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sf & nyny

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 02:19:00 GMT

In about twelve hours time I head for the airport, heading for SFO for the anual Techcrunch Party. Like I've done for the last four years, for the event I designed a signed, limited edition print, pictured above- a play on the "Dream Big" campaign I'm doing here in Alpine, Texas.

Then it's off to New York, NY the following day to sign prints, including Purple Cow and Create or Die.

Hope to be back home, sleeping in my own bed by Wednesday night.

[NOTE TO SELF: Why is it, that the more internet-enabled the world becomes, the more time we all seem to have to spend on airplanes? Don't get me started...]

the "hughtrain" cube grenade

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 19:46:00 GMT

[Buy the "Hughtrain" print individually here.]

Another "Cube Grenade", Hurrah!

A while ago, I announced that we'd be making smaller prints available, based on the cartoons found in IGNORE EVERYBODY.

On June 11th, the same day the book came out, we announced our first efforts: The "Ignore Everybody" Portfolio Series Number One.

Four silkscreens, 11"x14", limited edition of 100, signed and numbered, $320 for the set.

So again, I'm delighted to report that we've just made the "Hughtrain" print available for purchase individually. $100, plus S&H. Here's the blurb on the gallery website:

It's probably my most famous cartoon. It pretty sums up my marketing philosophy. Like my friend, Seth Godin said:
"You can’t drink any more bottled water than you already do. Or buy more wine. Or more tea. You can’t wear more than one pair of shoes at a time. You can’t get two massages at once..."

So, what grows? What do marketers sell that scales?

I’ll tell you what: Belief. Belonging. Mattering. Making a difference. We have an unlimited need for this."

I hope you'll check it out. Thanks!

[Backstory: About Hugh. Twitter. Newsletter. Book. Interview One. Interview Two. Limited Edition Prints. Private Commissions. Cube Grenades."EVIL PLANS".]

under the surface

Tue, 07 Jul 2009 01:21:00 GMT

[Backstory: About Hugh. Twitter. Newsletter. Book. Interview One. Interview Two. Limited Edition Prints. Private Commissions. Cube Grenades."EVIL PLANS".]

smarter wine, cont'd...

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:20:00 GMT

A couple of years ago while working on Stormhoek, I came up with the "Smarter Wine" idea.

2. Everyone’s definition of “smarter” will be different. I’m OK with that. To me, it means continually engaging the customer at a higher level, continually raising the bar.

3. The brilliant thinker, Russell Davies identified four keywords that will govern the future of the advertising business. About as succinct a list as I've ever seen:
Blurry. Useful. Interesting. Always In Beta.
"Always In Beta” is a popular term in Silicon Valley. In an ideal world, it would be equally popular in the wine trade as well. It's unfortunate that this is not the case.

The problem with most wine marketing, as I see it, most of it is product-driven, not principle driven.

Most wine makers make what they make, as best they can, then try to find a buyer, somewhere. Anywhere!

Stormhoek wasn't conceived as an act of love for the Western South African Cape. Stormhoek was conceived as a very simple idea: That if you took New Zealand wine tech, and used it with South African grapes, you could make a wine JUST as good as the New Zealanders, for about two thirds the price.

Idea-driven. Not product-driven. Not geography-driven. That's what "Smarter Wine" is all about.

Once we had this "Principle" nailed down, it became a LOT easier to market it. Because not only did we get "Smarter" about how we made it, we got "smarter" about how we talked to people about it, how we related to the existing market and the customers about it. Which explains the cartoon below.

It's REALLY hard to market something, if there's no higher purpose-idea behind it. Products are not just about price and quality. As I'm fond of saying, every product is some sort of idea amplifier.

Every product, whether we're talking German cars, cans of beans, laptop computers or bottles of wine, is an expression of human potential.

At least, it is, if you want it to be successful.

I don't think any of this rocket science, but it sure got our competition scratching their heads. Plus ca change...

[N.B. This post was written as something to keep in mind, while I plan my "Texas Road Trip", which starts at the end of this month...]

[UPDATE: Just added this blog post to "EVIL PLANS".]

[Backstory: About Hugh. Twitter. Newsletter. Book. Interview One. Interview Two. Limited Edition Prints. Private Commissions. Cube Grenades."EVIL PLANS".]

trying to evolve

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 02:44:00 GMT

[Backstory: About Hugh. Twitter. Newsletter. Book. Interview One. Interview Two. Limited Edition Prints. Private Commissions. Cube Grenades."EVIL PLANS".]

blocked

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 14:57:00 GMT

People get "blocked".

With their jobs, with their relationships, with their marketing, with their own passions and creativity...

And yes, with themselves. I'm as guilty as anyone. So are you.

So then the next question becomes, well, how do you become "unblocked"? How do you get your mojo back?

Wouldn't it be great if somebody could invent a product- a book, for example, or maybe some audiotapes, or a three-day seminar, whatever- and all people would have to do is pull out their credit card, pay the fee, use the product once et Volia! Problem solved! Blockage removed!

Yes, that would be great, in theory. But knowing what I know from past experience, I'd recommend that if you ever meet somebody trying to sell you something like this, run away in the opposite direction. That fellow is selling you a bunch of psychobabble snake oil. Nobody can unblock you, but you.

Instead, read the following one-word quote. Unlike the snake oil, you can have it free of charge and yes, this actually works, every time:

Love.

So now you know...

[Update: Just added this blog post to "EVIL PLANS".

[Backstory: About Hugh. Twitter. Newsletter. Book. Interview One. Interview Two. Limited Edition Prints. Private Commissions. Cube Grenades."EVIL PLANS".]

"probably never"

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 10:28:00 GMT

I've been in the "creativity" business for over two decades. I first started publishing my cartoons in The Austin Chronicle back in college, before landing my first "real job" as a copywriter for Leo Burnett in Chicago.

Ever since then, for the most part, yeah, I've worked my ass off. With MASSIVELY varying levels of success.

Twenty-odd years later, I can totally see why most sane people opt out of the "creative" career option- I can totally see why they stick to something more conventional, even if it isn't really all that interesting to them. It's NOT because they're stupid, lazy or unimaginative.

It's because the alternative is really, really hard.

All throughout these past two decades- this long, painful, wonderful adventure- I kept on asking myself the same question: "When will this stuff start getting easier?"

And the closest thing I've ever gotten to an answer is, "Probably Never."

Of course, it wasn't until I got comfortable with "Probably Never" that, funnily enough, it started getting easier.

I really don't know what else to tell you...

[P.S. I utterly DESPISE the word, "Creativity". Every time I write it, a little piece of me DIES. That being said, I don't know of another word that works better in this context. Damed if you do etc...]

[Backstory: About Hugh. Twitter. Newsletter. Book. Interview One. Interview Two. Limited Edition Prints. Private Commissions. Cube Grenades."EVIL PLANS".]

SourceForge.net: Find and Develop Open-Source Software

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:02:00 GMT

factoryjoe posted a photo:

sourceforge.net/

Twitter / Markus Angermeier: linked #hashtag-search fin ...

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:02:00 GMT

factoryjoe posted a photo:

twitter.com/kosmar/statuses/2426104463

Ultimate Platform Hotness Smackdown (Twitter, Facebook, iPhone, Native Web / Search)

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 12:06:00 GMT

from: dmc500hats 18 minutes ago

The Ultimate Platform Hotness Smackdown: Twitter, Facebook, iPhone, the Native Web / Search (Dave McClure, David Cohen, Jeff Clavier, Howard Lindzon, Ryan McIntyre -- Startup2Startup Boulder @ TechStars, June 2009)

Tags: platforms startup2startup boulder twitter facebook