Farewell To Zocalo Group...Hello Get Talked About

As many of you already know, in the beginning of January 2009, I resigned from Zocalo Group, a Ketchum owned partnership and Omnicom's (NYSE: OMC) only Word of Mouth Marketing Agency. Zocalo Group has been a great experience and I was able help them establish their presence in Online Community, Industry Influencer tracking and Digital Influence. I am very grateful for the opportunity to have helped them launch the company in 2007 and wish every person there the best of luck. Over the past 2 years I have been fortunate to work with some amazing brands such as Frito-Lay, The Cheesecake Factory, 3G's, Kodak, Michael Angelo's, De Paul University, Schawk, Cricket Wireless, Orbitz, PAM, and many others. Along with my colleague Ryan Rassmusen, we were awarded Ketchum's first Innovation Idol Award for 2008.

Many of you don't know, I am launching a new company with my partner Andy Angelos, called Get Talked About. Get Talked About (GTA) will be focused on the current realities of Marketing that requires in depth knowledge of the living, breathing and very social web. This is a work/concept in progress, but it is painfully obvious when you talk with us, that we know what we are talking about.

Stimulus Package, Perception and Reality...We attract what we believe

There is much to do about the economy in the US...the World...and the so called stimulus package passed and signed in to law by our elected US leaders. As some one who has been very up...and very down...economically in life, I can tell you....so you believe...so is your reality. Every time I thought I was down...I was...every time I thought things were looking up...they were. Guess what... the economy and the government  intervention of it have nothing to do with your life. The government is and always will be intruders to your stability, success and well-being. They will destroy your way of life and the environment with constant bickering and poor choices. True capitalism is the way out. Only low taxes, less government, and true capitalism (value, innovation and fair exchange for goods and services)  can guarantee our future. Study economics, finance and history and you will understand that our government and thier current beliefs and ideas are wrong. Real hope and change come by self-evalutaion, personal responsibilty and your ability to apdapt and overcome challenging situations.

Would love to know if anyone can make sense of this...or if this is even the pacakge that was signed by President Obama. So much for transparency....how about here is the legislation I signed today in a PDF format on www.recovery.gov

Stimulus Package

Analysis before Strategy..Beware of the Snake Oil Salesman

If a company comes to you and makes recommendations about your own company without doing a complete analysis.....RUN!

How does a company make recommendations on how they can help you, before they have:

A) talked to you in depth about where you see yourself as a company on and off line. In addition, discovered what your over all vision and goals are as an entity.

B) Done the research to substantiate OR debunk your own claims

C) After A and B are completed, presented objective analysis


Only after completing A,B and C, can any credible outfit create with you a sound strategy with various ideas and price points to execute the strategy in a reasonable amount of time.

The first part of any business recommendation, be it for Marketing, Advertising, Financial commitment, or hiring, etc is analysis. Analysis of any situation will tell you where you are, how you got there, and what to do next. Any ideas presented before real analysis are usually faulty and doomed to failure.

Analysis first, Strategy second. Just my thoughts...would love to know yours.

New Blog....First Post

So many of you who already know me are probably wondering why I am starting another blog (or writing for another blog), I am going to give you that answer now. I wanted to establish myself as a standalone brand/entity unassociated to a business, musical venture or political/religious/tainted philosophical point of view. These will be my thoughts on a myriad of topics based on experience, thought and reason.

I hope you will all check back frequently as I will be sure to keep THIS BLOG updated.