New Years Eve, Charlotte, NC. Plaza-Midwood neighborhood, to be exact. It was 10 minutes to midnight, and a dozen adults, and even more children, were in an unfurnished home that our friends had closed on that morning. There was no cable or Internet access. In a rare moment of sobriety, it dawns on the adults that we don't have a way to know when the exact countdown begins in Times Square. Everyone panics. I turned to Twitter. With only about…
Verizon attacks AT&T's 3G coverage – the fuel supply that makes iPhone go. This is a smart strategy for a couple of reasons. First, it leaves the iPhone alone. After all, they're getting the coveted hardware in 2010. They don't want to piss Apple off. And second, it forces AT&T to hire Luke Wilson to fire back with toothless ads that go after the hardware Verizon carries. Which means, when Verizon starts carrying iPhone, AT&T will have no legitimate argument…
When I saw the trailers for Avatar over the summer, I thought it looked like a really neat idea if for no more than the special effects. After all, it was James Cameron – the man who made Titanic one of the worst-written movies in history. But then the hype machines started belching out the plumes of praise for Avatar, and I really expected this movie to fail on every level *except* visual effects. Boy, was I wrong. I took…
Lest we forget that when crafting effective messages – simple is better. Always. Merry Christmas. Jim is a father, husband, copywriter and founder of the virtual advertising agency smashcommunications. You can find him on Twitter at @smashadv.
I did something tonight that I rarely do – jump into a Twitter #chat. I've participated in a few #scriptchats recently, and observe other #chats from a distance – soaking in what I can use and leaving the rest. But tonight I dove into #blogchat, and I'm sure there are more than a few people who thought, 'Who the hell is this guy?' From what I can discern, most #blogchat people are either in public relations or have some type…
