I promise you that if you do these 12 steps you will radically increase your chances of success over everyone else around you.

By the way, they’re only secret because they’re so obvious that very few people notice them, let alone follow them.

AUTHENTICITY… What is it?  Does it matter?  Does it matter in business? Yeah, I think so, but why does it matter and what exactly is it? And if marketing were to be more authentic what would THAT look like? We know we want it and sometimes we are fooled into believing that people are being authentic when they are not.  So what’s the big deal?

(But they’ve been mostly dead all day)

In today’s fragmented world and new global economy many employees and business owners say that Missions Statements don’t work or they are a thing of the past. They point to nameless companies who had their mission statement posted all over the place, but no one knew it and worse yet no one lived it, especially the management. If this was your only experience with Mission Statements then you’d be smart to turn the other way and leave the idea in the dust. BUT… if you are willing to take a few moments and consider the roots and true power of a Mission Statement you could be adding a powerful tool to your companies arsenal, not to mention giving your company a competitive advantage in the market place.

“Beware, this may mess with your sense of what is effective marketing and advertising!”

Good isn’t always the same as what works or as a friend of mine said to me recently, “Is it Good or do you just like it?" In my business, the business of marketing, we talk about this concept a lot.  Is a commercial “Good” or do we just like it?  Most people assume that if an advertisement is entertaining or has a  certain level of “Quality” then it must be effective; it must work.  It’s soooo NOT true!

Researchers, Magazines, a plethora of new books on the market, and many of our friends and colleagues tell us that  Social Media isthe panacea of all things marketing... and social and whatever else someone thinks up…. but is it all good?  The new marketing mantra is that traditional advertising is dead.  I hear all the time that no one is reading newspapers anymore or watching TV or listening to the radio..  If I listen to what everyone is saying, no one is doing anything but spending time online.  The truth is that TV shows, like American Idol are still setting record highs for viewership and they are not alone.

As we work with leadership across a myriad of industries invariably we get the same question, “What is SEO?” My goal is to provide you with a brief overview of what SEO is, and how it can help your business.

Given the events of the last few years it’s easy to say we are living in a new economy. If I have heard it once from the “experts” I have heard it a thousand times. They might as well be saying even more obvious statements, “Hey I think that internet thing is here to stay.”  Thanks for the tip.

However, when you ask, “what does it mean we are living in the new economy?” You will in variable receive a million different responses. Go to

the department of Labor Statistics and you can find the following data on American spending habits:

These are almost identical to the previous year. It’s not that Americans are changing where they are spending, but that they are just spending less over all.

Let’s start with the obvious American’s are spending less. 

Post by Michael Dailey a Former "Bubbler" at Half a Bubble Out

Not too long ago we posted a video on our Facebook page featuring the Chief Economist for Google. He surmised that online marketing is going the way of finance. The ability to gather data on internet surfers at an extremely cheap rate allows the connection of buyer to seller at much less expensive costs and a more focused sales channel. This caused us to ask a few questions:

Is marketing turning the way of finance? Are we simply going to use the copious data points the online age allows to push products? How does this impact the creative soul of marketing? How does this impact trust?

That’s right, we built a machine that would smoke 680 cigarettes at once.  Why?  Well two reasons.  We did it for one of our clients, First Five of Butte County, as a part of a PSA (Public Service Announcement) campaign (see other videos) and let’s face it, we thought it would be cool, really cool! (If you don’t already know it Half a Bubble Out is a Unique International Marketing and Advertising company in Northern California.) The main goal of the campaign is to educate people on the effects of second hand smoke.  We have really tried to create commercials that stand out from all the other commercials and just get people to pay attention.  We went with the facts and humor angle.  “Smoking 680 Cigarettes at Once” is our favorite so far.  Our clients loved it and all our friends just laugh and look at us with that look in their eye that just seems to say, “one more reason you are Half a Bubble Out.” It was crazy, a little out of control and really fun. So here it is and you decide what YOU think.

WARNING: It’s really gross and some people actually cough when they see the smoke but that’s what it’s supposed to do.  Breathe deep, press play and enjoy…

Imagine going to your favorite coffee shop by yourself, like the one I'm in right now, The Tahoe House (www.tahoe-house.com) in Tahoe City, CA.  ( I highly recommend it for the food and the atmosphere.)  You know what it's like when you get there at that perfect time when it's really quiet and you can get your favorite table?  You coffee house junkies know what I mean.  You sit down with your favorite beverage and pull out your book or computer and settle in for who knows how long.