When I first started working in the industry, I had a great experience, or I should say, set of experiences, that really enhanced my technical and artistic understanding of film and photography. Where to place the camera is one of the most important decisions we make in the effective telling of a story. When we

Brand marks  are invested with symbolism; meaning derived from perceived value, ambition and aspiration too. On this 4th of July I thought it would be interesting to start with a consideration of Uncle Sam; a representation of the U.S. Government. The creation and evolution of Uncle Sam is an interesting story about which much has

Clients hire us to produce results. The work is a means to an end and the ultimate result is measured in sales. Not awareness in and of itself, not leads, although these are steps along the path. Likes or clicks are not sales either. Actual hard-boiled sales make or break the careers of our clients.

As humans we are hard-wired to see and appreciate beauty. The impact of beauty has been studied and proven countless times. There is nothing like a beautiful face to garner our attention; one look online or on TV or in a print publication proves beauty is an effective tool of advertisers. Our fundamental appreciation of

Does Facebook invade your privacy? Facebook and the Web, in more general terms, and other technologies have redefined what is possible in terms of worm-holing into our lives. This is old news at this point. What’s a little shocking is that the social media wunderkinds come across as unaware and apologetic, as if they have

The problem with the word no is figuring out where it’s coming from. Turning no into yes is often a cat and mouse game with the marketing team. You might have 10 clients on a single brand with a claim to input and by the time you’re done, your big idea might not be so

My first year as The F. William Harder Chair Professor of Business Administration at Skidmore College has been a bit of a roller coaster. The good kind, thrilling without the sense of impending doom that you get in those “poop your pants” rides that seem to push the limits of engineering. I went into this

Launch print for #MonvieveMoments

When Tim Urban calls, we listen. Tim is a seasoned media maven and chief commercial officer that enjoys and respects creativity anchored in sound insight-driven strategy. He’s our kind of guy and Volpi is our kind of brand. Delicious. Our extensive brand analysis and strategic recommendations coupled with our creativity cooked up the perfect recipe

For over a decade, I’ve been a regular guest speaker at Skidmore College in the classroom of Professor Christine Page. I’ve offered my POV on creativity, advertising, branding and marketing and have done ideation workshops with the students. I really enjoy working with Christine and her students because it’s fun and rewarding to share my