Category Archives: Creativity Countdown

10 practices that separate the marketing professional from the amateur.

Posted on January 25, 2012 by whizbangideas

by Ellen Curtis, Creative Commander With the start of a new year is a chance to adopt new practices. One that caught my attention recently is the process called Mise en Place (MEEZ-ahn-plahs). It’s a French culinary term that means … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity Countdown | Tagged competitive analysis, customer analysis, ellen curtis, key messages, marketing objectives, marketing pieces, marketing plans, marketing strategy, positioning, san luis obispo advertising, san luis obispo marketing, SWOT analysis, whizbang, Whizbang Ideas, Whizbang marketing firm | Leave a comment

10 marketing prognosticator’s predictions for 2012.

Posted on December 30, 2011 by whizbangideas

by Ellen Curtis, Creative Commander Have you noticed your email box, Facebook and Twitter feeds are full of predictions for 2012? Mine is. If someone would have predicted 2011 would be the year of predictions they would have been spot … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity Countdown | Tagged 2012 predictions, Advertising, ellen curtis, san luis obispo marketing, small business | Leave a comment

10 social media amuse-bouches to delight your fans and followers.

Posted on November 30, 2011 by whizbangideas

By Ellen Curtis, Creative Commander I have been watching a lot of the Food Network lately and being the wordsmith that I am, I had been adding to my epicurean vocabulary. Here’s a term I found particularly interesting, amuse-bouches. They’re … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity Countdown | Tagged amuse-bouches, ellen curtis, Facebook, san luis obispo, san luis obispo advertising, san luis obispo marketing, social media, social media marketing, Twitter, Whizbang marketing firm | Leave a comment

9 Do’s and Don’ts for Facebook Success.

Posted on November 4, 2011 by whizbangideas

by Ellen Curtis, Creative Commander During October, I attended the Facebook Success Summit, a series of webinars about the latest and greatest strategies and tactics for Facebook marketing. One of the presenters was Jan Rezab from Socialbakers, a website that … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity Countdown | Tagged ellen curtis, Facebook, Facebook content, Jan Rezab, san luis obispo marketing, social media, socialbakers, whizbang, whizbang marketing | Leave a comment

10 lessons you can learn about copywriting from the Trade Joe’s circular.

Posted on September 21, 2011 by whizbangideas

I don’t know if it is just me, but I love to read the Trader Joe’s circular. As a copywriter, I really appreciate the effort Trader Joe’s puts into it. Writing three paragraphs about green grapes is truly an achievement. … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity Countdown | Tagged copywriting, ellen curtis, san luis obispo advertising, san luis obispo marketing, Trader Joe's, Whizbang Ideas, Whizbang marketing firm | Leave a comment

Curating Content with Impact

Posted on July 20, 2011 by whizbangideas

by Ellen Curtis, Creative Commander Content. Content. Content. This is the subject on every marketers mind these days and for a good reason. In social media, there is an 80/20 rule. That is, 80% of your content should add value … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity Countdown | Tagged creating content, ellen curtis, marketing content, san luis obispo marketing, whizbang | Leave a comment

Getting To The Big Idea Through Improv.

Posted on May 19, 2011 by whizbangideas

by Ellen Curtis, Creative Commander Today, more than ever, businesses must innovate or be left behind. But coming up with breakthrough ideas don’t naturally come or are fostered in many company cultures. Even at big advertising companies, creativity can get … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity Countdown | Tagged creativity, ellen curtis, San Luis Obispo marketing. San Luis Obispo advertising, Tina Fey, Whizbang marketing firm | Leave a comment

Understanding Why She Buys

Posted on April 14, 2011 by whizbangideas

by Ellen Curtis, Creative Commander A few weeks ago, I attended the Natural Products Expo West show for our food and beverage division, Recipe. Along with getting a taste of the latest and greatest from the natural food industry, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity Countdown | Tagged Bridget Brennan, marketing to women, san luis obispo marketing, Why She buys | Leave a comment

Beating the Blogging Blues

Posted on March 11, 2011 by whizbangideas

by Ellen Curtis, Creative Commander O.k. you’ve decided to adopt blogging as a marketing strategy. That’s great. According to a study by Hubspot, companies that blog experience 55% more website visits. The problem for most people is keeping up with … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity Countdown | Tagged blogging, ellen curtis, san luis obispo marketing, Seth Godin, Whizbang marketing firm | Leave a comment

Learning Creative Tricks From A 4th Grader.

Posted on February 19, 2011 by whizbangideas

by Ellen Curtis, Creative Commander There are many creative tricks fourth graders employ, like stuffing their socks into the couch instead of the hamper, blaming the dog for missed homework and the perennial favorite, getting their younger sibling to do … Continue reading →