I was just alerted to Clay’s latest post via Twitter. He sets expectations upfront that it’s introspective, focused on the job of a strategist in the world of communications, and a bit long. I will do the same. This is my initial reaction, also focused on the role of an account planner (another term for strategist), and I have no idea how long it’s going to be.

As I started reading, I found his honesty refreshing and many of themes he touches on relatable—at least to another 27-year-old in the advertising industry. Though I’d imagine much of what he’s offered will be less than foreign to older strategists and anyone looking for professional satisfaction. Anyway, somewhere around his third paragraph, I realized I was going to comment—most likely, “good stuff, brother.” But then when he started tackling his second question—Can strategy be fulfilling?—I started taking notes. (Yes, buddy freehand first – just like your pops taught you.)

I was compelled to write…

You may be surprised (if you haven’t been already) how many people don’t know what to do next, what to do now. Yes, that goes for job searching. However, I’m going talk about marketers. They just aren’t sure what to do for their “brand.” (This is the last time I use the “b” word in this post.) They don’t know what to do say about their companies, its products and/or services. They don’t know how they should be saying it or where. Often, they don’t have know who they should be talking with. A few steps back, they don’t have a clear sense why they want to “communicate” in the first place.

We are problem solvers. And sometimes the most important work we do is helping people (our clients) define the real problem they want to address.

We are storytellers with discipline. And though we don’t create the ads, we can blend strategy and creativity in weaving together a story that’s rooted in a deep understanding of people (our client’s current and/or potential customers) and how we can actually offer value to them.

We, as Denzil Meyers put it, help people find the best way to move forward.

Without us there would be less differentiation, interestingness, and effectiveness. There would probably be less respect for the people many of our clients and co-workers still call “consumers” as if they are waiting around ready to hear about the company’s latest and greatest. Even if now they’re not only sitting on their couches in front of a TV but also at their desks in front of computers, online.

They still need someone to explain the social aspect of communications. Because many have only been broadcasting out for their entire lives as marketers. That worked. It’s all they had to do. They understand the two-way nature of conversations in theory but not necessarily how to practice it. With regards to the respect you brought up and I just mentioned, they are respectful individuals but don’t always practice respectful communications. This respect has to manifest itself online as well as in communications meant for traditional media.

Take the recent Motrin headache. (Yeah, I know hundredth person to go there.) Do you think it matters that it was an online video rather than a TV commercial? Hells no. It’s a piece of communications that showed a lack of understanding of the people they wanted to talk to—moms. To be fair, it’s possible they we’re looking to talk with, or engage, these moms in dialogue. But I’m quite sure this is not the “we get you” takeaway they were hoping for. In short, some moms found the ad to be disrespectful. Yet now they have a community that’s bigger than their yoga class, brunch group, or (insert modern mommy stereotype here), more easily connected, and has a stage to respond. (They weren’t going to buy a TV spot in the past and a strongly worded letter probably would not have made the splash a group of bloggers and Tweeters and YouTubers did.)

Marketers need to understand the expectations of their companies, not just for speed of apology. I feel like it’s more important than ever that they have someone helping them dig down to their essence, truly get to know the people they want to sell to and support, find their voice, and keep them honest while not losing their specialness in communicating with others.

As strategists/planners, this is our job. And while I don’t find it fulfilling every day, on the whole, it’s pretty damn sweet.

Ironically (?) not having written anything on planning in a while has had me feeling less fulfilled. So thank you for putting something out there that made me think and type out more than a half-assed comment.

Also, just so you know, I already consider you a “thinker-doer.” In fact, I have that as a label in G-Mail for convos I have with you, Mike (who you shout-out), Noah, Eric, Chet, Johanna, Amit, Kevin, Leland, Adrian, Paul, and a few others. No joke. I agree I will only be adding more planners and ex-planners to that folder.

And one more thing…Brands! Ah, that felt good.

We are allowed to interpret the theme as we see fit, which could have been a bit of a daunting task. However, I was excited that a thought immediately popped into mind about what I should write. Last night while watching CNN election coverage (which is pretty standard these evenings), I noticed a promotion to Vote for the CNN Hero of 2008. It gave a quick look at a few of the nominees, one of whom caught my full attention.

It was Anne Malhum, the founder of Back on My Feet–”a non-profit organization that promotes self-sufficiency of Philadelphia’s homeless population by engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem.” (I’m sure great care was taken in crafting that mission statement, so wanted to use her words.) Anne would pass a homeless shelter every morning on her daily run, and one day an idea stopped her in her tracks. What started as one small running club has become so much more (at 5 shelters in just 15 months) without losing its core principles of discipline (that running can show you what your capable of) and community (that life’s a lot easier when you don’t go at it alone). She doesn’t provide food or shelter, rather shoes, structure and support to the homeless. And she provides inspiration for all of us.

What a great coincidence that I saw this last night. Read more about her great story here.

Hi to those who are visiting from my “Bye Bye Blogspot” post. Hi to those coming from their RSS reader. Hi to those unsure how they got here. Hi Mom.

Thanks to Eric for helping me make this transition. I’m going to be making some changes over the next couple of weeks, including tagging and categorizing previous posts (which I failed to do back at the old spot). Please bear with me (especially subscribers if old posts refresh). I hope you enjoy the site’s design and content.

[photo via flickr's oskay]

So what did I do when I got here? Nothing at first, except absorb and understand the culture of this office. I identified a couple of opportunities to better our internal collaboration and our external brand. I set objectives, I drew on past experiences, and I started experimenting with solutions. Along the way, I certainly faced some challenges…and I know I’d be a fool to believe it’s smooth sailing from here.

So what am I actually talking about? The creation of Wieden+Kennedy New York’s blog.

I guess the idea was considered way back when I was a prospective employee, working out at Fallon Minneapolis and ready to move back to my home, NYC. The agencies on my radar were the ones people were talking about. They were the ones getting written up. They were part of the conversation, and thus, my consideration set. Wieden was always a favorite agency…too bad they were in Portland.

Yet it wasn’t until shortly after I arrived that John Jay came through our office on his “we’re AdWeek’s Global Agency of the Year” tour that I totally believed in the importance of developing our office’s unique culture and voice. The benefits that could be gained from sharing within our walls, across our network, within the industry and international creative community far outweighed the risks. I really believe this. And I have already seen how much more involved people become once someone takes the very little time to teach them (about the platform or a post).

So, I got people smarter than me to help create it. I enlisted people more interesting than me to populate it with content.

Now doesn’t come the statement, “This is not an agency blog!” Of course, it is. Are we going to be different that some of the others? I sure hope so. And that’s not a comment on agency blogs stinking – there are some fantastic ones that serve as inspiration to me at the very least. We obviously hope to be different because there’s no need for the same content to be regurgitated.

On a related note, while it is an agency blog, it is not a planning blog. Nothing against them. I still read a bunch and enjoy each! But as of now, I’m the only person with that title with a login. We have a design, media director, copywriter, cultural curator (yes, sick title), search director and project manager all set up with logins (though not all have posted). And yes, past experience has shown the heavy lifting will likely be done by me and a couple of others.

So what do we hope to bring to the blogosphere? A window into the world of Wieden+Kennedy New York and New York culture through the lens of our people. So you won’t get someone like me who’s still listening to FutureSex/LoveSounds hollering about the underground music scene. You’ll get a music-junkie. You won’t have me and my Johnston & Murphy zip-up boots poppin’ off about the latest kicks. You’ll get a sneaker-head. And so on. Plus, you’ll get way less alliteration and rhyming!)

This blog is supposed to interesting. It is supposed to be fun. It is only supposed to be self-serving in that we benefit the same way that any blogger does – from engaging in the conversation, learning by doing and learning from others. Hopefully you’ll find it entertaining and every once in a while inspiring. As you’ll see from the archives, we’ve been working on being interesting and honing our collective voice since February – and we’re still a work in progress. (Yes, always in beta – but I’m sick of that phrase.)

So that’s all for now. Come visit and say hi. But don’t leave me…I couldn’t bear it.

Quick shout-out to the Real World Hollywood crew for becoming friends even without being polite…and in the process putting on quite a show. (Yes, all 9 of you.) Half shout-out to Jesse (or as I like to call him, Travis from Clueless), who was able to make friends and win DeAnna’s hand in marriage on this season of The Bachelorette. Zero shout-out to Kristy for making friends but then deciding she didn’t like winning Tila’s heart.

That was therapeutic. Please be my friend.

To the point. In the now half-year I’ve been working at W+K NY, I’ve met some amazing people (cue violins) and some of those people have blogs. Sure, amazing people does not always mean amazing blogs, but these two are top-notch on and off line. Thus, I’d highly recommend anyone interested in the Internet/Digital Life/Social Media check out:

The Gist of March: Greg March is media guru here with an uncommon understanding of the digital space. I use “uncommon” purposefully as he recently offered some insight into McCain and Obama’s friend situations on Facebook and Myspace. One of my favorite posts of his has to be What Wu-Tang Taught Me About Social Marketing.

Geeky is a way of life: Melissa Sconyers is a search guru here and digital native, passionate and expert. I, of course, have to give her some love for her term-coining abilities based on her Befoogled post (Befoogled = “Not having time to Google somebody before you meet them in real life.”) I was hooked from the first post that I ever read of hers about the work-life balance giving way to the work-life blend (cite: Adrian Ho).

So they’re both worth reading and meeting.

P.S. I am now realizing there’s very little chance that “Wieden” is a double entendre given it’s not a verb in the English dictionary. Racecar. That’s better. Palindromes usually do the trick.

P.P.S. Given I hit up the Tumblr party last night I thought I’d also give a shout-out to three things friends put me onto this morning. I “reblogged” cool things from Chet, Katie and Amit this morning.

Speaking of stream of consciousness typing (or as the kids say, “straight off the dome”), I thought I’d hit you all with a solid piece of advice on blogging from Seth Godin that I copy/pasted back in the day:

Don’t let the words get in the way. If you’re writing online, forget everything you were tortured by in high school English class. You’re not trying to win any awards or get an A. You’re just trying to be real, to make a point, to write something worth reading.

So just say it.

In addition to prompting me to recite a line from Clueless (yes, again) and then an entire Chappelle’s Show skit, it made me want to profess the following:

I write crappy titles for my blog posts.
I rely way to heavily on my weekly features—”Inbox of Immaturity” and “Do Day”—to supply titles.
I am way to literal when I actually do have to write a title.

Ah, that felt good. Honestly though, it is something that has come up a few times lately—for example, when seeing titles like this that really pique my interest. It’s basically a cardinal rule for increasing blog traffic. But more importantly, as someone who prides himself on being creative (and loving those sassy one-liners and Sex in the City-esque puns – who’s getting excited for May 30th!!! ;)), there’s no excuse not to put in the extra few minutes to come up with a relevant and captivating title.

So this is me keeping it real and calling myself out on a Thursday. In addition to thinking more about my post titles, I’ll be going back and labeling my old posts so as to free myself even on Wednesdays and Fridays when you’ll be getting inspiration for doing and distractions for not doing, respectively.

F that, I don’t like people playing on my phone.

Greetings, Kind Sirs,

Have you ever blacked out on Irish Car Bombs? Been thrown out of a bar before the sun went down? Watched yourself get visibly fatter while taking down two Double Quarter Pounders at McDonald’s? Gotten scolded by a stewardess for being an intoxicated loudmouth? Indulged too heavily on a soiree’s delicious finger food and subsequently nuked the bathroom? Tried to drunkenly save face with a girl that rejected you by saying, “I don’t need any new friends?” Been too drunk and too broke to pay for your cab? Argued with your bank because surely they have your balance wrong? Spent the morning watching after-school HIV prevention films at a free AIDS clinic? Had your girlfriend’s niece ask you why your stomach is so much bigger than everyone else’s at a family function? Have you ever recounted one or all of these stories in lurid detail to your buddies over Instant Messenger?

If you answered “yes” or better yet “indeed,” then, you, sir, are a gentleman, and we, the dastardly webmasters at TheFoggyMonocle would like to salute you.

Interview with one of the founders (the one on your right) to come soon…now.

3:18 PM me: could i email you 3-5 questions about it
interview style – and i’ll post the answers
3:19 PM James: yeah totally
or we could do it as an IM interview to fit in with the theme
3:20 PM me: nice idea…how did you decide to create this site?
James: we always talked about having a blog together and the gentleman joke is recurring for us whenever we behave badly and i had a backlog of all these funny IMs/Emails recounting bad behavior
so i figured my friends would too
i hope it catches on
3:22 PM me: how did you decide to call it “the foggy monocle”?
3:24 PM James: All gentleman require a monocle — it’s old-timey and it also aids your eagle eye in spotting various opportunities. After a long night out full of much drinking and carrying on it often gets foggy, and so you IM and your email your buddies to get the full story on what went down the previous evening and hence de-fog (is that word?) your monocle.
3:26 PM me: if it’s not it can be soon. what must a gentleman never do?
and the converse, from what must he never abstain?
3:29 PM James: A gentleman never second guesses his decisions. He lives in the moment and goes head in to any situation, no matter how big of a dumbass he’ll inevitably make of himself or how much he’ll hurt in the morning.
3:32 PM me: where is the best place to get a monocle?
3:33 PM James: The monocle store. But be warned, lines are often long, so if you have an engagement planned with a lady, you might want to stop by well in advance so as not to arrive tardy.
3:36 PM me: ha. i had no idea how you’d respond. good stuff. and one final question: any night-spot recommendations for the monocle-wearing gentleman in nyc?
3:38 PM James: discussing with Dane
3:44 PM Erik: A gentleman will adapt to his surroundings and become comfortable wherever he is, given that there is appropriate amounts of liquor and women on the premises. Be it a club or a dive bar. Occasionally though, the best company is found in the later. But the most important part of the equation is the liquor. A true gentleman must first have half a dozen shooters before talking to a lady.

The end. Now go visit.

Last night I hit up the pre-PSFK-conference drinks thought-up by Noah and Faris. I got to meet F-bomb for the first time (which was a treat), shoot the shit with Jason (which was a treat), chill with some other acquainfriences (I know I’m off my term-coining game) living here, and meet a handful of others. And lots of those introductions and friendships were made and over the past year and a half or so have been developed because of this site right here.

So it’s fair to say, last night I got a reminder that this blog is still a great catalyst for meaningful interactions. For me, the snippets of interestingness may happen over on Tumblr (for now), but the most interesting conversations are still happening in person and good, old-fashion blogging still works wonders for making those connections. Maybe it’s that the blog (unlike Tumblr) allows comments—even if not used, it says I’m open to hearing what you think. Or maybe it’s that bloggers share a mutual respect for the process (the ups and downs, freedom and captivity) that we all go through when writing a post, deciding to post…even deciding to keep posting somewhat regularly. I, for one, don’t necessarily apply “are you just creating more noise?” filter to my Tumbles (or Tweets) like I do here. (Sure, that’s debatable.) And though it may sound weird, I like that this platform is not as easy as it could be and not as conducive to my on-the-move lifestyle. That becomes the proof that I’m committed to it.

Wow, that last part felt like I was on a “Does Blogging Matter?” panel. Jealous that-I’m-not-over-at-the-conference much! Let’s go New York.

Probably the first thing I learned was that it was “unrealistic” to use “dreams” as a strict theme for this blog. (Here is my first post. Note my first 4 had that word in the title.) More importantly, I realized I didn’t really want to limit myself that early. At the beginning, I was using this blog as an experiment, as a way to better understand the space (sphere). Learning is still the primary goal but it has now taken different forms, which I’ll touch on later in this post.

The second (in time and second biggest) thing I learned was regardless of theme, it is hard to sustain momentum in posting. At three months I briefly joined the 45% of people that give up on their blog after the initial honeymoon period. See. I think it’s safe to say I burned myself out; I had 27 posts in my first month. That was cut in half in the second month, and by month three I was down to 1 post. April was a complete drought, and then I picked back up in May and June (even changed the color of the site) only to stop blogging for about eight months until March of 2007. (So I guess this post should really be titled, “Having a Blog for Two Years.”) Anyway, since then I’ve been pretty consistent on a month-to-month basis.

I got my start contributing to the blogosphere at Fallon’s Planning Blog. Specifically, I found my niche in that team was presenting links to the videos, articles, and sites that were being passed around my young “professional” group of friends. The Inbox of Immaturity was meant to give people a quick look into the taste level of twenty-something guys and if not that deep, a quick break from work and the heady posts of others in the plannersphere. Posting almost weekly for the IOI helped me get into a rhythm and develop my voice.

It also inspired the renaming of my blog. No, it wasn’t always called El Gaffney. Likely only my parents and a few friends remember the days of Salvador Walleye. My Vonnegut obsession at the time, and the fact that I lived in Minnesota led me there. Man, did I think I was clever! (The renaming post should clarify.)

At this point, I must thank Aki (AKI SYSTEMS 2600) for starting that blog and opening up this world to me as well as being my most helpful teacher of everything Web 2.0. I also must thank Michael for deciding to interview me back then and showing me the potential of blogging for sharing ideas and making friendships.

Honestly when I look back over these couple of years, those have been the two greatest roles my blog has played:

1. A gateway to (trying) new technologies (for ex: twitter, del.icio.us, slideshare)
2. A gateway to (making) new friends (for ex: clay, whom I met in person last week – and confirmed is just as awesome as expected)

I had no idea what a catalyst this blog would become. Blogging has helped me stay interested (and perhaps become more interesting) and get involved in the conversations happening in the advertising industry mostly. And I am proud to have inspired other friends to create blogs.

What excited me most is I realize that I’ve only scratched the surface of what this blog can be and do. I look forward to more experimentation, learning, entertainment, inspiration (both being inspired and hopefully inspiring), and action. So it goes…with a plethora of pinatas!

(Picture from B-Mel on Flickr)

Thankfully I know what I won’t have to do and that is answer any calls from the office asking where I am!

ADDENDUM: Here’s the Google homepage image on MLK Jr. Day 2008.

My favorite happened to come from John Dodds, another planner I have been inspired by. It was: “The Unwell – people going online, erroneously diagnosing themselves with worst case scenarios on the basis of symptoms and no knowledge.” So true. I submitted three and was talking with a few friends on Saturday night about them, and we all seemed to have a different opinion about which we liked most/least. It got a little heated with the Sake bombs flowing, so I thought I’d put it up to vote. (Plus, I like using Vizu polls as some of you know from the Flu Shot one I created – which probably supports The Unwell.)

Here are the descriptions:
Playground Papa’s – think the prom king from little children (movie) or joe from brothers and sisters (tv). Men who embrace being the primary caretaker and man of the house-hold chores but also make sure they stay manly. (This does not require any infidelity though the ex’s suggest it.) Also known as the triple P’s (add Progressive) and/or Soccer Dads.

Diversuburbanites – You won’t find diversity in major cities anymore, you’ll have to go out to the surrounding suburbs. And that’s what many recent grads and young families are going to do to have a more rich and multi-cultural life.

Thru-breds – People who grew up IMing, texting, blogging, etc. but now fail to use proper grammatical English in the traditional world. This slang/shorthand is not just used in emails but also infiltrates presentations, legal documents, and love letters.

I don’t know how much crossover there is between our blogs. But I’m assuming that only a handful of people that come here daily also read him regularly. Even if he’s got me totally covered, you may have not read his contest in time or you may not have had the time to consider or you may have felt you had to say something intelligent in his comment box. Rest assured—and I’m sure most of you know—you don’t have to feel that sort of pressure here. (I’m a couple days away from posting my next Inbox of Immaturity, which amongst other things will have an officer’s awkward pat down of a suspicious character on the street.)

So, if you have some microtrends to add to the mix, I’d love to hear them.

25. Don’t eat Chilean Sea Bass. Here’s a list of the best and worst fish to eat for the environment (and your health).
24. Use coasters made of sandstone, and other absorbent materials so you don’t have to wipe down tables. You’ll save lots of paper.
23. Go to the local farmers’ market. The produce is better and they don’t use fertilizers or pesticides which suck up more than 30% of the energy used to make food.
22. Move to Eugene, Oregon. Hydroelectric and wind power contribute over 85% of Eugene’s power, the city has biodiesel and hybrid fleets, and a really concerted effort and evaluation of all city activities for environmental impact.
21. Get one organic pair of jeans. The chemical process used to create soft, stonewashed jeans contaminates the water in Central Mexico (where more than 700 clothing manufacturers sell jeans to the U.S.).
20. Use ECOTAINERS. If your company or workplace has a kitchen and stocks it with paper cups, check and see how eco-friendly they are. There are cups called ECOTAINERS that are bought in bulk by companies and that are 100% compostable and biodegradable.
19. Seek out bamboo. For furniture, sheets, whatever. It’s a super eco-friendly material, the grass is renewable and very kind to the earth.
18. Buy a digital red bulb thermometer. Avoid the silver mercury bulb ones as mercury is a debilitating nerve toxin for your body and the environment.
17. Offset carbon emissions with Terrapass. It does a lot of other great things too, like funding clean weddings, car stuff, etc.
16. Search with Blackle. Powered by Google, it saves energy with a black screen.
15. Turn your receipts over and use the blank backs for notes. Then recycle.
14. Swap one product this week for a better earth-friendly product. Swap a
toothpaste, dish-washing detergent, or snack (organic licorice weirdly good).
13. Dust the little vents in your a/c, and you’ll save energy and money.
12. Turn your cell phone off when you’re not using it (especially when you go to sleep at night).
11. Try an activity/sport that puts you smack in the dab of mother nature.
10. Plant a tree in someone’s memory.
9. Don’t over-consume. Throwing away 2 aluminum cans wastes more energy than 1,000,000,000 of the world’s poorest people use a day.
8. Recycle more than cans and paper. Recycle your computer/laptop by giving it to charity, instead of throwing it away. The National Cristina Foundation will hook up your old PC or Mac with a nonprofit organization. You can also drop off your old cell phone at your local Staples store as part of a Sierra Club recycling effort.
7. Say bye-bye to junk mail here and save our forests.
6. Pat yourself on the back this week for being a part of this email (or reading this far down the list in this case) and doing your bits to make our world better.
5. When ordering take-out or getting food delivered, request no napkins or plastic utensils, unless you really need them.
4. When traveling, turn off your a/c when you check out of your hotel room.
3. Send potted flowers. Cut flowers dispose quickly. A greener option is to send potted flowers because they last longer, improve indoor air quality and can be self-watering.
2. Eat one less meat meal this week. Animal farming consumes tons of energy and water, is a growing source of pollution and leads to land degradation. Eat some sushi or a veggie burger.
1. Use a front loading washing machine when doing laundry. It uses way less water than a top load.

Even if you only incorporate 5 of these 25 suggestions into your life, you are starting to make environmentally-friendly changes/choices. Little things matter, especially when large amounts of people do them. Pass it on. Thanks Kim.

Update 1: My buddy Jake just posted a link (on our xanga board) to one of the most hardcore pranks I’ve ever seen in real life. Perfect for this post.

Update 2: Just realized Aki posted yesterday…so I’m late (he’s too quick). But gotta show him love anyway since if it wasn’t for him I probably would have started blogging a lot later too.

Now that I’m not working, I have time to explore…

This was going to be a couple-paragraph post about the necessity of trying new technologies/tools/utilites in order to have any business recommending (or trashing) it. But I figured it’d be more useful to just try something for the first time. This way you get to view my tech learning curve in action and add this to your observations in this case about blogger/flickr absorption. Plus, I don’t waste your time reading (I don’t waste my time coming up with) pop culture quotes to accurately reflect this comfort-by-trial approach… Is it true if you don’t use it, you lose it?

Goodbye Salvador Walleye.

Goodbye Kilgore Trout. Goodbye Theodore Sturgeon.
Goodbye Vonnegut.
Goodnight Moon.

If you’re reading this post, you already know. The blog has been boarded up for 9 months. The windows, the doors, the links, everything. We’re at the Comfort Inn/Uptown City Apts. Room 112.

I love you.
Frank

I am actually in apartment 112. Weird. The old design is back. It’s all about “going green” these days, and I did it back in the day (2006). Plus, I’ve been DJFroggy since the 7th grade. For the newcomers, explore at your own risk. Mom (Vail and Jake), you made the record (Superman pic), how cool is that? What up Dash (Derm). Name the track.