic - get a

SIGG!!!

Good ad.

simple, clean and authentic.

Ad Campaign Appeals To Young, Hip, Influenced-By-Ad-Campaigns Demographic

NEW YORK—According to new market research, a multimillion dollar broadcast, radio, print, billboard, and online viral campaign launched Monday by the Axiom Marketing Agency tested "off the charts" among its target market of hip, urban 18- to 34-year-olds who base their actions and opinions entirely on the suggestions of ad campaigns. "This is exactly the type of customer we're looking to reach," said the campaign's chief strategist Ben Jacobs, 28. "It's showing tremendous impact on the cool, media-savvy rebels who distrust authority, prize alternative culture, think outside of the mainstream, and are willing to base their actions entirely on advertising images presented to them on TV. How dope is that?" The campaign, which advertises a new, youth-oriented version of Raisinets called Raisin d'Etre, is expected to make an impressive showing at the upcoming Counterculture Ad Fair sponsored by Procter and Gamble and held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

community-run businesses - BRILLIANT!!!

the first community-managed, eco-friendly, surf-inspired clothing company - nvohk (pronounced “invoke”) hopes to attract 20,000-40,000 members, at which point they’ll invite members to buy into the company for $50 each. The new member/owners will will make major business decisions including logo design, web design, product design, advertising, etc. The surf-inspired clothing will be made from 100% sustainable materials, and 10% of all profits from nvohk products will go directly to eco-minded charities.

(the picture takes you to the site.) check it out.

rap meets ppt - simple, clear, down to the point and freakin hilarious!

if you like rap, charts and like me, have to use tons of powerpoint then you are going to love

this link!

...this is what happens when rappers put down the blunts and 40’s and pick up office software...

i'm bacK! =)

so yeah...i've pulled the disappearing act on y'all and i promise it was for a good reason. ...so what have i been up to some of you ask? well...lets see...with the start of a new year i have switched ad agencies (i now work @ Deutsch LA), lived through the holiday season, learned the basics of tango, got my ears pierced, got my butt back in the gym, finally read the Skinny Bitch book (which I highly recommend), saw a dentist for the first time in 7 years and last but not least spent some time enjoying the great outdoors. YES! I feel like a new person! ...and with that, this year I plan to continue to blog about what truly inspires me 2PAUSE!

Happy 2008 Everyone!

a word from saul williams...

For those who aren't familiar with this man I highly recommend for you to check out this amazing lyricist if you're into hip hop and poetry. As I've said in my previous post, this guy is just ridiculously talented. Below is a little taste of him from just a fan based email promoting his new album...

My Dearest Friends and Fans,

It is my greatest honor to present to you The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!,
my new album produced by Trent Reznor and mixed by Alan Moulder. The wall of sound that we've created is tagged with such graffiti that a passerby would seek out doors and ways to ENTER. Once inside a world defined by dreams come true they'd find aligned with the simplest act of sharing what we treasure. Most people aren't aware of the world of art and commerce where exploitation strips each artist down to nigger. Each label, like apartheid, multiplies us by our divide and whips us 'til we conform to lesser figures. What falls between the cracks is a pile of records stacked to the heights of talents hidden from the sun. Yet the energy they put into popularizing smut makes a star of a shiny polished gun. The ballot or the bullet for Mohawk or the mullet is a choice between new times and dying days. And the only way to choose is to jump ship from old truths and trust dolphins as we swim through changing ways. The ways of middlemen proves to be just a passing trend. We need no priests to talk to God. No phone to call her. And when you click the link below, i think it fair that you should know that your purchase will make middlemen much poorer...

NiggyTardust!

love,
Saul

His new album is out November 1st. Click

here to support.

if we are what we eat, Americans are corn & soy

So I’m working on a soy product, which means I come across a lot of interesting (and sometimes not interesting) information about soy, its users and the industry. Generally speaking when you ask an average person whether they are a soy user – more often than not they’ll give you a sour look with a passionate “no!” But what I thought was worth sharing with you is the fact that whether you know it or not you are probably eating soy…everyday… and loads of it! Turns out, soy is in 60% - 70% of all processed foods! I know, at first I didn’t believe it either, but on my next trip to the grocery store I read the ingredient labels and to my surprise I think it was in 90% of the processed foods I picked up! From Oreo cookies and chips, to frozen pizza and plain old bread! The FDA recommends 25 grams of soy in your daily diet …but something tells me we are probably consuming way more than that…and that’s when it becomes questionable whether it’s good or bad for you. According to Dr. Joseph Hibbeln at the National Institutes of Health, if we are what we eat, Americans are corn and soy. He estimates that soybeans, usually hidden in the form of oil, ­ accounts for an astonishing 10% of our total calories in the United States. And while plenty of research can be found to support soy’s health claims, through research you’ll find the science to be painfully inconsistent. Some studies find no special effects of soy on health, while others actually suggest that soy foods might cause the very heath problems they are believed to prevent.

The purpose of passing this information to you is to peak your interest to want to empower yourself to go learn and make conscious food choices.

Recommended book: What to Eat by Marion Nestle

because everyone shouldn't watch everything

This video hosting site seems to be preferred by tech trendsetters over YouTube and is thought of as the “Flickr of video,” in that the site has created a community around videos in the same way that Flickr created community around photos. Tons of creativity and fans of this site like it because of its clean design, friendly vibe, and easy-to-use functions such as their privacy settings. Take a peak

here

Apple domination...

This picture was taken from a classroom in some university...not staged!!! It's kinda funny to think about Apple's 1984 commercial after seeing this picture...I wonder if this kinda thing irritates Steve Jobs since in some ways it contradicts "Think Different."

rethinking graffiti

It's about time the NYTimes did a piece on this movement...Two innovative projects are causing people to rethink the ways that they make and look at graffiti and street art.

"Graffiti in its traditional form — involving aerosol cans of spray paint and an inviting flat surface — still dominates on the streets. But online things are evolving quickly.Techniques are debated in forums, and photos of tags, or signatures, are constantly uploaded and swapped on popular photo-sharing Web sites like flickr.com. Sites like Wooster Collective (woostercollective.com) function as digital galleries and as clearinghouses for street art on an international level."

The future of gaming....

Brilliant... a look back at how Halo has affected our world...the future sure looks bright!!

my coolest encounter this month....

hole punch art....i gave it a try and will post my result for a good chuckle. here is the

gallery

featuring some great examples and a little more insight to the technique.

word of mouth blabber...

Word of Mouth marketing has reached the next stage of evolution. With global spending on social networks reaching $1.29 billion in 2007 (hitting $3.6 billion in 2011 on current trends), this is an area with many opportunities to tap into. The costs associated with traditional advertising and even finding out which consumers use different communications channels grow each year. And still we don't really know whether customer advocacy has a positive impact on sales. In any case word of mouth allows brands to be top of mind of consumers minds and recommended by closest and most trusted to them. Word of mouth in my opinion still remains half science, half art with infinite creative possibilities.

Mental Constipation

Ever had one? Mental blockage is by no means exclusive to the ranks of corporate management. It happens to everyday people and I had mine today. A remedy that tends to work for me most of the time (other than loads of caffeine and ice cream) is skipping through a book called "Jump Start Your Brain." It gets my creative juices going and it helps me look at situations in a way I didn't think to before. As this book points out - one of the great barriers to original thought is thought you're already carrying around in your head. When your mind is filled with solutions and mambo jumbo, it's nearly impossible to conceive a newborn thought.

"For a tree to bear fruit, dead limbs must be pruned." Richard Saunders

are you part of the majority?

We care about the Environment

According to the 2007 Cone Consumer Environment survey – 88% of us are interested or more interested in the environment today than last year. (Gore would be proud.) Foreseeably this translates to how companies approach business today. More than ever Americans today favor companies who choose to support/preserve the environment. We can see this with the popularity of Whole Foods and Farmer’s Markets. 86% of us either purchase environmentally friendly products/services, donate to support environmental causes and/or advocate. That’s a pretty high number if you ask me. The survey doesn’t get into how that number has changed from last year, but in any case the number caught me off guard!

Pressure to be "real"

A 2005 study by Roland G. Fryer of Harvard University crystallizes the point: While there is scarce dissimilarity in popularity levels among low-achieving students, black or white, Fryer finds that "when a student achieves a 2.5 GPA, clear differences start to emerge." At 3.5 and above, black students "tend to have fewer and fewer friends," even as their high-achieving white peers "are at the top of the popularity pyramid." With such pressure to be real, to not "act white," is it any wonder that the African-American high school graduation rate has stagnated at 70 percent for the past three decades?
Something to think about...

photo pause

i decided it was time to put my camera to use.

near future?

From time to time, NTT Docomo, Japan's largest mobile carrier, releases a this is a must see.

video

depicting its vision of the future. Docomo's latest video shows how mobile technology will make life safer, more convenient, and more comfortable. It’s really cool how in their vision, among other things, people will wear glasses with GPS, tracking systems will prevent children from getting lost, security robots will take care of your house, and you will buy your veggie using your mobile (they seem obsessed with this idea).
Plus the music and the acting are quiet amusing ;)

adidas

brands either get it right or get it entirely wrong when they attempt to assimilate graffiti and street art into their campaigns. adicolor gets it right by inviting people to tag the billboards and taking advantage of the streets to the fullest.

the break up

The Break Up
Uploaded by geertdesager

This video nails a relationship between an advertiser and a consumer. Pretty sad how generally true this relationship dynamic is considering all the tools and capabilities marketers have today to not be that pathetic ad guy character in the video. That's why I love my job! I am challenged daily with how to foster a genuine relationship between brands and consumers. You should try it sometime...it's fun! ;)

looking in the mirror

Statistics can be alarming, especially when they’re staring you in the face, literally. For a shocking and provocative look at American culture, check out the amazing gallery of work by artist Chris Jordan.

His only caveat about this series is that the prints must be seen in person to be experienced the way they are intended. The series is still in its early stages, and new images will be posted to his site as they are completed, so stay tuned.

this is a must see.

don't be lazy - click to check it out...