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Art Tuesday the Ides of March

Soothsayer. Beware the ides of March.Caesar. What man is that?Brutus. A soothsayer bids you beware the ides of March.
William Shakespeare
The Ides of March is a day on the Roman calendar that corresponds to March 15th. It became notorious as the date of the assassination of Julius Caesar.
Today is March 15th, but it is also Art Tuesday at Elarbee Media, and we found a suitably "soothsayer" styled offering from our recent business visit to New Orleans.
This painting on board is one of two in the series. The second piece is retained by the artist in his personal collection. In spending time with him, he told me it had been "offered" for some time, but no one was interested in it.
Odd. It haunted us immediately, which is how it ought to be. We now have a new nickname for this painting in the office. "Ides".

Sunday Newspapers

In the US, we like our Sunday's to be relaxing and thoughtful. It is our day to relax, to decompress, to read the paper leisurely and to connect with family. One of our Sunday traditions is the Newspaper. Every Sunday there is an overflowing section of retail inserts begging us to read them and spend our money, There are supplements to the paper as well. Grocery store coupons and Sunday Magazines abound across the US landscape. What makes us gravitate to the Sunday paper, that cluttered ad space? Training. That is what we have known, it is where we have been trained to see our retail and grocery ads. We have an expectation that when we open a Sunday paper we will see both the price of chicken breast and tennis shoes if we peruse the inserts. Selling to people when they are relaxed and trained to view ads is not only still viable, it is still "de rigueur". 

Tombstones for Media - More is NoMore

Tombstones for medias covers the closure of certain publications, and recommends similar programs as replacements, More Magazine will cease publication. We like Town and Country and Vanity Fair to reach a similar high-brow audience. 

Set Your Clock Forward One Hour - It is Daylight Savings Time

Remember to set your clocks forward one hour this weekend. That means Cocktail Friday comes earlier next week!

Wit & Wisdom Wednesday - Faulkner on Pouring Out Liquor

"Pouring out liquor is like burning books." -  William Faulkner 

It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media and we are in a mellow and reflective mood. It is a perfect mood to indulge in some Faulkner and sip a wonderful whiskey (except that we are at work). This quote has no legitimate tie in to our business and we can't even pretend to create a business parallel, but we love the quote and our collection of Faulkner novels.  
As a business in the American South we are always inclined to reflection, and this quote makes us feel relaxed enough to take the time to indulge. 

Cocktail Friday - New Orleans and the Sazarac

It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media, and we are in New Orleans. What better place to spend a Friday? Today we are lunching with our media partners, and sampling the finest New Orleans has to offer including the legendary Sazarac, 
Sazarac

• 1 sugar cube
• 2 1/2 ounces whiskey -- rye whisky
• 2 dashes Bitters -- Peychaud's bitters
• 1 dash Bitters -- Angostura bitters
• absinthe
• lemon peel
• Bed with comfy pillow

Throwback Thursday - Ham and Cheese and Schlitz

It is Throwback Thursday at Elarbee Media and we found this vintage Schlitz ad that completely captivated us. It could be the sandwich, but we think it is the idea of someone sneaking down for a late night snack and pouring a Schlitz to go with it that appeals. we know that when we sneak down tot he kitchen to make ourselves a sandwich, we always break out a tall chilled glass for our canned beer. 

Making your product feel special in an ad helps encourage people to buy it. "That guy had an ice cold Schlitz in his pajamas, I want that life." It may see simplistic, but how many of us would be happy with a cold beer and a ham sandwich while in our PJ's? Sign us up - we love this ad! 

Wit & Wisdom Wednesday - Dr Seuss on Going Wiith The Flow

"And when things start to happen, don't worry. Don't stew. Just go right along. You'll start happening too!" -  Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go! (1990)

It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media, and today we want to say Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss. Born on March 2nd, 1904. We are certainly game for enjoying the ride ourselves. 

Celebrate Leap Year - February 29th

It is February 29th. Celebrate the Leap Year! You know we will at Elarbee Media!

Cocktail Friday Tactile Interaction

 It is Cocktail Friday at Elarbee Media, and today we pay homage to a very little used but beautiful item in our collection. This hand carved wooden wine stopper gets a lot of attention as an object of Art sitting on my desk at the office, but little practical use as a wine stopper. Once Cocktail Friday is in full swing, there is little reason to suppose there will be leftovers.

As an object of Art in the office it is a gorgeous example of fine hand carving. The tactile nature of the execution makes it almost impossible not to hold the wood and run your fingers across the scoring.

Because so much of what we do in our business is fleeting and flat in its execution, we crave the interaction of touching objects. If we feel that as people, we feel it as consumers also. Engaging consumers with a physical and tactile interaction with your product creates a bond…and perhaps a sale.