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When we first started talking about the concept of the tour, for whatever reason, we kept talking about Gibson. "Wouldn't it be great if we just roll up in our Plaid van, and get our Plaid on..." And since Gibson's a brand that we love, even though we had no appointment, no name of a person to meet, we decided to roll up in a Plaid van.

And now, reality. We rolled into Gibson today. Building number 1. We met their awesomely sweet receptionist. Who did her best to get us connected to someone. Anyone. Brand Managers out of town. Marketing people not around. And then she finds someone. The perfect marketing person who would appreciate our Plaidness. And so she sends us onto another building, with the person's direct number. We call on the way, and get voice mail.

We arrive at building #641 (pictured at left), and can't find him. Security calls him, and gets voice mail. Security dude even tries marketing dude's cell phone. Gibson marketing dude cannot be found.

And so, we move on. (To Memphis!!) That's the reality of "cold calling" on the road.

We've had some amazing success stories, and a couple of "Gibsons." But all is not lost. We still have loads of ideas to share, and marketing dude's name and number. He'll get our care package, and we'll do our best to get some Plaid on Gibson.

Labels: Day 16

posted by darryl ohrt at 10:40 PM 0 Comments

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Labels: Day 16, ryan, tshirtoftheday

posted by mtlb at 5:08 PM 0 Comments

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We're on the way to Memphis, from Nashville. We're hungry. And magic happened off of exit 143, I-40, in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee.

Meet Jack and Vickey McCorkle, from Mustang BBQ. Best BBQ ever. We had the pulled pork and brisket sandwiches, with pickles, onions and deliciousness. And topped it off with some BBQ ribs. The most scrumptious ribs in the land.

The van is a little heavier, and we're in a better place. On to Memphis we go. Elvis, here we come.

Labels: Day 16, lifeontheroad

posted by darryl ohrt at 2:38 PM 0 Comments

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Here's two of the more interesting characters that we've met along the way. Cliff and Seymour (aka "Dollar Don"), from Virginia Beach.

Labels: lifeontheroad, video

posted by darryl ohrt at 1:20 PM 0 Comments

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I'll bet the bigger agencies stay at the Westin. For more Soooper 8 fun, see the photo set of Bill's room.

Labels: Day 15, lifeontheroad, super 8

posted by darryl ohrt at 9:24 AM 2 Comments

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Day 15 saw us kicking off week three of the tour at Sea-Ray in Tennessee. A view of the watefront office space (on their own island) was about the only thing we walked away from, as the marketing department was basically traveling. We were able to leave a bunch of the things we always do, and like the few less successful meet and greets, we will follow-up. That’s one of the risks we face on tour, but luckily, it hasn’t happened too much.

On the upside, we ended the business part of the day with a great little meeting at a Tennessee restaurant chain called Petros. We met the owner Dale, and his assistant Gail. Really nice people and a brand with some very nice possibilities. They were even kind enough to give us free lunch at one of their units. (And their staff were really digging the van.)

The day wrapped with a trip to Nashville, (what Gail referred to as “Nash-Vegas”). And it was in many ways. We’ll go back tomorrow and see some more, but for now, check out the pics from today.

Labels: Day 15

posted by mtlb at 8:07 AM 0 Comments

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In many ways, it’s become the Ryan tour. Still fresh in my mind is his story from Asheville, NC over the weekend, which, he delivers in his understated way much the same way you would ask someone how their day was: “It was ok.” After hearing it and then having him tell us that that’s not even a fraction of what happens to him, I’m convinced he’s a conduit for all the funky karma in the world. Even though I’ll paraphrase it here, the story will suffer no less. Apparently after going back to his room for the night, he encountered a couple of Super 8’s ‘residents,’ Julie and Richard. Feeling their pain, he purchased beverages of the liquid variety for them. He did this because he felt bad for them. Turns out the trucker driving Richard and Julie across the country left them there–and took off with their stuff. See, they had to stay at the Super 8 because Julie can’t stay with her sister anymore, and was forced out of her house. (Bad family vibes being what they are you know.) Oh, and the reason the trucker took off was because he was on his way to Atlanta to kill his wife who was cheating on him.

I swear Ryan needs his own show.

Labels: lifeontheroad, ryan

posted by mtlb at 12:02 AM 1 Comments

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With the addition of a swell belt buckle purchased at Bele Chere. The collection grows.

Labels: Day 15, ryan, tshirtoftheday

posted by mtlb at 10:56 AM 0 Comments

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Take a three minute, eighteen second break from cubicle boredom and enjoy the Plaid car wash. Just because.

Labels: Day 14, lifeontheroad, van

posted by darryl ohrt at 6:57 AM 0 Comments

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Rob and Ryan wanted to do something special to welcome you to week three of the Plaid BrandAid 2007 tour. Enjoy.

Labels: Day 13, lifeontheroad, webisode

posted by darryl ohrt at 7:19 PM 1 Comments

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Labels: Day 14, ryan, tshirtoftheday

posted by mtlb at 7:14 PM 0 Comments

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Well after jumping in on the third week of the tour I can say that you guys don't have it quite as bad as you say you did. The Super 8's? With bullet proof glass and questionable rooms? Yeah right. We all have 37 inch plasma televisions and some of the nicest motel staff I have ever met. All this "Work" you guys claim to be doing? Pfft... we go to street festivals and drink beers. All this driving you keep mentioning? We've been in the same Super 8 for the past two days. Also what's up with the staged photos at a Sonic? That's just not cool, people following the tour should know the truth - like for example we had this great vegan dinner at this little restaurant in downtown Asheville. Man! This is the life!

*EDIT* Disregard the above - we just got to the EconoLodge and ate at McDonalds... I feel dirty.

posted by Rob Biddiscombe at 1:10 PM 0 Comments

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Just arrived at the EconoLodge. Time to go clean up, before we head out for dinner. Funny how one snapshot says it all.

Labels: Day 14, lifeontheroad

posted by darryl ohrt at 1:00 PM 2 Comments

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Since it was Skydiving Saturday, you get the value-add of a harness.

Labels: Day 13, ryan, tshirtoftheday

posted by mtlb at 3:53 AM 0 Comments

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Offering wireless is a natural for a brand like Starbucks, Caribou, Panera, etc., either free or through purchase. But in certain locations, there isn’t any. We were in Virginia Beach last week driving around for an hour trying to find a spot to just chill and work, relying on freewifi.com to hook us up. (We had the van’s wireless if needed, but not the point.) I couldn’t help but think Starbucks and other brands are missing an opportunity to offer it down there.

Even a simple mini-shop open with wireless on the beach and an open-seating area; a temporary outdoor summer cafe if you will. They have one location according to their store locator, and it’s part of a real nice hotel–a pain to get to unless you’re a guest there. I realize space at the beach is expensive and hard to come by, but why not work out a deal with the city to split the cost in return for a little patch of sand? How many more cold drinks would they sell this way in more places on the beach. Hmmm... I’m guessing summer + this idea = a lot?

Tags: Starbucks

Labels: lifeontheroad

posted by mtlb at 3:32 AM 0 Comments

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While Ryan was busy making a run on the t-shirt rack at the super Goodwill, I came across this bargain. Not sure what I liked better, the Ziploc^® with sharp points poking me, or the fact someone thought cows would make perfect corn on the cob holders.

Labels: lifeontheroad

posted by mtlb at 3:17 AM 0 Comments

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– Johnny Cash to Black Eyed Peas. (Local radio. Only other place: our office.)

– “Hey, did you see that van, it’s got plaid.” (Waitress we were behind.)

– “Russians love plaid.” (We think Seymour said it. Or maybe it was Cliff.)

– “Oh shit. Wait. I don’t have my license.” (Bill every other day.)

– “We’re really sorry, but it’ll just be another five minutes. We’re not done installing the 37” plasma TV in one of your rooms yet.” (Super 8 manager, Ashville, NC.)

– “I’ll see you in court!” (Ornery Swatch man.)

– “You have ID?” (Bouncer to me at Bele Chere.)

– “C’mon up, it’s a gay party!” (2nd floor cafe balcony dwellers to passersby below, also at Bele Chere.)

– “Can you show me the Rocky?” (Tourist in Philly.)

– Radio coverage of the local potato sack race.

– “She’s not here anymore.” (Pep Boys front desk upon our arrival.)

Labels: lifeontheroad

posted by darryl ohrt at 3:12 AM 0 Comments

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Almost forgot about this one. We were shooting this series in Philadelphia outside Lincoln Financial Field. Nobody on the road except for one SUV that pulled up behind us. I turn to see the driver holding up a card and motioning to me to come over. I get closer and see his wife with maps opened up on the front seat, and him holding a Sylvester Stallone Rocky picture in his hand. Pointing to the map and then the image, he utters these classic words:

“Can you show me the Rocky?”

Labels: Day 8, lifeontheroad

posted by mtlb at 3:11 AM 0 Comments

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Hooray for week three!

Rob wanted to be sure that we kicked it off in true Plaid style so...he dropped in by parachute. That’s him in the photo to the left, strapped to the belly of someone who knows how to parachute for a living.

Not to be outdone, Ryan joined Rob on the jump. They each leaped out of a tiny plane, at 10,000 feet. And neither of them screamed like little girls. Bill and I remained safely on the ground, senses intact.

You can see more pics of their adventure in today’s Flickr photo set.

Labels: Day 13, rob, ryan

posted by darryl ohrt at 7:42 PM 0 Comments

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Wow, what a week. We started in New Jersey, and today we're in Asheville, NC. We met some really awesome brands. Swatch (not so awesome), The Martin Agency, Pep Boys, Wave Riding Vehicles, 17th Surf Shop, Hanes, Inmar/CMS, and Moog.

This weekend, we’re “resting up” in a cool town, and at an awesome street and music festival Bele Chere. Saw the Gin Blossoms (so corporate) last night, and the most eclectic mix of people that I’ve ever seen assembled in my lifetime. From mullets, to hippies, to alt-rockers to middle-America families. Anything goes in Asheville, I guess.

Justus has flown home for some rest, and Rob joins the tour in it's last week. More on Rob’s spectacular entrance shortly.

Tomorrow we leave for Tennessee, the state I’m most stoked to visit. Graceland AND Dollywood all in one cute little sliver of a state. Should be loads of fun and great photography. Oh yeah - and some good brand meetings as well.

Labels: lifeontheroad

posted by darryl ohrt at 7:15 PM 0 Comments

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Yesterday we got to meet Chris and his marketing crew at Moog Music. You can’t believe that such a cool company is tucked away in such a remote market. Matt and Rob back at our office were jealous as hell that we were stopping here. If you’re a musician, or ever been into synths, Moog is a dream visit.

Chris is new to Moog, so we did our best to make a great impression. (Any day that we’re not thrown out by security is a good day on the brand tour.) And the Moog dudes were welcoming as ever. Even cooler, we ran into Chris later the same night at the Bele Chere Festival! Check out the rest of the day in pictures here.

Labels: Day 12

posted by darryl ohrt at 5:20 PM 0 Comments

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(In case you can’t see it, the pattern is old school rap CD covers.)

Labels: Day 12, photos, ryan, tshirtoftheday

posted by mtlb at 12:05 AM 0 Comments

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We could definitely use a food truck to follow the van. I vote for Krispy Kreme.

I’m thinking this kind of caravan would be strangely appropriate as we approach Graceland next week.

Labels: Day 11, van

posted by darryl ohrt at 12:37 AM 0 Comments

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We have a system while on the road. Photos are taken on the SLR camera. Video is shot. At the end of each day, we each head to our rooms at the Soooper 8, and start working. Photos and video are digitized or uploaded. And Bill and I write the blog posts about the day.

Tonight, I noticed that Ryan's t-shirt of the day post hasn’t been published yet, and start looking for the shot. And then, ummm I see what they shot. Very funny.

So I guess this shot of Ryan will make us more popular with the ladies. Or maybe get Ryan a girlfriend while enjoying the weekend off in Asheville, NC, at Bele Chere. Or have people thinking that Ryan needs more t-shirts for his shirt of the day series. You decide.

Labels: Day 11, photos, tshirtoftheday

posted by darryl ohrt at 12:21 AM 1 Comments

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After leaving Hanes, we rocked across town in Winston-Salem to meet with Mathew and Maria over at CMS, a promotions logistics company. They make coupons work.

Ever wonder what happens to the coupon after it’s redeemed at the register? Think that elves take them through underground tunnels and trade them with a secret society for popular currency? Yeah, something like that.

Anyway, Mathew and Maria took us through a brief tour of promotions logistics - which was pretty awesome.

We also learned how their industry is evolving, and discussed a couple of ideas on how emerging media might help the reinvention. Really cool people who understand branding. We could hang out all day with brand people. Viva branding. And coupons. Check out the rest of today’s pics here.

Labels: Day 11

posted by darryl ohrt at 11:57 PM 1 Comments

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We met some really cool people today. The morning kicked off at Starbucks (typical day), and a skate break for Ryan.

Off to the Hanes headquarters we sped, and met Jonathan and Mr. Intern.

A great introduction to emerging media, and a few ideas were swapped. Great people. We sheepishly gave them our Fruit of the Loom tour t-shirts, and they politely pretended not to notice. I doubt they’ll wear them to the company picnic. Or maybe they’ll wear them proudly and declare it “research.”

Labels: Day 11

posted by darryl ohrt at 11:33 PM 0 Comments

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We just received the best email ever about the Plaid tour from Casey Paquet:

I just wanted to send an official letter of "you kick ass"ness to you and your colleagues for the Plaid Tour. You and I have spoken at length about how interactive agencies seem to be moving toward this dangerous cliff of non sequitur where they are burning through cash doing "new media" stunts and projects that have no real value. I must admit that upon first reading about the idea of a tour I was afraid you were about to embark on a slow trip over that cliff, but I have fortunately been proven completely wrong. Not only is watching the tour addictive, it is clear that you are out there proving to people that there are ways to use technology and the internets to entertain, build brand awareness and create real value. How can a potential client look at what you are doing and not think "holy shit, I'm part of a pitch right now, but I'm not watching a Yawnerpoint slideshow, I'm sticking my head in a van that is a hotspot, being filmed for later upload and experiencing what these guys (and gals) are capable of in real life."

Bravo to you all, I've been sharing the link with as many of the folks I know in the PR/Interactive/Marketing arena and they have all been floored (although in most instances I have to explain some portion of it to them - "no, no, they aren't a band... no, see... no, they aren't doing this for a client.") Your agency is a shining light in the overcrowded pile of suckitude that is modern branding. Don't let the world beat you down, stay golden!

Awesome, Casey. Tour t-shirt is on the way. And suckitude is now the official word of the day.

Labels: bloggers, Day 11

posted by darryl ohrt at 3:35 PM 0 Comments

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One of the things about this tour is getting out on the road meeting brands directly, not to mention the people affected by what brands do. It’s also one thing to blog about the latest campaign from W+K, but it’s another to see brands who need help understanding even how blogs work, let alone how to go about starting one. Summed up nicely by one client comment we heard from a creative: “We need to be on the blogosphere.”

From a creative’s POV, it’s also good to see the cultures and ‘demographics’ we blog about and research–for real. Like the surf culture around Virginia Beach we saw today. You always think of SoCal when you think surf, but seeing how much of that West Coast attitude has permeated here, it’s interesting. The Atlantic surf scene may not compete with the Pacific, but you can see the vibe is the same.

The air out there is different when you’re not buried behind a blog.

Labels: lifeontheroad

posted by mtlb at 2:01 AM 1 Comments

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Check out Ryan's t-shirt of the day. He won't tell anyone what Durki is. I'm pretty sure it's a street gang. Or a feminine hygiene product.

Labels: Day 10, photos, ryan, tshirtoftheday

posted by darryl ohrt at 12:27 AM 0 Comments

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Giuli was very clear as I spoke to her on the phone, prior to our arrival in North Carolina. From our office in New England, she had already scoped out an awesome BBQ place for us to eat tonight.

Ryan wouldn't have it. He insisted that we eat at Hooters, and fill our bellies with cheap beer. "It's walking distance from the motel" he says.

I would like to point out to my wife that my hands are clearly far away from the waitress. Which is more than I can say for Ryan. Justus and Bill were also very well behaved. Shame on Ryan.

Labels: Day 10, lifeontheroad, ryan

posted by darryl ohrt at 12:26 AM 0 Comments

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We’ve seen some cool stuff on tour, and some not so cool. F-18s directly overhead landing at nearby Ocean Naval Air Station? Cool. Another pair taking off almost aiming towards the sun? Even cooler. Without a telephoto, they may look far away, but trust me, they weren’t. You hear them. Then you feel them.

Labels: Day 10, lifeontheroad

posted by mtlb at 12:25 AM 0 Comments

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Figuratively. After Waffle House waitress, we had out first stop of the day at Wave Riding Vehicles and met up with General Manager David Lewis. They have a very funky space which we all dug. Chatted with David, and snapped some pics with the van. He’s put in a request for a satellite feed, which we’re considering for next time.

Between WRV and our second stop, the 17th Street Surf Shop headquarters, Ryan was in heaven. Loads of sweet gear and apparel. Us, not so much as we missed the marketing person at 17th Street Surf. (Left a nice care package.) Coolest part of that stop were the F-18s overhead.

What to do next? No problem. Just hang down by the beach and people watch while we hunt for free wireless places to work. Or any wireless.

Next stop, North Carolina tonight as we use the long drive to catch up on stuff. Check out the rest of today’s pics here.

Labels: Day 10, lifeontheroad, tour route

posted by mtlb at 12:22 AM 0 Comments

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At the Waffle House this morning. She was nice. A plate dropped. The cigarette break took place in the booth next to us. Ryan almost made it out of the door with a coffee cup. We now hate waffles.

posted by mtlb at 12:28 PM 0 Comments

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Like a Kia, Ryan’s shirts have the power to surprise. Here’s the one from yesterday.

(Previously in Ryan’s t-shirts.)

Labels: Day 9, photos, ryan, tshirtoftheday

posted by mtlb at 11:57 AM 0 Comments

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The tour has a name, so we figured the van needed one too. We could keep calling it ‘the Plaid van,’ but that’s getting old. We need something spiffy. Like the Mystery Machine (but that's taken.)

You can even use adjectives too! Be creative and send in your suggestions via IM: plaidnation or email: darryl AT thinkplaid DOT com. You may just recieve a shirt, a Twinkie, or both. We might even autograph the Twinkie.

Labels: lifeontheroad, tour route

posted by mtlb at 9:18 AM 2 Comments

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Here's where we answer a series of questions sent in by viewers. We've made up some of our own, too (indicated by asterick).

Q: Who controls the radio? The driver or the passengers?
A: Whoever gets to it first, literally.

Q: What is the “song” that best defines the trip?
A: “Hotel, motel...” Sorry, went old school for a sec. Peter Bjorn and John definitely goes to the top of the list. (Thanks, Sony!) While we listen to anything from Boys Like Girls to Metallica and T.I., we tend to define the song of the tour by which ones we’re most sick of. Any Kelly Clarkson for example. Show tunes and country music are problematic for some.

Q: Are you still speaking with your colleagues by Friday?
A: Yes. We make Bill shower every day so everything’s still cool.

Q: Do you sleep in the van?
A: Ryan does. We’ll leave it at that. (Ok, he takes naps in it, happy?)

Q: Are you sick of Super 8 yet?*
A: Hmmm. Next question.

Q: Does Ryan have enough shirts for the tour?*
A: We think so, depending. Still, if you want to donate a funky T for a mention, IM us @ plaidnation.

Q: Any luck so far getting business out of the visits you’ve made?
A: Yes! We could stop the tour now and it will have been worthwhile.

Q: WHY CAN’T YOU KEEP THE CAMERA STILL?*
A: We could, but then you what would you COMPLAIN ABOUT? This whole trip is one giant social media wireless experiment. Some things will be changed should we do this again, camera management being one of them.

Q: How much does it cost to fill the beast?*
A: $75 a tank.

Q: Aren’t you concerned about traveling green for this tour?*
A: Yes. We need lots of green to pay for our meals.

Q: Speaking of meals, say, what does everyone eat on tour, McDonald’s and stuff?
A: No. Actually, we try and sample a lot of local cuisine at various places like mom and pop joints, diners and other restaurants. And a few too many chain places like Applebees.

Q: What’s your absolute must-have item?*
A: Caffeine in any form.

Q: What’s the one thing you could do without?*
A: Hands down, bumpy roads while blogging and IMing.

Labels: lifeontheroad

posted by darryl ohrt at 9:17 AM 0 Comments

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We had about an hour to get photos of team Plaid in front of the big Washington DC sights. Problem is, all of the streets go in circles, and are based on some secretive system. I think someone switches the signs around every hour or so, just to confuse the tourists.

So what to do? We faked it. Eye of the beholder. Here’s a pic of me, in front of the Watergate Hotel. Yep. And that’s Ryan and Justus to the left, in front of the White House. Here’s Ryan and Bill in front of the Pentagon. The world is what you make it.

We wrapped up our shoot, and were off to Richmond in no time. Check out more of today’s pics here.

Labels: Day 9, lifeontheroad, photos

posted by darryl ohrt at 11:40 PM 0 Comments

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Today, Jason Sutterfield invited us to the Martin Agency, in Richmond, VA. These guys rock.

Imagine working at the agency responsible for XGames work, the new UPS campaign and......the CAVEMAN SPOTS. Bill Green, who has pretty much devoted all blogging love to the cavemen, was in heaven.

Jason gave us a tour of their awesome space, and we got to meet some of the crew. Epic vibe and super cool people. Check out some of the pics here.

We unloaded some twinkies, some tour shirts, and some Plaid brand love.

Thanks Jason and friends!

posted by darryl ohrt at 4:31 PM 0 Comments

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After stops at both Swatch and Pep Boys, before we left Philly we needed to take in some sights. We’ve got a tight schedule, so we didn’t have time for more than one thing. Liberty bell? Rocky statue? Philly cheese steak? No.

Justus and Bill decided that it would be really exciting to visit a completely empty complex of sports stadiums. Where, apparently, on some days, you can go to, and watch football, baseball or basketball games. But not today.

Today we could explore all of the glory of its empty parking lots, closed doors, and security gates. This is why I stay away from team sports. It leads to wacky tourist visits.

Not to worry. Just wait till we get to Graceland. I’ll make Bill and Justus suffer through endless pop culture shopping escapades. And I’ve promised Ryan some sweet skate/surf shopping in Virginia Beach. Empty sports stadiums? BORING.

Labels: Day 8, lifeontheroad

posted by darryl ohrt at 9:18 AM 3 Comments

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At Plaid, we believe in excellence in design and branding. So when we’re on the road, we spare no expense to stay at the nicest hotels in the nation. Sure, when we’re at Cannes, we’ll stay at the Carlton.

But Washington DC? The Soooper 8 on New York Ave. If you’ve never stayed in a high class hotel, here’s a few things you should look for:

+ Bullet proof glass at check in (pictured above). This shows that the hotel cares enough to keep a front desk clerk alive, should you need to schedule a wake up call at 2am.

+ A sleeping security guard/concierge. Sure, he calls himself a security guard, but when I accidentally woke him up while enjoying my free continental breakfast, he was ready to make reservations at the nicest restaurants via his walkie talkie. I’m sure that I only needed to ask. He must have been tired after providing concierge service all night long.

I’m sure that our inconspicuous van loaded with electronics spent a perfectly safe night under the watchful eye of our concierge. I’ll bet he even arranged to have it detailed for us.

That’s the kind of Plaid service we’ve come to expect while on the road.

Labels: Day 9, lifeontheroad, super 8

posted by darryl ohrt at 8:44 AM 0 Comments

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So we got tossed out of Swatch Monday morning. Nice way to start the week. Read about the gory details here. Pep Boys left us no better off, but the people we met were the polar opposite of the earlier ones. Seeds were planted as it were. We finished the day strong though with some good news on different fronts. Without giving specifics yet, we can say the tour is definitely working. Soon as things progress further, we’ll share more of what we have going on. For now, check out today’s pics for some of the action.

Labels: Day 8

posted by mtlb at 4:40 AM 0 Comments

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A Chris Cunningham tribute. Ryan has more shirts. Want your shirt on the blog? Contact Giuli AT thinkplaid DOT com and she’ll get them to the van. (As always, cool shirts, only, please. Ryan’s not a whore. Usually.)

Labels: photos, ryan, tshirtoftheday

posted by mtlb at 9:46 PM 0 Comments

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Or at least the eastern seaboard. Justus Johnson is joining our tour this week. Which gives Giuli a well needed break from the van. Next week, Rob will do the same for Justus.

If you haven't met Justus, know that he's famous for his huge appearance and menacing scowl. Look at the photo next to this post, and you'll see that he even looks badass on a swing.

I can pretty much say absolutely anything to anyone, if Justus is standing behind me. So that should get us into some pretty cool places, on tour. (I'm thinking White House.)

Stay tuned for wild Justus action (and scowls) all week long!

Labels: justus

posted by darryl ohrt at 11:36 AM 1 Comments

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Inevitably spending so much time together, you exchange stories and learn a little something about the people you’re with. That nobody has killed me yet speaks volumes of their patience. One thing we learned about Ryan, aside from two funky tricks, is that he’s not just into snowboarding, but he is the lifestyle.

Which leads to a comment made in passing that will likely make it to the wall of fame before this tour is over. When asked his thoughts on snowboard phenom Shaun White:

“If I ever see him, I’m going to knock his teeth out and sell them on eBay.”

Words of wisdom to live by indeed.

Labels: lifeontheroad

posted by mtlb at 3:11 PM 2 Comments

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I think Ryan will now have to also have his own Story of the Day post in addition to his shirt pics. While picking him up Friday, we met him at his van.

Very funky, probably would’ve been a Plaid van in another life. We noticed the FOR SALE sign, and I asked how much. He then proceeded to tell us that it wasn’t for sale.

Hmmm. Ok. Turns out his friend’s ex- ran up a tab on Ryan one night without paying.

The number on the sign is actually her number, proudly displayed wherever he drives.

Such a great payback.

Labels: Day 5

posted by mtlb at 3:32 AM 1 Comments

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Blogger vortex changed forever! Or, how many bloggers does it take to drive a van?

Today we met the infamous Joseph Jaffe. We talked blogging. And social media. And twinkies. Mmmm. Twinkies.

Pictured above are MakeTheLogoBigger Bill, myself and Joseph Jaffe. Immediately following this photo, Joseph took the van over some sweet jumps.

Labels: bloggers, Day 5

posted by darryl ohrt at 1:05 AM 0 Comments

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Mmmmm. Chinese food. Still two weeks left in the tour. Ryan's going to run out of cool shirts. Want your shirt on the blog? Contact Giuli AT thinkplaid DOT com and she'll get them to the van. (Cool shirts, only, please. Ryan's not a whore. Usually.)

Labels: Day 5, photos, ryan, tshirtoftheday

posted by darryl ohrt at 1:00 AM 0 Comments

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So I though I lost my license once we left New Hampshire. Turns out I didn’t. But that won’t keep me from going off on something that I see in most hotel and motel chains:

Really funky bed spreads in obnoxious patterns and dark colors.

This is why the majority of people lose shit. They can’t find it in in all that visual quicksand. Oh sure. You check in after a long day and what’s the first thing you do after scoping out the location of the ice maker: throw your stuff on the bed. (Or a second bed if you have two doubles.)

And what happens next?

Try as you might the next morning to grab everything and check out, something gets hidden in plain site on that stupid spread. Keys. Money. Cell. Al Qaida could be sitting there but you wouldn’t know it.

So, to add to the previous idea for restyling of S8, let’s opt for either a nice solid gray or a tan. No black. No whacky Victorian patterns. Please. Do it for your country.

Labels: Day 4

posted by mtlb at 6:24 AM 0 Comments

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Bloggers. Creatives. Plaid van. Three great things that go great together. Before leaving Boston, we stopped by the Digital Influence Group in Waltham to meet fellow creatives and bloggers. Got to see their sweet new digs, big enough to drive a van through actually.

There we met Andre Sugai, Rob Druyff, Scott Ludwig and Kevin Green who are also bloggers. It’s becoming obvious that everyone from here out will have a blog. So much so that we’ll start listing them here and add new ones as we come across them.

1) Andre Sugai: Ad’ing Value
2) Kevin Green: Socially Adept
3) Scott Ludwig: Blogger Says What?
4) Lori Magno: Moda di Magno
5) Tom Magno
6) Ryan Barrett: Cheap Thrills

Labels: bloggers, Day 4, lifeontheroad

posted by mtlb at 5:28 AM 1 Comments

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Kicking off the Boston leg, we arrive at Digitas looking for two things: parking and my license. More on that later. We were there to hook up with Lori Magno, creative liason at Digitas and fellow blogger. The nice thing about this trip is that in addition to brands, we’re getting to meet people in the real world who we spend time with online. We also meet another Ryan at Digitas. Check them both out here. And her pics of us.

It’s funny, but one of the other things that comes up so much on this tour is the increased security everywhere in major cities. Can’t park here, even for two secs. Can’t shoot there, no matter what it’s for. So far, we’ve only had one major brand makes us delete images and footage from our cameras. Lori also tells of the time her husband Tom, a photographer, was escorted off the roof of Digitas, a location he’d shot from for years. (Check out his work here.)

As for Digitas, um, well, never did get in. Security needed ID for everyone going up, and dumbass me lost my license. Or so I thought. Found it after we left.

Labels: Day 4

posted by mtlb at 5:27 AM 0 Comments

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While in Boston, we stopped by Etonic to talk shoes.

We actually missed meeting Mike, the marketing dude. First screw up of the Plaid tour so far. (I promise many more.) We left him a sweet tour goodies schwag package, and will catch up down the road.

We nearly got a meeting with the CEO, but I think he noticed that I was wearing Pumas.

Once again, a brand didn't see tour t-shirts as an even trade for product. So we left not in Etonics, but in the Pumas we showed up in. (Except Giuli. I think she wore flip flops.)

Labels: tour route

posted by darryl ohrt at 12:30 AM 1 Comments

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Here's Ryan's t-shirt of the day, for Thursday, week one of the Plaid tour.

While Ryan has a sweet t-shirt collection, he's worried that he might run out before the tour ends. He'll need another 15 shirts. He's got at least 5 - 7. (Hint, hint.) We need cool shirts. Send now and get on next week's blog.

Labels: photos, ryan, tshirtoftheday

posted by darryl ohrt at 11:54 PM 0 Comments

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Aka, Boston’s happy accident. Lori at Digitas grabbed a shot of me today shooting her at the exact same moment. I really like the result. We blogged, we came, we left. It is officially a small world.

Labels: Day 4, photos

posted by mtlb at 9:08 PM 0 Comments

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It’s one of the more impressive finds on the tour. Check out the rest here for Day 4.

Labels: Day 4, photos

posted by mtlb at 5:25 PM 0 Comments

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I realized in New Hampshire that Super 8 could benefit from a stylist. Or a style guide.

Who hangs "art" 6 inches from the ceiling? Who picks the blue vomit collage bedspread, and says "yes - that will look nice"?

Then again, as I look at the other guests enjoying free continental breakfast, maybe nobody cares. Plaid dude, in search of style, one Super 8 at a time.

Labels: lifeontheroad, super 8

posted by darryl ohrt at 9:29 AM 5 Comments

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How do you top a visit to Segway, when in New Hampshire?

We decided to find robots. And we did. The Plaid van rolled into Mobile Robots later in the day, and we met Chief Technical Officer Bill Kennedy. We also got to see some awesome bots.

We tried to convince them that it would be a cool thing to have the robots battle the Plaid van, but they weren't having it. We did witness a really impressive demonstration with a couple of their newer products. Coupled with their proprietary software applications, they can produce bots that do just about anything.

Like Segway, the people at Mobile Robots don't consider Plaid tour t-shirts an even trade for robots. I see a trend.

Labels: tour route

posted by darryl ohrt at 12:13 AM 1 Comments

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Geeks rocked today. This morning, we pulled the Plaid van into Segway's world headquarters. I was in heaven.

Segways buzzed around the van and parking lot. And in their offices. Eric, from the Segway marketing department, insists that the Segway employees were working. To us, it just looked like a lot of fun. (Now I guess I know how corporate clients feel when they come to visit our space.)

We loaded Eric up with Plaid goodies, but he didn't see the Plaid tour t-shirt as an even trade for a Segway. Maybe next time.

Labels: tour route

posted by darryl ohrt at 12:00 AM 0 Comments

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Today, Ryan declared the last row of seats in the van as "Ryan's Zone."

Giuli discovered a massive pile of Jolly Rancher wrappers and sticky stuff, while taking that seat on the way back from dinner tonight.

Ryan says that what happens in Ryan's Zone stays in Ryan's Zone. And the "throw your wrappers in the garbage" rule doesn't apply there. Keep out.

Labels: photos, ryan, van

posted by darryl ohrt at 11:31 PM 0 Comments

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What people do in their motel rooms while on tour has been the subject of news, blog posts and books. Some people destroy motel rooms. Some people jump on the beds. And there are other things.

Giuli decided to use her room as a place to dye her hair red. Probably because splashing red stuff all over your bathroom at home would be a mess.

I'm trying to picture the cleaning lady who entered Giuli's room after checkout, and sees red stuff everywhere. Good thing we left New Hampshire.

Labels: giuli, super 8, tour route

posted by darryl ohrt at 11:26 PM 1 Comments

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Ah, the joys of trying to edit video, IM, blog and upload photos inside a van. All at once. Check out the fun from day three, still going on.

Labels: Day 3, photos

posted by mtlb at 4:37 PM 0 Comments

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Any random bits of plaid we find will be shot on sight. This is our tour pledge to you. Check out all found plaid on Flickr here.

Labels: Day 3, random acts of plaid

posted by mtlb at 4:33 PM 0 Comments

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Because he has so many, and because we have spare time, Ryan’s t-shirts get their own Flickr page now.

Labels: Day 3, photos, ryan, tshirtoftheday

posted by mtlb at 4:28 PM 0 Comments

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I was looking forward to getting out on the road, so that I could escape the horrific and sweltering oppression of Bob's Discount Furniture spots that run every 6 minutes on television in my home state.

Naturally, Bob's isn't about social media, so their spots aren't on YouTube. The tribute above is produced by some teenagers, to give you lucky readers outside of the Bob's region a taste of what I speak about. (Actual Bob's commercials aren't really as good as the one above.)

Anyway....turned on my Sooooper 8 television this morning in New Hampshire, and saw a Bob's commercial. Live free or die.

Labels: lifeontheroad

posted by darryl ohrt at 9:59 AM 1 Comments

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They ran the deli we stopped at for lunch. Some of the everyday people we met. Geno, (on the left), thought we sold plaid wallpaper. I guess you could say we’re installers. We decide the next time we show up at a pitch, we will greet the receptionist this way: “We’re here to install Web 2.0.”

Labels: Day 2, photos

posted by mtlb at 8:24 AM 0 Comments

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In no particular order:

+ When in the hotel, staying in separate rooms right next door to each other, we still use IM to communicate. Very weird to IM the person in the room next to you. Love the internet.

+ Spending an entire day in a van leaves you with a sense of being disconnected from the world. Even with two wifi connections, three laptops, live video and an iPhone.

+ Ryan has the most bitchin' t-shirt collection. He's pictured above wearing a shirt that matches his meal tonight at the BBQ place.

+ I got lots of flack at our office for being a sneaker whore...yet I packed fewer sneakers than anyone in the van so far.

+ Giuli drives like a freakin' race car driver. I'm having panic attacks about her next shift driving. Really hope that I can just fall asleep. Kind of like closing your eyes on a scary roller coaster.

Labels: giuli, ryan, van

posted by darryl ohrt at 1:49 AM 0 Comments

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Just uploaded a video synopsis of our first day on tour. Ironically, the van is barely pictured in the video. We instead went for an approach that makes marketing peeps the star of the show. Marketing people as rock stars. (As long as they're giving us projects, that's my line, and I'm sticking to it.)

Labels: van, video, webisode

posted by darryl ohrt at 1:25 AM 4 Comments

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my &*#&$^ *##^$* @*@& seatbelt

posted by Giuli at 10:21 PM 0 Comments

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If you're curious, here's what our first day on tour costs us:

Gas $75
Henry Hudson Bridge 2.25
Drinks from street vendor 7.00
Starbucks: $10 (gift card from Gina. Thanks!)
Parking in Manhattan: $33.00
Midtown tunnel: $4.50
7-11 snack stop: $6.56
Lunch at On the Border: $51.38
Ferry from LI to CT: $61
Dinner at the Steak Loft: $42.99
Four rooms at the Super 8, West Greenwich RI: $362.04

Price of blogging, twittering and internet broadcasting from a van in mid-town manhattan, Connecticut and Rhode Island all in one day? Priceless.

Labels: van

posted by darryl ohrt at 8:54 PM 0 Comments

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For the tech freaks out there, here’s a general list of what we got going on:

Van:
A Ford Econoline 350 12-passenger van wrapped in 3M Controltac vinyl graphics. (With the badge all covered up, that Ford never looked so good.) AM/Fm/CD 6-speaker, although no mp3 plug.

Internet connection:
It has an Avis wireless router for general internet use, rated to have up to 11 connections at the same time, but with reduced speed. We also have a Sprint phonecard for streaming of the webcam video feed by itself than runs out of one of the Macbooks. All video is streamed through Ustream.tv without audio.

GPS: Google maps tracks our location via a Motorola dedicated cellphone.

Cameras:
The web camera is an externally mounted but discontinued Apple iSight, mounted with suction cups for glass or handheld when we feel like making you dizzy. (That camera is now incorporated into Apple’s laptops.) Camera connects to the dedicated 13” MacBook via Firewire and can operate without the need for the van to be running.

For shooting all other regular meeting and B roll, we use a Sony Digital Handicam DCR-VX2100 with shotgun mike and AKG K240 studio headphones to drown out background noise when shooting.

For stills, we shoot with a Nikon D70 SLR.

Hard drives:
For digitizing, we use a G-Tech G-RAID 300 gig external firewire drive, and offload all uncompressed footage via the VX2100’s Firewire port. Editing handled with Final Cut Pro.

Laptops:
Two 15” MacBook Pros:

• 2.1 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processors
  
• 1 GB 667 MHz memory
• 120GB hard drive

and
One 13” MacBook:

• 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
  
• 1GB memory
• 80GB hard drive

Power supply:
Three cigarette lighters charge all the equipment as needed via two 175 and 220 watt DC power invertors. (All cell phones and camera batteries are charged at night by everyone on their own.)

Beverages:
Mountain Dew, Diet Pepsi, Snapple and water. Cans, bottles or fountain via 7-11.

Snacks:
Onboard GTS (Global Twinkie System) and GYS (Global Yodel System).

Schwag:
T-shirts, buttons and whatever else we feel like throwing at a brand.

Exterior landscaping:
Wal-Mart patio table with umbrella and Target folding patio chairs.

Labels: Day 3

posted by mtlb at 5:57 PM 1 Comments

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Here are just a few of the smiling faces in Plaid land. Well, I almost smiled anyway.

Labels: Day 1, photos

posted by mtlb at 3:59 AM 0 Comments

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While at Sony, we got some She-wag which we never say no to. Check out samples of what we got. We’ll be sampling more tomorrow and share those as well.

Springsteen — Live in Dublin.
Boys Like Girls
Collie Buddz.
Once soundtrack (That one was for Giuli).
The Automatic automatic — Not Accepted Anywhere.
Peter Bjorn And John — Writer’s Block. (yeah, the whistling song).

Labels: Day 1

posted by mtlb at 3:23 AM 0 Comments

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After getting some tech issues fixed, we kicked off the tour today. It was what we expected, and at the same time, not what we expected at all. Part fear, part, wtf are we doing? Tonight though, we sit here in the lobby of a Rhode Island Super 8 digitizing video, blogging and reviewing the schedule for tomorrow’s fun. Even after a CT > Manhattan > Long Island > CT via Long Island Sound > RI, things went well where it counted: the brands we visited.

For now, let’s just say that they were into it in a big way. At some point, we’ll share the whole ROI case study of this trip, but as of right now, we’re feeling really good that this can work.

More non-blog stuff will be added like video clips and Flickr pics, but for now, here’s a recap of the day, followed by any post(s) that cover general things and issues that play out:

Morning: Got into Sony, hooked up with our contact in the interactive space, who then turned us on to some new bands (and free CDs of course.) Since there’s a whole lotta musical taste in the van, we listened to a lot of it and dug most of the stuff. We also got someone to give us the finger in NY. Not hard to do really. Seems like it’s too easy for some New Yorkers actually.

Afternoon - Took us to Long Island and Iron Horse bikes. Up and coming national bike brand. Readers of the our blogs as well. If ever the phrase “It’s a small world” fit, this proves the point. Someone you didn’t know showing the love for what you blog about. VERY NICE! We’re also receiving positive feedback from readers and well-wishers.

Word comes down that the dashboard cam antics may be making a few people queazy. We don’t seem to care. We keep it up. We will continue to keep it up. Why? Queasy is our middle name.

Evening - Across Long Island sound to CT and then on up into Rhode Island. (Man, I miss living near the water.) It was a good chance to review and take ideas discussed earlier one step further. It becomes a very long first day, but the postive energy from it also keeps you going.

Labels: Day 1, tour route, van

posted by mtlb at 3:22 AM 0 Comments

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We're ready! The Plaid van is gassed, packed and ready to go.

In the van:

+ Two wifi connections.
+ Multiple power connections
+ Live webcam
+ Digital SLR for stills
+ GPS tracking device
+ Loads of goodies for friends that we meet
+ Lawn chairs and umbrella
+ One bottle of Febreze

Thanks to Brian who hooked us up big time with all of the gear. He's been spending money and testing equipment for weeks now. And Matt's van graphics have created the most bitchin' van ever to grace the freeways.

We take off at 7:30am on Monday morning. Get ready to get Plaid with yourself.

Labels: van

posted by darryl ohrt at 11:18 PM 0 Comments

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Giuli and Brian got the van wrapped in Plaid today. It looks awesome! Brian took photos of the entire process, which we'll share later. You can see the before and after above.

Next, Brian will be outfitting the van with internet, GPS and cameras, and taking it for some sweet test rides. We'll also need to add some interior bling/decor, as the inside is a little bit "standard rental van" look and feel. Got any ideas?

Labels: van

posted by darryl ohrt at 9:20 AM 4 Comments

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Today, Giuli and I went to Newark, New Jersey, and picked up the Plaid van. Yeah. Newark. While on the way back, waiting in line to get on the George Washington Bridge, I was sure to call Matt (our newest employee, just relocating from New Jersey) to let him know how much New Jersey sucked.

Anyway. The van. A particularly helpful Avis lady rocked us out with a brand new Ford van, and then sold us all kinds of insurance and stuff, too. Even better - Avis offers mobile wifi as an option with their cars. We signed up, and will now have TWO wireless connections on board the Plaid van.

We forgot to mention to the Avis lady how we're totally going to pimp out the van in Plaid, webcams, electronics, and gear. We're pretty sure she'll be alright with that.

So tomorrow, Giuli and Brian head to Yonkers, NY, where the Plaid van will be wrapped in Plaid.

Labels: van

posted by darryl ohrt at 10:24 PM 0 Comments

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Matt just completed production on what will be the show intro to our Plaid tour webisodes. AWESOME stop motion animation. The piece is comprised of 125 individual still photos, brought to life as animation.

Brent Meyer and Todd Lester wrote and produced the custom "Plaid Van" theme song. (Which totally rocks, btw.) You'll eventually be able to download the full version of the song for your iPod. Or iPhone. Or other iDevice.

We'll be video taping everything that happens on tour, and producing regular webisodes that document all of our adventures. The tour kicks off on July 16 - so keep it tuned here for the latest updates!

Labels: dashboard, van, webisode

posted by darryl ohrt at 12:13 PM 1 Comments