our thinking for February 2007…

1. February 28th, 2007

   More on Starbucks and Efficiency

   Continuing yesterday’s post about efficiency and Starbucks… more details about the battle cry memo from Starbuck’s Howard Schultz on the AP. If you’re one of those “I need to read it for myself” people, check it out on Starbucks Gossip (which is definitely worth a read… a great example of how a CEO should talk to their team: take responsibility…

   posted by Stephen Landau

   thinking about… Events

2. February 28th, 2007

   C is for Coffee

   Cookie Monster might have something with that “C is for Cookie” thing, but on Friday it stands for Coffee. March 2nd, 8:30am, Tiny’s (2031 NE MLK). Hope you can join us.

   posted by Stephen Landau

   thinking about… Events

3. February 27th, 2007

   How Efficiency Can Kill or Support a Brand

   Above: Starbucks cups from a recent trip. You can see my wife (cup on the left) is more into the customization aspects than I am. Decoded, the left reads: 1/2 decaf, non-fat, xtra-hot, 1 raw sugar latte. The right: latte. To her defense, she normally wouldn’t get a half-decaf… Read an interesting bit in PSFK (originally in the Wall Street…

   posted by Stephen Landau

   thinking about… Events

4. February 21st, 2007

   Authentic Commercial-Making

   Does it matter if a commercial is made using CGI (computer generated imagery) or not? The above commercial, for Orange, is all “real.” No CGI. More from AdLand:”If there was ever a need for a “making of the commercial” behind the scenes footage, it is for that Orange – Belonging advert. Some people are rubbing their eyes thinking it’s all…

   posted by Stephen Landau

   thinking about… Inspiration

5. February 21st, 2007

   Coffee’s on for Friday, February 23rd

   My man Dan is helping me out by hosting coffee on Friday, February 23rd. Same Tiny’s, same time. Dan’s the tall, outgoing guy. Plus, he’s got his new blog up (what he’s calling a “work in progress”).Shannon of Barking Urbanite (or is it “A Series of Controlled Falls?” Shannon, help me out here!) has his back, but might get there…

   posted by Stephen Landau

   thinking about… Events

6. February 20th, 2007

   Landau Gets Insights, Lowe-Rogstad Feeling Minnesota

   Stephen Landau featured on Design Interact’s InsightsDesign Interact, the online vehicle for Communication Arts, is currently featuring an interview with Stephen Landau, self-proclaimed “co-everything” at Substance.Read the full interview at: http://www.designinteract.com/insights/021407/- – - – - – - – - -David Lowe-Rogstad at FlashbeltFlashbelt, a “Conference for the Makers of New Media” has invited David Lowe-Rogstad to speak at this year’s…

   posted by Stephen Landau

   thinking about… News

7. February 20th, 2007

   Don’t make me take off my Flashbelt…

   Substance’s own David Lowe-Rogstad will be visiting beautiful Minneapolis, MN in June to present at Flashbelt. Here’s what we think he’ll be talking about… and no, I have no idea what is up with our “_____ is dead! Long live _____!” trend. — The Information Designer is Dead! Long Live the Information Designer! Websites are no longer websites. Websites are “digital experiences”…

   posted by Stephen Landau

   thinking about… Events

8. February 19th, 2007

   Coffee Recap, February 16th

   Had the pleasure of sitting down with Shaun and Jessie on Friday, share some coffee, and drool over Shaun’s delicious-looking panini. Not only did Shaun lend me Zag by Marty Neumeier (thanks Shaun!), but we talked about the future of web publishing. The discussion, along with Part 2 of Death to Blogs, reminded me of the CBC 3 Radio website…

   posted by Stephen Landau

   thinking about… Events

9. February 18th, 2007

   Death to blogs. Long live blogging! (Part 2 of 2)

   (For those coming in late, here’s the link to Part 1 of 2) Let’s change what “blog” means. Better yet, what if we stopped saying “blog” when what we actually mean is “sharing and writing and publishing.” Let’s focus on why the tools and technology are out there, not what they do. What if agencies didn’t have blogs? What if agencies just…

   posted by Stephen Landau

   thinking about… Looking Ahead

10. February 15th, 2007

    Coffee Reminder, February 16th

    Quick reminder that coffee morning is actually coffee early-afternoon on Friday. We’re mixing it up and moving to 1pm. Same place, Tiny’s, on NE MLK. I’ll actually have to leave early, so if anyone is interested in the pre-game show, I’ll probably get there about 12:30pm just to enjoy an extra cup of coffee. Official kickoff is 1pm.

    posted by Stephen Landau

    thinking about… Events