News

Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence. John Adams Our founding fathers are not only a fount of wisdom, but are quite witty in their delivery as well. John Adams is one of our favorite wits. This quote about Facts is so applicable to marketing and advertising it hurts. When …

"Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising." -Mark Twain. Its Wit & Wisdom Wednesday here at The Specialist Works US and we are focusing on the importance of advertising today in the office. Effective advertisings purpose is to reach out to a targeted audience and successfully get your message or product across to them. Twain is correct in saying no matter how …

Visualize your long-term goals to paint your short-term action on the canvas of now. -Terri Guillemets Setting a goal is important with any plan. However, it is the constant strives and dedication that make any goal possible. To reach your long-term goals, you must focus on the now and create short-term goals to further yourself to success. This is a prominent ideal within our company …

I do not demand equal pay for any women save those who do equal work in value. Scorn to be coddled by your employers; make them understand that you are in their service as workers, not as women. Susan B. Anthony It is International Womans Day, and it is also Wit & Wisdom Wednesday. Handy! Today we have decided to post an insightful comment from Susan B. Anthony. As a woman in business, I have …

"Great things in business are never done by one person. They're done by a team of people." -Steve Jobs.Its Wit and Wisdom Wednesday here at The Specialist Works US and we love this Steve Jobs quote. While Jobs had many different accomplishments including being an American entrepreneur, businessman, inventor, and industrial designer, he knew the value of teamwork. Society may remember Jobs most …

What art offers is space a certain breathing room for the spirit. -John UpdikeToday is Wit and Wisdom Wednesday at The Specialist Works US and we are trying to push through hump day.Things can get pretty hectic at TSWUS; sometimes you start working on one thing, and as the week goes by you find yourself working on multiple unrelated projects with each of them demanding your best efforts. Those …

"Put off thy cares with thy clothes; so shall thy rest strengthen thy labor, and so thy labor sweeten thy rest."-Francis Quarles It is Wit and Wisdom Wednesday at The Specialist Works US and today, were still not done with labor day. The three-day weekend provided us with some much-needed rest. It can be difficult sometimes to go from work to rest and then back to work again. It is often easy to …

"The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it." - Chinese Proverb It is Wit and Wisdom Wednesday at The Specialist Works US, the first of its kind ever to be published on a Thursday! We apologize for the late post, but we just had to share this qoute with you. Chinese society, in ancient times was, and today still is, incredibly industrious. A culture that has …

The worst part about being lied to is knowing you weren't worth the truth. - Jean-Paul Satre. Telling the truth is a two way street. For the teller, there is a certain intangible moral capital that they gain. It allows them to meet reality head-on and be somewhat objective about the world. Being honest doesn't just provide a fuzzy feeling, but also tangibly helps you achieve your goals …

"Dare to be honest and fear no labor." Robert Burns. July 27th is National Scotch Day in the United States. It is also Wit and Wisdom Wednesday at The Specialist Works US and in honor of our favorite spirit we are highlighting a quote from Robert Burns. We love this quote because it beautifully embodies the philosophy of our agency. To succeed in advertising, we need to be honest with …

If my house is on fire, I don't need the fire chief telling me I should not have built the house out of wood. I need somebody to put the fire out. Bob Riley It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at the Specialist Works US and today we touch on problem solving. As advertising professionals we are inherently tasked with solving problems, not just identifying them. It is much easier to tell a client why …

"Intelligence without ambition is a bird without wings." Salvador DaliIt is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media and we chose to highlight this Salvador Dali quote. Dali certainly pushes the edge of comfort in his Art. We need to push ourselves beyond comfort to see what we are able to achieve. Through some of our recent business transitions, we have found ourselves doing exactly that …

"Pouring out liquor is like burning books." - William Faulkner It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media and we are in a mellow and reflective mood. It is a perfect mood to indulge in some Faulkner and sip a wonderful whiskey (except that we are at work). This quote has no legitimate tie in to our business and we can't even pretend to create a business parallel, but we love the quote and …

"And when things start to happen, don't worry. Don't stew. Just go right along. You'll start happening too!" -  Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go! (1990)

It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media, and today we want to say Happy Birthday to Dr. Seuss. Born on March 2nd, 1904. We are certainly game for enjoying the ride ourselves. 

"Many Southern writers must have learned the art of storytelling from listening to oral tales. I did. It gave me the knowledge that the simplest incident can make a story." Erskine Caldwell It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media, and we are happy to be back in the South for the some much needed office time. If you read our blog regularly, you will know we are fans of Southern …

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." Winston Churchill It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media, and we love this Winston Churchill quote on perseverance. Business is rarely an adventure that continues to stay steady and level. More is the FUN! Life is a fast ride during which you need to hold on tight, because if you can ride with no …

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye." Antoine de Saint-Exupery It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media, and we anticipate in the upcoming holiday we will be feeling like the snake that swallowed the elephant in Le Petit Prince, so we thought we would quote Antoine de Saint-Exupery. So often in life, we are compelled to make …

"Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please." Mark Twain It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media and in our minds you can't go wrong with a quote from Mark Twain, or indeed with one from Samuel Clemons. Always witty, these quotes are painfully truthful. In this week's selection we examine "facts". The value of a fact depends on what is shared, and what is …

"He is the true enchanter, whose spell operates, not upon the senses, but upon the imagination and the heart." Washington Irving It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media, and in honor of Halloween we thought we would quote Washington Irving author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. What does this mean to us? Sensual impact is fleeting, but if you can reach deeper, and make a connection it …

"No good decision was ever made in a swivel chair." George S. Patton It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media, and we love this quote. We don't hate swivel chairs, but we do recognize that they symbolize detached decision making. Hands on experience and understanding of a situation is not only recommended, it is necessary. Exposure to the practical application of decisions is critical …

"I was not a writer to begin with; I was a listener." Erskine Caldwell We love Southern literature at Elarbee Media. Erskine Caldwell's God's Little Acre was the first "First Edition" purchase we made. Erskine Caldwell himself gives us a truth in his statement that is so powerful it is easy to overlook. Listening is an Art. You can not understand how to deliver the cure if you don't listen to …

"It ain't over till it's over" Yogi Berra

It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media, and today we want to highlight one of the best quotes ever. Keep pushing forward in business and in life. There is a reward.

It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media and we can always count on Ben Franklin for a dose of truth. In business, sitting back and waiting doesn't make the phones ring or the money roll in. Small steps toward your long term goals create steady progress.

"Vision without execution is hallucination." Thomas Edison

It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media, and we love this quote from Thomas Edison. Ideas are great, but when not put into practice they are worthless.

"At 50, everyone has the face he deserves." George Orwell It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media. We are not spring chickens here. Although we are not yet 50 we have "been around the block a few times", "had our teeth kicked in", and "pulled ourselves up by our bootstraps". When we see the signs of age, we embrace them. They aren't wrinkles, they are character lines. Not living …

"The most sophisticated people I know - inside they are all children." Jim Hensen It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media and we can't think of a better person to quote than Jim Hensen. As children of the Sesame Street Era, we appreciate the brilliance of the creative mind that fearlessly built an empire. Jim Hensen is a reminder of how we can get it right. Work should be fun, and you …

If you're riding ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there. -- Old West Proverb It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media. We love this Old West Proverb, and think it is perfectly applicable for business. Competition drives us to innovate and push forward to make sure we are the "front-runner" in our industry. Is that really wise? Taking the …

"It's not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me." Batman It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media and we pulled this Batman quote to continue our bat theme for the week. Actions are the true expression of who we are. Businesses so frequently miss this connection. Spending time developing strategy, then failing to execute defines the business. Theory is only theory. What …

"Of all the liars in the world, sometimes the worst are our own fears." ― Rudyard Kipling It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media, and we thought we would share a Rudyard Kipling quote that is as applicable to our personal lives as it is to our business. Anticipating failure causes a failure to act. Embracing the fear of beginning and the fears of change are two of the most damming …

"Clocks slay time. Time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels; only when the clock stops does time come to life."William Faulkner. It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media and today is all about the South and this Faulkner quote from The Sound and the Fury. Elarbee Media is located in Atlanta, GA, but we are not all from her. Time has a different meaning here, and …

"Spoon feeding in the long run teaches nothing but the shape of the spoon." E.M. Forster It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media and we wanted to share this classic quote from E.M. Forster. For us this quote is about taking the time to invest in people and in training. "Spoon Feeding" may get the small tasks completed in the short term, but creating an engaged employee that can see …

"A well adjusted person is one who makes the same mistake twice without getting nervous." Alexander Hamilton It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media and we are focusing on this quote from Alexander Hamilton. Businesses, especially Advertising Agencies, do tend to make the same mistakes more than once. The key is in learning form it the first time, and still committing to taking a …

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." Thomas A. Edison It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media. This quote from Thomas Edison speaks volumes to us as Direct Response advertising professionals. Success is about testing. While Edison may not have been testing media to hit a target ROI, his continual progress down a path to eliminate what does not work is an …

"Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak, courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen." Winston Churchill It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media, and we are pulling a quote from one of our core inspirations Sir Winston Churchill. (The man, not the superb bar on Crescent St in Montreal) Business leadership is a tricky thing – people look to you for direction, but …

“Any cowboy can carry a tune. The trouble comes when he tries to unload it.” – Old West Proverb

It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media, and we are so excited to be once again in Texas! Cheers Cowboys!

"It was Lord Northcliffe who killed the penny dreadful: by the simple process of producing a ha'penny dreadfuller. " A. A, Milne It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media, and this week we are quoting A.A. Milne of "Winnie the Pooh" fame. Milne is referring to the founder of Britain's The Daily Mail, Lord Northcliffe, and his business acumen in producing what the public wanted; more and …

"Gardens are not made by singing 'Oh, how beautiful,' and sitting in the shade." Rudyard Kipling At Elarbee Media, we love old books, the touch and feel of the thick yellowed pages is comforting, as is the thought that they have been touched many times before. We tend to collect the same authors time and again, which likely shows in our choice of quotes. Kipling is one of our favorites. This …

"They say the world has become too complex for simple answers. They are wrong." Ronald Reagan

This Wit & Wisdom Wednesday we have decided to view things through the Ronald Reagan lens. Sometimes the simple answer is the right answer.

Advertising should drive sales. Advertising needs to be executed to drive sales. Simple.

"It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. " Adam Smith It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media and this pointed quote from Adam Smith is telling. We are motivated by what is beneficial to us as individuals.In advertising, it is essential to outline benefits to the consumer. By …

"We have forty million reasons for failure, but not a single excuse." Rudyard Kipling

It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media, and past time for a little Kipling. Often being direct and succinct is incredibly powerful as in the quote above.Advertising messaging is powerful when direct and succinct as well. Test it!

“If you are going through hell, keep going.” Winston ChurchillIt is Wit and Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media, and we all occasionally have a day like the photographer of the picture below. An iconic image of Churchill complete with a finger over the camera lens.Keep going!

"I am tomorrow what I establish today. I am today what I established yesterday." James Joyce 
It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday again at Elarbee Media. This week we are fully staffed, and there is no business travel. We will enjoy being productive, and knowing that it will show tomorrow. 

"Nonsense and beauty have close connections." - E.M. ForsterIt is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media. This quote from E. M. Forster, one of our favorite authors, is so much fun. It can be interpreted in so many ways. Is nonsense the excess of beauty? That one step too far? Or, does embracing folly and frivolity allow you to see real beauty? When does pushing the envelope lead to a …

"You take people as far as they will go, not as far as you would like them to go." Jeannette Rankin It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media. On these Wednesday, we look to the past to have someone say exactly what we are thinking, but with a lot more eloquence that we can muster. In business, clients the make decision on how far they will go. Sometimes that is just shy of "far enough …

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging. - Will Rogers

It is Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media. Will Rogers seems to have an incredible ability to state the obvious with a delivery that shocks you with its impact. 
So often you watch as people, and businesses, fail to change what they are doing even though it isn't working. Why?

“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” Mark TwainIt's Wit & Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media. Mark Twain offers us both on a platter with this quip about embracing the majority. His wit is timeless because it reflects on the nature of people, not on specific issues.What does this have to do with business? If you are doing what everyone …

“Being good in business is the most fascinating kind of art. Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.” Andy WarholStunning as it is, Andy Warhol, pictured here in a cowboy hat, has one of the most remarkable business quotes out there. Unashamedly capitalistic in his approach and certainly talented, he nails it with language. And who doesn’t envy his approach …

“Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.” Will RogersSometimes when you hear the truth, it smacks you in the face. Hard. This quote represents to me the keen distinction between talk and action. Without action to follow through, talk is just noise. I’ve been in a lot of great conversations lately, so it will be interesting to see who follows through and …

“Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway.” John WayneWell, doesn’t that say it all? It becomes very easy in life to fail by simply not starting. The reasons for delay are too numerous to mention. Having the courage to “saddle up”, even if you have to re-direct along the way, is the key. Go get ‘em American entrepreneurs!

“A leader is a dealer in hope.” Napoleon Bonaparte. While I compulsively credit the French on all thing culinary and all things wine, it is a rare day when I credit the French on business. While Napoleon may not be a strictly “business” translation, running an army, running a country and running an empire are all fairly strong skill sets, and ones that I admire as a business person. When …

“Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t.” - Margaret Thatcher Many times when companies tell you how great their product is, how great their tracking is and how great their team is, but they are still floundering, you’ve got to wonder where the “false lady” is hiding. Sometimes making the necessary changes for success is a painful and …

“Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.” - Sam WaltonIt’s Wisdom Wednesday at Elarbee Media. Insights, both business and personal, come from many sources. Some of our favorites may surprise you. This particular quote, whether or not you are a Walmart fan, is a great …

“Lead me, follow me or get out of my way.” General George Patton, U.S. Army General Setting the direction and plowing through all obstacles to follow that path can make you unpopular as a leader, but it is often the key to success. Not everyone is loved while they are still playing the game. The value in their steadfastness is often only appreciated in looking back. I love Patton because he …

“Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul.” - Douglas MacArthur In business, it can be difficult to want to keep moving forward. When I am in need of inspiration, I look to people who have suffered and sacrificed far more than I can ever imagine and have come out winners. One of my favorite “go to” guys is Douglas MacArthur. When I am in Manila, I sit at his seat in the Tap Room …

“Paying attention to simple little things that most men neglect makes a few men rich.” Henry Ford Who would not have wanted to sit around the campfire with Ford and Edison? Imagine the conversations. Imagine if American business did not have such great legends to inspire us to keep going. Try. Fail. Edit. Try again. Succeed. Elarbee Media gives a nod to all who try!

Being that I am both a business owner and mom, I try and find inspiration in different places. I don’t watch a lot of TV outside of PBS, and I don’t follow sports (besides baseball and hockey). Here's a quote I pulled from my favorite hockey player, Patrick Roy: “I play a position where you make mistakes. The only people that don’t make mistakes at a hockey game are the people watching …