This is a lovely image of two glasses of Cerveza Imperial, one of our very favorite beers. Looks good, right?

And this is a significantly less lovely image of a bad bottle of Imperial.
See the funk floating on the bottom? Ew.
So, imagine our panic as we were about to enjoy a beer…and were denied by the funk! And yes, all 12 we had on hand were like that. Needless to say, there was much wringing of hands and rending of garments. After we uncurled from our fetal position, we shot that picture. And first thing Monday, you best believe we fired off an email to Imperial's U.S. distributor, Black Eagle Imports.

Four-minute response time? With a promise to make it right? Not bad. Not bad at all. But Black Eagle doesn't do "not bad." They do "kick-ass." So a few hours later, we get another message saying: "Black Eagle Imports has sent you a package."  We haven't gotten the package yet, but we're going to assume it isn't ticking. They didn't have to do that. That's kick ass. Don't think we didn't notice.

But wait, there's more. A little later, we get a personal call from the rep, who tells us he's made sure there is fresh product waiting for us at the store – just return the bad stuff so they can strap it to a Titan III rocket booster and shoot it into the very heart of an imploding neutron star millions of light years from Earth.

Oh, and we got the beer no problem. And no funk.

But that's not all! Today, we get yet another note from Black Eagle, apologizing for us  " …not (being) able to enjoy a cold Imperial when you wanted to." (Well, it was traumatic.)

The moral of the story? Everything You Do Affects Your Audience's Perception Of You. We liked Imperial before. Now, we love it beyond reason. All because we feel taken care of – by a distributor. It wasn't
that hard – just the cost of a few beers and a few minutes. But a
little good will goes a long way. Especially when there's beer involved. Gracias, amigos. Pura Vida!

One Guy Dancing = Freaker.

Two Guys Dancing = Get A Room. Or At Least, Dance Lessons.

Three Guys Dancing = Dance Party!

Seth Godin brings up the important point that…

"…Before (Guy #3,) it was just a crazy dancing guy and then maybe one other crazy guy. But it's guy #3 who made it a movement.
Initiators are rare indeed, but it's scary to be the leader.
Guy #3 is rare too, but it's a lot less scary and just as important.
Guy #49 is irrelevant. No bravery points for being part of the mob.
We need more guy #3s"

Via our pal Catalina, at Catalista.

Here's a fun look at the evolution of Crayola's brand over the years. How great does the old stuff look?

Via The Dieline.com

We're seeking an account executive/coordinator with at least 2-3 years experience to manage business development and respond to Requests For Proposal. The perfect candidate will be the type who gets unreasonably excited every time a potential client sends out a Request For Proposal. “We actually have a shot at getting the Company X account? But they’re a global leader in leading globally! We’ve just got to get it!” See? Unreasonably excited. Like when you come home and your new puppy acts like you’ve been gone for a month. (Piddling on the rug, however, is frowned upon. No. No.)

To apply please send resume and a cover note of no more than 300 words describing:

– Your approach to working under pressure and deadlines (and no, studying for finals does not count)
– Success herding cats – even though puppies are traditionally lousy at this
– Business writing experience
– RFP production expertise
– If you have video editing/creation experience all the better
– Negotiating schedules with internal staff
– Your willingness to make the occasional coffee run

Candidates with agency experience will be reviewed first. Extra points for Keynote and Pages skills.

Send your note, subject line: "Woof", to smartypants@mortaragency.com. But no calls please, we're on the phone enough as it is.