hopefully i am not yet reaching the age where my heroes start to die off one by one — an era one prays will preceed the one in which one’s peers do likewise by some considerable length of time. when my mother died earlier this year, i was somehow unsurprised to find myself reaching for camus — the loss of a parent could hardly be said to be anything but existential-y after all. in the absence of christopher hitchens however, i can, thankfully, turn to christopher hitchens.

oddly enough, i may very well have been reading the only one of his books that i actually own at the moment he passed. i’ve enjoyed his writing in periodicals and online for years, but only recently saw fit to pay cold hard cash for ink on paper, having picked up the most recent compendium, “arguably,” just last week. i read the better part of “god is not great” just standing in the aisle, transfixed in the barnes and noble like the proverbial choir that loves being preached to, and his hellbent slate posts were regular lunchtime reading. last night however, i was ushered off to sleep by the dulcet tones of hitch excoriating gore vidal for his repeated sins of intellectual lassitude, comparing the critical writings of john updike to The Importance of Being Earnest — for the better part not unfavorably, and considering theism and uh... pretty much anything it touches. plenty has and will be said elsewhere, but it goes without saying that dude would brook no bulls#it and he did so with inimitable panache — cross hunter s. thompson with lord byron. the guy’s freakishly sharp mind, combined with apparently (and reportedly) effortless verbal dexterity, eloquence and passionately held convictions gave voice to impossibly complicated ideas in expressions that could be alternately brutally incisive, sinewy, supple and make his points in a fashion not unlike that of the scotch of which he was unrepentently fond: smooth, complex, possessing of a not-inconsiderable kick and likely to leave one feeling somewhat woozy afterwards.

obviously hitch was in no direct way connected to design or marketing, but whether writing for magazines, the web, books, speeches or debates, he was a communicator of ideas often (usually?) at odds with mainstream conceptions. he remained steadfast and unbending in his insistence upon integrity of intention, unfettered truth at all costs and, even in the face of his own very shuffling off of this mortal coil, determined to shout when necessary, “the emperor has no clothes” as loudly as his voice would carry.

I had the unique experience of attending IAAPA Attractions Expo in Orlando last week. (For those not familiar with IAAPA, it’s basically the association of folks involved in the attractions business – think everything from amusement parks to water parks to arcades to laser tag facilities to party rental companies, and more).

Standing on the show floor among acres and acres of exhibits brought me back to my childhood, and the dream conversations I’d have with my friends and brothers. Playing in the backyard or the basement and all those kid ideas would pop into our heads: Wouldn’t it be cool if you could have a trampoline basketball court? Wouldn’t it be cool if there was a 360° reverse loop track for bikes, like on a rollercoaster? Wouldn't it be cool if someone invented a water balloon fort?

Well, turns out people way smarter than us were having the same conversations. Because all of those things, and more, were on display at the Attractions Expo. Makes me realize that there’s a lot of ingenuity out there. Because this wasn’t just a showcase of great ideas, it was a showcase of great ideas that had been figured out and engineered to be profitable attractions.

It’s kind of like that kid who used to obsessively burn ants with a magnifying glass then grew up to be a pest exterminator, only these IAAPA people went to top-notch engineering schools and now are dedicated to the fun business.

There were acres and acres of new games and rides and activities and inflatables and if you’ve had fun doing it, odds are, it was there. Plus, a ton of things you’d never think of – but when you do come across them (like the laser maze – coming soon to an attraction near you) you’re sure to have one of those, “Oh wow, cool! Now why didn’t I think of that?” moments.

American (worldwide for that matter) ingenuity is alive and well, that's for sure. And not to get too political, but it gives me hope for all the troubles we’ve been tackling as a country. Three days at IAAPA Attractions Expo makes me realize the brains are out there. I know if we could just set the politicking and partisanship aside, we can solve anything.

Wouldn’t it be cool if?

as is my wont, especially on a sunday night once the kids have been packed off to bed, i’ve been known to crack open a beer and flick on the tube like i did last night. the jets were too far down to the patriots for a realistic comeback, so the Channel Safari™ began, but ended quickly when i found that pbs was running “art&copy" again as an independent lens offering. i'd stumbled upon it a couple of times before in an identical manner, so i knew what to expect, and settled in to watch it for i think a third time.

for those who are not familiar, "art&copy” is a feature length documentary that came out a couple years ago about the creative side of the advertising industry. constructed like any other talking head-driven vehicle, we hear stories, anecdotes, rants and pearls of wisdom from the most brilliant and successful advertising minds of the last 50 years. not dissimilarly to the earlier released “helvetica,” the condensed history lesson helps to contextualize much of the discussion, and perhaps it takes itself a little too seriously (although maybe not), but if they as icons and we as acolytes don’t, who will?

and inasmuch as narrative is spun from the creative point of view, it’s not particularly surprising that “art&copy” is not very kind to bureaucrats, but looks unflinchingly at the relationship between those functions and the creative spark and process. it reminds me that the challenges that we as designers, art directors and copy writers confront are to a degree universal — the walls to be pushed against, imposed from without and from within, have in many ways not really changed much over time. sure, there are macs now where there once were tissues, but the problems to be solved remain fundamentally quite constant. we’re all kinda trying to do the same thing; connect and convey in as meaningful a fashion as possible. that connection to the forebears makes me feel a small part of a larger whole, a sense of family of sorts. and the tales of trial, tribulation, joy and exaltation in the ongoing quest to create art in the service of both commerce and some greater good also remind me that the rewards can be small or large, simple or profound.

highly, highly, highly recommended.
(i assume one can get via netflix or amazon?)

I listen to the radio station DC101 while red lights are flashing along the Beltway and my mind is racing. I ask myself things like, “Is that car getting too close?” And, “This truck is driving so slow…why am I still behind it?” The most important question though is, “What am I going to do today at Fixation?” But I know the answer. I don’t know exactly what I’ll be doing, but the thought sparks a sequence of imaginative ideas. Once my master plan is thought out, I arrive at Fixation’s parking garage.

Like a puppy eager to get inside the house, I cannot wait to be let into the office. I ring Fixation’s doorbell and walk to my desk which is located at the “office bridge” connecting the art department and the account team. The talented graphic designers quietly yet meticulously focus on their work and often listen to soothing jazz music. Conversely, the rest of the office zealously discusses projects aloud. When I need to connect, I visit Sharyn, who is the life of the office, or I will spark a conversation with anyone. After all, talking is what led me to my most exciting project. I was chatting with Mike, the creative director, and he asked if I wanted to help him on the HIV/AIDS awareness campaign pitch. Needless to say, I gladly accepted the challenge since I was and am still so excited to contribute to a great cause. I brainstormed social media and online marketing ideas and ended up creating a wireframe idea that features interactive promotions to encourage HIV/AIDS testing. The wireframe is centered on a user’s ability to upload videos and win prizes. Moreover, I thought it would be effective if people could print out flyers about testing to place in public areas. For those who take a picture with the flyer in public and tweet the picture, they would receive SWAG. A couple weeks later, Mike told me that the potential client liked my ideas! To think that they might be used to positively affect the world is an indescribable feeling.

Helping with the HIV/AIDS campaign pitch has been the highlight of my internship but I have really enjoyed learning all the different aspects of marketing. My job entails a lot of research on unfamiliar topics, but I love finding the answers and thinking of ways to apply my knowledge in the office. Unfortunately, my time with Fixation is dwindling as the end of summer approaches. I will take my amazing experience to New York University where the unknown awaits me. I feel privileged to have been a part of such a friendly and talented company. After all, how many people receive an awesome marketing internship from meeting someone on the beach? My cousin introduced me to Sharyn there this summer. So the next time you decide to doze off at the beach, I dare you to expand your network. You might be surprised—and rewarded!

The good news is that we do not have to be afraid. Trade shows, while still certainly struggling under current economic conditions, appear not to have lost their basic value as a cost efficient, significant business opportunity. In fact, according to a 2010 CEIR Survey, 76% of attendees rate face-to-face interaction with potential vendors and suppliers very or extremely important in performing their job.

Also, according to BtoBonline, 94% say it is important or very important to be able to view online content after the event has occurred.

What does this mean from a marketing perspective? It means that the recent push for online/virtual events, as well as full-scale transitions from integrated marketing (including traditional tactics) to 100% digital marketing plans are not the end-all be-all of the modern trade show marketing campaign. However, virtual events are beginning to prove their worth as a driver for the live event.

So, how do we utilize a virtual event to drive attendance to the show? The first thing to understand is that the virtual event cannot (for now) exist as a stand-alone event. It MUST come as an extension of the live event. While IAEE research shows that 40% of virtual events aim to be self-sustaining, we also know that live content is the most popular content of virtual events. So, for now at least, it is up to show producers to capture enough engaging content to make people want to attend the virtual, and eventually the real event. Show floor interviews, product demos, and education sessions all make the list of engaging (and more importantly, desired) content.

The second important factor is the overall purpose of the virtual event. Some show producers make the mistake of promoting the technologically progressive nature of the event, as opposed to its actual value to the attendee. The event should be focused on what it can do for the participant, NOT about what it is doing for the trade association.

Ultimately, the physical, face-to-face interaction achieved at trade shows remains as one of the leading drivers of attendance. The virtual event, by nature, will never achieve the tactile stimulation of a live trade show. People experience trade shows with their five senses. They are able to see, touch, and experience what they are after, allowing them to make more educated business decisions.

Eliminating a physical event and converting to a virtual one at this point seems to be, frankly, a bad idea. Converting your marketing campaign to 100% digital is not be the best plan either. And please don’t ever think email is free.

Is the trade show industry progressing? Certainly. But it can’t escape essential business interaction – face to face, solidified with a handshake and a smile.

I just finished reading Tina Fey’s (of SNL and “30 Rock” fame) quick-read called Bossypants. It seems Ms. Fey and I share the same sense of humor, so I found it laugh-out-loud funny…and prompted me to ask what else Fixation is reading this summer.

Well the Fixation Book Club sets the bar a bit higher than I did; here’s a partial list of what they’re grabbing out of a beach bag, off a coffee table, or huddled with under the dim light of a bedside lamp:

Megan Campbell is investigating the dark side of polygamy in Under the Banner of Heaven, A Story of Violent Faith, by Jon Krakauer.

John Frantz recommends Buried Prey by John Sanford. Says the senior designer: “on the surface, it’s just a pulp detective novel. But this Pulitzer-winning writer can develop characters, plots and dialogue that are off the charts.”

New mom, Elizabeth Ellen, must be feeling romantic because she keeps My Mistress’s Sparrow is Dead: Great Love Stories from Chekhov to Munro, compiled love stories edited by Jeffrey Eugenides (author of Middlesex) at her bedside.

Carly Chomer has a copy of Uncle Tom’s Cabin under her arm.

Account Manager Alexis de la Rosa warns not to read Secret Ingredients: The New Yorker Book of Food and Drink edited by David Remnick on an empty stomach. “If you love food, this an eclectic collection of essays and a fun read. The only problem is I get hungry after I read it.”

Senior Art Director Randy Guseman offered up a long list of summer reads, prompting one to wonder if he’s doing much else BUT reading. At the top of his list: Adrian Mole and the Weapons of Mass Destruction, British pulp fiction by Sue Townsend.

Finance manager Julia Westfall is reading Mind Gym, a book for athletes on how to train mentally as well as physically. “But it’s also applicable to how we live our lives in general, and learning to visualize success in order to reach your highest achievement level.”

Kim Axtell says she’s keeping it light this summer on the beach with The Kingdom and The Jungle (by Clive Cussler), Hell’s Corner (by David Balducci), The Inner Circle (by Brad Meltzer)

Military history buff Sean Brown is reading One Bullet Away (Lt. Nate Fick).

Creative Director (and beer connoisseur?) Mike Gallagher is enjoying Beer, A Genuine Collection of Cans, a photo history of 60 years of beer cans from all over the world.

Kevin Nestor is reading 127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place (Aron Ralston’s true story, made famous last year by James Franco in the Academy Award nominated film).

Leo Salazar said he saved countless reading hours by watching 127 Hours on DVD.

Oleg Burdo is relishing Driver, “about the guy who set the record for the fastest drive between LA and NY by turning his BMW into a European police cruiser.”

Sharyn Collinson says she is so busy that she’s barely managing to stay current with People and Us Weekly.

And copywriter Lori Kurtyka is reading Your 4-year-old: Wild and Wonderful (when she’s not chasing her wild and wonderful 4-year-old around the ’hood).

So tell us…what are YOU reading this summer?

An open letter to DeMaurice Smith, Kevin Mawae and all National Football League Players Association Executive Committee Members:

Dear Sirs,

At a time when every one of your association’s members is unemployed, we applaud your intense efforts to get them back to work. Add to that trade negotiations, a new CBA and getting the ’11-’12 NFL season on track, and yours is an extraordinary situation indeed – particularly for trade association leadership.

As such, we understand completely if one of the primary reasons for the NFLPA’s certification as a trade association may not be receiving the attention it deserves: organizing conferences and conventions.

As one of the thousands of associations headquartered in Washington, DC, we’re sure the NFLPA understands the value of bringing like-minded individuals together, to share ideas, explore new products and innovations, and discuss industry trends.

But did you realize properly marketed conferences can generate a high percentage of an association’s operating budget? In fact, a large number of associations find between 50% and 75% of their annual operating budgets are derived from hosting conferences and conventions.

Profitable events put less pressure on raising revenue via member dues, and while your members are out of work, a break in their dues could help alleviate any of the financial hardships the lock out may be causing.

For nearly two decades, we’ve been experts in helping some of the country’s largest and most productive trade associations generate operating revenue through successfully marketed events. In fact, we’re the region’s only agency whose primary focus is the marketing of association conferences, events and conventions.

As Creative Director at Fixation, I’d like to offer our services to you. And in these tough times, with unemployment rates still hovering around record levels, I’d like to offer you our creative services free of charge until your members are gainfully employed once again.

Top trade associations and non-profits have relied on Fixation to achieve a diverse set of objectives that include: increasing tradeshow attendance, enhancing issue awareness, promoting special programs, boosting membership, raising funds and much more.

We can help the NFLPA, too. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if we can assist your trade association in any way possible.

Sincerely,

Mike Gallagher
Creative Director
Fixation Marketing
mike@fixation.com

In the fallout that ensued when the Washington Wizards announced the redesign of the franchise’s visual identity, much braying and bally-hooing was to be found across the mediascape. Opinions abounded — fans were thrilled, some were appalled, there was ambivalence, there was confusion, but there was coverage — and it was kinda nice to see so much energy surround a “design issue.”

Not so surprisingly, there also appeared somewhere on the web a review of “worst uniform designs,” and to my horror, dismay and great consternation, there, amongst many perfectly deserving examples from the “Annals of Bad Uniform Choices” (oh, and there have been some doozies — i’m lookin’ at you, bill veeck) was the beloved “Curly W” of our very own hapless Washington Nationals professional baseball franchise. Somehow it had been construed that one of the most elegant and historic icons in sport was in fact not just fussy, but musty. Um, hellooo?

This is me taking much umbrage. Quake before the righteousness of my indignation.

Besides ruffling my feathers by bad-mouthing the home nine, what this did for me was shed just a little light on the idea of perspective and the eye of the would-be beholder, because clearly whomever put our graceful and stately logo on that god-forsaken list is no fan of the suddenly resurgent Nats, probably not a Washingtonian, a baseball fan, or evidently even one with a passing familiarity with the institution. Because if he/she was, they’d know that:

Hondo would approve.

The design resurrects/revives/revisits the look of the old Washington Senators, making a strong and direct connection not just to the local history of our nation’s pastime in the nation’s capital but to the deep roots of the game itself. Again, continuity is a beautiful thing. Countless scribes and scholars have waxed much more poetically than I, and unfortunately the old saying, “First in war, first in peace, and last in the American League” will not be soon forgotten. And while sadly, a visual connection to the Golden Era may be as close as we get for a while, a sense of historical awareness couldn’t be more appropriate for this town. Baseball has a long memory. No sport reveres its history like baseball: it’s the central tenet of its culture. “Respect the game” possesses the gravitas of “honor thy mother and thy father.”

Baseball, for all its foibles, still maintains a central sense of elan that the other major sports simply do not possess — for a sport played by big, often dumb young men it retains an inarguable sophistication where others pander — and for all the modernizing and “keeping up with the ever changing times” baseball remains somehow fundamentally unchanged. That quality is reflected in The Curly W.

and — duh — w stands for “win.”

As you may know Facebook is the world’s largest social network. Over 500 million users have joined and somehow they have all agreed to share information such as location, age, interest, and much more, without serious privacy concerns. Otherwise, they would have cancelled their accounts, right?

Facebook is taking advantage of all this data to make Facebook Ads a very powerful platform that allows for highly targeted advertising.

Facebook is often referred to as a personal network, a place where you communicate with friends and family. Many have questioned its business efficacy. However, more and more companies have joined Facebook and added Facebook Pages, Groups and Events. One can find all kinds of associations, organizations and groups. And many now are taking advantage of Facebook Ads.

The platform is very flexible, with the potential of being very powerful, and you can set your ads in a few minutes. A few things to keep in mind:

1. Creating an engaging ad is not that difficult. All you need is a graphic, title, body copy and URL
   
   
2. Choose your audience by targeting users based on their location, demographics, interest and other options. This is probably the most powerful part of Facebook Ads. You will be amazed at all the options you have to target a group of people that have joined Facebook pages and groups of competitors, media and associations that cater to your audience.
   
   
3. Create a schedule and budget for your campaign. You will be able to choose the time you want to run your ads and set a daily budget. You can also choose to pay per click (CPP) or pay per mille of views (CPM)
   
   
4. Facebook gives you access to analytics, make sure you analyze them and keep improving your ads to make them more effective

Give it a try by going to facebook.com/ads/create. Let us know if you need any help with the strategy, design or interactive efforts to add this to your marketing mix.

I am a sports guy. It’s just the way it is. In fact, in the marketing world, all too often I find myself in situations where it’s all I can do NOT to talk about sports – looking at logos all day, wondering about the latest and greatest sports team logos – but I guess not everybody is like me. However, there are those out there who do enjoy athletics as much as I do. Some even enjoy it more, but few of them enter my daily work routine. Which is why it was refreshing for me when the Washington Wizards recently revealed their new uniforms.

Really, I couldn’t care much less about the Wizards changing the way they look. If you ask me, I’d rather focus on how many wins the team gains throughout the season. However, to the credit of those involved, it did seem that the Capitals’ popularity grew after they changed their colors back to red and blue. Granted, a certain Alexander Ovechkin may have also had something to do with the popularity, but you can’t escape the fact that the Capitals were more pleasing to watch on a fundamental, eye-catching level, post color change.

So ultimately, when I saw the new Wizards uniforms, I was just glad that Ted Leonsis understood why this city would feel better about seeing their team in the right colors, but wasn’t super excited in any regard. What surprised me, was that I actually got to talk about it. Suddenly, sports commentators, casual fans, fashionistas, and marketing professionals alike all had something to say. For once, they entered my world (weird as it may be). Whether it was a comment on the multiple disorganized-but-still-intriguing small logos the Wizards have developed as a part of the new uniforms. Or if it was an overall statement from someone older than me on how they enjoy reminiscing about the days when Washington actually was a force to be reckoned with in the professional sports realm. Either way I was just excited to have the conversation.

In one quick turn of events, radio personalities became graphic designers. Graphic designers became sports talk-show hosts. Casual fans turned into... nope, they’re still bandwagoners. And I just sat in the middle, enjoying a special moment when I didn’t feel like a total nerd for spending my morning commute debating in my head whether or not I like the Redskins logo and colors.

When you stop and think about the amount of time and money this country invests in professional sports, it only makes sense that the marketing world would notice the change in style the Wizards have adopted. But at least I got to talk about it, meshing together my professional and casual life in a way that I always hoped could happen, but never really knew would.

Check out the Leonsis blog to hear from an owner who actually understands this city: www.tedstake.com.