Monday, February 27, 2012

Great Video on Branding

This video was produced in 2011 by the MSc Brand Leadership team at Norwich Business School, University of East Anglia. The course was the first of its kind in the world and has attracted students from 23 countries including Japan, USA, Singapore, Taiwan, UK, India and China - to name but a few.



Sunday, February 26, 2012

Positive Fridays: Largest Paired Kidney transplant to date!


You know I’m a sucker for a good transplant story, especially since I have been blessed with such a tremendous gift of a transplant from my living Angel on Earth Cristina Zakis!  So, I have to share this story, that is the epitome of Paying it Forward, and most importantly, the true goodness in humanity!  Donate Life y’all, it is truely the gift that keeps on giving – not like a fruitcake!
Rick Ruzzamenti admits to being a tad impulsive. He traded his Catholicism for Buddhism in a revelatory flash. He married a Vietnamese woman he had only just met. And then a year ago, he decided in an instant to donate his left kidney to a stranger.
In February 2011, the desk clerk at Mr. Ruzzamenti’s yoga studio told him she had recently donated a kidney to an ailing friend she had bumped into at Target. Mr. Ruzzamenti, 44, had never even donated blood, but the story so captivated him that two days later he called Riverside Community Hospital to ask how he might do the same thing.
Halfway across the country, in Joliet, Ill., Donald C. Terry Jr. needed a kidney in the worst way. Since receiving a diagnosis of diabetes-related renal disease in his mid-40s, he had endured the burning and bloating and dismal tedium of dialysis for nearly a year. With nobody in his family willing or able to give him a kidney, his doctors warned that it might take five years to crawl up the waiting list for an organ from a deceased donor.

The rise of Pinterest as Brand engagement tool


Pinterest, with its 10 million users has quickly become a force in the Social Media world.  Yet, how do brands utilize this platform to engage their consumers on such a unique level?
Here’s an article that gives 5 tools for brand engagement on the Pinterest platform:
The surprise smash-hit social networking site of 2011 wasn’t TwitterTumblr or Google+. In fact, it was a site that, even today, is still an invite-only social network. The Palo Alto site Pinterest has skyrocketed into the top ten most visited social networks of the past year and continues to gain traction and popularity.
The image-based platform is a simple enough concept: Users create and name Boards anything they like (Places I’d Like to Visit, Pretty Dresses, My Cookie Creations, etc.) and post relevant photos on corresponding Boards, while categorizing Boards under one of the 32 general Pinterest categories. Users follow one another based on interests, and photos are displayed in a pin board-type feed that is simple, yet visually stunning.
But how can brands and companies utilize this platform to their advantage? Here are five ways to jump on the Pinterest bandwagon to reach an already established female audience and a rising male audience.

Super Bowl Ads


Hey, its Super Bowl weekend, the most expensive day in Marketing and Advertising on TV!  My favorite was the sequel to the Star Wars’ Volkswagen ad from last year:

What was your favorite?



Inspiring Moments of 2011


I find it awesome how resilient we are as humans, that when facing adversity, we as a race stand up and find a way to succeed. Be it natural disasters, defending comrades in battle, or rocketing to space – we as a race are inspiring. Take a few moments to watch this video of what we have endured – and succeeded – in 2011.

Positive Friday: Nurse Donates Kidney to Patient


As most of you know, I received a kidney from my new sister, and Angel on Earth Cristina Zakis on Nov 12, 2010.  I see that day as a new birthday for me, and is part of the Why in what I do.  It also means I’m a sucker for a good transplant story, and this one is amazing.  It speaks to the true essence of selflessness, and shows that yes Victoria, there are good people out there.  If you know of someone in need of a transplant, or even if you have a calling to be a living donor – I ask you to consider it.  There is no greater gift than saving someone’s life.
To the people at the Emory Transplant Center – you are inspiring in your dedication, and are creating new hope in the lives of those who come to you – I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Video You Should See


When we re-launched Whiteboard Promotions in January of 2011, we made it a goal of ours to help promote non-profits that make a significant, positive impact in our communities.  We also wanted to help raise awareness of key issues that affect our lives, and are dear to our hearts – that of transplant, and of Autism.
Here is a video I was sent today that was done for Autism Speaks, and it raises awareness of how prevalent this is in the children of today.  I ask you to learn about Autism, as it is affecting our youth more and more these days.
Have a great weekend!


QR codes and Trade Show Marketing


If you've attended a tradeshow, you've probably left with a bag packed full of promotional products, business cards, and sales collateral.
We all have the best intentions when we add something to our swag bags, but the reality of our busy lives sets in the second we walk out of the tradeshow and get into our cars. Materials collected at a tradeshow often get thrown out immediately or discarded after sitting in a corner of our office for months.
If your company uses tradeshows as a marketing tactic, QR (quick response) codes can help you avoid the inevitable doom of the tradeshow-bag black hole. QR codes are the square-shaped, (usually) black-and-white barcodes that we've all seen popping up on billboards, in magazines, and in commercials. When a QR code is scanned by a smartphone, it typically opens an informational Web page or video.
QR codes are catching on quickly in the US now that more than 35% of American adults own smartphones. In fact, QR code usage shot up 4,549% in Q1 of 2011 alone, with 9 out of 10 scans being done to find more information about a product or service.
So, how can QR codes help you make an impact at a tradeshow?


Read more from Marketing Profs::