I came across this beautiful piece of machinery the other day. Immediately, I thought two things. The first was that Bud Light just got a lot cooler in my book. The second was, “UCC or A-B approved?”  So I asked the man inside the bullet proof box whose ride it was, and he said it was his “friend’s.” That’s one hell of a friend, I thought, so I asked him if his friend was getting paid. He said (and yes, I’m quoting), “No, he just drinks the s$*t out of Bud Light.”

Wow. Either Bud Light’s brand team is getting extremely good with the stealth or this friend might actual exist.

Imagine someone who drinks the s$*t out of Bud Light so much, he took it upon himself to brand the rims, interior, hood, and doors of his personal ride. That’s straight up brand dedication and some serious jack. I mean, I drink the s$*t out of a lot of stuff, but there’s no way I’m dropping $20K to tell everyone about it.

And that’s what makes this “friend” so awesome. This “friend” is a perfect representation of consumers today. He owns the brand. Literally. He’s driving the brand. Literally. He’s personalizing it, making it his own and telling his community. This is as social as social media gets. This guy is the offline version of  Dusty and Michael of Facebook/Coca-Cola fame.

Certain brands (like Coke) just get it, then there are others ( yes, I’m talking to you Nestle) that just don’t. How long will it take? When will brands stop asking, “How does social media help me sell more product” and start asking, “How much am I losing by not engaging with my consumer?” Because that’s the real question.

And if you’re a brand manager asking that question and thinking about your bottom line, just look at what happened on Saturday Night.  Betty White hosted SNL. It was the highest rated SNL in 18 months. Why? Two reasons. 1. Betty White is badass. 2. She hosted the program because of an online petition started by fans on Facebook. (Kind of reminds me of another online petition) Not only did those 500,000 Facebook fanatics watch the show, they each told 100 friends to do the same. You can do the math on that one (I was told there would be no math.). NBC obviously did the math.

So what’s the point of this post? It’s simple.

Wake up and let them take the wheel.

If you’re idling on the side of the social media raceway, not only are you going to get lapped by the competition, it’s going to be from your former consumer driving their car. You need to get in their pit crew and talk with them about the best way around the track. Do that and you’ll win some races AND sell some product.

P.S. When I initially tweetpic’d these shots, I hash-tagged Bud Light. And as you can guess, I didn’t get a response. Too bad. They’re missing out on some great conversations.

Awwww…. Poor Tiger.

By now I’m sure most of you have seen Nike’s new TV spot with a close up of Tiger Woods’ sad puppy face and a voiceover from his dead dad speaking to him like he’s 8. I’ve always admired Nike for their ability to make sketchy sports figures out to be heroes of the world. But really, Nike? This one is too much of a stretch for me. It’s too soon to feel sorry for poor little Tiger, and I feel like that’s what Nike is going for here. I’ve heard some praise the commercial though, and I’m interested to hear everyone’s thoughts.

Good or bad spot from Nike?

*And please don’t give me the “well, we’re talking about it aren’t we?” That’s bulsh. Obviously any commercial featuring Tiger is going to be talked about… I want to know what you think of the message, if there is such a thing. 

To follow up on the hipster dog post from last week, I bring you something much more ridiculous. Dressing your dog up is one thing, but caring about what they have to, um… say, is another. Thanks to the folks at Japanese Toy company Takara Toys, your dog can have a voice on Twitter. The BowLingual is a device that captures and analyzes a dog’s bark, matching it with one of six general emotions. It will be available this summer in an iphone app with Twitter integration. Seriously. How much information on Twitter is already completely irrelevant to our lives? I like dogs too, but c’mon people and dogs. Leave this one alone. 

Hipsters are everywhere you look these days. With their indie bands, worn-out threads, and coffee shop loitering tendencies. Now the culture is spreading to the canine world. Check it out. These dogs are way, way cooler than your dog. 

With the big game on Sunday, it’s time to start placing your bets. On the ads, of course. Who will get their money’s worth ($2.6 million) out of a 30-second spot? I have two picks: E*Trade and Doritos. The talking babies haven’t gotten old yet and somehow they seem to be getting funnier. And I love the Doritos approach with fan submitted commercials. It’s brilliant, and it’s proven effective. You can check out the finalists now, which are all pretty solid. Of course we’re excited to see what our friends at A-B Inbev put out there as well (we already know the Clydesdales are going to make an appearance). So Tim Tebow vs. Mancrunch aside, who will make the biggest buzz this year in the Super Bowl?

So I’ve been thinking about a conversation I had recently, and it’s a conversation I’m shamed to admit that I’ve had a few hundred times before. It went a little something like this…

“Hey, man. What’s new?”

“Not much. What’s new with you?”

“Ah, you know. Same ol’. Same ol’.”

“I hear that.”

“Yep.”

“Yep.”

“All right, later.”

“Later.”

Wow. What a waste.

We decided that there was absolutely nothing new to say or mention. Imagine that. Nothing new happening in the world.  No new knowledge to drop. Not a single tidbit of new information about… anything.

A perfect chance to give one another the gift of knowledge, and we turned it down. It was a chance to grow. A chance to innovate. A chance to evolve. But instead, we said, “F you, Mr. New.”

Who does that? (Especially in this business, right?)

Well, I did. And it’s never going to happen again.

Imagine all the things we could learn in a day, if we asked everyone we saw, “What’s new?” and we actually had a meaningful exchange about something new in our lives.

‘There’s some cool new anti WiFi paint on the market now.” “I think Paulie laughed at 30 Rock last night.” “The Walkmen are a great band. Check em out.”"Just read Baked In.” “Just pitched some great work for MOCADSV.”

Just one thing. One shiny new thing that you can give one another. Free.

That’s why, today, I start anew.

Today, I’m going to learn more about you and learn something new. Every time I see you, I’m going to ask you “What’s new?” and not stop until you give it to me.  And I want you to do the same. Ask me, “What’s new?” Ask everyone you meet. Everyday.

Emerson said it best, “Knowledge is the antidote to fear.” And I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to fear anything.

So, I gotta ask…

“What’s new with you?”

If you’ve ever tried to hire anyone, you’d quickly discover that finding good talent is one of the hardest things you’ll ever encounter in your professional career. How are you supposed to know in a matter of 12 -16 hours you actually spend with a candidate that she is a perfect fit for the job at hand? It’s not possibly enough time to find out if this person is true to her word, passionate about doing great work or committed to building a great team.

Sure, you can spread out the risk. Make sure the candidate spends time with various leaders you trust throughout your organization, solicit candid feedback, define the specific criteria you’re looking for and ask smart, insightful questions that give you a little peek into the person’s soul.

But where does that really get you? How do you PROVE this person is the best candidate? How do you KNOW the candidate will play nice with others, present our work in a compelling manner and use influencing skills to better the agency? You don’t. At some point, you just have to take a LEAP OF FAITH. You have to TRUST your initial instincts and the feedback of others. You simply have to put a STAKE IN THE GROUND. And that’s hard to do…at least I find it is.

However, just because it’s a hard thing to do doesn’t mean I’m not up for the challenge. Or that I should stop looking for the perfect fit for the job. Or that it should deter you from applying for the job. Because when everything is right, it will fall into place. We just need to have a little faith and together we’ll get there. So, to that end:

Check out our latest job posting for an ACCOUNT DIRECTOR. Apply if you’re up for the challenge. I know I am. And I know I am still searching…

Yesterday we talked about the new iPhone and its addition of video. On the surface, it may not seem like that big of a deal (This is the point in the conversation where you say, “My old Razor shot video, what’s the big deal?”). Well, it’s actually huge. Why so big? Two words: Live video.

For a while now, a few companies have been fighting it out for streaming mobile video dominance. Most notably:  uStream, Qik, Kyte, Flixwagon, and LiveCast. Their success or failure is really dependent on two variables: 1) level of their platforms/technology and 2) consumer access. With the arrival of the new iPhone, and everyone who will buy one,  these players just got a major boost on the second point.

So why is this important to you? A lot of reasons. Let’s look at three.

News coverage – Sat trucks and network television will now be replaced by millions of backpack journalists and their cell phones. I was originally going to entitle this post “CNN is Screwed” but judging from their willingness to embrace new media (and save a few bucks), they’ll more than likely use this to their advantage. Right, Anderson Cooper?

Personal coverage – Little Jenny just graduated from college. Cool, right? Except half her family lives cross country. What to do? Whip out your cell phone and stream it for all to see… live as it happens. Post it live for all your friends to see on your Social Net.  Qik has already partnered with Facebook for mobile video uploads, but they’re not offering live video updates… yet. It’s just a matter of time. Can you say live video status updates? And you thought uploading those photos from your drunken Friday night was a bad idea.

Branded coverage – Imagine extending the life of an event or or promotion by simply having your audience share the experience live with their friends. Suddenly a 2,000-person event just became a 2,000,000-person event as each attendee shares their video with 100 friends on Facebook. Imagine having consumers in Times Square/Piccadilly/Shinjuku uploading live video to the D.O.O.H. boards as they sample your products. Stop imagining. It’s happening.

Just like most technologies, the possibilities are endless, and there will always be smart brands who take advantage of this technology. But the real question isn’t “When is it going to take off?” but rather “Where will you be when it does?” I don’t know about you, but I know where I will be.

Yep. That pretty much sums it up. Oh,  and so does this.

The subject of “office space” came up today in a conversation with Annie, and oddly enough, I come across this amazing feat of architecture from firm Selgas Cano over on PSFK.  It makes me think about our own false need of “work space” and how much we can adapt when provided a better solution.  So, we really have to…or is it just all we know how to do?