Attic Treasure

A couple of months ago I saw Randall Bramblett in concert playing a tenor saxophone. It made me want one. I had played alto sax in grade school, but always wanted a tenor - it's bigger, deeper, sexier. So I looked at pawn shops and music stores only to find even used instruments to be too expensive for my whim. Then I met Charles Harris. He and his dad, Charles Harris, Sr. operate Harris Band Instruments, a growing music instrument/repair/music lesson business in Covington. After telling him I preferred not to spend anywhere near $1,500 for a new tenor sax, I mentioned that my old grade school sax was just a tarnished piece of junk hanging on the bathroom wall.
He asked about the brand, and when I told him "Martin from Elkhart, Indiana" he perked up. "Very collectible" he says, "and repairable, too." It turns out that what I had was a vintage 1929 Martin Handcraft E-flat Alto Saxophone that Charles was willing to refurbish for me in return for advertising in my About Covington to Madison Magazine. You see the remarkable results in this photo. I have since gotten over my desire for the bigger, sexier tenor sax. This one is, and has always been mine. I now am cautiously relearning the skills of a sax player, though I certainly am planning on taking lessons from Charles. He's Covington's own Charlie Parker if you want to know the truth. Oh, and his business since he started advertising? It's up 150% or so. Need advice on musical instruments? See Charles, and tell him Reed send you.

Leaving spaces for the viewer to fill.

My friend Lorraine Harrison sent this commercial in an email with the simple word, "awesome" to describe it. I agree. And what I'd like to point out is how powerful a message can be when the viewer is left to fill in the empty spaces.

From the start you wonder what you are watching. The mime of car driving is quickly communicated but the "why's" start running through your mind. Why are they acting out this play? Why in the living room? Why does the little girl have angel wings? Or are they fairy wings? The mind of course, answers all the trivial questions along with the big one: "What's the message?" When it comes it is particularly satisfying because you, the viewer, completed the story. You got it beyond any voiceover's ability to "get it" for you. Kudos to those who produced this commercial, and to all those in advertising, marketing and communication who dare to trust their viewers to engage their brains in order to maximize the message, the emotion, and the lasting impact of their efforts.

Happy New Year 2011

One thing I am happy about in 2011 is that AT&T will no longer be the sole network that supports the iPhone from Apple. I have been an iPhone user from the beginning and have always liked the phone. I have not been so happy with the AT&T service. To be fair, AT&T's strategy was to cover large population areas, therefore lots of people. Chief competitor Verizon chose to more fully cover the country, including smaller towns, which happens to be where I live.
So when Verizon finally made it official that the iPhone will be available in early February, they can count me as a new customer, happy to switch from AT&T. There actually happens to be a 3G Verizon tower in Shady Dale, my home town, only 2 miles from here. Judging from my tiny "bars" on my current iPhone, AT&T's tower is nowhere near as close... and it's certainly not 3G.
I also see in the news that AT&T and Verizon will set off another marketing war: AT&T will once again say they have "more bars in more places" (does anybody care?!?!?!?!) and Verizon will tout their new ability to support the iPhone. The news reports that both companies spend just under $2billion every year to snare customers in this lucrative market. Well, that's supporting the marketing and advertising industries, so I shouldn't complain. I just think that if AT&T had spent some of those billions on their network, you wouldn't be seeing the mad rush to Verizon that I intend to be at the front of.

Old Is New Again

I have been working on a fascinating marketing project for the City of Covington, Georgia, that has caused me to appreciate my home and the wisdom of its builders more than ever.
It has to do with Walker’s Bend, a development devastated by the real estate collapse.
With only 80 dwellings built and 134 vacant lots, the project was rescued by the City of Covington, and it has been re-envisioned as a “green” building development featuring highly energy efficient EarthCraft homes.
To achieve EarthCraft House certification, homes must meet ENERGY STAR certification criteria, including achieving passing scores from diagnostic tests for air infiltration and duct leakage.
The City, under the leadership of Randy Vinson, City Planner, has selected a number of EarthCraft certified designs that fit the needs of the community.
Looking at these house designs, I was struck by the similarity to my 1832 home: simple lines, comfortable porch, open living areas.
Unlike conventional modern construction, the EarthCraft homes are built to a higher standard, and should last longer, and be far less costly for maintenance and utility bills.
Now there’s an idea whose idea has come (AGAIN!). I guess when these older Georgia Houses were being built in the first half of the 1800’s, they knew what they were doing. What goes around comes around, and that’s a good thing.

New Browser Idea

No, it's not my idea, it is the brainchild of Mark Andreessen, the founder of Netscape. The browser is called RockMelt and in the words of Andreesen, it "does more than just navigate Web pages. It makes it easy for you to do the things you do every single day on the Web: share and keep up with your friends, stay up-to-date on news and information, and search."
Why is this important? Because the domination of social networking is bringing about a tidal wave of change in the way we communicate. And that affects what we like, what we buy, what we recommend, what we read, etc. etc.
The Rockmelt browser is officially being announced today and we will see if it grabs market share from the other browser biggies. And rest assured that when it does, the other biggies will fall in line to make browsing a more intuitive social process.

See full article from DailyFinance: http://srph.it/bTRpSu

Magic Of Christmas

This year's theme for the Downtown Covington retail district is "Magic of Christmas." There will be the traditional late shopping hours on Thursdays, visits with Santa, and once again the popular horse drawn carriage rides around the square. Here is a preliminary idea for the signage to be used in Covington. It hasn't been decided on yet, but I thought I'd share it with you here for now. I meet with Ann Huff in the Main Street office in Madison tomorrow to get a sneak peak at what Madison will be doing for the Christmas holiday. I'll tell you what I can afterwards.

Just Wanna Have Fun

Fun in Porterdale & Covington

It seems self-evident, doesn’t it? Fun is what keeps us going through our chaotic lives. We all love to grab a moment of enjoyment when we can. Problem is, it seems to be getting harder to find those moments.

I experienced one last night with friends on Covington Square and later at Amici Italian Cafe. There were 7 of us, all with busy schedules, who managed to converge in the small oasis that is Covington Square Park, and relax with each other for a couple of hours.

Towns like Covington are working hard to provide fun for all of us. Sounds funny - “Working hard to provide fun” but that’s what it takes. Madison, Rutledge, Newborn, Porterdale, Social Circle, Oxford, Mansfield and others know that they can provide a backdrop for friends, fun, and forgetting the stresses of life. Dedicated professionals, business owners and volunteers give their time and ideas to make their communities come to life.

In our high-speed world it’s great to step out of the express lane into one of our charming historic towns that were built around people and community. We are so fortunate to have these treasured places where we can go back in time, if only briefly.