August 2011
2 posts
July 2011
1 post
December 2010
4 posts
Just in Time for Christmas
Just in Time for Christmas Reading PSFK this morning and ran across this spectacular (and hilarious) work by Quietroom called The Santa Brand. You can view it here. And, this got me thinking. Santa is a somewhat organic brand — obviously influenced as we all know by marketers, authors and song writers over the years. But really, Santa is in essence a crowd sourced brand, right? Shaped by...
Underwhelming Agencies
Ten Two Lessons from 2010 Media Mavens
Has it happened again? In sharing insights and encapsulating trends of a post-mass media consumer age, is it the clients (P&G and MTV) who are sharing the more holistic understanding of what is happening? Agencies, after all, are supposed to be exhibiting their value by showing thinking that can lead / help / impact (and dare I say ‘impress’)...
March 2010
3 posts
PSFK Doing It Again
So our friends (and inspiration muses) at PSFK are throwing another cutting-edge Culture Conclave (Officially called the PSFK Conference New York 2010) on April 9th at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Now in its fourth year the mind-stretching event has always left us irrevocably changed having been fed a mixture of equal parts ingenuity, insight and awe. If you’re anywhere near, or even if...
Hogs For The Cause
Hogs For The Cause is not your typical New Orleans fundraising event. What started as a kind gesture from friends and colleagues has grown into a full-on dedication to a beloved little boy, Ben, who recently lost his battle with a rare form of Brain Cancer, DIPG.
Ben’s dad, Ben Sr., is the Sous Chef at La Cote Brasserie. Within the community of chefs and cuisine-driven colleagues, his...
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Who Do You "Love"?
For our client thriv, we have been teaming with influential athletic bloggers to test out apparel, garner consumer feedback, and help us spread the word.
In the first 7 months at retail, we’ve had a lot of fun, learned a lot about how we can better serve love athletes, and we’ve built great relationships. (More on that in a future post.)
We have been blown away by the insights,...
February 2010
9 posts
Fast Company Names Trumpet #10 for 2010...
Fast Company sets the agenda, charting the evolution of business through a unique focus on the most creative individuals sparking change in the marketplace. By uncovering best and “next” practices, the magazine and website help a new breed of leader work smarter and more effectively. Fast Company empowers innovators to challenge convention and create the future of business.
The past...
Who Dat in The Icehouse?!?
On the brink of complete and utter Superbowl elation, one self reflects on how wonderful it is to be part of a team and city with such stature and class. What a unique opportunity to have the greater population (if not all) desire the same thing at the same time- an emotional explosion of happiness and achievement. What an experience. Who Dat to Dat! Is it a case of the chicken and the egg or...
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“Insight is the enriched uranium that forms the atomic power of an idea.”
– Trumpet Lesson
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“No matter what the product is made of, the brand is made of glass. (handle with...”
– Trumpet Lesson
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“Don’t sell things. Make people want to buy them.”
– Trumpet Lesson
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“Ambition on behalf of brands, not selves.”
– Trumpet Lesson
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“Looks can kill. Design is critical.”
– Trumpet Lesson
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“If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn.”
– Charlie Parker
Mayoral Speak Easy: Local Eco-preneur Speaks Up
By Traci Claussen, LiveGreenNOW
On Saturday, February 6th, with the scenes of Mardi Gras and Super Bowl occupying our collective gray matter, the citizens of New Orleans are thrice blessed with another major event that will send a message to the world about our great city: the New Orleans Mayoral Race. If your vote is easily swayed by glossy ads in your mailbox or negative campaign ads on local...
January 2010
1 post
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The Urban Conservancy and Trumpet to host The...
Join us for an up-close and personal discussion with the leading candidates in the New Orleans Mayoral race. No panel debates, no stump speeches, just an opportunity to get face-to-face with the challengers and discuss the stuff that matters.
When Trumpet purchased The Icehouse in 2007, one of the visions was to create a base that could serve the New Orleans community. Not only with the great...
November 2009
1 post
Trumpet Talks the Birds and the Bees
We live in a world where storks no longer only squawk and walk, but now talk – and help deliver major marketing campaign messaging with much success. Meet Sammy the Stork, grand pooh-bah of the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals new movement, The Stork Reality The Stork Reality, houses a series of videos where Sammy is interacting with the...
October 2009
2 posts
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Go-To-Market Energy Around iChill
Trumpet’s go-to-market strategy for iChill has created a significant energy the newest product in the “relaxation shot” category. Social media generated the growing interest and has helped secure distribution with 7-11 c-stores (over 6,400 locations), interest from Walmart and establishing relationships with independent brokers nationwide.
We have carved a niche that is expanding...
Trumpet Spins Off Ventures Business Unit
NEW ORLEANS, LA - October 22, 2009 - Since 1997, Trumpet has been a formidable player within the New Orleans marketing arena and beyond. Continuing to build on its legacy of innovation, the company recently launched affiliate Trumpet Ventures, which will be led by Trumpet founding partner, Robbie Vitrano. Trumpet Ventures will work exclusively with selected start-up companies, assuming a financial...
September 2009
1 post
2 tags
New Media for an Age-Old Problem
Ever gotten a nasty bruise before a big event? This brand is for you. Bruise Relief is an old home remedy New Orleanian Barbara Cranner has been using for years, and is now sharing with the world.
And the world is listening.
Bruise Relief’s patent-pending formulas are the first topical gel and serum to specifically address the problems of bruising due to minor injuries and medical...
July 2009
3 posts
3 tags
thriv is live
thriv Natural Performance is out of the gate and giving away a free workout shirt to the first 500 people who want to be a part of thriv1st.
Just visit www.thrivnp.com, answer a few simple questions and the perfect workout shirt is yours. thriv is changing the game in athletic apparel with their patent-pending fabric bamco, a blend of bamboo and organic cotton that is a comfortable, sustainable...
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How We Are Reinventing the Crescent
As citizens of historic New Orleans, each of us at Trumpet is proud to be close to the most significant Riverfront development project in our lifetime. Reinventing The Crescent will not only offer river views and recreation, but it will also will become an icon of New Orleans - a new chapter in the story of the city.
The St. Louis Cathedral in the Quarter marked New Orleans as a “European...
Entrepreneurial Hubs in a Culture of Innovation
Those that live in New Orleans have felt the entrepreneurial-post-Katrina spirit growing for years; however, it is validating to have that movement recognized nationally. After a week of touring New Orleans and interviewing those that are leading the movement, Entrepreneur Magazine released an article and a video that presents New Orleans as leading the entrepreneurial hub. A must see for any...
May 2009
1 post
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the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem update
Execution: KODA launched yesterday (public beta - see note below about how it’s connecting). www.koda.us Dukky’s fully automated site launched on Friday. Shawn Burst’s brilliant concept has been brought to life. www.dukky.com Michael Karnjanaprakorn, Trumpet Alum and part of our extended family, quit his day job yesterday to launch his grand vision - Mike plugs his huge,...
February 2009
1 post
Helping Make It Right
Trumpet recently designed the Homeowner’s Manual for the good people at Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation. The organization is bringing people home to the 9th Ward of New Orleans, into safe and healthy homes built with sustainable materials. Inspired by the courage and hope of the residents he met, Pitt resolved to do whatever he could to help them rebuild. Just as importantly, he wanted...
October 2008
2 posts
Trumpet Hosts New Orleans 100
Our office was the setting for the celebration of the movers, shakers and decision-makers who are establishing New Orleans as the Social Innovation Silicon Valley. The gathering, the vision of All Day Buffet founder and Trumpet-alumni Michael Karnjanaprikorn, was held for the purpose of providing the innovators across various social, cultural and business disciplines the opportunity to bump brains...
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The New Orleans 100 Mixer
The New Orleans 100 is a worldwide initiative that will highlight and encourage discussion among millions about 100 of the most innovative and world-changing ideas to take root in the city since Katrina.
All Day Buffet is coming down to the Big Easy from the Big Apple!
Come join us to celebrate the innovators, social entrepreneurs, and creative mavericks that make up the NOLA100.
RSVP is...
January 2008
2 posts
WatchIn a world where formulaic advertising has never been more wasteful comes “Don’t advertise.Connect.” the movie.
Flashback: Interview with Robbie Vitrano
Where y’at? As someone hailing from Virginia, I have no idea what that means. Can you explain? And since I’m from Virginia, I just have to apologize for Aaron Brooks performance in New Orleans… In NOLA it literally means “hello, how are you?” But it’s really more of a secret handshake between people from the city. It says we both breath the unique air of New Orleans. Interesting note, post-K, it...
December 2007
1 post
We’re hitched!
The first Connection Planning Conference - Polygamous Wedding has just concluded last Friday in New Orleans. We had some great wedding gifts from the attendees including great insights, processes and secrets. With a sprinkle of bachelor/ette parties and the crazy New Orleans nightlife. Overall, it was a tremendously beneficial day. A day where the leading thinkers in the industry put a stake in...
November 2007
9 posts
Wedding Recap
Gareth has an excellent recap of the wedding here. We’ll be posting some more our notes and thoughts in the next day. In the meantime, enjoy what Gareth has to say! Also, Ed Cotton has taken some excellent pictures from his trip down in New Orleans. Check them out here. Piers Fawkes from PSFK writes about Thursday night at Vaughn’s here. If you wrote about the conference or plan on writing about...
Interview with Adrian Ho - Zeus Jones
What will you be preaching about at the Connection Planning Conference?
As cliched as it may sound, I’ll be talking about change in marketing. Hopefully it’s not the same change others have covered ad nauseam. The Connection Planning concept is fairly new, as is your agency. How does this idea fit in the Zeus Jones “Marketing is a service” mantra? I think it’s up to the leaders of the connection...
Interview with John King - Fallon
What will you be preaching about at the Connection Planning Conference? If I had a one-word goal for my speech at the conference it would be “useful.” I’m taking more of the Peace Corps/Home Depot approach: “You can do connection planning; we can help.” I’ve always felt connection planning is best when it remains a street-smart discipline. My goal is to help people avoid some of the mistakes,...
Interview with Jim Elms - Barkley
What will you be preaching about at the Connection Planning Conference? The end is near. Repent before it’s too late. I hope I get the chance to share that. Could you explain what Context Planning is and how it came to be part of the way you do business? Context Planning is a way to make sense of how people live their lives by understanding what is most important to them, so we can develop...
Interview with Lisa Seward - Mod
What will you be preaching about at the Connection Planning Conference? I am challenging the notion that CP is or should be a 3-way marriage of equals and instead identifying one dominant force that should be “incharge.” Yes, the Bill Paxton of marketing communications! What compelled you to leave Fallon and open a strategic media consultancy?
After years of arguing for creative-media...
Interview with Ed Cotton - Butler Shine Stern &...
What will you be preaching about at the Connection Planning Conference? Planning’s 4th Wave. How did you become involved with “Planning for Good?” Could you briefly describe what it is for the uninformed? People donating brain power for good. What has happened to make business people and companies realize that they need to have a greater degree of social responsibility? They can save money and...
Interview with Rob Walker
What will you be preaching about at the Connection Planning Conference? Murketing. What are things that you believe advertising agencies need to do more of? I am loathe to tell agencies what to do, as I am merely a journalist. I can’t give a bunch of non-answers though, so I guess I can say this: I once listened to a friend of mine in that business bemoan the fact that he didn’t have the kinds of...
Interview with Michael Jager - JDK
We caught up with Michael Jager of JDK to ask him some questions before the conference…. What will you be preaching about at the Connection Planning Conference? Emotional Devotional - the desperate need to protect the emotion that stimulates devotion. In your opinion, how does design intersect with Connection Planning? Design is in everything. Connections planning itself is ecosystematic design...
What is Connection Planning?
There are a lot of different names for this new discipline emerging. What is your definition of Connection Planning? Please leave your comments below. I would love to start a discussion about your opinions before the conference. I’ll start. I believe that connection planning is NOT channel planning or a new version of media planning. In it’s true form, it emerged out of media but I think it’s one...