I just saw the movie Contraband. I absolutely love fast-paced films about intelligent, illicit activity. Plus, Mark Wahlberg is pretty convincing in criminal protagonist roles, so I have no complaints.

But there always seem to be elements of movies like this one that have gaps. You know what I’m talking about: parts of the storyline that simply seemed to be overlooked; jumps from one thing to another that don’t quite add up. I tend to leave the theater and start to get all riled up as I try to put the pieces together and recognize that a handful of them are missing.

I figure that I can write these ‘gaps’ off in one of two ways: 1) The writers and producers don’t have a clue, which is unlikely. Or 2) A number of scenes were cut out deliberately because the movie would run seven hours if all of the connections were forged, and people wouldn’t stay to the end anyway. (Sure, there’s the third option that I simply missed the connectors, but since I’m always right, that can’t possible be the case and I’m justified in overlooking it. Please sense the facetiousness here, and roll with me for the sake of argument.)

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We are enthusiastic about our new business strategy and have an opportunity to add a salesperson to our team. Hooray!

Are you energetic and self-motivated? Are you hungry to make sales and do you thrive on the rush they give you? Do you have a keen understanding of the social, branding, marketing and business space in Omaha and beyond? dd|a – an intensely strategic and creative, award-winning “brandscaper” – is looking for an outstanding salesperson.

So the question is: Do you fit the bill, or do you know someone who might? Read on … (more…)

Quick Response or QR codes have been around for quite some time in the technologically savvy Japan. Their prevalence in Japan’s keitai culture is only just emerging in the mainstream here. Grab a QR code reader from your smart phone’s app store and read more about what QR codes are using the code above.

This article from Ad Week a couple of years ago talked about the potential innovative or prosaic use of QR codes.

I have not been surprised to see some banal use of QR codes as mere substitutes for a URL or as alternatives to print coupons.

What I love about QR codes is their instant ability to connect a user in a transient or mobile environment with a distinct message or form of engagement. It could be recipe tips or cooking “how to’s” in a grocery store; a free demo to a game to while away some time at a transit stop; a video of a band on a tour poster with a free ringtone download; additional audio/visual information in a museum exhibition, and so on.

Reporters without Borders went a step further and integrated the utility of QR codes into the channel and message itself, demonstrating the stunning innovative potential inherent in this technology:

There is also an essential beauty inherent within QR codes themselves, as well as a beauty in their utility. This has not escaped investigation:

Anyway. I don’t have any clever gimmicks with these QR codes, but pop along to one of the options below and post a comment on some suggestions you have or examples of great QR Code use:

On Sunday night’s episode of Celebrity Apprentice (“Raising the Steaks”) contestants were challenged to create occasion-specific meals using Omaha Steaks products.  The entire episode featured Omaha Steaks products and paraphernalia, not to mention celebrities singing the brand’s praises.  It was amazing!

A few years ago, we wrote about the remarkable transformation of the Omaha Steaks brand position and all of the work that went into it.  We love our clients and are proud that “Oma-Ha Steaks” is receiving such great national recognition!

Sidenote: What dd|a spent countless hours researching and carefully crafting, celebrity contestant Gary Busey took to new heights about 15 minutes into the episode by suggesting a Father’s Day kite… “And on the kite it says ‘Heartland Quality Omaha Steaks Since 1917.’” Genius.

We needed to have a little fun with that and see it come to fruition:

We may not be celebrities, but we’re pleased to see our work getting the star treatment.

I’ve always been one of those people who bitches about junk deliveries to my inbox and, ironically, looks forward with equal fervor to coming home to check the “snail mail.”  Recently, both have gotten exceptionally out of control.

No, I haven’t shared my address with new coupon providers or subscribed to new magazines.  (In fact, having recently moved, I have sneakily evaded a number of pesky grocery store mailbox flooders. Hah.)  Rather than stacks of handwritten letters and special “buy one jumbo pizza, get a second [AKA the addition of a few unwanted pounds plus a solid dose of sluggishness] free” offers behind the P.O. Box door, I find a special key – luring me to the neighboring “oversized mail” box which contains plastic pouches of pristine goodies expressly shipped by my oh-so-frugal self sometime 12 to 14 days prior.

The culprit:  sites offering deals.  groupon.com, woot.com, ideeli.com, gilt.com, thefoundary.com, ruelala.com, livingsocial.com, ahalife.com… An ever-growing collective phenomenon to strip me of my willpower. Exclusive online membership to get massive daily discounts on designer brands, tasty restaurants, fabulous vacations or fancy gadgets while supplies last.  Reaching us through Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, news websites and email (when we give them the golden ticket and invite them in) to offer us stuff we never even knew we wanted by speaking with the language of our witty buddies in the next cubicle.
Pure. Genius.

Deliciously beautiful, affordable things I couldn’t possibly find in a mundane Omaha storefront, right? That’s the thing – they don’t even give me enough time to find out.  I have a 600-second window to decide to purchase the item between the time I spot it and the time it disappears from my virtual cart and falls into the hands of Jane Doe clicking “refresh” on her computer somewhere in Honky Tonk, USA.  Oh, the pressure!

The sneakiest part: (more…)