One page sites have been around for awhile but it’s this year that I’ve really seen them take-off in numbers.

Here’s why I love them and recommend using them:

• Easy to navigate
  Everything is hosted on one page so there’s no need for breadcrumbs. This event site from the Bay Area Humane Society makes it simple to get the information you need quickly and easily.

• Great for mobile viewing
  The best sites are those that have a mobile version, but for those that don’t one page sites are really easy to navigate on your PDA.

• Ideal for big and small sites
  While initially one page sites were great for short content, recently I’ve seen some built to accommodate heavier messaging and image. Some great examples include this portfolio site from Phil Renaud and this business site for Tower Inspection. If you click through to the site, you can see some of the creative aspects of their navigation.

What do you think about one page websites? Have you used them? Seen any really good ones?

When you’re in the business of marketing and PR you’re expected to stay up-to-date on the latest current events and pop culture trends. It’s important to create a personal brand to incorporate your own interests and recommendations, but also stay professional while doing so. It’s a fine line we walk as marketing professionals in the digital era – thankfully, there are emerging social media networks to help us do it all.

Viewers check in to entertainment on Philo

While Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook all provide a common place to share your thoughts and ideas, a new group of social networking sites now offer a platform to share opinions on all of the latest entertainment trends. For those of you who don’t want your business contacts to know just how deep your love for the Real Housewives of New Jersey runs, there’s now a spot to chat for hours on end without plugging up your wall of tweets or updates. Inspired by the budding Foursquare check-in phase, sites such as GetGlue, Miso, and Philo allow viewers to share cultural experiences with their respective social networks. These sites dramatically change the way we experience entertainment – creating a shared experience with the viewer and their virtual neighbors. The largest perk of all, these sites create a place for professional people like you and me to expand our individual brand on a personal level, creating an even stronger connection with people through shared interests.

Miso allows viewers to check in via iPhone

It’s only natural to see this trend grow as social networks on mobile devices become increasingly available. According to Mashable, a recent study shows that 98 percent of iPad owners use their mobile device while watching television once a day – and I’d bet a pretty penny the same goes for non-iPad users as well.  In addition to individuals utilizing entertainment check-in sites to leverage their personal brand, television networks are also anxious to jump on board the bandwagon.  Although most networks are subtle about their ties with these sites,  some choose more obvious marketing tactics such as creating badges for shows with cult-like followings, even creating fan pages for network-specific shows. For example, Miso’s partnership with TNT rewards loyal viewers with access to their “Fan Club” that reveals inside information and additional content about the show. In the end, the large networks help drive traffic to the social networking site, while also gaining valuable market research about their viewers, including check in behavior and a minute-by-minute breakdown of engagement throughout the show. Sounds like a recipe for better television.

GetGlue True Blood stickers

Overall, the trend to share cultural concepts online can and should be used to leverage your individual brand on a personal level. As networks continue to partner with these sites, the potential for marketing opportunities will also increase, making the entertainment check in craze a force to be reckoned with – stay tuned my friends.

Here is the deal.  Social Media is an undeniable force.  Is anyone even talking about anything else?  Nope, not really.

I went to a Competitive Edge luncheon today where a panel of tourism industry experts regaled us with “How To Operate In the New Norm”.  They talked about team building, communicating with your employees, looking toward the future, networking in industry groups and…You guessed it, Social Media.  I could sit here and list off a handful of examples where I attended a luncheon and was lectured on the importance of Social Media.  I won’t bore you with the details, I think you get it.

So why am I blogging on this blog?  Well, I have been tasked with telling you, the fine readers of Don’t Drink The Koolaid Blog, how I, Megan Capizzi, convinced my employers that Social Media was an important avenue for Seaport Village to explore.  And to be honest, it was a gradual process.  The folks at Bailey Gardiner sat me down and said, YOU NEED TO WRITE A BLOG.  How awesome.  I LOVE reading blogs!  I was really excited about it. I could finally talk to the Seaport Village “customer” the way I had always talked to my friends and family about my job.  I would get to divulge the behind the scenes stuff!  What my favorite store was.  Where I liked to sit and people  watch.  My favorite lunch item at Edgewater Grill  (on days I’m not working of course) – coc0nut shrimp and a Mojito, in case you were wondering.  I was finally going to get to shout from the rooftops my love for Seaport Village.  And by shout from the rooftops I mean unleash my blogs onto the Internet.

Where I saw awesome opportunity and a two-way conversation, my company saw… well, a two way conversation.

Them: “What if they say something bad about our parking?”
Me: “Then I will remind them that we are the cheapest parking in downtown!  I will give them the parking tips they need to know!”

Them: “What if there is a complaint about a store?  And it is on the Internet for everyone to see?”
Me: “Then I will help right the wrong!  I will be the connection that that customer is looking for.  I can help!”

Them: “Are you sure?  You will monitor it…”
Me: “Yes! Yes! Yes!  This is going to be great.  Let’s give it a chance.”

And to their credit, they gave it a chance.  And from that, Boardwalk Betty was created.  Boardwalk Betty is Seaport Village’s social media persona.  She has gone on to create a Facebook, Twitter, Flickr & YouTube account.

I believe they gave it a chance because they believed that our product, Seaport Village, was and is a quality product.  We take pride in our little shopping
center on the water.  We want our customers to be happy.  And let’s get serious, our customers are vocal about what they like and don’t like.  Why would we not be a part of that conversation?  It is a privilege to be part of that conversation!

After everyone saw how wonderfully Boardwalk Betty and all of her blogs were being received- we were actually getting comments and feedback, hooray!- we moved into the Facebook and Twitter arena.  Similar apprehensions,  but there I was again, “People are talking about us!  People actually really love us!  Let’s make them love us more.”  These were my cheers when I put on my social media cheerleading outfit.  I wish I had a picture of that outfit, because it’s cute and cheery.  But that is beside the point.

Now, not only does the company allow me to “run with it” they are applauding my efforts.  They see the valuable conversations that are being had, the community that is being created.  On top of that, I encouraged our stores & restaurants to get on board.  We now have 14 stores on Twitter and 24 stores who have individual Facebook Fan Pages.  The conversation between the stores alone is amazing.  The cross promotion opportunities, endless!  Social media- undeniable my friends, undeniable.

So my suggestion to you, if there is apprehension in the upper ranks, ease ‘em in slowly.  Start with something that you have a lot of control over, like a blog.  You control the content and monitor the comments then hit ‘em with the big guns- FACEBOOK!  TWITTER!  The benefits are overwhelming and if done right the results will be undeniable.

PS- While I would like to take all the credit, I have to admit that Bailey Gardiner played a gigantic role in getting Seaport Village on board the social media train.  I owe them a million thank you’s for all of the support and guidance as we navigated this new and exciting territory.

Megan Capizzi is the Marketing Manager at Seaport Village in San Diego. A client of Bailey Gardiner’s for four years, Megan has overseen Seaport’s advertising, public relations and now social media campaigns.  She runs the Seaport Village Blog as well as their Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube accounts.

Most informed agency leaders will agree that a big part of what our clients want, and are willing to pay us for, is our thinking. We bring years of experience, coupled with tactical knowledge and creativity to marketing challenges. So why is it that so many agencies are willing to give it away for free?

Over the past couple of months we have been told by more than one new business prospect that while they love our creative thinking and want our experience/approach, they are having a tough time making a decision because the other agency(ies) have given them a complete plan, and of course, we have not. What?! A complete plan? From the one hour conversation they (maybe) had when they were asked to pitch the business, they have enough insight into the company, its brand promise, its customers, competition, and goals to present a plan? Folks, I call BS.

Really experienced CMOs/Marketing Managers will know they are getting a cookie cutter approach, since it isn’t really possible for that kind of strategic development in the 7-10 days they gave as a deadline for an initial proposal. Unfortunately, there are lots of people making decisions about hiring an agency who know very little about marketing and even less about how agencies work.

I am tired of competing for business with agencies that don’t even respect their time or intellectual capital enough to get paid for it. People, you should get paid to write a strategic plan. I know times are hard, but if you set the expectation that you will just give away your thinking in order to get an ongoing retainer, you not only hurt your own revenue stream, you hurt the reputation of an entire industry.

In particular (since I’m on a roll now), we see this in social media pitches. Since most agencies have very little experience in social media planning or management, they have developed a cut-and-paste approach. Take one part Facebook, one part Twitter and insert client name in the blank. There is very little customized or original thinking happening. I believe we are going to start seeing the carcasses of that type of approach all over the business landscape.

It’s too bad too, because social media presents loads of opportunity for the PR industry. But only if we use our smarts and don’t treat it like another tactic to be added onto a long list of “to dos.”

Linkedin is a great website to find tailored job listings and potential employees, but the social network is often overlooked as a potential new business tool and a platform for personal branding. With more than 60 million users (80 percent of which have a college degree) Linkedin allows people to re-connect with past business connections in a professional setting. Even more importantly, Linkedin puts an emphasis on introducing you to people you need to know and gives you the place to have an expert voice in the industry in which you work.

In order to help you use Linkedin in this way, we’ve put together a list of some of our best practices for creating a Linkedin Profile:

• SEO Make yourself searchable. If your purpose for a Linkedin profile is to use it as a networking or new business tool, include key words that will enable people to find you.

• Link your blog to your Linkedin profile. Applications to link your blog posts to your profile such as the Wordpress app are great tools for this. Doing this will also help you get more views for your posts.

• Have a complete profile. Fill out all the areas- specialties, expertise, job role, education, etc. You will appear credible to people who don’t know you well if your profile is complete. Be sure to add a picture of yourself.

• Personalize the message in the invitation box when inviting someone to your network. This will show others you are personable and hopefully make them want to interact with you. Hopefully this will lead to a recommendation in the future.

• Use conversational tone: If acceptable by your industry, use conversational tone while maintaining a professional standard. Using a conversational tone makes you seem “real.” Uptight resume-speak makes you seem unapproachable.

• If you receive a recommendation, reciprocate. Recommending a connection may end up in a job lead or new business venture in the future and it’s likely you will receive more recommendations if you are willing to give them out.

• List your websites properly. When editing your profile, change the title of your website or blog to appear descriptively and searchable on the Internet. For example, change “my website” to “Bailey Gardiner-San Diego PR.” The second title is much more explanatory than the first.

• Include only relevant experience. Do you think your advertising colleague cares about your summer camp counselor job way back when? No.

• Customize your URL. This goes back to SEO. A customized URL makes your profile easily searchable and easy to remember if hearing it via word-of-mouth.

What else do you recommend? How do you use your Linkedin profile?

For the Graphic Designer, prepress means the procedure to prepare digital graphic design files for printers and vendors. These steps of preparation can include proofreading, revisions, checking size, fonts and color, and output of the file in correct format. Prepress at a printer can include making separations, platemaking, creating blue lines and color proofs. The steps stay basically the same on each job and when you do them professionally for several years you may notice signs of how they affect your life. Below are the top ten signs you may be a prepress pro:

1. Double spacing after periods in body copy REALLY bothers you.

2. While driving home after a long day using Illustrator – you imagine creating bezier curves with your car on the highway.

3. You get called nicknames like Genius, Design Darlin’, Design Dumplin’, Graphics Guru or Speedy Spice (from way back – Spice Girls).

4. You really wish you could do a “Command Z” on some actions in life.

5. You are fatigued explaining “Bleed” has nothing to do with losing precious bodily fluids.

6. Continuous tone is not about the car alarm that went on for hours in the neighborhood last night.

7. You feel nausea when you see the font Comic Sans or any True Type font or encounter a Microsoft Word file or Illustrator file used as desktop publishing software.

8. Dummy means an example of design work. You have a lot of other words for stupid people and dingbat is not one of them either.

9. Acid free paper is not about being completely bummed at a Rave.

10.Eating a meal is a major distraction. When you do get out to a restaurant and look at the menu, you recognize the fonts, typos and double spaces after periods instead of the food. Besides, fonts are considered a food group.

What signs have you noticed?

Last week we toured our new office space. Come November we’ll hopefully be making ourselves at home on the fourth floor of a building in Little Italy. A lot of renovations still need to be made. The ceiling will be extended up to make it look less law firm-ish. And many of the center walls will be torn down to create more shared space.

Just a few months away before we starting testing the endurance of the gelato machines at this fine establishment. The countdown begins.

When producing a radio spot, it’s not as easy as just writing a script, recording the spot and then trafficking it to the radio station. A lot of steps, that include everyone from the account team to the creative team to the client, are required prior to even talking to the studio that will be producing the spot.

Last week, we completed the production of a radio spot for our client in Mission Valley, Hazard Center. We have a specific process that we follow here in order to ensure the best quality work while being as efficient as possible. The steps we took to producing this spot are as follows:

Step 1 – Determine when you want your spots to run and on what stations. Based on your budget, this will determine if you can produce a :15 or :30 spot, how many spots you can run and if you have enough to negotiate a promotional tie-in.

Step 2 – The account team then writes a creative brief. This brief includes all necessary information on the client: who we are talking to, what we’re trying to convey in this spot, what station(s) we are running on and if there are any mandatories. Pretty much, it is the road map for the creative team to follow.

Step 3 – Obtain approval from the client on the creative brief. This is crucial. You must ensure the client is on the same page as your team prior to beginning any project.

Step 4 – The creative team, usually an art director/creative director and a copywriter, concept and write 2-3 scripts. If a sound effect or music is needed within the script, they will write a brief description of what it should sound like. For example: SFX: Louder growl

Step 5 – Internal review. The creative team reviews the scripts with the account team. This is the time for the account team to ensure all mandatories are met and the scripts follow the provided creative brief.

Step 6 – Client presentation. The account team reviews the creative brief with the client to bring them back up to speed on what we are trying to accomplish with the spot(s). The creative team then discusses the rationale behind each concept and reads the script to the client. Our senior copywriter, Rich Parubrub, does an excellent job impersonating the sound effects.

Step 7 - Client approval. This is when the client selects which script they would like to proceed with. This is also their opportunity to provide feedback on any revisions or additions they would like.

Step 8 - The account team discusses the spot, budget and timing with the recording studio that will be producing the spot.

Step 9 - The creative team reviews the approved script with the studio. This is where the type of talent they are envisioning and sound effects are discussed.

Step 10 - The studio has 2-3 days to compile their recommendations and send to the creative team to review. The creative team makes their selection based on these. If none of them work, they go back and compile second recommendations.

Step 11 - The studio then books the talent and sends them the script in advance for review.

Step 12 - Recording day. You always start with the voice recording. You want to get the talent’s part done first. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay them for the hour (which can range from around $150 – $500) that they are just sitting there while you pick out sound effects. You always need to make sure you have the client’s budget in mind. This is where the creative team gives direction to the talent on the type of voice, read and which words they want them to really pronounce when doing the read. The talent will do a couple reads of the entire script first to warm up.

Step 13 - Fine tuning. Once the voice talent is comfortable with the spot we begin recording in phases (usually line by line). The talent will read the line 3-4 times in a row, each time a little differently. We pick the one we like and move on to the next. We continue this process until the entire script has been read. We listen through the entire spot at least 15 times to make sure it all flows. Generally, you need to go back and have the talent re-do a few lines so the voice and speed is consistent throughout. I will say, I always thought you had to read the entire thing all the way through until you got it right. It’s amazing how technology allows you to cut and paste and have it sound like one fluid read.

Step 14 – Adding in sound effects. When needed, these are added in in between words or in the background, based on the creative team’s vision. Sound effects typically are the hardest part of producing a radio spot because you don’t want them to overpower the message you are trying to get together.

Step 15 – The studio puts the entire spot together and sends to the agency for review. It is crucial you have the spot nailed prior to leaving the studio. If you want changes after that, you have to pay for additional studio time.

Step 16 - Client final approval. Once the agency approves, we send the spot to the client to review and approve.

Final Step - Once it is final approved by the client, the account team traffics the spot to the station.

It might seem like a lot of steps, but all of them are necessary in order for a good, quality spot to be produced. In the end, Hazard Center’s spot went from a script written in a Word document to this.

Hazard Center Radio Spot

We practice what we preach. You may have had the opportunity to read my last post regarding how to create an effective integrated ad campaign. I’d like to share a recent example of how we executed this task in our local market here in San Diego.

Bailey Gardiner has had the opportunity over the last six years to have Del Mar Thoroughbred Club as a client. We recently implemented a social media and online advertising campaign for them. Through this new media opportunity we developed a relationship with another up and coming site here in San Diego called SoundDiego.com. This site is an affiliate of NBCSanDiego.com and provided a unique opportunity to allow us to promote the Del Mar Concert Series through several touch points.

Sound Diego covers local music and provides a unique platform for us to integrate an advertorial broadcast segment into a piece that looks just like content. The video segment was shot at Del Mar and aired first on SoundDiego.com as a sponsored video segment. The video appears as every other video on the blog and all pre-roll was removed.

The following day it was then aired on NBC’s 4 o’clock news as a SoundDiego “in news segment” done on Del Mar, yet actually packaged as a commercial buy.

Why is this important? This video not only aired in broadcast news time and on the SoundDiego blog but has also been embedded on DelMarScene.com (the client’s site) and also used as content for our Social Media campaign with posts on the Facebook page and Twitter account. We were able to touch the audience through multiple points using advertising that actually communicates the client events and brand as content. Advertisers need to think about creative ways to communicate using not only new mediums such as social media but also traditional channels such as television. When you are able to develop content that users want to engage with, you can create effective advertising that has legs across several mediums.

Check out the video on SoundDiego.com

Bailey Gardiner is looking for a graphic design intern for the fall quarter/semester.
A little about you:

• A college student (junior or senior) majoring in advertising, art direction, graphic design or something similar
• Must be able to obtain college credit for the internship
• Willing to commit to a minimum of 16 hours per week, set hours are preferred
• Has a student portfolio of design work
• Working knowledge of Adobe Creative Suite. Experience in Flash/Fireworks/Dreamweaver is a huge plus
• A well-organized, self-starter who shows ownership over assignments
• Some production experience preferred
• Excellent communication skills – both oral and written
• Must have a good attitude and aspire to do award-winning work
• Eager to learn
• Creative

A little about your responsibilities:
Assist the creative team with the following:

• Assist team members in research, concept development, designing and mounting of logos and creating collateral pieces, websites, identity and stationery packages
• Accompany senior team members to photo shoots, press checks, client meetings and assist in photo and art research when necessary

This position is unpaid and only open to current college students who can obtain college credit through the internship.

The experience you will receive at Bailey Gardiner is invaluable. We will take the time to teach, support, provide you with responsibility and of course, have some fun.

For a little more information about us, visit our portfolio or get an intern’s perspective on working here on the blog by our interns.
If you are interested, please email your student portfolio, cover letter and resume to kelly@baileygardiner.com

No phone calls please.