Pure Thinking

Money can't buy happiness, but Technology Can?!

 
According to a recent study conducted by the Kelly Global Workforce Index and Corona Research, 87 percent of respondents say a policy for working remotely is an important factor because "the revolution in personal communications has improved work-life balance through flexible work practices, working from home, and other family-friendly arrangements, while delivering a significant boost to organizational efficiency," Corona says. The oxymoron in this story is that one third are working longer hours!

Increased work efficiency, longer hours AND happier employees; that is certainly a win/win. Although, I can not help but to wonder what the survey respondents will say when the tech-boom honeymoon settles into a grind and the love affair with their new iPhone fades... then again, who wants a pessimist?

Enjoy your employer sponsored happiness and let the good times roll!

-Michelle

Art & Copy

ART & COPY is a powerful new film about advertising and inspiration. Directed by Doug Pray (SURFWISE, SCRATCH, HYPE!), it reveals the work and wisdom of some of the most influential advertising creatives of our time -- people who've profoundly impacted our culture, yet are virtually unknown outside their industry. George Lois, Mary Wells, Dan Wieden, Lee Clow, Hal Riney and others featured in ART & COPY were responsible for "Just Do It," "I Love NY," "Where's the Beef?," "Got Milk," "Think Different," and brilliant campaigns for everything from cars to presidents.

Exclusive Engagement at the Starz Filmcenter from August 21-27. In cooperation from the Art Director's Club of Denver. Check it out.

Eco-friendly font

By now you have probably heard that recycled paper and soy inks contribute to greener graphic design, but it turns out that in the realm of sustainability, not all fonts are created equal. With that being said, Dutch communications company Spranq have jumped on the environmentally friendly bandwagon, with a font that looks like this:

Ecofont is the name of the typeface and it is available for free at this company's website. The idea is that these little holes will save on average 20% more ink, contributing to a cleaner environment.

The catch 22 here is that it really only works well for a font in the 10 pt size range. At this size and smaller the holes go unnoticed. But, as the font gets bigger the holes will obviously become larger, and at a smaller size the amount of the savings goes down, mostly because the holes will close up and become ineffective due to ink spread, etc.

This seems to be one of those inventive ideas that is a great tool to introduce the world to the services and ingenuity of this company in a roundabout viral episode, while playing on the environmental theme so prevalent in today's society. Whether or not it will help contribute to a cleaner earth seems unlikely, although with a little creativity from the end user, you may be able to trick yourself into sleeping easier at night knowing you're saving the world. Or maybe it will become all the rage like Courier did in the 90's.

- Todd

Killer robots

If you think violent robots with the quest to destroy only exist in movies, think again. From the flesh-eating robo-fly catcher that was created to perform pest control, to the cyborg that’s run by the brain of a blood-sucking lamprey eel, to Japan’s top robo-model that knows five different kinds of deadly martial arts and can shoot poison darts from her fingers, Network World features a slideshow that highlights 8 real-life robots that could, well, kill us all.

Snuggie purchasers beware!

If you are the purchaser of a Snuggie - America's best new t.v. offer since the birth of OxyClean for reasons no one will ever understand - be warned that you're up for some new and unpleasant news, beyond the fact that you will continue to experience a lifetime of public ridicule for buying such a product.

Snuggie purchasers are all up in blanketed arms over the Better Business Bureau's announcement of a $149.99 "membership fee" that is being applied to their credit cards on file. If you signed up for the $8.95 rebate when purchasing your snuggie (yes, I too read that and said "they cost more than $8.95? It's a backwards robe!) then you too are at risk for this bogus fee.

I sincerely hope that this unfortunate bit of information will be followed by the downfall of the Snuggie product. Housewives and grandmas will have to find a new way to keep warm while talking on the phone and reading a book on the couch, but for the rest of us, I declare it a victory.

--Kate

Premier Account Planner in Denver

Gareth joined Modernista! in 2003 to build the company’s planning discipline and oversee the strategic direction of all accounts. His department has won accolades from the EFFIEs, the AMA awards, and the AAAA Account Planning Awards. In the past, Gareth has worked at TBWA, dfgw, and Lowe on brands such as Unilever, the BBC, General Motors, fcuk, Waterstone’s, and Reebok.

Today mega-creative agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners/SF named him director of digital.  Being the forward thinking Ad Club we are in Denver, we've had him booked for months to speak here tomorrow.  Be there!  you can still register here. 

So there, Jeff Goodby, we had him first.

Striking a chord for $150

Dave Carroll’s recent music video “United Breaks Guitars” is a classic example of the power of social media. Last March, the lead singer of Canadian band Sons of Maxwell, watched as United workers threw around his $3,500 Taylor guitar. After a year of resistance and lack of responsibility from United, Carroll produced a video for $150 and posted it on YouTube.

And the response has been staggering. In just two weeks, millions of people have viewed the video or tweeted, fueling the fire and crippling United’s brand and reputation. The LA Times, USA Today and CNN have also covered the story, among others, illustrating the burgeoning authority of online media and the immediacy of the Internet to give power to the people. The folks at United are no longer ignoring Mr. Carroll, but at what price?

Tele-Tweeting?

As social networking continues to grow, more and more people are living their lives live online, 24/7. The trouble, is how can you stay tuned to the new American Idol episode when you just know one of your friends is updating their Facebook status as you watch!? Don't worry... you can relax...Twitter and Facebook apps that allow live streaming to your television screen, are in the works! For those who just can't tweet enough, read all about it.

- Michelle

Look it up!

Planning a staycation this year?
Look it up now in the 2009 update of
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, Eleventh Edition

Hardworking word-lovers everywhere can now learn the meaning of the word staycation ("a vacation spent at home or nearby") along with nearly 100 other new words and senses added to Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition. America's best-selling dictionary offers its new 2009 entries in its updated print edition and online at Merriam-Webster.com.

Many of the new words address: concerns about the environment (carbon footprint, green collar), government activities (earmark, waterboarding), health and medicine (cardioprotective, locavore, naproxen, neuroprotective), pop culture (docusoap, fan fiction, flash mob, reggaeton), online activities (sock puppet, vlog, webisode), as well as several miscellaneous terms such as haram, memory foam, missalette, and zip line.

 

Talking Shit

I've heard all about outdoor advertising and its benefits, but out-house advertising?

After all of the crap we've seen in dirty commercials and distasteful print ads, this just may be the most foul of them all: were talking shit. Skadaddle Media is launching the campaign Twitter for Sh-tters to raise money and promote awareness for eco-sanitation toilets in the poorest regions of the world. The Twitter campaign asks people to tweet about the cause -- "talk shit" -- or ask people to donate to the fund through the WTN Web site. Next to come in the crappy campaign is viral videos uploaded to YouTube and Facebook. The crew has already begun to tape hundreds of flushing toilets to create music symphonies and videos. Who knew that number two talk could be anything butt for a social cause?

-Michelle