i'm amber. here is stuff.

Search first, ask questions later.

This weekend, we started seeing tiny buttons next to each Google search result that allow you to move a site up or down in the ranking, personalizing the results that you get each time you search on that particular keyword when logged into Google.   So, this thing, called Google Search Wiki,  allows you to quickly get to what you've determined to be the most relevant returns on a search.

The preferences are visible only to you, barring the "see all Google search wiki results" link at the bottom of the page for each search - where you can see what other people ranked as relevant, and any comments they made on the listings.

To me, this is more than just a cool new tool.  The very existence of Google Search Wiki is acknowledgement that people tend to search for the same thing many times over, and use search to get to sites they already know exist, not just find new ones.

I do this all the time - I almost never type a url.  I always just type the name of the site, or the terms I know will get me there into my Google Searchbar.  I've done this in front of some people, and they think it's weird.   The reason for why I do it that way is that it's faster.  I always inevitably type a url wrong  (.cm is my classic typo), which then takes me (usually) to a spam site, which means I have to retype it, and....ugh.   Too much work.   If I make a mistake when I type my search into the Google bar, it will almost always know what I meant to type, and I get my result anyway, saving time and energy on my part.  (I guess that article about Google making people stupid might have some validity with me).    
I use this technique this for stuff that I don't have a browser bookmark for, and that I can remember well enough that I don't need to sift through my Del.ici.ous bookmarks to jog my memory.   

The fact that Google Search Wiki has been created sort of validates the fact that a lot more people than just me tend to use this 'search first' method, even if they know where they want to get to.

This all seems pretty obvious, but in my experience, it isn't widely acknowledged by brands.  I think that some marketers still think that when they put a url on a tv spot, someone is out there meticulously typing that url in letter by letter.  The importance of a comprehensive search strategy that works with other communications is immense, because this is generally not what people do.  

Brands know that SEM is important, and invest against all the key terms that are relevant to their business, including their own brand name.  The thing is, their competitors do this as well, and even if I am a person who seemingly knows what I want, because I searched directly for it, that doesn't mean that I can't be drawn away to a competitor at that point.

Example: I searched 'Harry and David', because I am uncreative gift giver when it comes to my grandparents.

But look at that! Even though I searched for them, I might be swayed by Pemberton Farms over there, because they are offering 15% off.   This wouldn't have happened if I'd simply typed HarryandDavid.com into the URL bar,  but it happened because my first instinct was to search.

I guess my point here is that maybe the ad should be different for people who directly search for the brand name, to keep them on track in getting to the site.  Since I already know what the brand is, because I searched for it, maybe the job of any paid search ad is to fight off competitors, rather than explain what the brand is.   A lot of brands do this already, but I think more brands should. 

(Not that $7 flat shipping would be enough to keep me from clicking on whatever White House Black Market is....come on Gap, you can do better than that.)

Search is incredibly ingrained into not only how we initially look for information, but also how we relocate the information and resources we know and trust.  In my opinion, the creation of Google Search Wiki is hard evidence of this.   So as a brand, if  I'm already aware enough of who you are to search for you directly,  isn't there an opportunity to do more at that point than repeat to me who you are, and that you exist?

Mad Men Twitter Tell-All on it's way

By now, pretty much everyone on the planet has weighed in on the Mad Men character twitter accounts.  There are lots of opinions and loads of speculation on the topic -  the suspension of the accounts, the saga of the two Betty Drapers,  and most recently, the no-longer-so-mysterious Don Draper twitterer.

But what about the facts?  Everyone who has been following the Mad Men characters and the Twitter-drama they've created is eager to find out what happened behind-the-scenes, between the anonymous Twitter account owners.

from the comments on Paul Isakson's post revealing himslf as @Don_Draper:

Well, now it's coming.  Apparently, on December 8th, @bud_melman, the creator of WeAreSterlingCooper.com, an aggregate site for all Mad Men Twitter-related antics, is going to share  findings from his social media experiment and journey in a brand new fan-fiction medium. 

So if you can't wait to see what real-life drama went on between the twitterers* then email this guy!

*I know. I REFUSE to say Tweeters. or Tweets. or any other made up Tw____ word.

PS:  That is just gross, @bertramcooper.

FFFFound vs ShareSomeCandy

By now, most everyone probably knows what FFFFound is - images are posted by the lucky early registrants, and each image connects you with other images that are similar.   A lot of people still really, really want FFFFound invites.  I guess we all want what we can't have, so maybe that's why they haven't oened up the registration to everyone.

So given this situation, ShareSomeCandy was created,  and apparently anyone can submit an image, although I looked and have no idea how you go about doing this.  

I get the RSS feed for both of these, and I can see why someone would post an image they found on ShareSomeCandy to FFFFound (wider audience),  but not really the other way around, because aren't the odds pretty good that they people who look at ShareSomeCandy already look at FFFFound?  

I completely accept that sometimes there will be duplicate postings of the same image -- this happens even on FFFFound, with it's supposedly discerning coven of invitees.     And I guess you could argue that if someone posts something on ShareSomeCandy that they've already seen on FFFFound, then it only means more links to the source, which is always nice.

But why not just link right to the original source then?   I don't get it.

saw this here...

links back to....

I'm not really drawing any conclusions here,  but I just feel like if someone went to the trouble to make ShareSomeCandy,  what's the point of duplicating stuff that (probably) the same people have most likely seen?

(There's also ,  but someone over there seems to have a weird penchant for Tilda Swinton.)

Gourmet Garage: The official rules

It's come to my attention over the past few visits that there are some apparently new patrons of Gourmet Garage on Mercer and Broome that do not yet know the rules of engagement there, and are wreaking havoc and causing general chaos. 

So, for these people, and anyone who needs a refresher course, here are the rules you must abide by in and around Gourmet Garage on Mercer and Broome during lunch hours.

Entering the building:
PULL the handle of the door.  do not push it, or sneak in past other people who are already opening it.

No matter how tempting, DO NOT enter via the side door on Mercer Street!!!  The flow of traffic is designed so people EXIT through that door.  The big tip off there is that it's right beyond ALL of the checkout lanes, and you must push your way through said checkout lanes to the merchandise if you enter that way.  People who do this should be punished.

Front area -  fruit,  bread, flowers:
once inside - DO NOT stop to look around.  If you happen to be buying flowers or packaged berries, please determine what you want before entering, and grab said item while still in motion.  If you must stop, stop in front of the Naked Juice fridge, because I don't need to go over there.  Or veer left toward the bread.

Prepared Food area, or "the danger zone":
If you see people standing near the soup area not doing anything, odds are that they are waiting to get soup.  This means that you should NOT grab a container as fast as you can and squeeze in front of them, assuming that they are standing there just for kicks.   Get in line.  (and next time you see people standing in front of an elevator, don't go push the again button like you always do).

The same goes for the sushi and sandwich ordering area.  If you're confused, say "have you ordered yet?" to the other people.  And if you have ordered, move your carcass.

As for coffee -- get it somewhere else.   You're blocking the prepared salads just to get some crappy Peets coffee from a coffee-dispenser-machine thing.  Go to Starbucks.

Chip Alley and the Drink Cooler
This is an area that seems safe because you're out of the danger zone and couldn't possibly do any harm, but you're wrong.  Chip Alley is one of the only paths to the Drink Cooler, and standing there deliberating over which kind of Stacy's Pita Chips you should get is NOT OK.  If you want chips, make it quick.  If you are flirting with the idea of getting chips but know that you really shouldn't, then move along.

Again, for the drink cooler -- make it quick. You may think that you want to try Mash soda because it comes in a cute bottle, but we all know you're going to get the Diet Coke so just get it over with, and save us all the grief.

Dried fruit and nut section:
Just hug the shelf if you're going to get something here - and try not to wildly gesticulate to friends about the yogurt-covered pretzels, clotheslining other customers in the process (this happened). 

The Back Half - cheese, seafood, veggies
eh, I don't really go over there, so do whatever you want.

Checkout
ALL THE LINES ARE THE SAME.  I repeat, ALL THE LINES ARE THE SAME.  Pacing slowly back and forth debating which one will move a fraction of a second faster slows us all down. 

If you want candy, that is fine.  Stand behind or next to the people in line, and pick your stupid chocolate bar.  Do not get in one line, look at the candy from that vantage point, and then shuffle through people to check if there is different candy in another line.   All their candy sucks anyway, except for the Honeez and the Ghirardelli squares, and those are in every line. (See above -- ALL LINES ARE THE SAME).

Exiting the building:
Finish checking out, grab your napkins/spoons/whatever, and go OUTSIDE.  If you are waiting for your friend, they will inevitably exit out of that door, and you will be reunited. You do not need to wait inside. 

Helpful Hints:
If the soup you want has run out, just pick something else.  It will take them forever to bring more.

"Order a sandwich, lose an hour" - Not an old wives tale, it's true.  They are mindnumbingly slow. Even with the sandwiches on their own menu.

Heirloom tomatoes are supposed to look like that.  You're not going to find a better looking one.  Move on, please.

Hi AWNY Career Conference Attendees!

Thanks so much for coming today.  We hope you learned a lot, and feel more prepared to begin your job search, wherever it may take you. 

(perhaps on business trips, seated next to a snoring British man,  whose son owns a Sticky Toffee Pudding mail order business)

You can download the Career Communications Architecture that we reviewed right here:   Download Awny_commsarch_final .  

Some other resources you my be interested in checking out are:

Talent Zoo :  a job site specifically dedicated to the advertising and marketing professions. (The paid services you can skip, but there's lots of free information on there)

LinkedIn:  This is definitely useful - a tool that many employers use to look for talent.

Creative Hotlist: more for the creative side of advertising / design.

Ad Age Talent Works:  all advertising jobs, from the original ad-rag.

Mediabistro:  Geared toward the media industry, but includes advertising and marketing gigs as well.

Ad Week's job site:  Client side marketing and ad agency jobs

Agency Spy:  The inside scoop on different ad agencies and the industry in general

Good luck out there!  And feel free to comment below to let us know what other resources would be helpful for you.  :)

Leila and Amber

"I'm over 40 now, no longer by even the most charitable definition a young adult, and I'm starting to realize, in something like panic, that I don't understand anything, and that nobody else seems to know any more about it than I do. There aren't any grownups. And maybe there aren't any secrets left to tell."

read this, you won't regret it.

Make your own muppet!!!!!!!

omg. omg. omg.

welcome to now

Mike Arauz twittered this Sprint site, and I clicked, and then my head sort of exploded.  Not really, but this thing, whatever it's for (to tell me I can have broadband internet?) , is awesome.  The daaaashbuud to end all daaaashbuuds (inside joke - ask anyone at Naked).   I don't need any of this information, and I'm guessing a lot of it is fake,  but to have it all suddenly appear in front of me at once tells me that I should immediately buy this Sprint thing, no matter what the cost.

 

I watched the part where the stick goes into the USB port at least 5 times.  I just kept reloading.

Make sure you turn your sound on, because there is a robot lady voice, and those wooshy rollover sound effects that I love so much!!