I notice some of the most interesting things while driving to work in the morning. Whilst pulling out of my subdivision a couple of weeks ago, I noted that the church across the street changed their sign. It read “Joy Flash Mob 2/12/10.” Really? A flash mob used for religious purposes? Unheard of. So what does one do when they want more info? Google it of course!

After doing a little digging I found that a Joy Flash Mob is a dance performed to share the joy of Jesus. I also learned that the practices were being held at the church I mentioned before as well as online for those that couldn’t attend. On top of that, I realized these flash mobs appear several times a year at different festivals around Michigan. How did I not know this? I’m a flash mob fanatic! And why hasn’t it drawn more attention?

It really made me wonder… do flash mobs need to have popular music and a well choreographed crew to be successful or could a flash mob focused on joy and religion really bring the same amount of attention?

Check out the video of a Joy Flash Mob at last year’s Winter Blast.

As a recent advertising graduate, I can honestly say that one of the most influential books that I’ve read in the past year was not a textbook on advertising but instead, The Medici Effect: What Elephants and Epidemics Can Teach Us About Innovation by Frans Johansson.  Those who have heard of this book or had the pleasure to have read it understand why I believe this book reinforces the basic reason why most of us enter the field of advertising.  We all have ideas, perspectives, creative minds, or experience that has led us to believe that we would best be suited in an innovative and always evolving atmosphere.

In the Medici Effect, Johansson discusses how merging two completely unrelated fields produces breakthrough innovations that come together when old ideas intersect to create entirely new thoughts and perceptions.  This book not only discusses how to find such intersections but also gives real life examples of how some of the biggest ideas have come from some of the most unexpected places.

In the advertising world, generating new ideas for our clients and thinking of innovative ways to get a message across are consistently things we are trying to improve and conceptualize.  As Johansson points out, “creation comes from a combination of different concepts in a unique fashion and it is difficult to trace the origin of insight,” (p.67).  I think that as a person in advertising, I need to be open to new ideas no matter where or whom they come from in order to continue to grow and succeed in my profession.  After a while, people tend to build up associative barriers that can hinder their willingness to keep an open mind.  For example, this book has pushed me to be more open to experiencing new things when choosing what I eat, how I spend my free time, the places I visit, and even the acquaintances that I make along the way.  The Medici Effect urges people to interact with the unfamiliar. It is about breaking down old barriers and becoming submersed in new atmospheres, diverse people, and assorted occupations to come up with a truly new idea.

As with most people, I have zero patience for slow drivers during my morning commute. So while following the line of cars passing the offending driver this morning, I was fully prepared to give the stink eye… until something caught my attention.

Ok, I lied, two things caught my attention. First, the vehicle was wrapped in an advertisement for a weight loss product and second, the driver’s reason for going under the speed limit? He was texting!

This got me thinking (shock!). Does the behavior of the driver affect potential consumers’ feelings towards a brand?

In my marvelous morning mood (say that 3x fast), I immediately disregarded the brand, I can’t even recall the name of the product. I felt as if the driver was a reflection of it, just as a salesperson would be. If they could hire someone so unsafe on the road, how were they capable of making a safe product?

So I ask, should an advertiser make sure they have a superb driver before wrapping a vehicle? Or does this not have an impact on the effectiveness of an ad?

Is traditional going to become non-traditional media?  Well it seems that the ever-evolving social media is the latest and greatest form of marketing and advertising.  Newspaper is close to extinction, TV and cable spots can be fast-forwarded and people are tuning into satellite radio.
I went to MSU’s career fair earlier this week.  All the students were familiar with social media and a few of them seemed to have a better grasp on it than others.  What I’m really trying to say is -  it should become a staple class among advertising college courses today.  And it should be integrated into media buying courses as well.
I know it changes daily  - but that’s the purpose of classroom discussions.  Keeping it fresh!

During the Mad Men hiatus I use cable on demand for episodes I missed or want to see again.  A recent one showed a secretary being hit on and verbally swatted by a group of tipsy account guys.  She walked away with personal dignity; but how did she come back day after day to face the same people and the potential of the same humiliating treatment?  Remember that this TV show takes place in the early ‘60s before there were any sexual harassment laws, before there was any consciousness of the corrosive effect on women’s careers.

Not only was a woman personally degraded by sexual harassment but her career was also degraded.  Who can rise in an organization, who can become a leader if she is seen as a victim, as a potential plaything instead of any type of professional?

These days things are quite different in most workplaces thanks to activists and feminists of the recent past.  However for many men and for some organizations treating women fairly is not done out of a raised conscience but only because of the raised cost of violating new legal standards.

Many organizations continue to diminish women even if they keep to the letter of harassment and equal opportunity laws.  Let’s look at the largest and most influential groups in the world—the Catholic Church.  Women cannot take any post of meaningful leadership, as they are not able to be priests.  And why is this?  Certainly there is no commandment from God or proclamation by Jesus on this subject.  It is simply that the men of the church do not want to share the power and the riches.  And sadly there is no legal, moral or societal pressure to make them share it.  Which not only keeps women out of that workplace, it fosters that attitude of women as “less than” and second class.  And directly results in policies that are contrary to the best interests of so many women.  Birth control except for the unreliable rhythm method is still completely prohibited for anyone for any reason.  As is abortion.

Of course, Mad Men hasn’t got into ecclesiastical gender politics; but it clearly and powerfully shows the historical position of women in the corporate workplace.   And it makes me  feel really good about all the positive changes.  And makes me a raving mad woman about all the organizations, people, attitudes that are still wallowing in the patriarchies of the past.

Maybe it’s the New Year that making me nostalgic, maybe it’s my upcoming wedding … not sure exactly, but something has got me reminiscing.  Funny that during this time, I saw an influx on Twitter about old-school advertisements, and ran by a nice photo homage dedicated to vintage healthcare ads.  Looking through the images, I am amazed to see how much the healthcare advertising rules have changed.  Take this ad for example:

The copy reads, “For prompt control of senile agitation.  Thorazine.  Thorazine can control the agitated, belligerent senile and help the patient to have a composed and useful life.  Can you imagine being a pharmaceutical company and running this print ad now?  The AARP would be outraged!

Not sure if the changes are good or bad though, I feel like now as healthcare marketers, we have to walk such a fine line.  What do you think?

Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve undoubtedly heard about the launch of Apple’s new ipad. Apple (and everyone else) is touting the new device a cross between the laptop and the iphone. I’m not going to go into the details of the ipad and it’s features and capabilities, however I do want you to think of the advertising capabilities that will be viewable now on the ipad’s large screen and smart interface.

Since the development of the smart phone, app developers have come out of the woodwork to capitalize on these phones’ capabilities. Now, with the larger display size of the ipad, a screen size of 9.7 inches (similar to Amazon’s Kindle), but with 1024X768 Pixel resolution, app developers and rich media moguls are going to be salivating at the potential opportunities that await them. Imagine your ad on someone’s ipad, growing to a size not seen before on a device that has such mobility since the laptop. Imagine your ad animating, growing, moving, talking – persuading the reader In (technological) ways not even devised yet. The ipad doesn’t (yet) have flash capabilities so if you try to view something built in flash you’re going to get the annoying little icon that you’ve seen before on your iphone, however, I’m sure web developers and app makers are going to devise ways around this downfall by deploying messaging in ways that nobody has even imagined yet. I’m imagining that when an ad is viewed on an ipad, the ad will “know” that it’s being viewed on that device and display appropriately. (versus if it’s displayed on a smart phone) That opens up a lot of opportunities to ad builders like myself, and advertisers like you.

I don’t think that the ipad will ever replace the mobility and usability of a smart phone nor replace the effectiveness of mobile marketing. Also the fact that ads on the ipad can be geotargeted will be a huge differentiator from ads served on laptop computers. As an art director I can see many benefits to this new frontier of viewing ads, although the jury is still out whether this device will be a hit or not. Do you see any new opportunities here? Shoot me a quick comment.

I love when I get a social marketing assignment. Because instead of selling capitalism with my creativity (not that there’s anything wrong with that), I get to sell people on the idea making the world a better place. Some of the best creative has come from public service announcements. What makes this campaign for the United Way Toronto special, is that it was not just a brilliant idea, it was brilliantly executed. That takes commitment, passion and know-how. Kudos to the production team that pulled it off (no pun intended)!

If you have any other creative social marketing examples to share, please do!
This blog post is last in the series, 21 creative social marketing examples.

Before becoming a mom, my knowledge of toys consisted of about 3 things: Sit’ N Spin, Big Wheel and Play-Doh.  When realizing my dance rendition of Single Ladies by Beyonce and what I feel was a very well-thought out and entertaining reading of “Goodnight Moon” wasn’t quite enough to entertain my toddler for more than a few minutes, I entered a new realm – securing imaginative, stimulating kids toys.  A trip to Toys “R” Us for me was comparable to a couch potato running the Boston Marathon.  I almost passed out.  There was no finish line in sight.  I didn’t even break in my sneakers but I did break out in a sweat.  I high-tailed it out of the store and headed home and jumped online.  How many toy kitchens can there be?  Seriously?  Hundreds!  Pure panic.  Until I hit “read customer reviews” and felt immediate calm.  Moms, just like me.  Ones who have bought the product, took the time to write a review, and were kind enough to share it with millions of online users including little ol’ me.  The one that I thought looked the best in the photo had terrible rankings - they had about 5 categories along with side notes, followed by complete reviews.  So, thank you Katie from Minnesota, the anonymous grandma from New York, the mom of 3 from Wisconsin for your reviews, and the many more moms who saved my little one from having to endure my somewhat rusty dance skills.  I knew which products were flimsy, which ones were hard to put together, seemed too big, and didn’t function well.  I ended up with a fabulous Step2 kitchen which I found in stock using the store locator feature.  I am no longer green to kids toys.  In fact, I’m a rewards member now at Toys “R” Us – and I must say they send great coupons (read Jo’s blog about coupon use)!  And really, Step2 has gained a very loyal customer via good feedback from current customers.  I have quite a few Step2 products now – like the easel and outdoor climber.  Reviews are important.  And if your aiming to hit moms, pay close attention to what is said about your products online.  Women are the primary purchase decision makers and word-of-mouth goes right to the pocketbook.   Make it part of your marketing strategy.  And if words aren’t enough, check out some stats in this blog by Robert Gorell, I can only imagine these stats have increased in terms of the power of customer feedback. 

 Web Resizer

Why is my photo so big? And I only need to crop a little edge off! I need to use it on my profile, but it won’t accept it. Where’s that Art Director? Well, in case you don’t have an Art Director laying around or the time and money to invest in using Photoshop, here are some free and easy to use photo editing tools. Thanks for the source Hongkiat!

1. FlauntR
flauntR is rolling out a unique online imaging service that combines photo editing, printing, sharing and storage in a single seamless service.

2. Picture2Life
Picture2Life is a powerful, but simple and easy-to-use online image editor which also allows you to create collages and animated gif’s (or animations). It works great with your pictures that you already have online!

3. Improve Your Image
Improve your images free online tool.

4. LookWow
The LookWow service is a feature-rich offering that includes basic editing functions, such as Crop Photo, Resize, Clarify, Remove Red-Eye and Sharpen Photo.

5. MakeAGif
Create animated gifs the free and easy way!

6. Photoshop.com
Photoshop.com is your online photo sharing, editing and hosting resource. Upload, organize, edit, store (up to 2GB free) and share your photos.

7. Online Photo Tool
On Onlinephototool.com you can edit and save your images, screenshots and photos online.

8. PicMagick
PicMagick is an online photo editor that enables you to make ordinary photos look wonderful within a few clicks.

9. 72Photos
72photos lets you do amazing things with your photos and store them in a safe space online where you can access them from anywhere.

10. Dr.Pic
Crop, Resize, Add Text, Special Effects, and Host your pictures online for free at DrPic.com.

11. EasyCropper
EasyCropper is a simple way for you to crop any image for use on the web. It’s a free tool, so use it at your own risk.

12. FotoFlexer
FotoFlexer is the world’s most advanced online digital photo editor. It performs advanced effects previously only available to professionals using expensive software.

13. Picnik
Picnik makes your photos fabulous with easy to use yet powerful editing tools. Tweak to your heart’s content, then get creative with oodles of effects, fonts, shapes, and frames.

14. rSizr
rsizr is a Flash application that lets you resize JPG, PNG, and GIF images online intelligently.

15. Splashup
Splashup, formerly Fauxto, is a powerful editing tool and photo manager. It’s easy to use, works in real-time and allows you to edit many images at once.

16. Sumo Paint
Sumo Paint is a full featured photo editing / painting application, which works right in your favorite web browser!

17. Web Resizer
Web Resizer helps you optimize photos for web or email. Easy to use. Amazing results!

18. Aviary
Aviary – Phoenix Image Editor is a powerful creative application for image editing that you can use right in your web browser.

Enjoy! And if you really do need an Art Director, contact me:)

While checking my Facebook page the other day I noticed a video from a friend who was apart of a Flash Mob at the Auto Show in Detroit. The still video shot shows a group of people (most with their hands in the air) and the caption read something about dancing to a song. So I had to look right?

Hit play…two girls start a routine amongst onlookers who have no idea what’s going on. Then it’s like a domino effect! People everywhere are dancing the exact same choreography! It was amazing! Well at least until I did some digging and found more and more flash mobs done all over the world. “No pants 2k10”, “Grocery Store Musical”, “Surprise Wedding Reception”.

Not everyone is as excited as I; public safety officials don’t find these mobs too appealing, and some would say they are a nuisance, disorderly, disruptive, troublesome and even disturbing. I happen to like them, although I have not experienced a live flash mob that put a stop to my plans for the day. I suppose they can be irritating but if used the right way perhaps they can bring attention to matters that would otherwise go unnoticed.

Checkout this video and let me know your thoughts! And if you’re anything like me you’ll want to visit this website to see the 24 Flash Mobs you must see to believe!!

It’s that time of year. I’ve been reading lots of healthcare marketing predictions for 2010, failed predictions from 2009, best-ofs, worst-ofs, etc…so I thought I’d keep it simple and arm you with some top Healthcare Marketing Facts & Stats to help you sound in-the-know at your next big pow-wow.

• the number of docs using Smartphones more than doubled to 64% over the past year.
• 61% of adults search on line for health information. 8 of 10 Internet users have searched online for health information.
• 9 of 10 ad campaigns in 2009 involved consumer participation.
• 35% of adults say they personally will be better off if health care reform passes; 27% say they will be worse off.
• There are now over 1,000 hospital social media sites (mostly Facebook, Twitter, YouTube).
• Over 90% of hospitals have no functional comprehensive EHR today. Large and teaching hospitals are leading the way.
• 67% of physician offices (4 or more docs) do not use EMR.
• The patient-centered medical home model has been implemented in over 100 pilots across the country. An industry leader, Geisinger Health Plan, has yielded ROI of over 250%, including 12% ER utilization reduction, 20% hospitalization reduction and 48% rehospitalization reduction.
• For the first time in history, women (our key healthcare target) make up half of all workers. Fifty plus women are the healthiest, wealthiest and most active generation of women in history.
• Chances are you know this one, but I can’t not include it…approximately 46 million people in the U.S. are uninsured; 80% of these are U.S. citizens; 80% are in working families.

Confidently insert these zingers into high level meetings and discussions as appropriate! Got any of your own to share with us?