The Triangle (especially Chapel Hill and Durham) have enjoyed a strong reputation for a foodie culture for some time.

Perhaps I just haven't been paying attention, but it's hard to ignore that the area is building a similar reputation for tasty brews.

We've been fans of Big Boss Brewing in Raleigh for a few years now.  McKinney creatives Brian Murray and Scott Pridgen designed a bunch of award-winning branding work for them. We'd like to think that had something to do with the brand's growth - not to mention the beer is damn good.

Fullsteam Brewery just opened a few weeks ago in downtown Durham and is quickly developing a strong word-of-mouth following.

And Triangle Brewing Company here in Durham is making news by packaging its craft brews not in bottles, but rather cans.

At the same time, some creative, ambitious souls are breathing new life into Durham's indie music scene as well. 

The Pinhook opened a couple of years ago in downtown Durham and seems to have successfully proven that downtown can support an indie music venue.

Or three.

By the end of this Fall, two other downtown music venues should be up and running as well. With the addition of the Casbah and Motorco, Bull City residents may not feel they have to trek to Chapel Hill's Cat's Cradle or Raleigh's Lincoln Theater to catch good, up-and-coming bands.

So, be ready to drink up and listen to some tunes - right here.

Yesterday I ended up having two very "Durham" experiences.  I didn't plan on either when the day started.

The first was lunch with a colleague at Tobacco Road Sports Cafe, a new bar/restaurant across the street from McKinney. It's not your typical sports bar - there are plenty of flat screen TVs showing games and SportsCenter, and there are great views looking down on the Durham Bulls Park just beyond the left field fence.  But the fare is more upscale and gourmet than cheap and greasey, and the interior design is more sleek than plastered with memorabilia. Btw, most reviews are pretty darn good. Like so many other "new" structures here (e.g. the Performing Arts Center and Nasher Museum), it's another symbol of Durham's modernity.   

Then last night, I went to see the Bulls play - not at their regular park but rather the old Durham Athletic Park, the site where so many scenes from Bull Durham were filmed.  The Bulls stopped playing there 15 years ago.  Though beautifully renovated for a variety of local baseball games, tournaments, and training purposes  it was a pretty big effort just to get the stadium prepped for this one game. Lines were long and seats were limited, but the near sellout crowd seemed to love every minute of it. 

It was a chance for many to remember what it was like going to Bulls' games as a kid.   For others, it was a chance to see a game at an iconic stadium.  For all, it was a proud moment of where our city has been and where it's going.

The big hair and glam makeup may make a comeback one day.  The guitar riffs likely have made a comeback thanks to Guitar Hero. 

But one thing even Brett Michaels and Poison won't be able to bring back is the importance of the landline, a.k.a. the home telephone. 

I was listening to the 80s channel on satellite radio this morning when I started singing along to a classic (for my generation) hit: Talk Dirty to Me.  Without thinking, I sang this line and then laughed out loud -- not b/c I was singing it to my 14-month-old daughter, but because it is utterly archaic now:

You know I call you
I call you on the telephone
I'm only hoping that you're home
So I can hear you

(cue my old man voice) - Back when I was growing up, if you wanted to talk to a girl, you had to call her house, and most likely her mom or dad would answer.  That was the first hurdle.  Then, she had to find a place in the house where everyone didn't hear your conversation (more of a challenge before cordless phones).  And then you had to contend with every other person in the house who wanted to use the phone (this was before dual lines). 

Even if you weren't "Talking Dirty," you had to overcome quite a bit just to communicate.

If this sounds downright foreign to you, here's a glimpse at what it was like:

Every creative brief has this line, or something similar.  It forces us to state why we're doing work in the first place. And I thought about it shortly after the Vancouver Olympics just ended. 

If you ask the International Olympic committee why countries compete in the Olympic Games, they would say, "To build a better world through sport."

If you ask Russian President Dmitri Medvedev why his country competes in the Olympics, he'd give a very different answer: "To win."

As you've probably heard by now, Medvedev was none too pleased at his country's low medal count at the Vancouver Olympics.  He wants heads to roll, and it looks like he just got his wish.  He made it very clear that the primary (and perhaps sole) goal is to win a lot more medals when the games are held on his home turf of Sochi, Russia, in 2014.

Of course every country wants to perform well at the Olympics -- because every athlete wants to perform well.  But are the colors and number of medals the only measure of success? 

Quick - which 2010 Olympic figure skating moment stands out most to you?  If you didn't say the Lysacek - Plushenko battle and controversy (not unexpected considering which country was discounting the other), you likely thought of Canadian Joannie Rochette's remarkable performance just days after her mother died of a heart attack.  Her performance literally had viewers and commentators in tears.  By medal standards, two other skaters "performed" better, including one South Korean skater who got the highest scores of any female Olympic skater in the history of the Olympics!!!

(Side note: as a fellow planner here pointed out to me, the most memorable - in a good way - Olympic moments aren't all gold winners, including the unforgettable story of Derek Redmond and his father.)

So, do you think Rochette pulled that off because she was trying to win?  Or because she was trying to honor her mother (and perhaps her country) by skating her heart out?

And which country do you think "won" more from that competition - Canada or South Korea?

Now back to the title of this entry.  It's easy to answer that question in the brief this way, every time: "Sell more."  And sometimes (DRTV, FSI, etc.) you're trying to do just that - get people to buy, now.

But will the most powerful work always emerge from this goal?  Or will it come when the goal is to engage people, to connect with them emotionally, and get them to think about your brand in a fresh, new way?

I won't be surprised if Russia wins more medals in Sochi in 2014.  But I don't know that means they'll "win."  At least not in the way that Rochette and Canada "won" this time.

The next time an idea of yours (a campaign, a line, a strategy, etc.) gets killed, think about Stephen Curry. 

Everyone knew the former Davidson Wildcats star had potential when he was drafted by the Golden State Warriors this past year.  But star guard Monta Ellis was getting most of the opportunities to shine thus far this season, and Curry hadn't broken through...yet

As this article in the SF Gate says, When Ellis got hurt, Curry exploded.

In fact, just a few games after filling in for Ellis, Curry did something only a handful of players (including Michael Jordan, Jerry West and Oscar Robertson) had ever done: record at least 35 pts, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in a single game.  And now people are starting to wonder if Curry is indeed the next NBA superstar.  (that may be premature, but whatever).

I'm sure most Warriors fans weren't happy to see Ellis go down.  But Curry so far has proved that opportunity lives on.

link to video on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qsv2bWEje08

John Edwards and Toyota were seemingly on top of the world. 

Just a couple of years ago, our state's former Junior Senator was a rising star who had as good a shot as any to become the Democratic nominee for president - and with that, odds are he would've been our 44th president. 

Less than 13 months ago, Toyota overtook GM as the world's top automotive seller.

Both are suffering mightily right now.  Unless you've been incommunicado lately, you know that Edwards has admitted to fathering a child out of wedlock, and now he and wife Elizabeth are separated.  And you know that Toyota has had to recall millions of cars and notify dealers to stop seling some of their most popular models until serious mechanical/safety problems are fixed.

Commentators are all over how Edwards and Toyota should respond to repair their reputations, and therefore their livelihoods.

But why did both misstep so badly?

One of my father-in-law's many sayings has never been more appropriate than with these two: "Their egos got out in front of their headlights."

It seems Toyota once was committed to building the most reliable, affordable cars on the planet.  But in their drive to sell more cars than any other company (ahem, GM) worldwide, they took some cost-cutting measures at the expense of reliability. 

So many people once adored John Edwards because, even though he was wealthier than God, he came across as a fighting progressive, someone who stood up to the bullies on behalf of decent folk.  Now former advisor Andrew Young has written a book (The Politician) in which he tells story after story that shows Edwards as a man devoted more to his own success and glory rather than to the good of the people he said he wanted to represent.

One of our "Five Words" is Love.  It can help guide you when the mission is pure, and when others want to become part of it. 

Toyota and Edwards began to love their own success more than the reasons we wanted them to be successful. 

Now they're case studies of failure.

If Minnesota Vikings’ QB Brett Favre had read Malcolm Gladwell’s latest piece in the New Yorker, maybe Favre would be preparing for another Super Bowl instead of throwing what could be his last pass as an NFL quarterback.

Gladwell references how the most successful business leaders -- from Ted Turner to hedge fund manager John Paulson -- were predator-like in their focus and determination to avoid big risks and take the sure thing.

Sure, taking the sure thing would’ve gone against Favre’s nature. He’s a gunslinger, not a pragmatist. He feeds off of risk. He’s the Phil Mickelson of pro football. And because of that he’s earned the admiration from all types of football fans, reporters, and commentators. We glorify the gamblers, because they’re more exciting, win or lose.

Last night, Favre couldn’t help himself. Instead of running for an easy 10 yards or more (which would’ve given FG kicker Ryan Longwell a very good shot at the game winning kick), he tried a Favre-esque degree of difficulty play, an across-the body 20-yard bullet pass while running right and throwing left.

10-year-old quarterbacks are taught not to throw this pass. Favre doesn’t care.

But even Brett Favre couldn’t make it work. The pass was picked off, and Minnesota never got the ball back before New Orleans played it safe and kicked the game-winning FG in overtime.

Opinions vary on his decision. And I somehow believe that had Favre taken the sure thing, he still would’ve been disappointed.

Maybe he should actually, really, for sure retire this time - what better way for him to go out than guns a-blazin'?

If you don't know about Raleigh Denim, and your job involves branding (or extremely cool jeans), the company is worth looking into. 

Founders, co-owners and spouses Victor and Sarah Lytvinenko visited McKinney yesterday to share their story.  NC State students with fashion backgrounds and a clear goal: to make the perfect pair of jeans.  After selling a mountain bike and video camera to get a starting budget of some $5,000, they put the brand above all else.  They committed to using local materials.  To making the jeans with their own hands on original, vintage machines, with established methods that ensure a high level of craftsmanship. To ensuring simple style, comfort and durability.

All this means the jeans ain't cheap. But Victor and Sarah seem completely comfortable with that. And when you buy a pair, it feels like a special present for you and you only. They stamp every pair of jeans so you know which small batch it came from. And Victor and Sarah sign every pair as well on the inside liner.

And the more you wear them, the more they look like jeans made just for you. At McKinney they showed us a pair of brand new RD jeans, never worn. And then a pair of jeans Victor has worn for some time. Sarah showed us creases where Victor's cell phone and wallet were and how the shape fit his body perfectly (or as close as jeans can get to a "perfect" fit).

Raleigh Denim has been written up in places like Elle Magazine, the News and Observer and treehugger.com, and have appeared on WUNC's The State of Things with Frank Stasio. The story apparently is so compelling that the business is taking care of itself. Barney's apparently can't keep them on the shelf. The challenge now is figuring out how fast they want to grow.

Victor and Sarah don't have MBAs from Harvard. They haven't cut their teeth at high-powered consulting firms or (dare I say) advertising agencies.  But Victor and Sarah clearly embrace the key principles of successful brands: know who you are and pursue that without compromise.  And don't try to be all things to all people, but be something powerful to someone.

When McKinney President Jeff Jones asked what the Barney's buyer said was the main reason their customers were buying Raleigh Denim (even in a Recession), Sarah said, "Because they crave authenticity."

Not a bad reminder.

Earlier this year I blogged about how it felt like Durham (and the Triangle) was bucking the recession. Yesterday the News and Observer wrote this piece about how more and more of the area's more prominent employers, including McKinney, have been doing something few companies have been doing in the last 16+ months: hiring.

McKinney is featured throughout the article, which also gives advice to job seekers.  CEO Brad Brinegar and new hires Lyn Johnson (Acct. Director) and Will Dean (Art Director) are quoted, but what you might not see in the online version is a nice, big shot of Will and his famous, healthy, growing head of hair (see below), which is emblematic of what we've witnessed at the agency this year.

I bet that you, like me, have been hearing a lot of people question whether the economy is truly recovering amid continuing struggling nationwide unemployment numbers.  But for the first time, I'm starting to hear not just about workers looking for employment, but also employers looking for workers.

My wife's uncle said this past weekend that the shipping company he works for in the Norfolk, VA, area actually is struggling to fill hundreds of skilled labor positions.  And the N&O lists Allscripts-Misys, Bayer CropScience, ChannelAdvisor, Cree, Deutsche Bank,Elster, EMC, Novartis, Talecris and Time Warner Cable as more companies looking for workers. 

I'm glad to know the local economy is starting to rebound, and I hope it's a sign of things to come for the rest of the country.

Well, at least we North Carolinians are not smoking as much as at least 10 other states, according to the United Health Foundation's latest rankings.  In 1990, nearly a third of North Carolinians smoked.  Now, 20% do.  That may still be too high, but as I type this from the American Tobacco Historic District, looking at the Liggett & Myers building and about upteen other former tobacco warehouses, it's safe to say we've come a long way.

Don't pay any attention to the 37th ranking in overall nutrition, however - we may give up our smokes, but never our slow-cooked pork barbecue and hush puppies from, say, Allen and Sons.  Not at least for another 20 years.