San Francisco Marketing Agency Blog - Branding, Design, Art & Life - The M-Line » Tom http://the-m-line.com/blog San Francisco Marketing Agency Blog from The M-Line Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:41:55 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= The secret to everything is … http://the-m-line.com/blog/thought-leaders/the-secret-to-everything-is/ http://the-m-line.com/blog/thought-leaders/the-secret-to-everything-is/#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 18:41:55 +0000 Tom http://the-m-line.com/blog/?p=619 … well, you’ll have to wait a minute to find out. See, our friend, client and mentor, Coach Rolland Todd is a man of wisdom built on years of life experience facing problems head on. Recently, he was invited to be part of a TED event called, Youth@Monterey. He had all kinds of topics that he could’ve talked about, but he wanted to find something that not only touch the hearts of the young people in the audience, but the adults in the room as well.

So, what is the secret to everything? Rolland Todd believes that secret is relationships. I agree. Not exactly sure what I mean? Well, here’s the video to learn for yourself. It’s only a few minutes long, so sit back, turn up the volume and enjoy some simple ideas that may just make your life a little bit better. Enjoy.

]]> http://the-m-line.com/blog/thought-leaders/the-secret-to-everything-is/feed/ 0 Louis C.K. – Marketing Rebel http://the-m-line.com/blog/marketing-and-design-news/louis-c-k-marketing-rebel/ http://the-m-line.com/blog/marketing-and-design-news/louis-c-k-marketing-rebel/#comments Wed, 14 Dec 2011 20:13:15 +0000 Tom http://the-m-line.com/blog/?p=613 Louis C.K. currently rounds out my five favorite comedians of all time list(the others are George Carlin, Bill Burr, Dave Chapelle and Jerry Seinfeld), and his new marketing strategy might have moved him up a notch.

He recently released a brand new comedy special, “Louis C.K. Live at the Beacon Theatre,” and decided to sell it on his own instead of going through a major distributor. If you’re not familiar with releasing albums/videos, it can be tricky to sell them without a good distributor. Nowadays, most artists use iTunes and other digital download sites to promote their work. It takes a great deal of promotional work and buzz to generate enough sales to cover your costs and start earning a profit doing it on your own. In fact, it takes balls to forego the major distro route.

The folks at Marketing Pilgrim wrote the post I read this morning about Louis C.K.’s experiment selling his work on his own. I’ve been a fan of Louis C.K. for years now, and I think this move is fantastic. Coming from the world of indie music and being someone who has been deeply entrenched in DIY promotions, it’s great to see someone of his stature doing this. As the Marketing Pilgrim article points out, this is a chance to think about how you can market your own products and services DIY. You’ve heard of Duct Tape Marketing and Guerilla Marketing, and consider this move by Louis C.K. as following some of their ideas and making them work. Sure, DIY takes some extra effort, but the rewards are that much more meaningful.

At the very least, I hope reading this post and the linked article  spark the old noggin to start thinking about what you can do differently for your clients and your company that others may not be willing to try. Be a rebel … at least think about it.

I hope you enjoy the read.

Cheers.

]]> http://the-m-line.com/blog/marketing-and-design-news/louis-c-k-marketing-rebel/feed/ 0 The Importance of Listening http://the-m-line.com/blog/thought-leaders/the-importance-of-listening/ http://the-m-line.com/blog/thought-leaders/the-importance-of-listening/#comments Tue, 18 Oct 2011 20:04:02 +0000 Tom http://the-m-line.com/blog/?p=610 The other day I was standing on the corner of Bryant and 2nd streets in SF. I realized how many different sounds there were competing for my attention. It hit me how today it’s so difficult for us to stay focused on one point of sound, or more importantly focus on those who we’re speaking to.

Not only is this important in our personal relationships, it is critical in our professional ones as well. I happened upon this fantastic short Ted Talk by Julian Treasure, an expert on sound.

He offers 5 tips on how we can all listen better. Just imagine how things would be if everyone actually listened to each other? The world would be a very different, and I wager a much better place. Understanding each other leads to less conflict and more solutions. Here’s the video. Enjoy.

]]> http://the-m-line.com/blog/thought-leaders/the-importance-of-listening/feed/ 0 Ya-who? http://the-m-line.com/blog/marketing-and-design-news/ya-who/ http://the-m-line.com/blog/marketing-and-design-news/ya-who/#comments Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:51:39 +0000 Tom http://the-m-line.com/blog/?p=605 Sage Lewis over at ClickZ writes some great articles on search and digital marketing. Today he wrote a fantastic piece on what Yahoo COULD do to get back in the game, so to speak. Sage talks about getting Yahoo to focus on strategies like investing in innovation and research, asking your customers what THEY want, and letting your actions speak louder than your words. What novel ideas, eh?

 

Anyway, I felt it necessary to post about his piece because it really makes sense. To the folks at Yahoo, I truly hope you listen to his wise words, because some of us remember the glory days when Yahoo was known for much more than just a fading light up sign at the west side entrance to the Bay Bridge.

Here’s the link to an appropriately titled article, “Win Back My Love, Yahoo.”

 

Enjoy.

]]> http://the-m-line.com/blog/marketing-and-design-news/ya-who/feed/ 0 The moving process has begun! http://the-m-line.com/blog/marketing-and-design-news/the-moving-process-has-begun/ http://the-m-line.com/blog/marketing-and-design-news/the-moving-process-has-begun/#comments Thu, 01 Sep 2011 20:52:37 +0000 Tom http://the-m-line.com/blog/?p=603 It’s been awhile since we posted to the blog, so figured this news was as good a reason as any … The M-Line is moving up the street and around the block! We found a rad new home over on Bryant Street where we’ll be, as I like to say, “increasing the awesome.” Over the next few weeks we’ll be inhaling dust, taping old boxes together, purging old stuff and selling furniture. Hey, come to think of it, if you’re in the market for any new office furniture, say a chair, desk, cabinets or whatever, we’ve probably got something for you.

 

Give us a call or email if interested. We’ll let ya know when the move is done and what the new address is. Website, phone and email will all be staying the same, so no worries there.

 

Till next time …

]]> http://the-m-line.com/blog/marketing-and-design-news/the-moving-process-has-begun/feed/ 2 Battle Of The Bay Resumes This Weekend! http://the-m-line.com/blog/alcohol-parks-and-recreation/battle-of-bay-resumes-this-weekend/ http://the-m-line.com/blog/alcohol-parks-and-recreation/battle-of-bay-resumes-this-weekend/#comments Fri, 17 Jun 2011 18:27:18 +0000 Tom http://the-m-line.com/blog/?p=599 Happy Friday to all! It’s a gorgeous day here in San Francisco and that leads me to thoughts of fresh cut green grass, cold beer and America’s pastime… baseball! The Giants of San Francisco battle the Athletics of Oakland all weekend long in the old Coliseum on the other side of the bridge. As an A’s fan (the only one in the office I might add), it’s been a tough ride. The Giants are the better team by far, but I think the A’s just might steal a game or two. We shall see. I recommend you join me in watching. Any takers? We tailgate on Saturday in the north lot. Come on over!

 

Sure there’s lots of marketing news and whatnot we could spend time writing about, but isn’t thinking of cold beer, hot dogs and Bay Area baseball so much more fun than that? I think so too. For today, enjoy the weather and may the best … well… green team win.

 

Prost!

]]> http://the-m-line.com/blog/alcohol-parks-and-recreation/battle-of-bay-resumes-this-weekend/feed/ 0 SFO Terminal 2 Community Open House Video http://the-m-line.com/blog/they-might-be-clients/sfo-terminal-2-community-open-house-video/ http://the-m-line.com/blog/they-might-be-clients/sfo-terminal-2-community-open-house-video/#comments Fri, 15 Apr 2011 22:17:47 +0000 Tom http://the-m-line.com/blog/?p=596 Happy Friday everyone! SFO’s new Terminal 2 is now open, and the buzz around the web is big! I thought I’d share this cool video done by Diane Harrigan about her trip to the Terminal 2 Community Open House. Enjoy!


T2 SFO Global Social Sustainable by DianeHarrigan

]]> http://the-m-line.com/blog/they-might-be-clients/sfo-terminal-2-community-open-house-video/feed/ 0 SFO’s Terminal 2 Ready to Go http://the-m-line.com/blog/they-might-be-clients/sfos-terminal-2-ready-to-go/ http://the-m-line.com/blog/they-might-be-clients/sfos-terminal-2-ready-to-go/#comments Mon, 11 Apr 2011 22:18:33 +0000 Tom http://the-m-line.com/blog/?p=594 So, did you get down to SFO for the new Terminal 2 Community Open House this past weekend? No?! Well, then you missed out on some great food, drinks, arts and entertainment! No worries though, the new Terminal 2 will be open for planes and people starting April 14th.

The new Terminal 2 is beautifully-designed and has some fantastic new restaurants and shops. The artwork in the terminal alone makes it worth the visit! If you haven’t had a chance to click around the SFO Terminal 2 website, I urge you to check it out now.

Congrats to SFO, Turner Construction, Gensler Architects, Virgin America, American Airlines and everyone else involved in the opening of this great new space for traveling to and from the Bay Area.

]]> http://the-m-line.com/blog/they-might-be-clients/sfos-terminal-2-ready-to-go/feed/ 0 Friday Advertising Fun http://the-m-line.com/blog/alcohol-parks-and-recreation/friday-advertising-fun/ http://the-m-line.com/blog/alcohol-parks-and-recreation/friday-advertising-fun/#comments Fri, 11 Mar 2011 23:51:32 +0000 Tom http://the-m-line.com/blog/?p=590 It’s Friday and time to share a little advertising comedy! Jef passed this link on to me and we figured it made sense to share with the group.

I give to you, Things Real People Don’t Say About Advertising. It’s a funny little blog where ridiculous things are said about some of the ads we see everyday.

Give it a look and enjoy. Happy Friday!

]]> http://the-m-line.com/blog/alcohol-parks-and-recreation/friday-advertising-fun/feed/ 0 Community Open House for SFO’s New Terminal 2 http://the-m-line.com/blog/alcohol-parks-and-recreation/community-open-house-for-sfos-new-terminal-2/ http://the-m-line.com/blog/alcohol-parks-and-recreation/community-open-house-for-sfos-new-terminal-2/#comments Fri, 11 Mar 2011 01:10:30 +0000 Tom http://the-m-line.com/blog/?p=582 SFO is set to open the brand new Terminal 2 next month. We’ve been working feverishly on getting the word out to the people of the Bay Area, so I figured why not tell the readers of the blog? So, here goes …

On Saturday, April 9th, SFO is having a Community Open House to celebrate the Grand Opening of Terminal 2. There will be food, drinks, games, prizes, culinary demos and much more! You might even catch a glimpse of a local celebrity of two. The entire event is free to all. The Community Open House for Terminal 2 is from 12noon till 5PM. You must have a timed ticket for entrance, so please visit the event website at flysfo.com/t2opening for more information.

The new Terminal 2 is an architectural marvel including a wide array of artwork for local artists from the Bay Area. You’ll never want to fly out of another airport again!

Remember, tickets to the Community Open House are free, but you do need to register to get them. Go to flysfo.com/t2opening to get your free tickets and we’ll see you there!

Cheers.

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