Everyone has to do one of these at some point, so here's my attempt:

"Best Use of a Marsupial" - Dish. For "Hopper" their whole home DVR room-switching kangaroo. Get it? Well, if you know that you can have your main Hopper device in one room and share the same 2TB of recorded content on up to three Joeys in other rooms, you do.

"Best free carry this bag around to hold all your tchotchkes and brochures so that you can create awareness for our brand bag" - Griffin. The hands down favorite among attendees. On Day One, everyone walks around with whatever they came across first (yes, I'm looking at you Nikon). By Day Three, only the strong survive and the Griffin bag was the clear favorite among attendees.

"Best use of overhead booth space" - Audi. What do you get when you create a matrix of some 10,000 odd fluorescent tube lights and place them right above your showroom floor? About 70 bagazillion lumens.

With requesite reflections on the cars themselves.

But don't worry, the reflections didn't distract people from the ever so sexy A7. Attention was already siphoned off by the cadre of sophisticatedly styled and even more stunning Audi booth and show floor young ladies (not shown based on the Cordell Corollary that posits: keeping camera pointed toward cars equals staying married longer). Where many went trashy, Audi went classy. It's their brand, and I have to say, it worked.

"Best TV technology that has finally matured enough to create 55 inch panels from" - OLED. 4K was all the buzz (imagine the picture quality you get when you squeeze 4,000 columns of pixels into HD displays that, until now, only have about 2,000) as the technology at the leading edge of TV technology. However, for pure stopping power, there was no beating the Super OLED (organic light emitting diodes, for those playing at home) TV sets. Barely thicker than a pencil with even less bezel than that, the sets showcased by Samsung and LG (shown below) attracted the most gawkers.

"Best blurrycam shot of a celebrity" - LL Cool J ... not looking like he wants to knock me out.

Dual winner: "Most ubiquitous device of the show" and "Consistently the longest lines for a promotional activity" go to Samsung. Is it a phone? Is it a tablet? Is it a phablet? It's Galaxy Note!

And Samsung finishes strong by closing the show with the "Best accessory caption card fail reversal" (see Day 1)

So ends Day Three and my trip.

Dusk can make any photographer look good, can't it?

Day 2 started off right at the stroke of midnight when the All American Rejects took the stage for the second time. Our friends at Lenovo, along with Intel, put together a great looking and sounding party. The Mssrs Rejects played pretty well considering the environment and audience. Twice. The second set actually was just a reordering of the first.

Surrounding us throughout the Aquaknox restaurant were displays of Lenovo's current and future offerings of computers, laptops, phones and tablets. Oh, and by the way, Lenovo, I downloaded and installed the most recent system update on one of your China-only tablets. You're welcome. But for the food and drink, I thank you.

After spending yesterday almost entirely on my feet, today's schedule offered a good respite in the form of two of CES's Super Sessions. The first was a discussion with key players in mobile from HTC, Samsung, Microsoft moderated by the editor-in-chief of my favorite sites, Josh Topolsky from The Verge (or as he put it "a website that can be found on the Internet"). All in all, it was an entertaining exchange, or at least as entertaining as it gets watching a bunch of guys talk about phones, user interface design and whether hardware fragmentation is really all that necessary.

The second session featured Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn and his take on the current state and future of retail. He talked about Best Buy's philosophy both to global expansion (partner with established players in local markets who know their consumers better than they do) and how they see themselves in an increasingly online and mobile world (the number of stores and physical presence is an asset to him). In terms of the future, he sees a big role for consumer electronics in health care. He talked about how much easier it would be for his elderly mother to interact remotely with her doctor through video and her TV for routine visits, saving travel time and stress alone.

Now, how about a couple of the cooler things showcased here?

From Makerbot (just google it), an open-source 3-D printer for your home. Using an inexpensive, corn-based substrate, you can physically create any solid object that doesn't contain moving parts. Does little Johnny need a new football kicking tee or Susie want a new barrette? Just download plans off the internet or design your own and "print" one out. No longer do you need to go out and buy small plastic items. The consumer electronic device for the anti-consumer in all of us. Their mantra: don't buy it, just make it.

Probably the most striking new product at CES this year is actually from Lenovo. The "Yoga", a 13" Ultrabook slated to come out later this year is one of their initial offerings to really take advantage of the touch-friendly Windows 8, which will also launch later this year. It features a multi-touch screen (Ten points of contact for any of you who care) in a case only 17mm thick.

And it's convertible, which means it can be used like a tablet. Instead of the flimsy feeling swively hinges that current convertibles use, the screen on the Yoga is hinged to fold completely back onto itself. It feels much sturdier and strong than anything else like it. Also, the keys and trackpad are disabled when it is opened more than 180-degrees, so they thought of that too. A lesson to all of you who said done it couldn't be.

Oh, and 50 Cent (not pictured) wants you to buy his new $399 wireless headphones. Sorry Curtis. I can't help you there.

Greetings from sunny and mild Las Vegas. CES has taken over the city once again with its annual conference of what’s hot and what’s next. Part trade show, technology side show and carnival midway for geeks, CES welcomed thousands of movers, shakers and mover and shaker watchers to Vegas today.

So, you know what that means…

That’s right. Lines. And lots of them. Want to get your badge? Step right up.

Getting closer.

Ahhh. That’s better. The familiar comfort of high school hallways in between classes never goes away.

Once inside, it was easy to be wowed with expansive and impressive booths. But the magic couldn’t hide all of the flaws.

Samsung gave us the always popular “accessory name card” fail.

While Motorola took my top prize with the “we’re going to buck the trend of putting cushy carpet in our booth to ease weary feet and instead go with a raised solid platform complete with built-in trip edge but it’ll be ok because the first impression people will have of us is this helpful sign” fail.

Not to be outdone by the lines outside to get in, some booths came complete with their own lines.

This one though, had a reason. 7-time NBA Champion Robert “Big Shot Rob” Horry meet 4-time McKinney Chiclet “Big Shot Bob”.

Now, where can I find that shuttle bus? Oh yeah, that’s right.

CES by the numbers:

Guys from my freshman dorm who randomly sat down next to me on the shuttle bus: 1. Hi, Steve.

Minutes to walk the Strip from the Venetian to the Excalibur: 32

Times “Girls at your door in 20 minutes cards” offered during said promenade: at least 50

Minutes it actually took the girl to get to my door: Ummm…

Sketchy endings to CES daily recaps: 1… and counting

It certainly seems like it.   After all, Borders is freshly in the grave and old standbys like Cole's and B. Dalton are long since gone.  Filling the void left by these former institutions, upwards of 5 million people opened up a shiny new e-reader this December.

But the same, “Death of …” question has already been asked of every media outlet recently upstaged by its digital counterpart. Newspapers are disappearing. CD’s have joined VHS tapes and cassettes in the Virgin Megastore in the sky. But books? Not books…

Books are more than words. They’re notebooks, doorstops, decorations and weapons. They even-out table legs and squash spiders. And the act of reading a “real” book is such a tactile experience there’s no way a Kindle could compete, right?

Then my mother bought one.

She’s 75-years-old and has been an avid reader her entire life. She tells of being scolded for reading constantly (even at the dinner table) and of checking-out an entire bag of books from the library every week.

So I asked her, how does she feel about the transition from paper page to digital screen?

Mom:

The Kindle is my library and it doesn’t close.

I can download a book in 60 seconds without leaving the house.

It’s easier to press a sidebar than turn a page.

I don’t have to dog-ear pages because it remembers exactly where I left off.

I can take notes with the keyboard and look at other people’s notes.

I can look up words in the dictionary without switching screens or losing my place.

I can enlarge the type. (I am 75 you know.)

I think it’s fun.

As a recent e-book adopter I couldn’t agree more. Now excuse me while I go play Ziggy Stardust on vinyl.

*For one possible answer to the headline check out Isthebookdead.com

I just returned from an overnight trip and was reminded how awesome in-flight literature is. Without SkyMall, we likely wouldn't have Doggie Thundershirts or Branded Steaks. And without airline magazine ads, we likely wouldn't know that freakishly ripped old man, or how to negotiate anything with anyone. I love reading these ads.  They give me a glimpse of what print advertising was like in its earliest days, when you took every square inch to load as much detail about how your product truly could deliver features and benefits no other product could. And what better time to engross someone in hormone optimization or dental surgery than when they're trapped in a cramped seat on an airplane?

I'm particularly fascinated by ads for professional matchmakers - no, not for my own personal use (I adore my wife of 9+ years). I have to acknowledge that what we (agencies) do is not that different from what they do. It's Just Lunch and Valenti international are my two favorites. Their goal is simply to put the right two people together and bring out the best that each has to offer the other, so they have the best chance of developing a long-term relationship (whatever they determine that might be). These matchmakers apply their expertise in understanding what people value, love, want and need from another person. They advise them on how to accentuate their attractiveness while still being themselves. And they coordinate a first date at the right place and time and situation where the two can really get to know each other and decide how much they want out of the relationship.  

Isn't that our job too? To help clients understand how to be the best version of themselves to attract long-term relationships with the right people (customers), and enable them to interact in interesting and meaningful ways?

I'd love to see how these matchmaking companies really go about this, and what agencies could learn from their approach. I just have to convince my wife I'm doing it for 'research purposes.'

This article from Mobile Inc. is showing up all over my news feeds. I think it makes some really great points and I'm proud to be part of an agency that is engaging in this kind of thinking.

But I do have to take issue with one of the points the article makes. Murat quotes this article from Fast Company's Adam Glickman, who argues:

"If agencies want to think more like tech startups, they might focus less on clever storytelling and more on utility."

While I totally get the point -- that agencies can't think in messages any more, that people aren't going to sit around and wait to gobble up the latest message from a brand -- I take issue with the idea that storytelling and utility are mutually exclusive.

Every single product Murat references is not only a utility, but also tells an extremely powerful story:

Instagram and Hipstamatic let people turn their crappy phone pics into a story about themselves as quirky, talented photographers.

Klout is all about the stories we tell ourselves and each other about where we stand in the virtual high school popularity contest that is social media. People don't check up on their Klout score because it's handy -- they check because a rise or fall in the score tells them a story about themselves. The story we build in our heads around the Klout score is what gives the score meaning -- not the algorithm.

And Angry Birds tells the most classic story of all time -- a bunch of little guys get oppressed by shitty assholes smugly confident in their own power -- until the underdogs marshal their resources to take back what's theirs. It's basically David and Goliath with cute sound effects.

I do think we need to understand why we're making something. And I agree that we should start with the problem we're trying to solve, instead of just jumping on something new and cool. But, at the same time, dismissing the power of story is not the answer. Instead, let's talk about how storytelling has changed and work to ensure that even our most utilitarian tools tell us something about ourselves and each other.

Technology makes possible amazing things, but story gives us the soul -- the breakthroughs happen when we find news ways to combine them.

Nearly a dozen food trucks. Hundreds of hungry Durhamites. Excellent street-side fare. 

Exhausting, epically long lines and decadent food worth an extravagant wait. This was the general sentiment shared by the many Durhamites I spoke with while waiting in line last week at the seasonal Food Truck Rodeo in downtown Durham. The "rodeo" decends on the Durham Central Park in a quarterly gathering of the best food trucks the Triangle has to offer.

On this particular Sunday Central Park was transformed into a foodie’s paradise on a rather balmy Sunday evening in mid-August, where the smells of fresh artisanal bread, spicy fish tacos, smoky bratwurst, hot pepper nachos, tangy chicken dumplings, textbook-thick Chicago-style pizza and massive triple-decker hamburgers were just some of the olfactory stimulants that filled the air of the marketplace.

However, lines cut at sharp 90-degree angles and carved switchbacks across the concrete in front of nearly ever truck and cart. The average wait, from what many of the diners could discern, was upward of an hour per food truck. Vendors began running out of food early in the evening as the demand far exceeded their expectations. Local Carrboro eatery, Will and Pop’s, began 86ing their menu early on, and by 6:30 p.m., just one hour after the rodeo had begun, Pop’s along with several other businesses began closing their hinge-operated awnings and exiting their vehicles for slightly cooler surroundings.

While the wait was long, a full sixty-eight minutes for my local bratwurst, the food was amazing. Look out for the next multiple food truck outing on September 3 in downtown Durham off of West Main Street. You can get out more details from local kitchen The Cookery. 

75% of all chefs nationwide are male. But three of the best in the Triangle aren’t.

Ashley Christensen of Poole’s Diner in Raleigh.

Andrea Reusing of the Lantern in Chapel Hill. 

Amy Tornquist of Watts Grocery in Durham.

Two are self-taught (Christensen and Reusing). Two are working moms (Reusing and Tornquist). And all three are getting national attention.

Andrea Reusing just received the much-coveted James Beard Award as the Best Chef in the Southeast. According to Time Magazine, that’s the Oscars of the food world.

Amy Tornquist is a Bon Apétit noted chef whose dishes have been featured there, in Food & Wine, and in Southern Living magazines. Her specialty, appropriately, is updated Southern cuisine.

I can only imagine the confusion between her and my Boston mom if they got together to dish about food.

Tornquist:    Steamer? That ‘s a ship not a clam.

Mom:           Pig’s Feet? Seriously?

Tornquist:    Jimmie is a guy, not an ice cream topping.

Mom:           Yeah, well I bet you’ve never even had a whoopee pie!

It would be a sight.

While that probably won't happen, Mom can watch Ashley Christensen battle renowned grill-meister Bobby Flay July 24^th on Food Network’s Iron Chef America. And there will be blood. Or at least strange ingredients and oxidized cookware. Don’t miss it.  

TV aside, if a woman’s place is in the kitchen, why don’t more of women have top jobs in the finest ones? Working the line is physical, grueling, competitive, dirty and intense. But so is being female. Or perhaps it’s that the culinary world’s been a boy’s club for so long, that it takes a place like the Triangle that’s not so set in its ways for a gal to make it to the top of the line.

Go Ashley!

Catch Ashley Christensen on Iron Chef America, July 24^th at 10 pm

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between CPM and CPA? Or even what these acronyms mean? Do you wonder if the information you put online is safe? Or what the media department in an advertising agency actually does? Here is your chance to get the answers to these questions and more.

We asked everyone at McKinney to bring us their questions and here is what they wanted to know:

Everyone knows that there is a media department, but they do not realize what exactly we do. It was not surprising when we were asked that exact question.

There are admittedly a few perks that come along with working in media, but do you know why we get them?

Now that you know what we do, it is time to utilize media to the fullest. When we work together we can make great things happen.

There are a lot of acronyms that go along with media. You might be in a meeting one day and someone might start talking about GRPs or CPMs. Do you know what these mean? If not, here is your chance to learn.

A lot of people are hesitant to put information online because they are worried about privacy issues. How do you know that the information you put online is safe?

Consumers are often able to access free content because it is subsidized by ad revenue, however sometimes these ads can be disruptive to the user experience. Is there a way to get around this?

Part of the media department’s job is paying attention to the trends of how our target audience consumes media. One recent topic has been cable cutting. Do you think that this new trend will affect marketers?

What are some of the other trends that we are starting to see or should look out for in media?

Now that you have heard some of the questions that other people have asked, I am sure that you have some of your own. Please feel free to leave them as comments or directly reach out someone in the media department. We are always happy to help.

From widespread industry job layoffs to steep decreases in circulation rates, the climate surrounding the magazine industry from 2007 to 2008 was undeniably growing stormy. There were whispers about the growing number of publications being shut down, rumors swirling regarding industry leadership and speculation that print magazines were declining to the extent that they may vanish completely. The future of magazines may have been cloudy, but one thing remained clear — the magazine industry had a plethora of challenging obstacles ahead.

In 2009 the industry experienced one of its most straining and unsuccessful years ever, and it seemed as if the suspicions and fears of years past were coming true. Magazines across the board were facing losses in revenue, declines in advertising sales and a diminution in subscription rates. Adding fuel to the fire was industry-wide uncertainty about how to tackle an issue relevant to magazines everywhere — technology.

New technological platforms, new outlets for people to connect socially and new media innovations were at seemingly every turn. These developments sparked an exciting time in the digital and Internet arena, but for print magazines, the developments were capturing the attention of consumers, which translated into a reduction of readership, decrease in advertising interest and an interruption of growth of their publications. The industry — publishers, editors, designers, writers, photographers and everyone in-between — began to wonder the same thing: how can magazines establish a successful identity in a new digital world, while remaining true and honest to their traditional roots in print? This was an immensely difficult challenge, and one with no clear-cut answers, but a challenge that if overcome, would be the key to success. The race to find the perfect strategy was on.

For some titles, this was no easy feat, as ad pages and revenue continued a downhill fall in 2009. Even famous titles like Gourmet and Vibe closed their doors later that year, and shock waves reverberated throughout the industry. Publishers and editors realized that injecting new life into their publications was not only imperative, but also intensely urgent. A slew of other magazines shut down and some continued to struggle, but as the months rolled on in 2010, something interesting began to happen — a handful of magazines were actually getting it right.

Ten magazines in particular took on the challenge and found ways to balance the new technological world swirling around them with the old world of print from which they came. For example, Rolling Stone and Cosmopolitan, both cultural icons, found ways to connect daily with readers using two new cultural icons, Twitter and Facebook. Wired was among the first to release an iPad application, and Vanity Fair’s application for the tablet gave readers an experience that is comparable to actually flipping through its print pages. Using the power of television, Marie Claire partnered with hit show “Project Runway” to engage with readers every week, and Food Network Magazine leveraged its inherent tie with the Food Network Channel to promote its specialty articles by on-air chefs. GQ and Bloomberg Businessweek found success using blogs, as both magazines provided exclusive photos, stories and interviews via blog sites. People StyleWatch integrated with the tremendously popular People.com website, and Elle Décor gained Web traffic by pointing readers to their website to learn more about decorating projects seen in their print magazine. So successful in their efforts, these 10 titles were named to Adweek’s “The Hot List,” which names the most successful and influential magazines of the year*.

Performance metrics for these titles indicated growth on a number of fronts, including ad pages, ad revenue and overall circulation. In addition, their online presence was growing, as levels of Web traffic, press impressions and search engine results all increased. The process was not without its share of difficulties, but these magazines were a reflection that there were, indeed, efficient and effective ways to align content via digital mediums while simultaneously holding strong to print traditions.

The industry overall had faced a tremendously challenging time in 2010, but the successes of these 10 titles were a truly welcome indication that brighter days may be on the horizon. While no one can predict what will happen next, the present state of the magazine is definitely one of optimism. Ever resilient and resourceful, titles far and wide are restructuring, rethinking and redefining themselves in ways to ensure their longevity far into the future.

(*Based on Adweek Magazine’s “The Hot List”)