Articles written by
Ken Hammond
February 4, 2013

How Super Bowl Advertisers Missed the Multi-Device Mark

Return on invest for a Super Bowl ad used to be constrained to a scant 30 seconds to impress your captive audience, and, if you were lucky enough to make it into the top 10, you might recoup your multi-million dollar cost. But a little thing called the World Wide Web, with its social networks, videos and hashtags, has changed the game. The Super Bowl is no longer a one-night affair, but rather the centerpiece in a longer, more thoughtful and engaging strategy. Unfortunately, marketers still don't understand the nuances of a multi-device world, treating social media as an afterthought, instead of a way to make a bigger impact.

December 18, 2012

Brands We Admire: Tesla Motors

Not since Henry Ford created the assembly line and the Model T has one man or company so influenced the automotive industry. Tesla Motors, a Silicon Valley upstart fueled not by profit but philanthropy, has jumpstarted the auto industry’s movement into electric vehicles. Tesla has achieved what no other car company dared think was possible: proved that electric vehicles could be awesome. Don’t take our word for it. Ask Motor Trend, who named their latest car, the Model S, 2013 Car of the Year.

December 14, 2012

The Art of the Company Holiday Party

holiday party instructions

It’s the end of the year, a time to reflect on huge successes or just be thankful for squeaking by. And how do we celebrate? By extending our workday to attend the worst oxymoron in the world: the company party. We get dressed to the 9’s and mind our P’s & Q’s for fear of potential humiliation. No more than two drinks. Speak to your boss. Don’t use your co-worker’s purse as a barf bag. So many rules and regulations to make sure you don’t receive a pink slip instead of your Christmas bonus.

This year, let’s look at the holiday party not as an exercise in masochism, but as an art. An art, that, when mastered, will raise you and your co-workers above the doldrums of Bing Crosby and holiday cocktails, and bring you the one thing missing from most company holiday parties: tidings of comfort and joy.

This is the Art of the Company Holiday Party. 

November 7, 2012

The Problem with Homepage Takeovers

In the world of digital marketing, there is a never ending struggle to find ways to best engage your audience. Some work hard to find solutions that focus on user needs and intent. Others throw money and quick creative at the problem. The latter is how you end up with homepage takeovers. They provide marketers with a way not to captivate their audience, but literally capture it. Marketers get the attention they crave, and online websites, who can net upwards of $500k for a takeover, get the advertising revenue they need.

Everyone benefits but the user.

October 31, 2012

Scariest Halloween Ads

Who doesn't like a good fright every once in a while? A scare that let's us know we're alive, helps us laugh at ourselves, enjoy life... and even understand why life is worth living! In the spirit of Halloween, here are some of the scariest ads we've ever seen, whose marketing genius haunt our dreams and buying behaviors. Check out our top picks and tells us about some of your frightening favorites.

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