In the age of e-everything - and I do realize the irony that I’m writing about it on a blog site - print design is still going strong, according to the 45th Annual Print Design Survey sponsored by Agfa Graphics (view pdf). Printed materials provide a tactile and emotional experience that e-media has yet to match. Do you think that’s why cave drawings evolved?

Most mornings, I wake up to the smell of hazelnut coffee perking in the kitchen, thanks to a programmable coffee maker… and I feel more energized without pouring out the first drop. That’s a testament to the power of scent. Of course, it’s no wonder that scent is fast becoming a marketing tool (and not just by those annoying perfume squirters at the mall).

 New York City is about to be invaded by a host of pleasant scents, designed to enhance customer experiences and influence purchasing… the first annual Scent World Conference & Expo – June 29-July 1.

Check out one company that’s been developing scent technology since 2000 - their customer list is pretty impressive … www.scentair.com

What scent triggers your best memory? And can smellovision be far off?

There was a time when being connected meant you were tight with someone like Vito Corleone. Not anymore…

Over the weekend, I watched “Cloverfield.” A cross between the Blair Witch Project and Godzilla, the film had one line of dialog that stuck in my mind.  A group of friends has just witnessed something knock the head off the Statue of Liberty like it was a Rock Em, Sock Em Robot. But that doesn’t stop one person from lamenting “Oh #@$#, I forgot my cell phone back at the apartment.”  And I could relate. Maybe not to the sudden devastation that an invading monster can bring, but definitely to the panic that ensues when I’ve forgotten my cell phone on the kitchen table.

As it turns out, I am not alone. A recent Nortel/IDC study of 2,400 working adults in 17 countries explores the era of hyperconnectivity (www.nortel.com/idcstudy). When asked what single item they would take if they had to leave their home for 24 hours, 38% of the respondents would take a cell phone over a wallet or keys. What would you take?

One blog I saw defined hyperconnected as having seven devices - for work or personal use - while using at least nine applications for instant messaging, text messaging, web conferencing, and social networking. I haven’t scaled that mountain yet, but I’m pretty close to the summit… how connected are you?

A 2006 study in the Journal of Consumer Research revealed that ads that say less, speak volumes.

For the study, consumers reviewed two ads for the same product; each featured identical messaging, but one introduced more white space in the design.

What did consumers see in the white space?

According to the study, they saw a great deal. The ad with the white space imparted a sense that the advertised product was superior; consumers associated it with sophistication, style, prestige and trustworthiness.

This is definitely a case where less is more.

I was web surfing recently and dropped by the Onion for a quick dose of satire when I felt compelled to click on a banner ad - something I rarely do, but I was intrigued.

http://www.theonion.com/content/atlas/

The ”Grand Moments” contest taps into the popularity of social networking sites - places like Facebook and MySpace that are all about friends and storytelling.

This clever campaign lets contestants upload a photo and write about a “grand moment” in life, featuring - of course - Grand Marnier.  These little posts compete for votes. The top prize? A trip for four to Paris - and your grand moment featured on an ad in Times Square. 

Meanwhile, the agency that devised this campaign gets to sit back and relax until the last vote is in. And even without the ad in place, they’ve done their job because after reading a dozen stories about Grand Marnier margaritas and spectacular sunsets, I’m a little thirsty and ready for the weekend.

This week, I had the opportunity to observe four focus groups in action… on American Idol finale nights. Perhaps not the best planning - as the client herself observed sadly - however once the groups started talking, we barely thought about the clash of the Davids. (Thank goodness for DVR.)

Now, there’s no way I could sit through 10 hours of American Idol over two evenings. (In fact, I watched the two hour finale in just 1/2 hour thanks to the Fast Forward button on my DVR.)  But those focus groups kept me glued to me seat! The hardest part was staying quiet behind that one-way, observation mirror.

We stifled quite a few laughs; there was a quick-witted person or even a comedic tag team that upped the fun factor in each group. And we quietly high-fived when our top choice for a brand name won nearly unanimous approval. Most importantly, we came away with some awesome insights into our target markets and how to fine tune our messages so they resonate with those markets.

That’s time well spent… especially since the wrong David won Idol.

The gold rush really started as a trickle. And the first big winner wasn’t James Marshall, who found the original pea-sized piece of gold. It was Sam Brannan, a savvy merchant, who bought up every piece of mining equipment in the region before running through the streets of San Francisco shouting about Marshall’s discovery and waving a bottle of gold dust. Isn’t that what marketing is about? Being visionary trumps being lucky, every time.

Recently, the merits of spell check have been bandied about our office. While everyone lauds the technological advances that have made carbon paper and white out obsolete, one of the greatest advantages of using a computer is routinely ignored. One click of the F7 key – for PC users, at least – can catch a bevy of transposed letters and missing spaces or even identify grammatical missteps.

English is notoriously illogical when it comes to spelling; I’m certain there are more rules on how to combine letters than actual letters in the alphabet. So, it makes sense to use a tool that catches common spelling errors and even suggests possible replacement words before copy goes to your client, your vendor – hey, even your mom. (She’ll be so proud!)

And in case you aren’t convinced, remember, you can’t always take spelling hints from word pronunciation… just ask the gnome.

Recently, the word “w00t” received top honors as Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year. If you have used the word before, then you are definitely nu skul. Need a hint? Online gamers “w00t” every time they triumph over an opponent.

Maybe it’s because I used to read the dictionary when I was young. Maybe it’s because I proofread every day in the course of my job. But, I’d like to believe that those formative years spent preparing for spelling bees were not a total waste of time. In an age dominated by instant messaging, I am a relic – a champion of accurate spelling, punctuation and grammar.

I have tried to adapt. My first attempt to send a text message required nearly 20 minutes – for a single sentence – during which time the person called to see what was taking so long for my reply. My second attempt took slightly longer because I was struggling to cobble together a string of letters that would accurately convey my message. I gave up and returned the text message by phone. UG2BK! Okay, I admit I just went to netlingo.com to find out how to say “You’ve got to be kidding.” Otherwise, this blog entry might have taken another hour.

Is correct spelling passé? Are we destined to become a shorthand society? The next brochure we design may not be filled with text speak and emoticons, but imagine how much messaging could fit on a billboard when several sentences can be summed up in a few letters and numbers. So, are you old school or nu skul? Do you “w00t” or say “hooray”? Let us know; I promise not to proofread your reply.