http://www.trendyminds.com/index.php/site/index/ en tyager@trendyminds.com Copyright 2010 2010-08-27T16:08:39+00:00 http://www.trendyminds.com/index.php/news/welcome-to-the-club/ http://www.trendyminds.com/index.php/news/welcome-to-the-club/#When:17:08:39Z TrendyMinds has just signed a contract with Kiwanis Club Indianapolis to handle the organization’s strategic needs, including public relations, media relations, branding, marketing and advertising services. We’re looking forward to helping Kiwanis Club Indianapolis retain current members, attract new members, and refresh internal and external branding and messaging. About Us, Branding, Campaign, Creative, Graphic Design, Advertising, Public Relations, Social Media Communication, Strategic 2010-08-27T17:08:39+00:00 http://www.trendyminds.com/index.php/blog/comments/rfps-request-for-protection/ http://www.trendyminds.com/index.php/blog/comments/rfps-request-for-protection/#When:18:15:32Z 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 protect them. But how can an agency protect their ideas while still providing potential clients with concepts for consideration? Here are my tips and tricks for navigating the RFP waters. 1. Evaluate the RFP itself. It’s tempting to respond to every RFP that comes your way, especially in an economy where many agencies are struggling to hold on. We make sure to carefully look over all RFPs to determine to whom we’ll respond. Aside from the obvious criteria like determining if we like the organization, can meet their deadlines and work within their budget, we also try to detect if the organization is serious about a project or if they’re (que scary music)… “idea fishing.” Unfortunately, it isn’t uncommon for companies to send out RFPs to a long list of agencies as a free way to get ideas, without any intention of actually hiring a partner to develop the concepts. While it’s impossible to know for sure which RFPs are sincere and which are crowd-sourcing ideas, here are a few signs: • Is the RFP vague? This is often a dead giveaway for idea-fishers. Legitimate RFPs indicate project timelines, budgets, deliverables and methods of work. The more detail provided, the more confident you can be that there’s an actual project to be awarded. On the other hand… • Is the RFP unusually focused on just one “problem” that needs to be solved? Occasionally we’ll see an RFP that presents a problem – for example, a 100-year-old business wants to be seen as “young” again. However, instead of asking for proposals for a specific project to solve this problem (such as a rebranding or PR campaign), they’ll often just ask for general concepts and ideas to meet the indicated need. If these RFPs lack budgets, timelines and concrete next steps, we’ll more often than not take a pass. • Was the RFP issued to fill a requirement? This is especially common in governmental organizations. Many times businesses are required to send out an RFP to a certain number or type of agency, even though they have a firm idea of who will actually be awarded the project. Generally, a little bit of cyber-sleuthing on the organization and their funding can let you know if the RFP is part of such a process. 2. Make it known that your ideas are valuable. Those who don’t regularly work with an agency and creative types may assume that coming up with ideas is a simple, easy process. As any good agency knows, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Even for a “simple” RFP, we devote hours of research, brainstorming, concepting and writing.  This translates into hundreds, even thousands of dollars that isn’t billable or devoted to current clients. It’s important to convey that the ideas presented in the proposal were the result of a careful process, and not a 15-minute cut-and-paste job. 3. Legally protect your ideas When we feel that a proposal we write is uniquely detailed or comprehensive, we may decide to take legal steps to ensure our ideas are protected. Options include having both parties sign a mutual non-disclosure form, or copywriting the proposal itself (there is a small fee associated with this, but we feel it far outweighs the fallout if our ideas are stolen). There are other options available to agencies as well, although these can be a bit tougher to implement. Billing for a proposal or asking for a contract in advance of sending ideas might be appropriate in some cases, especially if the RFP is quite large or the agency has previously worked with the company. Finally, looking at the structure of your own agency is important. TrendyMinds is an advertising and PR agency, but we’re also a problem-solving agency. Frequently our clients come to us for general consulting in addition to strategic, creative and interactive deliverables, and many times this consulting doesn’t require a tangible deliverable. Because of this, we’ve incorporated consulting fees into our structure. This makes it clear that our ideas are incredibly valuable and not something we pass out to everyone for free. It also allows us to take our time in developing more comprehensive and in-depth proposals, and our clients and potential clients appreciate this added effort. How do you protect your ideas in a proposal? Has there been a time when your ideas have been stolen? Business, Miscellaneous 2010-08-05T18:15:32+00:00 http://www.trendyminds.com/index.php/news/trevor-yager-appointed-to-indiana-arts-commission/ http://www.trendyminds.com/index.php/news/trevor-yager-appointed-to-indiana-arts-commission/#When:13:25:52Z Trevor Yager, founder and principal of TrendyMinds, was recently appointed by Governor Mitch Daniels to the 15-member Indiana Arts Commission (IAC). The IAC funds, encourages, promotes and expands the arts throughout the entire state. Click here to see the full press release about Trevor’s appointment. Congrats, Trevor!   About Us 2010-07-23T13:25:52+00:00 http://www.trendyminds.com/index.php/news/trendyminds-to-work-with-chacha/ http://www.trendyminds.com/index.php/news/trendyminds-to-work-with-chacha/#When:21:28:34Z TrendyMinds has begun work with ChaCha (www.chacha.com), a leading answers service (headquartered in Indianapolis) that has surpassed Google in mobile SMS searches. TrendyMinds will be devising and executing various creative and strategic plans to assist ChaCha with their guide recruitment and retention initiatives. Campaign, Creative, Graphic Design, Interactive, Advertising, Public Relations, Strategic 2010-07-13T21:28:34+00:00 http://www.trendyminds.com/index.php/news/nglcc-selects-trendyminds-for-pr/ http://www.trendyminds.com/index.php/news/nglcc-selects-trendyminds-for-pr/#When:21:22:17Z The National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) has partnered with Indianapolis-based advertising and public relations agency TrendyMinds, an NGLCC certified business, to handle the organization’s public relations and strategic needs, helping to advance opportunities and awareness of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)-owned businesses. The NGLCC, headquartered in Washington, D.C., acts as a business and economic advocate on behalf of LGBT-owned businesses nationwide. By working with corporate partners, government agencies, legislative bodies and other organizations, the NGLCC promotes the economic growth and prosperity of its members. TrendyMinds, an NGLCC member and LGBT certified business, has signed on to help the organization craft and execute a public and media relations plan. “The entire staff and I are especially thrilled to handle the public relations for the NGLCC, an organization that we’ve had such a terrific relationship with,” says Trevor Yager, founder and principal of TrendyMinds. “We feel the NGLCC is such a relevant, vital organization, and we’re looking forward to advancing its mission.” The NGLCC and TrendyMinds have worked together before. In January of this past year, the NGLCC, along with President Obama and First Lady, invited Trevor Yager to be a special guest at the 2010 State of the Union as a testament to the ad agency’s diversity, community involvement and industry success. “We are excited to partner with Trendy Minds and expand our reach to an even broader audience,” said NGLCC co-founder and president, Justin Nelson. “TrendyMinds’ expertise will certainly be a major enhancement to the organization and the national LGBT business movement.” TrendyMinds will be working to promote several programs and projects including the NGLCC’s 2010 National Business and Leadership Conference: Out for Business and National Dinner: An Evening of Courage (November 18-20) in Washington, D.C., as well as, educational and marketing efforts surrounding NGLCC’s supplier Diversity program. “We believe this is just the beginning of a long and successful relationship with the NGLCC,” Yager says. “We’re looking forward to executing a result-oriented, fantastic public relations campaign.” Campaign, Public Relations, Strategic 2010-07-13T21:22:17+00:00 http://www.trendyminds.com/index.php/news/trendyminds-to-work-with-american-cancer-society/ http://www.trendyminds.com/index.php/news/trendyminds-to-work-with-american-cancer-society/#When:13:35:34Z TrendyMinds is proud to announce its newest client, the American Cancer Society. We will begin work on a project to be unveiled this fall, utilizing our creative and strategic teams. The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grassroots force of more than three million volunteers, they fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. The American Cancer Society saves lives by helping people stay well by preventing cancer or detecting it early; helping people get well by being there for them during and after a cancer diagnosis; by finding cures through investment in groundbreaking discovery; and by fighting back by rallying lawmakers to pass laws to defeat cancer and by rallying communities worldwide to join the fight. As the nation’s largest non-governmental investor in cancer research, contributing about $3.4 billion, they turn what they know about cancer into what they do. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer and countless more who have avoided it will be celebrating birthdays this year. We welcome the American Cancer Society to the TrendyMinds family! Campaign, Creative, Graphic Design, Advertising, Printing, Strategic 2010-07-07T13:35:34+00:00 http://www.trendyminds.com/index.php/blog/comments/the-key-to-client-satisfaction/ http://www.trendyminds.com/index.php/blog/comments/the-key-to-client-satisfaction/#When:15:00:30Z I was sitting in a meeting the other day listening to a woman speak about her dissatisfaction regarding a previous agency she had tapped to handle the advertising and public relations needs for her company. Her chief complaint was feeling that her company was not the number one priority of the agency. She further explained that there didn’t seem to be any type of consistent project management system in place, and as a result, projects weren’t completed when promised. Project management is a major problem for many advertising and PR agencies, yet implementing a few tidy processes may contain this beast. Organization is the key to client satisfaction. Without it, chaos will most likely ensue, offices will be less productive and client work will suffer. If you’re considering hiring an agency, freelancer, publicist, web designer, or any other creative professional consider the following: 1) How do they currently manage their clients’ projects? Is it just an informal system of emails, post-it notes and white board scribbling? That’s a sign of impending disaster. Look for an agency with a clearly defined, formal project management system. 2) Do they explain the stages of the project so you have a complete understanding of the process prior to the creation and implementation? Even if you have no idea how a website is built or a campaign is executed, a good agency puts you in control and arms you with knowledge, while at the same time guiding you with their expertise. 3) As projects are created, do they offer opportunities to review and provide feedback along the way… or only at the end? A good agency will clearly outline when your input will be needed, and when various other key checkpoints will occur. 4) What is their success rate for staying on-time and on-budget? Great agencies under promise and over deliver, over quote and under bill. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should expect for your project to always come in at or under what you were quoted (especially if you made big changes along the way, or asked for a shift in direction), but run for the hills if history shows that their projects are more often than not over budget. Had our client’s original agency implemented a solid project management system, they might not have lost the business. (Lucky for us, they did.) While the creativity of an agency’s work is important, the often overlooked and seemingly boring project management system is perhaps even more vital. Advertising, Branding, Design, Interactive Services, Promotions, Public Relations, Social Media 2010-06-24T15:00:30+00:00 http://www.trendyminds.com/index.php/news/starbucks-zoobilation/ http://www.trendyminds.com/index.php/news/starbucks-zoobilation/#When:14:00:52Z Starbucks recently asked us to design an eye-catching display for its booth at the annual Indianapolis Zoobilation event. The client wanted to promote its new East Africa Blend Citrus & Brown Spice coffee as part of the Starbucks (RED) campaign. We created designs with an African feel to correlate with the campaign. The result was red coffee cambro covers that were strategically placed on both sides of the booth, framing the banner, which easily gained the attention of Zoobilation attendees.  Branding, Creative, Graphic Design, Signs 2010-06-18T14:00:52+00:00 http://www.trendyminds.com/index.php/news/trendyminds-featured-by-amex-open/ http://www.trendyminds.com/index.php/news/trendyminds-featured-by-amex-open/#When:16:32:43Z Want to help make a difference but not sure if you have the time to donate your time and services to a local nonprofit? Check out this American Express Small Business article for tips on how you can successfully budget your time and resources and lend a helping hand to deserving organizations that work to improve the lives of those in need. You’ll learn how TrendyMinds and other agencies are able to donate their time for great and worthwhile causes. About Us 2010-06-16T16:32:43+00:00 http://www.trendyminds.com/index.php/blog/comments/when-stupid-is-smart/ http://www.trendyminds.com/index.php/blog/comments/when-stupid-is-smart/#When:18:39:25Z When I first heard that Chevrolet sent out a memo to its employees announcing that they were forever ditching the term “Chevy” to maintain its brand consistency, my jaw dropped. How could a huge corporation who had the best of available branding consultants, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, do something so stupid? Why on earth would they want to eradicate the nickname “Chevy” which has immediate emotional connections with their customers (the type of deeply rooted connections that every brand dreams of having), and insist on a brand name that doesn’t? “Chevy” has been used for about a 100 years, and has thoroughly seeped into our culture. The greatest, good ol’ blue collar American songs reference Chevy: Bob Seger’s “Night Moves,” Don McLean’s “American Pie,” and every family’s favorite sing-along, Snoop Dogg’s “Ridin’ in My Chevy.” The likelihood of impressing on Chevy lovers the importance of saying a longer, snootier name is low. Not just kind of low, but low like Lindsay Lohan’s chances of sobering up. This strategy is the exact opposite their goal: brand consistency. Rather, this is a brand shift that would alienate their base. GM Spokesperson Klaus-Peter Martin insisted that it wasn’t a “secret viral campaign to bring hype to the brand,” yet their misguided memo resulted in a brilliance that Chevy probably wished was intentional. The threatened end of Chevy galvanized every red blooded, American, Chevy lover to defend their beloved moniker. Their uproar started a viral internet storm providing Chevy (oh, pardon moi, mes amis – “Chevrolet”) tons of free PR and all the hype they could possibly want for the mere cost of an internal memo. After basking in their free and accidental brand resurgence for a day or so, Chevrolet released a second memo stating that their first was “poorly worded” and that their focus was to clarify their brand in international markets—and NOT to keep people from saying Chevy. (This excuse wasn’t total corporate BS; China, for example, has an automotive company named Chery.) In the end, Chevrolet accomplished both of its end goals: Chevy lovers are more virulently committed to their Chevy lifestyle, and Chevrolet has notified us that they will be known as Chevrolet in the rest of the world. I’m not sure whether to congratulate or wait for the firings to begin. Advertising, Branding, Public Relations 2010-06-11T18:39:25+00:00