Kyle Archer Babson

A woman takes a photograph of the the Cape Town stadium seen...

Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:00:00 -0500

A woman takes a photograph of the the Cape Town stadium seen from the Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa, Friday, July 2, 2010. From Boston.com’s Big Picture series.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, the Big Picture series is worth…well a lot of words.

Realtor Who Lost My Business

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 12:01:07 -0500

Realtor: I have over a thousand properties available .
Kyle: Really? Do you have them listed online?
Realtor: (in an offended tone) Why would I!!??
Kyle: (stunned silence)

The decision to run commercials on TV says as much about your...

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:00:00 -0500

The decision to run commercials on TV says as much about your brand as the content of the ad. For Starbucks, a previously “high-end” brand that depended on word-of-mouth and customer loyalty, running this ad reinforces it’s slide into mediocrity and the goal to be the middle of the road coffee solution for the world.

It’s a good ad, I’m still a fan, but I’d like to see them make some better marketing decisions. The free wi-fi experiment will be interesting to follow.

Full version of the Nike ad currently running during the World...

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 18:38:21 -0500

Full version of the Nike ad currently running during the World Cup. I’m not a soccer fan, but this ad does an excellent job of communicating the star power of the highest paid soccer player in the world to an American audience who is up to this point unfamiliar. Skip to the last minute for the best part.

This kind of “hero” story is exactly what Americans need to connect to soccer the way they do to the NFL and other American sports leagues. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to head to the Nike Store to get some soccer gear.

How Top Musicians Are Utilizing Their Facebook Pages

Fri, 28 May 2010 11:23:00 -0500

How Top Musicians Are Utilizing Their Facebook Pages:

insidefacebook.com highlights and praises @musictoday’s “Store” application for Facebook; the creation of which I project managed. It’s now used by over 150 artists like Jay-Z, Dave Matthews Band, and Pink Floyd, to drive e-commerce and further their connection with fans.

I helped Justin Roberts, a Chicago-based singer-songwriter of...

Thu, 20 May 2010 16:05:00 -0500

I helped Justin Roberts, a Chicago-based singer-songwriter of children’s music, launch an email for a track campaign this week. Check it out and enjoy “Sleepoverland.”

Who’s Jack? Click the image to see my thoughts on J...

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 10:00:00 -0500

Who’s Jack? Click the image to see my thoughts on J Crew’s marketing strategy.

The Pomodoro Technique

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:43:00 -0500

The Pomodoro Technique :

The Pomodoro technique for productivity is a method I’ve been using for about a year now. It’s dead simple, and a great complement to GTD.

Here are the steps:

Set a timer for 25 minutes (I call the 25 minute time period “the pomodoro” officially it’s supposed to be the timer itself)
Decide on one task to focus on for the time allowed
Start the timer and complete the task
Take a 5 minute break to decide what to focus on for your next “pomodoro”

moleskine

Nike+ users, join me in a run across Kansas. It’s only...

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 13:22:00 -0500

Nike+ users, join me in a run across Kansas. It’s only 417 miles. You’ve got until the end of 2012, or until the world ends. Whichever comes first.

photo of a Kansas road by: josephleenovak

A great talk on how we work, or more accurately don’t...

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 10:00:00 -0500

A great talk on how we work, or more accurately don’t work. Served as a great reminder for me of why I love not working in an office.

Nike+ Green Level

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:13:00 -0500

I just advanced to the next level in Nike+ That would be level three, or the green level. No more orange for me. Nike was kind enough to congratulate me with a video.

What do levels mean on Nike+? Nothing really. A badge of honor I suppose, and everything in the Nike+ admin is a nice lime-like green color now. That’s about it. Bottom line, it’s a little bit of motivation to keep running. The more I run, the sooner I’ll need a new pair of Nike+ enabled shoes.

I’m pretty much blown away by this video. Ben Folds...

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:03:00 -0500

I’m pretty much blown away by this video. Ben Folds didn’t come up with the idea, but he sure deserves credit for taking it to an entirely different level. This is an excellent example of an artist using technology to do something truly new and amazing.

“The holder of this card is entitled to early entrance...

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:14:00 -0600

“The holder of this card is entitled to early entrance (must purchase concert ticket separately) to the (Coheed and Cambria) headline shows.”

Early venue entry as a concert promotion is nothing new, but this black card helps Coheed and Cambria create an even greater feeling of exclusivity. You get it by pre-ordering the deluxe version of their new album.

Manchester Orchestra & Kevin Devine, ‘I Could Be the...

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 11:44:00 -0600

Manchester Orchestra & Kevin Devine, ‘I Could Be the Only One’ (Two-Song Bundle) — Song Premiere - Spinner UK

I love this idea. Engages current fans with new content, while building awareness with a new targeted audience. For many local or regionally touring bands it’s common practice to “trade shows” with a band in another town. This is a modern version of that.

My question: I wonder if more could have been gained for each artist by doing this themselves? Spinner gets about 1.5m unique visitors a month, which is great, but how many of those will actually become long-term fans? By the three comments on the post, I’m guessing not many.

My suggestion: Bands could easily execute this kind of promotion on their own sites. The benefit is the opportunity to collect email addresses, sell merch/music, and further communicate who each band is.

Looking for a new wallpaper image for your iphone? Try a concert...

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 23:40:00 -0600

Looking for a new wallpaper image for your iphone? Try a concert poster.

Scaled down, the image size should be about right for your iphone screen, and your options are practically limitless.

Wilco usually has some pretty great designs.

I just finished reading Michael Pollan’s In Defense of...

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 22:58:00 -0600

I just finished reading Michael Pollan’s In Defense of Food. Here’s what I took away from it.

1. Some of the things food companies are allowed to claim on their products are outrageous. We’re going to continue having trouble with obesity in this country until real nutrition education becomes a priority.
2. Find a middle ground with food. Many people don’t care about what they eat or their general nutrition, many others care excessively. Both are unhealthy. Keep it simple. Eat fresh, whole, real food and the rest will fall into place.

“Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

Video

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:43:00 -0600

10 Things I'll Miss About Crozet, Virginia

Fri, 01 Jan 2010 14:57:00 -0600

1. Mountains - When I moved to Virginia 2.5 years ago from the flatlands of Kansas, the mountainous tree covered terrain was the biggest shock. It took a good year or more to get used to, but I’ll miss the views and the feeling of always being surrounded by nature.

2. Mudhouse - I really like coffee, so when the local chain of coffeehouse’s opened a location in Crozet I was pretty happy. Small cups, over-priced, but I couldn’t resist.

3. Charlottesville - Charlottesville is a smallish college town, with more history than you can shake a stick at. I usually made my way into town at least once a week to walk the downtown mall, eat a meal at Bodo’s or Eppie’s, or see a show at JPJ, The Paramount, or the revolving door of smaller club venues.

4. UVA - The University of Virginia has so many unique traditions, a beautiful campus, and it was founded by TJ himself, the university really enriches the area. Go Hoos.

5. Traffic - There is none, forgetting about rush-hour was life changing.

6. Crozet Pizza - I’m not a huge pizza eater, but Crozet Pizza is the best I’ve ever had.

7. Weather - Central Virginia boasts a mild climate. It’s rarely too hot, and I got by without a real winter coat most of the time.

8. Community - Crozet is currently going through some growing pains. New developments around the city are bringing rapid changes. The newer residents are thrilled to have more to do, while the old timers are not so sure they want to see their home town change so much. Either way, they all care deeply about the community. That’s something I wasn’t used to, but I learned a lot from it, and look forward to connecting more with my community in Kansas City.

9. Starr Hill Brewery - I don’t drink a lot of beer, but when I do I try to make it something special. My favorite brew is still Boulevard’s Unfiltered Wheat, but Starr Hill makes a number of pretty good alternatives. It didn’t hurt that the brewery was connected to my office.

10. Musictoday - I’m staying with Musictoday, but in a weird kinda way I’ll miss the old chicken pot-pie plant.

Overall, I’m glad to be back in Kansas City, but I’ll always look back fondly on my time in Crozet.

"Pink Floyd’s use of @musictoday’s Facebook App instigated 19, 412 interactions this..."

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 15:22:00 -0600

“Pink Floyd’s use of @musictoday’s Facebook App instigated 19, 412 interactions this month http://bit.ly/5rwn54”

- Kyle Babson (KyleBabson) on Twitter

If you have video content, it should be part of your marketing...

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 17:13:51 -0600

If you have video content, it should be part of your marketing strategy.

Yes, your videos belong on youtube, vimeo, and any others you can think of. It’s pointless however for you to drive traffic to these sites, and brand your videos with their logos.

Find a white-label video hosting/player partner and turn your videos into a traffic-driving tool.