It’s that time of year again. The online Superbowl party that Mullen started three years ago to celebrate the age of Twitter is well into development. If you remember, we began our annual project when there weren’t very many ad types on Twitter. In 2009, most of the industry was still like “huh?”

A few of us at Mullen, the kind folks at Radian 6, and some friends like Sally Hogshead and Lisa Hickey made the effort to get ad land excited. We launched what was then called Trash Talk from the Twitter Section, shared instructions for how to sign up for Twitter, and encouraged people to open accounts. Today it’s hard to imagine that Twitter needed an introduction as recently as three years ago.

Now here we are for our fourth anniversary and we’re excited to introduce some new features. For starters, we’ve made the site, brandbowl2012.com, more interactive. (Note that at this posting it re-directs to last year’s site.) For the first time, users will be able to compare brands head to head in a statistical showdown. Whose ads are getting more attention or more favorable reaction? Brandbowl knows.

We’ve isolated a box at the top of the page, held high by a digital fan, to feature the best tweets of the game. Post something particularly insightful or clever and you could find your tweet featured atop the stream for everyone to see.

Brandbowl 2012 also has some new data to share. This year’s analytics will track the geo location of tweets and also the gender of the participant. Might be interesting to see comparisons between the sexes when it comes to talking about Superbowl ads.

The mobile experience will be better, too. Let’s face it, there’s likely to be more people watching the game with a smartphone in hand than a laptop resting on their knees. You’ll be able to check live rankings and post instantly from your iPhone or Android. Given that it’s a site, not an app, it will work everywhere.

And finally, we’ve been approached by Billboard, which wants to get in on the action. So we’ve offered them the featured tweet board for the half-time show. Madonna better watch out. Billboard knows what it’s talking about when it comes to reviewing music and performances.

Once again, our partner Radian 6 is back with its sentiment data and analytics. And for the second year in a row Boston.com is hosting the site and helping to promote it.  Given that Twitter’s active user base continues to grow and that social media advertising couch critics is an expanding population, we expect to get some pretty good data.

Hope to see you there. On brandbowl2012.com. Using the easy to remember hashtag #brandbowl. I know who I’m rooting for. The creative.

If you need a reminder or are interested in what this is all about, here’s a video recap of last year’s effort.

He reminded us that we didn’t have to play by the rules. He proved that we could succeed, fail and return to even greater glory. If we were creative types he gave us permission to follow our instincts, believe in ourselves and dismiss the predictability of research and the safety of committees. He introduced the masses to the virtue of beautiful design.

Here’s what I think about when I think about Steve.  What about you?

The Whole Earth Catalog
Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish. Words to live by for all of us.

The Stanford Commencement Address
Lots of lessons and inspiration.

“Here’s to the Crazy Ones”
One of the greatest scripts of all time. Allegedly written by Jobs himself.

Steve’s quotes

Captured here nicely in the Wall Street Journal

My favorite quote:  “The cure for Apple is not cost-cutting. The cure for Apple is to innovate its way out of its current predicament.”

An all-time favorite Apple ad
A harbinger of things to come.

Steve Jobs was the same age I am. I remember everything about Apple, from its launch as a company when I was working in the minicomputer business, to its reinvention of the personal computer, to its ad campaigns, to Steve’s return, to his departure, to yesterday. Lucky to be here during the same time as Steve Jobs.

Are any of these topics on your mind, impacting your business?  Then we implore you to come to FutureM, an intellectual marketing mash-up in Boston, September 12 – 15.  All of these subjects will be discussed and debated by some of the brightest thinkers in technology, media, academia and marketing.

It’s the Boston equivalent of SXSW and TED and this video gives you a taste of what to expect.

There are quite a few events to choose from. Here are some that we’re particularly excited about:

Start Something: Speed Networking for Innovators and Aspiring Change-Makers
A rare opportunity for Gen Y entrepreneurs or aspiring “creators” to meet with C-level execs for advice, dialog, interaction. Gen Y up-and-comers will get a chance to vet ideas, make connections, interact with founders and entrepreneurs. Organized by The Next Great Generation, innovators on call include:

Digital Media Convergence: Startups, VCs & Agencies
Traditional media outlets are struggling to implement successful digital media strategies and there is a new wave of media startups paving the way in news consumption. Dive into how advertisers are keeping up with digital news. What is effective, what is not? Learn from new media startups, digital agencies and venture capitalists on what to look for in the new media realm. The event partner for this is BostInnovation and Mullen’s Chief Innovation Officer Edward Boches will be one of the featured panelists.

Opening night with:

• Cannes Lion Festival speaker and Director of Contagious – Jessica Greenwood
• The SVP, Marketing for ESPN and one of Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business – Carol Kruse
• Wired Magazine contributor and Author of The Art of Immersion – Frank Rose
• Chief Innovation Officer for VivaKi – Rishad Tobaccowala

Created by the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX), the nation’s largest nonprofit trade association for the Internet business and marketing industry industry – and a group of leading marketing thinkers, FutureM’s 2010 debut attracted over 3,000 attendees to more than 50 events and programs. The inspiration for the event came from the distinct nature of the Massachusetts community: a thriving ecosystem of innovators in media, technology and marketing, fueled by a rich pipeline of next-generation leaders in the area’s schools.

Our Wenham offices were beautiful, dignified even. But the long, narrow hallways and closed offices separated us. Boston’s 40 Broad Street is raw and urban by comparison. Contrary to Wenham, its openness, light and intentional density foster collisions, effortlessly bringing us closer together, connecting strategy, media, creative and even analytics.

In our old manor house, the work got done behind closed doors, in small offices that were invisible to those who passed in the hallway. At 40 Broad Street, the work gets conceived and shared and produced out in the open, publicly displayed on walls where all can see it, along with their invitation to participate.

Two years ago, we were surrounded by trees and manicured grounds, along with a fair number of turkeys and the occasional fox. They belonged outside the walls and fortunately stayed there. At 40 Broad, we’re surrounded by the city and its diverse work force, construction workers and street performers, young emerging tech companies, local museums, ethnic neighborhoods and, of course, tourists and shoppers. Somehow all of that buzz and inspiration finds its way inside the agency, where it gets put to good use.

So what have we learned being at 40 Broad Street? A lot.

Space inspires creativity: Do it right and everything from glass conference rooms to tight quarters to visible walls of work will inspire collaboration and sharing.

It’s good to stand up and move around: Bar-height work stations and creative reviews that take place in a large open area bring more people together for quicker sharing and synthesis of ideas.

The elimination of borders fosters innovation: It makes no sense to isolate a so-called creative department, as better ideas emerge when everyone’s creative and working together in a space that encourages it.

It’s never perfect: Our offices remain a work in progress as we experiment with moving people around, trying new configurations, striving for even more openness and collisions.

For years the Wenham manor house and its historic splendor informed the outside world of who we were. But 40 Broad Street, Boston does something far more important. It reminds those of us inside the agency of who we are.

Mark Wenneker and Edward Boches (photo: Bethany Acheson)

A changing of the guard at Mullen today. Mark Wenneker is moving from Executive Creative Director to Chief Creative Officer. Edward Boches, who had been CCO for the past 11 years, is moving into the new role of Chief Innovation Officer.

Here’s a quote from the big chief, our president and CEO Joe Grimaldi, explaining it all:

“This is an acceleration of our endless transformation. Mark has elevated our product, recruited great talent, been a force in new business and fundamentally impacted Mullen’s DNA. He has emerged as the creative leader in our Boston office, and that has liberated Edward to more aggressively pursue digital, our growing social media business and whatever is next. It’s time for us to take these organizational changes up a couple of notches.”

Under Wenneker’s creative stewardship Mullen has  prevailed in both the Zappos and JetBlue reviews and just this week announced it had been named U.S. agency-of-record for fast-growing FAGE Yogurt. In his new role, Wenneker will direct a creative department that unites traditional art and copy with embedded capabilities that include technology, UX, connection planning, social media and mobile.

Mullen is a unique agency, said Wenneker. The capabilities here don’t fall so neatly under the word ‘advertising.’ We have a culture and environment that are working together to redefine what constitutes `creative’ and where `creativity’ can or should come from. To lead that effort is a great opportunity.

In his new role, Boches will think more broadly and aggressively about emerging technologies, social platforms and changing consumer media habits to develop innovative ideas for clients and to influence agency transformation.

In the last two years we’ve taken down any remaining walls between disciplines, said Boches. We’ve invented new ways to include consumers in the process of communication. And we’ve made technology and interactivity fundamental to what we do. I think we all know that the future of advertising is both software and storytelling. My role is to help make sure we’re good at both.

Congrats to both these guys. And these parting thoughts. Edward noted, “This will either be scary or fun. Or both.”  Mark added, “I’d like to thank my dad. He would have loved reading this.”

Edward Boches @ BDW

Boulder Digital Works this week named Mullen’s Edward Boches to its board of directors. Boches joins the likes of Mike Geiger of Goodby Silverstein and Partners, Ben Malbon of BBH Labs,  Scott Witt of Apple, and Chuck Porter of Crispin Porter + Bogusky helping to guide the program in its effort to train the next generation of digital talent.

In the last couple of years, Boulder Digital Works has emerged as one of the more highly regarded educational institutions dedicated to training students and professionals alike in the new digital skills that will power the future of advertising and marketing.

“One of our essential roles is to provide opportunities for people to interact and network with some of the most original minds in digital,” said Executive Director David Slayden.  “Edward brings tremendous insight to questions about how we can adapt to and thrive in the digital space, both personally and professionally.  He understands that involvement from industry leaders in BDW is critical to the success of our mission.”

“We clearly need more digital talent across all disciplines, from design to user experience to production. It only makes sense that as an industry we contribute to the very programs upon which we all depend,” added Boches.

In addition to serving on the board, Boches lectures at Boulder Digital Works in its Executive Workshops and is helping the program expand its geographic reach beyond Boulder.

On his Posterous blog, Christian Madden captures a couple of his favorite new technologies.

And at Creativity_Unbound, Edward Boches reminds us of the value of play.  He also promises to start sharing more organized bookmarks and recaps the research that inspired the Rocky Biscuits buzz in the UK last fall. If you want more, you can also check out his guest post at Radian 6’s blog regarding Pepsi’s withdrawal from the SuperBowl. “In case it’s not obvious, this isn’t about bailing on the Superbowl.  It’s about embracing social media and understanding that when it comes to brands and products, customers now depend on each other to connect, share, learn and discover.”

Finally, if you haven’t yet checked out The Next Great Generation, you might want to. The blog, crowdsourced from a staff of Gen Y writers all across the country, posts new content daily and this week has two young reporters sending dispatches from CES.   Enjoy.

At Creativity_Unbound, CCO Edward Boches wrote a piece inspired by R/GA’s Bob Greenberg titled “Everything starts with the consumer.” The post suggests that if you start with the consumer, you’re more likely to build applications, communities and platforms that live beyond the campaign.  Edward also announced a new social media project called The Next Great Generation. Still in beta, TNGG is a blog/magazine completely powered by the Millennial Generation.

From our Winston office, David Mullen who blogs at Communication Catalyst posted a video interview with the Phoenix Suns Jeramie McPeek on the team’s use of Twitter.

Michael Bourne, who sounds off at Bourne Social, got a  lot of buzz for his comparative review of Radian 6 and Techrigy’s SM2.  Michael analyzes functionality, ease-of-use and price.  Pretty good stuff and a small example of of our growing determination to measure all of our social media efforts more accurately.

And finally, Stuart Foster, whose The Lost Jacket is a mini-phenomenon in itself, suggests ways to integrate a microsite into social media.  He offers up ideas on sharing content, creating relevant streams, and properly re-directing your URL.

Check them out. Let us know what you think. And keep in mind, these blogs represent the views of the individuals writing them, not necessarily those of Mullen.

Winsor and Boches @ AdClub crowdsourcing event

There was a heady and at times esoteric forum on “crowdsourcing” yesterday put on by the AdClub. John Winsor from Crispin Porter Bogusky was the featured guest interviewed by Edward Boches from Mullen. The event drew a sizable and diverse crowd from the client, consultant and agency world, everyone looking to understand and harness this tidal wave of social media that is re-defining communication and creativity. Personally, what struck me is that the two guys on stage came from writing and journalism backgrounds and have migrated into and through the ad agency world to their new focus on social media. Winsor has been quite savvy in recognizing on-coming change in the publishing world and managed to capitalize rather than being destroyed. He’s a true chameleon.

In the spirit of the event I crowdsourced the attendees, asking several of my colleagues to weigh-in with observations on the dialogue:

Alex Leikikh – managing partner, mullen
“I found it ironic that the two oldest guys in the place were on stage. Also, we need more practical application thinking it seems around crowdsourcing…where should clients with significant budgets start?”

Kalley Thomas – pr/social influence acct. director, mullen
“The discussion regarding the level of feedback companies should feel obligated to provide to contributors was interesting.  I understand that people are looking to participate and whether their idea triumphs or not, it’s always good to know how you did. However, from an agency and client time perspective, it’s not always possible to provide in-depth feedback to everyone (imagine reviewing 1500 logos and critiquing each). It’s important to clearly set expectations with contributors about what they can anticipate out of the exercise – and then stick to it.”

Michael Bourne – vp, pr/social influence, mullen
“The creative ability of crowds is both a threat and an opportunity for people in creative fields, who must up their game to remain competitive with outliers. The ability to uncover talent that is otherwise hidden outside a company’s walls is unprecedented. Only those who can tap this creativity for the greater good will be the true ‘Crowd Sorcerers.’”

Nicole Berard – associate creative director, mullen
“I was most interested in the discussion about what crowdsourcing means for creatives, and a bit surprised by the level of apprehension. There is definitely a generational divide—most younger folks have been naturally crowdsourcing for most of their lives, thanks to the Internet (even if the “crowd” is only a network of close personal friends). I suppose to feel threatened you need to believe in the notion of “job security” to begin with, and that seems pretty antiquated. If someone can do my job better and cheaper do I really have any right to it? That’s capitalism, baby.”

Brenna Hanly – emerging media specialist – mediahub
“I struggle with the type of crowdsourcing that involves allowing the masses to vote on the best idea. In my opinion, we are losing out on great ideas/achievements in that way. The idea that rises to the top according to a popular vote is going to be something that appeals to a lowest common denominator and therefore can never be really great in any one way, rather it will be good in many ways. But then again maybe that is what advertising is supposed to do – appeal to the masses?”

Joe Grimaldi – president/ceo, mullen
“It’s real and here to stay and grow, but there’s a lot of thinking to be done about how a company organizes and manages to max effectiveness.”

Expect more about this event on mullen.com, including a piece on “10 things to help you get started in crowdsourcing.” It will have ideas, tips, explanations, many that came from people at the AdClub event. Plus, the AdClub is going to post a pre-recorded video version of the discussion.