Let me elaborate with three recent examples.

1. Sunshine shines a light on the industry.

A few weeks ago, a video featuring a McDonald's commercial production in China went viral. The film, Sunshine, followed a producer named John Benet while on a shoot in Shanghai for agency, TBWA and was directed by Doug Nichol (of Partizan) who just happened to be the director of the two McDonald's spots. Behind-the-scenes and out-take videos are quite common but this video was a little bit different. This video featured Benet speaking to his personally disappointing career and frustrations with the industry and himself for squandering his talents on such commercial projects.

Making matters worse for both the producer and director (who will be lucky to ever work again), is that neither TBWA or McDonald's gave them permission to shoot or release the film and both were none too pleased given the brush with which both parties were painted. Quoted on AdAge, Benet is quoted as saying, "I have to admit, if I'd known Sunshine was going to become what it has I would have been more careful about the things I said, but I guess since I never expected so much to come of it — certainly not that I'd be defending it in a magazine article; I just said what was on my mind, which maybe isn't always the best idea, especially in terms of my job security." No kidding. For someone who isn't sure he wanted to work in advertising, he (and the producer) may have just gotten their wish.

Much to the chagrin of its two stars, Sunshine will also be making the rounds in the film festival circuit. The film is a bit long at 15 minutes, but it's worth watching. There are some truly funny moments (often at the expense of the companies who were paying the tab), but you realize quickly that the ad guy featured is not so Sunshine to borrow a theme.

2. The Gawker point, counterpoint, Counter-counter point.

Coincidentally, it wasn't a week prior that a series of articles on Gawker caught the attention of ad folks everywhere, and hit on a similar tune. Hamilton Nolan first wrote an article titled simply, "Do Not Go Into Advertising." Nolan starts out by generalizing that most ad creatives are forced into the industry due to economic forces beyond their control and somehow rationalize that decision to themselves, and in turn justify it as a legitimate career choice to other creatives. While I would argue against the purpose of his article, I would agree that there are (unfortunately) a lot of creative folks who fit his description. Working in advertising because, "I just kind of fell into it" or "to help pay for my real artistic passion" or "because my parents wouldn't pay for art school."  These are things I've heard with my own ears. There seem to be a lot of sad souls working in a business they don't enjoy.

There was a response on Gawker by Drew Magary, posted a mere three and a half hours later called, "Counterpoint: What the Fuck Makes You Too Good for Advertising?" In it, Magary starts out by listing a few talented artists who have worked in the industry which included James Joyce, David Fincher, and Salman Rushdie among others. I would have added a fellow by the name of Theodor Seuss Geisel for more emphasis, since his advertising career was almost as impressive as his books. But that's just me. Regardless, the point that many talented folks have worked in advertising is an easy case to make.

Magary then lists a few reasons why these people flourished after working in advertising. Summing them up:

1. Advertising forces you to get to the point, and reduces self-indulgent tendencies.
2. Advertising gives you the variety which helps you improve as an artist.
3. Advertising teaches you persistence and the ability to generate more and more ideas, often better than the first one you thought was so perfect.
4. Advertising teaches you that your creativity isn't so precious, and that everything doesn't have to be about you.
5. Advertising teaches you to be a creative professional. Within a budget, within rules, and on schedule.

The gist of his piece is that advertising can teach creatives how to be successful both artistically and commercially. It's important to note that I agree with Magary on all of these points and would say that advertising can build your creative muscles by making you faster, more resilient, and better creatively. It's definitely a tough fitness regimen for your artistic skills. No question. The problem here is that all of these points are made to suggest that advertising makes you a better artist, but not that advertising in itself is a legitimate way to ply that creativity. Is advertising not something worthy of creative pursuit? Is it only worthy as a mere stepping stone to something better?

Magary ends the article this way: "I worked in advertising for ten years. It's not the greatest job in the universe, and it's an industry as prone to nauseating self-congratulation as any other. The clients are dicks. The creative directors are dicks. The account people are morons (I know because I was one). It's a terribly frustrating job for anyone trying to be an "artist" or whatever the fuck. But that's precisely the point. You're not an artist. You're just a shithead, and it would serve you well to learn how to work within limits, and with other people's creative input. Who says you have nothing left to learn about how to be a writer or a director or a designer? Who says working in an actual job can't help you become better at what you do?"

What if what I really want to do IS advertising? And what if I don't think clients are dicks, but actually people trying their best to do their jobs like anyone else? It is a service industry, right? So, while I want to like this piece, it turns out that Magary is just another ad person who didn't really want to be an ad person at all. It's also important to note that Nolan rightfully counter-counter-pointed (barely one hour later) Magary with this article titled, "Says the Guy Who Got the Fuck Out of the Advertising Industry." In it he responds, "I encourage you all to go to prison," you tell them. "If you should be fortunate enough to escape one day, you'll have great survival skills that can be put to use in something worthwhile!"

Let all this soak in for a second—advertising is prison!—while I give you one final example of more ad people hating advertising.

3. The Bogusky Effect.

On July 1, 2010, Alex Bogusky announced to the world via press release that he was resigning from MDC Partners, the parent company of perhaps the most famous advertising agency of the last 15 years or so, Crispin, Porter + Bogusky. When interviewed by Fast Company later that day, Bogusky declared that not only had he quit MDC and the agency that he helped start, but that he was also quitting the ad business entirely. When interviewed by the New York Times on the same day, he had this to say,

"You start to search for the more genuine version of yourself" at a point in your life, "and I'm doing that." "I'm exploring and figuring out what is that genuine version," he added, "and it's not really consistent with corporate life" because in that realm "you're kind of in the ‘get yours' mode." "I don't think I'll do much advertising" moving forward, Mr. Bogusky said, because "I've done plenty of it; I'm not able to find challenges in it." "Mostly, what I want to do is participate in this cultural revolution that's happening," he added, "happening mostly outside of advertising."

So, even the King of Advertising (sic) doesn't find advertising to be fulfilling or worthy of his talents? What the heck is going on here? Why are there so many miserable people working in advertising? Why is someone like Bogusky suddenly above working in the industry, or better put, why is advertising below him?

Two years later, Alex Bogusky is still working in advertising even if he calls it something else. His Fearless Movement and social innovation group, COMMON, are both thinly veiled versions of a traditional advertising agency. Check out their services, sound familiar?  He can afford to soft-sell his skills because he’s wealthy beyond most of our imaginations. He sold his agency and was paid handsomely for it. He reaped the benefits of that sale and the advertising business for many many years. He can do what he wants, but this declaration that advertising is somehow illegitimate is troubling at best and hypocritical at worst. All due respect Mr. Bogusky, you didn't leave advertising. You just started your own agency. No need to be ashamed.

As an aside, you can see this shame expressed industry-wide over the last few years in the form of advertising agencies and schools and people refusing to call advertising advertising. They'll call it anything but, under the guise that we're all post-advertising somehow. Or somehow above advertising. My own alma mater and a place that I hold dear, the VCU AdCenter, is now called the VCU Brandcenter for crying out loud. Rest assured, they are still teaching wonderfully talented people the craft of advertising and doing it better than anyone else. Sure, there are many more tools we utilize these days but it's still selling. Why is that somehow a less prestigious part of a product or service getting to market? Call it branding, communications, insurgency, or whatever else you want, but there is no shame working in advertising unless you bring it. But that's a different article for another time.

I have done a lot thinking on why it is that so many people in advertising are unhappy working in advertising and here's a short list pulled from my experiences in this wacky business.

6 reasons why so many advertising people hate advertising.

1. The Unhappy might work on huge multinational clients and are disillusioned with the effect they feel they are having in the world and feel somewhat guilty from profiting from it. (Our poor Sunshine star seems to fit the bill, here.) They feel like sellouts because in some way they are. They are producing not just advertising that is visible to the world, but more importantly advertising that is usually bad. Any artist would be miserable creating bad art or art they don't believe in. (Few are the folks working on large global brands that are producing quality creative on a consistent basis. Few but not zero.)
2. The Unhappy believe they can convince people (as if they were sheep) to consume more and more like some sort of pathetic zombies. Perhaps they've read a lot of Ad Busters or something. They don't see their consumers as smart beings capable of discerning their own wants and needs, but as victims of the Unhappy's crimes. Personally, I think within reason, people can make their own decisions and discern advertising messages for what they are.
3. The Unhappy work in agencies owned by global holding companies (which are really just banks) and are miserable because those holding companies treat them like numbers. They are relegated to mere billable hours not strategically creative individuals with something unique to offer the world. (For a few shorts years, I was one of these poor souls.) To be fair, they may simply be good people in the wrong situation who would otherwise be happy. Perhaps. But they are miserable nonetheless. I have a few friends that would fit this description, and I look forward to their exodus. They know who they are.
4. The Unhappy are people like Nolan who simply feel like advertising is not a worthwhile or legitimate way to spend their time, effort and talent. These people should just quit. They aren't doing themselves or their agencies or most importantly their clients any favors. Why they don't simply go back to school or pick up another trade that IS worthwhile is beyond me.
5. The Unhappy might be people who were drawn to the industry expecting all the glory and fun that can come with it, without fully grasping all the hard work. What you don't see in ‘The Brochure' is the super long hours, weekends at work, stress, service-industry role, the ever-evolving skills one must learn to adopt or die, and the vast number of times you'll start over. It's a tough job. The fun stuff is part of the reward, sure, but for the right people (and agency) the process is the real joy. It's actually more of a blue-collar job than most people realize. When done correctly, anyway.
6. Finally, The Unhappy could simply be unhappy people in general. Nothing we can do about that. They just need a few sessions on a black couch somewhere.

Would you hire a plumber that hates plumbing?

You might at this point be asking yourself, why does it matter that so many people in advertising seem to hate advertising? Why should a client care if they employ such a place full of such people? Well to use another blue-collar example, I would rather go to a plumber who is wholeheartedly enthusiastic about his craft versus a plumber who always dreamed of being a pilot. Wouldn't you? I would rather not pay a plumber who is only doing it because of the money. Or a plumber who feels like being a plumber is somehow beneath him or her. Or even a plumber who is part of a large, uncaring network of licensed plumbers. Why? Because I believe that a happy plumber would be excited to work on my project. And because of that happiness, he or she would be willing to invest all of their energy into being the very best plumber they can possibly be and my project the best that it can be for the money they are paid. I also believe that happiness would go freely into their work and they'd be more detail-oriented and way more likely to take pride in their craft. They'd probably spend their spare time thinking about how to be an even better plumber. To put it simply, I'd trust a happy plumber about 1,000 times more than an unhappy one. I have no research to back this up, but I don't think anyone would argue with this.

Finding an advertising agency that actually loves advertising.

The same is true when hiring an ad agency. The next time your company is looking for an advertising agency, do yourself a favor and find one full of people who are thrilled to be working in advertising. (If you look closely you'll be able to tell. Happiness can be a tricky thing to fully fake.) Find an agency that is not just excited to take your money but one that is thrilled to be solving your problems, one that you'd suspect would solve your problems for free, if they didn't respect their industry or themselves enough to make you pay for it. Look for an agency whose building has a few lights on way past closing time. (To generalize, too many lights on means people are forced to stay. Hate. Just a few means people are there mainly out of choice and because of passion. Love.) Try to find an agency that when pitching solutions to you, they don't transform into smarmy car salesmen, but remain the same people you met in the honeymoon phase.

Try to find an agency that not only loves advertising, but one that studies it, stays current, and one that lives and breathes it day in and day out for your benefit. But also for the fun of it. Find an agency that is fulfilled by the work they do, not just at the top of the org chart but at the bottom. Do yourself a favor and find an agency that considers advertising every bit a part of the manufacturing process and every bit as valid as turning a wrench, producing a shoe, or shipping a box. The people that respect the industry like that tend to produce the best work and sleep better at night. And we all know how a good night's sleep can make you a happier person.

In order to find such an agency you may need to look past Madison Avenue, or high-profile industry celebs, or even the shops featured in The Pitch. It might even take a bit more time and wit to sort the happy from The Unhappy. It may require a slightly less-traditional pitch process or selection criteria, as well. But whatever you do, don't pay an agency that actually hates advertising. Do this and you'll eventually end up hating the advertising they produce for you. (Chances are, they hate it too. That's another dirty industry secret.) Like a happy plumber, you'll trust a happy agency a lot more.

If you need help finding one, I can point you in the right direction.

Coachella Music and Arts Festival gets inside you like a song lyric. Like the Hotel California, “You can check-out but you can never leave.” Each year I go to Coachella, I leave a little piece of me there. But I return with more than I left with. That’s what’s amazing about art, in its purest sense, it gives back to you more than it takes from you. At the festival, I get to hear and see things that make me feel. Extremes clash with your senses. I really enjoyed the Black Keys; I did not enjoy Snoop, but Tupac was dope. I loved the windmill sculpture; the Asia Shrine… not so much. And the reason it’s such an amazing festival is that in the truest sense of Woodstock, the people at the festival, are all part of the performance. We are one huge piece of moving, cart wheeling, flip-flopping, head-bouncing, body-painted, art.

People will tell you they feel a “vibe” about the festival. Not just “peace, love and rock & roll.” but a tangible vibe of happiness. That’s not to say you won’t find unhappy, angry people. Or pick-pockets, thieves and gypsies. It’s 120,000 people who attend Coachella, but my opinion is you’ll find more debauchery per capita at the Young Life Camp at Lost Canyon in Williams, AZ.

Art and music fuel the soul, and nowhere is it more perceptible than standing deep in the crowd, watching a band. The artists on stage feel it. Performers crave that drug of applause, it’s the juice that keeps them going on the long bus rides from El Paso to San Diego. It’s the little hug from a stranger that’s pushes them to write one more song for the new album. In this era of digital, synthesized, pre-programmed technology, it’s refreshing to hear a guy like Andrew Bird strum a violin and whistle. A few years ago, I was standing next to Matt Bellamy from the band Muse watching the crowd fill the field in front of the main stage. I said to him, “I love Coachella.” He smiled and said, ” And Coachella loves you back.”

Some companies are incorporating logos into QR codes.  This not only helps raise brand awareness, it also adds a little flare and color to a not-so-appealing box.  Companies such as Shell and Best Buy have taken advantage of this technology.  But, some worry that decorating codes this way won’t work. Testing is the only way to make sure that the logo isn’t covering too much of the actual QR code.  The main thing is to make sure the three large corner boxes aren’t covered.  If these can’t be scanned, all is lost.

Beyond incorporating logos, SpyderLynk recently evolved the QR code into the more aesthetically appealing SnapTag.  With SnapTags, the company’s logo stands front and center and is enclosed by an encoded ring.  Each ring is personalized and helps consumers interact with the brand through promotions, discounts, or company news.  SnapTags allow a brand to come to life.  They can be any size and placed just about anywhere.  SnapTags are also much more flexible when it comes to re-coding.  You can change where the QR code sends someone without redoing the code, which then eliminates the cost of reprinting.

When I started looking into SnapTags, I found an article on how Glamour used one on its September 2011 cover.  Low and behold, I just so happened to have that issue.  Unlike the QR Code, you can access the contents of the SnapTag by using a scanner app OR by taking a picture and texting it.  This opens up the possibility for consumers without smartphones to check out different companies.  On the Glamour cover, there’s a 5-digit number to text the SnapTag to.  After a quick snap and send, I received a text message that said “Watch Glamour’s exclusive Rihanna video!” with a link to the video.  Viola!  As simple as that.  And if Glamour wants to use this same SnapTag for a different month’s cover, it can leave the same ring and logo but re-code it to lead to a different link.

So, between plain QR codes, QR codes with logos, and SnapTags, what’s inhibiting these tools from taking off and bringing brands to life?  One issue could be that people just don’t know what they are or what opportunities they hold.  They are also relatively time-consuming.  For some smartphone users, it’s faster to “Google” the brand they’re looking at rather than trying to figure out that scanner-app-thingy on their iPhone.

It may be that QR codes have been incorporated into traditional media outlets, but in the wrong ways.  There was a billboard by our office that had one and every day I drove by thinking “how the heck am I supposed to drive AND scan that?”  It’s not about placing them on everything, but about using them where they need to be and where they are accessible.

Samuel Adams did just that over this past holiday season.  Instead of using a “standard” placement, such as their bottle or box, they took it to the next level and incorporated their QR code on a bar coaster.  But not just any bar coaster.  This Samuel Adams coaster had four panels that when folded, showed a different image each time. One panel had the QR code on it that led fans to a mobile page where they could sign up for a coupon towards a Sam Adams glass.  Not only was Samuel Adams engaging consumers at their point of purchase, they took an ordinary object and turned it into an interactive marketing tool.  Genius!

It’s going to take more time for QR codes to catch on across a broader audience, but we’re moving in the right direction.  Given the fast pace of technology, something will definitely come along to compete.  QR codes will need to be one step ahead of the game to stay afloat.
In addition to updates to maintain relevance and capture interest, what’s the biggest obstacle that needs to be conquered?  Placing them for a purpose, not just “because,” to better assist the brand. The more strategically placed they are, the more scans a code will receive, and the more life the brand will have.

Have marketers forgotten that the purpose of programming is entertainment? Millions have been wasted in poor product placement and the trend continues to rise. Leslie Moonves, Chairman of the CBS Corporation, predicts that in the near future about 75 percent of primetime network shows will have products and plotlines that are paid for by advertisers. The result is that the viewer, as Lindstrom calls it, will become “snow blinded”. Brand oversaturation will affect the overall recall rate of products that viewers are exposed to in a movie or television program. We must become smarter as marketers and stop wasting our client’s money.

There is a way to avoid this trap. Lindstrom’s study of the brain revealed some interesting insights that can help marketers drastically improve the way they feature products. Consider this when deciding on investing in product placement.

First does your product fit with the storyline? Lindstrom discovered the brands that were not an integral part in the story had a low recall rate. Unless your product has a reason for being there, don’t waste your time or money. If you’re a cosmetic company, don’t feature yourself in the next Die Hard it doesn’t make sense. To get the most out of your money, your product has to play an integral part in the story.

Second, be mindful of other brands. If other brands are more important to the story than yours, it will affect viewer recall. Lindstrom found that products that played an integral part in a show or movie had a “double-barrel” effect; not only do they increase recall rate, but they also decrease viewer ability to recall other brands. Bad news for any product that is featured arbitrarily in the background.

I just purchased season six of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Watching through the episodes it wasn’t hard to notice one of its big sponsors, Coors Light. Throughout the season, you can see their logo strategically placed throughout the bar and in the hands of the gang while they toss back a few. This is effective product placement. While Coors is not an integral part of the story, it still fits in. Exposing the brand in every episode keeps the product in the subconscious of the viewer and carries over the gang’s characteristics to the brand. It communicates to the viewer that you will always have a good time with Coors. The product naturally fits in with the story and through reinforcement it stays fresh in the viewers mind.

As marketers we need to lessen our grip on creativity. We are desperate for our products to be seen, but you shouldn’t have to force it. Done right, a product should naturally fit into the story and have a good reason for being there. If the current trend continues, then expect a losing situation for everyone.  Entertainment will no longer be fun for the viewer and advertisers will see no gain because of brand oversaturation.

Until next time, this is the “Token Intern” signing out.

A few days ago that tweet caught my eye. It’s one more line item on the lengthy list of Things to Blame the Internet For. If there was such a list, it would probably wrap around the earth a few times and include things such as bad grammar and a lack of privacy. I’ll admit it, the internet doesn’t have a great rap sheet and I’m not sure it’s innocent on many of these claims either. Cool, however, is not something that has been ruined by the internet.

Let’s take a closer look at the statement because to me, it can be interpreted in two ways:

A. The internet has the ability to spread content to so many people, that once everyone has seen it, it is no longer cool.
B. The vast amount of online platforms for people to create, upload, and share their content has led to everyone copying one another.

Looking at each of those statements from an advertisers’ perspective, I see a world of opportunity. It may seem counter intuitive, but it should be our goal to get our clients’ brands to be so successful in the digital space that they are no longer cool. Think about it for a second. Can you imagine if your campaign was seen by so many people that everyone that was cool had seen it? Can you imagine if everyone started copying your ads and making their own to share with others?

The internet’s potential to ruin cool is the best thing advertisers could ask for. It is a breath of fresh air. One of the best examples of the internet ruining cool is Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” campaign. Either way you interpret the statement above, the campaign is guilty on both accounts. First, it spread to so many people that consumers felt that everyone had already seen it. If you watched those YouTube videos today, they probably wouldn’t be that cool anymore. Secondly, the campaign was copied by scores of people. I bet if you filmed another Old Spice knock-off commercial today, it wouldn’t be that cool. Thanks to the internet, Old Spice’s commercials aren’t that cool anymore. And I bet if you asked the CEO of Procter & Gamble, he wouldn’t care one bit.

All in all, the internet shouldn’t be blamed for ruining cool. It should be praised for giving advertisers our greatest challenge – ruining cool.

Andy Whalen: The Golden Boy

Each day Andy puts on his big boy pants, and goes to work making brands famous.  Everyone loves Andy. He’s smart, and knows how to make clients feel comfortable.  More importantly, Andy knows a lot about advertising.  He reads all the trade blogs, follows everyone in the business on Twitter, and can send you the most amazing videos you have ever seen.  Andy is a digital kid who doesn’t see the difference between traditional and “new” media.

Kristin Altman: The Black Widow

New to the MA team this summer, Kristin is a senior brand strategist who will blow your mind with research and insights.  She may look harmless, but don’t let her fool you – she knows her shit and will call you out on it.  From new ways to harvest research, to new ways to create briefs, she is already changing MA soup kitchen life. On a side note, she will steal your passwords to research sites, don’t say we didn’t warn you. 

Amanda Bobel: The Face

Fresh out of school, and fresh off an internship at MA, we snagged Amanda up as soon as we could because she is a rare talent.  The type of person who can tell you awful news, and you are somehow still happy because she is just so damn friendly. She is a jr. media planner, and is working to embed herself with the brand planning  early so that she doesn’t learn bad habits.  She is smart as a whip, and will no doubt change the media world as we know it. 

Marife Macaseat: The Warden

Marife is the longest member of the MA team and she is a senior media planner.  She knows the ropes, and keeps us all in check.  Marife will plan you a media plan that is so organized, it will make you cry.  She is also the area neat freak – without her we would all be living in piles of trash and discarded coffee mugs. 

Caterina Faccianetti: The Wild Card

Caterina is the newest face to the kitchen, and she joins us as a media planner. She has been at many agencies across Phoenix and worked vendor side as well – so don’t even try to pull anything over on her – she knows the ropes.  Caterina knows media, but more importantly knows how to push vendors to do new things with their platform, and that is an amazing skill. 

Roving member: Justin Walstead: The Token Intern

Justin is brand new to the Soup Kitchen.  He joins us as an intern for the fall, and will work cross departmentally with the strategy, media, accounts, and creative teams.   

So that is the team.  We will post weekly, if not more, on new happenings in brand strategy and media worlds.  We love that we see our disciplines combining and evolving, and we want to share it with you all.   We are young, we are hungry, and we can’t wait to change the ad business.

Welcome to the Soup Kitchen.

All the billboards around town got us thinking. Did we miss that RFP? And what agency now has God’s advertising account? Does He pay a media commission? And did He sign off on the media mix for the current campaign? (Frankly we would have put some more muscle into social media but, hey, that’s just us).

There were projections that Christ would return in the 1840s. Or at least before 1981. Or in 1993.

Who knows, but there’s one prediction that’s a safe bet. If the world doesn’t end Saturday, the rapture PR and media account should be up for review come Monday….

I don’t have the answers to those questions. But I can speak from experience as someone who has been in this industry for 11 plus years and has lived a roller coaster of healthy and unhealthy living for most of it. Recognizing the need for balancing an unhealthy lifestyle with something that keeps you sharp physically, mentally, and emotionally is the stepping-stone you need to begin the pathway to your bliss. For me, I found a great job at an ad agency that pushes their employees for professional growth but also encourages and supports them in achieving personal successes. This allows me to dedicate myself to sport that has changed my lifestyle; a sport that I can say changed my life forever. Not only has Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu helped me physically, but mentally and emotionally as well. Many say this is a sport of chess, it requires inner and outer strength, mental strategy, creativity, and emotional confidence. Over three and half years ago, I started my journey through my new found BJJ lifestyle. As time went on and I received promotions from my instructor John Crouch www.jcbjj.com, I developed a strong desire to challenge and improve my performance even more. This led me to also focus on losing weight, maintaining muscle mass, and eating right.

As the National Nutritional month of March comes to a close, I wanted to share some of my personal successes with regard to nutrition and healthy living. Below is a quick story of my weight cut and result including an example of my planning, my favorite recipe, and the eating philosophy that kept me on track.

Currently, I “walk-around” at 181 pounds, 9% body fat, I’m 6’ 2.5”, and am active in competing in BJJ tournaments. In an effort for competing at a certain level, I wanted to cut weight to a lower weight division. One of my training partners and friend is a nutritionist/physical trainer, Travis Jeffrey. I told him about my goals and he willingly offered to help guide me on my quest. When I started working with Travis I weighed 203 pounds and was 19.6% body fat. Over the course of 5 months, I was able to cut weight, compete at 3 different weight classes, win two championships at local BJJ tournaments and most importantly become healthier than I have ever been.

I credit my successes to my drive and determination. But the true reason for my success was learning from the great Travis Jeffrey and employing his philosophy on nutrition. Simply put, I learned and applied the following: eat for your goals and your eating schedule writes itself. In its basic form remember these three points:

1. Eat for Energy
2. Eat for Performance
3. Eat for Recovery

No matter your goal, whether its weight loss, weight gain, body fat percent loss, or living overall healthy lifestyle, following these basic guiding posts, you will attain your goal. The planning process is simple; the hard part was mentally making the shift to be disciplined and following through. Using a calendar to help you plot out your training, eating, and other tasks activities (weekend plans, random party, or work event, etc) allows you to be proactive and make the right decision for the week. I recommend applying this philosophy to your own schedule. See my example, the arrows indicate a successful planning and follow through.

Here was my basic schedule:

1. Planning: On Sunday I planned out the meals for the week in my calendar planner. I set my training schedule for running/hiking, my BJJ schedule, and I created a plan of attack for eating at the random lifestyle/work events. *Note, this calendar approach isn’t intended to be super detailed; it is intended to be a guidepost for attaining your daily and weekly goals and isn’t a meal plan.
2. Training: I employed cardio fitness and BJJ. I did two-a-days three days a week and trained five to six days a week. I ran 3- 5 miles or hiked (rotated activity to avoid plateau) and in the evenings I trained 2- 2.5 hours of BJJ. When I couldn’t do a sixth day. I made sure I was active and used walking the dogs as a way to be outside and not sedentary. Day 7 was always for recovery. Recovery time is just as important as training. Your body needs ample time to rebuild.
3. Eating: Sunday’s I pre-cooked my meals for the week. I made a component meal (a meal that has all the important food groups mixed together), cooked individual salmon filets, chicken breast, brown rice, and a bulk vegetable. Each morning before leaving for work I would pack my individual meals for the day, this would take 15 minutes on average, give or take a few given morning surprises. Having fresh fruit and vegetables on hand makes it easy for grab and go scenarios and also help when packing your meals for the day.

Component meal example:

Grilled Chicken Chipotle Salad

Dressing (mix ingredients and blend until smooth):

• 3/4 cups low-fat plain yogurt
• 1 TBS mayo
• 1/2 can chipotle peppers

Protein/carbs/vegg

• 2 pounds of diced boneless, skinless chicken breasts- sprinkled with kosher salt and grilled
• 2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 yellow) sliced into strips and oven broiled (roughly 6 minutes)
• 1 can black beans (drained)
• 1 can of corn (drained)
• Cilantro (fresh, one half bunch, chopped) if desired, many people hate Cilantro so act accordingly.

Mix all the above ingredients and chill. Notes: Can be eaten as tacos with corn tortillas (toss tortillas on the grill. 3 tacos made this way is about a 500 calorie meal).  Or eaten as a ‘salad’ for a lower cal/ lower carb version. Makes about eight 8oz portions.

One question I am frequently asked and that I often ask myself is, “I don’t want to lose some fun things like beer, wine, a sweet treat now and again or even some bad food. How do I reconcile that with this philosophy and approach to healthy living?” The truth of the matter lies within the age-old mantra of “Moderation is the key to balance.” For instance, I love craft beers and wine. I also enjoy a scoop or two of ice cream with some chocolate sauce. For me, when preparing my weekly schedule including a few of these items keeps me sane. For example, I might plan for a nightly single glass of wine, or a light beer or two. Even when my sweet tooth comes a knockin’, I’ll indulge in a spontaneous half-cup of ice cream. All while keeping in mind my goals, progress, and how to adjust for these treats. But the key here was planning for these moments.

In closing, make a plan and follow it.  As I have been living this way for almost a year, I feel great on the job, I feel great at home, and I feel great competing on the mat competing in BJJ. I have found my pathway, my balance, my bliss.

The word of the day was not green or sustainable or eco-friendly – it was authentic. Without authenticity, green PR and marketing becomes greenwashing. And since green products are an ever increasing part of the market, companies continue to overpromise and under deliver on their eco-friendly claims.

Here are a few tips to avoid being duped by greenwashing as a consumer:

• Don’t assume products are green in every aspect. Just because it’s local doesn’t mean it’s chemical-free. It could be in a recycled bottle but not organic. Is it all-natural but traveled 4,000 miles to be delivered to you? Purchasing the greenest products can be expensive so you might need to prioritize what aspects are most important to you. I mix and match – I try to buy local produce but opt for national brands like Seventh Generation and Method for their less-toxic cleaning products.
• Read the labels on the back of the product and forget the pretty, natural-looking packaging. What are the first, second and third ingredients? Is it certified by a third party? I read nutrition labels but hadn’t thought of doing the same for household products.
• Inform yourself on what certifications matter. A good place to start is www.eco-index.org. Certifications should be from reputable organizations. Companies can’t certify themselves.

And if you are a marketer with a green product or service:

• Get it certified by a third party (even if you have to pay for it) and apply for awards that show off your commitment to the environment.
• Make sure employees and work practices are in alignment with the eco-friendly values. Take it to the next level and push the company to be more green. What else can you be doing?
• Concentrate on one or two key green attributes. Don’t use green terms with abandon or think a new logo with a leaf on it will be sufficient. Informed consumers will see through the claims.
• Answer the consumer’s questions “why should I care” and “what’s in it for me.”

Answer the “why should I care” and “what’s in it for me” questions for yourself as a consumer while you’re at it. My reasons are summed up in the Native American proverb that we did not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we are borrowing it from our children.

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