POKE was brought in as a partner-agency by Droga 5 to create a website and comprehensive strategic outlook that would demonstrate the background, objectives, and future goals of the Million, an extraordinary new public school program.

We utilized the notion of “the Million” – a title meant to reflect the one million students who are part of the New York City public school system –  in conjunction with the existing logo, to create a motion design piece which now lives as the entry to the millionnyc.com homepage. This short, narrated story explains in concise terms exactly what the Million project seeks to accomplish: the creation of a merit-based reward system that will encourage and entice public school students to gain a greater appreciation for their school work.

To date, the program has been wildly successful. Teachers and parents from all of the schools involved in the initial launch of the Million program have reported notable changes in students’ demeanor and academic achievements. Students from these schools have become fully immersed in the program; most will gladly attribute their new-found academic interests to the Million. As the program continues, it offers the potential to redefine the learning process throughout schools both in New York and around the world.

How can a brand tell you what “sexy” should mean? Is it the perfect bedroom, with the curtains drawn just so? Can you narrow it down to a hair color or a specific body type? No. “Sexy” is personal—and something that only you can define.

Keep Life Sexy gives everyone a chance to stand up and shout to the world: “SEXY IS _____!” This site marks a new beginning for K-Y. An effort to reach out to the world and to redefine what “sexy is” on everyone’s terms. This is what it looks like when a brand stops shouting and starts listening.

Saving Grace, a new drama from TNT, gained popularity beyond anyone’s expectations throughout its debut season. To support the launch of the second season, TNT wanted a place where fans could connect, discuss, and dig deeper into the messages of this dramatic, and sometimes controversial, series.

Embrace Your Grace does just that, inviting fans to embrace their inner Grace and share with the world the moments of their own lives that make them feel more like the hard-edged star of the show. The site takes the standard blog platform and stretches it into a far-reaching invitation for discussion and drama, even amongst the ranks of its visitors. It also brings the notion of competitive commenting into blogosphere by introducing point/counter-point arguments for every post, as well as giving visitors the ability to demonstrate support for comments from other readers (in addition to the standard commenting mechanism found on most blogs).

How do you make a digital purchase experience that feels as close to a physical experience as possible? For Teroforma, a new tableware company that brings together designers and craftsmen from around the world, the answer was simple: the table. If you’re buying dishes, isn’t that where you want to see them? You want to be able to mix and match, see this plate next to that mug and decide whether the blue or the green linens work better with that pattern. And at Teroforma.com, that’s exactly how you shop.

As part of an interview process, I was given the following homework assignment:

Please take a look at the Bourbon category and imagine that one of the brands (pick any you like) is your client and that they are looking to create a major new product.

*Where do you think the opportunity is? (Describe how you uncovered this opportunity and why you think it’s a big opportunity for your client.)

*Write a short one-page product concept that brings the idea to life (be sure to include the consumer insight, the key benefits, and the reasons-to-believe in the concept).

My recommendation was the creation of Angel’s Share, a new bourbon from Maker’s Mark targeting women. Feel free to view my response below or download a copy here.

Launched in June of 2006, the Nike+ system has been called one of the most successful social experience sites on the internet. Chad Stoller, director of emerging platforms at Organic, recently told AdWeek, “[Nike solves] a problem, and because they solve a problem, a community forms.” The Nike+ website offers users a method to track their personal running progress, but more important, it creates an outlet for people to connect around their passion.

In July 2007, I participated in the Nike+ Summit at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. I and eleven other runners from across the US were selected because we were early adopters of the Nike+ system. We met with product developers and designers from Nike, Apple, and R/GA to share our insights about the positive elements and the flaws in the system. Based on my background, and my familiarity with the Nike+ system, I was uniquely positioned within the group to speak for Nike+ users in general, and the under 30 market in particular.

During the summit, the Nike+ team expressed an interest in becoming more relevant in the digital space, especially among the youth market. With those interests in mind, I put together the following presentation outlining nine strategies based on my experience with Nike+. You can also download a (1.2MB) copy of the presentation in .pdf format here.

Our strategic specialist opened a brainstorming meeting with a lengthy introduction emphasizing the talking Mrs. Butterworth’s bottle as the heart of the brand’s essence and the best representation of the brand’s core values. The bottle “comes alive” during commercials and talks to a child who’s enjoying Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup.

Despite the intent that the meeting focus on concepting a branded online game for Nickelodean’s website, my recommendation was that the client would be better off reapportioning the substantial sum of money set aside for the game toward the creation of real talking bottles. This could easily be accomplished such that when the cap to the syrup bottle is opened, a small speaker hidden underneath the cap is triggered to sound a pre-recorded message. I also made the point that the strength of this idea lies not in emblazoning the bottles with messaging about the new feature, but rather quietly letting Mrs. B. lovers find the hidden gem on their own.

Unfortunately, this idea was never presented to the client. I was informed that, despite being the “best representation of this brand’s core values,” a talking bottle “is an exercise in package design and falls outside the pervue of our agency”.

Strategic stronghold Undercurrent tasked me with a concise challenge for their client, Start Mobile: increase sales. Start Mobile is a small, web based company that specializes in wallpapers for mobile devices. They have cultivated a remarkable group of popular artists such as Shepard Fairey, Tara McPherson, and David Cho, and have created a library of these artists’ works available to mobile users at the manageable price of $1.99 each.

After analyzing their strengths and shortcomings, I outlined a series of strategic opportunities for Start Mobile that combines both online and offline executions and partnerships. Tactics that allow them to capitalize on their associations with today’s brightest artists and help Start Mobile reach audiences who are both technically inclined and design-savvy.

JoshSpear.com is one of the most highly regarded trend-spotting and cool hunting blogs on the internet. It is “a daily source of inspiration for marketers, brand managers, advertising executives, and a wide range of everyday people from around the world who love to stay ahead of the curve.” Started by Josh in 2004, the blog now includes a group of treasure hunters from around the world.

Beyond Madison Avenue was created in September 2005 as an outlet for a few select gurus to share their insights on branding and strategy, marketing and advertising, and traditional and innovative media opportunities. While at BMA, readership was expanded to over fourteen hundred subscribers, and the blog garnered more than four hundred visits per day. During my time with BMA, it was regularly ranked among the top 70 of Ad Age’s media and marketing blogs.

I started writing for Beyond Madison Avenue at its inception and served as Editor from September 2006 to November 2007. Under my guidance, BMA grew to include its own podcast, and was voted the Most Valuable Blog in a competition sponsored by eminent blogger, Joseph Jaffe, ahead of prominent challengers such as Seth Godin and Wired Magazine.

In the spirit of connecting people, Beyond Madison Avenue teamed up with event production company KMP to create PAUSE, a summer happy hour event designed to bridge the gap between virtual and personal relationships. PAUSE gave BMA’s readers, along with others in New York’s creative community, the opportunity to take a deep breath and put their hectic work schedules on hold for an evening.