You Know I Love a Good Commercial, Right?

I also happen to really love animals. The following is a win-win for me :-)



Here's the direct link if you can't view the video above: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZOeWFBy75A.

Well done to Sears Optical and whichever agency/agencies had the opportunity to put together this project! (I think it may have been Sponge Chicago, based on the YouTube description.)

Swag: Send Them Home With Something They'll Value

I am not a fan of junk. If something doesn't have a function or intrinsic value, I don't have much use for it. I realllllly need things to be organized and for everything to have a place!

Fellow local twitter user, @DanLondon (who also serves as the Director of Online Marketing at ShareFile.com), posted something I favorited a few months ago because it resonated with me:@DanLondon: Funny. Tech has evolved but swag is still in 1984 (not that I don't love my hackey sack) #isum09Since obviously this is something I'm passionate about (and no, I didn't know one could be passionate about swag), I'll occasionally share some things that I think make great alternatives to the keychain (don't we all have a keychain full of keychains in junk storage?) and the ink pen (if you buy cheap, they won't write anyway).

The very first feature comes from Eventbrite... a must-use utility for anyone hosting any kind of event (ESPECIALLY if you need to actually sell tickets). Specifically, this was posted on their facebook page.Click on the image above to view the branded chocolate poker chips in detail... a delicious takeaway from the casino-themed after-party they were hosting at a conference.

Oh, and their tagline? "Always a full house with Eventbrite."

Now that's what I call clever!

Local Business Spotlight: Creative Re-Branding from TS Designs

A very cool company based out of Burlington, NC, the TS Designs "about" page notes:Among all the renewable energy structures, natural landscaping, and water-saving facilities, it’s easy to miss the answer to the question: what does TS Designs DO?
We print and dye t-shirts!

While that may not seem as sexy as a tracking solar array or biodiesel, we have a passion for making the best damn shirt you’ve ever worn.
They've launched a re-branded campaign to help illustrate the difference between their lines... in a manner consumers would easily recognize:
Not bad, huh? You can leave them some love on their blog if you like it, too!

Guilty Pleasure: Reality TV

I hate the thought of watching sad or graphic tv shows with my downtime. Life can be pretty depressing, so why watch it for entertainment?

Some of my favorite shows are ones where they change someones life (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Deserving Design, The Biggest Loser, etc.) and business-related shows (The Celebrity Apprentice)... I think this just merged those two interests together.

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/undercover_boss/
Premieres after the Super Bowl

I'm pretty excited to DVR this. I watched the extended preview online and of course, got a little teary-eyed (but that's what they wanted, of course).

It looks like one of the top leaders at Waste Management will be the first profiled on the show. What I think will be most interesting to see is if this is just a good marketing program aimed at building goodwill, or if it will actually lead to better top-down leadership at companies that employee lots of people.

PS - True confession, Nick and I watch Jersey Shore, too. Not changing any lives there, but it sure is good for some laughs!


{Image: CBS.com official Undercover Boss site.}

Thank You: Ian

{Thank You: A simple "Thank You!" can go a long way. I'm sure that I forget to say them along the way, just like anyone else. I hope this blog mini-series helps me remember to say it to some of the amazing people I'm so blessed to know!}

Thank You: Ian

The handsome guy in this picture is my friend from college, Ian.

In case you can't tell from that mountain side pose... he is awesome.

How awesome?

Here's a clip from the email I received from him on Christmas on my Blackberry (yes, I know, but I promise I was only checking email and texts from friends and family with Merry wishes!).I told Santa about all your interesting projects and blogs online.... you may be getting a new client soon!
I've always known that I've been surrounded by some of the best people in the world and this just highlights a bit of that.

Ian is teaching in Istanbul, Turkey these days but Nick, my sister, and I had the chance to share a few stories and drink with him at The Pit when he was in town last fall. I can't wait to catch him stateside again or maybe meet up with him on one of his world travels!

Thank you for the support and friendship, Ian! Stay safe on all your adventures and enjoy Turkey... I hope you find a great sorority soccer team to coach there ;-)

Might Be on to Something Here...

Evan, owner of SearchSage - a Raleigh-NC based search marketing consultancy, and I launched a joint project at the end of December (2009) just in time for the New Year's holiday.

Here's the skinny:
In a casual conversation one day about the vast array of options that Raleigh has to offer for New Year’s Eve (actually, for any day of the year), we quickly realized there was not a “one-stop shop” for that information… or at least one where you could pick and choose your destination based on your preferences. So we set out to create RaleighNYE.com – the place for all of your Raleigh New Year’s Eve details!
I wanted to write this post really quickly, mostly to say "Thank you!":
... to everyone who helped make the site a success by submitting events and feedback,
... to those of you who visited and checked out all that Raleigh, and the surrounding areas, have to offer,
... to those of you who shared it with friends, co-workers, etc...

Thank you times a million!

We launched the project on December 29th and in just a few short days, recorded 1,189 visitors, 1,480 visits, 10,855 page views, an average of 7.33 pages/visit, and an average time on site of 4:20.

While we are TOTALLY humbled by the amount of traffic that we received, we are most importantly insanely happy to infer from the results that the site has been valuable to so many (good time on site and average number of pages per visit).

To the restaurant and bar owners in the area: We sincerely hope that your businesses benefited from our site!

To the restaurant and bar patrons: We hope that you were able to find the perfect NYE party for you and your guests!

Happy New Year, everyone!

Details: Print-Ready vs. Ready for End Consumer

I just posted this to my twitter account - and then immediately felt it was too important not to share in a more "permanent" fixture, like my blog.

@ncsulilwolf Pet Peeves from the Advertising/Publishing Industries: Print-ready PDFs (complete with cut marks) being posted to end consumer websites! UGH
I'll call the offending party out by name, because I know they are much too large to care. I was on the GE consumer products website tonight looking for a manual for a universal remote control (so I can watch Dirty Dancing on the TV here in the office while I work, DUH!).

Now, while the mission was ultimately successful, and I did find the manual, the manual that I found was actually not the one intended for end consumer use.

What I found instead was the print-ready PDF of the manual that had probably been originally sent to the printer. It had all sorts of margins, cut marks, directions, and more. And it wasn't 100% correctly formatted, so I kept getting all sorts of errors when trying to scroll through the pages. Unfortunately, this document should have simply been passed through Adobe Professional and cropped - at a minimum - before being published to the consumer website.

I see this happen way too often... in all sorts of industries and businesses! In 2010, we all need to take a few more minutes to focus on the details and ensure we're always offering QUALITY.

Adobe Acrobat Pro is a fully featured version of the Adobe Reader free software and is TOTALLY worth the price. If for no other reason than to make changes like this in case your ad or production agency sends it to you in a format not appropriate for consumers.

And no, this post was in no way sponsored by Adobe... but I do find Acrobat Pro more and more useful each day. (That also goes for Photoshop, Dreamweaver, etc.)

FYI for Bloggers and Brands

Unless you've been hiding from media headlines since October, there's a good chance to heard something about how the FTC (Federal Trade Commission - whose job is to "(work) for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them") is changing how bloggers and brands can represent each other online.

To read the full news release from the FTC, visit http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm.

The changes actually affect all testimonial advertising, bloggers, AND celebrity endorsements. But let's just assume you're not a celebrity, or hiring a celebrity, for a moment ;-)


So how does this affect you?

The short and sweet is that when a review is given with non-typical results, typical results must be clearly outlined. The other point is that the connection between the consumer and brand must be disclosed. ie: The posting blogger must disclose that he/she was contacted by the brand and what the terms were, if it's a brand they're personally representing, doing it for a family member, etc., etc.

And for Heaven's sake, never create misleading content. It's a big no-no in advertising and blogging crosses into that territory.

Of course, this blog post in no means constitute any sort of legal advice and you should always, ALWAYS read the rules for yourself and consult your own legal counsel if you have any questions about how to interpret any guidelines.

Visit http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm and look under "related items" to download the latest guidelines for endorsements. (These are always subject to updating and revisions, so I'm not posting a link to the current document - instead, I'm telling you where you can find the most recent version.)

Client Event Spotlight: Brittany's Battle, Inc. - Annual Angel Gala

Brittany's Battle
2nd Annual Angel Gala

Date: Sunday, Nov. 22nd
Time: 5pm to 8pm
Venue: 1705 Prime
1705 E. Millbrook Road - Raleigh NC

Get Your Tickets Now!
Tickets can be purchased through eTix.com. The cost is $30.00 for individual tickets prior to Nov 15, 2009. The cost will be $35.00 after Sunday, November the 15th, so be sure to buy your tickets online this weekend!
Gala Features
With every ticket purchase, you will be automatically entered to win fabulous door prizes - including a TV with a built in DVD player compliments of Alco Electronics!

There will be appetizers, light buffet dinner, dancing, desserts, a silent auction, an online auction, cash bar, door prizes, and more chances to win wonderful prizes.

Some aution items include a trip to the NASCAR All-Star race in May, a weeks stay in an ocean front suite in Wrightsville Beach, an autographed hockey stick signed by the Carolina Hurricanes, tickets to UNC & NCSU events, gifts baskets for all ages and tastes, and much more!

The online auction - hosted by ebay and featuring exciting autographed items from country music's finest - will go live a few days before the Gala and will end a few days after the Gala.
Be sure to visit BrittanysBattle.org for more information! Hope to see some of you there :-)

Double Classy

Since their launch (maybe just over a year ago?), I have been a huge fan of Southern Weddings. Based out of our neighboring Chapel Hill, NC., I don't subscribe to many weddings blogs, but they sure make the cut.

Nonetheless, I was totally in awe of their Veteran's Day post, which expands beyond one day of respect for those who tirelessly serve our country. Not only are they providing a copy of their newest issue (which is sure to be an early sell-out), but they are including some Southern goodies, too. I'm sure they're also including the shipping in that offer.

How many magazines, or businesses in general, do you think would do that?

http://www.swsmag.net/blog/2009/11/11/todays-the-day-well-half-the-day-mega-photo-contest.html

All you need to do is read the very last line of the blog post, but you might as well enjoy the entertaining pictures while you're there!

Kudos to Lara, Emily, Katharine, & Whitney!
(Hope I didn't leave any SW team members out!)

But Target, I Didn't Buy Anything... I Swear!

I thought it was fairly interesting that I received an email from Target.com this morning with the subject line, "Thoughts on what you bought? Write a review."

I thought to myself, "When did you buy something online?" (Because I haven't.)

And then I thought to myself, "Are they now emailing me after I buy in store?" (And then I realized they don't have any sort of loyalty tracking cards (like Best Buy's Reward Zone), and I don't have a Target credit card, so that couldn't be it, either.

Inside the email there was a graphic encouraging me to write a review and a list below of some of my "latest buys". Unfortunately, it was blank... because I said before, I haven't made any online purchases.



While I think this is a GREAT email campaign to send a few weeks after an online purchase (giving the customer time to receive and use their purchased items), it really isn't effective when there is no purchase made to back it up.

I, as a review-reading consumer, definitely don't want customers writing review for products that they haven't given any thoughtful use to personally - and I can't imagine Target does either if they value the quality of their peer review system.

Quick and Dirty Tip: Email Marketing "Reply-To" Email Address

If your email marketing provider (Constant Contact, Fishbowl, Emma, or - our Raleighwood Media Group exclusive email marketing provider - iContact.com) does not provide an opportunity to specify your "Reply-To" email address, you should be dumping them immediately for one who does.

I personally can attest that iContact.com does let you customize this very important part of your marketing emails. Never, never, never does a client email go out that does not have a "Reply-To" email address set up as part of their campaign.

Why is this so important, you may ask?

Habit - Because the "reply" function has become the ingrained way in all of us to respond to an email. I mean... it just kind of makes sense, right?

I, for one, am highly likely to hit "reply" in a heart beat, but I may not be paying the closest attention as to where that email message is going. Unfortunately, messages I send in response to commercial email often "bounce back" since the message got sent to an email address that didn't actually exist. And if I'm doing it, I know others are, too.

Ease of Use - If you are encouraging your customers to contact you by email at any point in your marketing, chances are the "reply" function is going to be the easiest way for them to do so. As email users, we have become accustomed to the ability to hit reply and correspond in return to our original emailer. If your email marketing service does not allow you to set your own email address as the "Reply to" address, they are taking away your ability to communicate as we've all become accustomed to.

Keep It Simple, Simon! - As one of my favorite clients (Mandy, owner of Swagger Gifts) will tell you, you must make participation and communication between customer and business EASY and CLEAR AS DAY, or people will screw it up. GUARANTEED.

Communication is Key - It could tarnish your reputation, really! If the reply aimed at you happens to end up in the black hole of emails (ie: some automated email address that your email marketing company uses) instead of getting directly to you, you run the serious risk of looking to your audience as the type of business or individual that ignores, or doesn't return, email inquiries. No self-respecting business or emailer wants to be "that guy", right?

Questions? Feel free to ask!

Inspiration: Titan Nightlife CEO "Making Moves"

Feeling a little uninspired? The dreary weather here in Raleighwood sure isn't helping, but how about a dose of "man, that is one motivated entrepreneur"?

Check out this feature in Nightclub & Bar Magazine on the Titan Nightlife CEO who not only is making his way through recovery from spinal cord injury - that left him unable to move from the neck down - but is also opening a new business concept at the same time. Talk about determination!
Making Moves
"On May 10 this year, Titan Nightlife Group CEO Scott Frost’s life changed forever when he was paralyzed from the neck down after a motorcycle accident. And in the weeks that followed, his business changed forever too, growing rapidly under Frost’s leadership from a rehabilitation center."
Read the full article online.

Thanks for being such an inspiring guy for entrepreneurs everywhere, Scott - and best luck for a continued recovery!

I'm looking forward to checking out Hussong’s Cantina (look on the flash page under "What We Do" and "Projects" for the link - another reason I hate flash website) at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas (one of my favorite hotel in Vegas, by the way) this upcoming March!

Did Someone Say Cocktails?

Definitely on our calendar!

Here's the link to Bogart's website if you want to check out the skinny on them before the event or scope out directions.

Setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals

If you weren't a business major or didn't go to biz school, there's a good chance you may never have seen this before. I don't know how people set goals and plans of action without it though - I guess they just have big, lofty aspirations and no clue how to measure the results?

Criteria for SMART goals:
S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Realistic
T = Timely

Here's a great overview I found online from the Goal Setting Guide. It provides an in-depth breakdown of each (more than just the definition I'm including below).

Specific - Goals should be straightforward and emphasize what you want to happen. Specifics help us to focus our efforts and clearly define what we are going to do.

Measurable - If you can't measure it, you can't manage it.

Attainable - When you identify goals that are most important to you, you begin to figure out ways you can make them come true.

Realistic - This is not a synonym for "easy." Realistic, in this case, means "do-able."

Timely - Set a timeframe for the goal: for next week, in three months, by fifth grade. Putting an end point on your goal gives you a clear target to work towards.Putting these 5 points to work in any goal-setting or planning project are a no-brainer for me.

A lot of people may ask, "Why include all of these variables into every component of my marketing or business plan?"

The answer is easy: SO THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY MAKE YOUR PLAN HAPPEN!

Plus, you'll also know if the components of your plan were effective.