Old School, New School

A billboard promoting a town's Facebook page. What next? Messenger pigeons that deliver tweets? Morse code text messages? (via AdRants)

It's Christmas in Denmark.

While we're a tad late on the timing, we couldn't let this gem of Danish news pass without a mention. In late July, Denmark hosted the 2009 World Santa Claus Congress, attracting over 150 Santas from the far ends of the Earth. And though we don't remember signing Ëd's timesheet, the photo evidence above suggests he made it out there. Ëd, is that you?

Click here for more magical photos.

I like what we've done with the place.

It was time for a makeover. Click above to see our redesigned Twitter page, now with 78% more conquering ability. And if you like or dislike anything in particular, feel free to let us know in the comments.

LIFT with your peers.

A number of Vikings attended the Lift Summit last week in Atlanta. The two-day conference was presented by the Wharton Interactive Media Initiative and Office Arrow, and it provided invaluable insight into launching, managing and evaluating B2B social media campaigns. For two days, several prominent marketing and advertising professionals (see the full list of speakers here) dispensed industry advice, and our Vikings engaged with peers to both learn and explain how social media has worked for us and them.

Here’s a great article outlining 10 myths of social media, as presented by speaker Eric T. Bradlow, co-director of the Wharton Interactive Media Initiative.

Click here to download an in-depth study of the top 100 brands that are engaging with customers through social media.

Vikings + Emoticons = Endless Fun

What if we had a way for you to watch out for incoming Viking ships? What if you could do this from the comfort of your computer through a nifty, Flash-based telescope? And what if the Vikings were harmless emoticons instead of vicious pillagers? If all these were possible, we'd tell you to click here.

Time for our close-up!

Like most things in the world of advertising, a small idea often turns into a big adventure. This was certainly true of our agency photo shoot, which began indoors and quickly turned into a hike to remember. Surprisingly, no shoes were harmed in the making of these photos.

Visit www.unleashyourinnerviking.com to view the gallery.

Visit Ëd the Viking on the DENMARK Facebook Fan Page!

After a slight mishap involving false identities, our favorite Viking mascot was removed from Facebook. Fortunately, he has now returned in wonderful, fan-able fashion. Though one aspect of Ëd's online persona has vanished, his conquering spirit continues to resonate throughout the DENMARK Fan Page. Stop by to leave comments, interact with other fans, or just catch up on the adventures of your friendly advertising Viking.

Tennis, anyone?

Despite the tough loss in the U.S. Open final, congratulations go out to Caroline Wozniacki, the first Dane to ever appear in a Grand Slam tennis final. Things are looking up for DENMARK {the country}!

I can see my house from here.

A common complaint against advertising is that it simply dresses up negative things in fancy clothes. We, of course, don't view it that way, but here's a quirky video by Google Japan that attempts to calm any invasion-of-privacy concerns caused by Google Maps street view. Don't you just want to put the little camera in your pocket and take it home? (Via AdFreak)

Jennifer Harbeson joins DENMARK as new Account Director/Account Supervisor

Like any great success story, Jennifer’s is filled with triumphs at every level. With top agencies 360 Thinc and Grey Worldwide, Jennifer excelled as Brand Manager and Account Supervisor for national brands, including Southern Company, Georgia Power, Shaw Industries, Hawthorne Suites, the CDC and SCANA Energy. As a Major Account Executive at T-Mobile, Jennifer managed over 400 business accounts, winning countless awards along the way. And as if Jennifer didn’t have enough on her plate, she spent her free time running her own agency representing clients such as Chick-fil-A and Cingular.

This special combination of advertising and sales talent allows Jennifer to conquer marketing problems from a unique perspective, one where creative vision and positive results meet. Our only problem with Jennifer is that we have to tell her to stop working and go home.

Viking AKA
Jenn the Tireless

Passion
Finding the common goal, then surpassing it.

Core Belief
I’ll take a break when the client is happy.

Hobbies
Competition clogging. Seriously.

It sure beats graffiti.

As Vikings of advertising, we leave no stone unturned when it comes to leaving a mark. So we obviously appreciate this work by UrbanScreen, a German company that found a new place to show off — on blank buildings and urban spaces. (via AdAge)

Welcome, New Viking!

Jennifer Howdy has stepped into Viking territory to join the team as a 2009 fall intern. Having recently graduated from the University of North Carolina with a degree in advertising, she is enjoying exploring Denmark and learning to conquer the fierce world of advertising. Her hobbies include Carolina basketball, Zumba and attempting to play kickball.

The Power of Social Media: August 27, 2009

Thanks to everyone who attended our breakfast seminar: Wake Up to the Power of Social Media. The conference was a great success, attracting close to 100 attendees! They all dined on a breakfast selection fit for Vikings while the eloquent Sam Fiorella entertained and informed. We learned some very valuable bits of information such as (1) why Facebook isn’t right for every company and (2) how and how not to handle a social media disaster. Back at Viking headquarters, we promptly deleted all those tweets complaining about our boss.

If you’d like to hear about any upcoming seminars, send us a tweet @eudtheviking.


The conference guests begin to file in. Can you spot Ëd the Viking?


Dr. Wesley Johnston gets the seminar started right – PHD style.


Sam shows off his social media jazz hands.