Fare well.

Another year ends. Another year begins. The perpetual passage of time can be cruel; aging, deteriorating and slowly crumbling all the things we view as pillars in our lives. Respect them, and take a moment to slow down to treasure what you treasure. Yet, it’s time’s march that allows a kindled idea roar into a warming blaze.

We hope 2012 finds you well, resurrects your curiosities and gives cause to you appreciating those around you.

All my best to you, and yours.
Pablo Korona

An accelerant

As 2011 is winding down, a look back reveals one very large moment at the end of September that something just clicked.  Pivoting on past wrongs, acknowledging ceilings, and desire for growth a mantra emerged… 

“Have Honor.”

Its at the top of every to-do list, every day, as a mindset and an action.

Mountain to Mohammed! Genius move!

Rockford’s largest print distribution source, The Rockford Register Star was part of a genius marketing ploy unlike I’ve seen in the past year. They ran a cover story pointing out mountains in the background of an advertisement promoting flights to Denver, Colorado out of the local airport, Rockford/Chicago International Airport (RFD) were in fact NOT from Colorado, but a range in Canada! The firm on record for RFD is GinestraWatson. The folks over there must have devised a marketing plan to be called out by the newspaper to give them front page coverage advertising flights out of RFD to Denver!

It took me a second to realize the genius of this. For the cost of a little jab to a well regarded firm in town, all parties now have front cover prominence and flights to Denver were a topic of discussion at the counter of Potato Shak while I was having breakfast this morning.

My hat’s off to you RRStar, GinestraWatson and RFD for a brave marketing move.

Next up for Rockford airport: Ads for Denver with right mountain

The article is up after the jump.

Next up for Rockford airport: Ads for Denver with right mountain

Last update Dec 16, 2011 @ 07:38 PM

ROCKFORD — A Rocky Mountain has been calling Rockfordians to Denver the past few months via Frontier Airlines, which made its inaugural flight to the Mile High City today.

Unfortunately, Mount Rundle isn’t in Colorado.

Or any other state.

It’s in Banff National Park, 1,200 miles north of Denver, in Canada’s Alberta province. Rockford is closer to Denver (960 miles) than the 9,675-foot peak that has been used on billboards and in print ads for Chicago Rockford International Airport’s newest route.

The print ads were pulled last month after questions were raised about the photo. Ads have been changed, and billboards soon will be, too.

“We apologized, but we weren’t trying to deceive everyone,” said Jay Ginestra of Ginestra-Watson, the Rockford ad agency that created the ad.

The calming Alpine-themed ad was meant to stimulate ticket sales and brand the Denver route as a mountain getaway. The Mount Rundle image was found during searches of online image stores that sell photos.

The ad agency and airport officials considered about a dozen photos, selecting Mount Rundle for its artistry, not geography.

“That was the one that came out to be the most aesthetically pleasing and matched our color scheme,” Ginestra said. “We were trying to be a little more symbolic of mountains and Denver.”

That symbolism was lost on Kurt Schroeder on Wednesday, when he looked at a photo of the billboard, then looked out his office window at the mountain in the photo from his office window.

“Mount Rundle, I’m staring at it right now,” said Schroeder, spokesman for Banff & Lake Louise Tourism.

“It’s one of the most identifiable rocks in the world. It’s our own Gibraltar.”

While it may not be as famous as Gibraltar here, the massive peak is memorable geology for those who’ve seen it.

“I’ve been to Banff a number of times, and I definitely know that mountain,” said Nadia Wirchnianski of Lanark.

Wirchnianski noticed the ad gaffe last month on a billboard, then sent an email to the Rockford Register Star, objecting to the sale of plane tickets to Denver using an image so clearly Canadian.

“If you’re talking about Denver, get a mountain around Denver,” she said.

Geoff Oman, acting marketing manager at Rockford’s airport, said he was excited when he first saw the ad.

“I had never heard of Mt. Rundle and the ad looked phenomenal,” Oman said in an email. “We used it for a run of print ads in the northwest suburbs and Rockford area, as well as the billboard run.”

While as an advertising vehicle the ad may look great, from a physical sciences point of view it’s all wrong.

“The geography in Banff is completely different than the geography behind Denver,” said Tom Guensburg, a geology professor at Rock Valley College and former Denver resident. “And the rock types are different.”

Guensburg said it’s also misleading.

“But I guess to some people one mountain is just another. It’s too bad. People deserve a little better.”

The airport is readying a new campaign, Oman said. One ad features a tight picture of a downhill skier cutting through powder.

There are no mountains in the background.

Reach staff reporter Brian Leaf at bleaf@rrstar.com or 815-987-1343. Follow him on Twitter @B_Leaf

Minimalist Cooking

“Get over yourselves.”  Neil DeGrasse Tyson

on a related note:

Minimalist Cooking.

Welcome to Stonesoup – a blog about deliciousness. Food that tastes good and is good for us. The fact that most recipes here contain 5 ingredients and can be made in minutes is a bonus.

I’m a big fan now of minimalist cooking. A recent recipe introduced me to the delight of a  Chicken Breast on the bone, marinated for a day in fish sauce with scallions.