They should be grandparents by now, comfortable with finishing each other’s thoughts, cozy evenings and walks on the Malibu beach. Instead they fell into a pattern of ongoing adventures and romance until it all became dull. She finally dropped him for an Aussie surfer.

Now he has turned up the heat and is determined to win back his girl. No more Mystery Dates. Its up to his fans to get that girl back in his arms.

Few SMBs have the budget or the marketing machine to pull off this ultimate media blitz. But Ken has pulled in the big guns to win back Barbie. You can use their success to reach new customers.

Here are 5 tips to “Ride the Wave” of Ultimate Ken to New Customers

Mattel has built a strong social media campaign around traditional advertising based on the Barbie marketing strengths. the campaign recognizes that interest in Barbie is not based on any age demographic. From comments posted on social media sites, gender is not a factor as well.

Ken and Barbie’s social footprints include Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and YouTube. There is even a reality series on Hulu where bachelors from across the US compete to be the “Ultimate Ken”.

So…

Tip #!: Mirror the Campaign

Friend request the stars of the campaign, post comments on their sites and set up a Twitter search to find out what is happening with the campaign. Then find creative ways to tie into the campaign.

Tip #2 Create Your Own Campaign

Search your own memories of your single days. Retro is hot! Build a campaign around your favorite memory. Use the steps outlined in the Ken and Barbie campaign to build a smoking campaign of your own.

Tip #3 Tie in with Other Local Businesses

If you a part of a destination network or a local merchants group, build on your relationships to create experiences for your customers. Use advertising, coupons and promotional items to cross promote your businesses. It could be a romance package, a sports package or an adventure package. Whatever the focus, the central theme that ties together the network wil shine through the campaign.

Tip #4 Use the Power of the Machine

Take a tip from McDonald’s. The Happy Meal became popular because of the promotional items included in the box. Although the meal itself became a stand alone marketing item, the popularity of certain brands it markets are what bring the customers back. They piggyback on the hype of certain brands to sell their product.

If there is a brand that targets your demographic, go for it! By tying your name with this brand, you will build your own brand.

Remember that campaigns are ultimately to win customers, old and new.

Let me know what is working or has worked for you. I look forward to hearing your ideas.

Brenda

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They love traveling, as a couple and individually. Comfortable in trendy hotels, glamorous apartments, chateaus and hostels, they love digging in to the local lifestyles. The world is indeed this hip young couple’s playground. Usually they return from their trips with a fresh look at life, warm memories and perhaps a trinket or two.

Yet returning from a quick weekend via train to the Jersey shore brought unexpected results. Within weeks their NYC loft was overrun with bedbugs. Thus began their trials of finding a way to get rid of the infestation while protecting their pets and personal health. Even worse, they now have something else to watch for when planning future trips.

Research showed that the bedbugs were believed to have been eradicated in the 1940s but were reaching epidemic levels in many paces of the world. But what is most troubling is that with many regions increasingly dependent on tourism dollars, local tourism bureaus on shrouding the epidemic in secrecy.

There is hope for the savvy traveler. A mattress is being sold in the United States and is certified in Europe as being bedbug resistant.

According to Devin Furlong of Sleep on Green, this mattress will soon be undergoing testing to be certified as bedbug resistant in the US also. In the meantime, it is being shown at the major hotel and hospitality exhibits in the US.

The Sleep On Green Mattress is not your typical “green” mattress. Manufactured in Italy, the mattress is made from Mother Nature’s purest elements – Wool, Cotton, Coconut Fiber, Natural Latex and Bamboo. This mattress is a healthy alternative to the chemical filled mattress that we sleep on today.

Completely hypoallergenic; resistant to bacteria, mold and mildew, this mattress is perfect for the allergy prone sleeper. Incorporating natural ingredients allows for breathability and a cooler, more comfortable rest. These fabrics regulate the mattress temperature by moving air in, out and around the mattress all night, whisking away moisture and keeping the sleeper dry and rejuvenated.

If you want to try the mattress out, book a stay at the trendy and popular Miami Beach hot spot, DIESEL’s trendy Pelican Hotel and Cafe. All of the hotel’s 300+ rooms come equipped with this eco-friendly and comfortable mattress.

Looking for green solutions for your B&B, hotel or resort? This may be one of the smartest decisions to promote your business. You get to market your enterprise as green lodging, bedbug resistant and the added cachet of luxury with an Italian brand.

If you are wondering how the couple are doing. They made it through the crisis and are planning their next trip. You may run into them on Miami Beach for this year’s Art Basel next winter.

How are you handling the growing trend for green lodging in your region? I look forward to your comments.

All the best,
Brenda

Founder, VIA Forum

Follow me on Twitter at BrendaGreat

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My daughter Ginger works at the trendy Esca in NYC’s Theatre District. She asked me to remind my readers that NYC Restaurant Week runs from January 24 through February 6, 2011. Esca is one of more than 300 restaurants participating in offering prix fixe three course menus for tempting patrons.

In the case of Esca patrons can select the lunch for $24.07. If you are visiting New York for a Broadway show during this time, Ginger reminds me that you will need to reserve your seating for dinner before a show before you arrive. This well known restaurant books early but may be available for the second seating since most patrons of the Theatre District are enjoying the shows during this time.

(Esca’s Dave Pasternack shared his recipe for grilled calamari salad in Grub Street NY. Watch the video to see this traditional Southern Italian dish prepared New York style.)

Cleveland’s Restaurant Week was in November. Yet marketing continues throughout the year. I received a reminder to order the Cleveland Independents Deck of restaurants for this year in my email this week. My buddy, Myra does a great job of working with the many great local restaurants in the Cleveland area to promote their dining experiences. The Deck is a selection of 52 of the fave restaurants that offer discounts when the playing card is presented.

Restaurants are responding to the growing trend of culinary travel. Business travel has always relied on evening dining as a means of extending the work day for out of town meetings. Yet we now see regional travelers planning their trips around the culinary wonders available in distinct regions.

I have to say that Ginger has spoiled me when I travel to NYC. She always takes me on a day long excursion of her favorite eating experiences.

You can add my friend Dave to the mix. Dave is a Captain at Del Posto. I first met Dave and his great wife Natalie while they worked here in Cleveland. Dave is a sommelier who has built award winning wine lists while working for top regional restaurants. (BTW, congrats to Dave and Natalie on the arrival of sweet Clio.)

When Mario Batali is the name behind both Del Posto and Esca, I think I can guarantee that the opinions of Ginger and Dave carry some weight when choosing a dining destination.

What are restaurants up to in your city to promote your region? I am always looking for new ideas to share. Please let me know by commenting below.

Happy eating,
Brenda

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TED-Midwest brings this video by Majora Carter of NPR’s The Promised Land.org. These 3 stories are being told in local regions throughout the country and abroad. What intrigues me is the interconnectivity between ecology, economic development and urban renewal.

The emphasis in our new economy based on entrepreneurship is changing the way that local communities deal with lifestyle, poverty, education and energy.

It is no longer possible for developers who want to see their regions prosper to ignore the impact of innovative thinking in solving multiple problems besides the traditional business models.

The issues discussed in this video are all topics at the forefront of economic development here in NEO. I was especially proud to see Majora discuss the Coal Mountain Watch Project. I wrote about this project in the fall as part of my emphasis on our autumn camping and adventure trip to the Appalachian Highlands of West Virginia. This is my home and my heritage. I hope that the success of Judy’s project will be a part of the legacy to one of the most beautiful parts of our country.

Enjoy this video and please comment. There is so much to share in these amazing stories.

And if you have developed information or case studies to share about any of these issues, please feel free to upload them to the VIA Learning Lab. We all have so much to learn and share… especially in studies the diversification pans for travel and hospitality as part of economic regional development.

All the best,
Brenda

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3. Turning Stories into Business Growth
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Time to think of gearing up for success in 2011 and beyond. My wish for myself and for all of you is find ENERGY! As small business owners we all have the Desire to be successful. Each of us has a vision. It takes drive and passion to translate that vision to success.

Here’s to a wonderful new year for all of us. I hear rumors and predictions from the soothsayers that the 2011 economy is tracking to improve for most of us. In travel and hospitality, we have had some tough challenges over the past few years. Yet for most regional development, it is imperative that businesses in this area are successful.

I hope you will join me at the VIA Learning Lab to share your successes, build strategic partnerships and get inspired with new ideas.

Here are my 5 Steps that I am following for kick starting my new year. (BTW) I actually started the last quarter of 2010-the beginning of my fiscal year)

1. Nourish the Animal that is YOU.

Its not selfish to put yourself first. People rely on YOU. YOUR support. YOUR strength. YOUR knowledge.

Get yourself a check up. Get physically fit. Get mentally strong.

Clear out those MENTAL cobwebs. Talk through your problems. Keep a journal. Write down your feelings and let that negative energy flow away.

Develop healthy habits to keep yourself in check. It takes a lot of energy to channel your PASSION into success.

I was reminded by reading a blog by one of my marketing heroes, John Carlton, that there is a difference between desire and passion. “Desire” is a yearning for something (ie. success) yet “passion” is an ACTION. It takes energy to as well as desire to get “hot and sweaty” when you are driving toward a goal.

2. Stretch Your Financial Horizons with a Fresh Outlook at Your Products and Services.

Diversify is THE word for 2011.

This is the time to shake up your business model. Look at your products and services and add a new twist that will excite your staff and your patrons.

Diversifying will do this while adding a fresh stream of income that will strengthen your business model.

3. Enrich Your Life with Peers who inspire you.

Have you joined a mastery group? Guidance from an expert in your area with a group of like minded entrepreneurs will keep you en pointe in meeting your 2011 goals. Even better, you will gain vauabe insight into injecting fire into your business plan.

4. Embrace a Newbie just entering your field and share your knowledge.

Forge a relationship with a promising new contact that shares your interests. You may meet them at an association or civic group or take them on a a resident or intern. Be OPEN and WILLING to share your experience, your goals and the steps you are taking to reach your success.

The shared ENERGY will Invigorate your business.

5. Reach New Prospects by Cementing Joint Ventures.

You may offer to “white hat” services for a colleague, share your contact list or, even partner in product development. What ever you decide, these relationships will benefit you with new prospects and sales as well as your partner.

Word of insight: Look toward the longterm and choose your partners carefully. You will invest considerable time in planning and implementation. Look toward a long future.

HELP me get a handle on what you NEED to be a success in 2011. Take the SMB Survey for Travel and Hospitality at VIA Forum. These results will ensure that YOU Get the support you need to reach your goals.

As always, be sure to use the comments to let me know how these are working for you. I also look toward hearing your personal goals and plans.

All the best,
Brenda

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Terrorism to tourism? Hostility to Hospitality? Seems like changing these realities should be impossible tasks. Yet this is what anthropologist and peace negotiator, William Ury is promoting with Abraham’s Path at a recent TED Conference.

He is Chair of the Harvard Negotiation Project and a founder of this unique Middle East Project that seeks to promote peaceful coexistence through cultural understanding and economic development. In essence, the billions who share the common story of Abraham or Ibrahim have a vested interest in this sometimes violent region. Yet we are reminded that for the millions who live in this region, life is lived to its fullest every day.

Watching this video reminded me of a class in my college days when I painfully sat through a film watching the murder of a child at a watering hole in Africa killed by a warring tribesman from a neighboring village. This film was used to weed out those who were social activists from true sociologists. I quickly started looking for a new career. The interesting difference for me was that this project had me step out of the role of cultural observer to an observer with a voice to be added to the discussion.

By walking in the path of this man (and his wife) we are sharing in his journey of discovery of a common tie among many peoples. He is revered in three major faiths and is known for both receiving and giving hospitality. In my faith, he is known as the friend of God and placed in the bosom position to God. He earned this right by taking this journey looking not at the many gods being worshipped in these lands but for the one true god that embraced all of mankind.

The positive message though of this talk is that individuals on both sides of the conflict are given a voice through this project. Families are being changed as the the travelers on this path contribute to local economies. Small steps on a long journey. Yet for many this is a huge leap of faith.

I hope you watch this video, look at the Abraham’s Path website and even look at the Board of Directors for the organization. It is a mix of academics, diplomats and tourism professionals with an expertise in the Middle East. The board even includes a Professor of Islamic Studies from nearby Oberlin College.

After you watch this, let me know what you think.

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Social media is a topic in the boardroom as well as around the watercooler. Usually my clients are small business owners who have to think like CEOs but work in the trenches. Yet I am constantly confronted with this discussion when consulting for a new client.

If you are in the category of wrestling with the enigma of social media in the marketing mix as a CEP or business owner I hope you will take a look at Nate Kievman’s white paper, An Executive’s Guide to Social Media. He and his friends at Derning Hill have put this together to give their client’s a better foundation for entering the discussion.

I was impressed with the viewpoint from the boardroom. I was intrigued by the subheading “CEO’s DO NOT FLOCK”. It is very true and yet not something I had really thought about in relation to social media. Perhaps the best part of this report is the list of reasons that CEO’s need to get past their natural antipathy toward social media.

Now on to my next point. The comments on this white paper appeared in my LinkedIn Strategies group. One comment became a ploy for selling services. I am seeing this increasingly in LinkedIn and seeing the fallout starting. Professionals want to preserve the integrity of LinkedIn as a very real resource for discussion. they are beginning to show a frustration with colleagues turning the groups into advertising mediums.

If this continues to ratchet up just as CEOs are discovering the power of this channel, they will tune out. It is the growing body of middle and senior professionals who enjoy the discussions who will suffer. One very important part of the discussion will be missing.

All of us need to sell our products and services. However, it is very important to remember that content driven marketing is a soft sell. Our readers need to maximize their time and are looking for content that adds value to their knowledge base. When we remember this and package our message in a manner that benefits the reader, we are doing our job.

Let me know what you think. I have this discussion with my boardroom type husband all of the time as well as my clients. So I am always looking for a fresh perspective.

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Sustainable food choices make economic and health sense. What we take from the sea is just as important as what we take from the land. For those in travel and hospitality industries, particularly the small businesses that provide the ambiance and depth to cultural regions, bringing this subject to the attention of customers is not always a discussion that is meant for the server or the tour guide.

But chefs and managers can make the discussion a no brainer by adjusting menus, points of interest on tours and attitudes to make these choices just another way to improve the customer’s memories of a great visit.

This TED conference introduced me to Barton Seaver. A National Geographic fellow, Chef Seaver hosts a video segment on the National Geographic website, Cook Wise

People ask me why I try to bring attention to a TED video each week. It’s really easy to answer. I look forward to my weekly updates from TED. These are topics that I believe in and wish to share.

My readers have learned to rely on me to scan current topics and present them to them in a way that can engage them in just a few minutes whenever they can. I am an authority on what I do best, updating my audience. So hear is what I got from this video. I encourage you to watch it and put something you learn from it into practice.

WHAT I GOT FROM THIS: A wake up call that for our health, for our pocketbooks, for our families…and for the earth, we can make choices to enjoy the bounty that we have been blessed with and make life and dinner a celebration.

Read more about Chef Barton Seaver on his organization website. Then comment here about what you agree with and where you disagree. I look forward tot he discussion.

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From Mary Margaret Lavelle, Executive Director of Sales and Marketing Executives of Cleveland comes this great video about the Cleveland region. People frequently ask about what the CLE+ campaign is all about. This sums it up nicely. And for those of you who are unfamiliar with Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Here’s why its a great place to live and visit.

Note: The Businesses.
The Lake
The Roller Coasters
The Bike Paths
The Museums
The People
…and the list goes on…

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Sustainable agriculturists have upped the ante. Chefs and farmers agree that organic farming just makes sense. Doctors have gone on record that buying produce locally makes for healthier living. I recently caught up with Parker Bosley, a champion of regional eating and now working with the Innovative Farmers of Ohio. His job is getting the consumer involved in the discussion about their eating choices.

Parker explained the benefits of small farms to the local economy. Just an acre of land can provide employment for three people. The movement for small, artisan operations is gaining momentum on both sides of that pond we call the Atlantic. The Farmer’s markets, neighborhood deli shops and some really great chefs are instrumental in getting the consumers involved.

Right now, Ohio is focusing its resources on the Sheep Milk and Cheese Initiative. This initiative is focused on establishing a name for artisan sheep cheeses for Ohio farmers. My research shows that Vermont, the Cascades and California are also focusing their energies on the project. I decided to do some of my own research.

Now for the tale of the sheep, the goat and the cow. Being locked in a dairy bar during milking when I was three and growing up next to a dairy farm has more than prepared me for expert status on cow cheese. Not to mention that I absolutely LOVE Cheese! ( We won’t go into the trauma to my psyche about the barn incident). I needed more research on the goat and the sheep.

Luckily there is a goat farm just a couple of miles from my house. I usually travel by each week. I am planning to see how this farming family is using organic farming techniques to produce their cheeses. So far I have not been able to schedule the time. I had to instead visit the cheese counter at my favorite regional market. Quite tasty! Of course, I have had more than my fair share of Feta over the years.

Now for the sheep cheese. You may remember that I grew up in the foothills of the Appalachians. These hills were settled by Scots and Scotch Irish farmers around two hundred years ago. Today’s farmers in this region really know their sheep! If you are looking for an artisan sheep cheese, here is where you can find it. In fact, Ohio farmers are looking toward some nearby states to share their stories of the sheep.

This is only a beginning step. Parker is really passionate about bringing European expertise to American farmers. He hope to send a delegation to France to immerse themselves in artisan sheep cheese production. “Quality cheeses begin with the grasses the sheep eat. It is important to understand the whole cycle of cheese production, not just the fundamentals learned in a workshop. Here in the states we have lost the artistry through our large production farms. We need to go back to the basics that have not been lost on Europe,” Parker explained.

Looking for like minded consultants led me to San Francisco’s Anne Suire. Anne, with her French background is also passionate about cooperative projects between French and US farmers. She also shares my love for regional travel and organizes luxury tours to vineyards and farms in France. I am looking forward to seeing how both Parker and Anne will approach the farmer to consumer dialogue.

I did wonder why the interest in Sheep cheese. I have always found it fairly pungent. My research led me to the Cooking Channel’s Foodography. Here host Mo Rocco introduced me to Le Petit Basque. This artisan sheep cheese was first introduced in 1997 from France’s Basque region.

Los Angeles’ animal restaurant executive chef, Vinny Dotolo shared his recipe for melted petit basque with chorizo and grilled bread. I am now on the way to the cheese counter to find my own. Looks like it will be cheese for dinner tonight.

Check out this recipe or just take the time to search out a few artisan cheeses. If you are close enough to a cheese production farm, you can save by buying direct. Otherwise look for specialty cheese counters in your local market or farmer’s markets. I even ran into a farmer’s stand in trendy Tremont that was selling his sheep cheese one Saturday morning just a few weeks ago.

Let me know which you prefer, the sheep, the goat or the cow. Either way you are entering the dialogue about sustainable agriculture and healthy eating.

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