Category: Uncategorized (Page 14 of 26)

A number of years ago, my friend Kristi Larsen and I endured the Beat the Bridge Run.  We both sailed through those initial 2 miles and as we crossed the University Bridge I said to Kristi, “Well that was easy.”

The Bridge did not take kindly to my mocking.  And so before I was completely across, it sent a shudder through its pavement which delivered bone spasming shin splints that left me nearly immobile.  I cursed The Bridge for the next three miles.  Walking, running, standing – it didn’t matter, the pain was the same.  And so I vowed my revenge.

Either the next year or a few years later, Team No Runner Left Behind was formed to show The Bridge that its Evil nature was powerless against the forces of good.  In year one, I again crushed The Bridge, but a few of my teammates were not so lucky.  Year 2 was the same.  Last year the entire crew at Team NRLB gave The Bridge the Royal treatment.

And so came 2009.  One of our largest teams ever – 9 runners strong – drove forward on a beautiful and sunny 60 degree morning.   My training this year was minimal due to a pulled hamstring suffered two weeks prior.  But we had fancy headbands to show off the Spring Creek Group sponsorship of our endeavor, and we surged ahead.  

At the 18:00 mark I reached The Bridge with two minutes to spare, spitting on its ground and explaining to it that it could not – it would not – beat me.  In total, 8 of the 9 NRLB runners made the crossing before it cranked itself up and pointed its rusty grates to the sky.  And so now The Bridge and I go back to our respective corners for another year, each claiming victory.  By again successfully crossing, I say that The Bridge is no match for me in this battle.  The Bridge though, by again stopping one of my teammates, claims it won the war.  

Team No Runner Left Behind will be back again in 2010.  And next time, there will be no debate.

I’m stealing a line from the “Catch Up Lady” who I had the opportunity to meet this week at WOMMU in Miami. “I’ve neglected my blog so long, I fear Child Protective Services is about to bash down my door and take it away from me.”

In addition to backdating a bunch of posts to make it look like it’s your fault for missing the new content, and not mine, I’ll throw in some easy ones. This clip from the Daily Show is simply too good to pass up.

I think I need to remind everyone about my favorite running race, the 5 mile Beat the Bridge Run.  Once again, Team “No Runner Left Behind” will be giving it a go in both the 8k run and 1 mile fun walk.  If you haven’t signed up for the team yet, please jump on board now at BeattheBridge.org. It’s unfortunate that the Beat the Bridge web site is darn near unusable, but if you spend enough hours, you can eventually figure out how to get signed up.  See you May 17.

You may have seen this before since it’s a couple of months old. But if you haven’t, then it’s definitely worth a view.

Thanks @dkr for this.

Take it for what it’s worth, but the annual report card for ad agencies is out.  From AgencySpy:

The 26th annual Adweek Report cards have dropped. The 25 selected agencies were judged on profitability, revenue growth and the subjective merit of creative output. A quick peak at the very in-depth report cards is below.  Overall, here is the breakout: 5 B+, 6 B, 5 B-, 5 C+, 2 C, 2 C-

ARNOLD: C+ 
BBDO: B 
BBH: C+ 
LEO BURNETT: C 
C-K: B-

CRISPIN: B+ 
DDB: C+ 
DEUTSCH: B 
DRAFTFCB: C- 
EURO RSCG: B-

GOODBY: B+ 
GREY: B- 
HILL, HOLLIDAY: B 
JWT: B 
LOWE: B-

MARTIN AGENCY: B+ 
MCCANN: B 
MERKLEY: B- 
MULLEN: C+ 
OGILVY: C-

PUBLICIS USA: B+ 
SAATCHI & SAATCHI: C+ 
TBWA\CHIAT\DAY: B 
WIEDEN: B+ 
Y&R: C

 

There’s been a lot of talk lately about the viability (or lack therof) of the business models of companies like Twitter.  But perhaps its time for the traditional media companies to do some evaluation of business models of your more established companies.

For example, put yourself in the shoes of a potential investor, and listen to this elevator pitch.  “Ok, here’s my idea.  You kno whow you can get information and news from the Internet?  What I want to do is take the information that is current as of midnight, then print it on environmentally unsafe paper, use gas guzzling trucks to deliver the printer papers to a few locations, so a bunch of 13 year old kids who get up at 4am will place them on people’s driveways.  And we’re going to charge $.50 per day.”  

Does that sound like something you want to invest in?  How about this?

“Ok, you know how there are these companies in Europe and Asia that make cars?  I want to open some factories here as well.  I’m going to make the same exact product, but I want to pay more for the labor.  I also want to make sure I let the labor unions influence the direction of the company, even though I know that will make it harder to change the direction later.  I’m going to charge $10 – $40k for these products, even though I know Americans are kind of poor right now.  Also, they are goign tot run on oil products, despite the fact that Americans are looking for alternative sources of power.”  Again, sound like a good investment?  Well your tax dollars are funding it now.

So maybe we can cut some slack to these new technology businesses.  Because some of our”traditional” companies don’t really have business models that are relevant anymore either.

Length of time to get 2 wins:

• Sounders: 2 games [2-0]   (March 19 – March 28)
• Thunder: 18 games [2-16] (October 29 – November 29)

“Announced” Home Attendance, First 2 games:

• Sounders (61,071) : Game 1 – 32,523 (sell out +)  | Game 2 – 28,548 (sell out)
• Thunder   (37,299) : Game 1 – 19,136 (sell out)     | Game 2 – 18,163 

Number of Games it took to Win consecutive games:

• Sounders: 2 – Games #1 and #2 (March 19-28)
• Thunder: 41 – Games #40 and #41 (Oct 28, 2008 – Jan 16, 2009)

Number of days in First place since Opening Day:

• Sounders: March 19 to current (100% of franchise history)
• Thunder: Never

 Number of days in Last place since Opening Day

• Sounders: Never
• Thunder: Oct 29, 2008 to present (100% of franchise history)

I’ve been hoping / trying / working on writing this article for a week now.  But before I start, let me frame where my perspective comes from.

I’ve played soccer for decades – still do.  But until I lived a few months in England in 2005, I could hardly be considered a “soccer watcher.”  Sure I would be mesmerized by the World Cup, but I couldn’t tell you anything about the European leagues; and the MLS wasn’t even a consideration.

My days in Manchester turned me into a Manchester United supporter, and the education I received out there made me a permanent fan.  I’ll watch the EPL, DVR Champions League games, and head to the George and Dragon whenever I can for a big match.  That has NOT translated into any kind of MLS viewership, however.

Until now.

I’m going to admit that I’m on the MLS bandwagon.  I won’t pretend it’s anywhere close to England, Italy, Spain or German quality.  Not even France, Portugal, Netherlands or Scotland.  But I’ll now listen to arguments that MLS teams could compete and win in Sweden, Norway, Turkey and the other Tier 3 Euro countries.

And while the MLS may suffer in other cities, the ownership group here in Seattle has provided a nice blueprint for how to build a franchise and recruit a rabid fan base.  The remarkable thing is that when you boil it all down, it’s all super simple stuff any team in any league could do if they would just concentrate on who the most important person is in their organization.

That most important person to any team is “The Fan.”

Not Alex Rodriguez, Phil Jackson, Kobe Bryant, Mark Cuban or the Phillie Phanatic.  The most important person in the whole sports ecosystem is Joe Fan, the guy paying the bills.

Sounders FC understood that from Day One.  A few examples:

• Before the team was named, the ownership group suggested 3 names and let the fans vote.  It was between FC Seattle, Seattle Alliance and something else lame.  Instead, the fans wrote in “Seattle Sounders” which was the name of both the old NASL team (70’s) and the recent minor league team.  Thus, Seattle Sounders FC continued in the Northwest.  Fan 1, Marketing Dept 0.
• All season ticket holders were mailed a Sounders scarf for every Season Ticket they bought.  Not a stupid lame scarf with huge corporate sponsorship that ruins it.  But real team merchandise. Now 22,000 season ticket holders show up with their scarves.  Beautiful to see.
• Ticket prices are fair.  It’s not a bargain, but not a rip-off either. As fans, all we want is to feel like we’re being charged fairly, not held hostage.  Mariners – please take note.  (NBA – I couldn’t care less about you anymore, but you might want to learn this lesson soon.  Really soon.  Before you need to take another $200 million loan to bail your teams out.)  
• Small detail: The guy who sings the National Anthem “leads” the song.  He has a baton and serves the role of conductor.  He tells everyone to join in.  He sings at a tone we can all hit.  It just shows that we are there to be part of the experience, not to be performed to.  
• The supporters demanded their own section, and so right behind one of the goals is a giant general admission section where the crowd is drunk, loud, and out of control.  They lead the rest of the stadium in song.  They are nuts.  The Sounders took all the guys who would scare the casual soccer fan, and instead of limiting their fun, gave them an island where they all could be ridiculous and out of control together

All of this may seem subtle, but it’s really HUGE.  There is a completely different feeling when you are watching YOUR team, than when you are watching a bunch of players who play in your city for owners who see you as giant dollar bills. 

I’ll start posting some pictures of other little ways the team treats the fans with respect.  Because that’s what the MLS needs to do – show people that they are willing to work harder to provide a great experience than the other leagues will.  Even if you don’t like soccer, try to follow a little Sounder Mania.  It will be worth the ride.

I want to start this thought by stressing that I am fully respectful of the negative economic climate, and how hard it is for unemployed people to find new jobs in the current environment.  That being said, there’s a math problem that I am struggling with, and am going to suggest a loose idea for a solution, which I will be happy to debate the merits of.

1) We have roughly 9.0% unemployment.  One problem with unemployment rules seems to be that you are required to find a job with a “company” rather than starting something on your own.  From my vantage point, I’d rather see someone laid off from a failing company use his/her brains, talents and drive to have the ability to try to build their own sole proprietorship rather than go through the fruitless exercise of applying for jobs they aren’t qualified for at companies that are laying people off.  Why are we forcing people who were failed by the corporate environment to try to force their way back into the corporate environment?  They should be given credit for making positive strides in the building of their own entrepreneurial efforts.  

2) Why is so easy to get your benefits?  I’ve been told by multiple friends who are in this position, that getting an unemployment is way too easy.  A few clicks on a web page, and the money is direct deposited in their account.  One potential reasons people get laid off is that their skills don’t always map to today’s employer needs.  Why don’t we make people come in and train for their check?  Let’s make unemployed people more skilled.

3) Along these lines, why can’t unemployment be renamed or re-classified, so that it’s not a check for $300 a week for doing nothing, but a check for $300 a week to do 15-20 hrs of work for the state?  Maybe that work can include time for resume writing, interviewing and other job seeking activities.  But really, if the state is paying them, why can’t we treat these folks as part-time employees.  It may take some creative management, but shouldn’t we be looking for smarter solutions to today’s problems anyway?

Conclusion: Lumping #1,  #2 and and #3 together solves the biggest questions everyone will have, which are, “What company are the people in #1 going to build, who is doing the training in #2, and what will these people in #3 do?”  Well why can’t the unemployed Spanish speaker speak Spanish 101, the unemployed Graphic Designer teach Photoshop,the unemployed accountant can teach Small Business Startup, and the unemployed woodworker teach Home Repair?  Doesn’t this solve a lot of problems at once – educating the unemployed, providing valuable services, and giving people a much needed boost fo self-worth?

I’m sure my ideas are naive and utopian, but shouldn’t we ask for something more from our unemployment tax dollars than just hoping WAMU starts hiring again?