Posts Tagged ‘Pumped’

Welcome to advertising, now get lost!

Friday, February 5th, 2010
Welcome To Advertising! Now, Get Lost.

Welcome To Advertising! Now, Get Lost.

This is a wonderful illustration of the craziness that goes on in the advertising world. Although the author didn’t have an extensive amount of experience in the field when he wrote the book I think he got a pretty good feel for the industry nuances. It carries a fantastic tone executed masterfully through the illustrations. I won’t say much more but do invite you to read it.

In line with the book, I’ll tell you how I got into advertising: An architecture teacher told us the first day of class “You have to really love this field, really, really love this field and be prepared to put up with all the crap. Be ready to be overworked and underpaid for many years. If you truly feel you can’t, leave the classroom now”.

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2010, please hold.

Thursday, December 31st, 2009
2010

2010

It’s that time of the year, the dreaded New Year resolutions. First things first, let’s get the cynicism out of the way. Your intentions are admirable but as the year marches on, enthusiasm weans. We’re not here to preach about what you should and shouldn’t be doing or how much to lose what from where but rather, we’re offering you a blueprint. That’s right, a solid outline on how to set and follow through on all of those resolutions you plan on setting.

Over the years we’ve noticed that people and companies have one thing in common, they’re both brands. Some are strong, some weak and some just out there but eventually they or we all have something to say. As with all things left unattended over time, we tend to settle and never really evaluate ourselves unless something drastic happens. As so it is with our brands. Most businesses and people start out with a strong mission and vision and eventually settle into a brand image they’ve either given into or have adapted to.

Here at Pumped, we feel that a strong brand is a catalyst not only for change but also for continued development. So before you set those resolutions, you need to do an audit. Figure out where you’ve been, what you’ve done and where you’re going. We’re hopeful that after completing our Brand Audit, you’ll be ready to summarize this into your Brand Brief. And as we mentioned before, there’s no difference between you or your company as a brand.

Now, let’s get to resolving.

Click Here for Brand Audit Template (PDF): brandaudit

Click Here for Brand Brief Template (PDF) : brandbrief_ind-comp

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Brand & Deliver

Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
GTR 2.0 - Carbon Bike

GTR 2.0 - Carbon Bike

One of things I’ve learned over the years is that a brand is only as good as the people that stand behind them. Let’s face it, eventually something breaks, gives out, under performs, or just goes bad, such is life.

GT was a brand I met years ago during the first years of the BMX craze. Back then GT, Dyno, Haro, Mongoose and Diamond Back (no disrespect if I forgot a name here) were the things dreams were made of. Every day I prayed and hoped that underneath that Christmas tree I’d find my “pro” BMX GT bike and finally be able to pull off those gnarly tricks.

Fast-forward to 2001, my BMX furry now turned into road bike racing. Naturally, I did my research and gravitated back with the familiar GT name I had met years earlier. I found the ZR 2.0 to be a great bike with a fantastic groupo right off the shelf and so I walked out of that shop with a smile reminiscent of my childhood excitement of owning a GT.

One day after a routine bike check, I noticed a crack in the head post and made a call to the manufacturer. My first attempts were a bit of a challenge but I eventually found a local dealer in the Pompano Beach area, a great little shop ( The Bicycle Fix),  that welcomed my bike with open arms. Jason, the shop’s owner was sympathetic to the situation and assured me he’d do his best, especially considering I had all of the original warranty documents.

Long story short, GT had been sold off a few years back to Schwinn and was now under new policies. My saving grace was that GT’s regional representative (Tom Hagen) heard my story, reviewed my warranty documents and then went above and beyond to rectify the situation. Not only did he authorize the replacement of the frame but also went ahead and issued an upgrade. A couple of weeks later I was back on the road as giddy as a schoolboy returning home on his new GT.

Trends make come and go but the brand with a long-term commitment to its customers will always be “in”.

Side note: If you want to see what my youthful BMX dreams were made of take a peek at the bmxmuseum.com.

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Posted in Advertising, Just for Fun | 4 Comments »

The road less traveled.

Friday, July 17th, 2009

Pumped-Maule SeaplaneYes, times are tough but not impossible. This economic downturn was one of those necessary evils. It’s afforded us all the opportunity to be honest with ourselves and really think about the last time we evaluated our lives, careers, interests, motivations, desires, and priorities. This not only applies to personal introspective thinking, as many businesses have also taken the opportunity to rethink their positions. Whether by choice or by force, businesses have had to take a hard look back to now jump forward.

The smart companies are now asking themselves, “When the smoke clears will I be left standing and how can I be sure?” The smart companies are now strategizing to position themselves over their competition when the time is right. These companies plan, analyze and invest wisely. They don’t cut back on their marketing initiatives but rather conservatively re-evaluate how they’re investing their money and efforts. Along with this, they’re taking the time to rethink their markets and businesses without the distraction of added competition and rush to fulfill orders.

This became more apparent during my recent photo shoot for Dornier Seaplanes. Those familiar with Florida know that driving through the state is flat out boring. There are no rolling hills or colored flowers, just green pastures and pine trees and at 4 in the morning it’s even more mundane. The location couldn’t come fast enough (literally open road with maximum exposure to being pulled over for speeding).

After about 3 hours of driving, we finally reached the hangar. We boarded a Maule seaplane that would fly us to our location to then photograph the Dornier seaplane. Once we were up in the air I noticed something, this apparently flat landscape didn’t look so flat from above. There were winding rivers, estuaries, boats cruising down intercostals, and open waters. The more exciting part of the trip was arriving at the location only accessible by sea craft.

And so it is with many people and businesses that always travel down the same road, they’re bound to always see the same things with the same results…flat out boring.

Click here to see some footage of the plane ride.

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