Introducing kids to mechanics, science, design, architecture and engineering concepts is at the heart of Bricks 4 Kidz’s programs.  Our client is passionate about using LEGO® bricks to teach concepts that are essential to the learning process.  While we wish we would have had a Bricks 4 Kidz® camp to go to while we were growing up, we are not letting our age or the fact we are no longer in school stop us from cracking open a LEGO set and starting a new build here at the office.  We are calling it our ICMC “Lunchtime” Camp and plan to work on this LEGO® project, as a team, during lunch throughout the summer.  Visit us on Facebook and Twitter to check out our progress and don’t forget to play in order to inspire yourself.

The science of marketing goes well beyond just research analytics, the measurement of sales and predictive ROI modeling. Although these research tools are important, it is critical to first uncover the true attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors of the audience related to a brand in order to influence the decision making process.

For the past 14 years, I have been a Brand Planner, which essentially combines the disciplines of psychology, anthropology, and sociology, with the creativity of graphic design and unconventional thinking in order to understand the wants and desires of today’s target audience segments. The insights gleaned from the target audiences are translated from my research studies, to develop the overall strategic direction for marketing campaigns, as well as to generate the most appropriate positioning of companies to ensure that they stand out amongst the competition.  Sounds simple right?

So how exactly do you uncover the attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors of your audience? You talk to them and get them to open up about their feelings. You engage them in group and individual discussions. You have them to draw pictures to capture their true emotions. Discussions go beyond the rational decision-making process and into the emotional-based process. I have them think about the five sensory cues they may experience within certain situations. What would things taste like? Smell like? Feel like? Sound like? And look like?

This is the kind of information that is SO important in building and maintaining a brand. This information can be used to influence everything from the creation of stellar advertising that will stop people in their tracks, to the packaging that acts like a beacon on a shelf full of products. This information also ensures the most appropriate media buys, stand-out public relations efforts, mind blowing social media tactics, and more.

In today’s ever cluttered society, we must communicate with the intended target audiences in a way that is meaningful to them. It must also be believable by accurately reflecting all that the company stands for. It must be different from the competition. It must be applied in a consistent manner over an extended period of time. By understanding what is truly driving your customers to buy your product, you can make more well-informed marketing decisions and ensure that your ROI projections are met each time.

At Ideas Collide, we believe that by thoroughly understanding a brand, the audience for the brand and the world in which that brand lives; by creatively integrating brand planning techniques to learn more about your audiences with our innate ability to spot the latest trends, we can effectively create and communicate your company’s messages, direct the formation of your company’s desired perceptions in the minds of its target audiences, and ultimately create a band of brand devotees that can, by sheer force of will, elevate a brand to legendary status.

Advice for Soon-to-Be College Graduates

In a time when 1 out of 6 new hires claims to have found their current job via social media, recent college graduates should not underestimate the power Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter could have in their job search efforts.

Sure these sites are great professional networking tools, but those who find most success from using them leverage their functionality to do a lot more than network.  Engaged job seekers search, follow and comment on posts, articles or tweets by managers in the companies they would most hope to work for.  They leverage these public forums to gain insight on trends and what is on the mind of the leaders they hope to work for.

It has been extremely refreshing to be interviewing candidates that come in informed about some of the work we are doing and offer ideas on where we can take some campaigns next.  This level of thought, interest and creativity is exactly what companies look for in candidates.

I encourage you to think beyond the research and leverage social tools to start connecting with employers in meaningful ways.  It’s not about aggressively asking about a job opening or requesting an interview, but rather engaging in smart conversation about trends, events or campaigns.  Many agencies open up their brainstorms to the community of people following them.  Don’t miss an opportunity to participate and share your thoughts — your ideas and comments may result in getting your foot in the door.

The reality is you may not have as much work experience as candidates who left the workforce a few years ago but, as you know, many times that does not mean you can’t do the job.  Social Media tools could turn out just the way to showcase that, although you may not have as much on-the-job experience as the “other guy”, you have the skills, expertise and knowledge to do the job.

I wish you luck as you enter the workforce; and remember, you that you have used social media more than most people in today’s workforce. Leverage that expertise to show your potential employer how it is of value.  See you at the interview table!

Given only the new brand logo as creative inspiration, the ICMC design team styled a unique and visually stunning interface that features a slick multi-color equalizer effect.  With social media being such a important tool for artists, the player utilizes dynamic share features that allow fans to share their download and vote with other fans via Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Check out the player, listen to some tunes, and let us know what YOU think!

http://digitaldownloadaward.com/player.html

The most lasting impressions I had were from the time I spent listening to the representatives from Google in the “Google Room” discuss, what else, Google+. While they couldn’t get into specifics, they did mention that 2012 will be a big year for Google+ as they revamp and improve upon their platform. I, for one, can’t wait to see what they have up their sleeves and if they can rise to expectations. They certainly have plenty of doubters.

The other highlight for me was seeing Guy Kawasaki: noted author, Apple alum and resident Advertising/Marketing Rock Star of the conference debate and discuss topics with Robert Scoble: noted blogger, author and Microsoft alum.

Though a whirlwind of information, I did manage to capture some great bits of information that I’ll share with you here.

Direct from the “Google Room” at ad:tech 

“2012 is the year of mobile, we’ve all been saying that the past 2-3 years…but this is the year.”

“8 of 10 companies still don’t have a mobile site, but they’re going to need one.”

“Automate more and let technology do the heavy lifting.” (on Google Analytics)

“We’re looking to provide the advertising that catches users at a commercial moment of intent or moment of purchase. We’re not the big digital ad in a stadium during a ball game.” (Rikard Steibler, Google+ and Google Ads discussion)

Guy Kawasaki and Robert Scoble open discussion     

“One great hallmark of new entrepreneurs is they understand market windows and have a seemingly perfect timing for a product.” (Robert Scoble)

“If ever there’s proof of a God, the success of the Apple Macintosh is it. There should’ve been all sorts of reasons why it didn’t succeed, yet it did.” (Guy Kawasaki)

“Don’t try and please everyone in your company, instead just try and please 4 people. Everyone is always so worried about crossing this imaginary line, what they don’t realize is that there is no line…it’s more of a membrane that can be pushed.” (Robert Scoble)

“I know we all like to make jokes about Google+ and give them a hard time, but I personally love it. I think it’s great.” (Guy Kawasaki)

Did you attend ad:tech this year or have you attended in years past? Share some of your favorite memories and moments in our comments section!

Attending any digital marketing conference in today’s dynamic marketplace is a bit of taking in a tidal wave of information. After attending Ad:Tech the last 4 years, this year I found one-liners jumping out at me from the keynotes, sessions and tradeshow floor that stuck in my head and later come up quickly in conversation, debate or discussion. So in my summary of last week’s Ad:Tech San Francisco, here are the top sound bites that got me and the ICMC team thinking, talking and rethinking… which one will you be thinking about into next week? Which one do you think is the most relevant in today’s media/technology market? Share in the conversation below.

• Social. Local. Mobile. AKA – So.Lo.Mo – It’s not about one platform but the integration / combination of them. – Mark Silva, Anthem Worldwide

• Any digital campaign – especially social needs to be simple, natural and provide real value. – Adam Kmiec, Director Social Media, Walgreens

• People that want to work with companies that want to be amazing. No one wants to work for a company that is risk adverse… it shouldn’t just be about ROI,  it is a formula of ROA + ROI – ROA = Return on Amazing. – Adam Kmiec, Director Social Media, Walgreens

• When you think about it, branding is only a 150 year old concept. – Paul Adams, Facebook

• The idea of one person being an influencer of thousands in most cases is a myth. The reality is we are all influencers in our own, small groups.  – Paul Adams, Facebook

• NFC – near field communication – will change and shift mobile to a whole new level of engagement and interaction.  – Mentioned in every session covering mobile marketing.

• I’m not smarter than anyone. The secret to my success is that I’m willing to grind it out and work harder. – Guy Kawasaki

• When you compare Apple, Facebook, Amazon and Google – Facebook is most vulnerable because it is the only one that is truly optional.  – Molly Brown, CNET

• VIRAL – the worse word in the marketing world.  – Repeated in every session and keynote.

So, which one resonates with you or with your brand? Which one is the most relevant for today and which one is more likely to be still resonating in the future? Which of these will you talk about the most in your next marketing meeting, agency summit, client pitch, and at the next Ad:Tech conference? Until then, keep the conversation going.

Do you have a favorite salsa recipe? Over the past three years Macayo’s has sponsored a salsa contest in which home cooks submit their personal salsa recipes for a chance to win a spot in its summer menu and one year of Macayo’s meals while raising funds to benefit the Arizona Hemophilia Association. Through their efforts, Macayo’s has donated thousands of dollars to this important cause and inspired over 130 of amateur salsa chefs to get in the kitchen and work on an award-winning recipe.

Macayo’s Salsa Challenge launched this week and is open to anyone with an original recipe. You can enter your salsa, whether hot, mild or fruity sweet at www.macayo.com. If you are not much of a chef but, like many of us, consider yourself a salsa enthusiast you can join ICMC and Macayo’s at this year’s My Nana’s Salsa Challenge on April 28 where you will be able to taste Macayo’s salsa, our favored to win this year’s My Nana’s contest.

Hope you can join us there! … Now, bring on the chips.

As an “ad man” it is easy to think Don would be focused on creating sophisticated campaigns to bridge print and digital strategies. But, here’s the thing, what makes Don a great “ad man”,  is that he does not view himself as one.

In Don’s words “I don’t sell advertising. I sell products”.  As such, we think Don’s approach to social would go beyond Facebook ads. Don would be focused on developing social strategies that not only build brand equity but also spur a desire to consume/buy.

He would be all about using social to turn the tide of consumer resistance to a brand.  Don would be the “ad man” looking at corporate objectives and aligning social campaigns to those.

In essence, Don would be that person in the agency asking what good are all those followers or fans if they are not engaged with the brand? He would be forcing us to think of campaigns that go beyond building numbers but get those we reach to understand the value in the brand we are representing.

As we have suspended disbelief and thought ourselves working with a contemporary version of Don Draper, we have found that in many ways his approach is ours.

We may have swapped scotch and whiskey for Diet Coke and Starbucks, rib eye steak for salads and cigarettes  for gum but the basics of successful marketing continue to be the same…
“achieving a sustainable balance in what should be a mutually beneficial relationship between a brand and its consumers”.

Like Don, at ICMC we are always focused on communicating how a relationship with our client’s brand adds value to its consumers. In doing so, we never loose sight that our client must be able to see value as well.

As we brainstormed ideas our goal was clear– grow Best Western’s number of Facebook fans and increase levels of fan engagement.

In order to tie Travel Faceoff to March Madness, the ideas*Collide team developed a tournament bracket system was and 36 of the most popular travel destinations worldwide were divided into two brackets. Over the course of 16 days Best Western Facebook fans had the opportunity to vote on a photo matchup between two destination cities (New York, London, Rome etc.), one from each bracket, posted on Best Western’s Facebook wall.

Because we wanted to encourage current Facebook fans to share the contest with their friends, with each “like” fans would earn an entry in a daily drawing for 5,000 Best Western Rewards points. In addition, all had the opportunity to win the campaign’s grand prize — a trip to the final, winning destination.

By the end of Travel Faceoff’s final match-up, which coincided with the last game of the NCAA basketball tournament, Best Western had seen its fan count grow by 24% from 30,240 to 37,406. Going from an average of 1,000 new fans a month to over 7,100 fans in 16 days was well above what Best Western had expected.

Most notably, this campaign helped build a targeted and engaged audience. Engagement levels grew by 15% to an industry-topping 85%. Remarkably, Best Western’s fan engagement levels have never gone down to the levels seen before Travel Faceoff. Over the last year, the brand has continued to see the same level of active user participation in their social media efforts.  Today, those active rates continue to average 80 percent a month, making this a true example of a social media campaign that helped build the brand.

I drew a lot of creative inspiration this past weekend, while enjoying the FRESH air, relaxing at the beach and also eating the authentic FRESH Mexican seafood.

The FRESH fish market has a lot energy, and a lot of vendors trying to get you to buy their fish.

What made me stop and pick this one was the color of this fish. It really stood out and really caught my eye among the other fish.

It inspired me to keep my designs FRESH and create collateral that has that “Pop” and makes a clients work stand out from the cutler that is out there.