Monday Motivation

Lisa Jeffries Nobling on March 9, 2009

I don’t do a ton of AdvertisingAge reading, but I browse through the RSS feed titles at they pop up in my Google Reader.

The Small Agency Diary usually sticks more than anything else, for obvious reasons.

“Rather than doing more with less, let’s find ways to deliver excellent value that people can afford. When someone tells us they have 20% less money, that’s not necessarily bad news. We just need to think of a new approach and a new way of working so that our clients get inspired marketing and we make a profit. That’s good business. All that has changed is the price point.” — Phil JohnsonI like it. Those are good thoughts to start a week with.

Free WiFi Coming to Downtown

Lisa Jeffries Nobling on March 6, 2009

This will be AWESOME once it’s in place!

From the City of Raleigh email newsletter

City of Raleigh to Bring Free WiFi Network to Downtown

The City of Raleigh Information Technology Department has issued a request-for-proposals for the design and installation of a WiFi network in Downtown Raleigh. The goal of the project is to offer free, outdoor public WiFi access in the downtown area bordered by South Street, West Street, Morgan Street, and Person Street.

Working in cooperation with Downtown Raleigh Alliance, the WiFi network will support downtown revitalization efforts, including the reopening of Fayetteville Street to vehicular traffic, the opening of the Raleigh Convention Center and the highly anticipated opening of City Plaza in the fall. The City hopes to develop a marketing strategy for the WiFi network that will share in the success of the recently implemented downtown ‘You R Here’ brand and the R-Line downtown circulator bus service.

Free WiFi will be yet another valuable resource available to downtown residents, visitors and employees. The project is scheduled to be completed this fall. As work continues on the WiFi network, the City will release more detailed information about the project, including its planned coverage, marketing and branding, and schedule.

For more information, contact Jonathan Minter, Assistant Information Technology Director, at 996-5462.

I can see it now – not having to use my wireless card in Downtown. Fabulous!

Stay On Top of Your Game

Lisa Jeffries Nobling on March 4, 2009

I recently signed up for Google Alerts (in beta testing) for my own business and for many of the businesses that I work with. Once a week (or however often I prefer), Google sends me updates by email on each phrase I’ve set up an alert for. It’s VERY cool.

Just today I received an update on “Buckhead Saloon” and found tons of videos on YouTube from our own customers. Almost all were actually pretty flattering, some were downright hilarious.

What did I do in response? Created a branded-YouTube channel for Buckhead Raleigh. I then added all of those videos that I could find related to this venue to Buckhead’s “favorites” and added a link to our YouTube channel on all of our other social media (MySpace, facebook Page, Twitter, etc.). Our sales manager can now send instant examples to potential clients of just how local organizations, non-profits, etc. have held events at our venue and tons of success doing so. Greek Week 2008, anyone?

I hope everyone enjoys this free tip!

PS – Of course, there’s a lot more that you can do with Google Alerts. I just chose to approach this one weekly report from an integrated marketing communications (IMC) approach.

A Short & Sweet on Surveys

Lisa Jeffries Nobling on February 16, 2009

I don’t usually like to re-publish things that other marketers have shared… I guess because I only agree with them half of the time. What can I say… I guess I march to the beat of my own drum.

I did however, like this very short and sweet post on survey building (short and to the point – that’s my kind of business read!) shared via Strategic Guru on twitter:

Five tips for better online surveysHappy Monday!

Chubbly Bubbly

Lisa Jeffries Nobling on January 31, 2009

The (fairly new) Miller High Life campaigns are right up there when it comes to my favorite advertising campaigns.

Warning: This could be a spoiler… has anyone else seen this one running pre-Bowl as a intro?
(via Trendhunter)

At “$100,000 a second”, I think they’re going be a crowd-favorite this year.

Could this be the Miller’s answer to Bud’s 2006 “Magic Fridge“?

PS – Apparently, 11 Super Bowl ads have been leaked ahead of game time. I refuse to watch them… that’s the whole reason I watch the game if the Panthers (or Texans, or Titans) aren’t playing!

PS#2 – I definitely just became a fan on facebook:


Kudos to whoever created this entire campaign… the only thing I could quickly find was that the Bowl ad was done by Saatchi & Saatchi, NY.

Free Real Estate Tip of the Day: Ditch the Desk

Lisa Jeffries Nobling on January 28, 2009

I was with a client just a few days ago looking at a very high end home that had – you guessed it – a desk built into the kitchen.

A few years ago, this was super standard in larger kitchens, but it’s on the decline now and I believe that’s with good reason.

1) It’s a place that inadvertently collects crap and clutter. No one wants that in the kitchen!

2) If you’re “laptopping it” with your email and recipes, you can do that on a good amount of counter space to begin with and the laptop can still call the office “home”.

3) These built-in desks are usually positioned lower – at a “seated” chair position. It’s just awkward and screws up the flow of the counters. Plus, most kitchens function better and look better with high stools/bar chairs. Once again, a “W” (a win) for the laptop on the regular counter/bar option.

Check out the rest of the Home Fads That Are Falling Out of Place from this month’s Realtor(R) Magazine Online.

I personally don’t agree with all of them, especially because some trends just don’t translate locally the same (ie: fireplaces – they CAN stay. This is still the South and unless you’re in a always hot locale in a small flat, it’s still a major “want” for many buyers), but it’s got some good tips and fresh perspectives nonetheless.

{Double Post} Dear XM Radio

Lisa Jeffries Nobling on January 28, 2009

This is a {Double Post} from my personal blog, because I believe it’s a prime example of how NOT to conduct your business.

Every morning that I’m planning on being in the office for a bit, I launch Firefox and XMRadio.com so I can listen to The Highway (formerly Highway 16) and whatever else fits my fancy that day.

Today, this is what I was greeted with:

“Screw that.” – was my first response. “I beg you pardon?” – was my second.

Let me preface this by saying that every single vehicle in my family has either XM or Sirius radio. Thanks to the merger, XM/Sirius has a good deal of business with us. Each vehicle has a removable satellite radio unit so we can use them in the house, on the boat, wherever. Technically, I could do the same in my office, but the reception isn’t great since this is a commercial building constructed of primarily metal. I am however, not above engineering up a solution to avoid being charged for something I’ve always been provided as an included service.

Plus, the online radio service isn’t THAT good anyway. The “what’s playing now” feature (so you can see what’s on other stations before you change the channel) never auto-updates anymore.

Finally, I’m not the world’s best copywriter, but I’m pretty sure I could’ve damn well figured out a better, more eloquent way to say “renew your contract now if you still want this free service of be prepared to ante up more money”. Don’t play games with me XM, I will win.

PS – XM Radio… I HOPE you find this blog post and feel a little embarrassed. I would too if I were you.

[End Rant]

"Driving" Your Brand Home

Lisa Jeffries Nobling on January 26, 2009

I received a flyer in the mail today for a new local advertising program: Tee Time North Carolina.

There aren’t any locations close enough to the shop that I was interested in advertising with at the moment (and I also didn’t think the rates were very competitive for small businesses), but nonetheless, I still think it’s a pretty cool idea.

The only thing I could see being an issue for me is weathering. I’m very particular about brand management, so if maintenance wasn’t a key factor for this provider, I could get disappointed very quickly. Lots of our clients enjoy golf and golfers could be a good demographic for us is why I was particularly interested and bothered to check out the website provided on the flyer.

PS: This is not a sponsored post – so if the folks behind TeeTimeNC.com happen to find this blog by way of Google Analytics – how about a free month of advertising?

Anyone else have any fun, creative advertising outlets to share?