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Ever have a bad day of travel? Our Creative Director Shan Neely has had a few...but the latest may top them all. After wrapping up a client meeting on the east coast Wednesday afternoon, Shan was to fly to Peoria for a client presentation Thursday morning. He just had to make a quick stop in Detroit to change planes...so he thought.

Once he boarded the plane in Detroit, Shan buckled up and waited for take-off...for three hours...on the tarmac. Then the flight got canceled. Oh, and the airline lost his bag.

The ticket rep rebooked him on a flight that would arrive in Peoria seven hours after his presentation, so Shan decided to rent a car and drive through the night. Having never met a stranger in his life, Shan found a couple other guys who needed to be in Peoria in the morning, as well.

Wearing the clothes on his back, and with a couple new friends, Shan hit the road at 11 p.m. and drove through the night. He arrived in Peoria with enough time to shower and head out to the client presentation...wearing shorts...to the CEO of OSF HealthCare.

All in all, the presentation went well. Many thanks to Shan for his unwavering commitment to our clients. He’s one helluva guy and we’re lucky to have him at MBB/hippo. Shan - we’ll find a way to show our appreciation when you get home...just as soon as your name is called from the standby fly list at the Peoria airport.

Oh and the bag? It will be waiting for him in Peoria when he returns in a few days...

Calling All BlackBerry Users

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So what's up BlackBerry users? Still hanging on? The Wall Street Journal reports "Research in Motion Ltd. lost another marketing manager, the latest in a series of defections as the BlackBerry maker struggles to refresh its product line." Is this a case of too little too late? Reports indicate next-generation BlackBerrys and PlayBooks are coming soon, but will it be enough to save this brand?

It's certainly not a huge surprise, but this example once again illustrates how quickly the brand life cycle can be in the world of technology and communications. It wasn't that long ago that having a BlackBerry was the rage. The company I worked for at the time supplied all employees with the gadgets - a great business tool, especially for e-mail! Enter the iphone. The thing flat out works. I made the switch from BlackBerry to the iphone and so did the company I mentioned above.

Assuming BlackBerry moves quickly, I personally think they have a good chance of surviving. They have a good base of "business" users. Hopefully, they are talking with those users and listening to what they want and can renovate their offerings to meet those needs.

Yes, I'm a hypocrite as an iphone user, but I still love healthy competition and want to see this once healthy, almost dominant brand, keep the "crackberry" culture alive. What are your thoughts? Will BlackBerry survive? What would you do if you were their CEO?

renovation room blog

A Sad Day for Hardcover Books

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You've probably seen the news that Borders, which employs about 10,700 people, will be closing all of their stores for good. As consumers turn more and more to online book sellers and e-books, I suppose this doesn't come as a huge surprise. But, could a brand renovation strategy have saved this brand? Major shifts in technology can leave brands in the dust...see Polaroid. Yet other brands seem to be able to anticipate these major changes and adapt their brands in credible ways to meet changing consumer behavior.

Barnes & Noble, while probably still at risk with brick and mortar locations, has at least been aggressive in their e-commerce offerings and the marketing of their branded e-reader, the Nook. They are in a better position to survive given this ongoing sense of brand renovation.

It certainly can't be an easy thing, but sometimes major, ginourmous brand renovation is required. Technology obviously changes quickly, but major innovations and consumer adaptation is very real and fairly long-lasting. Similar to Borders, Blockbuster got caught with an outdated, bricks and mortar concept.

Keep an eye on the horizon and fully understand changing trends, and be prepared to renovate - sometimes in a small way and sometimes in a big way. Now, let's hope at least the small, independent neighborhood bookstores will survive. As much as I love the Kindle, I plan to honor the hardcover by stopping by a local bookstore and picking up a good summer read.

renovation room blog

MBB Welcomes our newest client – CardioTabs!

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Fish oil never tasted better. Last week, CarbioTabs, a nutrition and dietary supplement company, named MBB its Agency of Record.

CardioTabs was created in 1999 by Dr. James O’Keefe and Joan O’Keefe, a husband and wife team who happen to be a cardiologist and a dietitian. They offer high-quality dietary supplements – from daily vitamins to Omega-3 capsules – that offer nutritional benefits for cardiovascular health.

In speaking about the new relationship, Grant Wedner, president/CEO of CardioTabs, said, “We selected MBB because of both their creative heritage and product marketing expertise.”

As for us, we can’t wait to get started. From MBB partner, Phil Bressler: “They have strong products and the people behind them are true innovators. We’re looking forward to helping them elevate the CardioTabs brand.”

Stay tuned for more, later.

KIFF Posters win Graphis 100 Best in Advertising 2011 Gold

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The Kansas International Film Festival was barely on anyone’s radar a couple of years ago. Now, it’s becoming sort of a big deal. It’s an annual event that brings in feature-length films from around the world. They fly in actors, producers and directors so that moviegoers not only experience the film, they get to sit face to face with the people involved in creating it. A Q&A session after the movie gives the audience a chance to get insider perspectives on the films they see. So we designed a series of posters that showed festivalgoers an up close and personal view of the movies they love. Big nod to photographer Colby Lysne for the great shots.

See more? Posters