Tele•Comm•esis

The 2010 Winter Olympics from a Creative’s Perspective ⋅ by travis

The 21st Winter Olympics are in full swing by now with all of the drama and spectacle we’ve come to expect! In the past few days I have come across numerous fascinating articles among the myriad coverage of these games. First I’ll give you some of my thoughts on why the Olympics are fascinating to me, and then I’ll share some of those links with you that I found particularly engaging.

First of all, the major sponsors of the games are garnering plenty of high-profile marketing opportunities and gaining the usual amount of exposure. This alone is usually enough to keep me interested since it’s always a great opportunity for marrying your product to a compelling story. However, this year there is something new to be observed in the marketing efforts and in the media coverage of the Olympics, a different current running through the games. This year, social media is making a profound impact on how results, stories, and news is being relayed, as well as audience participation, marketing messaging, and the overall conversation.

In addition to that particular reason for interest, there’s also the design elements of any Olympic games that makes it particularly interesting to me as a creative person. The Olympics bring together talent from all over the world and seem to always exhibit some unique and inspiring designs in the architecture, marketing, uniforms, and numerous other elements.

I’ve gathered a few of the more insightful articles from the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and the Harvard Business Review just to give you a sampling of the impact that social media could have on this global event.

WSJ: NBC Rallies for the Count: Network Uses the Olympics to Test Measures of New Media

HBR: Welcome to Vancouver, the World’s Largest Social Media Experiment

NYT: Facebook and Twitter Compete for Olympic Glory

Mashable: The New York Times and Foursquare Partner for the Olympics

Twitter: Verified Olympians List

Mahalo: 2010 Olympics Schedule

Lastly, here are some great articles that focus on the design elements of the Olympics, both current and historic: FastCompany: Designing The Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics

FastCompany: What Will Vancouver Look Like When the Winter Games Are Gone?

Winter Olympic Games Posters from 1924 – 2010

Enjoy, and GO TEAM USA!

Off to the races… or the story of January 2010 ⋅ by travis

What a whirlwind month January 2010 has turned out to be! We were stoked about 2010 before it even started, but after January’s growth we are really truly excited here at PECULIAR.  It’s our privilege to announce three new PECULIAR clients that signed in January, 2010.  We see this news as a sign of growth in a time when many businesses are struggling, and we are truly thankful for these new opportunities. We will serve as agency of record for both Complete Commercial Solutions and LESCO Restorations.  We have also signed with The Children’s Museum of the Upstate for several projects.

Here’s what our CEO/Idea Guy Tim Pecoraro has to say: “We’re so proud to sign with difference-making companies, because that’s also how we view our firm. I believe our relationship with each of these clients is going to be one that lasts a very long time.”

So here’s a quick rundown on our new client relationships:

Complete Commercial Solutions (CCS) is one of the upstate’s fastest growing facility services corporations, focusing on the janitorial, maintenance and landscaping needs of building managers and owners.  As agency of record for CCS, we will provide a full creative mix, including strategy, marketing, interactive and design services.

LESCO Restorations is a leader in outsourced facility maintenance, serving clients in 16 states. With 35 years experience in waterproofing and restoration, they are a diverse facilities company.  PECULIAR’s partnership with LESCO is a continuation of an on-going relationship that has grown to their new role as agency of record.

The Children’s Museum of The Upstate is one of the largest children’s museums in the United States, with three floors measuring 79,000 square feet. We are partnering with The Children’s Museum to develop a new website and to provide creative services for their annual Chocolate Soiree fundraiser.

Stay tuned to our blogs for more information and announcements as we continue to grow in 2010. This year is off to a great start and we’re so proud of our team!

Remember, you can also connect with us online:

Twitter: @we_are_peculiar

Facebook: PeculiarInc

Die Internet Explorer Die ⋅ by aarika

Wow!  Today I had a real eye-opening experience with the difficulties web developers face on a regular basis with Internet Explorer browsers. As a layman, please bear with my analysis of the situation…

Unlike other browsers, Internet Explorer versions are built to varying standards. So, instead of building on current versions and making new versions compatible with what already exists, Internet Explorers are created in a whole new direction – perhaps improving but ultimately dooming the elder versions of the browser.

I watched today as our web developer changed code and saw the difference simultaneously in each IE we were testing. IE 6, 7 and 8 all read the code differently, and the change we made was only to FONT SIZE! This allowed me to see for myself what all development-wise has to go into creating a site to actually perform and look decent in all versions of IE currently in use. To get the ideal results, you’d have to develop separate code (kinda like separate sites) for each one. Talk about tripling efforts.

The kicker… Firefox, Safari and others don’t have these issues. These browsers are configured to up-to-date web standards at all times, even in older versions, making the developer’s job much easier. Ultimately, users have a better experience, too, having more capabilities and none of the faulty text, sizing, forms, image, and banner issues (just a few we’ve run into ).

That said, come one come all technology-challenged and get on board with some browsers that are worth a damn.

Get your Mozilla Firefox browser here

Get your Apple Safari browser here

Super Bowl Commercials ⋅ by michelle

I have and always will be a football fan.  I have grown up watching and learning about the game, following, cheering and never abandoning the team I love.  Televisions across America will be showing the Super Bowl on February 7, whether at a party with friends, the relaxation of home or a bar enjoying the show, people will be watching.  Although the game is the main event, from a marketing perspective I enjoy watching the commercials.  There are those that are funny, some are considered controversial, and others informative.  No matter what category they are placed in, these spots are reaching obscene amounts of people in one day.  Check out this link for a run down of what companies will be showing commercials during the 2010 Super Bowl.

http://www.superbowl-commercials.org/466.html

Glory, Glory! ⋅ by aarika

In my line of work, some projects can be so massive and time-consuming that after completion you just want to burn all the drafts and do a ferocious dance around the fire… celebrating the end in a “mad scientist” fashion.

One such project that incited these feelings was the billboards we created for Miracle Hill Ministries.  We had a long conceptual process, a long revision process and a short time frame once we actually gained some ground.

When the billboards first went up, I was ecstatic.  All the frustration I felt flew out the window as my car whipped by my favorite board over the Church Street bridge.  I was telling everybody… I mean, other clients, my neighbors, delivery guys… EVERYBODY!  I was so proud.

Now, our company is entering the American Advertising Federation (AAF) ADDY Awards competition for the first time, and MY BILLBOARD is an entry for one of the campaigns.  Once again, I am ecstatic.  Just having our work displayed so prominently and receiving such amazing feedback was validation enough, but winning an award would truly signify that all the hard work really paid off.  Wow!

Dreamers! All. Together. Now. ⋅ by travis

Tonight is the kickoff for MLK Dream Weekend here in Greenville, SC. We have had the honor of working with this great organization throughout the past year on all of the marketing and communications initiatives that make this event come together. This year marks the 5th anniversary of MLK Dream Weekend as an organization here in the Upstate honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

MLK Dream Weekend is about community, about coming together, and about dreams. I think all of us here at PECULIAR are thankful for the opportunity to work on this event and have enjoyed what it taught us about ourselves and our community. Not only that, but we are quite proud of the great work we’ve done for them. So here are a few pieces that showcase our projects for 2010 MLK Dream Weekend:

MLK Dream Weekend Street Banners

MLK Dream Weekend Website

MLK Dream Weekend Ad for REJOICE Magazine

It’s a Consumers’ World ⋅ by aarika

Best part of my day… arriving home from work to find the athletic shoes I ordered from Finish Line sitting on my stoop.  I opened the box with glee and plan to go to the gym tonight to break them in.  I started to think, “This is why I’m in marketing.”  Because people like to shop.  People like to buy.  And people like to enjoy their purchases.  It’s a consumers’ world!

It’s not a reset – it’s POTENTIAL ⋅ by travis

It’s the last week of the year, actually make that the last week of the decade, and the vibe with most folks seems to be RELIEF that 2009 is almost behind us. Typically, this is a time of reflection and strategy, making lists and plans, and deciding what you’ll do differently this year as compared to last year.

“The New Year is not a reset button! It’s the yearly opportunity to understand, release and maximize your potential.”  These were the words that Tim Pecoraro, our fearless leader and Idea Guy chose to motivate with this morning.

That statement gets to the core of what this week is about. POTENTIAL!

The retrospectives that have been written in the past few weeks attempt to sort out the best and worst of 2009 (and the decade). Rather than figure out how to make 2010 a more stable version of the status quo, let’s take up the challenge to find the opportunities in the changing climate and push toward something great.

Let’s make 2010 whatever we want it to be!

The New Year is one of limitless possibilities – it’s what you choose to make of it. So for at least this week, 2010 is still on the cusp of your imagination, waiting for you to give it shape. What will you do with that potential?

What’s your creed? ⋅ by travis

(please see author's note)

I will read almost anything if it grabs my attention, so when I recently wandered across the Navy SEALs’ Creed, I was intrigued to get some perspective into what these warriors consider their core statement of belief and value.  It was every bit as inspiring as I had anticipated and full of the tradition, honor, and pride that befits the character of such a group. So why mention it here, aside from the fact that it’s interesting reading if you’ve never encountered it?

One paragraph in particular stuck out to me as particularly applicable outside of the warrior-context, in fact, downright inspired for any business looking for an edge in this economy:

“We demand discipline. We expect innovation. The lives of my teammates and the success of our mission depend on me – my technical skill, tactical proficiency, and attention to detail. My training is never complete.”

These are ideals that any organization could live up to, and standards that any group could use as a guide.

We demand discipline. – The language here leaves little doubt about the life of a SEAL: there’s no option other than to be disciplined.  Discipline is something that gives an organization or company an edge! In this economy, a lack of discipline might look a lot like sloppy, inefficient processes…

We expect innovation. – This should be a central operating principle for any company right now.  Those companies and organizations who innovate are the ones who stay relevant right now.

…technical skill, tactical proficiency, and attention to detail. - When it comes time to sort out the pro’s and the wanna-be’s, these are the crucial factors that enable someone to deliver on their promises. This could be a go-to short list of how to judge performance and spot weaknesses.

My training is never complete. – Even when you’ve “arrived” you’re still not done training (learning).  Even if you’re the best of the best, remember that some of the most elite warriors in the world are willing to admit they’ve still got room to grow, learn, and improve.

Their very lives and those of their team literally depend on their training, so these standards are common sense for them.  Maybe our stakes aren’t our lives…but maybe they’re our livelihoods right now?  Take nothing for granted in your pursuit of excellence.  Settle for nothing less than perfection as your standard.

Author’s Note: I can’t write this post without saying a humble thank you to the brave men and women of the United States Navy SEALs who have been willing to aspire to this creed as their life’s work.

Productive and Meeting in the same sentence ⋅ by aarika

Three o’clock rolls around, and we’re in a brainstorm about MLK Dream Weekend.  We’re talking concepts and looks and tag lines… you name it.  We’re jumping around with topics and finding our groove.  Suddenly, someone asks the question you don’t ask, the question that no one knows the answer to, the one that brings chaos.

At first, it’s heated.  Emotions run high, and some tempers flare.  Just when the purpose seems lost in the mix, something miraculous happens – clarification.  Instead of the “blame game,” we play the “get to the bottom of this game.”  We talk about how we got to where we are (with such an important question left unasked and unanswered), and we talk about how to move forward.

Before we know it, we’re all nodding in agreement.  Alas, we’re on the same page.  We get to walk away with insight, and the team and the project will prove to be better because of this productive meeting.

Sometimes to get things accomplished we all need a little prodding, a little friction and, especially, open communication.  Ahh… Brainstorming at its best!