Congratulations team on receiving this prestigious award!

Donating your locks to charity isn’t the only way to help others via human hair. Last week, a number of Morpheus men participated in #StacheWeek, bravely sporting manicured mustaches to earn money for Smile Train, a charity that fixes cleft lips and palates for children in developing countries. As a reward for the extra time spent grooming, a donation was made on behalf of each participating team member.

The mustaches are off, and the totals are in. Through generous donations from Morpheus team members and some teachers at P.S. 169, a total of $1,352 was raised for Smile Train!

So, was it worth rocking the ’stache for a week? Says Dave, “We were a little skeptical of growing mustaches at first, but we were raising money for an amazing cause. The team embraced their new staches and we had a good time with it….creepy but good.”

More photos from #StacheWeek can be found on the Morpheus Facebook fan page.

This past Saturday, April 24th, the New York Cares organization hosted one of its annual events, Hands On New York Day.  Hands On New York Day is a day where volunteers go out into the five boroughs and paint murals, plant trees and flowers, pick up trash and participate in other activities which enliven and beautify the local community.  Morpheus Media participated this year, sending out 6 volunteers to the Brooklyn Navy Shipyard in South Williamsburg where Morphites worked side by side with 7 other organizations and companies to paint over 750 feet of jersey barriers.  The barriers, which protect bikers and pedestrians from high traffic, now greet community members with pictures of nuts, bolts, navy ships, helmets and other tools, fusing the historic shipyard with the Williamsburg community.  Working together, the site was completed in a record 3 hours and passersby who saw the completed project were sure to thank all of the volunteers for their hard work.

Morpheus Media Mustache Week for Smile Train (Before)

As of last Wednesday, April 14th, the men of Morpheus Media quit using their razors for the line of hair under their noses known as the mustache. It’s not a mass fashion statement, or an embarrassing, public attempt to separate the boys from the men. No, this is all being done for a noble cause. A donation to Smile Train will be made for each team member that keeps the mustache until Friday. Smile Train is a charity that fixes cleft lips and palates for children in developing countries whose parents cannot afford the necessary surgeries.

The rules!:  Participants must have stopped shaving completely last Wednesday morning. On Monday morning, the scruffy bunch must shave everything but the mustache areas. Until Friday, the beard and neck areas must be clean shaven.

Additionally, this little project makes for a very fun tongue-twister. Try saying this ten times fast: Mustached Men of Morpheus Media.

Check our Morpheus Media Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook for #StacheWeek updates throughout the week.  Donations can be made at the Smile Train website.

We just received our first update!

A well is being dug to provide a community in Ethiopia with fresh, clean water. The well will have a plaque that says “Sponsored by Morpheus Media, USA” and in about 12 – 18 months we will share photographs of the finished well and a link to Google Earth with its actual location. (Pretty nifty!)

Here at Morpheus, we’re happy to think of the people that this well will help, the lives that will be  improved and those that may even possibly be saved. Every little bit helps!

What makes this trip personally interesting for me is that I had the opportunity to watch the creation of the strategy for this social media extravaganza transpire at the desk next to mine.  Morpheus Media’s own SEO & Emerging Technology guru Jeffrey Donenfeld pioneered the program from the comfort of our offices here in Midtown Manhattan.  Multiple scenarios had to be planned for, accounting for all possible technology failures and the redundancy needed to remain successful while traveling through some of the most isolated regions of the world.  Team Deserttaxi was literally able to successfully blog from Outer Mongolia thanks to Jeffrey’s hard work.

I really wanted to tip my hat to Jeffrey on a job well done, as he is responsible for helping the team tell a great story under uniquely challenging circumstances.

Produced by Adcision the Luxury Letter is “A journal for the online marketing professional” that focuses on the luxury vertical.  So as a great unknown digital frontier exists just a few short calendar days away in 2009, what effect will a bearish market play on media plans and sales.

Well, do what the Luxury Letter did and ask Rebecca Matt.  Rebecca is a Senior Strategist here at Morpheus Media.  She is known for keeping one finger on the pulse of the industry while always keeping another finger on her mouse in order to make informed decisions on behalf of her clients.

While no one can guarantee what 2009 will hold, Rebecca has demonstrated a history of making well-informed decisions based on multiple factors in order to help her clients accounts perform well beyond expectations.

Rebecca keep up the great work, and remember don’t give away too much…

Jamie is one of three cornerstones from which Morpheus Media has risen to cast an impressive shadow on the Manhattan skyline.  From humble beginnings to industry influencer, Jamie has showed that “Tough times don’t make the man, they show what kind of man you are”.  Thanks for all the hard work Jamie, we all appreciate it!

Last Friday NASDAQ honored Vincent and several others for their efforts.  Vincent accompanied by his fellow volunteers and celebrity chef Mario Batali were invited to ring the opening bell for the NASDAQ exchange.

Vincent tells us that though the experience was exciting he hopes that the press coverage will help the Food Bank continue to make gains on the war on hunger.

So if you are interested in making a difference in someone’s life please take a moment and visit the Food Bank for New York City.