This video, in its original form, has been on YouTube for a while. But, it has recently been updated with new statistics. Even if you've watched it before, it's worth taking another look.

–Greg

Those of you who are not rabidly following the world cup, or obsessively and morosely watching reruns of the 2009 season on the NFL Network (I’m talking about you, Mr. Hillmer-Poole) have probably noticed that the baseball season is in full swing. Some of us who work by Coors Field have noticed more than others…particularly during rush hour after an afternoon game.

Baseball, unlike more exciting sports, allows for a great deal of standing about and chatting, and is therefore a rich resource for snappy one-liners. Here are a few gems collected by Project Muse® for the 16^th volume of their publication, NINE: A Journal of Baseball History and Culture.

Diamond Quotes

“The human hand is made complete by the addition of a baseball.”
Paul Dickson

“The only way to prove you’re a good sport is to lose.”
Ernie Banks

“With those who don’t give a damn about baseball, I can only sympathize. I do not resent them. I am even willing to concede that many of them are physically clean, good to their mothers and in favor of world peace. But while the game is on, I can’t think of anything to say to them.”
Art Hill

“Catching a fly ball is a pleasure, but knowing what to do with it after you catch it is a business.”
Tommy Henrich

“Most ball games are lost, not won.”
Casey Stengel

“When you are ten, you know more about your team than you ever will know again.”
Dan Shaughnessy

“There are three things the average man thinks he can do better than anyone else: build a fire, run a hotel, and manage a baseball team.”
Rocky Bridges

“They used to say, ‘If we find a good black player, we’ll sign him.’ They was lying.”
Cool Papa Bell

“These are uncertain times. We cannot be content to rest on yesterday’s laurels. These are times when we must strengthen rather than let down those standards which have stood in such good stead in crises that are past. Baseball cannot be selfish, or irresponsible, or lax. Neither can the men who operate it.”
Branch Rickey

“There isn’t enough mustard in the world to cover Reggie Jackson.”
Darold Knowles

“I don’t want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it.”
Rogers Hornsby

“For someone whose roots in America were strong but only inches deep, and who had no experience, such as a Catholic child might, of an awesome hierarchy that was real and felt, baseball was a kind of secular church that reached into every class and region of the nation and bound millions upon millions of us together in common concerns, loyalties, rituals, enthusiasms, and antagonisms. Baseball made me understand what patriotism was about, at its best.”
Philip Roth

“Baseball is like church. Many attend, few understand.”
Leo Durocher

“The purpose of baseball in life is not to teach us how to win; but rather to show us that even though we are going to eventually lose to successfully delay the last loss of our season.”
Bill Kirwin

 

—Lisa

Things here at The Envision Group are plugging right along. While we've definitely seen an upturn in the economy (as I hope you have), we're still looking to add to our client roster. If you or any of your colleagues may have a need for our services, let's chat. We're a small, primarily B2B, branding agency that has done great work for clients in virtually any industry imaginable. I'd welcome the opportunity to tell you more about us if you don't have a firm grasp on what we do. Or, you can visit our website at: 

http://www.envision-grp.com/ 

Oh, there's something in it for you as well! If any of your referrals turn into business ($5,000 net+), you'll score yourself an iPad (or $500 if you don't want the iPad). 

You scratch our back. We'll scratch yours. It's pretty straight forward. 

If you're looking for new business, let me know what you're looking for and I'd be happy to go through my contacts and toss some leads your way. 

Let's work together to do our part to turn this economy around. 

I look forward to hearing back from you.

Just email us at info@envision-grp.com or call 303.843.9777.

Regards, Greg McBride 

P.S. - If you haven't heard, we just launched a new advertising product specifically targeted at the hospitality space. You can watch the video at: 

http://www.steamyourmessage.com/show_me.html

I recently came across the work of Japanese artists Harumaki and Hirosher. Their Skate and Destroy series transforms scratched, cracked, bent and worn skateboards into sculptures. This is a great way to encourage recycling by reusing old skateboard decks. If you’d like to see more, visit the artists' website here.

—Sara

Old Spice has just rolled out a trendy and sophisticated new look for their product, Red Zone, adding the word "Swagger" to the label. So, before working out, I walked into the grocery store, picked up an Old Spice Swagger deodorant, paid for the item, and headed off to the gym. Once I opened the cap, I literally started singing, "♬ I'm putting my swag oooooonnnnnnn yeeeeeyaaaahhh! ♬" I'm not normally into hip hop, but I guess I am now! Enjoy!

—Tristan

Push IQ agency has created a fantastic identity package and video promotion for Peace Corps @ 50 (Peace Corps 50th Anniversary). The site emphasizes events that occurred over 50 years in the Peace Corps. It contains stories of individual, devoted volunteers, who share experiences about their exciting journey. If you would like to know more about Peace Corps @ 50, check out their website. Enjoy!

—Tristan

Because I think that the children are our future, and also good guinea pigs, I devised a sophisticated plan to gauge the effectiveness of ads in some popular women’s magazines. I sat my daughter and her two cousins down at the kitchen table, gave them each an InStyle magazine, and instructed them to pick their favorite ad.

Subject #1
Name: Lucy
Age: 8
Grade: 3rd
Favorite Ad: Godiva Chocolate

What is your ad selling?
Go-deeva Chocolate. They are selling chocolate.

What is the call to action?
I don’t know what that is.

What does the ad want you to do?
I don’t know. There aren’t any words.

What is their offer?
Chocolate?

How will you get the chocolate?
Go to Go-deeva.com.

Will you visit Godiva.com?
Maybe I will go there. I don’t know. Probably not.

Will you buy their chocolate?
If I have money some day, I would get it online.

When would that be?
When I’m a grown-up.

Why is this your favorite ad?
Because I like chocolate.

Conclusion: Without any direct call to action, or obvious way to procure the product, Lucy is uninterested in actively seeking it out for deliberate purchase until adulthood. However, the time that we spent discussing the ad may inspire some recall in her the next time she is at the mall and walks past the Godiva shop. So was the ad successful, or does Godiva Chocolate owe me for that new share of Lucy’s mind I just earned them?

Subject #2
Name: Anna
Age: 7
Grade: 1st
Favorite Ad: House of Dereon

What is your ad selling?
I don’t know what this ad is for.

What is the call to action?
House of De-…I can’t read that. I am only a little kid.

What does the ad want you to do?
Go to Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdales.com. Oh! This ad is for clothes.

What is their offer?
They are offering clothes

Do you know who that is?
Lady Gaga?

It’s Beyonce.
Who’s Beyonce?

She sings “Single Ladies.”
Oh, she’s a Chipette.

Will you buy these clothes?
When I grow up. Those clothes are too big for me. And I don’t have any money.

How much do you think this dress costs?
$99.

Why is this your favorite ad?
I like the color green.

Conclusion: Although Anna precociously demonstrates brand recognition for both Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdales, she is so unfamiliar with Beyonce and her empire of offerings that any equity is completely lost on the seven-year-old. Does this demonstrate that House of Dereon needs to step up their marketing efforts to first grade girls in Colorado? Probably not, but Anna’s gravitation towards the color of the dress reiterates once again that women respond to green in advertising.

Subject #3
Name: Blake
Age: 8
Grade: 3rd
Favorite Ad: peoplepets.com

What is your ad selling?
People Pets.

What is that?
Peoplepets.com

But what IS it?
Where you go to peoplepets.com.

But what is peoplepets.com?
An ad?

And what are they advertising?
They are advertising pets.

You think that this is an ad for pets?
OH! It’s a WEBSITE about pets!

What is the call to action?
Visit peoplepets.com today!

What is their offer?
You can see pets.

Will you go to this website?
Maybe next year. I will remember and go.

Why is this your favorite ad?
Cute doggie.

Conclusion: This ad must be considered the most successful of the three. Blake will only wait a year to visit peoplepets.com, as opposed to waiting ten, as her counterparts have planned. The clear call to action, unvarnished list of offerings, and (the master stroke) the adorable pug create a classic marketing trifecta, against which the audience is defenseless.

Results: Blake wins.

—Lisa

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