Click HERE for a fun quiz: What ice cream flavor are you? I got mint chip! What did you get?!

Here are some interesting figures regarding favorite flavors and ice cream parlors in the US:

Top 5 Flavors

1. Vanilla, 29%

2. Chocolate, 8.9%

3. Butter pecan, 5.3%

4. Strawberry, 5.3%

5. Neapolitan, 4.2%

Did your favorite flavor make the list? Click here to see the complete list.

TripAdvisor has recently announced the top 10 ice cream parlors in the US, based on millions of traveler reviews:

1. Island Creamery, Chincoteague Island, Virginia

2. Dietsch Brothers Inc., Findlay, Ohio

3. Super Scoops Inc., Treasure Island, Florida

4. Woodside Farm Creamery, Hockessin, Delaware

5. A Better Scoop, Englewood, Florida

Click here to see more top ice cream parlors!

Top Ice Cream-Loving Cities

1. New York

2. Los Angeles

3. Chicago

4. San Francisco

5. Atlanta

Click here to see complete list!

Don’t miss out on the last day! Go get your favorite flavor!

Did you know July is National Ice Cream Month?

You’re in luck this month! July has been named National Ice Cream Month since 1984, the year President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month as National Ice Cream Day. With ice cream being fancied by 90 percent of the US population, Reagan understood ice cream to be an enjoyable, nutritious snack, leading him to start this great tradition.

Although there’s no evidence of a specific date nor inventor, ice cream’s earliest existence dates back to the second century B.C. when Alexander the Great would indulge in nectar or honey-flavored ice. Other early ice flavors include grape, rose water, saffron, and more fruit flavors. The first account of ice cream in America dates back to 1744, where it was referenced in a letter written by a guest of Governor William Bladen. Until 1800, ice cream was a real treat experienced mostly by the wealthy in America. As technology progressed, Jacob Fussell, a milk dealer, began America’s ice cream industry in 1851, and since then, ice cream has thrived, improved, and become as popular as it is today.

Fun facts

1. In 2014, National Ice Cream Day will be Sunday, July 20.
2. In the US, the ice-cream industry generates more than $21 billion in annual sales.
3. About 9 percent of all the milk produced by US dairy farmers is used to produce ice cream, contributing considerably to the economic well-being of the nation’s dairy industry.
4. Founded in 1900, the International Ice Cream Association’s 80 member companies manufacture and distribute an estimated 85% of the ice cream and frozen dessert products consumed in the United States.
5. Charles E. Minches of St. Louis, Missouri is credited with inventing the ice cream cone. On July 23, 1904 at the World’s Fair in St. Louis, he filled a pastry cone with two scoops of ice cream to make the first ice cream cone.
6. There is also a celebration of Ice Cream Day on December 13th. It’s suspected that it evolved from some type of local event.
7. A “brain freeze” is triggered when ice cream touches the roof of your mouth, causing blood vessels in the head to dilate.
8. July is National Grilling Month, National Ice Cream Month and National Vacation Rental Month.
9. The biggest ice cream sundae in history was made in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, in 1988, weighing over 24 tons.
10. In the US, more ice cream is consumed per head than any other country in the world. New Zealand comes in at #2.
11. The Library of Congress possesses a copy of a recipe for vanilla ice cream used by Thomas Jefferson written in Jefferson’s own hand.
12. California produces more ice cream than any other state.
13. It takes an average of 50 licks to finish one scoop of ice cream.

Read more ice cream facts here and here and be sure to check out this Thursday’s post featuring the country’s top flavors and ice cream parlors!

• Content – When, How, and How much to apply are keys to a successful experience with any skin care product.  Make sure the blogger shares all of these important steps with you.  And more important make sure they use images and video content to show their readers the proper application techniques.
• Latest and Greatest – Top niche bloggers should stay current on the latest trends.  In the vast skincare industry, be sure you are seeing product reviews on recently launched products.  And even better if  the blogger offers comparisons between products or gives you a few choices of products they love.
• Posting Often – Bloggers that post daily or a few times a week are clearly passionate about their niche, are consistently researching new information and staying current with trends.  It is not easy to come up with content on a regular basis unless you are truly immersed in your topic, use multiple platforms for gathering ideas, and follow some great blogs.

Now let’s head to the blogosphere for a few examples of beauty bloggers that deliver the goods:

Beauty blogger, Tine, of beautyholics anonymous is a great example of a blogger who is immersed in her niche of beauty products and skincare. She blogs almost daily, uses great images, and provides some great insight into the products she reviews.  Her bio is lighthearted and fun, and this translates into the way she writes her posts.  It is a pleasure to read and feels trustworthy based on her years of experience and consistent delivery.

Wendy Lewis’ blog, Beauty in the Bag, is a great resource for the latest skincare and beauty products.  It’s a busy site with small images, however, if you really want to learn about product ideas and get tips from experts, this blog digs deep in its content to answer most any question.  I could get lost on this blog and come away with some great advice.

Finally, did you know that male grooming blogs are huge?  There are some very high level blogs for that metrosexual male out there that offer some great guidance, plus some super ideas for gifts!  Here’s one that is oh so impressive.

If I’m a guy that needs a little guidance in this space, Michael Gilman, founder of The Grooming Guys Blog, provides answers to it all.  Not a lot of fancy images…just clear, succinct helpful tips and facts.  My husband came home the other day after a quick “haircut.”  Let’s just say, the bowl-like-cut in the back didn’t really do it for me…or for him.  Wished I had advised him to check out Michael’s blog beforehand!

Overall, this stuff is personal.  A beauty blog I might like may not resonate with you at all.  Find the voice you like, but follow the basic guidelines above to ensure quality and credibility.  And, if you’ve got a new product I might like, please let me know.  : )

1.  Get involved in the conversations.  We had one of our marketers, The Chili Lab, receive over 370 comments on one review written about their chili salts.  These are hundreds of intrigued consumers who want to taste your product.  As a product marketer, engage them.  Reply to their comments, add your own, offer a code for a special discount, send them one-taste/try product samples if they’re interested.

2.  Look for trends in these comments.  In the case with The Chili Lab, each person that made comment that mentioned a particular type of chili salt that they wanted to try.  Is there one that is most popular?  What can you learn from this?  It might trigger an idea of what to spotlight in your marketing campaigns.  The collaboration with the reviewer (blogger) is where it starts, but their followers are where it continues.

3.  Use these positive reviews as testimonials in your marketing collateral.  Share them on your social media platforms, use them as leverage to show potential retail partners that your product is loved by many.

4.  Offer free shipping!  Positive reviews can drive traffic to your website.  Make sure there are no barriers to sale during a review campaign and consider offering free shipping during the campaign period.  There isn’t a consumer out there who doesn’t look for and love free shipping.

5.  Keep the reviewer informed about upcoming product launches you might have.  If they loved your first one, they may surely love the next.  For a select few, make an effort to establish a relationship with them and give them first dibs at reviewing your new product.

Happy Pollen8ing!

Food Glorious Food…by Kim Southern

With over 33,000 food blogs out there how do you set yours apart?  There are some key components that will help ensure your food review is a success.  Here is our list of the top 4:

1.  Images – How often does your mouth water when you look at a picture of a food item? A picture is worth a thousand views!  For some good ideas we think this site is worth a look…http://www.tastespotting.com/
2.  Content – Be sure to write about taste, texture and smell of the product.  When describing be sure to make comparisons to other foods, describe if it was too sweet, too bland, etc..  Give your readers a way to feel as if they have the product in their hands and on their tastebuds for that matter.
3.  Share a recipe or two –  This will help with your credibility as the reviewer.  It shows that you actually tried the product and can offer the potential user some suggested ways to serve the item.
4.  Tell readers where to buy – Finish your product review by directing your readers to a link to buy the product.  After all, once you have them hooked, you want to be sure to give them a chance to buy the product you just raved about.

Check out the top food blogs of 2014 awarded by Saveur:  http://www.saveur.com/content/best-food-blog-awards-2014-winners

I had the opportunity to be a spectator at Piranha Pond today, sponsored by the 128 Innovation Capital Group.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with Piranha Pond, consider it like a mini version of Shark Tank.  You can actually pay for a ticket to watch several startups pitch their businesses to a panel of investors.  Presenters are given feedback and have the opportunity to secure an investment from one or more of the panelists if they opt “in.”  For those investors who opt “out,” they share their reasons why and offer sound advice to the presenter on what was missing and what they could do better.  I watched nearly 10 pitches in 2 1/2 hours hoping to learn some skills and approaches that will help my own startup secure funding in the near future.  For those hoping to do the same thing, Piranha Pond, or an event like this, is a great learning opportunity.

Each presenter had only 5 minutes to present, followed by a brief Q&A with the investor panel.  Here are my top 5 key takeaways for businesses seeking investors:

1.  Tell your story of how you came up with your idea with some passion and energy, but do it succinctly.  Investors want to get a sense of who you are, what your commitment is and how you got there, but not hear every detail.

2.  Clearly describe what your business is, what problem it is solving and who your target market is.  Provide solid data.

3.  Leverage your relationships with various partners such as any advisors, developers, manufacturers, etc., if they lend real credibility to your business.  Having an advisor with major experience in a high profile company or industry can make an impression.

4.  Don’t take forever to get to the ASK.  State clearly how much money you are looking for, what you plan on doing with the investment  and where this is going to take you.  Dan Conley, from New Jersey Angels emphasized several times, “tell the story in dollars and dates.”  How much have you personally invested?  How much revenue has been generated?  How much other funding has been secured?  Describe the pathway to results that will bring these investors a return.

5.  Don’t forget visuals and/or props to set you apart and deepen an investor’s understanding of your business.  Make sure this isn’t just “fluff.”  If a Powerpoint slide or two can make an impact, build it in to your presentation and make sure it doesn’t add a lot of time, but merely enhances what you are trying to say.  (This particularly relates to Piranha Pond’s limit of five minute per pitch).

Overall, remember to smile, be yourself and have a little fun.  If you get bit by a shark or a piranha, bandage your wound and get right back out there to try again.  We’re all just people, with ideas, working hard to find solutions to problems.

So for those Shark Tank hopefuls who were kind enough to take our information, we’re hoping you dazzled the producers and we’re hoping to hear from you.

I truly believe that do-it-yourself models miss the mark if human connection is completely eliminated.  I have worked closely with marketers on several campaigns, helping them write pitches, evaluate reviewer’s profiles and execute the most effective campaigns to meet their goals.  This hands-ON process is not only necessary at times, but so rewarding.  How cool is it to learn about a new product or an entrepreneur’s small business?  To learn their story, their challenges, their goals?  It is something that should never be taken for granted.  The handmade hair elastics are just as important to their creator, as the children’s book is to the author and the clothing line is to the fashion designer.  They’ve invested endless hours, months and even years in their business, working to build a brand, create word of mouth opportunities and grow sales.  For most of us in the small business arena, we can relate.  I know I sure can.  It is exciting to me to be a part of a small business that is helping other small businesses spread the word through a do-it-yourself model that embraces human connection.

At Pollen-8 we believe in helping the Earth as well. One of our listing categories is Eco-Friendly products. To celebrate Earth Day we are offering any business with an Eco-Friendly product a 20% discount to reach more than 500 online product reviewers. Email me at lisa@pollen-8.com and I’ll let you know how to submit your listing.

I saw Anita Hill interviewed on the Daily Show this week.  I am a huge Jon Stewart fan and his brief interview left me wanting to hear more about how the Clarence Thomas hearings of the early 1990’s affected her life.  Ms. Hill was brave and bold as she answered hours and hours of questions by a panel of white male senators requiring her to give explicit details of her experience having been sexually harassed.  She was compelled to call attention to a man who was being considered for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court.  The underlying question was:  it is okay to appoint a man for a lifetime position who has so little respect for women?  Of course Ms. Hill’s credibility was called into question and Clarence Thomas still sits on the bench.

Anita Hill is currently a professor at the prestigious Brandeis University teaching Social Policy, Law and Women’s Studies. Opening today is her new documentary: Anita, Speaking Truth to Power which spotlights her time in history.  It has been more than 20 years since the Clarence Thomas hearings.  That means many young professional women are too young to remember not just the hearings, but the time in our history when it was okay to sexually harass.

These hearings in my opinion were a catalyst for change.  But, I have not worked in a traditional workplace in a long time.  At Pollen-8, I work with all women and love it.  There was a time when I worked mostly with men.  And honestly, that was pretty great too.

I am curious.  Does sexual harassment still exist and in what form?

We as a nation seem to have a come a long way in the past 20 years.  Workplace bias based on race, gender and sexual orientation is no longer tolerated.   Is there work still to be done?  What will be the next workplace issue to tackle?