This is one of my new, favorite go-to websites. I usually use the iPhone app for Pinterest and navigate to Explore : Design. It helps to provide some inspiration especially when I am on the go. As a busy soccer mom, I need to take advantage of those quiet moments when I can quickly go to Pinterest, look around, save pins and explore more at a later date . There is a lot of variety here ranging from corporate identity to printmaking to furniture design. It’s so refreshing to see all of the new pins that appear every day and the variety of design styles being represented. I am constantly pinning and repining new ideas to my boards. What I love about Pinterest is how easy it is to navigate back to some of my favorite pins for future reference. Creating themed boards in categories like color ideas, decor, design/infographics helps me find what I am looking for quickly so I can begin design for a new project without suffering from a creative block. Check out some of my boards.

2. The Dieline

What I love about this site is that even though it focuses on package design and 3-dimensional design, it still provides am excellent resource for overall design inspiration and aesthetics. You can really get your creative juices flowing here. There are so many creative design projects on this site ranging from wine packaging, to beauty products, to pet food. The navigation is very simple and you get what you need very quickly and efficiently. You can sort projects by “Features,” “Industry” or “Substrate”. I like to browse through all of the categories since you never know what can catch your eye and inspire the next big idea.

3. COLOURlovers

The best thing about this website is the “Trends” tab. When I am looking to develop a color palette for a project, I start here. There are so many great ideas and the navigation is very user-friendly because it allows you to select the type of project you are working on (Branding or Websites) and see a how a particular palette was applied. They also include the full palette with the thumbnail image to quickly see what the color scheme is. I also subscribe to their weekly enewsletter that gives great tips and ideas for color ideas and options.

4. Design Instruct

is website for designers that features helpful tips, tutorials and articles related to design topics to keep you informed and inspired. They also have a “Freebies” section that allows you to download vector graphics, photos, editable Photoshop files and more. This site was actually a spin off site from the Six Revisions blog. I have visited this site regularly because of their focus on design as well as website development. They provide great articles and tutorials to help you stay ahead of the curve. Like designinstruct.com, they also have a “freebies” section that is great for downloads of graphics and patterns.

5. Etsy

I love cool stuff and this website has a ton of it. Etsy is an online crafters community where people sell handmade or vintage items as well as art and supplies. There are so many categories to look at ranging from personalized jewelry to milk glass candy dishes. My favorite section of this site is the Printmaking section. Here is where artists showcase letterpress prints and unique decorative art that can inspire a lot of creativity. Sometimes I find that simple quotes or saying created into posters or notecards can inspire creativity.

The study showed that traditional print press releases had much higher appeal when fused with popular social media themes. Categories like baby animals, amateur dancing and babies ranked highest in the survey, followed by car crashes and lip-synching of Lady Gaga songs.

“What the study clearly shows is that savvy marketers who attach pictures of social media subjects to their press releases can increase earned media exposure by up to 37 percent,” said Patrice Raper, an analyst for the company. “In cases where the photo was embedded toward the middle of the release, we saw results as high as 43 percent,” Raper continued.

Media representatives appeared to confirm the results. “Have you ever gone through a stack of print press releases?” asked Armond Smyth of the New York Tribune. “It’s a tedious task, but when you see a little bunny, or a cute baby acting up, it cuts right through the clutter,” said Smyth.

CRT/tanaka officials say a white paper on the subject will be released as soon as they brand the phenomenon and prepare a PowerPoint presentation to share with trade groups.

We operate in a world where almost everyone has a phone equipped with a portable video studio capable of instantaneous global distribution. As distressing as it may seem, we are all being watched.

Whether we like it or not, every customer having a bad experience with your service department is starting to act like Mike Wallace on a sting. Remember when restaurants used to try to determine when the food critic was stopping in so they could put on their best show? Well today every customer is a food critic and reviews don’t last a day, they stay online forever!

Whether your employee is bad-mouthing a customer, your accountant is fudging the books or your CEO has more than a casual interest in the new intern, you’re secrets aren’t likely to stay secrets for long.

What can we do to cope with a world that has gone from a 24-hour news cycle to a newsroom with 300 million reporters? There’s only one choice facing organizations under these circumstances: Do the right thing.

Maybe I’m an idealist, but I think most organizations will have no options other than to tell the truth, treat the customer with courtesy, provide a nurturing habitat for employees and show respect for the opinions and lifestyles of others, because if they don’t, we’ll all be watching. And that’s a good thing.

It’s time to change this thinking. Within each organization, there’s a PR army of ambassadors who are ready to share the good news about your brand. Likely, they are already doing so on their own social media properties. Why not leverage the power of this group to forward the company’s messages? Here are four steps to get you started:

1. Give management a reason to believe
   The notion that social media impedes productivity is flawed. There are many distractions through the work day that impact employee focus – email for one. Plus many employees have smart phones they are using to check text messages from kids and co-workers. Productivity is a management problem, not a social media problem. In fact, a study published by The McKinsey Global Institute, shows that companies that improve communication and collaboration through social technologies could actually raise employee productivity by 20 to 25 percent.
2. Give employees rules to follow
   Healthcare is a highly regulated industry. It only makes sense that social media policies be in line with all other compliance rules. But the approach to creating social media guidelines does not have to be heavy handed, just thoughtful. Begin by involving the key oversight sectors: public relations and marketing, IT and legal/risk management. Mike Langford, a social compliance strategist and financial industry veteran, says in a Harvard Business Review article that the best policies are a collaborative effort. They should empower employees to engage, not impede them.
3. Train Social Media Ambassadors
   Social media does not have to be opened up to all employees at once. Start small with a group of trusted employees who are already engaged in social media. Create a Social Media Ambassadors group and focus on one social media property first, such as Facebook. Have each member of the group begin by “Liking” the organization’s Facebook page and sharing content by commenting on the page or reposting information from the page at least 3 times per week. Have the team participate in a Social Media Ambassadors Facebook Group to learn about guidelines for posting appropriate and useful information and to share ideas and thoughts about how to engage other employees and the community.
4. Provide Sharable Content
   Employees will help a company tell its story if they have good information to share. Content is considered “sharable” if it is topical, relevant, informative and fun. Some of the most sharable content comes in the form of videos, photos and infographics. Create content that employees want to share and host it in the community they’re most active, depending on your group of Ambassadors this may be a Facebook group or an employee microsite. Engage your ambassadors with interesting, stimulating and fun content that inspires them to go out and pioneer your brand.

Have you opened social media to your employees? If so, what’s been successful for your brand? What other tips would you add?

I’m constantly trying new beers and I’m always interested in what new style breweries are throwing out there. In recent years I’ve noticed more easy drinking craft beers hitting the store shelves and tap handles. Beers like Founders All Day IPA and 21st Amendment’s Bitter American have quickly become a few of my favorite summertime session ales.

Creating a session friendly craft ale is interesting as you typically don’t associate “easy drinking” and “quantity” with craft beer. Typically, this mindset has been reserved for American Macro’s as they are marketed as light, smooth refreshing beers that you can consume in abundance. With the majority of Americans still in that mindset and with the craft beer market continuing to grow, a session ale seems like a logical place where the two markets could meet.

I don’t see a lot of breweries pushing their lighter beers as session beers. A few do but I think more can and will begin pursuing this term as more consumers become educated about beer. I feel that no matter what the style of beer, if it’s under 5%, the beer’s packaging should adorn the session ale term as it gives an instant snapshot of what the beer’s purpose and alcohol content is all about. Beyond the stated marketing and packaging opportunities, here are a few reasons why brewers and distributors should consider pursuing the session ale.

Lower Alcohol & Lower Calories

Most craft ales are in the 6+ ABV realm and with more alcohol comes more calories as more malt (sugar) is needed to obtain a higher ABV. I love a great IPA but maybe I don’t want to get wasted off a handful of them or wind up consuming 2,000 calories worth of beer during a cookout. Not that session ales should be marketed as “light” beer, but quality beer under 5% ABV should be explored as we may not need the extra alcohol or calories typically found with craft beer.

Approachable & Flavorful

I used to always carry Victory All Malt Lager and North Coast Scrimshaw when I worked in the industry. These were great gateway beers as I would always recommend them to Macro drinkers or people not too familiar with quality beer. These beers are great lagers but it’s nice to see Founder’s and 21st creating some nice flavorful ales instead of lagers. Even Flying Dog’s Pearl Necklace is very session friendly stout (even though its 5.5% ABV). I see opportunity with beers like these as they are great introductory ales for beginners and interesting enough for seasoned craft beer drinkers.

Highlight the Brewmaster’s Skill

Lastly, if you want to highlight the skill and craft of brewing, try making a light beer. It’s tough. The lighter more delicate ales and lagers can easily showcase any off flavors, poor ingredients or brewing mistakes. A solid brewmaster should be able to create a flawless beer no matter the style. A clean American IPA, a stout from Flying Dog or a Berliner Weiss from Bell’s – these are all perfect examples of quality driven beers that took skill to create and a product that the brewery and brewmaster should take pride in.

I love my high ABV stouts, double IPAs and barleywines but those aren’t necessarily cookout- or boat-friendly beers. For the reasons I mentioned above, I think that every brewery should be brewing and marketing a session-friendly beer.

Cheers!

No question – corporate responsibility initiatives benefit the reputation and bottom line of organizations that sponsor them.

But don’t discount the ROI generated when coworkers rally around a cause.

Community service activities can bring team members together in ways that monthly birthday cake or offsite meetings can’t.

Last Friday, for example, six of us from CRT/tanaka participated in Big Brothers Big Sisters’ “Bowl for Kids’ Sake,” to raise money for a mentoring program. The $750 we raised will help match an adult with a local kid in need of a stable, supportive mentor.

I can’t, however, put a value on watching “KSpicey” (her alley name) take a tiptoeing ballerina’s approach to each roll, a move that entertained adjacent lanes as much as ours. Nor can I explain another colleague’s lack of skill despite having grown up in family that managed a bowling alley.

I just know that the team is stronger because of it.

We had a great time. We laughed. We enjoyed each other’s company. And we know exactly how we’re going to approach KSpicey’s office next time we have billing questions.

CRT/tanaka’s support of Big Brothers Big Sisters will help a local young person facing adversity stay on a productive path.

It also brought coworkers together in a way that will yield dividends the next time the PR workday presents a 7-10 split.

Richmond hosted its inaugural TEDxRVA event last Friday where 500 members of the Richmond community came together to listen and react to a curated host of talks and fascinating stories from a  line-up of innovative creatives, storytellers, entrepreneurs, athletes and community leaders. In this open forum setting, the audience and speakers engaged in a showcase of ideas that stirred actions. With each of the speakers’ unique experiences, the audience was encouraged to step into their shoes and reflect on how their ideas might translate into our own realities. It was a sensory overload – excitement, humor, sorrow and success. The audience laughed, cried, was brought to chills and was challenged to think about redefining themselves as innovators and doers.

For example, James Walker, founder of Dead Bicycles, discovered an often unnoticed object on the streets of Richmond and used it to cause social interaction and local awareness. When no one else did, Walker saw that Richmond streets are littered with bicycles locked to street signs and poles. These bikes left by their former owners frequently had their wheels stolen, leaving the naked metal frames to lie useless. In an effort to call attention to these unnoticed bicycles, he scoured the city shrouding left-behind bikes to show appreciation and love for them. Soon, others noticed the memorials and began leaving flowers and letters of gratitude. One bicycle and shroud was even cremated. Walker noticed a mundane item that many walk past every day without a second thought and created a new awareness for and appreciation of bicycles in the city of Richmond.

Oddly enough, following the TEDxRVA event, I was walking a street in Richmond and noticed a lonely bike frame locked to a pole. I couldn’t help but wonder if I would have noticed it had I not heard Walker’s talk. It caused me to question what else goes unnoticed in my everyday life that I could bring attention to and use to inspire others.

Many words of wisdom and advice on creating and inspiring others were shared at TEDxRVA. These are some of my favorite experiences and tips.

1. To be creative is to be alive. Brian Andreas, artist and writer behind StoryPeople, says that if you are more concerned about working hard to be creative, you’ll end up less creative. Live your life and more creativity will come naturally. Build it from within your bones and encourage others to do the same, because the more you engage, the more creative you’ll become.
2.  If you imagine it, then do it. Just say yes to any idea you have. Elementary art teacher Julie Crowder felt inspired to show love and gratitude for the city of Richmond in light of the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy. She asked her students, neighbors and friends to write on a construction paper heart what they love about Richmond and stick it in their yard. It spread like wild fire through the city.
3.  Get out of your comfort zone – vulnerability inhibits creativity. Zoe Romano, runner and philanthropist, says it’s easy to be vulnerable, but difficult to be comfortable with the uncomfortable. With disciplined determination, she set the goal of running across the country and achieved it.
4.  Avoid complacency and predicting the future. Sheryl Connely, global trends manager and futurist for Ford Motor Company, says that by default you’ll be forced to become much more nimble and much more prepared to naturally allow creative to happen.
5.  Suspend judgment and within the chaos, you’ll find genius. Ivy Ross, artist and CMO of Art.com, says allow yourself to play. Many people think the opposite of play is work, but really it’s depression. Understanding the patterns of possibility makes you fearless to express what you really feel.

After attending TEDxRVA and learning from such a diverse group of people, I am newly inspired, moved and encouraged to redefine myself as an innovator and a doer. Taking from these lessons, I plan to pay closer attention to things that I usually pass by and consider ways that I can bring awareness to an issue that is important to me. I also plan to say yes to more ideas that come to mind and opportunities that arise. And, I hope to inspire others by sharing my own experiences and ideas without hesitation or fear of being judged.

If you’re interested in finding a TEDx program near you, visit www.ted.com/tedx.

When I was doing my field work in graduate school, I shadowed a pathologist at a community hospital. He had started his career in primary care, but he eventually became so disenchanted with treating the same conditions and begging patients to make lifestyle changes to avoid these conditions, that he changed tracks to focus indirectly on patient care by diagnosing from the lab rather than the bedside.

And I can understand his frustration. I even frustrate myself, when I fall into ruts of not going to the gym or eating too many things I know aren’t good for me. Theoretically, I’m only half way through my predicted lifespan, so it’s important that I do what’s within my control now, to improve my odds of being healthy for the second half of my life.

Lucky for me, and future generations, we have something that didn’t even exist 10 years ago –mobile health. While advances in medical devices revolutionized our options for care once we had an illness or injury, mobile health is revolutionizing our access to information and tools for disease management and even prevention of illness and injury.

According to the results of a physician survey conducted by eClinicalWorks, more than ninety percent of respondents believe that mHealth apps have the potential to improve patient outcomes, and eighty-nine percent indicated that they would recommend an app to a patient in the future.

Mobile health technology has been an innovative disruption in the healthcare marketplace, with applications for clinicians as well as consumers. Consider the following statistics from a variety of sources, cited in articles posted by EHR Intelligence:

• There are nearly 100,000 health apps currently available in the market
• Within the next 5 years, mHealth is anticipated to have 1.7 billion users
• Over the next 10 years, mHealth tools are projected to save more than $500 billion in productivity, travel, and administrative costs

So, what does this mean for healthcare providers and marketers?

1.  mHealth can increase patient engagement.

If we want patients to be part of the solution in healthcare, we need to engage them through more real-time communication and feedback about their health. While Facebook and on-line support communities play a part in patient engagement, mHealth bolsters it even further by providing data, information and feedback to patients. Many mHealth apps are built on algorithms that monitor users’ progress against a goal or care plan, and some even allow caregivers to co-monitor or integrate the data directly into the patient’s electronic health record. Patient health apps result in greater accountability and motivation by the user, even if just because of the greenhouse effect.

2. mHealth can extend your brand.

AT&T ForHealth^SM has predicted a shift from generic apps to sponsored apps as one of its top 5 IT trends in 2013.  Data has shown that while a number of consumers download general health apps, utilization of the app is limited. Studies on “sponsored” apps, on the other hand, indicate a higher level of sustained engagement and behavior change, resulting in improved health. Hospitals and physicians would benefit from exploring collaborations with mHealth vendors to identify apps for specific patient populations, such as diabetes, where you have a clinician champion. Work with you IT team to ensure security and privacy, and pilot it with a small group of patients and caregivers. If it’s successful, brand the app and promote it. If it’s not successful, pick another one and try again.

3. mHealth can improve health and optimize reimbursement.

And they said that marketing was only a cost center. Here’s your opportunity to show them that marketing can actually contribute to improving patient health and the bottom line! Mobile health apps can serve as an extension of the care team, by providing alerts and other tools to keep patients on track for their optimal health. With the shift to more risk-based reimbursement models, keeping patients healthier will be what optimizes revenue rather than keeping waiting rooms full.

And if that isn’t enough to convince you to explore mHealth as part of your healthcare marketing strategy, maybe I can appeal to your competitive nature:  the Department of Veterans Affairs already has in development over 20 health apps, many of which are planned for testing and launch in 2013.

Have you launched a health care app yet? If not, what do you think your first app might be?

Image Credit: http://greatist.com/fitness/digital-health-mobile-infographic

Once I started working with booze brands, I learned about liquor, what to drink and what NEVER to order (so I wouldn’t come off as a cliché, of course). It wasn’t until I worked with a liquor brand that hosted mixology summits for 100 of the top mixologists around the U.S. that I learned about the “other” side of cocktails. I was impressionable, but they explained to me that there are no-no’s in the bar business and vodka is a big one. Vodka, according to hundreds of mixologists, sucks.

Wait, what? Vodka, the number one-selling spirit in the U.S. is the worst spirit out there? Seriously? How can anyone who prides themselves on mixing cocktails say, “I would NEVER use vodka in my bar menu.”

Vodka is the epitome of all cocktail-dom. I would like to compare the category of vodka to the middle born child: an overachiever yet is stuck with an unshakable reputation for poor taste, hooliganism and inferiority. (One of the children could be gin, having his ups and downs, possibly going through rehab, but always the favorite in the parents’ eyes).

According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), vodka accounts for 32% of all volumes of spirits consumption in the U.S. In 2012, 65.2 million 9-liter cases of vodka were sold in the United States. If so much vodka is being consumed, why do mixologists hate it so much?

The answer I’ve heard is this: Vodka has no flavor and they shouldn’t waste their time with it.

I disagree. Bad vodkas have no flavor are harsh on the senses and don’t contribute anything to a cocktail except alcohol. Good vodkas (and I’m not counting the ones that are “flavored”) do have flavor. Good vodka is clean, easy to drink and happens to be a great base spirit.

The other answer I’ve heard is this: big vodka brands have destroyed the category (case-in-point: Grey Goose).

Well, I get that. Everywhere you look, someone is coming out with a new, gimmicky vodka, from P. Diddy to Dan Aykroyd; it’s never-ending.

Personally, I look to the smaller, artisanal vodkas that are good quality and haven’t oversaturated the market. One of my favorites is Cold River Vodka, made from potatoes in Maine (they also make an amazing gin), Chopin Vodka (Poland), also made from potatoes, 42 Below (New Zealand), and Reyka (Iceland),  both made from grain. All of these vodkas have plenty of flavor.

I also want to mention some heavy hitters – the ones that, while they do partake in over-marketing,  at the end of the day, don’t dilute the quality of the stuff in the bottle. Take, for instance Belvedere (Poland), Kettle One (Netherlands), Absolut (Sweden) and Smirnoff (Russia) – these are the big guns, so to speak, and their products are quite good.

Why all the hate?

Last week, the New York Post ran a story that was picked up in a few outlets, about bartenders (or mixologists) in New York City who refuse to serve paying customers certain cocktails they ask for. Case in point: vodka tonic, rum and coke, and the list goes on.

There are many (and I mean MANY) strong opinions on this subject, especially in the food and beverage industry. My take is this: on the one hand, it’s good to go outside your comfort zone and order an interesting cocktail from a bar’s menu that plays with your taste buds and can be a change. These guys spend a lot of time coming up with drinks that are different, fun and appeal to your senses.

If a customer wants a simple drink, such as a vodka tonic, that person should go to a bar where simple drinks are served – where there is no bar menu or the bartender doesn’t have a handlebar mustache. Compare the situation to food. You wouldn’t walk into a fancy restaurant, such as Per Se, and order a slice of pizza. You have to know where you’re going. If you head to a place that serves drinks at $18 and over, chances are you won’t find your run-of-the-mill cocktails bringing down the house.

On the other hand, these people are paying customers. If they want something specific, they should, get it. I know it’s a crazy concept, but not long ago wasn’t there a saying that the customer is always right? You know, if you want to order something specific, then you should get something specific.  “Vodka has a place on every bar,” says Aaron Gordon, bartender at The Tippler in New York City. “There’s the power of suggestion between a bartender and the customer. But in the end, it’s the hospitality business. It’s not our job to tell them what to drink.”

Wherever you go, vodka should be there. It’s the highest-selling spirit in the world, it’s in most people’s home bars and it really is a great base for delicious cocktails, whether it’s a cheap drink from a dive or an overpriced cocktail (there happens to be a cocktail for $12,916, but that will be for another Booze Bin…).

For the record, I am a bourbon drinker. But, when it comes to a good cocktail, I want what I want when I want it. I won’t make excuses if I want a vodka martini, or even a vodka tonic. After all, I am the customer and my home bar will always have vodka ready and waiting for when I need it.

But have these really changed, and how?

One of the most popular marketing innovation tools that remains is the flash mob. What is it that is so appealing about these for marketers and consumers alike?

The Joy of Surprise

In our era where it’s easy to reach for our smartphones and walk and text without looking up, there is still something special about seeing something nicely unexpected and taken out of our day-to-day routines. According to Flash Mob America New York with more than 8,000 members, “We LOVE to create JOY by surprising people! We are looking for like-minded people who love to challenge themselves, get up and dance (even if they’ve never danced before!), have a great time and meet new people.”

Attention & Awareness

It’s no surprise that when flash mob participants gather, people take notice. And when organized on behalf of a brand looking to gain consumer awareness, this attention can often result in sales leads or new website traffic.  The consumers participating certainly also have a motive – they want to be noticed.  Whether it’s just a fun thing or for a cause, it’s something the participants feel is worthy of taking the time to do.

Celebration

Who says you need intimacy for that special moment to be truly special? One New Yorker made it clear that he didn’t when he called on a flash mob to help him propose in Washington Square Park. Other flash mob moments have included European Transport Company’s “Better Bus Ride” campaign where they sang “Happy Birthday” to the very surprised and delighted bus driver in Copenhagen.

Click here to view the embedded video.

To Champion a Cause

Flash mobs are a great way to help champion a cause.  For example, in support of Haiti’s Earthquake Relief Fund, Flash Mob America organized a Michael Jackson-themed dance party to raise money for the fund.

Take a look at some of the most “historic” Flash Mobs:

“The First”: The first marketing-related flash mob was organized in 2003 by Bill Wasik, senior editor of Harper’s Magazine. While his first try was unsuccessful after the retail store where he planned to host it was told about it in advance, he successfully had more than 130 people take to the ninth floor rug department of Macy’s and stand around an expensive rug and note they were shopping for a “love rug” and were making their purchase decisions as a group, if asked.

Oprah’s Kick-off Dance Party with the Black-Eyed Peas: To celebrate her 24^th season and one of the most memorable flash mobs broadcasted to the public, more than 20,000 people surprised Oprah with a piece choreographed to the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Frozen Grand Central: In 2008, Improv Everywhere started one of the most viral flash mobs (more than 32 million YouTube views), with more than 200 people who froze together at the exact same moment at Grand Central Station in New York City. The group also inspired the “No Pants Subway Ride” which happens yearly and consumers are invited to take to the transit in their skivvies.

World’s Largest Pillow Fight: Prompting local pillow fights across the country thereafter, Guinness World Records officiated the world’s largest pillow fight with 10,000 attendees at the Catalyst Conference in Atlanta.

Click here to view the embedded video.

So what it is that still drives our fascination with this marketing innovation?  At the end of the day, it’s simply about reaching and engaging our target audience in an interesting way, which is really what we should always be thinking about in order to be true marketing innovators.

Image Source: Flash Mob America (New York).