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August 2007 Archives
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August 31, 2007
Friends and Neighbors
Posted by Brad Abare | Filed under: Personality News
Last night we had the first of many for what we're calling FAN Intro Meetings. FAN is short for "friends and neighbors." The recipe is simple: We invite a handful of people (3-5), kick it off with a light dinner catered by a local organic restaurant, and then do a 60-minute presentation from the Personality team. We add an additional 30 minutes at the end for feedback.
It's a great way to get close and collaborate with potential clients, partners, friends and networkers in an environment that shows off our own personality. All of the team are present for the meeting so it's all out in the open. We meet in our offices. What you see is what you get.
We have another one scheduled for next week too. If you're a friend or neighbor who hasn't been invited yet (we're working our way down the list), feel free to drop us a line for an upcoming date. Hope to see you there!
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August 20, 2007
"Wear" Is Your Personality, Pilgrim
Posted by Brad Abare | Filed under: Brand & Identity
While in Istanbul a few weeks ago at the end of my Middle East travel adventures, I snapped a few photos while waiting in the mall for my wife who was snagging gifts for friends a few stores down.
The store that caught my attention was called Pilgrim. This Denmark-based retailer was unfamiliar to me until now, but from the look of the store and the merchandise they carried (higher-end jewelry), it seems as though it is one of the more uppity places to shop. The absence of prices on the web site may also be an indication of its clientele. Here's a view from outside of the store:
If you look closely in the middle of the photo, you can see a woman behind the counter:
At first, it looks as if Pilgrim is being robbed, or perhaps just a wandering mall customer looking to dispose of an empty water bottle before the Pilgrim employee comes out from the stock room.
Think again. I stood there for another ten minutes and realized that this woman works for Pilgrim. She is the only employee on duty, and she is there to help with all of your jewelry needs.
Yep, that's her again on the computer:
Continue reading ""Wear" Is Your Personality, Pilgrim"
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August 16, 2007
Boston Market's 'Time For Your School' Works
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Cause Marketing
The 'Time For Your School' program from fast food chain Boston Market has given $275,000 to local schools this year. It's a good example of cause marketing on two fronts.
1) Employee Involvement:
"As much as (Boston Market) makes money from the community, we have to give back to the community," says Cassandra Edwards, manager of the New City, N.Y. restaurant and leader of fund-raising efforts for the New York City area.
2) The company and the cause fit well together:
"It feels like a very good fit because Boston Market was basically founded on the idea of home-cooked meals," says Paul Kurnit, clinical professor of marketing at Pace University in Manhattan. (link via Selfish Giving)
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August 10, 2007
Sunkist Takes a Stand
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Cause Marketing
This summer thousands of kids across the country took part in the great American tradition of opening lemonade stands--and giving to the charity of their choice. It's part of the Take a Stand campaign from Sunkist. Kids ages 7-12 who want to give back can request a free lemonade stand from Sunkist and donate a portion of their earnings to the charity of their choice.
Take a Stand started in 2004 and Sunkist has sent out more than 23,500 lemonade stands and estimates that kids have donated more than $1.5 million.
This year Sunkist took it up a notch by partnering with Hy-Vee grocery stores to put lemonade stands in front of more than 200 stores to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
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August 8, 2007
Cause Marketing Partnerships That Make Sense
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Cause Marketing
Selfish Giving points us to a cause marketer's dilemma: Should the urban volunteer organization City Year partner with Pepsi? Some argue that an organization helping inner city youth shouldn't align itself with a product partly responsible for obesity in said youth.
This is the line cause marketers must tread--the altruism of the cause shouldn't be in conflict with the product that's supporting the cause. And that's not always easy. That's why Product Red received criticism--expensive T-shirts can seem like a tacky way to fight AIDS in the poorest regions of the world. The difficulty of cause marketing is finding a campaign that avoids the criticism (in this case it works when Product Red emphasizes that people are buying this stuff anyway, so now it helps someone who wasn't helped before).
Continue reading "Cause Marketing Partnerships That Make Sense"
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August 6, 2007
Observation + Assumption = Implications
Posted by Brad Abare | Filed under: Experience
A group of female Israeli soldiers all wearing sandals with their green uniform.
A Turkish policeman laughing and chatting on his cell phone while on duty.
A black veil over the faces of several women in the customs line at the Istanbul airport.
The smell of body odor protruding from way too many men in the hot Middle Eastern sun.
With each new observation I find myself making assumptions about entire groups of people. Therefore:
All female Israeli soldiers must wear sandals with their green uniform.
Turkish policemen must not be trained to avoid using cell phones while on duty.
Women who wear black veils are creepy and must worship some strange god.
Middle Eastern men don't believe in deodorant.
I do know that I'm naive and incorrect for thinking this way, but it happened and still happens nonetheless. And I believe this same observation+assumption pattern is having huge implications for organizations around the world, including yours.
Continue reading "Observation + Assumption = Implications"
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August 3, 2007
Doing Good is Good for You
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Research
We know giving makes you feel good, but it's also good for you. Dr. Stephen Post, a bioethicist at Case Western Reserve University recently published the book Why Good Things Happen to Good People: The Exciting New Research that Proves the Link Between Doing Good and Living a Longer, Healthier, Happier Life, based on scientific research.
"Giving is the most potent force on the planet," says Post, "and will protect you your whole life."
The findings include:
- Generous behavior reduces depression and risk of suicide in adolescents.
- Actively helping others during the teenage years promotes good physical and mental health all the way into late adulthood.
- Volunteerism on the part of older adults significantly reduces mortality.
- Giving to others enables people to forgive themselves for mistakes, a key element in well-being.
- Praying for others reduces health difficulties among older adults.
(link via Good)
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