Monthly Archives: April 2010

April 23, 2010 · 10:55 am

While you’re burning $20 bills…

Over the past few weeks I’ve been seeing that ad above in iTunes. I have to ask, why would I ever want to buy or rent this movie?

99.8% of the reviews of Avatar boiled down to “amazing 3D spectacle you have to see on the big screen, but other than that, it’s just a really bad version of Dances With Wolves.”

So let’s see if I have this math right. If I buy the DVD version, I don’t have the amazing 3D spectacle and I don’t have a theatrical screen. So I’m left with…a really bad version of Dances With Wolves? Somehow I think I could find a better way to blow $20. Like maybe buying the actual Dances With Wolves movie and having a few bucks left over for some Twizzlers.

1 Comment

Filed under Entertainment

April 22, 2010 · 9:50 am

Friday night tree felling

The phone in my back pocket began to ring and vibrate. I let go of the rope with my left hand and tore the glove off with my teeth. Knowing the ring tone belonged to Becca, I answered it.

“Hi, baby,” I said.

“Hey, I’m finally finished here and headed back,” she started.

“Can I call you back?” I asked.

“Sure, you busy?”

“I’m tied to a tree we’re trying to cut down.”

“Of course you are. Why wouldn’t you be?”

“Friday night at my parents’ house,” I answered, hanging up the phone.

1 Comment

Filed under Family

April 9, 2010 · 12:44 pm

How to do a rebranding face plant

Today, AT&T announced a rebrand of their semi-iconic logo. It’s an effort to distance themselves from their recent fights with Verizon and consistent complaints about terrible customer service and poor coverage. I’m working with a company right now on a relaunch of their brand. The first question that should always be asked is “how did we get here?” Why are we to the point that we even need to rebrand? What went wrong?

My problem is most rebrands start and end with a call to the agency handling the account, with absolutely no thought given to changing the things that soured the brand in the first place. AT&T, you don’t need a new logo. You need to not suck. I know given your size, that is probably a tough proposition. However, just redesigning the logo alone is like treating a headache but leaving the underlying brain tumor to continue to wreak havoc.

Rebranding shouldn’t start with the logo. It should start from the ground and move up from there eventually leading to a logo that represents the new and hopefully improved company.

Artwork via Brand New.

1 Comment

Filed under Business, Creativity