Blog

Topic: Business

RFPs: Request for Protection
by Elizabeth Friedland in Business, Miscellaneous Date: 08.05.10 7 comments
I personally find nothing more exciting than receiving a prospective client’s RFP. I love showing off my agency and communicating how we’re the perfect fit for their needs. There’s nothing more fun than wowing clients under conditions in which the sky is the limit!

Yet as exciting as RFPs can be, they’re also one of the trickiest procedures for an agency to navigate. When it comes down to it, agencies are paid for their ideas. We’re professional brainstormers. Our work is, quite simply, our ideas turned into deliverables. Because these ideas are so important, it’s vital to... read on
Buying the milk for free
by Elizabeth Friedland in Advertising, Branding, Business, Design, Interactive Services, Promotions, Public Relations, Social Media Date: 05.21.10 3 comments
From Pepsi to Folgers to Doritos to the neighborhood business down the road, corporate decision makers are letting the public call the shots on marketing strategy. They’re asking you – yes, you—to come up with slogans and taglines, jingles and theme songs, logos and business names, products and flavors.

Let’s take a behind-the-scenes look at how this crowdsourcing phenomenon was born, shall we?

Scene: Boardroom. Marketing meeting.

CEO: Sales are down nationwide for Big Box USA. Consumers aren’t responding to our current promotions. What’s our next move?

CMO: Well, we have an... read on
Dislike
by Louise Klann in Business, Social Media, Technology Date: 05.07.10 2 comments
Oh Facebook…. I have such mixed feelings about you.

I love the service that Facebook provides. How else could I so easily see the pictures of my countless cousins’ babies, new puppies and weddings? I completely understand that Facebook is a business and, as such, they have to look out for their own interests. I realize big business can’t be one big hippie lovefest. But as someone who has ridden the Facebook wave from the beginning, it’s hard to stomach the complete loss of control over my content (Did you know that Facebook owns ANY and ALL content you provide?) and the death of... read on
Five Dollar Foot Wrong
by Ryan Pylipow in Business, Miscellaneous Date: 04.29.10 0 comments
Recently, I was in Miami on vacation and decided to stroll over to Subway for a quick lunch. Little did I know that frustration and misery were in my immediate future, not to mention hunger pains.

As I entered the yellow and green shop, I noticed four employees on duty prepared to make their famous foot-long subs. Like anyone familiar with Subway, I imagined the service would be quite speedy. After all, Subway is an assembly line style shop and with a well-equipped staff of four manning the appropriate stations (bread, meat, veggie and cash register), I was sure to be in and out in record... read on
5 Highlights From SXSW
by Jon Immel in Business, Design, Interactive Services, Technology Date: 04.16.10 0 comments
South by Southwest (SXSW) is always a crazy week, packed with lots of informative talks as well as many fun parties. I’ve decided to recap the week with five highlights from the many panels I attended at SXSW 2010.

1.Words Are Cheaper Than Comps
In the panel, “Content Strategy For You,” Margot Bloomstein did a good job showing that it’s best to revise content early on in a project—before the design phase. If you make content changes in the design stage, than you are probably going to be forced to revise your comps, and that can be very time consuming and costly for the client. ... read on
Collaboration Not Confrontation
by Ryne Meadors in Business, Design, Interactive Services Date: 03.31.10 2 comments
The TrendyMinds team recently closed up shop and headed down to Austin, Texas for the annual SXSW Interactive Conference. Our visit was spent rubbing shoulders with the industry elite while attending panel discussions on a variety of topics. But we weren’t total bores—we also managed to squeeze in some fun time every evening by enjoying some of Austin’s culinary delights, attending sponsored parties or by creating our own entertainment with other South By friends. We learned tons, saw a lot of cool technologies and left feeling inspired, ready to apply the knowledge we gained to work for our... read on
South by South Wowed
by Elizabeth Friedland in Advertising, Branding, Business, Design, Interactive Services, Miscellaneous, Promotions, Public Relations, Social Media, Technology Date: 03.19.10 0 comments
Last week I was fortunate enough to attend the South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive conference in Austin, Texas with the rest of the TrendyMinds team. I had anticipated five days of learning, networking and inspiration, and my expectations were high. Everyone talks about SXSW as being the best conference the industry offers—and it isn’t often that an industry conference gains an obsessively passionate following.

But now I get it.

SXSW was an amazing experience. It was exhausting, to be sure. Sessions run back-to-back from 9:30am to 6:00pm. Your feet are sore and swollen from walking... read on
A New Chapter
by Trevor Yager in Business Date: 03.11.10 1 comment
Change. It is a word we’ve heard many, many times throughout our lives. A word that some people love and others loathe. It makes some happy and scares the heck out of others. The word by itself really can’t do too much. But when followed by actions, the word can be quite powerful - enough to shake-up an organization, move a nation, or even elect a President.

Throughout the past few weeks we at TrendyMinds have experienced a lot of change. Through an amazing opportunity, I was able to attend the State of the Union address in Washington, D.C. this past January. It was a whirlwind experience... read on