Blog

Monday, March 15, 2004 – Howard Dean had the Sleepless Summer Tour. We have the Sleepless Spring Tour. At least, that’s how I’m envisioning -- and referring to -- the next several months. You could say that Yellowfin is like a candidate running for office, with a voice -- a reason d’etre -- just begging to be heard by the largest possible coalition. I would say that Yellowfin, as a brand, is a best-kept secret -- when it ought to be top-of-mind. But we know better than to just clutch at straws, articulating our platform for anyone within hearing distance. We’re not going to be accused of “interrupting jaundiced strangers,” the fundamentally flawed marketing model that Seth Godin refers to in his groundbreaking book, Purple Cow. We’re going to establish…

Friday, March 5, 2004 – The last three days I have had my nose to the grindstone, working at a feverish pace with Sarah and one of our freelancers to put together several different fundraising packages, all for schools, each under a tight deadline. The good news is that we are only at the rough stage on these projects, so we don’t have to flesh out every single detail. But the due dates still loom nonetheless. At the same time, we’re also working on a catchy, new ad campaign for Yellowfin, using the concept of fish (surprise, surprise) as a recurring theme. And finally, I’m working on an article about direct marketing for one of our suppliers. They called the other day and asked me to write something for their…

Tuesday, March 2, 2004 – When I had my own business, Cargill Creative, in the early ‘90s, I was a very active member of the New England Direct Marketing Association. I enjoyed the camaraderie of the meetings -- the deep, lasting friendships that were formed, the vast network that was built -- so much so that for ten straight years my attendance was nearly perfect. After my term as president in 1999-2000, however, the NEDMA experience became almost anticlimactic for me, and my participation in association activities slipped precipitously. I’ve still shown up for the annual awards show and conference, but like a fair weather friend who always seems to have something better to do, I’ve only made it to a couple of regular meetings each year. My bad. Tonight,…

Monday, March 1, 2004 – We have our first all-hands-on-deck staff meeting this afternoon, at which I plan to resurrect my story about green and purple ketchup. I’ve told this story on a number of different occasions in the past, whenever I want to make a point about creativity and change. I’ll ask my audience to put themselves in the shoes of H.J. Heinz executives the first time someone suggested the company offer its traditional red ketchup in both “Blastin’ Green” and “Funky Purple.” Of course, such a notion must have seemed farfetched, almost foolish, at the time. But just a few years later, young, impressionable children -- including my own two boys, Scott and Ben -- couldn’t get enough of these two new shades of the condiment. Now I’m…

Tuesday, February 24, 2004 -- In the last 24 hours, we sent my press release out to nearly 200 clients, prospects, industry colleagues, friends and members of the media, announcing to this pond in which Yellowfin swims that the new employee has been granted his fins. Talk about diving into the water -- headfirst! Already I’m working on a couple of direct mail packages for one of our nonprofit clients in the academic world. I've never been one to dilly dally, though. So bring on the deadlines. It's not like I haven't been there before. Sarah -- she's our Art Director -- and I held an invigorating brainstorm session today. And tomorrow I owe her headlines and key copy points. But that’s not all that’s on my plate. I’m looking…

Friday, February 20, 2004 -- At lunch, I took a long walk around the Boston Design Center, the building in which Yellowfin is located. Wow! Like clockwork, one monstrously large plane after another flies directly overheard, jet engines roaring, negotiating their way in and out of Logan Airport. Like a lost tourist, I found myself meandering down a long South Boston pier, where I noticed just how spectacular our view of the city skyline is across the harbor. Our building itself is an incredible sight, looming some 1,638-feet long and 126-feet wide, having been built in 1918 as a military supply depot. Today, it is home to dozens of fancy showrooms chock-full of fabrics, furniture, lighting, art, antiques, kitchens, baths, you name it. It’s a veritable candy store for interior…