Lakers parade today… it’s been a long time!

Jose Villa — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:13:26 +0000

Today is the day! The Los Angeles Lakers will be celebrating their 15th championship starting at 11am in front of Staples Center in downtown LA, moving down to the Coloseum for a rally at noon.

It should be a pretty crazy day in downtown. Hopefully most of the knuckleheads will sleep through the festivities so we can avoid any burning T-shirts or Smart-car-tipping.

For me, this parade marks an interesting milestone. I last attended the 1999-2000 parade (the first Kobe-Shaq championship year). How things have changed. At the time, Sensis was still called Focus Multimedia. We were in Santa Monica (in an office that could best be described as a large room), with just about 6 employees struggling to make it in this business. Although the struggle never ends, it’s important to stop every once in a while and look back and see how far we’ve come. Hopefully Roy and I can stop by O’Brien’s today to celebrate, just like we did 9 years ago…

Jose

Sensis hits #3 on the Inner City 100

Jose Villa — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 14:57:46 +0000

In what turned out to be a much bigger deal than I originally thought, Sensis was named the #3 fastest growing company in inner city areas in America! I had never heard of the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City before we applied for their Inner City 100 list late last year. Turns out, the organization is the brainchild of Harvard Business School Professor and master of the “5 Forces” of business strategy Michael Porter (if you went to business school, you prayed to him). After Danny from our DC office attended the 11th Annual Inner City 100 Awards dinner in Boston, MA on May 20th, we realized what an innovative and interesting organization this was. I was struck by the quality of the companies on their 100 list this year (not just because we made it) – there are some really innovative and successful companies on the list. I encourage you to check it out full list here. To quote Professor Porter, “At a time like this, inner city companies are good role models. They tend to operate in a challenging environment, and they have real insight in how to be different and gain an advantage.” I could not agree more… Finally, check out the write-up BusinessWeek did on Sensis regarding our making #3 on the list! Jose V

St. Paddy’s Day in Downtown LA

Melissa Hart — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 23:20:20 +0000

If you were in downtown today you couldn’t miss the 10th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Pershing Square Concert. You may have been stuck in traffic or walking in the parade (all those wearing green were encouraged to do so). During lunch several of us took the Metro to Pershing Square to watch the parade and nosh on a variety of Irish & American food. The festivities last into the evening. So if you’ll be out this way, join us at Casey’s Irish Bar and Grille or at one of the various restaurants/bars with “green beer” happy hour specials.

~Melissa Hart, Account Supervisor

We did it all for the kids

Roy Kim — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 02:09:45 +0000

Team Sensis recently got up early one Saturday morning and excited the kids and client folks of the YAAO project with their intital creative concepts. Here are some photos that I took with my trusty phone.

*RK – Creative

Javi giving something for the kids to aspire to with his orange Princeton sweatshirt

Javi owning the stage with a performance that brings even JV to his feet

I’m convinced Javier was a professor in a former life.

Eric was clearly impressed with the creative work.

The “Virtual” Mirror

aretta — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 18:35:41 +0000

Next week, IBM will be introducing their first ever “Virtual Mirror” kiosk at the National Retail Federation in NYC. What it does is take a digital photo (of the shopper) and scan in various makeup and hair coloring products that they may be interested in purchasing. Without having to actually try the makeup on you are guaranteed true colors and an accurate replica of your face. The EZ Face virtual mirror is already being used by Super-Pharm, one of the biggest drugstores in Israel, and will hit large US retailers sometime this year. – Source: Geek Sugar

- Aretta Frazier

The Macbook Wheel?

aretta — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:43:05 +0000

Apple’s “other” announcement at Macworld? You gotta check out the new laptop around the corner for Apple. Only for fun that is… http://www.theonion.com/content/video/apple_introduces_revolutionary?utm_source=embedded_video

- Aretta Frazier

The Christmas Card Conundrum

Javier — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:39:01 +0000

One of the most thankless tasks for any ad agency copywriter rolls around in late fall, when clients soon realize they must write some sort of universally acceptable holiday message to feature in their annual greeting. The great irony is that the job request usually comes titled as “Christmas Card.” Everyone at the agency refers to it internally as the Christmas card. Even the clients talk about it as the Christmas card. Yet we’re all forbidden from actually acknowledging the offending holiday on the card itself, or so the job specs imply. Typically, the job request goes something like this:

“Need to draft a holiday message for [INSERT CLIENT NAME HERE]. Cannot be holiday specific (don’t mention Christmas or Hanukkah). Please avoid any related iconography (no angels, bells, Christmas trees, menorahs, Santa Claus references). Avoid snow/winter imagery since we’re in Southern California. New Year’s references are acceptable, but please avoid standard ‘peace on Earth, goodwill to man’ messaging. Need something memorable, fresh, and original that is universally acceptable. Please reflect brand voice, tone and manner…” or words to similar effect.

Now, I consider myself a fairly decent copywriter. I’ve been in the business for over 16 years, writing successful ad copy for sizeable portfolio of Fortune 500 companies, the federal government and even international non-profits. However, I cannot, for the life of me, figure out how exactly to write a non-Christmas Christmas card. It’s like asking for a pepperoni pizza without the tomato sauce pepperoni and cheese.

Any suggestions?

Anyone?

Bueller…Bueller…

Javier San Miguel, Associate Creative Director

Prison Teleconferencing

aretta — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:27:50 +0000

Gas prices and strict state budgets have prompted at least 11 states — Connecticut, Kansas, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Tennessee — to start regularly using teleconferences between judges and inmates. The move is seen as a way to both improve public safety and save cash. I suddenly feel safer?

- Aretta, Media Coordinator

JV… can we get an office puppy?

Diana — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 02:26:32 +0000

So I will gladly take the credit for our latest office obsession… the Shiba Inu Puppy Cam. I saw a friend of mine put the url as her Facebook status two weeks ago and I had to check it out. I have been hooked ever since! For the past two weeks the puppies have taken over our office with almost half of our staff keeping a live stream of 6 adorable Shiba Inu puppies minimized on their computers for most of the day. It started off with just the folks in account services but the media and creative teams started watching and eventually a member of the web team sent the link to the entire office. There are days when you walk through the halls of the Sensis office and it feels like we have surround sound because so many people are streaming the antics of Autumn, Ayumi, Amaya, Aki, Akoni and Ando in their offices.

The site is a live video and audio stream of six Shiba Inu puppies (3 boys and 3 girls) who turned six weeks old on November 18th. The live video came as a result of a San Francisco couple who wanted a way to keep an eye on their puppies while they were at work so they used the free service from UStream TV to stream live video of the puppies over the internet. There really isn’t much to the site just a brief description of the puppies with their name, the color of their collar, weight, some space for comments and some links for more information about the breed. That is more than enough for the devoted fans of these puppies, the puppy cam has been viewed 6,447,396 times and 1650 people have commented on these adorable little guys. Even CNN, TV Guide and MSNBC have jumped on the puppy band wagon and dedicated time to covering this phenomenon.

I wonder what will happen to all of these viewers when these puppies go to their new homes!

To check out the puppies go to: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/shiba-inu-puppy-cam

Make the best out of Cyber Monday

Jose Manuel — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 01:18:58 +0000

With Cyber Monday just around the corner I wanted to share a great article the AP did covering tips for getting the best online deals. Enjoy!

NEW YORK — Shopping online used to be about convenience. This holiday season, make it about saving money.

As worries about a recession spook spending, retailers are nudging shoppers to Web sites with promises of steep discounts. That’s in contrast to past years, when ordering gifts online was touted as a way to save time and circumvent crowded malls.

“Everything’s taking a back seat to price. Retailers are very conscious of what consumers are going through,” said Ellen Davis, a spokeswoman for Shop.org, the online unit of the National Retail Federation.

Getting the most out of sales will mean knowing your options, however. So before you embark on your holiday shopping, keep these five points in mind.

1. GET IN ON THE DEAL

Dealnews.com publishes an annual Black Friday Guide, a roundup of price-checked deals, promotions and online specials. The guide covers categories including electronics, toys and apparel.

CyberMonday.com, a unit of Shop.org, aggregates online holiday sales from 600 companies. Shop.org gets a percentage of sales made through the site.

Another way to find out about deals? Try opening those pesky e-mails from retailers. They often include coupon codes and alerts to online-only deals, said Kurt Peters, publisher of Internet Retailer.

The trade publication’s recent survey of 174 Web retailers, including those that operate stores, found nearly half were boosting the number of monthly e-mails they send compared to a year ago.

2. WHEN & WHERE TO BUY

Major retailers generally post all in-store holiday deals online as well, said Dan de Grandpre, founder and editor-in-chief of dealnews.com.

Some retailers even post Black Friday sales online a day early on Thanksgiving, he said. And the biggest discounts may be available yet sooner.

Once brick-and-mortar stores advertise their Black Friday deals in newspaper circulars in the week leading up to Thanksgiving, online-only stores such as Amazon.com immediately start trying to beat the offers, de Grandpre said.

For select doorbuster items on Black Friday, however, you may have to rise early and head to the mall with the rest of the pack.

If you still have shopping to do after Black Friday, many retailers have online sales on the “Cyber Monday” after Thanksgiving weekend.

Cyber Monday sales vary. Some may last a week, others may feature a different item or category each day for a week and yet others might have deep discounts on items for just a few hours. Last year, 28 percent of online retailers had partial day sales, according to Shop.org.

3. ONLINE-ONLY STORES

Before buying gifts at major chains, check online retailers such as Overstock.com, Amazon.com and Buy.com, which often offer the same or similar products for cheaper.

Some lesser-known online retailers de Grandpre suggests: NewEgg.com, 6pm.com and SmartBargains.com.

If you find a deal at an online retailer you’re not familiar with, de Grandpre suggests checking with the Better Business Bureau at bbb.org. The group rates businesses based on the volume of customer complaints it gets and how quickly businesses respond to them.

If a business has an “unsatisfactory” rating, it may be your cue to click away.

Other sites to check up on retailers include bizrate.com and resellerratings.com.

A point to keep in mind when buying online is to stick to your shopping list. Many online retailers try go for the up-sell at check out, suggesting other items or package deals.

4. TAXES

Online retailers collect sales taxes only from customers in states where they have a physical presence, whether it’s a store, their headquarters or a warehouse.

If there’s no physical presence in your state, then a sales tax isn’t collected. The easiest way to find out if you’ll be taxed is to put items in your basket and get a price tally before checking out.

The savings on sales taxes can be considerable on big-ticket items, so many consumers chose to go online for certain purchases, according to Craig Shearman, with the National Retail Federation. The group supports federal regulation that would require all merchants to collect sales taxes, regardless of whether they have a physical presence in a state.

5. SHIPPING & WRAPPING COSTS

Most retailers plan to offer shipping deals this season, but the terms of the deals may differ from last year, according to Shop.org. One-fifth of retailers surveyed say they’re passing higher shipping costs on to customers by requiring them to spend more to qualify for free shipping. Another 11 percent plan to cut back on unconditional free shipping.

That means mailing gifts yourself may be cheaper. If your package is particularly heavy, though, a flat shipping rate may benefit you. If a company offers a gift-wrapping option, that could save a few dollars too.

Carefully weighing shipping and wrapping costs “save $5 or $10 with every gift,” said Davis of Shop.org.