One thing we haven't dwelt on is the heavy sense of security we feel and see everywhere, especially at 5-star places but elsewhere too. There may be absolutely no one enforcing driving laws on the roads, but at hotel entrances, your car is searched underneath, in the boot, and even the glove compartment. And nearly every mall, building, train station and hotel has a metal detector. Here, during our last sunset there's a guard protecting the sunset. (Then again, the service here at the Park Hyatt has been bizarre since we arrived.)
Monday, December 26, 2011
Sunset Safe
One thing we haven't dwelt on is the heavy sense of security we feel and see everywhere, especially at 5-star places but elsewhere too. There may be absolutely no one enforcing driving laws on the roads, but at hotel entrances, your car is searched underneath, in the boot, and even the glove compartment. And nearly every mall, building, train station and hotel has a metal detector. Here, during our last sunset there's a guard protecting the sunset. (Then again, the service here at the Park Hyatt has been bizarre since we arrived.)
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Summer Programs. Extra-Wide Shoes. Big Lessons in Small Space Ads.
New column up at The Faster Times about small space advertising, something I think big and small businesses could be better at and do more of. I recount my observations about the New Yorker and a campaign I ran for a photographer twenty years ago which has stuck for me. I even dug up the headlines and tagline for it.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Guest writing on Bryan Fuhr's blog
Bryan is looking for guest bloggers so naturally I signed up. My first post is here, about him, me — and microwaves. He's got a bunch of categories around food, cooking, restaurants, New York City, digital strategy, technology, shopping and more. Contact him at his blog if you're interested.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
DMA Echo Awards Call for Entry
Calling for entries for the DMA Echo Awards
At Echo Index, you can also download the app from itunes to rate your own work or others.
See the guys desperate to win their echo by you entering for your echo -- or something like that. On YouTube and follow them on Facebook. Or just hit up dma-echos.org and enter your best work in about a dozen industry categories. Judging works as 30% strategy + 30% creativity + 30% results + 10% mojo.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Call for Entries: Echo Awards
Here's the launch video.
There are tons more videos coming. Join Tim & Keith's group We Want An Echo on Facebook. Easier to get updates and see the new clips released every week as they desperately try to get more people to enter. There also are presentations being posted on Slideshare by Ashley, the "account coordinator." You can also submit and rate work you find at the Echo Index, either by using the Bookmarklet in the browser or downloading the free iphone app at the itunes store (Search for Echo Index). Stunts are promised too. Keep watching.
There are tons more videos coming. Join Tim & Keith's group We Want An Echo on Facebook. Easier to get updates and see the new clips released every week as they desperately try to get more people to enter. There also are presentations being posted on Slideshare by Ashley, the "account coordinator." You can also submit and rate work you find at the Echo Index, either by using the Bookmarklet in the browser or downloading the free iphone app at the itunes store (Search for Echo Index). Stunts are promised too. Keep watching.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
VOICES: What I Wish Someone Had Told Me
I just contributed a piece to the new "Voices" section of Canada's Ad Buzz, my favorite new industry blog. It covers what I wish I had learned starting out in the business. It's terribly candid and most of it quite true.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Let's Move : Mom Was Here Campaign
Today Michelle Obama celebrated one-year of her Let's Move initiative and included the debut of the Ogilvy-created campaign we did: "Mom Was Here". It's TV, digital, print and OOH with the Ad Council. Hopefully you'll see it soon on air, in print, or in person.
Mom Was Here :: "Blackout" (:30)
Mom Was Here :: "Wallet" (:30)
Mom Was Here :: "Blackout" (:30)
Mom Was Here :: "Wallet" (:30)
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Q&A: Direct Marketing News
For January 2011's issue of Direct Marketing News, I reviewed four different campaigns/work submitted and answered some questions on where I thought marketing was headed. Here's the link to the abbreviated interview:
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Top 2010 Food + Music Lists:: From Bryan Fuhr and Adam Rosenberg
Bryan Fuhr, on his Clipping Service blog, posted a holiday favorite of foodie experiences we had. From Eleven Madison Park in NYC to French Laundry in the west (with Istanbul, Israel and Paris in between), he captures our year and some of the amazing places through which we've eaten.
My friend Adam posted his top 2010 music on Finest Work Songs. Adam's always been a huge music fan and while we share some bands in common we love like R.E.M, I've never been that knowledgeable nor as passionate. My favorite moment was telling him that I just moved into the same building as Michael Stipe. He really thought it was such a waste.
My friend Adam posted his top 2010 music on Finest Work Songs. Adam's always been a huge music fan and while we share some bands in common we love like R.E.M, I've never been that knowledgeable nor as passionate. My favorite moment was telling him that I just moved into the same building as Michael Stipe. He really thought it was such a waste.
Monday, December 27, 2010
2010: What I Saw, Read and Experienced
At the end of each year, I catalog books, films, museums, movies and more that I was lucky enough to experience. For me, it's a good way to keep track, take stock and also suggest to others. This year was especially a big travel year with jaunts to Istanbul, Israel, the West Coast and multiple trips to France, including Paris and Provence. Will probably update more as more things come to mind. Sorry if it formats like crap; trying to update the look of the blog at the same time.
Also: Be sure to see Bryan's great holiday message around food on his blog.
BOOKS
Fiction:
- Freedom, Jonathan Franzen
- This Is Where I Leave You, Jonathan Tropper (good family funny)
- Attention. Deficit. Disorder, Brad Listi (and my tnb publisher/editor)
- Super Sad True Love Story, Gary Shteyngart
- Then We Came To the End, Joshua Ferris (Finally read this — hilarious)
- Overexposed, Susan Shapiro (My writing prof)
- Imperial Bedrooms, Bret Easton Ellis
Nonfiction:
- The Mesh, Lisa Gansky
- How the States Got their Shapes, Marc Stein (interesting)
- Everything is Going to be Great, Rachel Shukert (funny essays)
- How Did You Get this Number?, Sloane Crosby (funny essays)
- A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace
- Everything Is Wrong with Me, Jason Mulgrew
FILMS
- Precious (January). Disturbingly good.
- An Education (January). Haunting.
- Client 9: Eliot Spitzer. Couldn't get through the second half but a good history.
- Exit Through the Gift Shop: Banksy. Is it true or not? Love the mystery.
- Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work. Good rental.
- The Kids Are All Right. Love strong women.
- Kick Ass. Surprisingly funny.
- The Social Network. This was surprisingly good.
- Greenberg. Funny, but not that funny
- Iron Man 2. Silly.
- Eat, Pray, Love (August). The food is as pretty as Julia.
- Fair Game (November). Good melodrama, acting. Love spies.
- The King's Speech (December). Stunning and funny.
- Tron (December). Fun to watch but weak plot. Galactica spoiled us for Sci-Fi.
- Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps (December). Just awful.
- Somewhere — (December) Stunning Sophia Coppola and Stephen Dorff.
ART & MEMORIALS
- Israel: Well, the whole country is a dig. Not sure if I'd consider Masada a museum, but it is a UNESCO site and a huge experience. Yad Vashem of course too. (Incidentally, one cannot find shaving cream in Safed.) Just go if you haven't. Some photos here.
- Lisbon: The Museum of Tile/Azulejo (Seriously)
- Istanbul: Hagga Sophia, Basilica Cistern (stunning), a 16thC Synagogue with permission in advance and too much time at the Four Seasons. A few photos here.
- The Modern Kitchen, MoMA, New York
- Le Louvre, Paris (November)
- Avignon: Palace of the Popes (July); the Museum of Corkscrews
- Raymond Depardon photography at Le Biblioteque Nationale Mitterand, Paris (November)
- Julia Child's Kitchen, Smithsonian, Washington, DC (October)
- Rally for National Sanity in Washington, DC. (October) Unique experience on The Mall. Thank you, Julia, for flying in for it.
- Carmen, at the MetOpera in HD (January)
- David Sedaris reading at the Apollo Theatre (November) Hilarious. He also collects jokes.
- Jonathan Franzen reading from Freedom at McNally Jackson
- Pop-Tech in Camden, Maine (October). Science meets social engineering. Read the TFT post.
- Agency.com Wake. The very very final end of a very long story.
- Delivering the keynote on creativity at Belgium Direct Marketing Association in Mechelen, Belgium. Read the TFT post.
- A week at The Cleveland Clinic in Ohio (Thanks, John)
- Sam's Bar Mitzvah (!)
- The Search for the World's Greatest Salesperson, including two live TV interviews in Australia and Philadelphia. Story behind the experience here.
- Shorning of the Sheep at Blue Hill at Stone Bars
- Creative Workshop at Chateau du Touffou.
- Gay Youth Pride Concert (December). Charming, but not Glee.
- Ben Folds performance at The Beacon, NYC (December). This surprisingly sucked.
- The lights of Dyker Heights with Eitan and Dina. (December)
FOOD EXPERIENCES (gets its own category)


- Lunch with Bryan Fuhr, Julia and Rachel at The French Laundry (October).
- Lunch under a tree at vineyard Michel Schlumberger
- Thanksgiving in Paris :: Le Retour VII. This year, the theme was Renaissance. Still not exactly sure why. Ann's photo collection here.
- Learning to eat Raclette with Bridget and Thomas
- Eating at Bisto Au Coin, Washington DC, forgetting we were there 10 years ago
PUBLISHED
- "How to Talk to My Dog", The Bark
- Embrace Branding, The Jewish Forward
- "Spare Me Your Shekels", "When Should We Get Naked?", "A Good Sport", in The Nervous Breakdown
- "Second Chances" on This I Believe about how my first boss Dennis Ferrone taught me to write ad copy.
- Tons of columns in The Faster Times, now bi-weekly.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Untitled
New posting up at The Nervous Breakdown:
have a look at this one and the earlier ones.Spare Me Your Shekels
Saturday, October 23, 2010
PopTech : Blog : "Marriage Was Invented to Get In-Laws"
Spent several days at the PopTech conference in Camden, Maine. Theme this year was around Necessary Failures, Accidental Discoveries.
Well-orchestrated, series of sub-topics around emotions, violence and gulf stories. Expert talks from both science and social entrepreneurs. Here's one great one by Stephanie Coontz from Friday.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Advertising Places: the Local, the Proud, the Disappointingly Bland
New column up at The Faster Times. Wanted to cover more about marketing cities, states, countries and the idea of "Place." A recent JetBlue campaign, integrating the I Love New York icon, was the catalyst but it brought up lots of famous and utterly forgettable efforts. Please share, comment at the article and retweet it for me. Would love to get some good discussion going. For the article:
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