Dan Pink is the author of five books– including his latest book, To Sell is Human,  which offers a fresh look at the art and science of sales.  Dan has a BA from Northwestern University and a JD from Yale Law School.  Dan’s last real job was in the White House, where he served from 1995 to 1997 as chief speechwriter to Vice President Al Gore. He also worked as an aide to U.S. Labor Secretary Robert Reich and in other positions in politics and government.  Dan’s podcast “office hours” features a who’s who of business and thought leaders and it is available on iTunes.  Dan is one of the most inspirational, visionary thinkers on the planet – combining the best of right brain creativity and left brain analytical thinking to regularly challenge assumptions and push the envelope of human possibility.   Dan is also our guest on this episode of Inspiring Creative Thinking

About the Inspiring Creative Thinking Podcast:
Inspiring Creative Thinking is a podcast series produced by The Ohlmann Group, a marketing communications firm that specializes in helping clients to create the future. The podcast features short interviews with creative thinkers – authors, artists, bankers, business people, musicians, medical professionals, lawyers, entrepreneurs, and more. In each podcast, the guest will be asked a similar set of questions about the importance of creativity, their approach to the creative process, and where and how they find creative inspiration. By doing this, we hope to reveal some universal truths about creativity, uncover unique approaches to the creative process, and offer insight into what makes creative thinkers tick.

Why are we doing this? Here are a few reasons. We are nerds who love to create. We always aspire to be better at what we do. We think that the world is a better place when it is filled with creativity. We are curious about creativity, and we believe in sharing what we learn. Learning more about creativity allows us to better serve our clients and have more fun doing what we do. It’s fun.

We hope you listen, learn, enjoy, and subscribe to the itunes podcast feed, share the podcast with others, and get inspired to do something creative.

According to the BBB’s website, The Advertising Review Council is a joint program between the BBB and AAF-Dayton whose goal is to “restore public confidence in the truth and accuracy of advertising through education and voluntary self-regulation by advertisers.” Or, to put it in simpler terms, they help make sure advertisers are doing the right thing.

We thank the Dayton Better Business Bureau for doing the right thing for over 100 years, and we’re honored to be part of this ongoing partnership for the good of all advertising.

Should we or shouldn’t we?  I hear a lot of questions that are built around this construct.  Things such as:

• Should we be on Facebook?
  
• Should we launch an email marketing campaign?
• Should we lower our prices?
• Should we run ads on television?
• Should we redesign our website?
• Should we host an event?

The problem with these questions is that you are only offered 2 options.  Yes or no?  While simple decisions are sometimes easier to make than complex decisions, you need to be careful that your choice of questions doesn’t immediately limit your potential.  To develop successful strategies for marketing, it is important to make sure that you are asking the right questions at the right times.

For example should you or shouldn’t you be on Facebook might be replaced with “What are the most effective channels we can use to communicate with our customers and prospects?”  This can yield a much wider variety of outcomes to choose from.  Ideally this will lead towards an effective, targeted, integrated approach to your marketing communications and not just knee jerk decisions based on limited options.

Should you consider your options before making decisions about your marketing?  Yes.

Sean Creighton is a leading voice in the world of higher education and has been a strong advocate for using the transformative power of creativity to bring positive change to communities.  Sean is the Executive Director for the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education and he also serves on the school board in Yellow Springs, Ohio where he resides.  He has a bachelors of English from Marist College, a masters in English and American Literature from New York University, and PhD in leadership and change from Antioch University.  Sean is an innovative thinker, a brilliant leader, and he is my guest today on this episode of Inspiring Creative Thinking.

Listen, Enjoy, and Share!

About the Inspiring Creative Thinking Podcast:
Inspiring Creative Thinking is a podcast series produced by The Ohlmann Group, a marketing communications firm that specializes in helping clients to create the future. The podcast features short interviews with creative thinkers – authors, artists, bankers, business people, musicians, medical professionals, lawyers, entrepreneurs, and more. In each podcast, the guest will be asked a similar set of questions about the importance of creativity, their approach to the creative process, and where and how they find creative inspiration. By doing this, we hope to reveal some universal truths about creativity, uncover unique approaches to the creative process, and offer insight into what makes creative thinkers tick.

Why are we doing this? Here are a few reasons. We are nerds who love to create. We always aspire to be better at what we do. We think that the world is a better place when it is filled with creativity. We are curious about creativity, and we believe in sharing what we learn. Learning more about creativity allows us to better serve our clients and have more fun doing what we do. It’s fun.

We hope you listen, learn, enjoy, and subscribe to the itunes podcast feed, share the podcast with others, and get inspired to do something creative.

Dayton, Ohio (April 19, 2013) — Dayton area marketing firm The Ohlmann Group has been named Agency of Record for Graceworks Lutheran Services after a request for proposal process. Strategic marketing services as well as public relations, creative design, social media and advertising will be utilized to advance the mission and provide education and awareness for the services Graceworks provides in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky. The initial campaign is already underway, launching homecare services with Graceworks at Home, covering nine-counties in the Dayton area and promoting Bethany Lutheran Village.

“We are excited to be working with The Ohlmann Group, a Dayton area agency that understands the mission, vision and values of Graceworks Lutheran Services,” said Jackie D’Aurora, Senior Director, Marketing and Public Relations.  “They will partner with us to guide our marketing efforts while strengthening the overall brand of Graceworks. It is a good fit for us based on their history and healthcare experience.”

Walter Ohlmann, CEO of The Ohlmann Group, said, “We are thrilled to partner with Graceworks Lutheran Services to help build awareness of the valuable resources they provide to the people who are facing challenging and changing circumstances.”

The Ohlmann Group is a full service marketing communications firm that specializes in using message, media, and measurement to help clients create the future. More information can be found at www.ohlmanngroup.com.

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Michael Rubin is a Senior Marketing Manager for Allstate. He has well over a decade of experience in social media, word of mouth marketing, public relations, and online marketing.  His expertise is in helping companies tap into the positive power of energized customer advocates, evangelists, and influencers.  Michael has served as an advisory committee member for Institute of Social Media at Cincinnati State University, Social Media MBA Program at DePaul University.  He has guest lectured at Northern Kentucky University and writes a column for MarketingProfs Daily Fix.  Michael is an old friend, a respected colleague, and he’s our guest on this episode of the Inspiring Creative Thinking podcast.

About the Inspiring Creative Thinking Podcast:
Inspiring Creative Thinking is a podcast series produced by The Ohlmann Group, a marketing communications firm that specializes in helping clients to create the future. The podcast features short interviews with creative thinkers – authors, artists, bankers, business people, musicians, medical professionals, lawyers, entrepreneurs, and more. In each podcast, the guest will be asked a similar set of questions about the importance of creativity, their approach to the creative process, and where and how they find creative inspiration. By doing this, we hope to reveal some universal truths about creativity, uncover unique approaches to the creative process, and offer insight into what makes creative thinkers tick.

Why are we doing this? Here are a few reasons. We are nerds who love to create. We always aspire to be better at what we do. We think that the world is a better place when it is filled with creativity. We are curious about creativity, and we believe in sharing what we learn. Learning more about creativity allows us to better serve our clients and have more fun doing what we do. It’s fun.

We hope you listen, learn, enjoy, and subscribe to the itunes podcast feed, share the podcast with others, and get inspired to do something creative.

Willis “Bing” Davis is a respected educator, a world renowned artist, an icon of creative thinking and one of Dayton’s brightest cultural gems.  Born in Greer, South Carolina, Davis grew up in Dayton, Ohio where he lives today.  Bing graduated from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana in 1959. He then went on to study at the Dayton Art Institute and later received his Masters Degree in Education in 1967 from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

He has taught in a variety of educational institutions such as the Dayton Public School System, DePauw and Miami Universities, Wright State University, and Central State University.  While at CSU, Bing also chaired the Art Department and was the Director of the Paul Robeson Cultural and Performing Arts Center.  He has also served as an artist-in-residence for the School of Education at the University of Dayton and as President of the Board of Directors of the National Conference of Artists.

Bing’s art has been exhibited around the world including exhibitions at Studio Museum of Harlem, American Craft Museum, Renwick Gallery, Maryland Institute College of Art, Savannah College of Art and Design, Anacostia Museum, National Museum of Art of Senegal West Africa, U.S. Embassy Accra, Ghana, and Museum fur Angewandte Kunst (Museum of Applied Arts), Frankfurt, Germany and the Dayton Art Institute.

Bing is one of Dayton’s most prominent cultural and creative ambassadors and he my guest on this episode of Inspiring Creative Thinking.

Listen, Enjoy, and Share.

About the Inspiring Creative Thinking Podcast:
Inspiring Creative Thinking is a podcast series produced by The Ohlmann Group, a marketing communications firm that specializes in helping clients to create the future. The podcast features short interviews with creative thinkers – authors, artists, bankers, business people, musicians, medical professionals, lawyers, entrepreneurs, and more. In each podcast, the guest will be asked a similar set of questions about the importance of creativity, their approach to the creative process, and where and how they find creative inspiration. By doing this, we hope to reveal some universal truths about creativity, uncover unique approaches to the creative process, and offer insight into what makes creative thinkers tick.

Why are we doing this? Here are a few reasons. We are nerds who love to create. We always aspire to be better at what we do. We think that the world is a better place when it is filled with creativity. We are curious about creativity, and we believe in sharing what we learn. Learning more about creativity allows us to better serve our clients and have more fun doing what we do. It’s fun.

We hope you listen, learn, enjoy, and subscribe to the itunes podcast feed, share the podcast with others, and get inspired to do something creative.

So often we think of value in terms of the ability to deliver standardized perfection.  Make no mistake, quality is important.  However, today simple quality is more of a necessity than a differentiator.  I expect that things will work and that service will be good.  What I don’t always expect but do always appreciate is the personal touch.  The potentially imperfect but human touch that makes something real.  Personal creates unique value.  Personal can lead to profitable.  Personal is often what we choose to talk about.

Whether it is a handwritten note, a follow up call, a heart felt apology, or a hand crafted coffee cup, if you’re looking to add value to your business, explore the idea of making your marketing personal.

Patricia Ryan Madson is the author of  IMPROV WISDOM: DON’T PREPARE, JUST SHOW UP and a professor Emerita from Stanford University where she has taught since 1977. In their Drama Department she served as the head of the undergraduate acting program and developed the improvisation program. In 1996 she founded the Creativity Initiative at Stanford, an interdisciplinary alliance of faculty who share the belief that creativity can be taught. Patricia has taught Design Improv for the School of Engineering, and is a guest lecturer for the Stanford Technology Ventures Program and for the Mayfield Fellows Program.  She teaches regularly at some of the finest, most respected educational institutions on the planet, and her corporate clients include names like IDEO, Google, Apple, HP, and and Adobe.  She is as brilliant and accomplished as she is delightful and I am thrilled to have her as our guest on Episode 10 of Inspiring Creative Thinking.

Listen, Enjoy, and Share.

To learn more about Patricia Ryan Madson visit http://improvwisdom.com

About the Inspiring Creative Thinking Podcast:
Inspiring Creative Thinking is a podcast series produced by The Ohlmann Group, a marketing communications firm that specializes in helping clients to create the future. The podcast features short interviews with creative thinkers – authors, artists, bankers, business people, musicians, medical professionals, lawyers, entrepreneurs, and more. In each podcast, the guest will be asked a similar set of questions about the importance of creativity, their approach to the creative process, and where and how they find creative inspiration. By doing this, we hope to reveal some universal truths about creativity, uncover unique approaches to the creative process, and offer insight into what makes creative thinkers tick.

Why are we doing this? Here are a few reasons. We are nerds who love to create. We always aspire to be better at what we do. We think that the world is a better place when it is filled with creativity. We are curious about creativity, and we believe in sharing what we learn. Learning more about creativity allows us to better serve our clients and have more fun doing what we do. It’s fun.

We hope you listen, learn, enjoy, and subscribe to the itunes podcast feed, share the podcast with others, and get inspired to do something creative.

Now will all credit given to the genius of the phrase “set it and forget it” as it pertains to cooking a turkey, if this phrase could be used to describe the approach your business takes to marketing,  you’re in real trouble.  The magic of modern media is that it is always in motion.  Are you doing what it takes to keep pace?  If you think you can get away with setting it on autopilot, rest assured the only thing that will quickly be forgotten is you.

Unfortunately, the problem of “set it and forget it” marketing is pretty easy to spot.  It can be seen in the in the SEM campaign that runs the same ads month after month without looking at the data or trying to improve conversions.  The website that is updated once a decade, with no news, no blog, and no indication that the business is actually in business.  The facebook page with no updates in the last 6 months.  The business twitter feed that simply auto shares news from 3 tech gossip websites all day without ever actually expressing an original thought or heaven forbid, engaging in an occasional conversation.  These are merely a few examples of set it and forget it marketing.

Today, you have to show up.  You have to pay attention.  You have to try and maybe even fail, but then quickly dust off, get up, and try again.  You can’t simply come up with an idea and then set it and forget it.  You have to pay attention.  You have to deliver on the promise of the brand at every opportunity.

Rather than have your marketing described by Popeil’s “set it and forget it” catch phrase, strive for another of his famous quotes… “But wait… there’s more!”  Never stop creating the future.

Hat tip to Ron Popeil, master marketer, spectacular salesperson, creative genius, and constant innovator.