Football season is my favorite time of the year. And one of the best parts about football season is playing fantasy football. Now I don't get too caught up in player rankings and draft strategies. I would rather spend my time doing something productive. Like coming up with the best team name in my fantasy league. So here's some quick tips to make sure your team name doesn't suck - even if your team does. DO be original. Anyone can Google search "Funny Fantasy Football Names." Respect is something that is earned (so I'm told). People respect originality. DON'T be lame. Ted's All-Stars or Omaha Huskers is neither original nor awesome. Even if you're "not creative", you can always steal a lyric from your favorite song by the Eagles. DO embrace pop culture. Movies, VH1 celebreality shows, music. It's all fair game. And thanks to Twitter and TMZ, we know everything about players and celebrities so you should have no trouble finding inspiration. DON'T try too hard. Everyone thinks they're a comedian. Some people are. Most people aren't. If you have to explain your team name, it probably sucks. DO be corny. Puns are not only acceptable, they're encouraged. Is your favorite player Chiefs rookie Eric Berry? How 'bout The Eric Dingleberrys? DON'T be offensive. This is actually a DO in my league. Just make sure you know your audience. If you're playing with your buddies, nothing should be off limits. Your father-in-law? Might wanna steer clear from sexual innuendo. Think you got a good one? Leave me your ideas in the comments and maybe (just maybe) I will rename my team to the best one.

In March of 2003, my sophomore year of high school, I was taking a class in mass communication. One of our big assignments was to create a radio show complete with scripted programming, music, the whole enchilada. The best part, though, was getting my friends together to help create these stupid, horribly edited commercials that are probably only funny to me. Wayne Stock 2003 Herbal Essences for Men Dell We got an A on the project (obviously). And I credit that assignment for helping plant the seed in my brain that advertising was the career path I wanted to pursue.

Fifteen years later, it's only a $1.01 more I think the Big Italy pizza at Pizza Hut is just a remake of the far-superior named and marketed Big Foot pizza that was the centerpiece of my ninth birthday. My handwriting is soooo terrible it's almost embarrassing to call myself a writer of some kind. I blame growing up with computers. What did people do before cell phones? Like, you actually had to call people to make plans? And you shared the line with more than one person? That's CRAZY. Did you know there is a difference between there, they're and their? Yeah. Apparently, no one on Facebook does either. Oh. My hair reminds you of Justin Bieber? **** ***. I can't figure out what Geico is going for in their commercials. Do they want me to think the CEO is a moron or that a talking gecko with an English accent is the brains behind the operation? I saw that Procter & Gamble is opening dry cleaning franchises using the Tide name. I know I'm immature but was I the only person who immediately wondered if Trojan will follow suit and open pregnancy clinics?

One of my favorite websites is dontevenreply.com. I always get a kick out of messing with people. Especially on craigslist. A couple months ago, a friend of mine sent me a craigslist listing he thought was hilarious. The link doesn't work any longer but from what I remember it was a woman who needed a car for less than $400 but was willing to make a deal for a free tattoo in exchange for the car. I took the initiative and started correspondence. This is the conversation that followed. (Note: I used a fake name, email address and my grammar is horrible on purpose.) From: ME To: ************@craigslist.org Subject: $200 vechile/tatoo Good mourning. i saw ur listing on Craigs List.com about needing a vechile. i think I may be able too help. I have a 1997 Buick Lesaber that has a little damage to the hood. U sould be able to make it flat with a hammer thou. its a very good car besides the probelm with the hood. i would be willing to trade the car with you for a tatoo. i recently lost a bet with a friend about who would be the first to sleep with a woman and the loser had to get a tatoo of the winners choice. my friend won and wants me to get bbq ribs tatood on my ribs. their needs to be blood and bbq suace that is looking like it is blood. i live in Huxley. please use email to communcait- my trac phone does not text and minutes are limited. thank u for your time- ME ps. i attached pic of the lesaber From: ******* ****** To: ME Subject: Re: $200 vechile/tatoo do the head lights work if so then yea I can do that   I can do the tattoo here at my house I have every thing i need here. as soon as your ready let me know and we will get every thing done. I f you want to call or get to a land line to talk my number is ***-***-****. Do you have the pattern all ready or is this sothing you would like me to drawl up? Any way is fine I can do both. From: ME To: ******* ****** Subject: Re: $200 vechile/tatoo head lights work fine but the left one (drivers left from the inside) is a little crooked. i think I would like the tatoo to be drawn before we go any further. is there a way it could look like roadrunner from the loony toons is eating the ribs and Willy coyote is chasing him? My explaining is not the best sorry. i also have a pretty big mole on my right ribs. will we need to do it on my left side instead? one last thing- are ur needels clean? i have herd of people getting AIDS from needels and Im scared of them no matter what. please send a picture of the tatoo and then we can talk about meeting. thank you- From: ******* ****** To: ME Subject: Re: $200 vechile/tatoo yea every thing is prepackaged and you wil see me take them out I never use     used needles. Ill get it drawn up and send you the pic. From: ME To: ******* ****** Subject: Re: $200 vechile/tatoo hey i was wondering if u wer still interested in the lesaber? I got another person interested but I really need the tatoo so my friend Nick will stop buging me. I hope the tatoo drawling is coming along Ok :) i checked the lights last night to. they work good. I think it might need new belts and maybe a mufler. one of the tires is a donut to. thanks- ME From: ******* ****** To: ME Subject: Re: $200 vechile/tatoo since its been hit in the   front we were wondering if the alignment was bad or rods,just any future problems were concerned about.We dont want what our car has done.I know its not that much for it,but minor fix it myself work is fine, but shop work would suck. if you want the tattoo done then it will take till next week cause of mamorial weekend is here so if your freind cant wait then tell him to call me and i'll tell him I want to do it ,but its the timeing thats conflicting us... From: ME To: ******* ****** Re: $200 vechile/tatoo I dont think the alignment is bad. it kind of pulls to the left but i think that is becuse of the donut tire. its not a big deal. i find that it keeps me more focused on driving (especially after a few beers lol). The inside has a strange smell too from my cat. i am willing to clean that thogh and put some of those tree air fresheners in to. Do you like the Pine one or New car sent? also, REALLY hoping to see a drawling of the tatoo. it doesnt got to be perfect but just want to be sure it looks Ok. thank you- ME From: ME To: ******* ****** Re: $200 vechile/tatoo how is the tatoo drawing coming? when will you be abel to show me a ruff draft? i cleaned the inside of the car this weekend so the smell is pretty much all gone. I hope your hoilday weekend was good. -ME From: ME To: ******* ****** Re: $200 vechile/tatoo still havnt herd from you about the car for tatoo trade. I need to know soon or else I will be having the tatoo done by a pro. Also will be giving the lesaber to a friend to use as a figure 8 car if i dont here from you soon. thanks -ME At this point I gave up. I guess she wasn't as gullible as I had hoped. I really just wanted to see wh...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A-05wPlQQ4 Tonight, the Huskers will face the Kansas State Wildcats for the final time as conference opponents. So there's really never going to be a better opportunity to show off this AWESOME video. My apologies if you have seen it before - it's at least 3 years old. While I'm on the subject, how much would it cost to buy some cat arms for Willie the Wildcat? The whole hybrid man-cat look kinda freaks me out. I guess it's better than having a blowup doll as your mascot though. My score prediction: Nebraska 30 - Kansas State 14

..at the grocery store on Tuesday. STRANGER: (Looking in my shopping cart) Where's all the frozen stuff? ME: (Confused) I'm sorry? STRANGER: Young guy like you, where are the frozen pizzas and the TV dinners? ME: (Not amused) Oh. They're buried under all the Ramen Noodles. STRANGER: (Looks in my cart again. Does not see Ramen Noodles. Gives me dirty look. Walks away.) I guess we both suck at taking a joke.

The Back to the Future trilogy is probably my favorite movie series of all time. Last week, to mark the 25th anniversary of the original release, the set was released on Blu-ray with some behind the scenes footage and some other sweet bonus features. The set is currently at the top of my Amazon.com wish list. What I'm still waiting for, though, is all the sweet products that appeared during the future scene in Back to the Future Part II to find their way to the marketplace. When is someone going to invent flying cars? And hoverboards? And when am I going to be able to fuel that flying car with banana peels and skunky beer? I've got plenty of old beer cans with one last swig in them. Get to work, scientists. When you step back and really think about it though, it's actually pretty incredible how some of the products the writers envisioned for 2015 were foreshadowed back in the 1980s. We have the technology to use thumbprints to unlock doors. The crazy little recycle bin that scoots around on it's own is basically a big roomba. Being able to watch six channels at once is pretty much standard on new TVs. And our news updates instantly ? although it's on the Internet and smartphones rather than an actual hard-copy of USA Today. The one thing that I know for a fact will not happen that was foreshadowed in Back to the Future Part II (besides the clothing styles): The Cubs will win a World Series. Good one. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRrSp6Pqlz4

If you live under a rock or just don't care enough about local minor league sports, you may have missed the big announcement that came out of Sarpy County earlier this week. The Omaha Royals  ?  Triple-A farm team of the Kansas City Royals ?held a little press conference to show off their new ballpark (pretty sweet) and unveil a new team name: the Omaha Storm Chasers. Some of the initial reaction has been pretty negative so far. It makes me wonder if these people actually attended a game at Rosenblatt last year or they're just another person with a Facebook account and an opinion. Is the name change really going to cause people to stop supporting the team? And why is anyone over the age of 14 outraged about the mascots? They are intended to entertain and pose for pictures with your children. Who cares if it looks like some crazy lovechild of the Philly Phanatic? The Philly Phanatic is pretty awesome. You may recall from 1999-2001 the team was known as the Omaha Golden Spikes ?  a tribute to the rich railroad tradition of the area. In 2002, with the help of your friends at SKAR, the Golden Spikes switched back to the Royals. So why the name change this time? To create a new identity to go along with the new ballpark. Selling merchandise is a big part of minor league baseball too. I don't ever recall seeing someone walking around Omaha rocking an O-Royals shirt, so let's not pretend it was flying off the shelves before. I'll go to my share of games next season because I love sports and want to check out the new ballpark. If they have $1 beers on Thursdays that's an added bonus. I'm not so emotionally invested in Pacific Coast League baseball that I will stop going because of a different name on the jersey. You have to give the Storm Chasers some credit though. There is no way anyone would be talking about this team in the middle of Husker football season if it weren't for the name change.

One of the weeks most popular trending topics on Twitter has been #why90srocked. I have so many awesome memories of growing up in the 90s I don't even know where to start my list. Lucky for me I'm not limited to 140-characters on the blog. The Styles Acid washed jeans Parachute pants Starter jackets Bowl cuts The Music Weird Al Yankovic MC Hammer Nirvana "Baby Got Back" The Food Return of the McRib Dunk-a-roos Lunchables Gushers The Technology Walkmans Cell phones Napster Websites like this The Big Moments Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky (Oh-la-la) 2Pac vs. Notorious B.I.G. OJ Simpson Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa chase history.. and inject steroids The Toys The evolution of Nintendo Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pogs Roller blades The TV Saved By The Bell TGIF on ABC Nickelodeon wasn't stupid yet Seinfeld The Soft Drinks (RIP) Surge (AKA Four-Loko for kids) Crystal Pepsi New Coke A million flavors of Slice The Huskers THREE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Actually made it to the NCAA Tournament Bring back some memories? What am I forgetting? I could have made an entire post of just movies.

I don't know if it's because I have one less chromosome than women do but I cannot figure out how to wrap a gift. I've built coffee tables, cut the turkey on Thanksgiving and landscaped an entire property but can't for the life of me figure out how to fold some flimsy, snowman-covered paper around a box properly. I know I'm not the only guy in this boat. Why can't we figure this thing out? Can anyone explain it to me? Someday I would like to be able to give a present that is not in a taped up Target bagged with a bow on it.

You ever see those disconnected Gen Xers with their Blackberrys in tow, totally oblivious to the world around them? They're constantly on those damn phones texting or tweeting and making the rest of society question the direction of America's future. Yeah, I'm one of them. Without hesitation, one of the first things I do when I walk in the door of a place is pull my phone out and "check-in" on Foursquare. A lot of people say to me, "Bryan, I don't know why you waste your time with that. It's just an excuse for people to stalk you. And they know you're not home so they can go rob you!" Maybe, but I was born in 1986 - the year of the tiger - and that means I sometimes make poor, hasty decisions so it's not necessarily my fault. In all honesty though, foursquare is more than a stalker app. It's a great way to discover awesome places you didn't know existed or just learn new things about the places you've been a million times. I was in Kansas City a few weeks back and looking for somewhere to stuff my face with some French toast for breakfast so I jumped on foursquare. Within seconds it found my location, displayed the places around me and I was on my way to a 24-hour diner just two blocks away. Unfortunately, the French toast sucked so I was a little disappointed but I made sure to leave a tip warning future users of the tragedy. Foursquare also puts a new spin on what it means to be a regular. There are tons of examples out there of businesses offering discounts as a type of loyalty program when users reach a certain plateau of check-ins but perhaps the most intriguing part of Foursquare is the battle for mayorships. (The mayor of a particular place is the user with the most check-ins.) While being the mayor doesn't necessarily guarantee you anything other than maybe a free cup of coffee, it's the chase for the top spot that drives users to check-in. We've all got those places that we like to refer to as "ours." Foursquare just gives us a way to prove it. And maybe get some free stuff for our dedication. So how can businesses and marketers take advantage of the some 3 million of us nerds on Foursquare? Simply put, embrace it. Claim your business on foursquare and explore a rewards program. Think 10% off your bill with each check-in or a free pint of beer on your 10th. See what kind of tips and shouts people are leaving about your place for some honest feedback. If you've got an event coming up, such as a booth at a tradeshow for instance, create a listing and a badge to encourage people who stop by to check-in. It's a simple conversation starter and may help you at least look like you understand the digital era of marketing. If you're interested in joining Foursquare, check out foursquare.com on your mobile browser or search for it in your phones app store.

The folks over at Collateral Damage have put together a pretty spot-on list for the biggest marketing blunders of the last year. BP and Tony Hayward top the list - which should come as a surprise to no one - after the fiasco in the Gulf of Mexico. Here's their top ten: 1.) BP & Tony Hayward 2.) Christine O'Donnell 3.) TIE: Sharron Angle/Alex Sink/Libby Mitchell 4.) Montblanc regrets "honoring" Gandhi with $24K fountain pen 6.) Drake University boasts about being a D+ school 7.) Medal of Honor video game shoots itself in the foot 8.) Sperm Logo Sneakers 9.) Video game lets players bomb illegal immigrants. 10.) Magazine industry spends millions preaching to the choir View the entire list here

It's been more than a month since the Big Ten Conference unveiled their new logo to a nationwide chorus of hisses and snide comments. I'll admit, I wasn't crazy about the logo at first but after reading this article about the process I've come to appreciate it. The website Mycroburst.com must think the Big Ten can do better though. They're sponsoring a contest for the best redesign. Winner takes home a cool $500. So far there are over 700 entries. Some are OK but most are just.. well.. take a look for yourself and I think you'll know what I mean. The deadline to submit entries appears to be Jan. 24th in case you're interested.

As a copywriter, there's no worse feeling than the dreaded writer's block. It's an unavoidable monster that will back you into a corner at the most inopportune times. Luckily there are plenty of ways to turn the tables on this ugly beast and get yourself back in the groove. Here are the five that work best for me. Shut Up - Distractions are everywhere and they are super annoying. Shut the door or put on some headphones, close out your e-mail application, turn off your cell phone and stay off the Internet. It's important to not let your mind wander too far, and constantly checking your inbox when a new message arrives can make it almost impossible to stay focused on the task at hand. Stay Late or Take It Home - Sometimes I just can't get it done during regular business hours. Staying late can be relaxing because of the peace and quiet, and you know as soon as you finish your day is seemingly over. Other times I just need a change of scenery to find my voice so I take my work to the comfort of my pajama pants and home turf. Exercise Your Brain - Anything that can stimulate your mind can really help get your writing stroke back. Whether it's a few games of Sudoku, a crossword puzzle or getting lost staring at art, putting your mind to work helps get you to focus, analyze situations and think critically. Get Social - If you're really struggling for some inspiration, jump onto Facebook or Twitter or just head over to the water cooler and find someone to talk to. You never know who or what kind of conversations will spur an idea, and with all the random content your friends post online there's bound to be something that can trigger an idea... unless your friends are really boring. Walk Away - When all else fails and I just can't seem to get it together, I have always found the best thing to do is just walk away. Weekends are great because you just free your mind and focus on everything but what you're trying to write. Coming back to it fresh and rejuvenated can really put things in perspective and help get your writing back on track.

Advertising during a live sports broadcast on TV can be a goldmine -- and it's not limited to just throwing up a 30-second commercial between quarters. There are tons of fun and creative ways that companies can get their brand some extra face time on the screen. Take a look at some of these examples. Allstate has been a major sponsor for college football for years. Every time a field goal or extra point is kicked, you can see their logo promineintly displayed in the net that catches the ball. I've always thought this was a great use of their message "You're in good hands with Allstate." During a Big East basketball game at Seton Hall last week, Gatorade purchased the first few rows of each section stretching the length of the court then covered them with tarps displaying their trademark 'G'. BONUS: It's pretty tough to miss the rotating signage at the scorers table showing Prudential's logo at this particular moment. McDonald's covered the STAIRS with golden arches at a recent University of Minnesota basketball game. Also at the University of Minnesota, Arby's shows off a giant logo beneath the hanging scoreboard at mid-court. Clearly fast food chains love to advertise at University of Minnesota basketball games because here's ANOTHER one -- Dairy Queen displays the DQ lips on the padding at the bottom of each basket. Photos courtesy of Tim Cohn and @darrenrovell.

I watched the Super Bowl last Sunday for the same reason as everyone else in America -- because football is awesome. The fact that there's a bunch of commercials that aren't for boner pills and cell phones is just an added bonus. For me, one of the most intriguing things to watch when it comes to Super Bowl advertising is the crowd-sourced spots for Doritos and Pepsi Max's Crash the Super Bowl contest. In case you aren't familiar with the concept, anyone with a video camera and an idea can produce a spot for either brand, upload it to the contest website and beg people to vote for it. If enough people vote for the video, it gets aired during the game. The crazy thing is of the six spots that aired during the game (Pug Attack, House Sitting, The Best Part, Love Hurts, Torpedo Cooler, First Date), five ranked in the top seven of Ad Ages "most recalled commercials." Only the man eating soap and his girlfriend knocking out a helpless jogger didn't make the list. Those are the kind of numbers brands want to see. While the ideas behind many of these spots -- violent shots to the head, nuts, etc., or men are dumb and only think about sex -- is nothing new, it's obviously what people remember. And with the continuing influx of social media into advertising, it begs the question: Is this idea of "consumer created content" on the biggest of stages the new way to advertise? I have my doubts, but it's a compelling thing to consider based on the results.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvT5hjnR9js&feature=player_embedded Technically it's 2:24 but if you missed the game or don't have time to watch 61 commercials in one sitting, this tightly edited montage (courtesy of AdWeek) let's you relive the timeouts and quarter breaks of Super Bowl Sunday in about the same amount of time as a single commercial break. I've already written a little about the Doritos and Pepsi Max spots, but what jumped out at you? Any classics? Total flops? Are the commercials "just not what they used to be?"

I work in advertising so I like to believe the messages we create are always hitting home with the people we reach. But I'm not naive. As a digital savvy consumer myself, I know there are more factors that go into making a purchase than a witty headline or jaw-dropping TV commercial. My cell phone is home to damn near a dozen apps that let me compare prices, find deals and -- most important to me -- read customer reviews all while I'm standing in the aisle at the store. Here's an exercise to try: Type in a brand or product name with the word review in Google right now. What are people saying? Are they telling anyone who will listen how durable the product is or are they saying it's the biggest piece of crap they've ever bought? Are the people checking in at businesses on foursquare or writing reviews on Yelp beside themselves for how delicious the lunch special is or how terrible the service can be? Do the businesses and brands even care what's being said? They should. Honest feedback has always been important. And in this new-age society where word-of-mouth advertising is constantly at our fingertips, it's more important than ever. Consumers like to hear from people who have already been in their shoes. Here's a couple personal examples: Last week I was digging through the Internet trying to find information on these sweet Super Mario decals for the wall in my office. All the reviews I read had nothing but good things to say so I knew the product was quality. If they had said the decals didn't stick or they were way smaller than they thought, I wouldn't have taken the plunge. If I buy shoes or clothes online, I always check out the user reviews to see what other peoples' experiences were with the sizing or how the item holds up after washing. When I was at Target looking at covers for my cell phone, I scanned the barcode of the one I wanted to see if Amazon has a better price AND see what others thought of the product. Nearly every purchase I make involves some type of research, and I'm not going to the corporate website to find it. This isn't to say brands should focus all their attention on customer feedback and ignore advertising. Far from it. Advertising will always have a prominent place in our everyday lives, but a cute talking oven mitt can only do so much for your brand. At some point, you've got to rely on quality products that satisfy consumers' wants and needs. And the best way to make sure you're doing that is to see what they're saying behind your back -- because the rest of us are listening.

At Wieden + Kennedy out in Portland, there's a mural on the wall (made from more than 100,000 thumbtacks) with that says this. And for advertising creatives everywhere, these two words couldn't be more true. Being a successful creative in this industry takes a certain level of confidence. You've got to have thick skin and you've got to be a student of your trade. Understand that not every idea you have is the greatest one ever. Face the reality that sometimes what you think just isn't going to work. Come to grips with the fact that sometimes the project you spent hours working on is nothing more than a pile of hot garbage. And don't throw a tantrum or break into tears when someone tells you as much. Learn from it. Get better. Ask why. Discover new things. Fail harder. There's only so much you can learn in a book. Oftentimes the most effective learning experiences come from doing it wrong, understanding why it's wrong and fixing it. It's a simple philosophy that can be translated to nearly any situation. But in the world of collaboration, creativity and communicating with the masses, it's more than a philosophy. It's a rule to live by.

Collaboration is a big part of advertising culture. Whether it's a copywriter and an art director working together on a billboard idea or a whole slew of people sitting down to hammer out the details for a massive campaign, you've got to be able to work well with others. For some it's simple and comes like second nature. For others it can be a daunting task. So I'm here to help. I've come up with four simple things to keep in mind for the next time you need to collaborate with others to ensure the process runs smoothly and no one ends up with black eye. Limit the amount of hands in the cookie jar. The more people involved in a project, the more likely it will lack direction. It's essential that people know their roles in the early stages and have a designated area to concentrate on. Leaders should be involved in each aspect to make sure things stay on a clear path. But don't ask every team member to contribute in a million different ways. You need to... Let the specialists specialize. I'm not a pastry chef so I don't tell the people that are how to make creme brulee. Could I figure it out? Maybe. But just because I have a recipe from Better Homes and Garden, that doesn't make me an expert. These people have dedicated their profession to understanding their trade. Trust that they know what they're doing and... Don't be an armchair quarterback. That's not to say if you're not directly involved that all your feedback needs to be positive. It's great to ask questions and provide insight. But there's a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it. If it's something you are really concerned about, do it one-on-one. You're more likely to get a genuine response and engage in a serious discussion. Even if your personal contributions are limited, you've got to... Be a team player. It's not all about you and your interests. Sometimes your ideas and desires need to take a backseat to what is best for the project. Encourage those around you to do their best, recognize them when they do a good job and step up to the plate when your help is needed. Unity and trust are what makes teams and collaborations successful. Without it, you're the 2007 Nebraska football team. A terrible, embarrassing, directionless mess.