Category: worth mentioning

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A Christmas card recap

As has become a holiday staple, agencies around the state send out holiday cards and gifts. Call them Christmas cards, call them Holiday cards, everyone gets the point…

This year, however, I came across a few examples of shops that have taken a different approach.

Starting last year, and continuing once again this year, Rizen Creative went to a local school and held an art contest. The winners received samples of their cards which they could send to their friends and family. The school got a donation to its general fund, and Rizen got a holiday card. I good idea, no doubt, and a nice gesture to boot. More details about this one can be found on The Underdog Effect.

Another notable gesture, and one that many will compare future efforts against in years to come, came from Carew Co. For those that may have missed it, Carew Co. was founded earlier this year by Paul Carew, formerly of Oliver Russell. From all accounts, its been busy around there since day one, and one of the results was this card that was sent out to clients:

Along with this card was a message that let the recipient know that rather than sending gifts, snacks or other holiday treats, Carew Co. made a cash donation to the Idaho Foodbank for $1,000. As mentioned on the Carew Co. blog, that donation will provide 5,000 meals that can be served.

Now as always, I’m sure there are others that I’ve missed, or should mention along with these. And as always, you’re welcome to send an email or leave a comment to share your latest and greatest news.

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Pro Bono work – the update

As I expected it would, an earlier post highlighting some local pro bono work generated some response. Here’s a quick update on what a few other shops are working on:

DNA Advertising:
DNA Advertising teamed with Dutch Bros. Coffee and Peak Broadcasting to collect books for Mercy Housing, which is building a library for different communities. Mercy Housing helps people find affordable housing and offers after school programs for children.

DNA, along with Blackfin Technology, is also working on a re-branding campaign for The Arc.

Es/drake:
Es/drake redesigned Zoo Boise’s website.

Es/drake also donated quite a bit of time and effort to the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Live Large Give Large activities earlier this year.

Others? Just let me know.

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Doing more than just trying to make a buck

I have to give credit to shops that go out of their way to help their community. Oliver Russell’s o-pen purse program has been a long-standing example of such.

Today I happened upon another example.

Rizen Creative recently completed and launched a new website for the Boise Area Crime Stoppers. The site was done on a pro bono basis, led by Rizen’s Javier Barrera.

Now before everyone jumps down my throat, I’m sure that for every example such as this that I mention, there are a hundred that go unnoticed. I won’t dispute that fact. The only way I way I know to change it — send me any tips or news that you’d like to share.

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Always nice to see client success

And in this case, a tip of the hat goes to the folks over at Stoltz Marketing Group.

Peter O’Neill, Chairman of O’Neill Enterprises, will be receiving the 2007 Real Estate Award from the Idaho Chapter of the March of Dimes, “in honor of his involvement in the real estate industry and community.” The award will be presented at a breakfast on December 4th. Additional details about the event can be found on the Idaho Business Review’s website.

O’Neill Enterprises has been around since 1979, and Stoltz Marketing Group has done work on their behalf for many years.

Now, those of you who attended the most recent BAF luncheon will remember Pat Doody’s comments that no agency deserves more than 50% of the credit for a client’s success, or more than 50% of the blame for a client’s failure. The same principal applies here, however I think everyone who has worked for Stoltz over the years on assorted O’Neill-related projects deserves a pat on the back.

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David Armano’s Incomplete Manifesto

Here’s something that might provoke a few thoughts…

I came across David Armano’s Incomplete Manifesto recently, and it struck a chord. If you haven’t heard of David, you owe it to yourself to check out his blog, Logic + Emotion. David is the VP of Experience Design with Critical Mass, and is incredibly active in the social media space. He originally wrote this back in June of 2006, and updated it in October 2006.

Here are a few excerpts from his manifesto:

Ask.
Ask questions. Lots of them. Ask the silly ones. The ones that no one else wants to ask. Ask about the bigger idea. Ask about the details. Ask why—but also ask yourself why you are asking the questions.

Be Someone’s Hero.
Everybody needs a hero. We just don’t want to admit it. Find someone who needs a hero. Not your boss—but the person looking for guidance—a word of encouragement or inspiration. Be that hero even if your own heroes don’t exist for you.

Tear Down The Wall.
Corporations thrive by having distinct departments and teams. Collaboration is encouraged—but authentic collaboration rarely happens. Why? Because it’s messy business. People are born with egos. Egos need to be un-learned. Replace your natural born ego with intense curiosity. Do this and you’ll be able to break down barriers, and do great things. When Harley-Davidson wanted to design their first high-performance motorcycle (the V-Rod), they went to Porsche for help. That’s checking ego at the door.

I would encourage all of you to read David’s entire manifesto over at Logic + Emotion. Is it going to change your world? No, probably not. But if it causes you to look at things just a little differently next time, then well done.

And to David, I have to say – outstanding work, as always.

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