Thomas Salme was a maintenance engineer who decided to be a pilot. He didn’t go to flight school, however. He simply printed out a flying permit on 8.5 x 11 computer paper at his home, then trained for a few hours in a flight simulator, got into a Boeing 737 and started to fly. For 13 years, he flew thousands of passengers without incident. A couple of months ago, he was finally arrested. Read More

I called my mom yesterday. She lives 800 miles away, so Sunday brunch was out of the question. But that’s okay. A nice telephone conversation is the hallmark of our relationship. And yesterday’s call proved to be just what she needed.
She’s had a rough go of it lately. For a few decades, she worked really hard to become the best in her chosen career. She earned a few advanced degrees. She garnered professional accolades. And that’s when it hit her: she was in the wrong job all along. Read More

I don’t watch television. At all. This is not a moralistic tale of voluntary cultural deprivation to better myself as an individual. I watch plenty of TV. I just don’t watch television. I watch everything I’m interested in on my laptop, on my couch, on my schedule.
Until today, there was only one time this wasn’t the case: Saturdays. You see, I’m a transplant from the South. While the rest of the state is working itself into a frenzy over the Cornhuskers, Read More

Hello, sir or madam. Today, you took simultaneous actions in regards to my rewards account with you. You charged me the card’s annual membership fee, thus making me psychologically committed to keeping my account for another twelve months lest I “waste” that fifty bucks. At the same time, you significantly increased the card’s APR. This makes my psychological commitment an even sweeter revenue stream for you over the next year (by which time I’m sure you suspect I will have forgotten about these concurrent feats of fee-based genius). Read More

So I was mindlessly fidgeting with a screwdriver last night while sitting on the couch. I won’t try to explain how that happened. But there I was, turning a Phillips head over and over in my hand while re-re-re-watching the first season of The Wire on DVD.
It was a cheap screwdriver. Cost me a buck at Target earlier in the day. There were two pieces of information stamped onto it. The first was a brand: Durabuilt. Read More

It’s very easy to think that your company or your clients would cease to exist without you. Without your sweat. Without your long hours. Without your passion. Without your intelligence. Without you oiling the machine.
You’re wrong.
Not that you don’t matter. You do (unless you don’t, but that’s another rant altogether). While you’re oiling the machine, though, you can’t lose sight of the fact that it’s a machine. The inner workings of any business never rest on one person. Read More

It is hard to believe that it is April already. Unpredictable weather, precious warm sunny days, Easter and award ceremonies mark the change of seasons. Even though Bozell strongly feels that awards are not our first priority, they are a reality of the world of marketing communications. Bozell will be recognized in seven categories at the upcoming American Marketing Association (AMA) Pinnacle Awards ceremony.

“Ford leaving Chrysler, GM in its rearview” is the lead headline in this week’s AdAge. They go on to analyze this phenomenon. Is it a “halo” or because they are “building image while others flog incentives”? How about this Sherlock – the American consumer has come to the surprisingly logical and intelligent conclusion that the boys in Detroit may not be overly focused on product quality if their financials are in the crapper.

Christin Goetz, project manager in Bozell’s Brand Navigation practice, has been selected as Ad Rookie of the Year by the Omaha Federation of Advertising (OFA). Goetz was recognized at the OFA Meet the Pros Keynote Luncheon on February 10.

When VT Industries came to Bozell for assistance with growing their architectural wood door business, we began by conducting research with architects, their primary target for doors.

The research showed doors were not a top priority decision in most projects. We developed a strategy to provide a memorable connection for VT Industries’ doors with architects to ensure the product was top of mind throughout the design process.
The solution was to showcase VT Industries’ doors as a creative outlet for architects – another way for them to make a building unique. Read More