Last year, I attended the PSFK conference in NYC and listened to an incredible collection of presentations. Kevin Slavin from Area/Code talked about blurring the lines between the physical and digital. Ben Malbon from BBH Labs talked about agencies owning and developing their own products, and had one of the most memorable quotes of the day.  (“You can’t be fired from a client if you are the client.”) And Scott Heiferman from Meetup and Avner Ronan from Boxee sat on the same mind-blowing panel about what’s possible when you open up ideas and technology to the crowd.

As it turns out, I’ve been invited to speak at the very same conference on April 9th. I can’t overstate what an honor this is for me, given the state of awe I was in just one year ago. My presentation, “If you aren’t what you’ve done, what are you?” will dissect what I’ve learned about realigning skills for the next chapter in one’s career, drawing from the hundreds of stories gathered in the process of making “Lemonade” and writing a book by the same name.

I also hear they will be screening “Lemonade” over lunch for anyone who’d like to see it.

The cost to attend the conference is $350. But because our community is so closely aligned with the theme of this year’s conference, a limited number of PFTA readers can attend the all-day conference for $99. I’m no mathematician, but that seems like a pretty incredible deal to me.

I hope to see you there. If it’s anything like last year, you won’t regret it.

CLICK HERE TO ATTEND THIS YEAR’S PSFK CONFERENCE FOR ONLY $99.

UPDATE: Apparently all 20 tickets have been sold with this discount code. Thank you everyone.

When you read George Parker’s raw blog, Adscam, it’s hard not to get angry….sometimes with George, sometimes at George. It’s written on pure emotion and f-bombs. The douchenozzles, the Poisoned Dwarf, the BDAs. He spews upwards of five posts a day, pulls no punches, and in almost all cases, says the things most of us wish we could.

But when I read his new book, The Ubiquitous Persuaders, I discovered something about George. The man is a scholar. I learned more about the history and roots of advertising in the first three chapters than I have in 15 years, and I consider myself to be something of an ad geek.

George is a lifelong student of the business. And he educates his readers in great detail about where advertising came from, so we can see the absurdity in where it is going. As he says in the book, “Damn, we don’t even learn from the past, so how the hell can we forecast the future?”

What readers of this blog will surely connect with is George’s breakdown of big agencies’ self destruction. Conglomerates buy independents, and with rare exception (Goodby being the only one of note), the creativity they purchase gets bean-counted to death when accountants start running the joint. From the very first chapter:

The bottom line is simply about making the bottom line. Or, as the financial director of one of Madison Avenue’s largest agencies was reputed to have said upon hearing they had just picked up a prestigious national account that would allow the agency to do some high quality work, “Fuck the work. What about the money?”

George calls The Ubiquitous Persuaders “A fifty year update of Vance Packard’s book The Hidden Persuaders,“ which I admittedly haven’t read. All I know is that this current version provides excellent analysis of everything from the industry’s gold rush to acquire technology clients to commercials promising the end of erectile dysfunction. It’s educational, entertaining, and one hell of a fine read.

I once thought George Parker was a vitriolic, no-substance curmudgeon with a chip on his shoulder. Well, The Ubiquitous Persuaders proved me right about everything except the no-substance part. If you read AdScam, then you must buy and read The Ubiquitous Persuaders.

You will never look at Mr. Parker the same way again.

I said it before and I’ll say it again, Skookum rocks. They’re doing the development for the new site, and they’re doing it pro bono. Since I can’t pay them the money they deserve, I can only praise their name to anyone who needs development for their own projects.

If you do, contact Bryan Delaney ( bryan.delaney@skookum.com ) They’re awesome. (And tell them PFTA sent you so I can stop feeling so guilty about all the great stuff they’re doing for me.)

I like to think PFTA is about more than a blog or jobs. It’s also about communicating with each other, sharing leads and learning from each other’s experiences. The new Facebook member page is a venue for animals to connect with other animals. Upload stories (success or otherwise), join conversations and give us your feedback. Because we’re stronger together.

California Animal Kelly O’Connell will be hosting a San Francisco Animal Social tomorrow evening at the Nova Bar & Restaurant. If you plan on attending, please register so Kelly knows how many to expect. (If enough people come, the bar may provide the appetizers.)

From the invite:

Calling all thirsty Bay Area animals. On Tuesday, June 16th, Please Feed the Animals will host its first ever west coast Animal Social at San Francisco watering hole, Nova. Consider this event an open forum for sharing war stories, exchanging ideas (and biz cards) and partaking in witty ad banter. So mark your calendars and tell your animal friends. Please Feed The Animals has officially gone national.

Bartering sites are big business these days. It’s one of the fasting growing segments on Craigslist. And newish sites like Recessionwire were partially built on trading one service for another.

People who read and contribute to this site may not have deep pockets, but they certainly have valuable services to offer. Let’s latch on to this barter craze and set our nation’s economic model back a couple hundred years. Exchange your skills in the new Animal Trading Post today.

I recently sat down with Ian Young for the better part of 3 hours to learn about the health insurance plan offered through the National Association for the Self Employed.

I have to tell you, I was pretty much blown away with how much self-employed people can save on premiums. Where most HMOs/PPOs jack up your rates with unnecessary coverages, the idea of NASE is that they customize the plan with only the coverage you need.

For example, when we were going over my own coverage, he was able to cut my premium for a family plan by more than half, from $1260 to $600. (However, in the interest of full disclosure, we decided not to go with the plan since one of our son’s providers is not in their network. In our unique situation, out-of-pocket expenses would have erased any savings realized with the lower premium.)

Here’s how Ian describes the plan in his own words:

As a self-employed consultant and a Licensed Health Insurance Agent, my goal is to help the self-employed and small business owner obtain the most amount of health insurance coverage for the least amount of money.

My plans tend to range 30-40% cheaper than typical HMOs in the Massachusetts, because…

- I specialize in helping individuals, families, and the self- employed get insurance at a discounted lowered rate

- We sit down and design a program based on what you actually want or need in your plan, so you control what’s in your plan AND how much you spend.

After doing tons of research and number crunching, my takeaway was that if you don’t have extenuating provider needs like we do, NASE rocks. I have no hesitation whatsoever about recommending them.

For MA residents only, you can contact Ian directly. Otherwise, visit the NASE web site to find an agent near you. (Wow, it feels like I’m writing ad copy again.)

Ian Young – Phone: 857-719-2577     Email: health@ianyoung.net

We’ve all done campaigns that have moved the needle. Maybe even won an award or two. But how well do we apply that insight and creativity to marketing ourselves? When it comes to attracting new clients, self-promotion is just as important as the body of work in your portfolio.

So on June 15th, the Boston Ad Club will hosting a workshop to help freelance creatives be their own clients.  And if you use the code “PFTA” during registration, you’ll get a 15% discount on both member and non-member prices.

Here’s a description from Adclub.org:

You can make the most amazing designs in the world but if no one knows what you did, then you won’t get recognition for it. It is a fact that marketing is just as important to the success of a creative business as the work that is produced.

Find out how some of the most well known shops have become as popular as they are (hint, it’s not just about the work!). This session will focus on the various techniques we can all use (from studio to freelancer) to market our work, promote our skills, and attract the kinds of clients we want.

We will also discuss the role that awards play in the art of promotion, as well as some ways to make yourself a guru in the eyes of your clients.

Click here to register. And remember to use the code “PFTA” to get a 15% discount.

]]> http://www.pleasefeedtheanimals.com/2009/06/03/learn-to-promote-thyself-with-animal-discount/feed/ 1 http://www.pleasefeedtheanimals.com/2009/06/01/cards-of-change/ http://www.pleasefeedtheanimals.com/2009/06/01/cards-of-change/#comments Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:38:57 +0000 Erik http://www.pleasefeedtheanimals.com/?p=1374

The second I tweeted about the PFTA film, I got about a half-dozen replies from people referring me to Cards Of Change.

The premise of the site is simple: If you’re one of the unfortunate many to lose your job, scribble what you’ve been up to on an old business card. Take a picture of that card and upload it to the site along with your contact info.

Not only is the act cathartic in and of itself, but you also become part of a collective of talented, hungry and available resources for project work. See my upload here.

As one person said, Cards of Change is like the still version of the PFTA film.

Fellow animal Kelly O’Connell was feeling disappointed that those many thousand miles between San Francisco and Boston prevented her from attending our last Animal Social. I made the suggestion that she consider hosting one in California. So she is. (How cool is that? Thank you Kelly!)

It will be on June 16 from 7-10 PM at Nova Bar & Restaurant.

Click here to register: PFTA San Fran Animal Social