Sunday Funday: Colorado Rockies vs. San Diego Padres

Few shots from our Sunday funday to the good ol’ ballpark.

40

Forty candles and one cake.

A Night Out in Cody, Wyoming

Spent the weekend in Cody, Wyoming, and enjoyed a typical night out on the town. Enjoy.

Dinner at 8K – Viceroy Snowmass

Pictures from my dinner at 8K at the Viceroy Snowmass

Best Damn Weekend: Beaver Creek Park Hyatt

Spent this past weekend at the Beaver Creek Park Hyatt and all the ‘you-can’t-even-afford-beer’ jokes aside, it was a wonderful weekend I hope to do again sometime. The skiing was good, and the warm chocolate chip cookies at the end of the day were heavenly. Took a few pics while I was there and wanted to share. The food is from 8100, a spectacular slopeside dinning experience complete with low ambient lighting and a beautiful center fireplace.

Bliss

Sometimes all life needs is an infinity pool, the ocean and a bar.

Shot’s from Infinity Bay in Roatan, Honduras.

Is Your Brand Ready For The Apple iSlate?

The Apple iSlate, otherwise known as the-only-possible-thing-on-the-planet-that-can-save-media, is supposed to be released next week by Apple and the media is scrambling to be ready. But what are you doing to get your own brand in place to take on this new technology?

Not sure? Consider the following:

• If Apple does in fact release the iSlate, magazines and media companies will be turning to advertisers in droves to fill their new digital properties. This means ads will need to be placed next to interactive content and possibly be interactive themselves. Is your brand ready to be interactive and have multiple campaigns?
• If you’re brands video is placed next to a Sports Illustrated video recap of last night’s NBA game, how will your video quality compare to the high definition video SI is using? Flip camera’s worked great last year, but now as mobile displays are able to distribute video in full hd will your ad take advantage of that?
• Advertising, or rather good advertising today, is all about storytelling and providing viewers with a story. With interactive ads, brands can now highlight personalities, product demonstrations, real-world situations and story lines that support their message and engage the viewer. Outdoor brands and travel brands have a strong advantage here. Who wouldn’t want to see yesterday’s snow conditions, check out interactive trail maps, and view 360-degree photos of hotel rooms when deciding if they were going to book a trip that weekend to their favorite resort?
• Are you still thinking one-way? Or are you using your ads to encourage conversation and participation? Advertising is no longer about putting out a message and expecting it to stick. We all know this, but for some reason advertisers are still approaching ads as if they were ads and not their own branded content. Most magazines have little to no online budget, so ads can take advantage of this and use various mediums to create their own content targeted specifically at iSlate users. For instance, if your brand was a rafting company, approaching your advertisement as a narrative travel story following a select number of guests, engages the viewer more than just a bunch of b-roll video with crappy copyright-free music. If you are thinking like a journalist, your brands advertisements will stick out. Big time.

There are many more ways brands can set themselves up for the iSlate and mobile advertising, but by far the largest step needs to be action. Like podcasting and iPhone Apps, the early adopters were able to grab market share quickly and stay ahead of the game by innovating along the way. So instead of wringing your hands, start small and build from there. Brands that do will succeed and I believe will stand out sometimes even more than the editorial content they are next to.

Ullr Parade Craziness at Breckenridge, Colorado

One part hollywood movie: Out Cold

Two parts small ski town: Breckenridge

A dash of German: Ullr

Five parts alcohol: PBR

And you get the Ullr parade down Main Street.

Enjoy

Colorado is on Fire: Aspens in Aspen

Few shots from this past weekend in Aspen, Colorado. True to it’s name, the town was awash in color as thousands of Aspens lit up the towering hillsides.

Two Friends, Two Beers and Moment of Reflection

Sometimes it’s best to just stop and stare out into space soaking up the view, looking at the task ahead and remembering just how beautiful life can be.

Pic is from Joe Piccola’s wedding this past weekend in Lake Tahoe. Joe and his freshman year roommate take a moment to reflect and look ahead.