Pop Art Blog

One of the most impressive things about the New Media Expo was the wide variety of good content produced at a small scale by talented, regular folks. These are the internet users who are immersed in the environment and have perfected the art of creating message & meaning for this medium. It’s no surprise that the big corporations want to jump on the bandwagon, trying to bring some of the fresh outlook of these content creators onto their business image. New media, such as podcasting, blogging... Read More...

We got a little press from the Newhouse News service, who was looking for tips for interns . The article shifted in focus a little from internship tips to employer tips for staying on the right side of employment law. It's still an interesting article, and I believe Pop Art has one of the best organized internship programs for our industry. We've again put together an amazing team this year, with interns from University of Oregon, Oregon State University, MIT and Boston University. We're... Read More...

WebVisions is a Portland-based web conference that I’ve attended twice before . Sadly, due to a crisis at the office, I was only able to attend the first day of sessions this year, which means I missed Andy Baio’s presentation on internet memes and Jeffrey Veen’s keynote . What I did see was good, but not great. In a nutshell, I think that WebVisions is a B-grade conference that’s trying desperately to become an A-grade one. It has moments of greatness, and manages to attract... Read More...

There was a great article called "Innovating Through Design" in the Dec. 2006 issue of Harvard Business Review . The article explored how informal collaboration amongst design professionals in Lombardy, Italy, produces incredible innovation in product design. The Lombardy firms' R&D operation, for the most part, can be found neither inside the companies nor in interactions among them. Rather, it comprises a free-floating community of architects, suppliers, photographers, critics... Read More...

If you haven't signed up to attend WebVisions , you should do it now. If you are not familiar with WebVisions, it is a creative web conference that takes place here in Portland. Many of us from Pop Art are going and if you are there, be sure to say hi. This year, the speakers at WebVisions include: Jeffery Veen, Roger Black, Bill DeRouchy, Lynne Johnson and many more! I've often thought when attending WebVisions in previous years that it was missing an awards show celebrating the best in... Read More...

Last month, I heard something that made me gasp: “ Scion isn't cool anymore ”. Granted, some of you may wonder whether it was ever cool. If you don't appreciate the design personality and in-your-face attitude of the 2005, boxy xB, you are likely to say that Scion's lack of cool factor is not news. To me, it is. Let me backtrack a bit: for Generation Y, “marketing” is often a word that comes charged with negative connotations. There is a lot of confusion on whether a product really is... Read More...

Once upon a time, computer and console games were the bread and butter of geeks – they brought on the image of people glued to their monitors and lost in a world very far from reality. More recently though, that stereotype has begun to erode. Entire generations are now growing up with digital activities as their main source for entertainment and learning. Other gaming platforms, such as the Nintendo Wii, are already making strides by appealing to non-typical gamers. Understanding how these trends... Read More...

Guy Kawasaki had a great post the other day on his blog. If you want customers to be happy, give them less product Information. Here's a counter-intuitive thought: Shoppers with less information about a product are happier than those with more information." He cites a study conducted by the University of Iowa's Tippie College of Business. The researchers used three experiments to arrive at their conclusion. Two of them were consumer test-style experiments in which subjects were asked... Read More...

The most successful e-business implementations excel, not just by being great in one area, but by being good in all areas and great in some areas . Critical E-Business Success Factors Clear business vision and measurable goals A marketing plan that drives your campaigns and programs Scalable and diversified advertising channels A technology framework that is secure, reliable, extensible and agile Brand growth, management and evolution Customer support Alignment of enterprise activities with vision... Read More...

In yesterday’s New York Times , Target was reported to ignore the feedback of a blogger. A Target PR representative explained, “unfortunately, […] Target does not participate with nontraditional media outlets”. The blogosphere soon reacted by showing solidarity to the independent writer and wondered our loud, if Target isn't listening to its consumers, wherever they may be, whose input are they considering? The story quickly received coverage on a huge number of blogs and eventually in the New... Read More...