Garner Consulting, LLC

MMA just released its updated Mobile Advertising Guidelines.

Click to go directly to the pdf download.

If A is success in life, then A equals X plus Y plus Z.

Work is X; Y is play; and Z is keeping your mouth shut."

--Albert Einstein

I love this very insightful, as usual, AdAge article from Al Ries.

He accuses Motorola of blowing it when it comes to creating a brand by focusing instead only on the product. Essentially Motorola had an iPod-esque chance of creating a thin-phone positioning around the Razr brand. The problem was that Razr was only a single product for Motorola and they quickly diluted their market coup with half-a-dozen Krzr and MotoRokr and Pebl's, etc.

Now Al also has an issue with companies trying to do line extensions ad infinitum, so I'm a little curious how his full strategy would play out. He makes compelling comparisons to what Apple didn't do with iPod, and also how Motorola failed before with its StarTac.

Good stuff.

Just discovered this and have not had the time to form an opinion. However, it would seem that a blog on simplicity from an MIT professor should be a good thing to keep track of.

Prof. John Maeda, MIT Media Lab - Simplicity 

Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda

The following is a quote excerpted from the book Getting Real from 37signals.

-- 

Be An Executioner
It’s so funny when I hear people being so protective of ideas. (People who want
me to sign an nda to tell me the simplest idea.)
To me, ideas are worth nothing unless executed. They are just a multiplier.
Execution is worth millions.
Explanation:
Awful idea = -1
Weak idea = 1
So-so idea = 5
Good idea = 10
Great idea = 15
Brilliant idea = 20
No execution = $1
Weak execution = $1000
So-so execution = $10,000
Good execution = $100,000
Great execution = $1,000,000
Brilliant execution = $10,000,000
To make a business, you need to multiply the two.
The most brilliant idea, with no execution, is worth $20. The most brilliant idea
takes great execution to be worth $20,000,000.
That’s why I don’t want to hear people’s ideas. I’m not interested until I see
their execution.
-Derek Sivers, president and programmer, CD Baby and HostBaby

-- 

Well put 

Evidently Google actually _is_ taking over the world...

http://books.google.com/googlebooks/shakespeare/ 

Update on Tuesday, June 20, 2006 at 04:16PM by Laird

Google utilizes 450,000 servers as estimated by The New York Times. Sheesh.

Article from MediaPost

An excellent reminder for small businesses to think big and to get to know and follow the laws of marketing. Short and sweet from one of the "Ad world's" true gururs, Al Ries. Anecdotes about Bill Gates, Michael Dell, and "Papa John"

Advertising Age article

Heard about this on an NPR podcast this morning.

Check it out kiddos:

NPR Story

Bald Eagle Cam 

Laura Ries on how the Dunkin Donuts brand could win.