I thought this story was just too good to pass up.  According to AdAge.com, Colonel Sanders (KFC) is hitting the streets of Louisville, Ky filling up the cities potholes.  This isn’t mandatory probation work or anything, but in fact KFC is using this goodwill effort as part of their marketing strategy.  So what’s the catch?  After the pothole is filled, a large KFC decal is overlaid onto the pavement. 

KFC uses the latest take on cause-marketing to build brand equity and enhance their reputation.  The toilet paper giant Charmin has also tapped into cause-marketing as a way to build their brand.  Charmin actually developed an application for iPhone and BlackBerry that helps consumers find toilets when the need arises. 

This type of cause-marketing is completely different than what we have seen numerous companies do with the new marketing trend of “Job-loss protection” over the past few months.  Companies like JoS.A.BANK, Hyundai and JetBlue Airways all offer job-loss protection for the consumer, but they still require that you make a purchase first.  JetBlue Airways, for example, is offering a refund if you have to cancel a trip because you were let go.  KFC and Charmin, on the other hand, are giving back to the community to show goodwill and hopefully convert this into increased revenue and brand loyalty. 

More and more corporations are looking to cause-marketing in this economic climate when ad budgets are tight.  The trick is to find your niche and make it extremely relevant to your consumer.

Omaha World-Herald
By Steve Jordon
World-Herald Staff Writer
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=1208&u_sid=10594263

“The Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce will honor more than 20 businesses and individuals at a luncheon May 12 at the Holiday Inn, 72nd and Grover Streets.”

Hello – Have you seen the movie Sybil? (I know that I am dating myself referencing this old movie. I watched it when I was a little girl and it was very scary to me.) The movie came to mind while reading this interesting story on the different personalities of Twitters,  http://mediacaffeine.com/network/the-14-types-of-twitter-personalities/. Twitter personalities can range from purist, answering the question what you are doing, to self promoter, trying to leverage Twitter as a marketing tool. Since my goal for Twitter is primarily for “education” purposes, learning about the latest trends in social media or what is trending with national media opportunities, I admit that I have multiple Twitter personalities. I check my personal Twitter every day, have a goal of sending a Tweet at least daily and regularly check out www.twitscoop.com, but sometimes the day goes by and I have forgotten to click the “update” button on my Twitter account. I try to practice what I preach about keeping it real and conversational. If you follow me at www.twitter.com/sdb2205, be warned since you might read about the latest social media trend, a beautiful day in Omaha or my take on a current event. I do not intend to try to have one personality on Twitter, as it is a useful and entertaining tool that will continue to evolve.

Have a great week! Sylvia

The Omaha 25 Awards Luncheon recognizes Greater Omaha area businesses for their contributions to the positive growth of our business community. The twenty-five awards are presented in several categories. Recipients are selected from nominations of Chamber members, based on a variety of criteria.

The awards include the Corporate Citizenship Award, the Emerging Business of the Year Award, the Minority Business of the Year Award, the Nonprofit Organization of the Year Awards, the Small Business of the Year Award, the Women in Leadership Award, Golden Spike Awards and the Excellence in Business Awards.

The following recipients will be recognized at an 11:45 a.m. luncheon on May 12 at Holiday Inn Omaha Convention Center, 3321 S. 72nd St.:

CORPORATE CITIZENSHIP AWARD
Bozell

The Corporate Citizenship Award recognizes an organization whose philosophy of giving has made a significant impact on the Omaha metropolitan community’s health and well being. The award was created to encourage and support corporate social responsibility.

The Corporate Citizenship Award is sponsored by FirstComp.

EMERGING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD
Veteran Defense Services, Inc.

The Emerging Business of the Year Award recognizes a successful business start-up that has laid the foundation for future growth and achievement by developing sound business strategy and practices.

MINORITY BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD
ProKarma, Inc.

The Minority Business of the Year Award recognizes a successful ethnic minority-owned firm that has demonstrated business growth and contributions to the community.

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR AWARDS
Social Settlement and Uta Halee Girls Village, Inc.

The Nonprofit Organization of the Year Awards recognize organizations for their excellent stewardship of resources and exceptional outcomes.

SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR AWARD
Rockbrook Village Shopping Center, Inc.

This award is chosen from the 2008 Small Business of the Month Award winners. This business is recognized for its commitment to strong customer service and community involvement.
The Small Business of the Month and Year Awards are sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska.

WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP AWARD
Adrian Minks, Omaha Public Power District

The Women in Leadership Award recognizes and honors women leaders who have excelled in their chosen field, devoted time and energy to strengthen and transform the community and mentor and develop others.

GOLDEN SPIKE AWARDS
Anthony’s Steakhouse & Ozone Lounge
Farmers National Company
Hillcrest Health Systems, Inc.
Jensen Tire & Auto
Markel BMW, Land Rover, Jaguar & Mini
Renze Display

This award recognizes businesses or industries that boost economic development and the stability in all areas of metropolitan Omaha. These recipients have expanded their businesses through capital improvements, expanded operations or added jobs over the past five years and have an operating history of at least 10 years.

The Golden Spike Awards are sponsored by Northwest Bank.

EXCELLENCE IN BUSINESS AWARDS
CoSentry
CSSS.NET
Hemphill Staffing Solutions, Inc.
Holmes Murphy
Lifespan Technology Recycling
Merchants Credit Adjusters, Inc.
Miller Electric Company
PayPal
Remcon
Right at Home, Inc.
Signature Performance, Inc.
Thrasher Basement Systems, Inc.

This award recognizes outstanding companies with an operating history of at least five years, positive revenue and payroll growth over the last three years, and demonstrates excellence in business practices.

The 2009 Omaha 25 Awards Luncheon is sponsored by KETV and SMITH HAYES Financial Services Corporation. The Corporate Citizenship Award is sponsored by FirstComp. The Golden Spike Awards are sponsored by Northwest Bank. The Small Business of the Month and Year Awards are sponsored by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska.

Tickets are $40 per person and $400 per table of ten for members and $80 per person and $800 per table of ten for nonmembers. Reservations are due by Wednesday, May 6
through www.omahachamber.org/omaha25, to reservations@omahachamber.org or (402) 978-7912.

The mission of the Greater Omaha Chamber is to increase business, investment and employment in the Greater Omaha area.

CONTACT: Karla Ewert, vice president – communications
(402) 978-7942, office or (402) 320-4559, cell
Greater Omaha Chamber
1301 Harney St. • Omaha, NE 68102 • 13206 Grover St. • Omaha, NE 68144
Phone (402) 346-5000 • Fax (402) 346-7050 OmahaChamber.org

Plenty of new things brewing in the Web Browser world these days. Well, maybe not like in the beginning of the browser wars when Netscape introduced their own tags that made budding developers like myself both jump for joy and cringe at the same time. But with Apple launching a new beta version of Safari, Internet Explorer 8 being officially launched by Microsoft, and Google promoting some of the capabilities of it’s own Chrome browser, we’ve got more activity going on in the browser world than there has been in a while.

For Safari, Apple is touting Safari 4 Beta as the world’s fastest browser. They’ve also introduced some cool visual features like their Cover Flow and Top Sites layouts. These are cool. They’re mirroring the visual style that people have become accustomed to with the Mac. Some of the layout changes actually follow what Chrome has been doing, like putting the tabs on top of the browser window. Lots of other improvements tout things seen in varying degrees across other browsers, and a focus on Developer Tools could help keep the devoted fans supplied with cool features and tools – not to mention continued deep integration with the iPhone and iPod.

Microsoft has Internet Explorer 8, which officially launched today. They are also touting speed, but tests are already showing that Safari 4, Chrome and FireFox are faster in key things like AJAX-heavy sites. IE has been seeing steady, although slow, declines in users over the years, but it’s still the overall leader with Web users in general. It’s going to stay that way for the foreseeable future, but the competition is heating up again for people looking for an alternative. At least IE8’s implementation of web standards has improved from IE7. They’ve also stolen an idea from Chrome and now each tab in IE launches in a separate system process. Nice.

Google’s Chrome browser is the newest player in the browser bunch. I’ve been using it a lot simply to get to know it and be familiar with the nuances it has. Overall, I’m really happy with it. The minimalist interface is what I’ve been enjoying the most. I get the most browsing space out of any other browser. I think it also helps that there aren’t a million auto-installed toolbars trying to add themselves to the application. I want to surf sites. Let me do it. There’s been a good amount of wrestling with Flash plugin versions and Silverlight not knowing that Chrome actually is able to work with it, but it is getting better. And Chrome is really great with AJAX and Javascript in general. The fact that they’re now highlighting some of the greater capabilities with Chrome’s rendering engine (the WebKit engine, which Safari is also based on) in the Chrome Experiments site may mean that Google has more in store for us soon. Stay tuned.

What’s this all mean to you? Probably not much. Pick the browser that you like the most or just use the one your operating system has selected by default. That’s how most people are doing it these days. But for those of us who are designing and developing websites, it’s a different story. Each new version of IE presents real challenges. IE8’s adherence to web standards is great. But that means that all the tricks and special things we’ve had to do to make sites render properly across IE6, IE7, FireFox, Safari, Chrome, and others now have another wrench in the mix. IE8 has some IE7 compatibility modes built in – if you tag your site properly for it. More work.

We keep up with the latest happenings in the browser wars so we can stay on top of best practices for design and development. We also love seeing the advancement of new technologies and integration of those features that users come to enjoy and expect. Just like Netscape inspired with their own tags back in the early days, now we’ve got multiple browsers with tabs, isolated processes, and a lot more due to user demand and good old fashioned competition. That is something everyone benefits from.

Our marketing industry professionals offer a variety of presentation programs and can tailor or develop special programs for particular audiences. Read More

Many members of the Bozell staff offer a variety of presentations designed to help businesses large and small thrive in a hyper-changing marketing landscape. Read More

“Ford leaving Chrysler, GM in its rearview” is the lead headline in AdAge for March 9 & 16.   And then they go on to analyze this phenomenon.  Is it because there’s a “halo surrounding Ford for passing up federal funds being devoured by Detroit rivals”?  Or is it because Ford is “building image in its marketing while others flog incentives”?  How about this Sherlock – the American consumer has come to the surprisingly logical and intelligent conclusion that the boys in Detroit may not be overly focused on product quality if their financials are in the crapper.  On top of that, in the event that aftermarket service is needed, these flailing icons just might not be here to help if, more probably when, that time should come.  How did that possibility not occur to you?

Has the American consumer been reduced to such a demographic statistic in our industry that they could only possibly be responding to company dogma or PR spin?  In reality the American consumer consists of people.  People who don’t want to commit a large chunk of their hard earned income only to get stuck with an inferior and unreliable product.  People who are paying attention to what’s going on around them and making intelligent decisions.

Let’s give the American consumer a little credit.  Granted, they’re not getting the full story on any of these companies, Ford included.  But they’re taking the information available to them and using it to make cogent and reasonable decisions to the extent that they can.  And they’re doing it in numbers great enough to be counted.  And that’s the best anyone can be expected to do – even some of the marketing geniuses who analyzed this data in the first place.

Christin Goetz, project manager in Bozell’s Brand Navigation practice, has been selected as Ad Rookie of the Year by the Omaha Federation of Advertising (OFA). Goetz was recognized at the OFA Meet the Pros Keynote Luncheon on February 10.

The Ad Rookie of the Year recognizes an OFA member with five or fewer years in advertising who demonstrates outstanding work both professionally and in the community. Goetz manages the Right at Home, Inc., and Market to Market Relay accounts and provides primary account support for Alegent Health, the College World Series, Inc., and United Way of the Midlands. Prior to working at Bozell, Goetz held internships with the communications department at Metropolitan Utilities District and the marketing department at Alegent Health. She graduated from Creighton University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

“Christin gives her best, day in and day out. She’s an outstanding young woman who’s dedicated and flexible, and we are so pleased to have her as a part of our team,” said Angel Carl, Vice President, Marketing at Right At Home.

Goetz chairs the Omaha Federation of Advertising’s education committee, and over the past two years, has established a seminar for professors at Meet the Pros and the “Smart Spending. Big Profits.” small business symposium. She is also a member of Moxie Paper Press, a young independent publisher in Omaha and is a contributing writer for Food & Spirits magazine.

“Christin is a rising star in the Omaha advertising community. This award is an acknowledgement of her outstanding professional achievements – and those yet to come. She has a tenacious spirit, is forward thinking and is a persistent student of marketing,” said Kevin Hutchison, Partner in Charge, Brand Navigation at Bozell. “She is devoted to our industry and to our community. We are thrilled to have her on the Bozell team and I believe that we will be hearing more about her in the future!”

About Bozell
Bozell is an integrated marketing communications company with offices in Omaha and Kansas City. Bozell combines qualitative and quantitative methodology to get close to its clients’ customers. Bozell then uses advertising, digital marketing, dialogue relations, technology and innovative creative to provide targeted solutions for local, regional and national clients. For more information, visit www.bozell.com.

Anyone get it? What about Chocolate Rain? Or how about Hampster Dance? Techno Viking? Monkey Sniffs Finger? LOLCATS? Mentos & Diet Coke? Peanut Butter Jelly Time? Star Wars Kid? I really could go on for days. I will save you the pain (and time) and end it now.

Anyone who has been online for a while is surely familiar with at least one of the above internet memes. There was even a South Park episode that made fun of the phenomenon.

What is it that makes any one of these breakout sensations so overwhelmingly popular? How does a Rick Astley video turn into something you can’t afford NOT to see? It’s really hard to say, but people are chasing that very goal every day. Companies and individuals are out there trying very hard to forcefully become the Next Big Thing online. Who wouldn’t drool at the opportunity to have hundreds of thousands of people forwarding your link to their friends?

The trick, however, is that these things can’t be forced. It’s like making friends. Walk around on the street and tell every person you see that they should be your friend. And that they should tell their friends to be your friend, too. Not going to happen.

You’ve got to be original. Unique. Provide something people want. Whether it’s information, entertainment, efficiency or something else – these internet sensations did something that made them stand out from the other millions of things like them online. Some of them were the first of their kind. Some of them took a new approach to the same old thing. Some were simply better than the others.

Look at your business and brand. Where do you fit in? How are you trying to stand out in the crowd? Now more than ever, it’s essential that you evaluate your approach and make sure you’re not out there asking everyone to be your friend. Be the company that everyone wants to do business with. Be sincere, interesting and valuable. Tell the truth. If you just happen to be the next big breakout sensation, then you’re all the more prepared to take it on because you’ve built a good foundation in the first place.

OK – so much for the rant. Here’s some more fun:

GREG RUTTER’S DEFINITIVE LIST OF THE 99 THINGS YOU SHOULD HAVE ALREADY EXPERIENCED ON THE INTERNET UNLESS YOU’RE A LOSER OR OLD OR SOMETHING

About this blog post’s title, which holds a special place in my heart because of actually having played that game. And the full video »

Just for emphasis.