In San Francisco, there is a love/hate relationship with the Mission neighborhood. On the “hate” side, it is often regarded as a place where entitled hipsters live, cruising around on vintage mopeds (or $1500 fixies), desperately trying to be cool, eating vegan foods, wearing ironic tees, getting tattoos weekly, and living the “bohemian” life in a 400 square foot studio apartment that rents for $2000 a month.

On the “love” side of the equation, the Mission has the highest concentration of artists, writers, designers, film-makers and musicians anywhere in the city. It also has (in our humble opinion) the highest concentration of the best chefs and up-and-coming restaurants, quirky shopping and some of the best venues for live performances. Oh…and…it’s where goldfoot decided to call home.

So for those of you not yet familiar with the Mission (or those who already fell in love), this weekend is the Mission Spring Open Studios! The epicenter of the creative genius in the Mission will fling open their doors and show off what they’ve been up to. It’s a chance to visit a ton of studios in our hood, meet the artists, and hit some great parties.

Not to be missed.

For the official map and schedule, click here.

And Joel will likely be lurking here tonight. Stop in and in your best Heidi Klum voice, say “Hello”.

Goldfoot has done work for Coca-Cola, so it gives us a little license to give props to the hundreds of other firms that have done work for them as well. While obviously not targeted at the United States, this ad made us smile this morning. Well done.

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Imagine for just a moment, the person you most admire. The person you secretly aspire to be. Be that Gandhi, the 53 year old friend of a friend who doesn’t look a day over 39, or Samantha from Sex in the City. Close you eyes for just a second and image who that person is (now, be honest…nobody is around)…

Now imagine that person invites you into their “circle”. You feel noticed, worthy, but not quite there…How do you become BFFs? Most people would mirror and emulate. Meaning, they would buy the same products, wear the same clothes, eat the same foods.

I know. It sounds like High School all over again. But the ugly reality is that Ad Agencies (caps intentional) recognize the power of this psychology, and exploit it whenever the budget allows them. And now, Hollywood has made a movie about it:

I love April Fools Day. Spring is in the air, and we’re all giddy with fun and frivolity. We all love pulling a practical joke on the Account Executive in the cube next to us, or playing that elaborate practical joke on our brother-in-law…but can it backfire when it comes to marketing online?

1) Okay….You got me…and now I feel stupid.
Google has been pulling practical jokes on their users for years now, and most of us delight in what will come next.  This trend in April foolery has been adopted by a wide range of companies over the years now, by messing with their web sites, and playing a little joke on all of us who log in. But what happens to those who don’t get the joke? Google has been good about keeping it obvious as of late (like replacing the Google logo with “Topeka”), but many companies are using inside jokes, and much more subtle humor.

Users that don’t get your joke, at first may be concerned. If and when they do get the joke, they often are left feeling “stupid” and alienated from your company. This is especially true in Social Marketing. A user who may have been a vocal supporter, may suddenly feel self-conscious about posting anything, and stop posting all together.

2) I’m offended
Even if your online joke is benign, be sensitive to how users may be feeling offended–especially if you have an international audience. Jokes that are funny in Montana, may back-fire on you in Thailand.

3) Your site just broke
Be sensitive to those without a sense of humor (or those who don’t share yours). Many users may visit your “joke” site, not take the time to “get it” and assume your site has been hacked or is “broken”.

4) I’ve got work to do. Stop playing.
If your site is all about productivity (especially if you charge a subscription), just don’t play a joke. While it may be insightful, funny, and worthy of an award, it’s going to piss off the people who rely on your site for day to day productivity. For many of your users, it’s Thursday…not April Fools Day.

5) Wow. I SO agree with what you just said (and have not idea you’re kidding).
We all love the Onion. We all say to ourselves, “I have a great idea for an Onion headline”. April Fools day is the perfect excuse for posting that brilliant headline, right? Well, maybe. It depends on the business and website. Keep in mind that not everyone has your sense of humor, and may actually believe what you say (no matter how ridiculous). Even giants like Fox News has fallen for bogus headlines. Even if your idea is brilliant, be certain it won’t mislead your audience.

Bring this to San Francisco, please.

Ikea, if you need help with implementation, just give us a call. More than happy to extend this campaign to bus stops, cable cars, cafes, BART, parks, and beyond.