So Superbowl XLIV is over…great game! All the food has been consumed (Jambalaya made the menu at many of the gatherings; recipe here). Also, I was introduced to the “It’s My Solo Cup.” Have you seen them? Great idea!

But now the real and meaningful conversations begin! No, not arguing about which quarterback will have the higher rating next year or how all of us would like to live in south Florida. We now get to rehash, relive and re-quote the Superbowl commercials!!!

This year, the average cost for the 30 second commercial spot was roughly $3 million, so the longer the conversation lasts, the better for these guys! They tried many different tactics to get our attention. There were the animals: chickens, beavers, and Clydesdales. Athletes from the past pimping products (really Joe Montana? Sketcher Shape-Ups?). There were babies & toddlers talking trash – always a crowd favorite! Another one that, unfortunately, made its way into the mix this year was men in tighty whities.

There were a new ideas that entered the game this year. Focus on the Family, along with Tim Tebow & his mother, choose to talk about Right To Life. They might have just gotten their $3 million worth before the spot ever aired! And, Miller decided to “give” its spot and stay online to small businesses who could really use it. Pepsi went with a whole other approach…no commercial! Instead they wanted to help change the world.

Here at Rule29, we took an exceptionally informal poll, and here are some of our favorites:

#1 ) Snickers/Betty White
#2 ) Motorola/Megan Fox
#3 ) Denny’s
#4 ) E*Trade

What were your favorites? Most disappointing? Most amusing? Did you enjoy the game or the commercials more?

For me, I enjoyed both, but I am finding more people are talking about what was on the TV when the game itself wasn’t on!

(Step back over the past few years. Here is what Rule29 thought of the past few year’s Super Bowl Ads for 2009 and 2008.)

Recently we created a new twitter feed dedicated to the interactions that take place between us, our clients, partners and even random visitors. Sometimes you hear quite memorable and inspiring quotes, and other times errors in grammar reign supreme. From a self negating statement like, “For 40 bucks, you get a month of free yoga”, to a motivational Timspiration™ such as “Zubaz are always a good alternative,” every bit contributes to the experience of the Rule29 culture. As the current intern of R29 I have taken it upon myself to track and archive all the memorable quotes over the past six months. I found myself wondering about how much time it was taking to record these statements and if it would really be adding anything to the overall effectiveness of our work. Soon after thinking about the question, I remembered a book I had read.

In an architecture class many years ago, I read Cradle to Cradle, by an architect named William McDonough and a chemist named Michael Braungart. In the book they cover topics ranging from the current approach to ideas of renewability and sustainability, to using architecture to better your productivity and overall contribution to the workplace. Relating to this Cradle to Cradle mentality, I remembered a particular metaphor that McDonough and Braungart discussed relating to the ecological impact that a cherry tree has on its environment.

“Consider the cherry tree: thousands of blossoms create fruit for birds, humans, and other animals, in order that one pit might eventually fall onto the ground, take root, and grow. Who would look at the ground littered with cherry blossoms and complain, How inefficient and wasteful! The tree makes copious blossoms and fruit without depleting its environment. Once they fall on the ground, their materials decompose and break down into nutrients that nourish microorganisms, insects, plants, animals, and soil. Although the tree actually makes more of its product than it needs for its own success in an ecosystem, this abundance has evolved (through millions of years of success and failure or, in business terms, R&D), to serve rich and varied purposes. In fact, the tree’s fecundity nourishes just about everything around it. What might the human built world look like if the cherry tree had produced?”

It was interesting that although I cannot measure the tangible effects of the humorous and sometimes inspirational dialogue that flow through our workspace, they clearly contribute to the environment and culture of the office. So what is to be learned by the application of these ideas in our everyday interactions? I would contend that even the smallest events and environmental considerations all add up to a sum larger than the parts. Each hilarious comment, video and inspirational quote adds something to our office culture. In my estimation, if the human built world were to operate like a cherry tree, it would look similar to Rule29.

Enjoy some of the Rule29 culture for yourself, and follow our comments on twitter @Around29.com, @rule29 or @designsobriety

We thought this would be the perfect time to give all of our friends a break from winter’s chill with an R29 recipe complete with strategic creative, dynamic sites, an inspiring video documentary, awesome blogs…and much more. Now, we don’t want to oversell it, but it’s going to be better than ten Super Bowls…so without further ado…

:: Click here to download Creative Matters 23 ::

As with previous Creative Matters please download the interactive PDF to click your way through via each hotlink, or simply scroll through it page by page (best viewed with the latest version of Acrobat Reader).

We hope you enjoy our new projects. If you would like to know more about any of the featured pieces in this edition, please give us a shout, and we’ll be glad to explore how we can make creative matter for you.

TEN X TEN - RULE29’s 10TH ANNIVERSARY
From our humble beginnings in 2000 all the way up to today, we have had the pleasure of working with tons of interesting people and companies. In celebration of our 10th, you will see a new online presence, updated print promotions and a recap of some of our favorite work. This project blog will feature 10 projects from each year, published monthly for 10 months.

Currently on the site you’ll find projects from 2000, but 2001 will be going up soon. To see more, check out Rule29 10 x 10.

Our first documentary is now available for sale - please get a copy today and continue to support work being done by Life In Abundance in the slums of Ethiopia! Click here.

“For every creative who has the desire to give to a cause, there’s a cause in need of creative.” This is the montra of year old EPIC, a Chicago based non-for-profit who’s desire is to connect creative professionals with non-for-profit organizations in an 8 week rally of brainstorming, collaborating, designing, writing and a whole lot of creativity. After 8 weeks of collaborating and working together side-by-side the results have been nothing short of stunning. New websites are born, campaigns strategized, and educational materials that will help these organizations expand and improve their reach to the communities they serve are printed and ready to go. And new relationships are made that otherwise would not have existed and the world changes a little bit toward the better. And this is where it all began.

Read the rest of this entry »

I guess it’s time to be honest with you, our friends. We have had a relationship with someone for several years that we feel we should let you know about because she has done nothing but make us look good, helping us (and our clients) have a little more marketing sass. Emma and her coworkers have been a welcome addition to our email and survey marketing over the last several years. Whether you’re meeting Emma for the first time or if you are already a fan of Emma as well, we hope you learn a little more about the ol’ gal and her friends.

1: What is Emma, exactly?
Emma’s an email marketing and communications company that helps small and midsize businesses manage their email campaigns and online surveys in style.

2: How was Emma started?
In late 2001, Will Weaver and Clint Smith (known sometimes as the Tall One and the Not-So-Tall One), began researching the marketing and communications field, hoping to help small businesses manage such things more easily. They saw that nobody out there had really nailed email marketing. There were services that seemed to offer enough sophistication but were way too pricey for small businesses. And there were really inexpensive services that didn’t go far enough in helping small businesses create something really professional and stylish. So the idea behind Emma was to fill the space in the middle — a stylish, sophisticated alternative to the cheap, do-it-yourself services out there, but a more affordable and accessible alternative to what the Big Guys had to offer. Read the rest of this entry »