Archive for March, 2008

We need like 95% more quirk

Published
by
Todd
on Monday, March 31, 2008
in Advertising
. 0 Comments

Check out this new commercial from Subway:

I think the Subway creative team grew envious of the Burger King creative team and wanted to out-weird their burger-competition. Unfortunately, it appears they were either derailed by a conservative corporate culture or just chickened out, showing traditional product information (sans Jared) at the end and completely losing whatever quirk-factor they had established.

I think it’s a pretty weak spot, but the jingle is stupidly catchy.

What do you think of Subway’s latest campaign?
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Wordpress 2.5 Woes

Published
by
Todd
on Monday, March 31, 2008
in Blog stuff
. 4 Comments

I’ve upgraded my version of Wordpress to the latest 2.5 release. I’m digging the new features, but unfortunately, my former theme (the incredibly popular K2) doesn’t play well with 2.5. I was planning on working up a new theme, but I wasn’t quite ready yet. This current situation has certainly increased my need for expediency. So hang tight with me until I get things cleaned up around here.

For those of you reading me via RSS subscription, today is NOT the day to actually come visit my blog.

Cheers!
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EDIT: I’ve reinstalled K2 for now. It’s messed up on the backend, but works for most users. Can you let me know if anything looks or is broken? Thanks.

EDIT 2: Apparently, installing K2 RC5 solves a lot of the admin problems. Huzzah! In other news, after some searching for a new theme, I don’t think that I will change after all. I quite like what I’ve got going on here. I think I’ll just personalize it a bit more.

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Site of the week: MarchofDimesBaby.org

Published
by
Todd
on Thursday, March 27, 2008
in Branding and SOTW
. 0 Comments

MoD Baby.orgOver my lunch hour today, I went to a presentation with Mike Swenson from Barkley, a full-service communication firm in Kansas City. Barkley is responsible for the new March of Dimes brand, taking the organization into the 21st century. They’ve done an incredible job (their TV spots and print ads are brilliant) and one of the finest pieces of brand engagement is in the new MarchofDimesBaby.org website.

Featuring multiple hours of baby video footage and dozens of questions for new moms, the site is cool and fairly functional. Apparently, they’re in the process of adding more features, so hopefully we’ll be seeing some more opportunities for interaction and engagement – maybe even a mommy-centric social network (nothing like this was mentioned, I just think it’d be cool).

So check it out. Just don’t spend too much time watching the cute babies.
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Do you have a cool site you want featured on ToddBlog? Just shoot me an email and I’ll check it out. 

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My Friend: Garrett Fresh

Published
by
Todd
on Tuesday, March 25, 2008
in Work
. 2 Comments

My friend, Garrett FreshGarrett Fresh is my friend. Garrett is funny, friendly and extremely talented. Garrett also recognizes talent – he’s the one who referred me to Greteman Group. Garrett has an awesome wife. Garrett and his wife are an awesome couple. Garrett has two dogs. Garrett is a graphic designer at Greteman Group. Garrett enjoys hockey – he even watches it on the television. Garrett is also a pro golfer, but only on the Wii.

Garrett Fresh is my friend.

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NOTE: Garrett Fresh, the above-mentioned individual, is indeed my friend. Now, when Garrett comes to my site and searches for his name, Garrett will be successful.

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Taxes, taxes, taxes

Published
by
Todd
on Monday, March 24, 2008
in Politics and Rant
. 8 Comments

So, as I emotionally prepare for a Democratic president, I have some question for my readers:

  1. Who is going to pay for socialized medicine?
  2. Do you think capital gains and dividend taxes are fair? (I hope you answered number one first!)
  3. Are you supportive of having 50% or more of your income and profits confiscated?
  4. Do you think I’m overreacting?

Happy Monday everyone!
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Creative Commons License photo credit: Stillframe

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Fun strikes again

Published
by
Todd
on Friday, March 21, 2008
in Random
. 1 Comment

Hat Day! At Greteman Group, we have a dedicated, passionate fun committee, whose goal is to enrich the GG experience. Last month we had a tea party. Today, we’ve got hat day.

It feels like spirit week in high school. I can’t wait for camo day!

In unrelated news, I’ve fallen pretty hard for Twitter. It’s so fast and easy – much easier than blogging. I can post my thoughts without having to provide a lot of context or explanation.

That said, I’ve recognized that I’ve been a bad blogger and while this used to just be a personal issue, it has now become a professional issue. I’m recommending blogging to our clients, telling them that it facilitates dialog and creates opportunities to listen and learn from their tribes. Unfortunately, I haven’t been following my own advice.

I appreciate all of you who have stuck with me over the past several months. Thank you for not letting my traffic slip into single digits. Thank you for commenting on my inane MacGyver posts.

So, what does the future hold? Well, I’m looking to increase my posts about blogging, social media and viral campaigns. It’s what I talk about all day long at work, so I need somewhere to siphon and organize my overflow thinking.

I’ll also keep talking about church-stuff; I just don’t think it will be as it was in the past. Honestly, I’ve grown weary of a lot of my former conversations and blog posts. My desire is to start living out the church God desires rather than complaining or blogging about ones that aren’t.

I’ll certainly still post random crap. MacGyver is too exciting not to post about, right?

And finally, I’ll start featuring my favorite site of the week. If you’d like your site to be featured, feel free to contact me.

In addition to content changes, I might be looking at a few design tweaks here at the Todd Blog. I’m not sure about an entire overhaul, but I’m getting bored with my design.

What’s happening in your world this Good Friday? 

Have a happy one.
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