We get a little verklempt when we see brands managing conversations intelligently. They grow up so fast!

 

Listen to your customers? Check.

Respond in an Actual, Human Voice? Check.

Gently bip your critics upside the head while promoting product benefits? Chiggidy-check.

Very nicely done, SmartCar.

 

Let’s see how our young padawans at Eat24 are coming along…

 

Strong in this one, the Force is. See more, we should.

 

 

Thanks, P.J. Did you mean this laziness? The one that’s airing all over Comcast San Francisco right now?

http://youtu.be/5nEVwAtdqkk?hd=1

 

Ohhhh, sorry. You meant this laziness. (That’s airing all over Comcast San Francisco right now.)

 

http://youtu.be/GifWmtTzk2I?hd=1

 

Unless you meant this laziness. (Which is also airing all over the You-Get-The-Idea right now.)

http://youtu.be/-80pATlUH4Y?hd=1

 

So, yes. We’re proud of our clients. Proud when they demonstrate their Conversation-fu. Proud when they put the tools we give them to good use. Proud when they remember that underwear goes on the inside of their pants.
And proud when they think up great ideas like this:

 

 

Which reminds us – Eat24’s app is live. De-bugged. And delicious. Happy Friday!

 

 

 

Whew! What a crazy wild whirlwind these last two weeks were. Jonny had an audition for Glee, a photo shoot in Bali, and dinner at Zooey Deschanel’s house. Our intern’s newfound popularity has got him so booked, we may need to hire another intern to do the stuff Lil’ Jonny used to do.

Now that life at Mortar has returned to some level of sanity, we finally have time to blog about how supremely successful the Save Jonny campaign was. We reached 500 followers in 6 days – 18 days before our target date. That’s like getting an A+ when you were sure you were headed for a D. And the numbers are still growing.

The press loved Jonny, proving we’re not the only ones who want to pinch those cheeks.

And it turns out that’s not all the press loves about us. Business Insider just named Mortar’s website one of the 13 most unforgettable sites in the industry.

Aww, shucks. You shouldn’t have. But we’re glad you did.

 

This is a puppy.

 

This is Jonathan the Intern.

 

Like a puppy, he is disgustingly adorable. Also like most puppies, he was unemployed two short months ago. And this cutie bombalootie may find himself jobless again soon if he doesn’t get your help. It would be a shame to lose him, since he’s so polite and clean-cut.

You know that soup kitchen you’ve been meaning to volunteer at? Here’s a good deed you can do without lifting your lazy hindquarters. What the hell are we talking about?

Finally. Finally. FINALLY. Yes, it took us three years to finish, but here at Mortar we like to drag things out as long as possible to build up maximum excitement for their arrival. (And to drive Jojo up the wall. Girl does a mean sideways cartwheel.) We’re thinking about creating a supplementary site to our new site, called “What Life Was Like When We Started Our Website Redesign.” Swine flu was poised to decimate us all. Ricki Lake was running for president.* Michael Jackson was still alive (RIP, PYT). Alexa and Sylvie weren’t even born yet.**

But no more dwelling in the past. Be here now. Allow us to present The New Mortar Website. Cleaner, meaner, and glistening with bacon-y goodness.

Why bacon, you ask? It’s our way of communicating what Mortar’s goal has been all along – to change the conversation. Everyone else talks about ads. We prefer to talk about love. Love of bacon. And Miles Davis. And good conversation. Because when you talk to your customers like people, rather than customers, they tend to like you a lot more.

In fact, conversations are what drive our whole approach. The conversations your customers are having about your brand now, and the ones you want them to have in the future. So instead of starting with Flashy-Expensive-TV-Spot and working backwards, we start by identifying the right message. (Plus, walking backwards makes us dizzy.)

Today, we’re considered a rare breed of agency that does advertising, branding, research and PR all under one roof – but we don’t see any other way to do it. Maybe one day, our approach will be the norm. We can’t understand why it isn’t already.

Pray tell us what you think of our (extremely) late and great site. Direct all comments to Mr. Butz.

 

 

 

 

*Not really, but how would you remember? It was eons ago.

**Also not true, but those youthful complexions will fool you every time.