Yes, we really mop the carpet around here.

Here at Starmen HQ we have industrial strength carpet covering the floors — for now. We plan to rip it out soon to liberate the hardwood underneath, but in the meantime, we gotta keep it clean. That means not just vacuuming,

but also swabbing spots of it with a damp mop to remove all the bits of Hollywood Boulevard that get tracked in. (Those sidewalk stars need a bath!) Yes, we know it looks crazy, but it works.

While we were laughing about it the other day, we decided to coin a new marketing term: "mopping the carpet." (Hey, if Seth Godin can come up with crazy marketing metaphors, so can we!)

In marketing, mopping the carpet means more than just maintaining order and paying attention to detail. Every professional agency does that (at least they should). Mopping the carpet means continuously evaluating your marketplace and your media while making critical adjustments along the way.

Whatever day you go to Vegas, you'll find a lot of action in two places: a business convention and a roulette table. Unfortunately, too many visitors think the same strategies apply to both.

We were in Vegas a couple of weeks ago, hitting the Consumer Electronics Show and a few roulette tables. (Just a few.) In both cases, if you don't play, you can't win. That is pretty much the only similarity – well, that and the engaging hosts and dealers to get you to stay and play. 

The key difference is that, with a convention, it's not enough to be in the right place at the right time — which is the fundamental rule of roulette.

January isn't even over and one of the largest re-brands of the year has just been announced. American Airlines unveiled a new logo along with a new ad campaign Thursday, as part of an effort to revitalize the brand. Will it be enough? Does it work? This will surely be talked about for months to come.

"Since placing our landmark aircraft order in July of 2011, we've been building anticipation toward a moment in time when the outside of our aircraft reflects the progress we've made to modernize our airline on the inside," said Tom Horton, American's chairman and CEO, said in a press release.

Read more to see the behind-the-scenes video

Some of the biggest brands in the country ditched their old logos for new ones this year.

Microsoft ditched its logo after 25 years, and Wendy's changed up its girl with the pigtails for the first time since 1983. But even though a company's logo is one of its most valuable, and certainly visible, marketing tools, we're willing to bet that you missed a few of the major changes.

Continue reading to see all 12 redesigned logos of 2012.

Through their "Create" campaign, Adonit, a cutting edge consumer creative-technology start-up, is redefining the way we think of "creators." By assembling a group of leading artists, designers, engineers, writers, educators and entrepreneurs, Adonit is seeking to highlight how people across the creative spectrum are using technology to expand productivity and creation in their respective crafts.

Can you remember the last website you’ve visited? Unless it’s Facebook or another website you visit often, chances are you don’t remember much about it. 

There are 644 million active websites on the Internet, but most of these websites are so poorly designed that people don’t want to revisit them. Don’t make one of those websites! You want to create a memorable online experience for your visitors and to have them keep coming back for more. 

Your website needs to be easy to navigate and to provide some value to your visitors. You can go the extra mile and implement a few design tricks to make your visitors remember your website more than any other website with similar content. 

Here are 5 useful web design tips that may help you improve the overall customer experience on your website.