January 21st, 2007 by admin

Sunset and Moonset at the same rivermouth. 

In Del Mar, CA.  Photos taken 25 hours apart.

October 23rd, 2006 by admin

What I am about to write is predicated upon being able to back it up.

Where PR falls short and advertising excels in its ability to create reality.  In PR your only power is to spin what is already present.  In advertising and to a certain extent marketing you have the power to create your own reality and then to deliver upon it.

August 29th, 2006 by admin

I’ve heard it 1000 times.  Your camera doesn’t matter.  This is true.  However, the same people go on for days about how you have to have the best tripod with the best ball head in order to make a decent image.  In the total scheme of the final image the camera provides maybe 2%.  The tripod 8% with the remaining 98% being creativity and the synergy of being in the right place at the right time.

Case in point.  The other evening I went down to the beach to capture the moon-set.  I have a great tripod, ball-head, and camera setup.  So did many of the other 25 photographers I saw next to the pier.  You see there was a rare moon-set during sunset over the Scripps pier in San Diego.  Camera types love these scenes.

At the start of the sunset there were 25 people.  Immediately after sunset 5 left.  Afer only 20 minutes there was only myself and another fellow with a compact digital camera and a $25 tripod remaining.  We alone captured the shot all 25 people were after.  Granted this other fellow’s shot was softer, but the colors and feeling were there.  It is these colors and feeling that make up  90% of an images enjoyment.  Below is the image I captured afer the crowd had left.

August 28th, 2006 by admin

Outsourcing can be a valuable tool that allows smaller companies to take on jobs that are either too large for them to handle internally or may lie outside their area of expertise.  However, companies incur hidden costs when they use outsourcing as a means of augmenting functions that are already handled internally.

Being part of a start up affords me the opportunity to be involved in aspects of the business that I would not otherwise have access to if I were siloed away in the marketing department of a large corporation.  Outsourcing is a slippery slope.  It might start with jobs that are beyond the capabilities of the firm, but transition into jobs that could be handled more efficiently somewhere else.  It is here that the hidden costs become most apparent.

There are tangible costs

• Dormant equipment that has already been paid for
• A workforce that is not being utilized to the full extent.

There are also intangible costs

• Outsourcing erodes morale. Companies who choose to outsource need to consider the internal marketing message they are sending to their employees.  Outsourcing implies that the employees are incapable of handling the job.   This is especially true with jobs that could be handled internally, but are outsourced because of efficiency constraints.  If employees are treated as inefficient cost centers, then they will act like inefficient cost centers. 
• Outsourcing erodes efficiency.  Here lies a vicious circle.  Often times, larger jobs are outsourced because an outside specialist can handle the task more efficiently.  Efficiency comes through practice.  If employees never get the chance to hone their skills, then they will never become more efficient.  This lack of efficiency causes more outsourcing.

It is impossible to directly compare the costs of an outsourced job with an internal job on a per hour basis.  For example, it is incorrect to assume that a job outsourced at  $45 per hour is cheaper than one that would cost $90 per hour internally.  First, there is the cost of the equipment that lies dormant because the job is outsourced.  Second, there is the cost of labor.  Third, there is the intangible costs.  These three costs must be added to any outsourced dollar figure.

Once these costs are weighed in most companies will find that it is either best to keep a job completely internal or the job must be completely outsourced.

In the words of the venerable Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid, ""Man walk on road. Walk left side, safe. Walk right side, safe. Walk down middle, sooner or later, get squished just like grape."

July 8th, 2006 by admin

This statement might sound cold and calculated, but I’ll say it anyway.  If you want to get promoted within a large corporation, the last thing you want to do is get so good at your job that the higher ups believe no one else can do it.  As marketers rise through the ranks, they need to show proficiency in all aspects of marketing.  They need to show that they are awesome generalists not specialists.

The age old saying is that a specialist knows more and more about less and less until eventually they know absolutely everything about nothing.  On the other hand a generalist knows less and less about more and more until eventually they know nothing about everything.  The ideal is to err on the side of the generalist.  A chief Marketing Officer needs to know a little about everything in all levels of the organization.

So, back to getting promoted -  Say you are an SEO Marketing Manager and you have a goal of being VP of Marketing for the organization.  During your routine review do not focus on all of your SEO accomplishments.  Don’t get me wrong.  You need to show you are kicking ass in your position, but do not dwell on it.  Instead try to show how your accomplishments relate to other functions in the department.

When talking to superiors within the marketing department keep the conversation high level.  Talk about marketing issues outside of SEO or explain how these issues relate.  Likewise, when talking to superiors from other departments try to show your cross-functional knowledge.

If you do so, you will show that you are able to operate on a high level.  If you don’t, you will be pigeonholed as a SEO Geek and your only promotional opportunity will be to eventual become Director of SEO Marketing.  A powerless title whose only dominion is very land you were trying to escape.

June 30th, 2006 by admin

They say sales people are the easiest to sell to and by extension marketers are easy to sell to as well.  Let’s face it,  we appreciate a good pitch and reward it.

My wife can testify to this. I can be sold on anything.  Heck, if the price and pitch were right, I’d buy the Brooklyn Bridge.  I’m a sucker. 

That brings me to today.  For the first time since the 49, 59, 69 cent menu, I ate at Taco Bell.  One of my colleagues was going there, I was hungry and I had a hankering for something.  What might you ask?  Crunch Wraps of course.  Why?  Because they are "Good to Go."

Thankfully, my pocketbook only allows me to indulge Taco Bell’s Pitchman.  Otherwise, I would have to go out and buy a Saab.  Why?  Because they are born from jets.  Up until recently, I never realized that I always wanted a car that was "Born from Jets."  Now, when I accelerate on the freeway, I look down at my Honda’s speedometer and think, "Poor car.  You were not born from jets."

June 24th, 2006 by admin

I do not want this post to turn into a rant, but I feel people need to be warned.  A few weeks ago my car was broken into and my camera was stolen as well as other things.  The only relief I had was that my homeowners insurance was all paid up.  For the last ten years I have used Farmers Insurance.

I filed the police report and submitted the claim.

To my surprise, my claim was referred to the special investigative unit.  It appears, Farmers when doing their due diligence saw the 3 T-shirts I had for sale on this site and was trying to prove that I was a professional photographer.  You see, homeowners insurance does not cover items used for a professional purpose.

I had to undergo an hour long interrogation about my professional life.  I told them I was a marketer and that millions of people use Zazzle and Cafe Press to sell items to their family and friends.  I told them that I had not even sold one T-shirt and that photography was my hobby.

I got my settlement check the other day.  The camera was not covered because in their eyes I am a professional.

Take head of this story.  The insurance companies will use everything in their power not to make good on a claim.  to the insurance company I am a professional photographer even though I do not have a business license, I do not depreciate my camera gear as a business expense, and I have never been paid to shoot a picture.

I wonder, does this mean that the computer I used to upload the images onto Zazzle falls under professional purposes?  Does my house now count as a business?  Can an insurance company use the fact that someone sold something on eBay to get out of paying a claim on a stolen computer?

Zazzle should post a warning on their site that using their service will void your homeowners policy.

June 11th, 2006 by admin

I just got back from the Photography competition at the San Diego Fair.  All the images were phenomenal and I am honored that mine did so well amongst such stiff competition.  Below are my results. Click on an image for a larger view.

First Place B & W Scenic The Path
Third Place B & W Scenic Inpiriation Point Wash
Fourth Place B & W Waterscapes Sunset Cliffs
Honorable Mention Color Scenic Eggshell
Honorable Mention B & W Waterscapes Children’s Pool
Honorable Mention Other Smile
Color, Scenic Serpentine Trail

June 6th, 2006 by admin

I have to admit that I am still recovering from the Internet bubble years of the 1990’s.  I admit it.  I was an addict.  I played the game whole hog from naked calls on CMGI to founding Internet companies in my spare time. 

In 2001, I went into rehab, otherwise known as an MBA program.  Desperate times called for desperate measures.  Having only a philosophy degree, I needed formal business training to cure me of my Internet wanderlust.

Two years of formal education inculcated upon me the need to found any new venture on a sound revenue stream. At the beginning of 2006 this basic revenue tenet seemed obvious.  However, now I am not so sure.

This whole Web 2.0 phenomena has got me wondering.  People who appear brighter, smarter, and more insightful than I could ever hope to be are founding companies left and right in order to gain eyeballs and an unpaid user base.  Hardly any of these companies has a definable revenue stream.

I had a conversation with a CEO of one of these companies the other day.  I’m not going to mention the company or the CEO, but you could probably guess.  Anyway, this fellow wanted ideas on how to market his company.  My response was that the marketing should be targeted to the people who will ultimately be paying the bills.  I agreed that eyeballs were good, but pressed him about who were actually his customers.

His reply, "And