Disqus - Latest Comments for kfwinona

Re: Annecdote: Tea Time

Kevin Fenton — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:21:34 -0000

I wonder if because of the nature of their business, which does include so many romantic gestures, perhaps often from the very shy or the weirdly conflicted, they simply have to treat every transaction this way as a matter of policy. That said, I feel your consternation.

Re: Georgie: A Rescue Story

Kevin Fenton — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:18:18 -0000

Wonderful way to end my week, which also included hearing Karin Winegar read from her book Saved, about Rescued Animals and the humans they more subtly rescue.

Re: Friday Funnies – How I Organize My Desk

Kevin Fenton — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 13:04:40 -0000

I didn't know there was a webcam in my office.

Cleaning always seems to be the second most important thing I have to do. I do know that the literary critic Hugh Kenner was once driven to do some really complicated math to make the case that just leaving stuff around is actually more efficient than picking up after yourself. In the time it took him to do that, he probably could have cleaned his desk six times.

Re: Why You Need an Online Home Base – and How to Get One

Kevin Fenton — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:01:54 -0000

Kellye--Thanks for this post. I am amazed at the people in the communications business who don't have a web presence. And I hadn't heard of Google profiles. Thanks!

Re: Display Advertising Shows Signs of Life

Kevin Fenton — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 10:13:27 -0000

Thanks for this post. I was impressed by the Pringles and VW ads but the domestic violence ad absolutely stunned me. I also like your antidote to dismissing entire media which so many people (myself included) do these days.

Re: I’m a Social Media Rat-- Get Me Out of Here!

Kevin Fenton — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:13:22 -0000

Tim,

I hear you.

I do think Social Media can get frustrating, partly because of the heightened, "this is a revolution" rhetoric that infuses the space. It's hard to think of it as just another tool, which is what it is.

I also think Twitter, especially, feels strenuous and closed-off because the founders seem perfectly willing to let the Early Adopters do all the work for them, because outside of Oprah stunts they seem unwilling to deliver and guide an audience of non-insiders. I've reached a point where I would be hard-pressed to recommend Twitter to clients, except for some simple monitoring.
I use Twitter as a chat room/micro blog for fellow marketers.

Yes, most commercial forays into Facebook have the slight pushiness of Tupperware parties, although there are some cheery stories. Surprisingly, I've seen some people do some wonderful things with YouTube, which I'd dismissed as bad amateur video.

I think my investment in Social Media is still worth it, but I am increasingly less likely to give it the benefit of the doubt.

Does this answer your question or am I just babbling?

Re: Can You Leave Your Job to Consult Today?

Kevin Fenton — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:51:50 -0000

Two possibly more useful thoughts: 1. If you generally like your current situation but have always wanted to free-lance, this may actually be an opportune time to see if you can't cut a deal with your employer where you take on a consulting role. It can cut their costs (including benefits) but give you a client. This can also obviously be tricky, if mismanaged, though.

2. Talk to ad agencies and free-lance advertising writers/creative directors. The good ones know that, except for writing the most dumb dumb press releases, we are not PR people and having a good PR partner is a real plus.

Rachel Kay is also right: you need at least a logo and a good one gets you a lot of cred. I work with a fantastic designer who actually appears to raise my IQ.

<abbr>Kevin Fenton’s last blog post..Ben Franklin’s Rules of Twitter</abbr>

Re: Can You Leave Your Job to Consult Today?

Kevin Fenton — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:56:37 -0000

My viewpoint, from the adjacent world of copywriting/creative direction: I would be very very wary of what might be called a self-actualizing career move at this time, at least in the Mpls-St Paul market. Even more than usual, you would need a real point of difference and an extra cushion of savings. Fallon--our best local agency--was started in the '81 recession. Their first ad announced, "An agency for companies who would rather outsmart the competition than outspend them."

I would however encourage everyone to start thinking about free-lance. You never know when jobs will evaporate.

I would also consider the flipside of your question: be careful about taking that secure in-house job. If you have a decent free-lance practice, it will likely wither as you take a job which itself might not be secure.

<abbr>Kevin Fenton’s last blog post..Ben Franklin’s Rules of Twitter</abbr>

Re: Niko & Geoweasel

Kevin Fenton — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:25:35 -0000

This is really but I kept looking back at it and saying, yeah, that captures a certain sleepless feeling.

Re: Should Interns Tweet for You?

Kevin Fenton — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:00:21 -0000

You raise a good point. Twitter is in some ways a very public interaction that should be trusted to people who you would allow to speak for your organization in other contexts. That said, I just did a proposal for a small non-profit that assumed most of the tweets would be sent by interns or a jr employee, but the organization is so small they are really in the same room with the executive director.

Re: Why Tumblr?

Kevin Fenton — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:17:20 -0000

Wonderful post. I also like tumblr because it so deftly allows you to "quote" content from the web, which forms a nice basis for discussion. I need to think of tumblr more as a social media, though. .

Re: Business Casual - Back @cha: Using Twitter to Help Make My Business...

Kevin Fenton — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 19:49:39 -0000

Andrea,

Thanks. I'd be flattered if you would use my quote/url!

Re: Are Webinars Worth It?

Kevin Fenton — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 16:57:41 -0000

The clients of mine--research providers, consultants in the financial services world-- who have made webinars work have asked this question: would someone bother to attend this at a conference? If the answer is yes, they go ahead. I think you really have to think of it as a a training rather than a marketing event, even though it serves marketing purposes.

Re: Business Casual - Digital work that Bill Bernbach would have been...

Kevin Fenton — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 16:57:38 -0000

Squirrels actually have a Squirrel Appreciation Day, but I think it was the day after Obama's inauguration, so it was a little hard to shift gears.

Also--I never encountered the phrase roommate roulette. It would have been great to know in the early 80s.

Re: Business Casual - 12 years on most Advertising Agencies and PR still...

Kevin Fenton — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 12:22:49 -0000

Thanks, Mike. What gets me pumped up is that the web is just about reaching the point where we might see something REALLY good.

http://answers.yahoo.com/qu...

Re: Business Casual - Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No...

Kevin Fenton — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 12:14:00 -0000

Somebody had a fun afternoon writing those.

Re: Second Draft - ChrissyDeiger - Gallery - Conflation Series,...

Kevin Fenton — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 12:08:50 -0000

In playing with html, I've lost the original comments on this post. I'm trying to get them back.

Re: Second Draft - ChrissyDeiger - Gallery - Conflation Series,...

Kevin Fenton — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 12:39:14 -0000

Thanks for your comment--and the photograph. There is something very open-ended, yet substantial about the photograph and there's also a weird synchronicity--I'm reading and will be posting about Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping, which has a lot in common with your photograph--mystery, water, juxtaposition.

Re: Second Draft - Writing The Broom of the System, I felt like I was...

Kevin Fenton — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:22:29 -0000

When I reread the quote, I notice that DFW said "97% of me," not "97% of my brain."

Re: Business Casual - Wallpaper, at the Walker Art Center.

Kevin Fenton — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:45:52 -0000

That's some scary wallpaper. It's like they're LOOKING at me. (Comment left to test the new commenting function.)