Later this afternoon, comedian and Twitter savant, Rob Delaney, is set to seize control of Major League Baseball’s Twitter account, @MLB. (Mashable)

Is Delaney a former player? A talking head analyst? No, but as stated above, he’s slouch when it comes to fun, engaging writing and social media – he routinely finds himself ranked among the social network’s best follows and funniest Tweeters.

The Burning Love star’s foray into the diamond isn’t completely out of the blue. Believe it or not, the self-described 6’3 217 lbs comedian was a musical theater major at NYU and has belted out the national anthem a number of times for both the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers – most recently in this riveting performance prior to the Dodgers game on April 28.

“Six years ago, a friend who worked for the Red Sox asked me if I’d record myself singing the anthem and send it in,” writes Delaney in a 2010 blog post. “I did so and they had me sing it at a Sox/Tigers game, from home plate in a sold out Fenway Park in the city of my birth.  It was INSANELY fun and wonderful.”

In August 2011, Stephen Colbert grabbed the reins of baseball’s premier Twitter account – but Twitter has grown exponentially in the last two years, so Delaney’s turn at the wheel should be really fun to watch. With the promotion going on right now, let’s take a look a three key benefits MLB should see from the stunt.

New Followers/Wider Audience
I don’t have the exact figures in front of me, but one would assume that not all of Delaney’s nearly 840,000 followers are also following the @MLB account – myself included. I follow my @Braves, that keeps me covered. But for today, I’m sure I’m not alone in saying I’ll give the @MLB a follow just to see how the Delaney promotion pans out.

Not only does the stunt likely bolster MLB’s follower count, but it in turn puts the product before new eyes, folks that might otherwise shy away from America’s Pastime. These new followers may not have a team they keep up with, but ideally Delaney’s takeover acts as a launching point for a sense of fandom – maybe even latching onto the Massachusetts native’s favorite club, the Red Sox.

Publicity
From Mashable to the famous pages of The Duncan Daily and all across the blogosphere, the Delaney/MLB crossover event has received coverage from numerous media outlets, of the sports, marketing and comedy variety.

Branding
While the MLB posted revenues of $7.5 billion last year and attendance continues to climb, baseball still found itself in second place in the latest Harris Poll on America’s favorite sports. Pro football took in 36 percent of the votes, with baseball snagging 11 percent.

By no means is baseball on the outs, but there’s clearly ground to be made up. Being associated with a well-respected writer/comedian/actor like Delaney and his rabid, social media savvy fan base should provide an online boost to MLB.

*Well, here we go…

(H/T Mashable, CBS Sports, RobDelaney.Tumblr.com)

The last couple of years have seen tremendous changes to the Web design and development game. Web standards have (thankfully) cemented their place, accessibility is reaching critical mass and more and more developers are reaching wider audiences with responsive design.

Tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of businesses will decide to redesign their websites this year. With that in mind, I’ve compiled a list of 3 Considerations When Redesigning Your Website in 2013.

These are obviously in addition to the many considerations that must be made on every project; such as price, time frame, colors, content management systems, etc.

1. Responsive Web Design
First, I’d implore you to read this post from the Duncan Daily back in February that covers responsive design on a much deeper, more in-depth level.

It’s as important now as ever to shift towards responsive Web design. If you’re planning on redesigning your website this year, taking your mobile visitors into consideration should be priority No.1. Mobile is not going away anytime soon.

2. Retina Displays
In June of 2010, Apple announced the Retina display – an LCD screen with approximately twice the pixel density of average displays.

What this means is that most images, on websites not optimized for Retina, will appear pixelated and blurry. By designing with Retina in mind, you can ensure your new website looks sharp for any visitor.

3. Flat Design vs. Skeuomorphism
There’s a war raging in the Web design world between those who love flat design and those who love skeuomorphism.

Skeuomorphism is the act of designing for the web by borrowing pieces from the real world. For example, the shutter sound on camera phones or buttons that look like their tangible counterparts.

Flat design is built on minimalism and clean user interfaces.

Sacha Greif has a great article on his blog about the battle between flat design and skeuomorphism.

In conclusion, the aforementioned points are only a handful of the considerations that you should make when it comes to building a new website, but each can be huge strides towards creating a great site that will serve you well until the next iteration.

The most important part, though, is to continue iterating.

The final buzzer has sounded and the nets have been cut, however the top isn’t too lonely for the NCAA champion Louisville Cardinals because standing right next to them is the inaugural Dunkin’ Day Bracket Challenge champion, David Wren

Wren, a Dallas-area resident, topped the runner-up, Clayton Dude, by a mere two points to take home the first-ever Dunkin’ Day Championship Trophy.

In addition to his trophy, Wren takes home six custom etched shot glasses and a free Attic Energy Audit from the good folks at Efficient Home Solutions.

The Dunkin’ Day field was tight right until the very end, when Wren and Dude rose to the top – the two were separated from the third place winner, Tere Holmes, by more than 40 points.

Our first and second runners up certainly don’t go home empty handed either! Mr. Dude will be receiving a $20 Amazon gift card, while Ms. Holmes is in line for a $10 gift card to Dunkin’ Donuts.

The Dunkin’ Day Bracket Challenge proved to be a slam dunk – giving us plenty of opportunities to show off our creative talents and work in many a basketball pun.

Congrats to all of our winners and a special thanks to all who participated. Stay tuned for future Duncan/Day contests!

Dallas, Texas - Duncan/Day Advertising has been named to the Collin County Business Press’s list of the Top Collin County Area Women-Owned Businesses for the second consecutive year.

Now in its 27th year of business, the Plano-based full-service advertising and marketing agency has become a mainstay among Collin County’s top women-owned businesses.

Duncan/Day’s namesakes, Stacey Day and Leslie Duncan Blake, have thrived in their roles as women business owners – with memberships to both the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and National Women Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC).

“Since we started Duncan/Day back in 1986, the women-owned business title is one that we’ve always worn proudly,” said COO Leslie Duncan Blake. “We find ourselves in some great company on this year’s list.”

In 2011, the Collin County Business Press named Duncan/Day one of its Comerica Bank Collin 60 Award recipients. The agency was also one of 16 local companies honored during the publication’s 2011 Capital One Celebration of Enterprise for its achievements in the community.

“Recognition from such a highly respected publication like the Collin County Business Press is something we’ll never take for granted,” said Partner and Creative Director Stacey Day.

As Duncan/Day has grown, so have its accolades as a women-owned business.

Other certifications and achievements include: Women-Owned Business Enterprise Certification from the North Central Texas Regional Certification Agency (NCTRCA), Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB) Certification, the Plano Chamber of Commerce Fred Moses Minority Business Development Award, as well as Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) recognition by the State of Texas.

About Duncan/Day Advertising
Duncan/Day is an award-winning, certified women-owned, fully integrated communications firm with more than 27 years of experience. The Plano-based agency works with a variety of local and national clientele and offers services in all areas of advertising, marketing and public relations.

Looking for your March Madness Cinderella story? Look no further than the darling Eagles of Florida Gulf Coast University.

The first No. 15 seed to ever make it to the Sweet 16, the Eagles from Fort Myers, Florida take on big brother, the University of Florida, this Friday.

Beyond the glory and immortality that comes with taking home a prestigious NCAA National Championship trophy, lies the unmatched visibility March Madness provides a school like FGCU.

Following their upset of No. 2-seeded Georgetown last Friday, FGCU’s admissions website saw a traffic bump of more than 400 percent. After the Eagles’ win over the Aztecs from San Diego State on Sunday, the school’s website saw so many visitors that it ultimately crashed.

FGCU is getting better advertising than money could buy with its blowout victories over Georgetown and San Diego State. That means the team will instantly be capable of recruiting better players, selling more gear and bringing in more fans. This year’s headlines may lead to better tournament seeding in the future. The exposure also means the university ought to attract more applicants and, with any luck, some more alumni contributions. - Forbes

The effects of a magical March Madness run are far-reaching indeed, just ask Butler University. Following its appearance in the 2011 national title game, Butler had applications climb by more than 40 percent and undergraduate alumni donations jump 10 percent.

The NCAA tournament gives schools like FGCU and Butler a unique kind of exposure that’s truly unmatched. Fans and prospective students not only see the school’s name all over ESPN highlights, but they can identify with a team, a player and a story.

Much akin to a Heisman hopeful’s role as brand ambassador for his university, March Madness helps schools develop and broadcast their brand identity to millions of viewers all across the country.

(H/T Forbes, Newswise, News-Press)

This March, you’re invited to take part in the inaugural Dunkin’ Day Bracket Challenge! All you have to do is predict how this year’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament will shake out for your shot to win everything from customized shot glasses to some Duncan/Day swag.

So go ahead and get started by registering here!

Once the teams have been announced on Sunday, March 17, you’ll have until 11:00 AM CST on Thursday, March 21 to register and fill out your bracket for a chance at number of prizes that sure to have you storming the court.

Each game gives you an opportunity to snag some more points and move on up the leaderboard, so you’re never out of it! Accurate predictions will be scored as follows:

-Round 1: 1 Point
-Round 2: 2 Points
-Round 3: 4 Points
-Round 4: 8 Points
-Round 5: 16 Points
-Round 6: 32 Points

Whether you stay up all night doing research for your picks or simply select the mascot that you think would win in a fight, all you’ve got to do is fill out a bracket for your shot at eternal glory – the first-ever Dunkin’ Day Bracket Challenge champ.

Remember: you can’t win unless you play, so register today –> duncanday.com/bracket

It’s been said that competition brings out the best in people. In a free market economy like the one found here in the U.S., competition drives innovation, improvements and fosters greater creativity – particularly in the realm of advertising.

While there’s no shortage of rivalries in the U.S. economy, there are however a handful of business rivals that not only butt heads, but also make it oh so fun for us consumers to watch. I give to you The Three Best Rivalries in Advertising

Mac vs. PC – From the iconic ’1984 ‘ spot to the more recent campaign featuring actors Justin Long and John Hodgman, the battle between Steve Jobs’ brainchild and its counterparts (Microsoft, Intel) shows little sign of letting up.

Coke vs. Pepsi – For more than 100 years, these two soft drinks titans have been locked in an epic power struggle. Throughout their more than century-long conflict, the two brands haven’t been afraid to take shots at one another. As their glorious one-upmanship has played itself out over our television screens through the decades, we’ve been treated to some hilarious and ingenious spots. Below is one of my favorites.

Apple vs. Samsung – While the above-mentioned duels have been going on some time now, this one is fairly new, but just as nasty. In fact, as of July 2012, the two companies were engaged in more than 50 lawsuits against one another all over the globe. Adding a substantial amount of fuel to this fiery rivalry: A jury awarding Apple $1 billion in damages in August 2012 after finding Samsung had copied some of Apple’s designs. (CNN)

Facebook unveiled yet another update on Thursday – this time revealing an updated look for its News Feed feature, one that is now consistent across all channels (Web, mobile, tablet).

“Today we’re announcing a new layout of Facebook designed to reduce clutter and focus more on stories from the people and Pages you care about,” the company stated in a press release Thursday.

When Facebook’s Timeline profile design was made public in Sept. 2011, it was evident that the social network was shifting to a more photo-centric style. Yesterday’s News Feed announcement further cements Facebook’s position as a more visually driven site.

As images continue to gain more and more prominence on the social network, your brand can easily update its Facebook marketing tactics to evolve with the News Feed.

Include Images in Status Updates
Research has already shown that status updates featuring accompanying images or graphics are significantly more likely to receive Likes or additional posts than their exclusively text counterparts. The latest version of the News Feed puts even greater emphasis on photos posted by brands by increasing the size of the images featured in a user’s content stream.

Remember: Content Is Still King
The new Following feed shows users status updates solely from brands and people they’re following exclusively – removing friend updates and giving you ample room to spotlight your brand through engaging posts and content.

Create a Killer Cover Photo
As it stands today, when a Facebook friend likes a brand’s page, the company’s name and profile picture are the only identifying graphics that appear in the News Feed. The updated News Feed will now display the brand’s cover photo as well – giving you an additional opportunity to grab the attention of another prospective fan.

I’d implore to check out Facebook Studios’ tremendous, in-depth write up about the all-new News Feed right here.

With the advent of Oscar season upon us, the spotlight shines even brighter on the entertainers and studios in Hollywood. And while much the “for your consideration” marketing efforts are centered around actors, writers and directors, the brilliance of the advertising folks in Tinseltown is all but certain to get lost in the shuffle.

Masters of the multiplatform campaign, there is much to be learned from the movie marketing mavens. From promoted tweets to custom photo apps to viral videos, the good folks in Hollywood know a thing or two about running an integrated marketing campaign.

Using various channels and media to reach a prospective customer is critical when it comes to promoting a film. Not only are Hollywood marketers charged with selling consumers on a $8 movie ticket, but they’ve got to convince these same people to hand over two to three hours of their prime, usually weekend, time.

With the rise of online piracy, the film industry’s annual ticket sales have been on a downward trend for the past decade. Yet, the silver screen has managed to stay afloat because of the very thing that undermined it in the first place: the Internet. - Mashable

Blogs and websites like Ain’t It Cool News, Cinema Blend and Deadline allow the discussion of movies and films to go well beyond the Living section in your local paper. What other industry can have its 30-second television spots broken down frame-by-frame by rabid fans hoping for just a glimpse of an upcoming release?

The blogs and their discussion forums beget more conversation, anticipation and buzz which in turn fosters more creative and memorable promotional campaigns from Hollywood. Movie marketing has become so much of an art in and of itself that some critics argue that actual filmmaking has taken a backseat to film promotion.

The problem with film marketing – and I do believe it is a problem — is that it has become so important, so vital to the business of film distribution, key in fact to gaining any return on investment in the film business, that filmmaking trails behind film marketing in importance. - Stephanie Allen, Sundance.org

Allen, former Co-Executive VP of Marketing at Fox Searchlight, explains how Hollywood advertising materials are meticulously crafted, going through test after test, looking to “break through media message clutter in order to attract enough attention to any one movie for the public to even be aware that movie is coming out in the theater.”

So am I feeding the monster simply by writing a post saluting these efforts? Perhaps, but it’s hard not to recognize great creative efforts like the above clip hyping Prometheus, 7-Eleven transforming into the Kwik-E Mart for The Simpsons film in 2007 and The Dark Knight Rise‘s complex viral marketing campaign in 2012.

If you’re looking for more inspiration on creativity and campaigns spanning various channels, I’d implore you to check out Adweek’s tremendous salute to some of the best recent movie campaigns. Do you have a favorite film-related viral video or promotional piece? Post a link below and I’ll consider it for my follow-up Movie Marketing Oscars post.

Since Ethan Marcotte wrote the seminal article on A List Apart way back in May 2010 (which is like 10 years in internet time), responsive Web design has become one of the biggest buzzwords in the industry; carving out a new path in the future of the Web.

The reason behind the push for responsive Web design is simple: mobile Web traffic is growing every day. Cisco predicts that mobile internet data use (and, by proxy, mobile Web traffic) will show an annual growth rate of 66% through 2017. (CNET)

More recently, Google decided to double down on the mobile web with their AdWords product, announcing on Feb. 6 that they’re “enhancing AdWords for a constantly connected world.” Effectively breaking down the barrier between the desktop and mobile services. (AdWords)

What exactly IS responsive web design?
For the uninitiated, responsive Web design, put simply, is the act of building websites that adapt to the device they’re being viewed on.

Brad Frost wrote “responsive web design is defined as fluid grids, flexible media and media queries. … because the term has grown in popularity, it should come to define all that goes into crafting multi-device web experiences.”

So, why should you care?
The short answer is you should always care about giving your users (customers/potential customers) the best experience possible.

Responsive Web design allows you to tailor your content and layout to the way that customers, or potential customers, want to use your site (a novel concept in and of itself).

Think for a second about how you use websites from your desktop computer versus how you use them from your phone. For example, when you’re browsing a restaurants website from your phone, you’re generally not concerned with how pretty the site is or what all of the dishes look like. You’re usually looking for pretty specific information: location, menu, and phone number.

In addition, reducing the amount of media (images, videos, slideshows, etc.) that needs to load, you can increase the load speed of pages on mobile phones; giving you the ability to serve the information your visitors want, quickly.

If you go to a restaurants site and it takes forever to load (or worse doesn’t load at all because it’s done in flash, which your iPhone doesn’t support), you just go back to Google and go on to the next.

These are important things to think about when planning your site. Mobile traffic is only going to increase. Responsive Web design isn’t just a fad, it’s the future of the Web.

Super Bowl Sunday is just days away and all anyone wants to talk about is the ads. Well, not this guy! I’m going to use The Duncan Daily as an outlet to turn the spotlight back on the biggest game of the year for the National Football Lea – I’m just kidding, I’m going to talk about the ads.

Here at Duncan/Day we’re all about staying ahead of the curve, and because discussing this year’s commercials is so passé, we’ll instead be taking a look back in time at one of the Big Game’s most memorable ad campaigns. I’d implore you to click here to read Adweek’s fantastic rundown if you’re interested in hearing more about Sunday’s ads.

Our supreme internet overlord (Jon) and I have combined our football/advertising obsessed brains to identify our favorite Super Bowl ad if all time – Reebok’s Terry Tate: Office Linebacker

Created by writer and director Rawson Marshall Thurber, the Terry Tate series debuted in 2002 and made major waves in 2003 with its airing during Super Bowl XXXVII.

Portrayed by actor and former USFL football player Lester Speight, Terry “Terrible” Tate is a linebacker hired by the fictional Felcher & Sons to help boost office morale. Tate keeps the boss happy by eviscerating any employees who break the rules with bone-crunching hits.

“Productivity has gone up by 46%,” says Felcher & Sons CEO Ron Felcher when asked about Tate’s literal and figurative impact on the company.

The campaign grew serious legs following the Super Bowl spot in 2003. Later that year, Reebok announced Lester Terry Tate Speight’s entrance in the California gubernatorial race. (NY Times)

In reviewing the ads, it’s clear that what made them so appealing and memorable was their originality. Oh sure, we’d all seen funny ads before, especially during football games. But, had the threat of violence that draws us into the game of football ever been directly applied to an ad campaign and mixed with comedy so well? Doubtful.

Not only was the campaign creative, but the image of an unknowing coffee drinker getting blindsided by Tate (while wearing a Reebok jersey, of course) was hard to get out of your head. Who will be this year’s Terry Tate? We’ll find out Sunday. Go Falcons.

In 2013, the most highly visible and static representation of your company is no longer your marquee or even your billboard on side of the perpetually crowded Dallas North Tollway – it’s your website. Your website is now a digital storefront that, when properly designed and optimized, should walk your customers and Web users through the decision-making process.

The always important first impression takes on even greater significance in Web design. Obviously, an effective homepage is critical to the success of your website, it should capture and hold the attention of every visitor and prospective customer.

In less than 50 milliseconds, users build an initial “gut feeling” that helps them decide whether they’ll stay or leave. This first impression depends on many factors: structure, colors, spacing, symmetry, amount of text, fonts, and more. – Google Research.

More staggering statistics?  According to a recent eye-tracking study done at Missouri University of Science and Technology, it takes roughly 2.6 seconds for a user’s eyes to find an area of a website that most influences their first impression. (PR Daily)

That same study identifies seven key areas of a website that most draw in a visitor: logo, main navigation menu, search box, social networking links, main image, written content and the bottom of the website.

While content is key in retention, Web users form design opinions about your site in just 17 (!) milliseconds – again, putting even more weight into your site’s visual appeal. (ConversionXL)

Milliseconds. MILLISECONDS!

What can we take away from studies like these without being overwhelmed by the mere fractions of a second we have to make a first impression on prospective customer?

The Google study cited above identifies the two design factors that most influenced users’ first impressions:

1. Visual Complexity
2. Prototypicality

Specifically, researchers found that users were more likely to prefer sites with simpler, familiar design over sites with complex, unconventional design.

Read more about the fascinating study over at Google’s Research Blog.