sit. stay. play. (fun = virtual dog)

We love dogs here at fishtank—so much so we often bring them along to work with us. Like today. It's not unusual to find them roaming the hallways, doing their business on the neighboring law firm's lawn or just napping away the afternoon on one of our beanbag chairs.

What a life, right?

Well, when we had the opportunity to develop an interactive website for DAD'S Treats, we just had to incorporate our love of all things canine into the creative.

In fact, the site just launched today and acts as a portal to two of DAD'S premium dog treat brands—Better Than Ears and Nut-Tastics.

But what makes this site most appealing to animal lovers of all ages is the addition of a virtual dog on the homepage. Actually, she's a multi-talented little Jack Russell Terrier named Maggie (pictured above).

Once the page loads, you can type in any number of commands and/or tricks and Maggie will perform them in real time. From dog-training standards like come, fetch and shake hands to more elaborate tricks including dancing, counting and even yoga poses like downward-facing dog, Maggie virtually does it all. Yeah, the pun was intended.

Best of all, you won't ever need a pooper scooper.

Already a celebrity in her own right, Maggie has made numerous national TV appearances including stints on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Animal Planet's Pet Star and Fox News. She's sure to have millions of new fans once they see her strut her stuff in cyberspace.

So check Maggie out, people. And remember to share the love.

Apple's Stealth Marketing Move?

Apple shipped a windows virus on a small amount of 5G Video iPods.

From Apple.com:

We recently discovered that a small number - less than 1% - of the Video iPods available for purchase after September 12, 2006, left our contract manufacturer carrying the Windows RavMonE.exe virus. This known virus affects only Windows computers, and up to date anti-virus software which is included with most Windows computers should detect and remove it. So far we have seen less than 25 reports concerning this problem. The iPod nano, iPod shuffle and Mac OS X are not affected, and all Video iPods now shipping are virus free. As you might imagine, we are upset at Windows for not being more hardy against such viruses, and even more upset with ourselves for not catching it.

Full info here

In my opinion it's brilliant.

wake me up when september ends

Okay, so it's been over a month since our last post. No excuses, but we've been quite busy. Here's a short rundown:

First, we were among 30+ agencies in the Tri-State area to receive an RFP from a major Erie healthcare provider. Out of those agencies, eight were selected to present concepts for a new branding/awareness campaign. Although the competition was stiff, we were awarded the work. We are now in the process of finalizing elements for the campaign rollout. We couldn't be more excited or more proud of the work. Stay tuned for details.

We just finished work on two major football-themed campaigns for Time Warner Cable in Austin, Texas. In fact, one of the campaigns features Mack Brown, head coach of the Texas Longhorns. For those of you who watch Friday Night Lights, he made a cameo appearance in the pilot episode a few weeks back. Great show, by the way. Jamie and I are heading down to Austin in early November to regroup with the marketing folks (and hopefully catch a UT game).

We recently wrapped the filming and editing of two :30 television spots for the Erie Redevelopment Authority. The spots, along with a newly created website, are part of a comprehensive, community wide lead paint awareness campaign. The media flight and web launch dates are fast approaching. Oh, be on the lookout for a very special, scene-stealing cameo appearance by Hanna Potosnak.

I could go on and on, but I won't. Suffice to say, we're having a blast.

Now get back to work. It's hump day, people.