Chapter 13

..."I don't know how it will be in the years to come. There are monstrous changes taking place in the world, forces shaping a future whose face we do not know. Some of these forces seem evil to us, perhaps not in themselves but because their tendency is to eliminate other things we hold good. It is true that two men can lift a bigger stone than one man. A group can build automobiles quicker and better than one man, and bread from a huge factory is cheaper and more uniform. When our food and clothing and housing are all born in the complication of mass production, mass methon is bound to get into our thinking and to eliminate all other thinking. In our time mass or colletive production has entered our economics, our politics, and even our religon, so that some nations have substituted the idea collective for the idea God. This in my time is the danger. There is great tension in the world, tension toward a breaking point, and men are unhappy and confused.

At such a time it seems natural and good to me to ask myself these questions. What do I believe in? What must I fight for and what must I fight against?

Our species is the only creative species, and it has only one crative instrument, the individual mind and spirit of a man. Nothing was ever created by two men. There are no good collaborations, whether in music, in art, in poetry, in mathmatics, in philosophy. Once the miracle of creation has taken place, the group can build and extend it, but the group never invents anything. The preciousness lies in the lonely mind of a man.

And now the forces marshaled around the concept of the grouup have declared a war of extermination on that preciousness, the mind of man. By disparagement, by starvation, by repressions, forced direction, and the stunning hammerblows of conditioning, the free, roving mind is being pursued, roped, blunted, drugged. It is a sad suicidal course our species seems to have taken.

And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against: any idea, religion, or govnernment which limits or destroys the individual. This is what I am and what I am about. I can understand why a system built on a patter must try to destroy the free mind, for that is the one thing which can by inspection destroy such a system. Surely I can understand this, and I hate it and I will fight against it to presever the one thing that separates us from the uncreative beasts. If the glory can be killed, we are all lost.

John Steinbeck, East of Eden (1952)

Brand Sliders

Just read a great white paper from HUB Magazine that you can pull off their site (www.hubmagazine.com) written by Martin Bishop of Landor Associates (www.Landor.com).

As Brands look to grow, via new services or acquisitions, they must decide that new brand or service falls into their existing brand architecture.

The paper looks at two sides: one umbrella brand or many? It also offers an innovative tool that can help you evaluate which side of the fence you should land on.

SpB

Designboom!

Yet another great site forwarded on to me by an AD downstaits...

www.designboom.com/eng/

Viva Detroit

Some great sneak peaks from the Detroit Auto Show from around the Web are out there. This concept vehicle from Jeep caught my eye on the front page of Chicagotribune.com...

I love it when designers make sense.

So much of our current design culture is design for design sake...or making sexier gadgets so the gadgets we have end up in a landfill on Africa's West Coast. But having spent six and a half years in Chicago, I find this brilliant.

http://www.totes-isotoner.com/category/rain+products/senz+umbrellas.do

Kudos to Urbandaddy for the scoop.

Cheers,
SpB

CES

I just returned from CES in Las Vegas and will have a full report with pictures up shortly. It will be a fairly topline review, and unfortunately will focus on gadgets, as being short on time I was only able to skim the show floor.

Stay tuned...

New NikeID from CP+B

doing advertising for mega brands is tough...how many times can you say "just do it" or "this bud's for you" and keep it fresh, exciting, original...and have it reach audiences in different ways?

so it's with a bit of understanding that I trash the new NikeID stuff from Crispin. A lavishly produced spot that, to me, says very little.

Sure, I grasp their position that music fills the motivation need that has been lost through gentrification of society.

But music provides so many different things for different runners and different times or types of runs that I feel the spot is off target...or at least falls short.

cheers. spb.

Really back this time...

...again, not like anyone is dying to hear what i have to say...but i'm recommitted to posting. Stay tuned...

Cheers,

SPB

I'm Back!

I haven't posted in nearly seven months...not that anyone out there has missed me.

An insane work schedule, along with getting married left little time for blogging. I have a few things on my mind to share...including how we know if marketing on the Internet is working.

Speaking with my aunt this weekend in Chicago, she told me about a speach the CEO of AOL or Yahoo or something gave to a room full of media buyers and sellers.

He noted that Tide (the laundry detergent) recently had a great experience with the Internet on accident. AOL/Yahoo/whatever's ad programming had placed a banner ad of theirs on a vet site knowing, as most do, that Mom's buy the pet food along with their detergent. Anyway, the site became the Internet hub for information on the contaminated pet food issue a few months back. This person giving the speech noted how many "hits" and "visits" Tide got from the pairing of banner ads and Web sites.

What he didn't mention was if Tide sold any detergent because of it. If if Tide was now viewed more favorably (which doesn't mean shit if people don't buy it).

And I've come to start asking these questions of my interactive peers: cool site, awesome interface, good information...are you selling anything because of it? A Web site has become table legs...but what info do we have that links great Web-based activities with sales?

I've always thought some of the big package good companies (General Mills, P&G) have done some good things regarding receipe sharing...but I still don't know if people then purchase the product, or just take the receipe and do their own thing?

Anyone have some info?

Cheers.

A-B Trades Up for Wholesalers

Anheuser-Busch's exclusive wholesaler network raised their collective Budweiser last night and saluted an overseas adversary, InBev, for granting their Christmas wish.

Elsewhere, wholesalers left to peddle Miller, Coors and anything else they can get their hands on must have felt like taking the lump of coal they were just dealt and shoving it up a Clydesdale's arse.

In a move that has been rumored and discussed at length, Belgian brewing giant InBev agreed to allow Anheuser-Busch to distribute their brands in the United States. And while the added volume is but a drop in the leading domestic brewer's overall glass, the move further strengthens their ability to provide a wider spectrum of beverage choices for a wider spectrum of beverage occasions. From Natty in the Carolinas to Stella in Manhattan, Anheuser-Busch can answer your call for suds.

There are some challenges...which will discuss in a moment. But on the positive side, the wholesalers must be ecstatic! Higher margin imports...and a competitive 'green bottle' to challenge Heineken...mean happy days ahead. Take a look at what an A-B wholesaler will be able to offer an account in the coming months: Stella, Becks, Bass, Tiger, Harbin, Kirin, Rolling Rock, Widmer, Goose Island, Grolsch, Red Hook and Kona...not to mention the giant roster of domestic beers, including the Budweiser, Michelob & Busch brand families. Couple this with their Innovation Group, which is has recently introduced two organic beers (Stone Mill Pale Ale, Wild Hop Lager), launched a seasonal program (currently featuring Winter's Bourbon Cask Ale), and a number of malt-based beverages like Spykes & Peels and you're witnessing the revolution of an American company from brewer to global beverage company.

All this is great from a volume stand point, but there are still a few issues. One, we're still living in a spirits culture. August Busch IV has hinted that he's willing to take the spirits and wine manufacturers head-on, either through acquisitions or the development of their own wine & spirits brands. After all...brewing and distilling aren't that different, well, at least the process isn't.

Another issue is managing all these brands and keeping them all top of mind amongst wholesalers. InBev didn't ink this deal so A-B's wholesalers could fall in love with Stella and disregard the others. Much like Busch, Budweiser and Michelob, who have have been in decline since the rise of light beers, InBev's premium beers like Beck's & Bass could suffer from overwhelmed wholesalers and limited funds to market these brands correctly at the local level.

All in all, it's a very impressive move and could elevate A-B to a true global player. AABIV has made his first big splash...lets see if he can keep up the momentum.

Cheers. SPB

Branded Utility

The on-line folks are once again throwing around buzz words about a "new idea"...making a product or service that is actually worth-while to consumers. I mentioned to trend-extraordinaire Piers Fawkes that I thought what Charmin is doing in Times Square was the ultimate in "branded utility"...actually giving consumers an extremely relevant opportunity to interact with their brands.

He seemed to agree, or at least thought enough of the idea to throw it up for discussion on his Web site. Check it out at www.psfk.com.

Cheers. SPB

KFC Changes Logo...really?

So, it looks like KFC got a little face lift...but did it? I mean, you wonder how many agencies, executives, focus groups, wives, daughters, sons and household pets it took for Yum Brands to come up with this splendid new logo...which really just looks like their other logos.

Awesome.

SPB

Crash n' Burn

Nothing worse, or better, than the call from your clients around 3 or 4Pm asking, "hey, do you guys want to work tonight?"

I mean, how do you answer that? Say yes, and every writer, artist, director and production manager hates your guts...despite running for Starbucks, beer, pizza, and anything else those pre madonna's want.

Say no, and how do you face your client the next time you're walking the halls. "Hey, remember last week when you were in a bind and I told you to eat it? Well, me neither...hey, do you have some work we could be doing with you?"

The best is the conflict you hear from management. With one side of their mouths they're muttering about the quality of work that we will deliver in such a short time period or dreaming of shrugging them off, taunting them with the idea that if they would have called us first they'd have great work.

With the other side, they're asking what other agencies are doing working with your clients, and why you're not doing more to keep them out and keep your agency top of mind. Not to mention the numbers & projection questions that come at this time of year.

Well...I'm sitting here, waiting to hear back from the client on this latest round of creative at 11:11PM CST...only then to decide whether to drive the boards to his house about 40 minutes away...or simply meet him at the airport around 5:30 prior to his 7AM flight.

God I love this job.

Cheers. SPB.

I met Satan in Las Vegas

I was on the first real life hot streak of my brief gambling career. Ten dollar bets had turned into $100 bets and over 12 little black chips sitting next to my Budweiser at the MGM.

Then Satan arrived, wearing a bow tie, a teal vest and name tag that read, "Chen".

Let me start from the beginning.

Following two days of setting up a large event and meeting for some clients, and after one extremely long not out in Vegas sans gambling, I decided to find a nice $10 minimum bet roulette table, throw down $40 and play for awhile. Well, after awhile, I was up an astonishing $375 bucks. I hit three straight numbers...then followed that up with hitting #25 twice...the second time with over $6 bet. For you high rollers, I'm sure this is comedy. For me, I was giddy.

A new "spinner" came rotated in and I didn't like the cut of his jib so I took my winnings met some friends playing video poker at the bar. Being novice gamblers themselves, we awkwardly moved towards a Blackjack table, making sure no one looked too experience as to avoid making complete asses of ourselves (funniest thing about Vegas...you'll drink a liter of vodka and dance naked at a club, but make a stupid bet at a table and you're scared for life).

We all bellied up and started off hot. Keeping it simple, $10 here...$20 there...doubling down and winning a few hands, shortly I was up another couple hundred dollars. Then, my Queen arrived. A young woman from Korea took over and things just got stupid. I couldn't lose...or better yet, the house couldn't win. I was winning on 19, 13, 20, 15...anything. It didn't matter. If i hit, I hit soft. If I stayed, she busted. It was awesome. I went up $300 on three hands in a row. I was flying...tipping the waitress $10 at a time for a bottle of Budweiser. I was slapping guys on the back. I was laughing when I'd lose a $40 hand.

It was not to last.

Satan arrived with a smile and cold laugh. He looked at all the chips on the table...said 'wow'...then stepped on our souls and pocket books. Losing always happens much quicker than winning. Within an hour, I was back down to $500. I placed a $100 bet...landed 11 with the dealer showing 7...of course...Double Down. Satan dropped a 2. I knew he was the devil.

Alas, the dreams of a new iPod...maybe some new shoes and a nice night out with the lady when I got home vanished with quick twist of the dealers wrist and my inability to call it quits.

I still left on top...$200 dollars, after starting with $40. It's a small sum...especially for Vegas. But it was worth the experience, for I have seen the devil, and he wears polyester.

Cheers,

SPB

Man Baiting

Everyone seems to be amazed, hurt, disillusioned with the discovery that Lonelygirl15 seems to be a marketing ploy from a Hollywood Studio.

I'm amazed in this day and age when everything you see is followed up with the statement, "well, if it's real", that people didn't sniff this out earlier.

Let's see...Alarmingly regular posts...seemlingly no change in setting...and the most obvious, the seduction factor. Shut-in media junkies who longingly look for a little cyber affection find a young, beautiful girl who is also lonely, left with her videocamera and computer as her only means of contact with the outside world...then after a few sorrid testimonials tease them with the whole "teacher" thing...I think somewhere a geek just ruined his keyboard.

I have to think that the male human is the easiest creature to lure into looking stupid on the planet. I mean, sex is sex. I can't fault my fellow males for following it to the point of embarrassment...we've all been there. Hell, I followed it to college.

But this isn't even sex...this is the possibility of someone out there...a beautiful female someone...understanding the MySpace junkies and driving them into a frenzy with a few cryptic videos and one sexual reference.

Sure, some will say it was more than the sexual overtones...the Satanic symbols, the odd numbers games...But really, it was all about access to forbidden & subdued sexual energy. Plenty of suckers plugged in.

SPB

Man Goods

Caught this over on Springwise.

I've yet to to grasp the entire movement to provide men with the same in-depth, over-involved hair care products that women enjoy.

I have a problem paying more for the crap I put in my hair than the hair cut itself. I'm a pomade guy...and I've gone lux with Crew and a few other brands...but there just isn't that much difference between those and the six-dollar varity you can grab and Target.

I guess it's just another trend lost on this Midwesterner.

SPB

Meeting of the Medias

Boldtype...another venture from the folks at Flavourpill that uses the best parts of the e-newsletter trend to drive you to what is possibly man's greatest acheivement...the printed publication.

I'm registered for around a dozen daily e-newsletters...ranging from my daily dose of PSFK to one from International Living that I just can't get rid of.

Boldtype only arrives in my in-box once a month or so, so much like my resolution to purchase an album each week from a band I've never heard, I have been buying at least one book a month from an author i'm not familar with or on a subject that I'm not really interested in. So far, so great.

Check them out at www.boldtype.com

SPB

This post has been written as part of the Carnival of Modern Man.

Is this Us?

Just what we need...another FHM look alike that makes us out to be beer guzzling, panty sniffing assholes.

As part of a project for my pal Piers over at PSFK, I agreed to spend a week or so concentrating on what it means to be a 'modern man'...or my take on my surroundings based on being a modern man.

At first I thought it would be a pretty tame subject, at least for me. I'm a regular guy...like sports & beer, I enjoy new music & art, I have style but don't consider myself "stylish", I live in a rather subdued Midwestern city, and I tend to work my ass off for minimal reward.

But the more I dug, the more I read, and the more I realized what has happened to the American man, the more disturbed I became.

Let's face it, white American men have become the world's punchline. From Dubya down to the "Real Men of Genius", we're pretty much the only group of people left on the planet that you're allowed to stereotype without some organized civil liberties kicking your ass.

And the only people we have to blame for our descent to the bottom of the barrel is ourselves. Just check out the mag rack the next time you're grabbing a Big Gulp and some jerky. Our options are slim...we have porn, seudo-porn, gamer rags, the usual sports titles...and then Esquire.

Being in luck, Esquire used their July issue to take measure of the American male...and according to them, it's a trainwreck. Editor David Granger (or is it Gregor...can't tell from my notes) says there is an "ambition & achievement deficit in young American males."

The magazine goes on to tell us we need Regan's Orange Bitters, The Lewis Ice Bag, WMF Loft Boston shakers and a Rosher bar spoon in our liquor cabinet. Oh, and they provide some not so subtle advice on how to wear your cuffs, collars and knots.

Excuse me, but fuck you! Those douche bags doing their best Rob Lowe in those Ray Ban ads aint me or my buddies...and they sure they hell aren't like anyone I know in New York city or any other city for that matter.

So based on our print meida options, we have some guide lines on how to be an asshole...and well, how to be an asshole.

Where does the real man of today emerge? The simple answer is in the middle somewhere...guys that spend Saturday's in "frat mode" and Saturday nights in "club mode." Guys that go from $250 Italian KCs to $10 Old Navy flops in a heartbeat.

It goes deeper than that. My friend Fritz who has spent his life in academia (lucky bastard) had this to say following a short email discussion:

"I don't know, being a "modern man", or an American one, at least, seems all about actively engaging whatever you do and having more than one identity at one time (professional by day, musician/wannabe cook/etc. by night, climber/hiker/biker/etc. on weekends) instead of linear identities like most of our parents' generation (be defined by work for 30+ years, then retire and figure out who you are)."

I found this really interesting in that our parents and our grandparents let their careers define them. As we have become disenchanted with a corporate environment lacking in any sort of commitment, we search for other things to define us...Multiple things. We have balked at institutions telling us what it is to be successful, or even what success is.

Excuse me Esquire, but some of the most influential and successful people I've ever met prefer flip flops and flower prints to Italian silk.

This "image of success" has been driven by Multiple factors, including the Internet, gaming, hip hop, the NBA and the X-Games. Teenagers with an idea can now be millionaires quicker than the square with an MBA.

Unfortunately, for every success, thousands fall behind...way behind. The dream of bypassing "the man" for green pastures is alluring, but dangerous. And young men who don't know when to pull the rip cord can fall far, fast.

So where is the target for young men? There isn't one. The good and the bad of it is that we are each asked to create are own target, and develop our own path. Society has a problem with this because everyone has shifted to the Right. Choices are bad. Rules are good. Stay in line and don't get hurt.

So far I've watched in amazement as men (and woman) have found and created success in thousands of different ways. An old friend from college, sick of the 9 to 5 started a limo company in Kansas City. My brother has spent seven years teaching ski lessons, going on the road for marketing tours, and just recently settled into an automobile marketing venture...all while living life to its fullest.

After thinking about it, the "state of the modern man" isn't a fair question. The question is "how many states of being does the modern man have?"

SPB

This post has been written as part of the Carnival of the Modern Man.

Add Budweiser & Judy and I'm Set

Thrillist points us to BAMN, a Jetson's themed eatery where good food is panned at the press of a button. The food looks decent...and if they can work in a beer-by-the-dime tap, some recommended 1-900 numbers and maybe a flat screen, the institution of marriage is not long for this world.

www.bamnfood.com

SPB

This post has been written as part of the Carnival of Modern Man.

Mario Killed the Fist Fight

I should have seen it coming ten years ago.

In an effort to "toughen up" my younger brother, who was half my age at 10 years old, I was ragging on his soccer skills...beating him every way from Tuesday...and really giving him no shot at all. Finally, following an embarrassing nutmeg, he turned and said, "Yeah, well, I bet I can beat you at Mortal Combat."

And thus, the right-of-passage when two brothers square off in a physical battle only one can win...but builds character in the other...was killed by Super Mario...and ironically, his brother.

Video games aren't new...but they are far more prevalent today than at any time in history. In my day, getting four quarters to go down to Velvet Freeze and a chance at Tron was a big deal. Today, college kids are forsaking the kegger for all-night Madden-fests.

If video games where limited to teenagers and a few hold-overs from the Dungeon & Dragons days, we wouldn't be discussing this. The fact is, gaming is now a multi-billion dollar business attracting consumers...mainly men...from the ages of 6 to 60. In a recent article, Chuck Klosterman of Esquire compared the gaming revolution to that of Rock n' Roll. It's that important...or so say the gamers.

And maybe so. In the article, Chuck searches for the meaning behind games, and why there are no real critics of gaming...not critics of the hows and whats...but the whys. He says we need to understand the "significance of potentiality". The meaning behind games. In the article, Henry Jenkins of MIT is quoted as saying "Gaming Designers are asking themselves questions about how a game should look and what it should do, but not about what the game is supposed to mean." (more about this later)

My buddy Fritz in Minny shared some insight from Dennis Trinkle, the CIO at Valparaiso University in Indiana. Trinkle argues that video games will become the primary tool which history, values, and culture is communicated. He notes that the verbal, or storytelling culture died with the printing press...and that books lost their primary foothold with the development of television and eventually motion pictures. Now, our children will learn about the Civil War, Middle East conflict, and the do's and don'ts of society (thank you GTA) via a console plugged into the TV. And it's not a terrible thing. Would a middle school student rather read Red Badge of Courage or learn about the battle of Gettysburg via fighting in it while playing a video game? And if they learn...does it matter how? My mother, a teacher of 25 years is feeling ill somewhere.

But, I digress. I could spend a year pointing out all the ups and downs of video games...but for this post, I'm focusing on one. The "pussy factor."

Kids...and thus men...are getting softer because of video games. We're launching a generation of wimps into the world. Men who's understanding of the world resides in fantasy and their ability to use their thumbs.

Despite Chuck's desire to find someone who can pull 'meaning' from video games...The fact is, video games are anti-meaning. It's 100% escapism. It's people fleeing from meaning, consequence and responsibilities. It's people taking a break from their crappy existence to be an NFL star, a car-stealing pimp, a magical warrior or a made-up creature with amazing leaping ability. What does it mean? Nothing.

And without meaning, we have a bunch of guys who's only recourse when "times get tough" is to dive into a world ruled by megabytes. Don't look at McDonalds & Coke as to why we have fat kids...parents should to look to the permanent indentation that their child has left on their living room couch.

But isn't just about kids either.

Men, fellas 18-36, represent the bulk of the gamers, and giving their buying power, they are the target of many new titles. I asked three friends...all 30 years old, all married, all working-stiffs, all in different parts of the States, what they were doing tonight. One was unpacking from a recent trip to Croatia. One was heading to the tavern to drink his fill and play some darts...and the other? Madden, all weekend, all the time.

I personally never got into video games...I don't know if it was athletics or all the hiking and camping I did as a teen...but it's just not something that ever became a part of me. But gaming isn't like a lot of technology...I'm embarrassed that I have no idea how a DVR works...even if I don't watch enough TV to own one. I can't believe when I have to educate peers on their "first iPod". But I have no shame in telling someone that I don't know how to play EA Sports FIFA '07. Just not my thing. But why is it so many others?

I argued to my Madden-loving pal in LA that the overall development of the home...DVRs, home theater systems, Whole Foods, the Internet...has made it so a man can be fully entertained without leaving his home. I also argued that the tennis/golf/raquetball clubs of our fathers are either outdated or outpriced for the regular joe...thus, the only escape comes virtually.

But Ben shot back that while his ability to have four-star food delivered to his door and all his media needs piped into his home via three screens makes living much easier than our folks had it...it still comes down to the three hours he'll spend tonight in suspended reality playing a video game and doing his best John Gruden.

But, back to the point. What does this mean for society? It means I'm interviewing people with the inability to function in the real world. People who have little to no communication skills beyond IMs. It means that 25 people will show up for our agency's NFL Fantasy draft this weekend...but I can't get 11 guys who want to play soccer on Thursday nights. It means I'm seeing people more comfortable in front of a monitor than in front of each other.

It means we are becoming weak. Hey, Chuck...I think I found your meaning.

SPB

This post has been written as part of the Carnival of Modern Man.