Innovation in package design from Japan.
We know this is a few years old, but it is still a great idea. Japanese farmers came up with the concept to save space by growing watermelons in square containers. The concept has been around for about 30 years, but the cost is triple than a normal watermelon so it has not made it to the mainstream - but we say when you have a good idea, why not get it out there. If anything they look great and can spark new thinking for conventional product and package design.
Back in the (Planning) Saddle Again
It’s that favorite time a year again for all media planners – the glorious moments leading up to another planning cycle (at least for those of us that have clients planning on a typical annual & fiscal basis). The next few weeks give us that intense, in-the-trenches feel while we prep and present media plans to our clients, followed by intense negotiations with our media vendors. But how can one better dig in for the battle while we await key information needed for planning (media briefs, goals, etc)?
- Start collecting media kits now – even if the media briefs aren’t in yet, you probably have a good feel for the possible vendors you’ll be working with next year. This will save you some time from scrambling around/waiting for vendor responses during the critical brief-to-plan turn around.
- Develop your 2010 flowchart/bible/cash flow templates now – doing it now will save you time once the hammer comes down. If you are fortunate enough to have an intern at your disposal, put them to work – working on spreadsheet formatting really is a great skill for them to learn, even if it might seem a bit tedious/redundant.
- Knock out every bit of on-going account maintenance items that you can before planning starts. Are those pesky invoices piling up? Reconcile them. Are those insertion orders still sitting on your desk? File them. Does your desk look like a bomb just exploded? Well, that probably means you’ve already begun your planning… Either way, the more you can get out of the way now will help free up your time to focus on your planning.
It’s time to hop back on that horse kemo sabes, let’s do what we can to make this year’s planning cycle a smooth ride!
Nick Reinig
Media Planner/Buyer at Karsh\Hagan
Working with Western Union and and our friends at Roundscapes, we wanted you to see the I’ve got a deal video.
Staying receptive to wow
In the last few days, I have read some great articles. Some, like “The Value of Beauty” and “How Local Businesses Can Benefit from Mobile Social Networks” opened my eyes to ideas I can pursue for my clients. Some, like “The Answer Factory” and “Does the Vaccine Matter” blew me away with the audacity of their concept. (Did you know that Demand Media publishes 4,000 articles and videos online every single day? Or that the healthy-user effect accounts for 100% of the flu vaccine’s alleged ability to prevent death?)
When I look at my delicious page, I notice that I bookmark in spurts. Nothing for a week or two. Then five or six things in the course of a day. I can imagine two explanations.
1. Streaks are statistically inevitable
2. Some days, I’m more open to ideas
Either is viable. But let’s assume the second hypothesis for a moment. What could I do to make sure I remain more receptive to big ideas a higher percentage of the time? I think the answer is found in a book called The Inner Game of Tennis:
In short, “getting it together” requires slowing the mind. Quieting the mind means less thinking, calculating, judging, worrying, fearing, hoping, trying, regretting, controlling, jittering or distracting. The mind is still when it is totally here and now in perfect oneness with the action and the actor. It is the purpose of the Inner Game to to increase the frequency and duration of these moments, quieting the mind by degrees and realizing thereby a continual expansion of our capacity to learn and perform.
I’ve never played tennis. But reading The Inner Game of Tennis changed the way I approach sports and work. Half of the game is staying out of your own way.
[Ed. - Crossposted at Ingwalson and Karsh Connect.]
Using digital PR to enhance your marketing strategy
To reach your consumers, we have found over the past few years that having a digital PR strategy to leverage your existing promotional program greatly enhances your reach, especially with the adoption of social media into mainstream communication, electronic delivery of information is now especially useful to companies.
Some of the tools to take advantage of in a digital PR program are: Content optimization of Press Releases and targeted headlines that relate to keyword searches; Promotion of Press Releases through social media such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIN - all which leverage community participation; Creation of corporate, organization or individual blogs - which is an efficient way of sharing knowledge and maintaining news, dialogue and communication; Email/Text Blasts offering current information that can easily be sent out to a large group of people. In addition there are Podcasts and Webinars which are also used to extend your exposure.
Incorporating a digital PR strategy into your marketing mix increases your ability to control your message. Digital PR is more transparent, authentic, cost-effective, and is real time; leveraging the way in which consumers are accustomed to receiving information.
The Benefits of Interning
I am currently an intern at Karsh\Hagan. While my title is that of Public Relations Intern, I have the luxury in participating in lots of the activities happening here at Karsh. In addition to PR, I have worked in Account Services and New Business Development. I have been able to work on projects in different divisions of the company, which has allowed me to learn a great deal about all aspects of the advertising industry. One of my favorite parts of advertising communications is that it is never monotonous and I constantly feel that I am learning something new. Of the many services that Karsh offers; from traditional print, outdoor and media, to digital communications, I love the fact that I can learn how to use many services to help our clients’ grow. This is result of the diverse clientele that Karsh is able to bring in; ranging from hair products to tourism. As a whole, Karsh\Hagan has taught me that advertising is a field that I can see becoming a long term career.
Maggie Bryan
Karsh\Hagan Welcomes Lindsay Jacobsen as Account Manager
Karsh/Hagan is pleased to announce that Lindsay Jacobsen will be joining their team as an Account Manager.
Jacobsen was born and raised in Boulder, Colorado. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in both English and Advertising from the University of Miami. After returning to Colorado, Jacobsen began working with Spa Strategy; a preeminent international spa consultancy based in Denver, Colorado. Using her background in marketing and writing, she focused on developing unique concepts and service platforms for spas around the world, including work with Miraval, Jumeriah, Marriott International, Ritz-Carlton and Starwood Hotels & Resorts.
Additionally, her knowledge of development in international markets took her to Spa Strategy’s sister company Spatality where she focused on developing scalable branded spa solutions for hospitality groups such as Le Meridian Hotels & Resorts, Sheraton Hotel & Resorts and Jumeirah Hotel Group.
“We are extremely excited to have Lindsay join the team.” Says Kathy Hagan, Co-President of Karsh\Hagan, “Her high-level experience in the beauty and resort industries will only enhance our ability to grow our current business.”
Jacobsen is excited to expand her knowledge by venturing into the world of advertising. In joining Karsh\Hagan, Jacobsen is joining an agency acclaimed for innovative creative solutions for their clients. The agency provides branding, traditional advertising, digital and business building ideas. Their partnership with clients and their ability to genuinely connect brands with their audiences is what has made Karsh\Hagan successful.
About Karsh\Hagan
In 1977, Phil Karsh and Tom Hagan founded Karsh\Hagan on the love of a great idea. After 32 years, that’s what keeps us hungry today. Key clients include: American Crew, Pinnacle Bank, TD Ameritrade, Visit Denver, Western Union and others. 2008 agency billings were $35 million. For more information, visit www.karsh.com
Amy Sievertsen joins Karsh\Hagan as an Account Supervisor
Karsh\Hagan is pleased to announce that Amy Sievertsen has joined their team as Account Supervisor.
Sievertsen graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in Business Administration focused on Marketing. After graduation, she joined Renzios, Inc. and The Bradford Exchange.
Her knowledge of public relations and marketing led her back to Colorado, joining McClain Finlon Advertising, where Sievertsen spent 5 years as a lead marketing strategist and client contact and on the agency’s largest account.
“I am very excited to be returning to the advertising industry after a two-year break as a stay-at-home mom” says Sievertsen. “Karsh and Hagan is such a great place to be now, especially with the solid client partnerships that continues to grow. We really are able to help them with our full-service capabilities, including a serious focus on digital brand integration.”
About Karsh\Hagan
In 1977, Phil Karsh and Tom Hagan founded Karsh\Hagan on the love of a great idea - to build their clients’ businesses. After 32 years, that’s what keeps us hungry today. The agency provides branding, on/offline marketing communications and innovative business building ideas. Their ability to genuinely connect brands with their audiences is what has made Karsh\Hagan successful. Key clients include: American Crew, Pinnacle Bank, www.tdameritrade.com, Visit Denver, Western Union and others. 2008 agency billings were $35 million. For more information, visit www.karsh.com.
Yesterday was a big day! We helped Western Union launch their Q4 Send 1 Get 1 promotion. Send one bill payment and get your next one FEE-FREE! Multiple vehicles were used to support this promotion – media, radio, OOH, online banners, Web page, YouTube, email campaign, social and analytics.
We’d like to say THANK YOU to everyone who helped make this a success - Kathy, Charlotte, Becky, Tracy, Nick, Linds, Lynda, Shirley, Karen, Rudy, Matt N., Ben, Ali, Matt I., and Erin & Sharon (for setting up countless conf calls), Christopher, Matt, Drew and Hugo.
We took this early morning shoot at Red Rocks for Visit Denver. This and other snaps from recent photo shoots on our Flickr page.
Practically all of Karsh\Hagan is working from home today, due to the storm. The few intrepid souls who made it to the office are giving us all sorts of grief about it, too.
The Denver Egotist was nice enough to ask us to participate in their local agency spotlight. Information about the agency, our work and our approach to branding.
Twitter is screwing up Friendfeed
On January 4, 2008 I wrote, “Serial online publishers need a great way to aggregate their content into a single news stream.” Since then, real-time newsfeeds have cropped up faster than social media gurus at a travel and tourism tradeshow. The recently sold-to-the-man Friendfeed seemed especially promising. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve stared at my Friendfeed page and wished I used the damn thing. But I don’t. Here’s why.
Ninety-two percent of Friendfeed users post to Twitter way more than any other social network. (I am guessing at that number. But it’s definitely really high.) Which means that when viewed in real-time, any given user’s Friendfeed page looks like a duplicate of his or her Twitter page.
It’s not, of course. If you sift through it there are probably blog posts and YouTube uploads and music links. But they’re simply lost among the tweets.
Thinking about that made me realize a way in which Twitter is different from every other social website in history. All social media is about conversation. But YouTube, blogs, Flickr, Facebook, Upcoming, Slideshare, delicious and so on all start with shared content. The content starts a conversation. The conversation creates a relationship.
Twitter starts with a conversation. Some people join Twitter, realize they are in the middle of a conversation they don’t understand, and eject. That’s fine. Hang with the conversation long enough and you start to get actionable intelligence.
But the conversation itself is not fit for a news stream. Because there is no news there. It’s just data exchange. So today I pulled my Twitter feed off my Friendfeed news stream. If everyone in the entire world could follow suit, I would so appreciate it.
[Ed. - Crossposted at Ingwalson and Karsh Connect.]
Jumping on the Digital Train
There is absolutely no doubt that Digital is part of every marketer’s
future. It will continue to grow and become even more important. I
read recently that Pepsi spent zero in the Digital space in 2005. In
2010, Pepsi is slated to spend 34% of its marketing budget in the Digital
space. But, if we look at this backwards, Pepsi will spend 66% in the
traditional arena. The point here is that everyone seems to be running
to catch the Digital Train. Don’t forget that tradition still plays a
major role for many marketers.
Pasquale(Pocky) Marranzino
Chairman/CEO of Karsh\Hagan
