Musings, Scribbles & Screed
Snaking our way into the Ralph’s market in Santa Barbara that Thursday I realized the world was changing. It was chaos. Stressed employees shouted orders at frantic shoppers pressed shoulder to shoulder in checkout lines that meandered in every direction. For the first time I saw entire aisles of empty shelves – my introduction to … Continue reading The Last Weekend
I am so ready to get back on the road. It'll be weird but it will be the best kind of weird. Here are a few things on my back-to-travel bucket list: Arrive at the airport five hours early, making time for breakfast, shopping, a few hours in the bookstore, and lunch before my flight.Check … Continue reading Ten Things I Will Do When I Travel Again
I’m rarely at a loss for words. That’s changed during this, um, “time” we’re in. Know what I mean? Since last spring, whenever the topic of, er, “this situation” arises in conversation with clients and colleagues, I find myself grasping for the right – polite -- term to use. In my mind’s eye I can … Continue reading What Do We Call It?
Dear Las Vegas, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all the things I said about you. I’m sorry for saying how much I dreaded visiting you for work. I’m sorry for what I said about how fake you were, how crowded and expensive you’d become, how uncomfortably hot you were. Yours is a dry heat, and … Continue reading Dear Las Vegas, I am sorry.
Announcer Doug: Welcome to the 2020 Doug & Ruckus Halftime Show, sponsored by “Take Me Out and Shoot Me” now streaming on WhoTF Cares Anymore. Announcer Ruckus: Well, we did not see this coming. At the midway point, 2020 is a total bloody smackdown, a big stinking pile of poo (and you are welcome). It’s … Continue reading Doug & Ruckus: Our 2020 Halftime Show
Disruption, Transformation and especially Innovation: words that should elicit goosebumps reduced to nickel notions. As marketers and communicators, we spent the last few decades tossing these terms like confetti in order to glorify minimal, incremental upgrades and to flog feel-good platitudes. I’ve spent as much time trying to convince clients and colleagues to reserve usage … Continue reading Disruption: I Finally Get It!
Look for new ways to engage and “touch” audiences and communities. Ironically, that’s more important now than ever.
It's been a tradition since I moved to New York City in 1994. Back then I'll admit it was a bit of a marketing tool and perhaps an ego-stroker. It instantly became an annual obsession, with the process beginning as early as July. Finding the right tone and topic is tricky. Inspiration comes (and goes) … Continue reading Happy Holidays: The Card!
Nearly every year since 1994 I've scribbled out a Christmas card that attempts to convey my situation and mindset at the time. Planning begins in the early fall, and I typically go through several complete iterations, along with hours of panic, hopelessness and renewed focus. Since 2006, Mary has served as partner and editor, and … Continue reading ART!: A Christmas Tradition
