Brand Central Station

Imagine hanging up on your girlfriend and not having her mind … or her body, for that matter, ’cause she lives in your phone. Seriously.

Frankly, I just like the idea you could have a girlfriend who only costs you $6 a month. Now, when will they make a virtual wife?

Thanks to B.L. Ochman for this.

B.L. Ochman’s weblog – Internet strategy, marketing, public relations, politics with news and commentary: Artificial Life’s Virtual Girlfriend Will Be, umm, Available Soon on 3G Phones

Here’s an interesting bit from AdRants on the Truth Campaign. The nerly $60 million spent to-date has had some effect. Research indicates the campaign has helped keep 300,000 kids from starting the nasty, cancer stick habit.

At $2,000 per kid, it’s cheap at twice the price.

‘Truth’ Campaign Said to Stop 300,000 From Smoking, Campaign Funds in Jeopardy

The numbers are in and they look good for online retailers – up 22% over the same period in 2003.

Wow.

Online shoppers jam virtual aisles

I know Dan Seidman, the guru behind the most hysterically funny sales consultancy in America. He’s friendly, smart and insightful.

Glad to see he’s getting a little love from Fast Company. Check out this article and Dan’s site when you have a chance.

Fast Company: Comic Commercialism

Well, maybe not me. Here’s a piece from The Guardian on how bloggers make money.

Can corruption be far behind?

Posting for profit

A fascinating read and worthy of continued discussion. Could this be the start of ethical guidelines for “rabid attack bloggers”? And, if so, what will “legit” journalists in the main stream media think?

Who cares?

From the USC Annenberg Online Journalism Review: Influence peddling in the blogosphere

My thanks to the Marketing Diva (Toby Bloomberg) for the most cogent review of what the hell a podcast is.

Thanks Toby!

Be A Star – Podcast!

Although I’ve never been very fond of this approach to measuring the effectiveness of your marketing campaign, it is vitally important clients create some form of feedback loop to help them determine what’s working and what isn’t.

For those with small, retail clients – this might provide a great opportunity for a sales call.

Market Measurement with Six Simple Words

Here’s a great post from the Crossroads Dispatches blog on how one’s personal outlook on life effects the way they create marketing messages.

An thought provoker and good one to use at a “Brownbag University” for those of you who do that sort of thing.

My Marketing Philosophy In Three Words – Or Less

One thing I’ve found about advertising and PR people is they’re always willing to give of their time and they’re always in demand to work for free.

Pro bono work may be a gift that keeps on giving … maybe we should catch up on how the gift giving business is changing? Here’s a great summary from The Artful Manager, complete with a link to the full report on the Future of Philanthropy.

The Artful Manager: The Future of Philanthropy

Just because I know how PR and ad people are so focused on deadlines and the timesheet … this seemed so appropriate.

Do You Know What Your Deadline Is?

If you’re like me, you probably used to roll your eyes during history class when the teacher would talk about George Washington being the “Father of our country.” It sounded like such nonsense.

But yesterday (Monday) was President’s Day – a lame, lazy-history holiday that somehow combines Washington and Lincoln’s birthdays into one day and then mixes in an allusion to the other forty or so “other guys” in the what must be the world’s most exclusive fraternity (at least for now).

Today (February 22nd), though, is Washington’s birthday. His 273rd to be exact. And I’m concerned that the further away we get from Washington’s time on this planet, the less we understand (or appreciate) what he meant to this country and how much we are, in fact, his beneficiaries.

Quite a bit of what we consider to be idyllic in American culture is drawn from Washington’s character – or, at the very least, from the reputation of his character. A good bit of what sets us apart from the rest of the world can be traced back to this amazing man as well.

Take your time to get to know George Washington as a man and you find a person who was very concerned with creating a stoic image of fairness and civility. He was firm and focused. What compassion he felt for the weak and helpless was tempered with an iron will and determination to achieve. For many in Colonial America, General Washington represented the determined and honorable American soldier, faithful and steady in the face of undeserved British criticism; bold and heroic when it came to battle.

For those who studied Washington’s careful management of his resources, time and political equity, a much more complex (but no less amazing) portrait emerges. This man was wiley in war, losing more battles than he won but winning the war in the end. He knew how to position himself carefully and almost always in the center on divisive issues.

George Washington embodied consensus – sometimes to the frustration of his more devout acolytes and rabid political enemies. But it was that sense of what was “in the middle” balanced with a desire to find the just remedy that made Washington the only man who could hold together the Constitutional Convention and the only man who could serve as the first President of the new republic.

There are a few aspects of Washington’s life that I think are distinctly American and, up until Washington did them, had never been accomplished:

1. Washington sensed a need for military leadership in the early days of the American Revolution. Although he had been elected as a representative from Virginia, he showed up for the Continental Congress dressed in a splendid uniform – even though there was no Continental Army at the time! Washington had designed his own uniform and wore it to show he was ready (or at least looked ready) to lead an army against the British should one be required.

2. At the end of the American Revolution, Washington could have seized control of the government and ruled as king or emperor. In fact, there were calls to have Washington crowned as king of America. Instead, Washington resigned his commission as a soldier (in fact, he was “Commander In Chief”) and went back to Virginia to farm.

3. Following his unanimous election and unanimous re-election, Washington ended his career as President of the United States with his second term. His unwillingness to serve a third term set a precedent for the peaceful transition of power from one chief executive to another – an American tradition that has been reproduced in countries around the world but started here first.

4. Upon his death, a full 65 years before the Emancipation Proclamation, Washington freed his slaves and provided for their well being. Had America continued on the path originally set by Washington, Franklin, Adams, Jefferson and other Founding Fathers, slavery might have been addressed in a more peaceful way with a resolution much less bloody than the Civil War that tore at the heart of the United States in the mid-1800′s.

These were bold, creative moves taken by a man who put his country and his countrymen first – literally sacrificing everything he had for his country and letting ultimate personal power pass him by for the long-term well-being of his countrymen.

Thank you, George Washington. We’re all indebted to you.

And, happy birthday, Dad.

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