Did Google Stick a + in the heart of Fac...

Tweet Like others in the social sphere, I’ve been playing around with Google+ since its release last week (thanks to James Herbert). Like the Google Buzz experiment, I’ve been casually playing with it to see how Google envisions their second stand in the social sphere. So, I’m a bit cautious to make any predictions as to whether it is truly the Facebook-Twitter-All-Things-Social killer. If you can imagine the cosmic dust swirling around the big bang in the world of the social cosmos, you...

The Changing Face of Marketing Firms...

Tweet A few weeks ago another partner of Bluegill and I spoke with a recent college graduate seeking one of those non-existent, executive level, no-experience, marketing jobs. She had a number of questions for us about the industry, and the opportunities that she might pursue while tracking down a job. Then she asked, “what does the agency look like in 2015?” Today, I blogged a response over on the Bluegill...

Friends Don’t Let Friends Abandon ...

Tweet Photo used under creative commons license by @lrargerich Today, I had lunch with one of my best friends, Mark Schaefer. Mark and I first met in 2008 after I direct messaged him through twitter suggesting that we meet for lunch. We met at Aubrey’s and let a lunch hour slip into the afternoon as we began telling our stories. Instantly, we were friends. Within weeks, we began working on several marketing projects together. Since then, about once a month, we meet at the home or away Aubrey’s to...

My Company, Eluminare, is Merging with B...

Tweet In 2008, I started a Marketing company, Eluminare, that initially focused on internet marketing and lead generation. The success of the company has exceeded my expectations and those of my clients. It has grown from Internet marketing into virtualized marketing executive consultancy, and most recently it has focused on “growth” consulting with clients. Now, only two years later, it is my great pleasure to announce the merger of Eluminare with Bluegill Creative. So, what’s a Bluegill...

Consultants, Freelancers, Lend Me Your E...

Tweet Do you ever read something that seems to haunt you? I woke up in the middle of the night in cold sweats thinking about this one. I read a Seth Godin post over the weekend, and, as usual, his words struck a chord. This time, however, I could not just post a tweet and go on about my business. I was struck by this one line: Employees and freelancers that produce more than they cost are worth hiring. Too often, it seems, that we can hide behind rationalizations for what we do. We paint these pictures with...

Execution with consistency...

Tweet What separates success from failure?  What is the difference between a great idea and a profitable business? Execution with consistency. The recent election has great examples of both great execution and poor execution. What was Obama’s message? Ask anybody, the message was change. Every media channel was cohesive and broadcasted consistently.  McCain on the other hand may have had a message but it was so it was diluted with all of the ideas that it was not clear. While McCain appeared...

Great Idea! 30 of Them...

Tweet Check out these great ideas. For anyone, such as myself, starving for a new biz-idea check out this list and play eeny-meeny-miny-moe. #30 is more my speed. How about...

Check out the Yapper...

Tweet Recently, I started a work real estate marketing blog. I am collecting technology related marketing thoughts there. FYI, that is my nickname it work, and .com was...

Would you shop at my store?...

Tweet Why should I get off my couch?  Certainly, it should not be to got into Circuit City. Tonight, after sufficient procrastination for my dad’s birthday present, I did my standard online shopping comparison: which relies on a good blog review of the product that I am searching, a froogle of the product, and a quality vs. price comparison. I found that the pricepointed product at Sam’s, was a terrible product–go figure.  Instead I opted for a product with a good review that I have...

Sign Me Up...

Tweet On the way to work yesterday, I saw a Garage Sale yard sign that looked much like a real estate sign.  The sign was framed with a nice clean red border.  It had a grey background, and the words Garage Sale were in a Georgia font with character spacing.  It was a truly nice looking sign, and it absolutely failed its objective. I looked to the sign with a certain expectation and garage sale was not one of them.  Typically, Garage Sale signs are obnoxious, neon, in your face, and short lived.  A...