A client forwarded me an email he’d received today from a very kind ad rep I work with, Mary Bellini Brown from Halldale Media Group. I’m humbled. And amazed. Everyone’s so busy. It means a great deal that she would take time to give me this virtual pat on the back.

The email specifically called me out. But it could just have easily named another of my colleagues. Each does what it takes to solve a problem. Meet a deadline. Take care of the client – which, by extension, also means working closely and well with our vendor partners.

It’s a great read. The best one I’ve had today.

I just wanted to let you know what a pleasure it is to work with Shelley Downs and the rest of her team at Greteman Group.

I deal with lots of agencies and if every agency was like them, my job would be a breeze!

I reach a live person 95% of the time I call, (compared to about 35% with other agencies) and if I leave a message, it is returned that same day. We’ve never had to chase down materials and if they think they might need an extension, they ask well in advance.

But what’s really prompting this email is what happened on Friday, and right around 500 to boot! I contacted Shelley about the materials for the MS&T Yearbook, (the issue with the Worldwide Military Flight Simulator Census). Long story short, she was going off dates from an unproofed media kit I sent her in November ~ dates well over a month off.

She handled what potentially could have been a terrible position for all three of us (and it would have all been on my shoulders) with such calm and tons of grace, by saying “if you’ll just let me know what the drop dead dates are, we’ll make it happen. Don’t want to put your production team in a bind.”

Greteman Group certainly has your back. I appreciate having the opportunity to work with them and hope to continue to far into the future.

Straight Arrow, works by Marc Bosworth

Straight Arrow – Marc Bosworth @ Gallery One Nine
Greteman Group’s own Marc Bosworth introduces multi-layered works that take on themes such as role models and gender stereotypes. In his works you can find references to such styles as abstract expressionism and pop art.

7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
@ Gallery One Nine
125 N Market St, Wichita, KS (18th Floor)

Judith French Millard – In Memoriam @ Gallery XII
A long time member of Gallery XII, the venue, her friends and husband will being paying tribute to her art in a memorial showing this Final Friday. Judith was a Kansas native, WSU Grad and an award winning artist in oils and pastels.

6:00pm
@ Gallery XII
412 E Douglas Av, Wichita, KS

Negative – Ryan Moran
Artists at Old Town will be presenting works by innovative artist Ryan Moran. Created using a unique technique, he begins by stapling several layers of paper together, and then cuts away layers to create his pieces.

6:30pm
@ Artists At Old Town
412 E Douglas Suite C, Wichita, KS

Kulula's paint job teaches you about the basics of flying.

Kulula Airline – one of four lowcost carriers operating in South Africa – has come on strong with these brightly painted schemes, humorous in-flight commentary, and Kit Kat rewards for passengers who wear green. The Zulu word kulula means it is light or it is easy/simple. They certainly captured my attention with the flying billboard and branding strategy I loved from several decades ago. My then-favorite woman of adverting and style guru Mary Wells declared it was the end of the plain plane with Alexander Calder paint schemes for Braniff Airways aircraft. She set the conservative aviation industry abuzz (and turned the airline around) with her Pucci-designed, flight-attendant uniforms and bar-raising campaign.

I have to hand it to Kulula; they made me smile and increased their marketshare along the way. What do you think, chartreuse anyone?

Braniff Airlines - Lates 60s & Early 70s

We’ve had the great privilege (and fun) of helping introduce the community to Via Christi Health’s newest hospital. (Check out the :15 teaser http://www.via-christi.org) Now that the opening’s mere weeks away, we were able to get in and shoot footage for a :30 TV spot and longer-form video. As impressive as the $93 million facility is, the highlights of our day came from working with the incredibly articulate, impassioned staff and westsiders barely able to contain their enthusiasm about having Via Christi care so close to home.

See for yourself how the Via Christi Hospital on West St. Teresa is positioned to transform healthcare. Take in its open house this weekend: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturday, July 24 and 1 p.m. – 4 p.m., Sunday, July 25.

GG VP/writer/producer Bart Wilcox likes what he sees.

All the high-tech emergency services wow 8-year-old Jaxon Brackeen and his dad, Judd, a Sedgwick County firefighter.

The Greteman Group team reviewing footage.

The much anticipated hospital in west Wichita is the metro area’s first in four years. It’s the modern hospital completely rethought. Not just from the ground up. From the patient up. In addition to 24/7 emergency services it offers a NewLife Center that answers many expectant couples’ prayers. Oh and did we mention that all patient rooms are private suites? And that you can order off the menu much like room service? And, and, and…

Only the half baked die young.

The world’s most prolific personal computing giant, Microsoft, has completely botched its introduction to the mobile phone market. Only six short weeks following the launch of the Kin, the phone’s development team is being transferred over to working on the Windows Phone 7. Where does this fit the realm of Microsoft failures? More important, what can we learn from it?

A Brief History of Recent Microsoft Gaffes

We don’t have to dig deep into the days of “Microsoft Bob” (RIP 1995), or bore you with the all-too-well-known history of how the tech giant rang in the new millennium with one of the buggiest operating systems of all time. We needn’t look farther back than three years.

On January 30, 2007, glossy packages, boasting minimalist design, accented by beautiful flourishes of color and a refreshed logo hit the shelves. It was the release of Windows Vista, an operating system second only to WindowsME in hollowness. The operating system feigned security, asking for you to authorize yourself at every turn, while leaving your computational backend susceptible to the same old enemies. Vista was also a jealous bid to create an interface as beautiful as Apple’s OSX, miserably missing the mark (with clumsy fades, and pointless animations), while simultaneously ruining system performance.

Vista was eventually found to be a software package so foul, that it won 2nd place on TIME Magazine’s May 2009 list: “The 10 Biggest Tech Failures of the Last Decade”. This same article noted that in April of 2009 (almost 4 months after its release) global market share for the operating system was less than 24%, even as its predecessor Windows XP held onto 62%. Despite the fresh promotional materials, the swanky screen effects and the purported increase in security, early reviews, outing the system as a dud, had consumers hesitating to adopt.

Ever hear of the Microsoft Smart Watch? It was a product launched from the company’s Smart Person Objects Technology (or SPOT) initiative in 2004. It was an ugly, bulky wristwatch that used FM radio technology to receive news and weather (something cell phones had just begun to do). Despite the cool factor of living out your Dick Tracy fantasies, and the marketing power one of the world’s largest corporations, the project died after 5 short years. By this time, people were accessing way more information on their cellphones, so why pay a $9.95 subscription fee for a geeky watch that does little more than confirm that it is in fact cold outside?

Akin to the Kin

The Kin is (was?) a “smartphone” that was designed specifically for connecting with friends via text messages, Facebook, MySpace, Windows Live and Twitter. Friends were front and center in operating system, relaying to the user photos and recent status updates in an easy to access feed.

The Kin came in two models, the limited Kin One for $49.99 and the “full featured” Kin Two for $99.99. Additionally, to use the Kin you had to pay mandatory $30 monthly service fee. Both versions were launched with an aggressive marketing campaign targeting teens to 29 year olds, with indie hipster imagery pumped through a litany of social media channels. A recent Advertising Age article reports that agencytwofifteen, the marketing firm behind the “hip” campaign, had hyper-targeted the message based on feedback from over 50,000 consumers between the ages of 20-29.

So on May 13, 2010 the Kin was released: cheap price, targeted at a specific audience with arguably effective tone and through direct channels. What was missing?

The Kin Was Half A Smartphone

Sure you could connect with your friends, but only on the Kin’s terms. While Facebook, MySpace, Windows Live and Twitter were all native to the phone, the user couldn’t download any apps. For the Twitter client included, there was no way to share photos or videos. Kin didn’t have any GPS capabilities. The device didn’t even have a calendar that you could schedule appointments and events on, a feature that has been around since the dawn of PDA time.

For a debatably small increase in cost (and a two-year contract or so), why wouldn’t the consumer get a more powerful, full featured smart phone with the world’s developer community a “tap” away?

What Microsoft Teaches Businesses, Time and Time Again

You don’t need to hire a high-powered research group to glean this one nugget of wisdom from Microsoft’s follies: no matter how much you polish a turd, it’s still a turd. Quality of content, the thoughtfulness of a design, truly filling a need or improving on an existing idea – these fundamental characteristics are what sell a product. Don’t get me wrong, you still need an excellent communication strategy, broadcasting the value of your product (aptly managed by a highly capable firm like Greteman Group), but it all starts with quality and a product geared towards complete consumer satisfaction.

When you start thinking about introducing a new product into the market, consider activating people within your business or bringing on a strategic partner that can help you identify a few key items: what do consumers want, where do they want it, at what price do they want it, and how do you get the word out (with the right image). Even better, this same research team can help you identify which similar products introduced to market completely flopped and why. I have no doubt that Apple, HTC and other dominant cell phone entities will be visiting this case study of failure (all the while chuckling smugly, I’m sure).

In the meantime, we’ll be sending this open letter to Microsoft, in an effort to let them know they may have forgotten a couple points, thereby killing what could’ve otherwise been a real neat alternative.

RIP Kin (2010). May you be remembered for your “cool-indie-hipster-girl-traveling-across-the-country” commercials and not by your disturbing lack of basic smartphone features.

—

Did we miss any lessons, you’d like to share?

Reminiscing – Karen Scroggins and Trinity McKown @ Riney Fine Arts Center
A mother and daughter collaboration, this exhibit features mixed media works produced by Scroggins solo, with additional works in which she is joined by her six year old daughter.

5:00 pm – 7:30 pm
@ Riney Fine Arts Center – Friends University
2100 W University St, Wichita, KS

Paintings by Elly Fitzig, Elizabeth Rowley and Hugo Zelda-Romero @ Bob Schwan Studios
A painting exhibit by three talented, local painters.

6:00pm
@ Bob Schwan Studios
111 S Ellis St, Wichita, KS

Cre•a•tiv•ty
Planning for CREATIVITY began with the announcement that USD 259’s art departments were at risk for severe budget cuts. It was organized to raise awareness for the arts, as well as a fund-raiser attempt for the art department.

6:00pm
@ The Diver Studio
424 S Commerce, Wichita, KS

Steve Jobs wants to protect you from his competitors. Thanks, Steve. But what’s the price to people like our clients who need to reach an audience through mobile advertising? And after that price has been paid, is user privacy really any safer with Apple?

Privacy is a hot topic these days. You need to know what’s behind the PR blowout around Facebook. You need to know when the impenetrable Google gets caught with its hand in the personal data cookie jar if any of those are yours or your customers’ cookies.

I've got a bad feeling about this.

We’re not writing to add to this sonorous exchange, ranting about “big technology” and making up NSFW nicknames for Mark Zuckerberg. Instead, this post is about Apple’s latest big-business move that (thanks to a growing army of industry watchdogs) is being reported, analyzed and scorned by international media outlets.

Apple’s New Ad Policy
Apple recently released a revision to their developer agreement that essentially prevents developers of iPhone apps from using third-party advertising systems.

For those who care, it’s in section 3.3.9:

“You and Your Applications may not collect, use, or disclose to any third party, user or device data without prior user consent, and then only under the following conditions…
– The collection, use or disclosure is for the purpose of serving advertising to Your Application; is provided to an independent advertising service provider whose primary business is serving mobile ads (for example, an advertising service provider owned by or affiliated with a developer or distributor of mobile devices, mobile operating systems or development environments other than Apple would not qualify as independent); (emphasis mine) and the disclosure is limited to UDID, user location data, and other data specifically designated by Apple as available for advertising purposes.”

Removing Competition
The social media guide Mashable reports that, according to Steve Jobs, this latest move isn’t Apple taking aim at competitors’ advertising solutions (like, say, Google’s AdMob). Rather he claims “protecting user privacy” is the noble and justified reason for Apple removing all of their competitors from their iPhone, iPad and iPod software.

So as the world churns with angry mobs of jilted Facebook users, demanding the technology world respect their privacy, Apple “answers the call” by simply blocking their competition. According to a June 6th report from AppleInsider.com, the iPhone OS is the second most popular smartphone operating system on the planet, holding 28% of market share. The iTunes store is giant, boasting over 100,000 apps, now all limited to Apple’s proprietary advertising network iAD.

Why You Should Care
So, after all this, the question remains, is the user’s privacy really any better protected because of Apple’s new policy? As for businesses trying to reach iPhone users through in-App advertising, what kind of prices will they be subjected to in the iAD system? Is Apple going to do a “clean out” like their app store crusade in February, removing all the advertisers they think are too inappropriate for iADs?

For the average user, I have no great remedies for the growing encroachment of technology into our personal lives. If you’re going to use networks and/or tools maintained by somebody other than yourself to communicate, you must accept the fact that (even with protective legal measures in place and terms of use promises made) your data is at risk of being viewed, disseminated, and sold. Got some high risk, digital asset? Try to keep it as disconnected as possible.

Wait. There’s an Up Side
Personal data snatching concerns aside, the latest Apple development births yet another segment in the array of useful channels through which consumers can be reached. The best action anybody in this advertising environment can take is staying educated on the various advertisement networks available and understand the circumstances that come with employing them (or hire the experts ). As for a potential price hike from Apple’s exclusive iAD networks: we’ll wait to see what Jobs has in store (and if the antitrust bell shall toll).

You don't have to give up style, for mobile.

In interactive technology there’s always a “next big thing” which gets hyped in the media ad nauseum. Our job as an agency is to carefully assess the next big thing and determine if it’s actually something our clients should be considering, or just a lot of hot air. Currently, the mobile web is getting a lot of attention, as more and more people buy smartphones and begin viewing mobile versions of websites on these devices. After looking over the facts, I’ve come to the completely impartial view that the mobile web is the single greatest achievement that mankind will ever see.

Ok, that was a bit much, but here’s some data that should at least give you an idea of what has me excited.

• The mobile web is growing 8 times faster than desktop web did back in its heyday.
• Smartphones will overtake PC in sales next year.
• 250,000 mobile devices will be activated today.
• In the next 2 years, 1 billion people will be heavy users of mobile web. This doesn’t include casual users.

And perhaps the most important statistic:

• In the next three years, more people will view websites on mobile devices than on desktop computers.

Given the limitations of smartphones, this might seem hard to believe. They have such tiny screens compared the behemoth monitor you might have connected to your computer at home. So what’s the appeal of mobile websites? One important reason is that, out of necessity, the mobile web forces us to focus on the information that people really want to see, rather than the junk that can find its way into a website (like pictures of the CEO’s dog). For example, the mobile version of Facebook is widely regarded as a better experience than the full version on desktop computers because it boils the site down to its essentials. It’s easier and quicker to get around. This is especially important because as the web has matured, people have begun to expect information quicker, and with fewer steps. Well designed mobile sites do just that.

With this expected boom in mobile web usage, companies should be planning a mobile version of their site now. Even better, it’s a perfect time to have your mobile site designed, and then revamp your existing desktop site with the same eye towards paring things down to what matters most. And for a company without a website, developing the mobile version even before you start on the desktop version is a great idea.

It’s a brave new world out there. We can help.

And you are on a giant conference call. Goofy analogy, I know, but the paradigm shift has begun, and there’s a key ingredient in your digital marketing mix that will make you more successful with the new technology.

“Everybody” Knows Twitter These Days

According to a June 16 article in the San Fransisco Chronicle*, the micro-blogging social network boasts nearly 106 million users and as awareness of Twitter across America has grown from 5% in 2008 to 87% in 2010, so too has the acceptance of Twitter as a legitimate and reliable mode of communication.

With Twitter, connections are made, meetings are planned and products are promoted. Networks of industry professionals and consumers debate the latest topics and interlink their conversation with hashtags, like #hashtagsAreNeat. The concept that Twitter is solely for documenting your day through 140- character blurps has long expired.

What does this mean for business?

Your company may or may not be on Twitter yet (and there’s a whole other conversation to have about being a brand on Twitter) but I’m here to ask: are you conducting business via Twitter? If you own a business, are you allowing your employees to conduct business via Twitter? If not, you should.

This is especially true for client-facing individuals on a company’s staff who are charged with duties such as sales, account service, public relations or customer support. Of course, no company should boldly go into the social media frontier without a plan and a set of guidelines. For the quick and dirty, check out our blog about social media policy for the workplace. If you need a little more friendly advice, give us a call.

The short of it is, your employees should be on Twitter because it’s one of the fastest growing, 21st Century means for building relationships.

Take Me For Example

My name is Jared—I’m the new Digital Brand Manager at Greteman Group. A few months ago, I sent a tweet (a message via Twitter) to another person who worked here at the agency, to let them know I was interested in working for them. When a position became open a couple months later, I received a tweet from him asking me if I’d like an interview. After a couple of interviews, I was hired.

Greteman Group found the talent they needed. I got the job of my internet-nerd dreams. Transaction complete—one in which Twitter played a critical role. Other methods of communication could have easily turned out to be less effective, what with phone trees and cluttered inboxes.

Here’s the key:

Beyond my résumé and qualifications, Twitter made it easy for Greteman Group and me to develop a little relationship before our employment interaction. In the past, I would “tweet” about the latest social media topics itching my brain, and solicit comment from the experts here at the agency. Needless to say, we got along, and when it came time for them to make the hire (and for me to score the gig) it was just a matter of building on our established rapport.

Use Twitter Like It’s a Telephone

I understand that Twitter may have yet to be a standard in your industry. For some businesses, it could be a long time before it makes sense to substitute tweets for telephone in a significant way. In that case, you may want to think about the opportunity to lead your industry in customer interaction via Twitter. Give the conversational, instantaneous culture of Twitter a chance—you may be pleasantly surprised by the results.

* http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/06/16/businessinsider-twitter-grows-up-and-gets-serious-2010-6.DTL

New Footprints: 5 Destinations at Fiber Studio
Novelene Ross, Marilyn Johnson and Kathleen Shanahan will present new paintings, Ginger Tarrer will show mixed-media and Marilyn Grisham will exhibit her fiber works in this group show that promises great things from five great artists. You can see some of the pieces by clicking the thumbnails below.

6-10 p.m.
Fiber Studio
Commerce Street Arts District
418 Commerce

Bob Schwan Studios
Bob Schwan, who has had some success in Santa Fe, will once again open up his local studio and gallery for Final Friday, showing his own work as well as paintings by Brian Hinkle, photos by Michael Roach and sculpture by David Murano.

6-10 p.m.
Bob Schwan Studios
111 S. Ellis

Have any shows captured your attention this month?