Brett Macfarlane

Received: How Animation Companies do Video Conferencing

For those interested in unlimited opportunities...

Ever got a crap gift?

Well of course you have.  But your crap is someone else's gold.  And undoubtedly yesterday you received an item or two you were, lets just say, less than thrilled to now own.

Well, you're in luck thanks to the Gift Recycler.  Find a partner who will appreciate that gift, and who knows, maybe you too can find your own gold.  Somebody out there is looking for a Ted Nugent record.  Avoid the guilt of throwing the gift away or regifting... recycle my friends.

Tact

Thank you Nike for showing how to turn a negative situation into one of empowerment and inspiration.  A reminder of what's right.

The below is an email from Nike received in response to the Don Imus affair and furor.  One single swoosh for branding and no "call to action" or link to a retail store.  And a minimalistic microsite to spread the wishes.

And with that Nike, you reaffirm my undying loyalty to you. 

While some may critique them for commercializing an important issue like race in America - if your brand claims to stand for equality and individual empowerment do you not have an obligation to comment on a pivotal and meaningful event?

Spent bullet casings

Received from the RCMP Integrated Gang Task Force, spent police bullet casings.  Yes, in case you are wondering, they are for work not pleasure.

More on this to come shortly...

Received - Stamps

As a child I used to collect stamps.  It was neat to have little bits of countries from around the world.  It was also neat to learn about each country basted on what they printed on their stamps.  Be it their leaders, wildlife, heros or great national accomplishments.  What goes on a stamp is a window into what a country (or at least their government) cherishes.

It is rare that I ever receive stamps anymore.  So it was a great treat to receive a letter recently (from the Western Wilderness Committee) that had a real live stamp on it.  There were two in fact.  One for L. J. Papineau and another for Olympic champion Percy Williams.

There is just something a bit  more authentic about a letter with a stamp.  Something you don't get with the pre-printed on machine stamped letters.  With a real stamp it immediately doesn't feel like junk mail.  I'm sure someone has tried this but it would be interesting to see if a DM campaign would have a higher response rate if it had a real stamp (and at that one with content somehow relevant to the offer or company) rather than the usual personality-void mechanic stamp.