Blog

13Aug 2024 by Bob Cargill
A Great Sign for Lyrik Back Bay in Boston

A Great Sign for Lyrik Back Bay in Boston

Advertising, Boston, Branding, Business, Marketing
I have no idea how many new commercial developments are built in Boston every year, and I hardly know the names of any of them, but I know quite a bit about this big, new office, hotel and retail development. Lyrik Back Bay. Sure, it's situated on Massachusetts Avenue between Boylston and Newbury Streets over the Mass Pike in the Back Bay neighborhood, so it's hard to ignore. But it's some of the street-level signage that really caught my eye, not necessarily the unique location punctuated by two tall buildings that will house a citizenM hotel, the LEGO Group's new US headquarters and CarGurus. Seeing a line - er, a lyric, I should say - from the Led Zeppelin classic, Stairway to Heaven, especially caught my attention, admittedly because I'm…
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07Aug 2024 by Bob Cargill
Nike’s Great, New Ad, “Winning Isn’t for Everyone”

Nike’s Great, New Ad, “Winning Isn’t for Everyone”

Advertising, Branding, Marketing
Am I a bad person? That's the question that Willem Dafoe, as narrator, asks in the great, new Nike ad entitled, "Winning Isn't for Everyone." Am I a bad person? In this ad, he's asking that question on behalf of a team of superstar athletes, incredible, iconic personal brands in the world of sports like LeBron James, Serena Williams and others. This is a great ad because of its storytelling and filmmaking, because it is both inspirational and motivational. This ad is an example, if you ask me, of advertising without advertising, of commanding your attention before you even realize it's all about Nike, not the athletes. "Winning Isn't for Everyone," of course, but it is for those who are willing and able to make that commitment to excellence. And…
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22Jul 2024 by Bob Cargill
Noah Kahan at Fenway Park: Epic Show, Epic Livestream

Noah Kahan at Fenway Park: Epic Show, Epic Livestream

Boston, Music
What's the next best thing to actually being there, seeing Noah Kahan live in concert? Watching his show live via the TourGigs livestream. Seriously. For less than $20, I joined the 38,000 or so fans who were lucky enough to see Noah Kahan live in concert at Fenway Park in Boston last Thursday night from the comfort and convenience of my own home. From beginning to end, I felt like I had a front row seat for this incredibly gifted folk-pop singer/songwriter's ridiculously awesome performance, enjoying every magical moment of the concert as though I were there myself. Noah is an amazing artist who I've been listening to religiously now for about a year. You might know his music from his big hits, "Stick Season" and "Dial Drunk," but he…
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03Jul 2024 by Bob Cargill
You Are A Rock Star

You Are A Rock Star

Boston, Branding, Inspiration, Marketing, Motivation
Students and colleagues, family and friends, neighbors and even complete strangers, everyone should know what it feels like to be a rock star, and that includes you. To feel like a rock star is to feel that you are invincible. It is to understand what it must mean to have all the fame and glory in the world. It is to do everything you do with a lot more confidence and determination and a lot less fear and trepidation. It is to imagine people looking up to you and cheering for you, shouting out your name at the top of their lungs. That's why I tell anyone within earshot that they are a rock star. I want them to be smiling. I want them to be happy. I want them…
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17May 2024 by Bob Cargill
Don’t Get Lost in the Social Media Shuffle

Don’t Get Lost in the Social Media Shuffle

Branding, Content, Marketing, Social Media
On social media, you want to achieve a high degree of quality with the content you share there. That should go without saying. But without sharing a relatively large quantity of content on a regular basis, the quality of it won't matter much because it will likely be getting lost in the shuffle, the social media shuffle. Yup, unfortunately, algorithms on social media almost always guarantee - unless you're paying to promote it - that your content will only be seen by a small percentage of your audience. So the more content you share, the better - as long as that content is quality content that is relevant to your audience and timely. The more of that content you share, the better your chances of being noticed by others. Whether…
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24Apr 2024 by Bob Cargill
WHOOP, There It Is

WHOOP, There It Is

Advertising, Boston, Marketing
Make people aware of what you have to offer. That's of the utmost importance in advertising. If nobody knows about you, nobody is going to do business with you. You have to call attention to yourself. You have to build an audience for your products and services. You have to get the word out. Your brand name can help do that alone. WHOOP, "the human performance company," certainly stands out. To say it's a catchy name for a company would be an understatement. Locational excellence can be a competitive advantage in business as well. WHOOP's 121,000 square-foot office space in Boston's Kenmore Square is certainly conspicuous in its presence, especially with the huge sign on top of it and the spectacular promotional banner I saw across the front of the…
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22Mar 2024 by Bob Cargill
Opinion: What UNH’s Ending of Journalism Major Says about Social Media

Opinion: What UNH’s Ending of Journalism Major Says about Social Media

Education, Media, Social Media
I heard recently that the University of New Hampshire was going to be ending its journalism major soon. This wasn't news to me, not at all. I started my blog in 2004, and frankly I saw the writing on the chalkboard years ago that traditional media, journalism and communications as a whole was soon to be in the rear view mirror. Basic writing and public speaking skills are as important as ever, but how, where and when messages are shared is right up there in priority. We as organizations, institutions, businesses, as a society, shouldn't be running for the hills when it comes to social media and digital communications in any way, shape or form. We should be running towards all these emerging, new technologies, not away from them. Social…
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25Feb 2024 by Bob Cargill
Personal Branding: Encourage People to Take Pictures of You

Personal Branding: Encourage People to Take Pictures of You

Branding, Marketing, Social Media
A great way of getting the word out about what you have to offer your community is to have someone else do it for you. That's one reason why it's so easy for celebrities to grow their personal brands. Everywhere they go, their pictures are taken and shared with the world. They have no privacy. And in most cases that's okay with them. That's life in the public eye. That's free publicity. In rare instances, however - certain live performances such as the two I saw recently, by Dane Cook, the comedian, and Jethro Tull, the rock band - photographs and video recordings are forbidden. They don't like the distraction, for one thing. They also want complete control of their intellectual property. Not to mention...they're so ridiculously successful, they can…
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