Hi All,

CrowdConnect will close for the 4th of July holiday and officially re-open Monday, July 9th. In the event of an emergency, please leave a voicemail at 609.945.2345 (they're checked daily), call your client-specific VIP line; or use the click-to-call feature of the website.

Enjoy your holiday everyone!

Patrick

ABC’s hit drama returns to television this Wednesday at 10/9 central. The island is confusing and filled with mystery, it’s hard to know who to trust and what part of the island is safe. It’s not too far from the world of small business advertising.

There are a lot of companies out there looking to “advertise” for you. They come along with flashy promises of newspaper advertisements and direct mail pieces that will double and even triple your business; however, thousands of dollars later you may not see one new customer. What happened? You did everything you were supposed to do, didn’t you?

What probably happened is that your advertisements weren’t eye-catching and more so they weren’t designed effectively. What does that mean to you and me? It means that the dollars you put into your marketing were wasted. Some design firms attempt to pass themselves off as advertising agencies, this just shouldn’t happen, because in the end the only one that suffers is the client.

At CrowdConnect we know how to solve your marketing problems. It’s not just designing something quickly and sending it to the printers, it’s using our time and experience to create an extension of your business, be it a website or a direct mail piece; everything gets careful attention from our highest level people, we don’t just throw a deliverable at an entry-level designer, no matter what size your business is. No matter what business you’re in, we can help, that’s the CrowdConnect way.

We all crave these auditions. Why? Because we love to see Simon Cowell yell at people, and now that these auditions were being held in the New York area, how could one resist?

Sadly American Idol hits a little too close to home. We often see raw talent that needs to be polished so that we can have them perform at future events. However to find that raw talent it takes an immense amount of time, but moreover, it means that we have to sift through a pool of less than talented people.

What is that makes certain talent truly great? It’s the ability to market them to the public that needs them most. After all you wouldn’t market a Latin-American heartthrob to a 50 year old man, he just wouldn’t be interested. Instead find the right talent for an event. If your event has a particular audience, e.g. college students, see if you can get the Dave Matthews Band. Though you could try to be a little more realistic and attempt to get a lesser known local band, if you identify the desires of that demographic, the battle is half-won.

At CrowdConnect we know exactly how to find that talent and market it properly. Just like Cypress Hill says, “most people don’t see how much work is really involved in this rap”; take their advice, it’s hard to know what’s involved before you get started. At CrowdConnect we’ll ensure that you’re prepared and we’ll make certain that the talent is there to back up your event and in turn back you up.

I watch television. Ok, a ton of television. I don’t necessarily enjoy television because I dislike most popular shows. Ironically enough I enjoy watching commercials. Maybe it's my advertising background, but commercials offer 30 seconds of entertainment that is perfect for holding my short attention span.

I love comedies, so consequently, I love the new influx of comedic commercials. No matter how many times I see any of the Geico “Caveman” commercials, I instinctively laugh at every punch-line. Similarly, I love the Bud Light commercials where 4 guys stand in a mock NFL press conference with a cooler of Bud Light and ask questions to a prominent NFL coach, such as Mike Ditka, which is basically old stock footage of an actual press conference. These are all pure comedic gold.

Regardless of my infatuation, there is a problem. These may be my absolute favorite commercials, but I do not intend on switching my car insurance to Geico and I don’t intend on drinking Bud Light. Along with hundreds of other hilarious, or attempted hilarious advertisements out there that cost millions to produce, distribute and televise, the question is this; Are these commercials actually serving their purpose, which is to gain new customers or are they a hilarious waste of money?

I personally believe that these commercials miss the core concept of an advertisement. Consumers need to know why they absolutely cannot live without your product. Identifying the needs of your company your advertisement should dwell on the positives of the product itself, not necessarily integrating your product into a comical situation. Comedy is a great tool in creating a resounding image for your product but when it takes over valuable commercial time, is it worth it?

At CrowdConnect we identify your target market and tailor your message to that audience. We’re not adverse to comedy. We’ll have you laughing all the way to the bank. After all, that’s the best comedy of all.

The following could take place between 9:00 AM and 10:00 AM:

An event can be stressful and time consuming; there’s just no two ways about it. After months of planning, speaking with vendors and selling sponsorships, everything can still not go according to plan. The most important thing to remember here is the follow-up. The best way to ensure that someone is going to be reliable on the day of your event is to methodically contact them prior to the event and ensure that everything is proceeding according to plan.

While it shouldn’t be your problem if the vendor needs more information about the site or if they are missing something, it will ultimately come back to haunt you in the end – if you let it. By staying in constant contact with vendors and sponsors alike, you (as the event manager) will ensure that nothing falls through.

Occasionally, calling vendors may not be enough. If this is the case, you will have to go into crisis mode. Most likely a few weeks prior to the event, someone will back out and you will have to deal with it. How can you deal with it? There are myriad options. The most obvious is to look for new vendors. It may not be that hard if it’s something small. After all, it may be for the best if they cancel before the event rather than create a fiasco during the event. However, if it’s something big, depending on the circumstances, the damages can be irreparable.

So roll with the punches and do your best to keep people in line and if all else fails, just look towards Jack Bauer. See how much he can accomplish in an hour, because when your event comes around you’ll be just as busy as him.