February 2012
6 posts
Sundance Visitor's Guide is going to be nice
TDG has been creating Visitor’s Guides for Chambers and Convention & Visitors Bureaus for well over a decade, but it is especially exciting when we get to develop a brand new guide for a community that has never had one. This month we are starting work on the Sundance, Wyo., 2012 Visitor’s Guide. The community has been great to work with, and we’re sure this will be the...
Feb 18th
3 tags
Service my account, baby
Dear  Laura,                                                                    If this email is not suitable for you and inappropriate, please delete you. Thank you for not pressing spam. I get a lot of solicitations in my inbox - mainly from people who are trying to sell me recruiting services, IT services, mailing lists, and seminars. So many seminars. But I’ve never before been...
Feb 14th
1 note
Dippin' design could solve condiment conundrum
Package designers are making my meal-on-the-go life easier. Or they would be, if I could find Heinz’s new “dip-and-squeeze” ketchup packages. In September, 2010, Heinz announced plans to introduce the newer, bigger ketchup packets in smaller-chain fast-food restaurants. I haven’t seen one yet, but this change has been a long time coming. Over the years, decades...
Feb 7th
1 note
4 tags
Using Social Media to Become a Queen
Lately, I’ve been reading quite a few articles on social media “influencers” and how to use them to spread your message on the internet. So when I had the chance to put this theory to the test, during Historic Deadwood’s Mardi Gras King & Queen competition, I did. The theory: “Successful social media marketing isn’t simply about amassing thousands of followers,...
Feb 6th
1 note
3 tags
Feb 3rd
4 tags
There's still a place for print
These days it seems that advertising agencies — TDG included — spend a lot of time working in digital media. Websites, banner ads, social media platforms and, yes, blogs. But it’s important to remember: there’s still a place for print. An eye-catching brochure, a magazine ad, business cards and posters. At TDG, print work remains one of our strong suits. Lately...
Feb 2nd
1 note
January 2012
6 posts
3 tags
Jan 31st
8 tags
Jan 19th
38 notes
4 tags
The Internet Hammers SOPA/PIPA
The blackout action on the Internet today (ranging from mostly complete blackouts on sites like Wikipedia and certain Tumblr blogs to conspicuous messages on Google and Wired) seem to have made a dent in the anti-piracy legislation currently working through Congress. The Washington Post reports that at least six lawmakers have withdrawn their support for the House (SOPA) and Senate (PIPA) versions...
Jan 19th
1 note
6 tags
In the Classroom Once Again
I spent three years as a TA for the economics department at Mills College. As much as I complained about the work, the hours and the students’ lack of motivation… I loved it. So when TDG was approached by the SDCEO (South Dakota Center for Enterprise Opportunity) at BHSU to develop a marketing seminar series, I jumped at the chance. On Wednesday January 11th, TDG big wig, Dustin and I...
Jan 12th
2 notes
Take a look at our new look
Some of the folks who drive past TDG’s Deadwood office might notice something different about the building. We have a new sign, and it’s a dandy. Chad Blair, Madison Zimmerman and I put it up on Tuesday. It’s one of the steps in our 2012 project to rebrand TDG. Jack Hughes built us a new website — which you are reading right now. Madison designed a new logo. Molly...
Jan 12th
1 note
5 tags
Internet Explorer 6 Use in the US Finally Dips...
Why is this a big deal? A browser is a browser right? WRONG. IE6 is 10 years old. That’s a lifetime on the Internet. Microsoft even created an initiative to kill it called Internet Explorer 6 Countdown. Why? A lot has happened on the World Wide Web in the last 10 years. Modern web browsers load web pages faster display webpages as they were designed offer more interactivity more...
Jan 4th
10 notes
December 2011
10 posts
5 tags
Dec 30th
2 tags
Dec 27th
3 tags
Dec 23rd
“There is no single “right” way to build a website, however there are...”
– Jack Hughes TDG Web Wizard 
Dec 21st
Annoyed by the annoyed
The new Marist Poll surveyed 1,000 adults in different parts of the country about annoying words. Here’s the top 6 (with my personal confession of guilt.) Whatever. (Never.) Like. (OK, maybe.) You know. (Guilty as charged.) Seriously. (Seriously guilty.) Just sayin’. (OK, I just quit sayin’ that one.) Unsure. (What’s wrong with unsure?) I’ve always been ...
Dec 20th
3 tags
Why mainstream organizations are buying .XXX URLs
General availability of the new top level domain (TLD) .XXX started earlier this month. This was created as an industry-specific TLD for pornographic websites. However this virtual “land grab” has some important ramifications for non-pornographic related websites, their owners and their brand managers. Many of these websites are defensively buying up .xxx versions of their existing...
Dec 20th
8 notes
3 tags
Dec 20th
1 tag
A mystery is afoot at TDG...
Hey! Has anyone seen Frank…?
Dec 19th
2 tags
TDG: from our mile-high perspective
Welcome to the TDG BlogStream. We’re going to feature good ideas, bad ideas, new ideas and ideas that … well, we’re not what to make of them. (That’s what happens when brainstorming hits high gear.) Speaking of good ideas, I wanted to thank Jack Hughes, our web wizard, for creating this great new website for TDG Communications. He’s truly TDG (too darn good). By...
Dec 19th
3 tags
The rise of the smartphone-toting teen
It’s a slam dunk to say that teens are the dominate age demographic in mobile texting (or sms). However, a new study by Nielsen shows that the average data usage by teens nearly tripled. The study shows that average monthly data usage among teens is now at 321 MB. So what are they doing? Surfing the internet, social networking, emailing, and downloading & using apps. Actually...
Dec 16th
1 note
April 2011
1 post
2 tags
Apr 9th