http://kantarmediamix.com

sometimes opportunity comes twice. we just re-launched the second version of a nice little project visualmerc did with our creative partners at cult 360. a few months back we launched the US version and now we just released the european version. since i never wrote about it the first time, here’s my chance.

using art that was part of a larger rebranding campaign - along with the ‘Our Insight. Your Inspiration’ tag line - that cult 360 developed for kantar media, we helped design and program a cool microsite and game/contest. the concept is simple: using kantar’s multiple media analytic business units, marketers and agencies can make correct decisions in their creative campaigns. the more data, the better and the more you mix them the more insight you get. so using that concept, the site is a painting game - developed in flash - where the colors represent kantar’s media units. how you mix them it’s up to you.

the kantamediamix mug

so although the contest is only open to our european readers for now (US contest closed), trust me, it’s fun and even kids love it. so go create some art and use the social tools to tell your friends to vote for yours. you can even make it in the colors of your favorite world cup team 2010 team in the spirit of the season.

the russian version of shca.com

we love wordpress, we really do. we love working with the platform and all the things it can do. we just finished a pretty complex build that required a lot of customization. about a year ago our friends at 4corners, designed and built a site for their client Swanke Hayden Connell Architects at shca.com.

they also love wordpress  - as you can tell by their cool site too -  and they did a great job of pushing all the data into a flash front end using the WP cms.  this year they asked us to help them translate shca.com to russian. the task was pretty daunting as the request was to use a single admin login to update both russian and english versions simultaneously. since the site is graphics heavy - with images shown in multiple places and in multiple sizes we had to make sure that all relations were kept AND doubled to display in both version.

the english and russian input fields

first chris implemented qtranslate and had to go through and make sure all the tags were compatible with wp2.5 of the original build. qtranslate is a great plug in and we highly recommend it for anyone looking to do a multi-language build.  we then had to enable russian text fields for every variable entry and hand code whatever wasn’t. the media upload area was particularly difficult, but with some custom plug-ins and general hacks it all came together.

overall radian said that once he learned ‘all the hooks in wordpress’ it wasn’t that bad. we think it came out really good. but if any of our russian friends find any mistakes let us know. and now, if only shca can resolve their dns and have their web address show up in the url bar instead of their ip address, it’ll be even better.

http://www.comcastlessonslearned.com/

Comcast, in association with Business Week has put together a micro site that is focused on providing quick stand-alone lessons for small business owners. the site was designed by Segal Savad and was built by the visual mercenary group. this is the second year of the site. there are six lessons from 2008 and we just recently uploaded lesson #2 for 2009. it’s a collection of interviews from business owners across the country by writer Marcia Layton Turner. Marcia offers some keen insight to the problems presented. look for the commentary on the right sidebar. there are also resource links to help out if needed.

the site breaks the content down into the problem areas that small business owners run into. like me, probably most s.b. owners never took any business and/or marketing courses; it’s been more of a trial by fire. they might have had a passion about something, opened a shop or store and left a lot of the course to fate. although it may work for some businesses, overall that’s not a good strategy to have - especially in these economic times.

some of the current lessons online are:
1. Focus on generating revenue vs reducing expenses
2. Allowing one client to dominate your bottom line
3. Overlooking the easy sale
4. Business Plan Basics
5. Managing Your Finances

they’re great to read if you’re looking to open a small business and good reminders for those that are already running. the site contains a summary article of the business lesson and all complete interviews are available in mp3 format, if users would like to download and listen. let us know what you think and if there is anything you’d like featured for future lessons.