Villing News and Views
Business Ethics: Where Should We Draw The Line in Exploiting Customer Ignorance?
Nathan DeSelm (May 17, 2013)
Some businesses have products and services that are confusing or difficult to understand. How can we make sure that we are ethical when selling these products?
Five Impediments to Effective IMC
Thom Villing (May 14, 2013)
Integrated marketing communication often becomes like Mark Twain's quote about the weather. Everyone talks about it, but no one does anything about it.
It's All About Real-Time Marketing, People
Kelsey Sheets (May 8, 2013)
The times they are a-changin'. The world seems to spin faster with every passing moment and everything we used to know has evolved overnight.
Video Terminology Basics 101, Part 2 - Resolution
Brad Rosier (April 30, 2013)
Video jargon can be difficult to understand for an outsider. In this article, we explain what is meant by video resolution.
Twitter Etiquette in Times of Tragedy
Sara Zwolski (April 24, 2013)
When major news events like last week's tragedies in Boston and West Texas take place, it's important to take caution when managing corporate social media accounts.
Meet Villing & Company: An ode using 50 Beatles' song titles
Natalie Peterson (April 19, 2013)
As a bit of a change of pace, one of our most recent interns wrote this creative piece describing her internship experience.
Video Terminology Basics 101, Part 1 - The Language of Video
Brad Rosier (April 12, 2013)
Every discipline has proprietary jargon that can sound like a foreign language to outsiders. Video is no different. This article is the first in a series aimed at explaining the terms and concepts.
Google's Spring Cleaning: Enlightened or Misguided
Nathan DeSelm (April 3, 2013)
Last month, Google discontinued more of its services and products in what they like to call "spring cleaning." Did they make a mistake?
Winning Takes Care of Everything
Thom Villing (March 28, 2013)
Nike has released a new ad ostensibly congratulating Tiger Woods for regaining his ranking as the number one golfer in the world. Is that the right message?
What Walter Cronkite's Predictions Can Teach Us
Lori Headley (March 25, 2013)
In a 1967 episode of CBS' "the 21st Century," Walter Cronkite shows us what the home of the future might look like. What can we learn today?
Our "My Road" TV campaign for Purdue Federal won Gold and Best of Show at the North Central Indiana ADDY Awards in February.
Is Facebook Losing Its Cool Factor?
Sara Zwolski (March 18, 2013)
Facebook has noticed the exodus of young users. Is there any chance that the social giant will become irrelevant? What will replace it?
Time Flies!
Ashley Gearhart (March 12, 2013)
One of our winter interns reflects on her time working at the agency and what she has learned through the experience.
Customer Service is the New ________
Thom Villing (March 6, 2013)
Why all this sudden fascination with customer service? Really, hasn't the mantra "the customer is always right" been with us since the dawn of retailing civilization? So why is customer service so topical now?
Spoiler Alert: Time-shifted Content Will Change Product Sales and Service Strategies
Nathan DeSelm (February 25, 2013)
The advantage of the NetFlix business model is both its immediacy as well as its timelessness. With some intentional planning, you can take advantage of these same strategies for your business today.
ALERT! REMINDER! REPEAT! How Can We Get Anything Done These Days?
Mathew Siecker (February 20, 2013)
How many alerts or texts or calls can one digest before the anxiety drives you to the brink?
Ditch Those Digits: Why Dropping the Phone Number in Your Ad Will Instantly Improve It
Brad Rosier (February 15, 2013)
For a time, it was wise to include your phone number on billboards and TV commercials so people would have a way to contact you. That era came and went.
Vine For Twitter: A Hammer In Search of a Nail
Thom Villing (February 11, 2013)
The latest from Twitter is called Vine. Thom looked at the app and some of the reviews, and isn't impressed.
The PC Still Dominates, But Alternative Devices Are Growing Fast
Sara Zwolski (January 31, 2013)
With each passing year, consumers are spending more time with media. According to Nielsen's 2012 U.S. Consumer Report, consumers are using more devices to access media than ever before.
Almost Half of Marketers to Boost Budgets This Year
Thom Villing (January 25, 2013)
This is the verbatim headline from a newsletter that just came across Thom's desk. It was referring specifically to B2B marketers, but I'm sure B2C brands are feeling upbeat as well.
Manti, Lance & Chip: Cautionary Tales About the Fragility of Trust
Thom Villing (January 17, 2013)
This isn't a sports story; rather, this is a cautionary tale ripped from the current sports headlines.
Online Privacy, Tracking, Cookies and Other Tasty Treats
Nathan DeSelm (January 16, 2013)
There have been a lot of high-profile, privacy-related issues in the press recently. Our interactive director explains what should concern you and what's overblown.
Relearning How to Play
Brad Rosier (January 11, 2013)
In the last few years I've been noticing the correlation between creativity and play more and more. For some reason, the theme keeps popping up in my mind.
Thom Villing to Appear on WNIT's Economic Outlook (Video Added)
(January 8, 2013)
Thom Villing will be among a panel of local business leaders and retailers appearing on the WNIT-TV program, Economic Outlook, this weekend.