Bill Mulligan
President, Caffeine Interactive

In 1996, Bill went from getting people to appreciate funny t-shirt designs and posters to making them roar with laughter at funny little web movies and pass them along by e-mail. That was Joe Cartoon and joecartoon.com, a revolutionary concept back in the early days of the Internet. Nowadays, Bill oversees the strategic development of all of our clients’ interactive endeavors and walks around reciting his mantra: ROI.

A conversation with Bill

What were you doing before 1996?
Entertainment marketing, mostly for kids. Working with brands like McDonald’s, General Mills, Six Flags, Mattel and Sega. I was part of the team that did the pitch for the Taco Bell Chihuahua, which ended up being a litigious mess. But in the end, we were given credit for creating the Taco Bell Chihuahua.

What was your finest moment or what is the thing you are most proud of?
The birth of my kids. No question about it.

Finish this sentence. A good client is…
One that recognizes that the web is a real-time communications medium and not something to check every three months to make sure it’s up to date. A good client understands the value of the medium, and everything after that just falls into place.

A lot of people have trouble understanding Internet speak. How do you approach clients who don’t know the language or are unfamiliar with it?
It’s easy to get caught up in techno-babble; sometimes it’s unavoidable when you have to work your way through a problem. But the Internet is really no different from any other communications medium.

What can’t you live without?
Family. And Internet access.

Would you encourage your kids to go into this business?
The only reason I would say no is because I don’t know where the business is going to be in 15 years. It constantly evolves. But that’s why I like it. There is literally something new every day. So I hope my kids can enjoy that constancy of learning, whether it’s this business or another business.

What are your favorite websites?
Google. I know that’s fairly boring. Also American Express and Bank of America.

What do you like about them?
Convenience. They all provide a significant level of convenience in my life.

Are they more consumer friendly than the other websites out there?
It’s funny. Google is probably about as simple as a site can get, but it gets you right where you need to be. I’m probably a pretty boring guy when it comes to my favorite websites, but there is a reason that they are as big as they are.

Describe your first time on skis.
My wife is actually a very accomplished skier; she was a mogul champion in college. So she took me out for the first time, when I was about 21 – way too late to learn to if you ask me. She is remarkably patient, which is probably why she’s still with me today.

After about four hours of bumps and bruises on the bunny hill, I demanded to go up to the top of the mountain, and she obliged. I didn’t know what I was in for. She took me down blue trails, and I swear I was going to wet my pants. But I’ve been skiing every year since, and I look forward to my children learning to ski at a much earlier age, when fear isn’t as great of a factor.