Thanks to Tom and Tallie Fishburne for sending me this cartoon to publish.  Brand Camp has cartoons for any marketing topic you could want.  If you don’t see what you want, contact Tom, he’ll produce it for you.  You can see more of Tom’s work on his Flikr page.  Contact Tallie Fishburne for inquiries on how to license Brand Camp’s content.

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This last week of December is a wonderful time to gather with friends and family, a great time to plan for a new year and close out the old, whatever and however you celebrate.  This year is especially poignant as we close out a decade.

Certainly, it wasn’t all wine and roses. It’s been a tough year for some–many people have lost jobs, others have lost homes and some people see little to celebrate. But I hope that in your reflection, you find thanks, peace and hope.  And regardless of your current circumstances, you strive for great things in your future.

• A special shout out to the hundreds of great agencies I’ve had the chance to meet this year: Thank you for your passion and enthusiasm for what you do.  You make my job a blast!
• To my clients, peers, allies and friends: Thank you for allowing me a window into your businesses.  Together we’ve learned a lot and accomplished so much and I’ve been honored to be involved.  I look forward to working with each of you in 2010.
• To prospective clients of Hitch: I especially look forward to meeting you.  I don’t even know you yet, but I know the challenges you present will be engaging, rewarding and provide opportunity for many talented people.

So Happy New Year.  If your year was up, may 2010 take you higher.  If your year was down, may you swing way up.  May you find meaning in your life and enjoy your work–whatever that looks like.

Peace~

See you all in 2010.  It’s gonna be a great year!

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To those of you who’ve been participating or just following along as Hitch comes to life, I appreciate your eyeballs and interest and the countless discussions, phone calls, emails & meetings over coffee and beers.

It’s a wonderful experience to involve so many bright minds from the across the country (and literally across the world) in intellectually stimulating and challenging discussions; both philosophical & practical about the nature of marketing.  We’ve shared books, blogs, pdfs, videos, tweets and text messages.

What’s come out of these discussions is a new kind of marketing resource for companies.  Hitch connects you with your marketing dream team:  specialists ranging from brand strategists, ad agencies, experiential marketers, word of mouth firms, branded entertainment, digital conversationalists, app/widget developers and more.  At their core, Hitch and its growing roster of companies share a pioneering spirit and a penchant for calculated risks as well as a commitment to accompany marketers through this evolving media environment. 

A new breed of marketer is evolving from the ashes of traditional models. Together, brand and customer become futurists and innovators who support, encourage, and engage the collaborative discussions and co-creation happening in online communities, coffee shops, dorm rooms and board rooms around the world.

Business relationships are gold so I’ll do my part to keep up the conversations we’ve begun; I ask you to do the same. This dialogue can only benefit all of us and the trade of marketing we all love. 

Thank you for your input and suggestions.  Thanks also for challenging me and cheering me on.  I’m off to SXSW Interactive in a few short weeks and back to put the finishing touches on Hitch.

Stay tuned.

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