BREAKING:How Native Advertising Makes Headlines

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NATIVEADVERTISING.

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AKA SPONSOR BRANDED ADVERTORIAL STEALTH MARKETING CONTENT.

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everybody’s talking about it.

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everybody defines it differently.

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nobody knows why.

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but we *do* know one thing:

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native advertising isis breaking news.

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(also possibly advertising.)

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it’s cool, though:

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sometimes breaking thingscan be a good thing.

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so let’s crystallize ourdefinition of native advertising...

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then we can break it and see what we can make with the pieces.

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BUT FIRST...Who Am I?

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hawk thompson

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@hawkt

al giordano,journalist / mentor

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editorial associate

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valley advocate

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sr. content strategist

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razorfish.com

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content director

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hawkthompson.com

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content generalist

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hawkt.com

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content whisperer

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@hawkt

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OK...Where Were We?

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ONE:What Is Native Advertising?

the short answer:

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let’s start with a definition.

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native advertising (n.):content marketing designed to belongin the environment

of its audience.

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belong.

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the nitty gritty:

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it’s not all black and white.

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native advertising is likethe wild wild west...

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a largely unexplored frontier...

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full of intrepid explorers...

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scheming prospectors...

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...and potential trainwrecks.

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but it also has the potential to be pretty f*cking awesome.

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*

it’s all depends on how you approach it.

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before we can understand native advertising...

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we need to understandcontent marketing.

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content marketing (n.):a way of connecting

brands with audienceson their own terms

via shared interests.

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types of content marketing:brand content

sponsored contentadvertorials

brand journalismnative advertising

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native advertising (n.):content marketing

designed to be loathedin the environment

of its audience.

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native advertising (n.):content marketing designed to belongin the environment

of its audience.

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?!?

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sooo basically...

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+@hawkt | #csforum13

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BOOM.

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NATIVEADVERTISING.

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easy breezy.

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not so much.

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but there are *tremendous* opportunities in this space...

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...for the intrepid explorers among us.

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TWO:How Should We Approach It?

short answer:

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not like this.

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content marketing isn’t hunting.

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native advertisingdoesn’t “capture” audiences.

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we hunt for shared interests.

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then we captivate audiences.

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the nitty gritty:

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this is how we do it.

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brand

beliefs interests values products

audience

metadata

it all starts with metadata.

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metadata is what your brand and your audience have in common.

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???

driversjockeys

automobileshorse races

efficient dynamics

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the joy of driving.

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shared metadata -->

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shared interests -->

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unifying themes

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unifying themes should drive your content.

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metadata should guide content creation, curation and cultivation.

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create curate

cultivate

contentmarketing

editorial-quality text,images and video

relevant, contextualizedthird-party content

user-generated content:comments, reviews,

posts, images, video, etc.

source: gartner, february 2013.

the three “Cs” of content marketing

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text

articles, interviews, blog posts, whitepapers,

case studies

create

imagery video multimedia feeds

photography, infographics, sketchnotes

interviews, demos, behind-the-scenes,

webisodes

“snowfall”-style immersive rich media

experiences

curated content via partners and social

media platforms

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originalmaterialcreated or

commissioned by a brand

curate

socialfeeds

cultivatedUGC

licensedcontent

sponsoredcontent

twitter, facebook, instagram, vine,

tumblr, blogs, etc.

content your audience shares (submissions,

uploads, tags)

news feeds ofspecific content

(licensed or full use)

third-party content underwritten for paid placement

@hawkt | #csforum13source: gartner, february 2013.

to cultivate those interests...

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1) listen to your audience.

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it lets them know you care,

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and your personal attentionis their exclusive reward.

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2) reach them where they live.

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show them you understand...

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what they do with their time...

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and where they spend it.

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3) make interesting content.

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it creates lasting connections.

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THREE:What Keeps Us Connected?

short answer:

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topics that excite and engage us.

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ME

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MUSIC

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HUMOR

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SPORTS

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FASHION

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SCREENS

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NEWS

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FOUR:Why Journalism?

short answer:

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“i should’ve known better.you’re...in advertising.”

we’re dying over here.

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“we” meaning advertising.

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also journalism.

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there are lots of ways we can help each other.

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and plenty of reasonswe why we should.

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the nitty gritty:

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three main reasonscome to mind.

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1) banner ads are hurting.

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the banner ad has been unchanged for 18 years.*

source: https://medium.com/digital-advertising/ad94724dfff7

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there are still innovatorsin the banner ad space...

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but in terms of engagement, the numbers don’t lie.

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source: media mind

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2) native ads are starting to thrive.

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potential for profit here is big.

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$40k-1mm per unit* big.

*This is the price range for a piece of Huffington Post Partner Studio original content. Other rates may vary, obvs.(source: http://digiday.com/publishers/huffington-post-branded-conten/)

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in 2012, 10% of forbes’ revenuecame from native advertising.

(source: http://www.adweek.com/news/press/forbes-sponsored-content-bet-pays-148341)

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3) everyone wants credibility.

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@hawkt

al giordano,journo / rebel / mentor

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back in the day, journalists were paragons of credibility.

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we can learn from them.

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and vice versa.

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if we’re sure we want to go there.

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FIVE:Should We Even Go There?

short answer:

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yes.

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we have the opportunity to do truly groundbreaking work.

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the nitty gritty:

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there are a few things we’ll need to do to get there.

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1) think like a publisher.

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craft a clear editorial direction...

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with ethical guidelines...

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room for diverse views...

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a focus on broad issues...

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and an emphasis on the topics, not the brand.

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2) understand the environment.

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“no journalist would have to write this piece of ad content about a brand

and then write a news story about the same company.”

-jonathan perelman, buzzfeed vp of agency + strategy

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great, but....

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67% believe newsis often inaccurate*

source: pew research center for the people + the press, august 2013. http://www.people-press.org/2013/08/08/amid-criticism-support-for-medias-watchdog-role-stands-out/

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75% believe newsis often influenced*

source: pew research center for the people + the press, august 2013. http://www.people-press.org/2013/08/08/amid-criticism-support-for-medias-watchdog-role-stands-out/

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76% believe newsis often biased*

source: pew research center for the people + the press, august 2013. http://www.people-press.org/2013/08/08/amid-criticism-support-for-medias-watchdog-role-stands-out/

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truth be told, there is some bias...

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animal + mother

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vice + wpp

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huffington post + digitas

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buzzfeed + vayner

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and this is just the beginning.

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it all comes down to the story.

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3) serve the story, not the brand.

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lose trust, lose credibility.

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no credibility, no audience.

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no audience, no breakthroughs.

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SIX:Who’s Breaking Through?

short answer:

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the intrepid explorers among us.

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EDITORIAL

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OK THENWhere Were We?

IMAGERY

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VIDEO

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OK THENWhere Were We?

MULTIMEDIA

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SEVEN:Where Does Content Strategy Fit In?

short answer:

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we are the foundation.

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the nitty gritty:

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“content strategy is planning.content marketing is one

tactic that might stem from your careful planning.”

-@gigigriffis

source: http://www.content-for-good.com/2013/08/13/the-difference-between-content-marketing-and-content-strategy/

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if you want native advertising to work, you have to plan for it.

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1) establish clear goals (and KPIs).

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2) get exec-level buyoff.

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3) build a publishing model.

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organize team:

publisher

editor-in-chief

cultureeditor

featureseditor

publiceditor

managingeditor

creativeeditor

contentstrategy

contentacquisition

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build processes:

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source: http://www.slideshare.net/danieljacobson/npr-examples-of-cope

cope:

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4) promote, promote, promote.

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5) measure and modify.

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source: http://stdout.be/2013/08/26/cargo-cult-analytics/

If you want to make big data work, you have to be really specific about what you’re trying to achieve.

“metrics are for doing.”-@stdbrouw

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TL;DRIs Native Advertising Broken?

short answer:

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no.

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we’re just breaking it in.

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to get where we need to be, keep these things in mind:

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1) be intrepid.

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2) respect your audience.

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3) share their passion.

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4) keep church and state separate.

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5) take calculated risks.

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6) learn from mistakes.

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7) plan on breaking things.

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do this andyou might make headlines.

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but above all else, do it because it’s your passion.

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hawk thompson

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razorfish.com

hawkthompson.comhawkt.com

@hawkt

THANKS!

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