Marc Cuban called me this morning to ask for my advice on his new ad campaign. Well, not exactly, but he did ask the question on Twitter, and I happen to follow him, so in some ways, he sparked up the conversation (are you starting to get how this works?).

The ad in question is a taxi topper featuring a relatively unknown MMA fighter and the tagline: Do you know who I am?

mcuban: What do you thnk about our ad ? http://bit.ly/130mDe#fb

Since he asked, here’s my answer: I like it, with a couple qualifiers.

First, I have to say that most outdoor advertising is a complete waste of money. Most of it goes almost completely unnoticed, adding only clutter and urban blight. Next time you’re out and about, look at the level of detail, of small type on a lot of billboards and snipes. Some of them are designed for New York, where people are walking, yet you’re running them in Los Angeles. Check out the movie billboards with all of the credit information in 14 pt type, 30 feet in the air!

Second, the much bigger problem is that most of it doesn’t do anything for me, the viewer. You have a logo and you want to show it to me! Who cares! A notable exception is a record release from a notable artist, or a sequel to a popular movie. In those cases, we’re excited for the big day to get here, and reminders of exactly when it’s coming are welcome. But in that exception, you’re doing us a service, which is exactly the point.

Back to Marc’s question. Despite all the hype, MMA is still an underground sport. As such, its followers are passionate and committed, and they’ll be excited that a company has recognized one of their own enough to put him in an ad. The small but important audience who can answer Yes to the ad’s question is likely to appreciate the recognition, and probably talk about it to their friends.

I think that’s enough value for one ad to create to be considered a success. Some of you broader-minded folks may be wondering if the question is provocative enough to get a bigger audience to at ponder the question until they get to a browser so they can click over to HDNet and find out what all the fuss is about. I think that’s expecting a little too much from a taxi topper, but hey, anything’s possible.

Hey Marc, thanks for asking. Let us know whenever we can help.

Mashable’s article on “85 Comedians to Follow on Twitter” gave me a business idea.

If you’re a comedian, why not develop your brand by spitting out jokes in 140 character increments? If you can make me laugh with short quips, there’s a good chance I’d not only follow you on Twitter, I’d also follow you to the club and to your HBO special.

With all the hype around Twitter and social networking in general, it seems I can’t go a whole day anymore without someone asking “What do you think about Twitter? I just don’t get it.” Thing is, it’s not for you to get, it’s for you to use to demonstrate your brand in a way that makes people want to follow you — and as in the above example, not just on Twitter. The skeptics are correct: nobody really cares what you’re having for lunch (although I’m often guilty of tweeting my eating) or that you, too, are really sad about the latest celebrity passing, or that you have a new press release to spam out to the world. But if you can find ways to inspire, inform, or entertain in a sentence or two, then it can be an important tool for getting people to like your brand.

What can you say in 140 characters that will make people care about you?

By the way, most of the example posts from the comedians Mashable suggests are not actually funny. But, I did pick out a couple of my favorites…

Time Inc. launched Mine Magazine earlier this year, leaving Slate and others wondering “Could a personalized magazine help save print media?” Seems like a fair question to me, so I went ahead an ordered my own copy by filling out a brief survey to tell them about my interests. Mainly, it involved clicking on cover images of the five Time Inc. magazines that talk about things I want to know about. Well, Time Inc. doesn’t have five magazines that interest me — maybe this is part of the problem — but, to be a sport, I went ahead and selected Travel & Leisure, Real Simple, Food & Wine, Time, and Money. Mine is paid for by Lexus and features Lexus advertising exclusively.

The premise is that I’ll get a personalized amalgam of these titles to suit my unique tastes. I missed the deadline to get it in print, so I get mine digitally. The first issue came today. It opens in a browser window. Looks pretty good, but I quickly realize that Mine has missed the mark, despite the intro letter’s bold promise:

“Imagine your ideal magazine. Chances are it looks a lot like the one you’re holding right now. And no wonder. This is the premier issue of Mine: My Magazine, My Way, which was designed especially for you—by you. In fact, Mine represents a groundbreaking shift in the way magazines are made, because what’s on each page reflects what you asked for when you subscribed. The customized result, which comes to you compliments of Lexus, includes great writing and reporting from your favorite magazines. You’ll find stories that will surprise, delight and inspire you, whether you’re interested in South African wine or solar power. This is truly your magazine, your way.”

It took me about 3 minutes to scroll through the 36 pages and realize that there’s nothing to read. The thing is, I’m not interested in South African wine or solar power, or how to get my kids involved in packing and moving, or how to turn my basement into an entertainment center, or any of it. This is really simple stuff. If these guys were thinking about me, the customer — instead of about how to save their sinking business model with a technology-driven gimmick, they might have asked more important questions than which of their product offerings did I want them to scan and combine into a single PDF.

They might have found out that I have no kids, that I live in a condo that doesn’t have a basement, and that I’m very interested in Californian and Italian wines. What this tells me is that they don’t really care about what I want, they care about repurposing their own content. That’s the message.

Here’s another small-to-medium gripe: it looks like a magazine. This means the pages are the wrong shape to fit on my computer screen. They’re either too small to read or else I have to scroll up and down and side to side. Not the way to leverage technology — why not design it to look more like the Keynote presentations we’re used to seeing on-screen? Why not make the websites mentioned in the articles clickable? Even the PDFs I create can do that. Even Zinio, whose technology ain’t that great, is way ahead of Mine.

The back page is the only one truly personalized part of the magazine, achieved by inserting my name into the Lexus ad copy:

THE ALL-NEW 2010 RX.
NOW WITH MORE JOSH LEVINE

This is just about as lame as it gets. A huge waste of my time and Lexus’ money.

Don’t be like Mine. Put your customer first. Ask what they want and deliver content in the way they want it. It’s really as simple as that.

Hey Time Inc., Rebel Industries offers custom publishing and custom web development. We can do this for you much better by applying the simple rules I mentioned above, probably much cheaper than what you’re spending on it now.

GM is considering rebranding. Apparently someone over there doesn’t think ChevroletGMCCadillacBuick will look good on a t-shirt. Maybe they should talk to Outkast before making that decision.

I don’t want to come off as the guy opposed to changing your name. As both a Jew and a lifelong hip hop fan, “my people” are big on rebranding. And I’m all for it.

Except that in the big corporate sense, it always costs way too much money. Didn’t I read somewhere that GM is having money problems? So if they follow Pepsi’s lead (which wasn’t even a name change, just a rebadging), we’re talking hundreds of millions. And, this is the kind of thing that will get so much press that everyone will realize that it’s really the old company calling itself something new. Sort of defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?

Oh, and aren’t they 4 brands, plus the parent company? So would they rebrand all of them, or just the parent company, which nobody really cares about. Or, maybe we do care about GM instead of Cadillac, in which case, why do they have four separate brands anyway? This is too confusing!

Here’s an idea: Maybe the problem all along is that they’re General Motors, but we consumers want to buy Specific cars (like, say Prius). Here’s your rename: SM.

Okay, you’ve listened to me ramble long enough. Here’s the answer for GM and all of the rest of you who may be considering a quick identity switch to get you out of your current hot water: Fix your brand first. Fix the company first. Fix your screwed up relationship with consumers. Get your culture right, and your business model, and your products.

Once you’ve done all that, then sure, a new name seems fitting for the new company. I think in the old days maybe you got to be all new by telling people you were “all new.” Not anymore. If GM rebrands today, the new name will soon be just as tainted as the old name. Maybe even more, since it will be yet another promise they fail to deliver on.

Frequent Rebel collaborator, sometimes guest blogger Dennis White is on fire. Not too many people can just as easily make music and video content for brands and music and video that makes people move on the dancefloor.

His new single, “I Like That,” featuring mega DJ Richard Vission and sexy fun vocals from Luciana, is no exception. We’re excited to have the world premiere of his video here. Watch it on Static Revenger’s site.

Listening to NPR this morning, two stories jumped out. No, it wasn’t the latest on Jon and Kate — one was about California’s raging debt and the power struggle between congress and Conan’s office. The second was our NBA Champion Lakers, and more specifically, their upcoming victory parade which will cost the team and the city each $1,000,000.

What?! Worse yet, the story continued, a chunk of that money is needed to pay the rent for the Coliseum, where the parade will terminate.

Do you know where I’m going with this? Of course, I’m not Laker hating, and of course, I see the value of celebrating the good times in the midst of the bad. But 2 million bucks? How many teachers does that keep employed who will otherwise be fearing for their jobs?

First: Someone needs to tell the Coliseum that loaning the space is their contribution to the city. Period. Want me to make the call?

Second: Over here we’ve been producing events for more than a decade and have a bit of a knack for creating the best possible experiences at the lowest possible prices. Not that we’re the value player, but we have developed an allergy to wasting money. Let us handle this one, and you can donate the leftovers to something more important.

I’m very excited to be featured on the UCLA Magazine website in a profile called Rebel State: Emotional Branding.

I went to UCLA. I was not a very good student. I had a twisted sense that school was for dorks, although I was secretly proud to be attending a top educational institution. So I went, and refused to participate… in class, social activities, just about anything.

I had no idea how lucky I was to be a dorm-mate of three football players. I became fast friends with three huge, black, Southern guys whose jock egos were surpassed only by their brawn. I found out later that I was the third white boy to share a room with Meech Shaw, the other two having moved out after he threatened them for asking him to turn down his music. Lucky for me, it never occurred to me to be scared of big black guys, or to ask Meech to turn his music down.

Meech indirectly introduced me to the music business, which changed my life profoundly and led me down a path leading to where I am today. So, in many ways, I owe much of my career success to having attended UCLA.

A few years ago I woke up to the fact that I had missed out on a lot of what the school had to offer. At that time, I started making sure I would no longer miss out. I began speaking at Entertainment Networking Night – and I met two young guys there and hired them directly out of college. Nowadays, I give as much as I can in the form of speaking, volunteering, and mentoring so that today’s students might learn from my mistakes. I also serve on the marketing and strategic planning committees for the Alumni Association. I know I get a lot more out of it than I give.

So, check out the article.  I’m humbled to be in the company of so many accomplished Bruins, and I feel a little bit of validation to be recognized.  It’s never too late to become involved, right.

Last month Rebel produced the first in a series of ultra-high-end house parties. This one, which we called A Taste of Tuscany, The Thrill of Sant’Agata, was designed to provide high net worth (HNW) individuals with an amazing experience and exposure to a handful of relevant brands.

Presented by Lamborghini, it was hosted by a consortium of leading professionals who serve the HNW market: Curtis Estes of Northwestern Mutual, master platinumsmith Philip Press, Mauricio Umansky of Hilton & Hyland real estate, and Houck Construction’s David Houck. Each of the hosts and sponsors got to invite their best clients, who then had the opportunity to invite friends to share in the experience.

Oh, the experience: Guests were treated to sneak previews of Lamborghini models not yet available for sale, including the opportunity to take test drives on-site. We offered wine and caviar tasting courtesy of Cinquain Cellars and Black River Caviar, respectively, and amazing appetizers and dinner prepared by chef & sommelier Erik Kelley of the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills. Smart Water was also on hand, and Angeleno Magazine provided gift bags with gifts from Frederic Fekkai and Silversea Cruises.

Perhaps the most exciting part was the mini exotic car show in the front of the Bel Air estate where we had the party. A total of 23 Lamborghinis and other exotics — some of them one-of-a-kind — were on display courtesy of their respective owners.

Why am I telling you all of this? The program is a great example of a way to gain relevance with your audience by giving them something they value. Even more, it’s a way to get creative about sharing resources with partners who complement each other. Whether you need to reach the HNW crowd, urban youth, or working moms, the rules still apply: give them something they want.

Results are still coming in, but at least a couple of the parties involved have already made sales directly related to the event, and we’ll be continuing this series through the rest of the year. Contact me if you want to see the case study, learn about sponsorship opportunities, or just want an invite to the next one.

Thanks to everyone who attended, and special thanks to Luxe Communications for helping make it happen.

To see a selection of photos from this event that will either make you hungry or want to drive fast, visit our flickr page.

What’s good, people? Some friends of Rebel are hiring, and I thought you might want to know. They’ve asked me not to put their names on blast, so if you’re interested, send me an email and I’ll hook you up.

Marketing Director (fashion industry, Los Angeles, est. $100k)

-Manages department work flow calendar and budgets
-Enhances and executes seasonal marketing goals and strategies
-Develops queries for direct mail and email communications
-Manages sponsor and partner development and execution
-Liaises with public relations manager, sales team, retail relations team and design and production groups
-Develops messaging for communications and sales tools
-Maintains seasonal data capture and analysis
-Evaluates weekly pre-registration data and adjusts campaigns accordingly

They’re also looking for a Marketing Manager, at around $65k.

Social Media Marketing Manager (agency, Los Angeles)

-Develop campaign plans
-Blogger and online influencer outreach (across Blogger, Wordpress, TypePad, YouTube, MySpace, Flickr, etc.)
-Manage campaign timelines
-Maintain direct relationship with clients
-Evaluate emerging media’s potential on behalf of clients.
-Develop and deliver client reports
-Provide active support to account managers in all issues related to the delivery and performance of their campaigns
-Work with account managers to conceptualize, design, and execute unique campaigns, contests, and promotions, etc.
-Brand Ambassador Program development and management

Project Manager (financial services, Los Angeles)

We are seeking a professional Project Manager who will work closely with our award-winning, highly motivated Financial Representative to maximize the profitability of our practice through enhancing relationships with current clients and cultivating relationships with new prospective clients. Candidate must be detailed orientated with a strong desire to provide the highest level of project management, marketing and customer service to a very affluent client base. The Project Manager will be responsible for managing the client relationship which will include setting and attending key meetings, gathering all required information and creating and updating financial plans.

Duties Include:
-Attend meetings with existing and prospective clients. This will include setting appointments.
-Maintain and expand relationships with existing clients.
-Prepare prospect lists in order to target specific markets and increase brand awareness.
-Assist in the management of the financial planning operation to maximize efficiency and effectiveness.
-Handling all details in the planning and coordinating of networking and client appreciation events

Interactive Producer (agency, Los Angeles)

-Build strong client relationships and appropriately manage client expectations.
-Assist in research, account planning, strategy, creative and program development during proposal process.
-Coordinate internal and external business and resources to define project objectives, tasks and deliverables for projects.
-Create/manage budget and master project plan.
-Prepare project SOW (statement of work), as well as creative and functional requirements documentation.
-Develop wireframes and sitemaps when project does not warrant an outside IA.
-Prioritize and oversee multiple projects in order to identify and resolve deviations in project planning and deliver projects with quality, in a timely manner and within the budget.
-Serve as a “quality control” center for assigned projects.
-Ensure content tracking systems are in place.
-Work with the Accounting Dept. to ensure proper invoicing and tracking all billable expenses of client campaigns.
-Stay current with industry trends & best practices. Share knowledge throughout the organization.
-Understand, build and contribute to team commitment.

If any of these look right for you, email me a resume and I’ll make the connection. Feel free to forward this along.

We’re at Bare – the topless pool lounge at the Mirage in Las Vegas. Surrounded by boobies, some of them clothed, many of them fake.

Why are we here? Not that the boobies aren’t enough, but we’re watching Tiesto spin an unannounced afternoon set before his gig at Jet later tonight.

Who’s Tiesto you ask? Only the world’s biggest DJ, according to a number of different metrics. He’s got a Guinness record to prove it, over a million Facebook fans, and a watch deal with Armani Exchange, and a shoe deal, and millions in annual touring revenues. Shall I continue?

Back to Vegas. The crowd here isn’t a bunch of teens on ecstasy. It’s 21 to about 45 from what I can tell, and at $1500 to rent a cabana for the day, this crowd has and spends money.

We were in line to tell the doorman just how VIP we are, and the guys behind us were chatting up the girls behind them. “What brought you out today,” one asks. The girl says, “We’re here to see Tiesto.” “No way!” The guys hi-five and go on for a bit about how much they love Tiesto.

The question is, if your job is marketing to younger adults, why aren’t you partnering up with Tiesto? His crowd loves him, and as big as it is, it’s still underground enough that they’ll go out of their way to support the brands that support him.

Big up his to managers Michael and Josh for having us out, and to Mike and Maira Caren for making the trip with us.

Send me an email if you want help getting in touch with Tiesto.