Lucky

Blog

Saw a great online visual depicting the kinds of massive changes we’ve seen in the past decade. I guess it could be subtitled “It’s a wired, wired, wired, wired world.”

A Decade of Change

The numbers attached to the Internet portion of the chart are incredible, and no doubt, they are already massively outdated. Future growth will be exponential, expanding faster and faster, widening the gap between traditional communication tools and the kind of jaw-dropping (and sometimes fleeting) innovations we’ve seen in the past decade.

But what does that mean for businesses? Frankly, with all of the buzz about Social Media and Web 2.0 and 3.0 and “Apps” it’s no wonder so many people are confused. Rapid changes in the ways we communicate have left many businesses (large and small) completely stymied about how and WHERE they should talk to their customers.

We’ve all heard people say, “The more things change, the more they stay the same,” and at the risk of sounding old fashioned, I think in many ways, it’s true. We simply have more outlets for reaching people, and yes, people’s attention spans have become shorter, but the fundamentals of doing business haven’t changed.

Make sure you’re selling excellent products or services. Make sure you’re taking excellent care of your customers. Listen to what they have to say, and be responsive.  When you see the opportunity for dialogue, take it. Whether that’s through a social network, on the street, through more traditional advertising methods or all of the above is up to you and your customers. Give people a good experience wherever they find you or you find them, and the rest will follow. That’s how great brands are built.

Some things never change.

This made our Monday!

"Working with Lucky Dog Creative was pure delight.  You were so encouraging through the whole process, it made me want to come up with more projects you could do for me, just to maintain that connection. Lucky Dog Creative got the job done for me: on time, under budget, and always with timely responses to my many questions. Revisions were handled deftly & accurately. The results are stellar. I am the real "lucky dog", to have found you guys. I want Lucky Dog to handle all my marketing materials from now on." Nic Nelson, Fjeldheim

http://www.tahoemountainhome.com/

Every once in a while, we get a project that is so freaking cool that we can’t believe we’re lucky enough to work on it. For the past few months, that project has been HARO, or Help a Reporter Out, for those who aren’t familiar with it. Yet.

Peter Shankman, the PR guru and founder of HARO, is nothing short of a blast to work with, and has one of the most entrepreneurial minds we’ve ever peeked into. Peter started HARO as a Facebook Group Page in late 2007; quickly maxed out the allowed users, and then moved to an online service in early 2008.

To date, HARO has published more than 60,000 journalist queries; facilitated nearly 7,000,000 media pitches, and marketed and promoted 1,200+ small businesses to the media, business community and consumers.

Positively mind-boggling.

TODAY, January 19, 2010 (Cue the dramatic music) we launched the new and improved HARO – now with 220% more sweet features! (OK, we made that part up, but trust us; it’s off the hook.) We’re not sure who was more excited for the launch: Peter, the HARO family or Lucky Dog. All we know is we’re so beyond proud to have a part in it all.

Lucky Dog Creative developed a new completely new Brand User Experience by fully automating the process of connecting reporters and sources, and streamlining the management of the entire HARO business.  

The new system assembles reporter queries, organizes them into targeted industry topics (verticals), and generates an anonymous communication channel that lives only for the life of the story.  Pretty awesome stuff.

Yes, there are a whole bunch of other bells and whistles, but we’ll let you discover those on your own. And hey, if you’re not using HARO for your business, you’re missing out.

Same could be said for using Lucky Dog Creative. Just ask Peter Shankman.

What can you say about 2009 except it’s been a very long year? Actually, 2009 has been a tough year for practically everyone I know, and I can’t wait to see the back of it.

With so many negatives dominating the conversation, it’s sometimes hard to stay positive. But being a complete Pollyanna at heart, I manage to do that more often than not.  We all know the negatives: the economy. Global warming. Job losses. Health care. Fear mongering. Divisiveness.  Death panels. Blah, blah, blah.

But what about the positives this year?

We saw a new president come into office with ambitious goals for making a difference.

We launched an entirely new ad agency business model, and the response has been tremendous.

We worked on a wide range of clients in some of the coolest businesses around.

We continued to refine our products and services and we’ve got things running like a well-oiled machine.

We ran a Pay It Forward promotion through HARO, where members nominated worthy organizations to win a Grow Your Business ad campaign.

We had such a tough time choosing a winner that we ended up choosing TWO and we can’t wait to work with them.

We’re taking the holiday season off to recharge our creative batteries and to reconnect with family and friends. And what could be better than that?

So in all, this year has been tough, but it’s also been a great year.  And we have no doubt that next year is going to be PHENOMENAL.

Stay tuned for exciting new developments coming to Lucky Dog Creative in 2010.

Until then, Happy Holidays to all, and we thank you for your support. See you next year.

We’ve been running some great promos over the past few days. So far, the coolest thing about them is the huge variety of businesses that are responding. Big, small, in-between, sole proprietors, online only, mom ‘ pop and more.

They all have one thing in common (besides wanting exceptional advertising materials at a rockin’ price). Dreams.

Every business is born from someone’s dreams. Helping them realize their goals, and opening up new worlds of possibilities at the same time is such a blast.

All these new clients mean we’re going to have the chance to stretch and flex our creative muscles, and really push ourselves. That’s awesomely fun and scary all at the same time.

WE CAN’T WAIT.

Getting good feedback from clients is always wonderful. Especially when they are telling us just how much we’ve helped them or made a difference in their business. It’s even more satisfying when it hits close to home.

My brother owns a small landscaping company in Indiana. He’s never truly understood what I do for a living, brushing it off as fancy pants, big city stuff. And he’d never done any advertising because he thought he couldn’t afford it. It was only for the big guys.

I convinced him to try Lucky Dog Creative Packaged Services because it was designed specifically for small business owners just like him. I even told him if he didn’t like anything, he could always get his money back.  (We have a 100% Money Back Guarantee for all of our clients, even stubborn little brothers.)

I also knew if he didn’t like what we did, I’d never hear the end of it AND he’d probably do something awful to me the next time I visited. Like chase me around the house with a dirty diaper, aka “Doodle Bomb”. That kid’s bum is toxic. Gets me heaving every time, and him laughing hysterically. But I digress.

As a good ol’ Midwest boy, he said had no clue of what he needed, or the particular tools that would work for his business. So I sent him to the website to look through things, and had him order.  

He was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was, especially since he’s a bit iffy around computers and can barely figure out “the email”. And he knew EXACTLY how much it was going to cost him. The big question for him was: would it be worth it?

He went through the normal channels like all of our clients do. And a funny thing happened.  He loved the “creative”, and he enjoyed the process and seeing how things begin from “concept stage” and progress to reality.

Concept to reality happened quickly. Once his logo was approved, we moved into ads. And he was floored by how “cool” they were. He told me, “Nobody in around here has anything like this, sis!” He and his wife and friends sat and talked at length about them, and whether they’d respond to them (it was a unanimous yes). They were all impressed by the quality of the work.

C& M Lawn & Landscaping suddenly had a more professional identity, and in turn his business suddenly got a lot more professional. And it started to change the way he thought about his business. He started seeing opportunities where he never noticed them before.

People began noticing his logo on his business cards and invoices and commenting on how much they liked it. So he put it on his truck, and now he’s getting calls from people who’ve seen it.

And then people started seeing his ads and direct mail and called for quotes. And he started getting better quality, bigger jobs.

Not so fancy pants big city stuff anymore. Now he’s calling it money well spent. And being his sister, I had to have the last word.

“Told you so.”

With the recent death of one of the 20th Century's biggest music icons, it was inevitable that I begin to feel a pang of nostalgia for the proverbial "good old days". I'm also feeling more than a bit of horror at the fact that someone so close to my own age, so wrapped up in the soundtrack of my younger life, has suddenly dropped off the twig.

I suppose it's inevitable that the touchpoints of a generation will fade away, to be replaced by young ones blazing forth into new experiences, new technologies and new businesses. But what happens to all of the products and pastimes of our youth? Do they become the antiques of tomorrow or just fodder for the landfill?

What about those of today? Will the work we do in advertising be looked at through a haze of nostalgia one day, or will it simply cease to register in this ever noisier existence?

In my reading for the day, I found this thought provoking article Listen for the Pop

I also came across this little gem that answered the question: what am I going to do with that drawer full of old tapes I am so reluctant to toss out? I'm sending them to this kid: Next, send batteries!

Sigh.

Staying positive when so many negative things are happening in our world can be a real challenge. Luckily, I am a complete Pollyanna by nature, so I can always find the bright side of virtually any situation.

So for all of the businesses out there who are suffering in this economic backlash, sure, things may look dark and gloomy, but remember the sun is still shining somewhere, and it’ll shine on you again. If you’re smart, that day will come sooner rather than later. Because within economic uncertainty lies prime opportunity.

Why? When faced with unstable economic conditions, most companies immediately react by cutting their marketing and advertising budgets. Including your competition.

Historically, the companies that best survive economic slowdown are those who keep cool heads and continue to advertise. The more visible a company stays within the marketplace, the more confidence clients and potential customers have in that company and its stability.

Economically, things are starting to look up a little, so now is the time to really get out there and work it for all its worth. And that’s where we come in. Over the next few weeks, we’re doing our best to help kickstart the economy by offering businesses 50% off their first order at LuckyDogCreative.com.

Of course, the big payout comes when the economy really rebounds. And it will.

The question is: what will your company’s market position be then? Top dog or underdog?

I know where we’ll be. Hope you’re there too.

One of my favorite things about my work is the fact that I have the perfect excuse to read anything and everything: it’s part of my job.  So I skate around all over the place, taking in a variety of news and magazine sites, blogs, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, just to name the obvious.

I’ve read many, many things about Social Media, experimented with different forms, but still felt rather “Meh” about it all. Not anymore. But over the past few days I’ve been completely reevaluating my perception of Social Media.  Especially Twitter.

Until recently I’ve been very dismissive of the “tweeting” craze – the Ashton Kutcher-ization of it had me betting that Twitter was just a few short months from officially jumping the shark, if it hadn’t already.

So what changed for me?

It began with the most recent Trend Report from one of my favorite newsletters and websites: Trendwatching

Foreverism outlines many of the topics I’ve been thinking and blogging about, and has given me a whole new perspective on Twitter. Seeing big brands actually using Social Media to have a conversation with their customers rather than talking AT them is utterly refreshing. And I see multiple ways to harness this power for Lucky Dog Creative’s boutique clients.

But what has really changed my opinion of Twitter is the massive protest over the recent election in Iran. I have been glued to the live blogging efforts of Nico Pitney at The Huffington Post, and consequently, the myriad tweets coming out of Iran.

Over this past weekend, I sat for hours reading in virtually real time about protests, violence, and the hope for change, all flowing from people who decided to take a stand for what they believed in. I refreshed every few seconds as tweets and Twitter photos from the demonstrations flowed in, and found myself mesmerized and shattered by the immediacy of this emotionally raw and defiant outcry from the people of Iran.

Not since Tiananeman Square have I felt so connected or personally invested another country’s struggles.  And I know that if I find it so compelling, so will millions of others.

Clearly, Social Media really can change the way we see the world, and hopefully, it can actually change the world for the better. After all that, changing ways brands communicate with their customers ought to be a cinch.

Every day I love coming to work. Not just because I am lucky to have a job in this economy. Advertising is my passion, and I’d do it even if I weren’t getting paid.

Every day I love coming to work simply because this business is so much fun and the people I work with are awesome.

Every day we laugh ourselves silly over silly things.

Every day we see some example of awesome creative work done by others, and it makes us want to do better.

Every day we see some example of awful creative work done by others and it makes us glad we hold our standards so high.

Every day there’s a new creative problem staring us in the face, waiting to be solved.

Every day we find a really cool and creative solution.

Every day we get to make a difference for businesses all over the US.

Every day.