Posts Tagged ‘advertising milton’
Posted by Scott Dunn on April 21, 2009
Great news. You woke up this morning and a video produced about your brand has over 760,000 views in a 24 hour period. Twitter is a buzz about your brand, your video is being translated in every language imaginable and your brand has truly gone global. You now know what it means when a video goes viral. Congratulations are in order, right?
Wrong!!! See, the problem is this. All of the hype about your brand is negative. Yes, you read it right, negative. Neither you nor your ad agency produced the buzz. Instead, a couple of employees with a little bit of time and a $150.00 camera made the video about your brand, posted it on You Tube and the world watched.
Think it can not happen to you and your brand? Do you still think social media is a fad or something your kids do for hours on end? This is exactly what Domino’s thought until it happened to them.
Last week, Donino’s Pizza faced a truly trying time when a video was posted on You Tube showing two employees defacing its food. In a 24 hour period, the video went viral and social media sites were a buzz. With 760,000 views on You Tube, it is enough to make any marketing executive shutter.
Another case in point is Aston Martin. Someone on Twitter decided to set up an account using their name and started tweeting (sending out messages) as Aston Martin. To make a long story short, the tweets were not all good. Aston Martin found out their brand was hijacked and contacted Twitter to have the account shut down. How many tweets did Aston Martin (the hijacked brand) send out? Enough that people took notice and objected to the comments.
Bottom line: Social Media has arrived. Will it have the same look and feel next month, next year or ten years from now? No, it will not. Social Media will continue to evolve as we will. These are exciting times to be in the advertising and marketing world as the industry is being turned on its heel. Change is inevitable; how you handle it is up to you.
What is your plan to protect your brand? Do you have a process in place for what to do when your brand comes under fire? Your brand will come under fire. Will you be prepared when it does?
Take action today and put together a list of the major social media sites and actively monitor these sites. Google has some great tools that will help you to do this. Find out who you need to contact at each of these sites and what the process is to have your hijacked brand removed from the site. How can you leverage the same sites to help you in your campaign?
It is up to you to protect your brand!
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted in Social Media | Tagged: ad agency, ad agency alpharetta, ad agency atlanta, ad agency johns creek, advertise, advertise atlanta, advertise in alpharetta, advertise in atlanta, advertise in johns creek, advertise in milton, Advertising, advertising agency, advertising agency atlanta, advertising alpharetta, advertising alpharetta ga, advertising atlanta, Advertising digital advertising marketing, advertising in atlanta, advertising johns creek, advertising milton, advertising roswell, advertising sandy springs, alpharetta advertising, atlanta advertising, atlanta advertising agencies, b2b advertising, buckhead, city of milton advertising, digital advertising, johns creek advertising, print advertising, roswell advertising, Scott Dunn, scott t. dunn, small business advertising, small business advertsing, social media advertising, sonar, sonar connects, sonarconnects, Town Planner, Town Planner Calendar, Town Planner GA, townplanner | 4 Comments »
Posted by Scott Dunn on April 20, 2009
Here’s the marketing outrage of the year. The Port Authority of New Jersey and New York has changed the name of the new signature building at the 9/11 terrorist strike from “The Freedom Tower” to “WTC I.”
Why? Because the word “freedom” makes it hard to sell, they say. They are trying to find tenants for the 1776 foot office/monument, and its tough sledding. But the rumor has it that China has popped for about three floors. Did China insist on the change? Why should they object? Are they afraid of the word? Or of the concept?
To me, “WTC I” invokes sad memories. It makes me think of bad, past days. Dark days of heroism, grief, and, yes, terrorists. But “Freedom” is inspirational and looks forward to days of light, progress and joy.
The old Twin Towers were not a raging success. I don’t think their occupancy was ever that great; I don’t know why. Maybe the new building will have a curse on it, and be hard to rent no matter what name it bears. If I were a salesman for the project, I know I’d rather be selling freedom than a tombstone.
There will be a brief chapter in my new textbook called “Courageous Marketing.” It will cover brands that survived the recession by plowing forward. It will describe the guts of taking uncertain paths. It will honor those who are single minded, despite pressure to diversify. It will not include the chicken-hearted politically correct sycophants like the Port Authority of New Jersey and New York.
The climate these days is to decry the greedy capitalists. The ones who make profits on the backs of the needy unfortunates. But they’re the ones who take risks for freedom, the brave people who aren’t afraid to step up with pride and say, “This is what I stand for. Want a piece of it?”
George Lemmond
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted in marketing | Tagged: ad agency, ad agency alpharetta, ad agency atlanta, ad agency johns creek, ad agency miami, ad agency New York, advertise, advertise atlanta, advertise in alpharetta, advertise in atlanta, advertise in johns creek, advertise in milton, advertise in north fulton, Advertising, advertising agency, advertising agency atlanta, advertising alpharetta, advertising alpharetta ga, advertising atlanta, advertising city of milton, advertising ga, advertising georgia, advertising in atlanta, advertising johns creek, advertising milton, advertising roswell, advertising sandy springs, alpharetta advertising, atlanta advertising, atlanta advertising agencies, b2b advertising, buckhead, city of johns creek, city of milton advertising, digital advertising, emory johns creek hospital, George Lemmond, Johns Creek, johns creek advertising, johns creek business, johns creek business association, johns creek chamber, johns creek marketing, print advertising, roswell advertising, Scott Dunn, small business advertising, small business advertsing, social media advertising, sonarconnects, Town Planner, Town Planner Calendar, Town Planner GA, townplanner, townplannerga | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Scott Dunn on March 26, 2009
Be careful what you tweet! Twitter has been around for the last three years or so and has become all the rage with the Internet 2.0 crowd. One thing that I caution my clients about when they go onto twitter is this: Make darn sure you UNDERSTAND that anything you write can and will come back to bite you in your ass…so be very, very, very, very careful what you tweet about. For some strange reason many people think that because a few tweets a day are good, a tweet a minute must be better. Or because I have a thought right now, I must share it with the world. Not so says I. DO NOT tweet, just because you think you need to.
This Tweet came back to bite the person from Ketchum (New York office) who made some disparaging remarks about the city of Memphis the morning before he presented on digital media to the worldwide communications group at FedEx (150+) people. A Fed Ex employee found it, was offended by it (as well they should be) and responded as such. But wait, it gets better…they also copied the FedEx Coporate Vice President, Directors and all management of FedEx’s communication department AND the chain of command at Ketchum.
The tweet:
What not to say when your client is FedEx
The employee response:
Mr. Andrews,
If I interpret your post correctly, these are your comments about Memphis a few hours after arriving in the global headquarters city of one of your key and lucrative clients, and the home of arguably one of the most important entrepreneurs in the history of business, FedEx founder Fred Smith.
Many of my peers and I feel this is inappropriate. We do not know the total millions of dollars FedEx Corporation pays Ketchum annually for the valuable and important work your company does for us around the globe. We are confident however, it is enough to expect a greater level of respect and awareness from someone in your position as a vice president at a major global player in your industry. A hazard of social networking is people will read what you write.
Not knowing exactly what prompted your comments, I will admit the area around our airport is a bit of an eyesore, not without crime, prostitution, commercial decay, and a few potholes. But there is a major political, community, religious, and business effort underway, that includes FedEx, to transform that area. We’re hopeful that over time, our city will have a better “face” to present to visitors.
James, everyone participating in today’s event, including those in the auditorium with you this morning, just received their first paycheck of 2009 containing a 5% pay cut… which we wholeheartedly support because it continued the tradition established by Mr. Smith of doing whatever it takes to protect jobs.
Considering that we just entered the second year of a U.S. recession, and we are experiencing significant business loss due to the global economic downturn, many of my peers and I question the expense of paying Ketchum to produce the video open for today’s event; work that could have been achieved by internal, award-winning professionals with decades of experience in television production.
Additionally Mr. Andrews, with all due respect, to continue the context of your post; true confession: many of my peers and I don’t see much relevance between your presentation this morning and the work we do in Employee Communications.
Wow!!!
Did I say content was king?????? You have the power to the information highway, what you do with it is up to you. What you tweet about, will be held against you.
By the way, this happened in January. Not only is it still being discussed at the major social media events (like the one last month at Kennesaw State), but it is also still being written about. I know I always say there is no such thing as bad press, but I might have to rethink that!
Bottom line: No mater what you think about the social media space , it is here to stay. So, learn how to use it to your advantage and create something good.
Scott T. Dunn
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted in Social Media | Tagged: ad agency alpharetta, ad agency johns creek, advertise in alpharetta, advertise in johns creek, advertise in milton, advertising alpharetta, advertising alpharetta ga, advertising city of milton, Advertising digital advertising marketing, advertising johns creek, advertising milton, Alpharetta, alpharetta advertising, alpharetta business, alpharetta marketing, appen, appen newspaper, city of Alpharetta, city of johns creek, city of milton, city of milton advertising, city of milton business, city of milton marketing, digital advertising, digital marketing, digital media, Johns Creek, johns creek advertising, johns creek business, johns creek business association, johns creek chamber, johns creek chamer of commerce, johns creek marketing, marketing alpharetta, marketing city of milton, marketing johns creek, milton, money mailer, moneymailer, Scott Dunn, Small Business, small business advertising, small business advertsing, small business marketing, Social Media, social media advertising, social networking, sonar, sonar connects, sonnarconnects, Town Planner Calendar, val pak, valpak | 8 Comments »
Posted by Scott Dunn on February 27, 2009
Ok, ok, ok, I get it. We are in the midst of one of the biggest recessions in the last 20 plus years, according to the media. Everyday I look at my RSS feeds, my google page or the news. It is all doom and gloom. Personally, I am tired of it and believe now is the best time to be in and grow a small business. Yes, I know fear sells and yes I know media companies are in it to make money, but come on people. Give me a break. Can’t I have just a little bit of good news sprinkled in with the doom and gloom?
As someone who is participating in the American Dream via entreprenuership, I am always looking for ways to improve, stengthen and grow my business. So instead of focusing on the doom and gloom, I am focusing on the positives. The positives of a good recession for a small business owner, in my mind, are as follows:
1) Invest in your infrasturcture.
- Small businesses by nature are set up to run lean and mean. We do not have access to millions and millions of dollars from ponzi/hocus pocus fianancing, so we must be practical with our resources. In good times this means sales reps don’t want to “waste their time with us” and in down times we can pick up equipment for pennies on the dollar. Now is the time to purchase the equipment you want but could never justify the cost. If you are buying used equipment, MAKE SURE you purchase a service contract. You will sleep better at night.
2) Invest in your people.
- Let’s face it. The most important thing in any business is your client base. Right after that, it is your people. Now is the perfect time to not only train your people, but also recruit new employes. The recession will end and when it does, are your people better, the same or worse for the experience? How many jobs can one employee perform and are they fully trained on that new piece of equipment? Are they cross-trained in two to three other positions? What were your biggest employee headaches over the last few years? Now is the time to solve them. Recruit, recruit, recruit. The best hires I have ever made were people that took six months to a year to recruit. Now is the best time to find new employees so you do not have to make knee jerk reactions when you do have to hire. Most everyone will at least sit down for a cup of coffee and start a conversation. Call all the people who did not want to talk to you for the last two years and meet with them. You will be amazed at what you find out about a person…like are they really worth all the hype?
3) Invest in your customers.
- This is THE most important thing that any small business can do. What can you do, right here right now, to strengthen a relationship with one of your customers? Find something in your business that you can use to help them. It does not necessarily have to be a product or service that is fee based. A tremendous value add you can provide is education. What is happening in your industry that will affect your customers? Take the time now to build trust and help your clients prepare for the future. Note, I did not say this is a sales call for you to peddle your wares.
4) Build NEW alliances.
- Stop reading this blog, pick up the phone right now and call someone. Anyone. Build a new relationship with someone outside of your current network. You are on every social media sight known to man, so pick up the phone and put a voice to that face. The more people who know you, the easier it is for them to refer you.
This “recession” will end. What you do right now right here, today will pave the road for your success in the future.
TAKE ACTION NOW!
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted in marketing | Tagged: ad agency, ad agency atlanta, ad agency johns creek, ad agency miami, ad agency New York, advertise, advertise in atlanta, advertise in milton, Advertising, advertising agency, advertising alpharetta, advertising atlanta, advertising city of milton, advertising ga, advertising georgia, advertising in atlanta, advertising johns creek, advertising milton, advertising roswell, advertising sandy springs, alpharetta advertising, atlanta advertising, buckhead, city of milton advertising, digital advertising, johns creek advertising, print advertising, recession, roswell advertising, Scott Dunn, small business advertising, small business advertsing, social media advertising, sonar connects, sonarconnets, Town Planner, Town Planner Calendar, Town Planner GA, townplanner, townplannerga | 3 Comments »
Posted by Scott Dunn on February 19, 2009
A lot of people say that retailing, as we know it, is dead. Why go to a store when you can compare and shop on the internet, get it paid for and delivered without leaving home?
Despite its growth and acceptance, internet sales are still less than five percent of all purchases. I predict it will never reach fifteen percent? Why? Because people need to shop. They need to get out and connect with the world,
In my experience at Target I saw nine reasons why people came into our stores. Do you fit any of these?
1. They want to be in a crowd. It’s somewhere to go, to be with human beings. They can’t stand to be alone. They need sporting events, restaurants, or just walking through the city.
2. The opposite—to be alone. In other words, to be lost in a crowd. When they get stressed out they relax by shopping. Somehow they recharge their batteries there. They can still be anonymous while making human contact.
3. They want companionship. They come in pairs. “Hey, let’s get together—we can go shopping!” Some couples develop strong bonds—they are facing the world as a team.
4. They want to see what’s new. It’s a better way to be with it and not rely on what they read in the paper or see on TV.
5. They need a challenge. It’s a competitive sport. Compulsive shoppers are very competitive. They can sniff out a bargain from a hundred yards away. They bag their stuff as trophies, and come home victorious.
6. They need to pamper themselves. They need to spend in order to affirm their beauty and worth. It’s an award they bestow on their egos. It makes them feel better than a workout at the gym.
7. They need to dream. They need to see how the upper class lives. They envy wealth. Women try on stuff that there’s no way they can buy.
8. They need to brag. These are the worst kind. They have to show how smart and rich they are.
9. They need something. Duh. This applies mostly to men. Shopping is a problem for them to be solved—go out and find it, shoot it, and bring it home.
My Dad hated shopping: he waited in the car for Mom and smoked his pipe. My daughter was told by her mother, “Clean your room or I’ll make you go shop with your father!”
Of course people will switch from one reason to another, day to day. Sometimes from store to store.
But can you imagine what it would be like if there were no shopping? How else could you satisfy the basic need to be connected?
George Lemmond
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged: advertise, advertise atlanta, advertise in alpharetta, advertise in atlanta, advertise in johns creek, advertise in milton, advertise in north fulton, Advertising, advertising agency, advertising agency atlanta, advertising alpharetta ga, advertising atlanta, advertising city of milton, advertising ga, advertising georgia, advertising in atlanta, advertising johns creek, advertising milton, advertising roswell, advertising sandy springs, alpharetta advertising, atlanta, atlanta advertising, b2b advertising, buckhead, chamber, city of milton advertising, digital advertising, George Lemmond, gnfcc, johns creek advertising, metro atlanta chamber, metro atlanta chamber of commerce, print advertising, roswell advertising, Scott Dunn, small business advertising, small business advertsing, social media advertising, sonar connects, sonarconnects | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Scott Dunn on November 18, 2008
Attached is a press release from a client, Emory Johns Creek Hospital (EJCH), who just won the E-HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP AWARD.
We at Town Planner Calendar are both proud and honored to have been chosen to develop this project with Emory Johns Creek Hospital. I appreciate EJCH’s leap of faith in choosing our agency to help them in launching their first social media site. We at Town Planner Calendar are very passionate about Social Media and its limitless roles in procuring tangible results for our clients.
Congratulations Emory Johns Creek Hospital!!!
————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Johnel Reid November 18, 2008
EMORY JOHNS CREEK HOSPITAL WINS E-HEALTHCARE LEADERSHIP AWARD FOR VIDEO BLOG
JOHNS CREEK, GA – Emory Johns Creek Hospital was recognized for its outstanding website at a special presentation in Orlando on November 11 during the Twelfth Annual Healthcare Internet Conference. The EJCH blog and video blog sites earned the Award of Distinction, the number one award among hospitals of 200 beds or less, in the category of Best Web 2.0/Rich Media category. “It is an honor to be recognized for our considerable efforts this past year,” said Johnel Reid, Director of Marketing for the hospital. “What began as an experiment for us, has gained momentum and produced significant results,” she added.
Emory Johns Creek Hospital’s site was chosen from among 1,100 entries by a panel of 114 judges familiar with healthcare and the Internet. “A growing number of healthcare organizations are clearly embracing the Web and emerging technologies,” says Mark Gothberg, eHealthcare Leadership Awards chairman. Gothberg notes that many organizations have invested in new sites or made significant improvements in their existing sites. “Such rich media forms as video, audio, blogs, and discussion groups are changing the landscape of Web sites,” he says.
The hospital launched its blog and video health library with the help and video production of Scott Dunn, of SONARconnects. “We know that people are changing the way they receive their news and information and we know the Internet plays a significant role,” said Reid. The team videotaped interviews with their medical staff about a variety of health related issues and then posted the videos to the Internet. “In less than four months, the 150 videos we have posted have received more than 11,000 views,” Reid said.
“Our audience can expect to see our blog continue to evolve,” said Reid. “We are finding ways to become more interactive and build relationships with our patients and the community. Healthcare marketing, at its core, is about relationships — building trust among physicians, hospitals and patients,” she said. “Traditionally, healthcare marketing has been fairly conservative. We are fortunate to have leadership that embraces this experiment ,” Reid added. “We have exciting plans for 2009 that will include improving the quality, server response and using more social media elements.”
“It’s rewarding to work with clients to help them find ways to reach their markets in new ways. The Internet is changing how people get their news, their information, even their entertainment. It is changing how people connect with each other and with the companies they choose to do business with,” said Dunn. “In the case of Emory Johns Creek, we found a way for doctors to reach their target audiences in a very personal, non-traditional way. It’s a win-win situation for everyone – the doctors get the value of knowing their messages are being heard, the audience gets the information they were looking for, and the hospital builds relationships with the communities they serve.
Emory Johns Creek Hospital is known for its state-of-the-art technology in a luxurious, hotel-like setting. Services include advanced orthopaedic surgery, joint replacement, spine surgery, 24/7 emergency care, state-of-the-art all digital imaging including a 64 slice CT, The Birth Place with Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, 24-hour anesthesiologists, intensive care, advanced cardiac care, rehabilitation services and women’s services. Emory Johns Creek Hospital is home to the Atlanta Bariatric Center, designated a Center of Excellence by the American Society of Bariatric Surgeons.
For more information, please visit emoryjohnscreek.com. To find a physician close to where you live or work, call 678.474.8200
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted in Social Media | Tagged: ad agency, ad agency alpharetta, ad agency atlanta, ad agency johns creek, ad agency miami, advertise, advertise atlanta, advertise in alpharetta, advertise in atlanta, advertise in johns creek, advertise in milton, advertise in north fulton, Advertising, advertising agency, advertising agency atlanta, advertising alpharetta, advertising alpharetta ga, advertising atlanta, advertising city of milton, Advertising digital advertising marketing, advertising ga, advertising georgia, advertising johns creek, advertising milton, advertising roswell, advertising sandy springs, alpharetta advertising, appen, appen newspaper, atlanta advertising, b2b advertising, blog, blogs, blogs about hospitals, buckhead, city of milton advertising, digital advertising, doctor, emory, emory hospital, emory johns creek hospital, gnfcc, greater north fulton chamber, greater north fulton chamber of commerce, jcba, jccc, Johns Creek, johns creek advertising, johns creek business, johns creek business association, johns creek chamber, johns creek chamer of commerce, north fulton chamber, north fulton times, north side, North Side Hospital, points north, points north magazine, print advertising, roswell advertising, Scott Dunn, small business advertising, small business advertsing, social media advertising, Town Planner, Town Planner Calendar, Town Planner GA, townplanner, townplannerga, you tube | 5 Comments »
Posted by Scott Dunn on July 24, 2008
The only true mission of any organization is survival. Companies where “excellence” is embedded in its culture are invariably in the spotlight, run by overachievers and are candidates for hostile takeovers. Companies that live by tidal trends will sink or swim, and frequently drown in the undertow.
But our computer simulations prove that survival correlates best with unobtrusiveness, and all major trends are doomed to collapse from their own weight. Survivors coast under the radar.
Therefore, we are pleased to offer these “Guides for Cautious Executives” who yearn to stay in the back of the pack. Mediocrity, once achieved, cannot be denied. It will carry a company through thick.
We asked what organizations are truly mediocre models. Our average panel voted these companies, brands and entities to be unexceptional:
- Ford
- France
- The Pirates
- MSNBC
- Kmart/Sears
We examined them carefully, and concluded that they will probably live long lives, unconcerned and oblivious. Can you think of some more living mediocrities?
Cautious managers are not in the limelight. We have a process that identifies nega-trends, based on the Principle of Omission. We studied whatever is not in the news, what is not a fad. We have proven that nega-trends, once identified, can be used to justify the most comfortable course.
Combining the habits of the most mediocre institutions with nega-trends, we’ve come up with eleven immortal “Guides for Cautious Executives,” If you observe them dispassionately, you can achieve everlasting indifference.
Here are the first five. We don’t want to overburden you cautious ones, so we’ll save the last six for the next issuance.
1. Innovation: There’s nothing new under the sun. Innovators are degenerate boat rockers. The patent office should have closed a century ago, because there is nothing left to invent. New products are for high rollers; you should “Know when to fold ‘em,” and that’s now. Don’t try anything new and risky.
2. Human Resources: The touchy-feely black hole. People are the way they are and you can’t change them. You shouldn’t try. Watch out for today’s fads, such as “Talent Management” and “Succession Planning.” These are the fruits of the educational “Self Esteem” movement and, heaven forbid, could lead to “Social Computing.” Don’t try to understand people and change them.
3. Solution Selling and Customer Relationship Management: No match for a shoe shine, a cigar, and a smile. If your salesmen talk like psychologists, they will drive you right to the couch. Good ol’ boys are the way to go. Your customers should just buy your products, not you.
4. Strategic Planning: Contemplating the Corporate Navel. Mediocre planning must be pure, uncontaminated by mention of implementation or accountability. We must fight the alarming tendency to shorten the time-frame of planning. Forget about the next three years and concentrate on the far future, when things should calm down. Remember:
- Planning should be done only by planners, not doers.
- Any plan of less than a ten-year vision is an exercise in expediency.
- Communication of the plan should be limited to those empowered to revise it. Broader exposure can cause corporate unrest.
5.
Corporate Culture: A Bias for B.S. Action is the natural enemy of mediocrity. Therefore, a company that has a bias for action will operate in the high-risk mode. Fortunately, action can easily be diverted into pointless activity, and activity diffuses into B.S. When this becomes ingrained, managers need not worry about such ugly phrases as “task orientation” or “management by objectives.” Some tips:
- Preach and live the doctrine that contemplation is the highest calling.
- Leave no stone unturned. If all are turned, turn them back. Further study is prudent.
- Always play for the tie.
Think about these five Guides. Start to slow down. Next time we’ll reveal more.
George Lemmond
Like this:
Like Loading...
Posted in marketing | Tagged: Advertising, advertising alpharetta, advertising atlanta, advertising georgia, advertising johns creek, advertising milton, atlanta, buckhead, Ford, France, GA, gnfcc, greater north fulton chamber, greater north fulton chamber of commerce, kmart, marketign atlanta, marketing, marketing alpharetta, money mailer, MSNBC, roswell ga, Sandy Springs, sandy springs ga, Scott Dunn, scott t. dunn, Sears, Town Planner Calendar, townplanner, townplannerga, valpak | 3 Comments »
