Definition: what occurs when your brain is churning on the next great concept.

It doesn’t seem like something to sweat over. It’s an alarm clock. But I must say, it has suddenly decided to wake me – and the rest of the house – up at astounding volumes. This morning’s wake up call made me realize that I’m kind of attached to it. Remember high school graduation? There are two gifts I vividly remember getting – a pair of PJs from my aunt and an alarm clock from a set of cousins. Not sure why I remember the PJs (they were a blue and pink flannel short set) but I know why I remember the alarm clock -
I STILL USE IT.

This thing is 18 years old. It has an audio cassette player on it. It has the ability to set two alarms (perfect for a college roomate and later a husband). Did I mention it has a cassette player???

My kids loved playing with it when they were babes. It was so easy to reach and turn on!

The snooze button lasts seven long and luxurious minutes.

I used to be able to squint to see the numbers.
Now, I have to ask what time it is without my glasses.

I know this clock. It knows me.

And after 18 good years, I think it’s got to go.

Kind of like a kid, finishing up high school and heading on to the next chapter.

Just like I did 18 years ago.

Time flies.

Every girl has a diary at some point in life. And after two weeks of posting to this blog, I kind of feel like that’s what I’m doing… writing in my diary. Only there’s no pencil. And the lock is a password, not the little flimsy key kind that used to be on the diaries of my tweens (back before there was a thing called tweens, I might add).

So here’s the thing… now that my diary is public, I might as well try to answer some questions for you. Sooo… is there anything you want to know about advertising, writing or marketing in general? I can’t promise to make it as intriguing as the little book of secrets in the Mean Girls movie, but I will do my best.

Yours truly,
HRP

This just in – my desktop is littered with photos, files and everything else that’s been going on for the last six months (or so). Is this weird? Am I that different? Or does my staccato nature of hopping from one task to the next just make everyone crazy? I thought it was a creative thing. But upon perusing just a few other desktops at the office, I’m kind of thinking that I’m in the minority.

So you tell me – what does your desktop look like?

Psychoanalysis from this experiment to come later. In the form of a screen shot. Which will have to be numbered something after Picture 78. Cause that’s what I’m up to. Today.

I cannot turn my brain off. At least once a week, I’m sitting at a stoplight and I see something – which makes me think of a project I’m working on. Next thing I know I’m off in la-la land figuring out how to make this idea work. Until the car behind me beeps. For anyone sitting behind me at the stoplight, I apologize. I just can’t help it!

Sort of like Doofenshmirtz can’t help but be a nice guy. He just can’t turn off the good amidst all his evil plots. And… if you don’t know who I’m talking about – then you MUST go watch Phinneas and Ferb. Not kidding. Disney genius.

Happy Friday!

My 7 year-old brought home his yearbook and I must say, I’m not sure who was more excited – him or me. He hopped in my car and said “Guess what?! I got my yearbook! Can we eat dinner then sit and look at it together?”

I practically owe my love for a solid concept to my days as a high school yearbook editor. We were a hands on crew, the yearbook staff. It was up to us to create the book that everyone coveted (or so we hoped). We wrote the stories, we did the layouts, we took the photos, we sold the ads. We were our own little ad agency, hiding in a class that I would have taken even if it didn’t count towards my high school graduation credits.

I had weaseled my way into the yearbook staff earlier than most of my classmates. And there’s one thing I learned early on – every year the senior staff members wanted to outdo the previous year’s book. So when it was my senior year… we went to a yearbook summer camp at UNC (not kidding). We went to New York to participate in a series of classes to improve our yearbook production skills (still, not kidding). We argued, fussed and fought over what concept made the best sense. And if someone missed a deadline, it was common to hear someone else shouting at the top of their lungs OH HELVETICA. (This WAS high school, you know). In the end, we wrapped my senior high school yearbook concept around the idea that our school was going through a lot of major changes. It was called In The Works and we somehow convinced our teachers to spend the extra money to die cut the cover with a hole where the O in Works was. A cover with a hole in it? We thought it was revolutionary.

I remember late nights putting together mock ups after my parents had gone to bed. The smell of rubber cement will always be with me. (Aging myself, aren’t I?) I remember writing stories about a club and hoping to get it just right. And I will never forget toting a camera around almost everywhere just in case I saw something that might need to make it into the book. But what I will never, ever forget is the day that books were delivered for everyone to pick up. That sense of pride will never leave me. And the looks of people’s faces as they pored over the content – every single second of work put into that book was worth it right then and there.

So… here’s the thing about yearbooks. They are more than a look back at your friends, your teachers, your clubs. It’s a snapshot in time. And it dawned on me today that companies could benefit from having a yearbook as well. Why leave the fun just for kids? Sure, I know what you’re thinking – companies have annual reports. And to that, I say – they’re just not the same. Others of you may be thinking that companies have internal blogs. Okay… that’s a little closer. But how often does one turn back the time to review a company blog? Not much. Which means – watch out Chernoff Newman. I might just have to get a yearbook committee together.

“Your phone is your social passport.” That’s what the new business director at Gowalla says about your smart phone. I have to agree. Whether you’re using Gowalla, Four Square or Facebook for check-ins, your phone shows just where you’ve been. This may seem like over-sharing for some. For others, it’s a way to say “I like this brand – and you should too.” Who’s benefiting? From the clip below, it sounds like small businesses. And who can argue with helping your own community flourish?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4oWT5od-fVk#at=26

In my mind, Gowalla works like a rewards program if offers are made upon a check-in. And the instant access is clearly an easy way to an immediate transaction. Bye-bye coupons as you once knew them! So why do I like Gowalla over Four Square? Maybe it’s the Willimac effect – he was the first to show it to me. Maybe because Gowalla seems comfortable where they are as a brand – kinda like our friends at Apple. Or maybe it’s just the simplicity of the User Interface. (I like the new addition of the receipt after check-in.) And even thought I never really got into the gaming part of Gowalla, getting a new item does make me smile.

So here’s to Gowalla and the next wave of consumer loyalty programs. May they allow small businesses everywhere to grow and prosper.

“Every day is Mother’s Day to me.” – my seven year-old son

Confused? So was I. In working on some new concepts, I came across this word and wondered what it means. WARNING: this gets very math-y. And you know why copywriters gave up art direction, right? Why yes, it has everything to do with math.

Check out this link: http://www.kjmaclean.com/Geometry/Icosahedron.html

You know you were a kid of the 70s when… C’mon, you have played that game. We all have. But when you run across something that you’d forgotten even existed, it’s kind of like being thrown back in time. I found this today when doing some research. Most people know I love cheese. Especially the goat variety. Maybe I can blame this video for getting me hooked.

Click on the link: Time for Timer