Many other shiny metals sparkled for ND&P and our wonderful clients, among them a pair of Silver ADDYs for the logo and stationery package for The Jefferson Hotel’s Lemaire restaurant (did we tell you Lemaire was recently named one of Esquire magazine’s “Best New Restaurants of 2009?”).

Congratulations to all of our fellow ADDY Award winners!

(Shaun Amanda)

At home a few hours later, I pulled the jingling stash from my coat pocket and marveled at a handful of gold-colored dollar coins with…MILLARD FILLMORE on them (and one with John Tyler).

I discovered the U.S. Mint is in the midst of a presidential dollar coin series modeled after the 50 State Quarters. New Yorker Fillmore had just come out that week, thirteenth president so thirteenth in the series (http://bit.ly/c9OaHT).

Over the next couple of days I asked several people about the coins, only to find no one else had heard about them either. I learned more, too, such as the fact each year since the series’ start in 2007 the mint has been releasing substantially fewer quantities, arguably because the program hasn’t taken off quite like they planned.

I can understand the popularity of state quarters – enthusiastically hunting down quarters from where you were born or went to college, where you live, where you favorite sports team is from. And I can also understand there might be considerably less interest in a presidential dollar coin series, even setting aside the fact you probably don’t actually USE dollar coins as often as other coins.

Because – what personal connection do any of us have to a president? I suspect it’s not even close to the one we might have with a state. Yes, I know there are exceptions. I can imagine great interest in the likes of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, even the historic precedent tied to current President Obama. But I can’t imagine people out there fighting for a Tyler or a Polk, apart from those intent on securing the entire series.

It’s about a personal connection, something that is so often critical in our own industry. Every day we can find examples of the personal connection consumers may have with a product or service we’re marketing: a hotel, a hospital, even a city. (Heck, I’d like to see coins with key U.S. cities on them – there’s an idea for the Mint!) And when we communicate with these consumers, we need to explore and reinforce that connection.

In the meantime, I have a bunch of Fillmores and I’m wondering if anyone has a George Washington, John Adams or Thomas Jefferson they’d like to trade…

(P.S. With each presidential dollar a “First Spouse” coin is also being released. These coins are larger, have a face value of $10, and are struck in 24-karat and contain a half-ounce of gold - Interesting the spouses have more value!)  (Shaun Amanda)

• As is fairly typical in any interview, most of what you share with the reporter never makes it into the story. Here are a few comments I shared with the reporters:
  • Who was Tiger’s primary audience?  He certainly mentioned all his audiences – family, friends, fans, employees, business partners, his foundation, young students, etc. However who did he mention first and most often? – his wife, Elin.  She was certainly number #1 on the list. And perhaps that answers the question: why did he do this apology in the first place?
  • Thank you Tiger for stating that when, with whom and how many times he cheated is none of anyone’s business. Those details are between Tiger, his wife and his mistresses.
  • As far as denying domestic violence, why bring up a negative like that? Especially since his denial probably isn’t going to change anyone’s mind. We have a photo of an SUV with the windows knocked out, witnesses claiming his wife had a golf club in her hands, and Tiger’s refusal to talk to police about the incident. Seeing as how there were no questions during his event, there was no reason to mention it.

I’ll ask my own question now and invite you to share your opinions – What is going to happen when Tiger makes his first return to the golf course?  Will he be able to duck reporters questions? Will he be forced to have a real press conference where he actually has to answer questions? Will he continue to be a diva on the golf course, throwing clubs and staring down reporters whenever they get too close or make noise? (Ernest)

For more of Ernest’s take on Tiger’s conference:

Richmond Times-Dispatch Article: 

http://bit.ly/alM2JV

Critique on WDBJ-TV in Roanoke:

http://bit.ly/acytP9

But thanks to a national Girl Scout social/online media campaign, you can still find a source to feed your need (hint: check out http://www.girlscoutcookies.org/ and plug in your zip code to find your nearest Girl Scout Council).

The campaign includes a YouTube video (http://bit.ly/brGElx) and microsite. The online video feels a bit more like a TV spot, or a multi-purposed TV spot, but it does clearly convey the idea cookies do more than just taste good. Apparently “every cookie has a mission.” And no, it’s not to satisfy that sweet tooth, though let’s agree right now that is an inherent cookie trait. It’s actually “to help girls do great things.”

At this writing, the video has just over 15,500 views. But I wonder what would happen if they targeted the promotion to Ukrop’s markets and called it something like “find Girl Scout cookies now!”

You have to admit the use of social media for cookie sales promotion is a no-brainer, though I’d have personally liked to see something with a little more humor to kick up those views. And I’d have put some dedicated Twitter and Facebook cookie-presence in the mix (all I can find are general Scout accounts). I hope they’ve plastered the microsite address all over the place – even on cookie boxes. They may have – I just haven’t snagged my own thin mints yet to find out…. Let’s see, enter zip code…..

(-Shaun Amanda)

We have practicing university faculty, countless industry association members, professional organization leaders, alumni supporters, volunteers, mentors – you get the idea.

With such an inherent dedication to shaping tomorrow’s leaders, it was pretty much impossible for ND&P Chief Creative Officer John Griessmayer to turn down an opportunity to corrupt (make that GUIDE) future advertising creative professionals.

AD2 Roanoke, an affiliate of the American Advertising Federation, is a non-profit organization of advertising professionals aged 32 and younger. So when they asked John for an interview focusing on “Career ADvice,” he jumped.

Amidst pearls of wisdom such as “nobody wants to see your charcoal drawings from art class” and “something can always be smarter, quicker or simpler,” John describes a dream collaboration team that includes the likes of a sarcastic talking cat, Paul Bunyan, a fry cook, a genetic hybrid of Peyton Manning and Derek Jeter, and a robot Heather Locklear.

Let’s just say John’s irreverent sense of humor hides a diabolic creative mastermind, and we’re glad he’s on our side.

For more words of wisdom, check out the full article series: http://bit.ly/bXcPjY  

(- Shaun Amanda)

As a recognized health care marketing expert, Susan Dubuque of ND&P helped several industry notables outline the benefits of radio in the current issue of Healthcare Marketing Report.

Some key points:

• Ratings measurability (thanks to passive electronic people meters)
• Excellent for cross-promotion (directing consumers to Websites, etc.)
• Supportive of other media (message reinforcement)

For more of Susan’s insights, and actual creative examples, read the full January 2010 article: “Its Demise Was Exaggerated: Radio Advertising Is Still Effective.”

(-Shaun Amanda)

Warm-blooded staffers will apparently crawl into your hotel bed before you are ready to catch some shut-eye, and sit there, warming the sheets, so you can crawl into a nice cozy bed. These self-aware heating units are wearing what looks like head-to-toe white hazmat suits. A quote from the article about this special gear: “The bed warmers toasting suits were specially designed to maximise sheet heating efficiency.”

I’d be more concerned about cooties, myself. I’m one of those travelers who pull back the bedspread before I sit on the bed, and I often wonder how many others have used that pillow before me. I can’t imagine inviting MORE strangers in, even if they do hop out before I hop in.

Three UK hotels will be offering the complimentary five-minute service this week.

It’s an interesting offering, and I suspect it’s been added to do more than just combat the cold. As the hotel industry worldwide starts to flatten/starts to recover (depending on who you talk to), human bed warmers would certainly stir up some buzz. And as creepy as it sounds, I do secretly wonder if I’d be tempted to order the service. Just so I could say I did.  (- Shaun Amanda)

 Full article: http://bit.ly/5LFrOR

Recognizing work in several categories each year, the awards essentially gave judges a unique vantage point to survey and/or confirm industry marketing trends. Granted, it’s not a necessarily a new perspective for Susan, who has been working with ND&P healthcare clients across the country for more than 20 years.

Quoted in a related article for HealthLeaders Magazine, Susan reinforced the importance of results in marketing efforts:

“Accountability and measuring results are more important than ever, and healthcare marketing professionals are getting better at documenting outcomes of their efforts.”

ROI, budget-economizing and collaboration were some of the key areas noted by fellow judges. Read the full article, and more of Susan’s insights:

http://bit.ly/judginghealthcare

1. Real time, all the time.

The web moves in real time. As more and more people use and rely upon social networks like Twitter and Facebook they are getting used to the era of ‘information now’. And recent changes in Google search bring real time events to the masses. For example, typing in “snow Virginia” in Google brings up results which are actually useful – a weather report and Twitter reports from skiers at Wintergreen and Massanutten. 

What does this mean for travel and hospitality marketers?  It means that your monthly emails or quarterly newsletters are going to be perceived as quaint at best.  In 2010 you’ll need to make sure you have something relevant to say and say it fast. 

      2.  Shifting trust.

In 2009 many brands witnessed a distinct decline in consumer trust. Some of this was brought about by the recession and some due to the fact that many of the nation’s biggest institutions failed. Now, for the first time in years, smaller and ‘local’ organizations have an opportunity to make inroads with consumer trust and compete against the big boys.

What does this mean for travel and hospitality marketers? Go back to the mission of your organization and review the language and terminology you are using to ensure it is communicating your brand values effectively. Make 2010 the year of the local or small hospitality organization triumphing over the larger regional and national players by playing off the grass-roots and ‘shop local’ appeal that is presently resonating with consumers in many product and service categories.

       3.  Influencers need attention.

Thanks to the growth and prevalence of social media in 2009, we’ve seen more and more user generated content in advertising, but now more brands than ever are turning to this method as a way of encouraging customer engagement. Going back to a Forrester study from 2007 on Engagement Marketing, it was noted that “a person who contributes content, such as a product review or a video of the product in use, may be far more valuable than the average purchaser.”

Nowhere is the influencer more important than to travel and hospitality organizations. So what does all this mean for these organizations? Travel marketers need to track individuals who influence others to book travel. For example, a person who may have never stayed at or visited your destination but always rates and reviews what she books can be just as valuable as someone who books a lot of business with your destination — her reviews might influence 100 other people to book. Tracking only guests and visitors misses this significant element of influence. In fact, don’t be surprised to see reward programs giving out points and miles just for taking part.