From Carl Turner, VP, Research Analytics Director, Palio

“The writing on the wall” usually connotes doom or misfortune, but at the 2010 CLIO Healthcare Awards, the writing on the wall was an inspiring form of graffiti that reminded us of our interconnectedness. The idea was simple. Sponsors could use wall space to convey their organization through graffiti-style art. Stand Up To Cancer evolved this idea by allowing attendees to express their connections to cancer victories, battles, and losses by writing their sentiments on a wall. The impact was remarkable.

Although drinks were served, music pulsed throughout the night, and people celebrated, all in attendance took a moment to review or contribute to the Stand Up To Cancer wall. Those who stood at the wall were struck by the handwritten comments and memories that attendees shared. Some messages were written to congratulate cancer survivors. Others provided encouragement to sufferers in the midst of their battles. Many communicated with loved ones who lost their battles to cancer. Both the sheer volume of comments and their frankness forced attendees to pause and meditate on the impact cancer had on their lives.

Katie Couric, who won a CLIO Healthcare award for her role on the Stand Up To Cancer leadership team, attended the event and shared her comments with the wall. After posting her message, I asked her why there has been so much celebrity support for Stand Up To Cancer. Her answer was simple. “We have all been impacted by cancer,” she said. “Unfortunate as it is, cancer is one of the great equalizers.”

Too often we focus on the small things that divide us, while forgetting the major things we hold in common. Award ceremonies can sometimes focus on these differences and even breed divisions. Typically, an award ceremony is the last place where someone might have an epiphany about interconnectedness, so I would like to thank the CLIO Healthcare Awards, Stand Up To Cancer, and Katie Couric for putting things into perspective.

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

From Frank Mancini, Production Manager, Palio

Once you’ve gotten past the title, please understand this blog post is not intended to be depressing, but just my thoughts on how “work” has become a part of our lives, whether we like it or not. A reality that some of us have come to accept on our own terms, and that some of us are still trying to figure out.

A recent event in my life has caused me to re-think my personal stance on the work I do daily and just how important it has become – not only for my financial stability, but for my mental state as well. A few months ago, my father-in-law passed away from Parkinson’s disease, a cruel and unforgiving sickness that robs the body of its ability to function, while leaving the mind very much intact and allowing the victim to be fully aware of their slow and frustrating demise.

Howard (my father-in-law) was a very simple man. He was from a long line of dairy farmers, who occupied the same 186-acre plot of land for over a century – tending animals, growing crops, and strengthening the community. He dropped out of school in the 7th grade to start his full-time job, working the farm, but for Howard, this decision was a no-brainer.  He loved the farm and he loved the work. It was ingrained in his very being. He felt he was part of the land and he knew what he wanted for this life-work.

After getting married and building his own home on the property, he started a family with Betty (my mother-in-law) and had 7 children. After his second child came along, he realized that the income from the farm was not going to be enough, so he started driving trucks for the milk delivery firm he was supplying product to, while still handling his daily farm chores. Work had become his life – and there was no way around it.

As time went on, the kids grew and eventually left the farm to start their own families. Howard and Betty remained in the home they’ve known for 50 years. About 6 years ago, Howard starting showing signs that something was wrong. His strength was slowly disappearing and his coordination wasn’t quite up to par. After a lenghty series of tests, the news of the results would be life altering. As time went on, his health deterioriated, and Howard was no longer able to work the farm or drive any motorized vehicle (his beloved John Deere tractor was the hardest for him to give up). In my opinion, this was the beginning of the end, because he would no longer be able to do the “work” that kept him going, and made him happy for so many years, and that gave this simple man a purpose in life. Howard was assigned to an assisted living facility, many miles from the farm, where he lived out his final days.

When Howard finally passed, it was both a crushing blow to the family, but also a huge relief to know that this hard-working man was no longer suffering and that his profound sadness for not being at home had finally come to an end.  Of course, with any family death, many events unfurl in a short amount of time – profound grieving, family gatherings, the wake services, funeral and the final burial.  During these events, I had to take time off from work to assist in just about every aspect of the services. I know I am not speaking for everyone, but the vast majority of us enjoy our time away from the office to spend time with family, get personal things accomplished, or to simply relax and recharge. This time off was very busy for me, but essential for me to help my family through a tough time. Not an ideal way to spend time away from work.

After a few days away from the office, I started to realize that I was actually starting to miss the normalcy of being at work. I’ve always thought of myself as pretty spontaneous and adventurous, but I also realized that I am a creature of habit, and the absolute unexpected disruption of my routine was becoming apparent. I was beginning to crave the familiar and comfortable surroundings, the friendly faces I’ve grown to truly like over the years, and just the basic day-to-day that had become ingrained in MY being. My routine, my comfort-zone, my own version of “the farm.”

Once back at my desk, I began to feel like myself again. At that point, I think I began to understand what Howard was missing during those years away from the farm – away from the routine, the day-to-day, his sense of purpose, his work, his life. I will miss Howard, and I will forever appreciate this simple man, because he helped me put my sense of purpose in perspective. My life, my work, my way.

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

From Bob Rath, Associate Creative Director, Palio

Can you imagine a town without a homeless shelter? Saratoga Springs has one in particular called Shelters of Saratoga (SOS), and it’s been doing an incredible job, for over 18 years, helping to give the homeless a place to put their head and find a way back to independence.

Thanks to SOS, homelessness is a problem that not many are aware of in Saratoga. At first glance, the idyllic flower-covered Broadway in the heart of the city of Saratoga Springs appears as beautiful and as innocent as Main Street, Disney World. The few homeless that are seen are “uniquely invisible” to tourists and town folk alike. As effective as SOS has been with helping the homeless, they’ve also been their own worst enemy when it comes to keeping their funding at a level they need. If people don’t see “the problem,” they’re less inclined to feel a sense of urgency in helping to address it.

That’s where the guerilla effort from Palio comes in. We wanted to help SOS get the word out about who they are, what they’ve been doing, and how important it is for our town to support them. So we decided to apply some good old basic marketing principles and create a high-impact campaign for SOS.

Two of the challenges SOS faced were to raise awareness of the issue of homelessness in the community as well as increase visibility of the variety of services SOS provides. We knew we had to take the gloves off and wake the community up to the problem before we could help raise visibility of SOS as the solution.

The Idea: “Imagine Saratoga without SOS”

Who was behind keeping homelessness from being a problem that people could see? It was SOS. They’ve been helping upwards of 150 people stay off the streets each night, and over 500 individuals a year with shelter, food, clothing, employment, transportation assistance, and case management. With no visible homeless people living on the streets, no one saw the incredible job SOS was doing.

Our creative team knew then that a guerilla marketing campaign was the way to go and we created a life-size dashed chalk outline of a homeless person that represented the real person. This became the central image throughout all of the creative work. In addition, a warm and friendly solution to the group’s lack of identity was also created as part of the overall brand system for SOS –our Design Lab developed a doormat-shaped SOS logo. A call for help and a welcoming rescue all in one.

The dashed chalk outline was designed with the intent to make viewers uncomfortable. It wasn’t meant to be amusing or insensitive. The visual shorthand tapped into the dotted lines found in children’s sticker books. It said something wasn’t there, but it could be. The community was the sticker book. Anything in the community could now be tagged with chalk spray and a stencil. All chalk outlines were accompanied by the key message:

“THEY’RE NOT HERE BECAUSE WE ARE.”

A crew of ninja street taggers applied the guerilla effort, designed to polarize and to get the community thinking and talking, all around the city. As the chalk outlines were viewed in the 14 various locations around the city, they spoke to you emphatically.

With this quick, iconic image, the issue of homelessness was made real. The message touched everyone who saw it. Turn away and the uncomfortable visual stays with you. It asks: Can you continue to enjoy the city’s beauty now that you’re aware of the homeless individuals and families who are forced, for whatever reason, to spend cold and lonely days and nights on these storybook streets? Times are changing. Fast. Scenes that you never thought you’d see could soon become reality. SOS has helped your community and they now need your help.

The impact has been incredible. Here’s just one of many stories that confirm why the campaign is so important.

SOS are the advocates of safe and affordable housing in Saratoga and surrounding counties, and we were so happy to help raise visibility for all that they do in the community.

Chalk drawings and a stenciled slogan, we made noise guerilla style and we woke up a town!

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

[slideshare id=5814822&doc=hitechact-101117144909-phpapp02]

From Catlin Renaud, Research Analyst, Palio

The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, also known as the HITECH Act, is changing the way physicians and hospitals manage their practices. This presentation will give you insights into what the HITECH Act is, government incentives available, and how it is changing the Electronic Healthcare Records market. We hope that it provides you with a better understanding of the HITECH act and the EHR marketplace, and that it helps you to better manage your business with that insight. Let us know!

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

From Langdon Jenkins, Associate Creative Director, Palio

Buried in the September 24^th New York Times article entitled “F.D.A. to Severely Restrict Diabetes Drug Avandia” I found this little nugget:

“In explaining why the F.D.A. decided against only adding warnings to Avandia’s label, Dr. Woodcock, director of the F.D.A.’s drug center said, ‘We know that labels are often not read.’”

Hmm.

Well if labels aren’t often read, how about the Prescribing Information? How about the Important Safety Information?

As a person who spends a good part of his day making sure that there is enough safety information on a page to balance any claims that are being made, and that the safety information is not hidden, disguised, or less prominent than any other aspect of the page, I already knew that.

The question I have is, which brand will be the first to try something new and better? Which brand will have the incentive to put something different in front of the F.D.A. for review? Which brand will make the rules instead of being constantly obsessed about breaking them?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I’m a dreamer. But somebody has to be first.

I’m ready – are you and your brand?

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

From Bob Mason, EVP, Managing Director of Brand Strategy, Palio

I recently answered questions posed to my colleagues and me by Med Ad News. One question I answered was about ad agencies’ involvement in the development of patient services. My wholehearted belief is that agencies should be so well-versed in the lives and needs of patients that they should be a natural partner to clients in conceptualizing programs and materials that deliver legitimate value to patients. Additionally, more and more, we need to be bringing new technologies and content to the table – approaches that our clients may not have a full understanding of how to orchestrate – or maybe haven’t even yet heard of or would have thought existed.

That’s why, as I type this, I’m in our nation’s capital, participating in the mHealth Summit – which touts its emphasis as being on “research, technology and policy.” It’s the first time I’ve participated in the conference, and so far I’ve been exposed to a wealth of unique and compelling ways that mobile technology, specifically, can be applied to make patients more engaged in their diagnosis and treatment, and how access to quality healthcare can be more efficiently provided to millions of Americans. Plus, I’ll be getting to hear Bill Gates and Ted Turner speak, among others, in the process!

I’d be curious to hear what others think. Will mobile really revolutionalize the way healthcare is provided in this country? Send us your thoughts and predictions.

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

From Paula Purtell, Business Presentation Manager, Palio

My sister recently was asked to give a speech about a local agency that supports people with disabilities, for which she is a volunteer. She called me in a panic asking for advice. She had no idea how to begin and, really, neither did I. So, I searched for public speaking to find her some hints and tip. What I found were 6,850,000 sites. An interesting list I found was from from Presentation Magazine. They had their favorite “Public Speaking Experts” share their opinions. I had to share!

In almost every article I read, emotion was the number one piece of advice. Give them passion, be optimistic, excited, calm, energized, curious, happy. Take home was… add your own personality… as long as it is positive!

________________________________________________________________________

Make every presentation different: Sir Ranulph Fiennes

• Don’t treat every audience to the same presentation as though they were all mere listening machines. Wherever possible, make each audience think you care about them and you feel lucky or honored to get the chance to address them.
• Don’t go on for too long!

Say what you mean: Tony Benn

•         Say what you mean. Mean what you say.

•         Don’t make personal attacks.

•         Listen respectfully.

•         Encourage people.

Give personal illustrations: Terry Waite

•         Wherever possible give personal illustrations.

•         Speak clearly.

•         Be prepared to adapt what you have to say at the last moment to accommodate your audience. Do your homework.

Be optimistic: Martha Lane Fox

•         80% of your speech or presentation will be forgotten! I think the most important thing to remember is your tone and pace.

Don’t be afraid to state the obvious: Sir John Harvey-Jones

•         Don’t be afraid to the state what is obvious to you, it may not be obvious to the audience.

Stop digging: Denis Healey

•         “When you get into a hole – stop digging” – In other words – if things start to go badly when answering questions, don’t make things worse.

Customize your material: Clive Coleman

•         Customize your material to the particular audience. However witty, fascinating, insightful or just drop-dead gorgeous you might be, people are generally even more interested in themselves than they are in you.

•         Well-researched and targeted jokes about their world and the people in it (especially the senior people) will warm up a room like nothing else can. It pays off three times.

1.     The audience likes the fact that you as an outsider seem to have inside knowledge on the key players.

2.     The key players like to be mentioned – there’s only one thing worse than being mentioned and that’s not being mentioned.

3.     The audience feel great about their workplace. They like the fact that their bosses can take a joke.

•         One word of warning. Thoroughly do your research and never, ever, offend anyone.

This is show business: Rikki Arundel

•         The best piece of advice I was given about 10 years ago came from a good speaker friend Wayne (The Mango man) Pickering, who in turn credits it to Grady Jim Robinson

“It does not matter where you are speaking, what you are speaking about or who you are speaking to “This is Show Business.” Any speech much entertain the audience.

•         That doesn’t mean it necessarily has to be funny, though that helps, but it has to be entertaining otherwise you might as well write out the speech and send it to the audience to read. And the secret to making a speech entertaining is storytelling – every good speaker must develop the art of storytelling.”

Watch out for the Negative Glarer: Chloe Lees

•         “In every audience there will be one person who loathes you on sight. Can’t stand your voice, hates your clothes, assumes you’re stupid. Usually they’re in the front row glaring at you. IGNORE THEM.

•         You cannot win this person over, however brilliantly you speak – if you performed a genuine bona fide 24 carat miracle there and then in front of them, they’d sniff at it.

•         Yes, it is difficult and unpleasant to feel those negative vibes coming at you but your job is to work with the rest of the audience, who are quite ready to listen. If you focus on Negative Glarer you will try too hard, and you will confuse and lose the normal portion of your audience!

•         “Negative Glarer sometimes turns out to be short sighted and hearing impaired, sitting in the front and frowning horribly in their willing effort to listen to you!

•         “Most of these Negative Glarers just want to leave the room as soon as possible, not interested in questions, in fact they didn’t want to attend in the first place…

•         If Negative Glarer asks a hostile question, make sure you LISTEN, and be ready to gently ask them to say a little more – this gives you time to be sure you’ve understood them properly and time to think of something to say.

•         Never ever respond aggressively – even if you’re right, the whole audience will resent you for picking on that poor questioner.

•         In the face of gratuitous hostile questioning, invite comment from the audience. Steer hostility away from you.

•         Remember most audiences want your presentation to go well!

The unanswered question: Peter Ryding

•         Ask the audience a relevant question that they have probably never asked themselves, but now they have heard it they really want to know the answer – and then tease them by only answering it at the end of the presentation.

•         For example, at a rugby dinner ask why a “try” is called a “try”, or at an investment function why is the dollar sign a crossed out “S”? Audiences love it!

Remember the three E’s: Jo Owen

•         Energy, Enthusiasm, Excitement.

If you don’t have them, no one else will. A little Expertise will also make it easier for you to enjoy the event.

Funny anecdotes: Frank Ryding

•         The best funny anecdotes are the ones you tell against yourself – they seldom fail and the audience is on your side from then on.

Get rid of any negative or limiting beliefs: Seven Suphi

• Get rid of any negative or limiting beliefs about presenting – otherwise at best it’s like carrying a big burden which is weighing you down and at worst you will sabotage your efforts.

• Be yourself – create the you brand and image – it’s far easier than trying to copy anyone else and also is a great differentiator.

Title quote by Karen McGrath

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

From Joe Acee, Associate Creative Director, Palio

I have a simple story to tell. It’s about being a rock star. But before I tell my story, I want to discuss the term rock star. Within the last two years those two words have taken on a definition much different than what most of us normally associate it with. Images of Mick Jagger and David Lee Roth may come to mind, but in the context of my workplace it’s taken on something different. A rock star is often seen as someone who is doing great work and going above and beyond what’s expected of them. Often, people here at Palio receive gracious compliments from their peers, and with those accolades inevitably comes the term rock star. If you’ve been on the receiving end of such an honor, be grateful that someone appreciates your efforts enough to say so.

In the summer of 1982, long before commercial art was a twinkle in my teenage eye, I became a rock star of a different kind. I was working for my cousin, Abe Acee. At that time, Abe was a hay and feed merchant catering to the local harness racing clientele of Vernon Downs, a racetrack located in the very small town of Vernon, New York. My job was to assist Abe with early morning deliveries of hay bales, horse feed, and the occasional dirty joke. Actually, I just listened to Abe deliver the obscenities — I did the other stuff. We also baled hay in the late mornings, throughout the day, and into the early evening. It was tough work and a reminder to me, as Abe would often tell me, of “what you don’t want to do with your life.”

On one rather humid morning after the round of deliveries, my best friend, Butch, and I were asked to meet Abe at his truck to discuss alternative plans for the day’s work ahead. A couple of his other hired hands had to make deliveries to other horse farms, but we were slotted for something else. We hopped into his finely aged red F-150 pickup truck and headed out. The ride to our destination was relatively uneventful with casual conversation. At one point, Abe decided to light up a Camel and drop the question every high school junior hears during the course of his or her summer break. “So… boys … what do you want to do for a living once you finish school? It sure as hell can’t be what you’re doing right now!”

I thought for a second and blurted out, “I’d really like to try to make a living playing baseball. Yeah, pro baseball would be great!” At the time, that’s what I really wanted to do. It was an obsession for me, and I did not give my proclamation a second thought.

Abe took a drag from his Camel, inhaled, hesitated, and then exhaled without blinking an eye. “Huh… baseball. You really think you’re that good? F@cking Joe … baseball?”

Abe paused a moment then looked over at Butch and posed the same question. “How ’bout you dingle-fritz? What the hell do you want to do with yourself?”

Butch smartly replied, “Rock star. I want to be a rock star.”

There was an awkward silence, which Abe used to his advantage. He took another drag and slung his hand over the steering wheel and projected a Wile E. Coyote–like grin. This type of grin had many meanings to those who knew Abe. It usually meant he was up to something or thinking about something that he would eventually be up to. He was not impressed by the answers delivered by his summer help and did not hide his expression of humorous disappointment.

He looked at Butch, exhaled out the window and said, “Rock star… eh? Rock star. Well isn’t that somethin’? We’ll see about that.”

The timing could not have been more appropriate. We had reached our destination and loaded out of the truck. In front of us was a freshly plowed field, all 30-something acres of it. Right in the middle of the field was a tractor with a front loader attached to it. Abe looked at both of us and said, “You want to be a rock star, Butch? Well today I’m makin’ you and Joe rock stars. See all those large rocks popping up out of the dirt? You have to pick ’em up and drop ’em in the front loader. I’ll be in the tractor movin’ as you go. Before the day’s over you’ll be real-life rock stars alright.” This statement was followed by the classic smokin’ Abe laugh. It was a cruel or amusing roar depending on which side of the situation you happened to be on. Needless to say, Butch and I did not laugh. Nor did we laugh for the remainder of the day.

That was one of the longest days of that summer and, coincidentally, one of the hottest. I think I remember cursing many times about Butch’s self-proclaimed career ambitions, as I dropped 30- to 50-pound rocks into the front loader. By the end of the day Butch and I had cleared the field of every possible obstruction weighing more than 3 pounds and managed to drop 10 pounds of water weight in the process. There were no post-concert parties, no groupies to praise our heroic efforts, and certainly no encores. Abe just handed us a wad of cash for an honest day’s work and smiled that Wile E. Coyote smile. “See that, boys? I told ya I’d make you little f@ckers rock stars –– REAL rock stars.”

I always reflect upon that day whenever I hear the term rock star here at Palio. It’s a fond memory of a simpler time. A reminder of what is truly hard work and what is not. I’ve recently witnessed something worthy of rock star status here at Palio. Amazing teams of individuals who have spent the better part of two years helping a major pharmaceutical company launch a global brand. A specific example that comes to mind is two young creatives who, in less than four weeks, assembled a client-wowing interactive iPad demo. It was an inspiration watching them create something magical in such a short period of time and handle it with professionalism beyond their years.

I also witnessed rock-solid leadership guide our team through the minefield of drug launch chaos; dedicated account execs managing countless mounds of client requests and revisions; studio designers who gracefully orchestrated those changes with can-do brilliance; project and production managers keeping their eyes on the ball and on the schedule; editorial and medical services making sure nothing was left unchecked; art buyers and digital media gurus who kept our resources fresh and capable. To see such outstanding performance from a group of people is humbling and an honor.

Palio is an agency of rock stars and that’s something even my cousin Abe would agree with.

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

From Amy Howard, Account Director, Palio

Some of my favorite interactions with clients have come during times of constructive debate. Experience has taught me that it’s okay to challenge clients in a positive way, as long as you know that it’s the right thing for the brand and the business.

Our clients hire us as an extension of their team. This relationship is like any other relationship. For it to be successful, there are two things that must exist: trust and confidence. Trust and confidence that, as partners, we will weather any storm to meet our goals. As with any relationship, these traits do not just happen; they are earned — and they take time to be earned.

Clients may not always agree with, or be receptive to, our ideas at first. But our responsibility to them is to provide a fresh perspective or a different angle on how to look at things. Sometimes our perspective involves a level of risk and a change in thinking, which people sometimes have difficulty accepting. As long as you truly believe that your approach is the right way to go, no matter what, stick to your guns. We are a team of valuable resources, and experts. Don’t back down if your client doesn’t understand or agree right away. Take the time to be patient and persistent and, if necessary, shake things up a bit. Sometimes it’s necessary to be bold and challenge stale thinking in order to open minds to new ideas.

When the accomplishments and successes start to accumulate, and the work is speaking for itself, you know your efforts are paying off. It won’t always be easy, and it can be quite taxing, but in the end your clients will thank you for it.

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.

From Paul Harrington, SVP, Creative Director, Palio

Perchance your nostrils have encountered an unfamiliar sensation. An extraordinary aromatic, with complex layers of fragrant depth and texture. Sweet, spicy, sensual. What, what in the name of all that is holy, can it be?

It’s called a rose, my friend. And you should put down your damn smartphone, PDA, tablet, laptop, MP3 player, game, e-reader, remote or joystick and smell it. Shove your technology-loving face down into the crimson folds of that sucker and breathe in its luscious musk.

Rose, meet my friend who spends too much time in a virtual world of manmade jabberwocky. Friend, meet rose.

OK, you get it now: stop and smell the roses. Ha-ha. (Insert other snarky comment here.) And you’re about to click that “x” up in the corner of this window and surf to another digital distraction. But give me another 60 roboto-seconds of your precious time and hearken to my words.

The end is near.

The end of that which makes us human: the real world of life, love, sound and sense. We’re jacking into cyberspace and leaving reality behind. The interweb/webernet has become a surrogate for human experience. Ugh.

For the technophiles here in the office, this opinion will be about as popular as a tuna fish sandwich on a cramped commuter plane. I may be ridiculed on Facebook or tweeted as an old fool. Maybe so.

Look, I get it. I too love my cybervices; I’m as technomantic as the next fella, maybe more so. (And the irony that you’re reading this complaint online is not lost on me.) These equipment advances are incredibly useful and make access to information instantaneous. The world IS a better place for technology, and I applaud it. Huzzah! But we’ve got to remember to pause every once in a blue moon and “interface” with the real world and people around us.

My plea has relevance to the workplace, and hence its appearance here on this blog. In meetings and appointments, both in and out of the office, I see the eyes and attention of so many faces focused on the screens of their Blackberries, Droids, iPhones, iPads and laptops, and not on the person speaking to them. I see people surreptitiously sneaking peeks at their devices, texting to maintain a connection with someone thousands of miles away –– all to the detriment of the person sitting right across the table from them. In the name of service to our accounts and business, we try to have one eye on the ball, and the other on the cursor. I say again: ugh.

As the Supremes once sang, “Stop in the name of love.” Put down the device, raise your hands in the air and step away from the technology. And no one gets hurt.

Pause to speak with a colleague using your – gasp! – vocal chords. Stop and write a note to a client on a piece of paper and mail it (using an ancient credit system called “a stamp”). Slow down, sit on the steps and watch a leaf tumble past, propelled by a gust of wind. And take a moment to smell and savor a rose as its petals begin to curl against the impending winter. It’s not too late.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

Palio is a full-spectrum global pharmaceutical and consumer advertising, marketing, and communications agency that excels in brand creation and specializes in brand strategy, product launches, global marketing, and digital and integrated media.