Too much advertising these days seems to be about the product or service and about the people who bring you these products or services. We used to believe that marketing to consumers was about creating their experience,and what the brand offers them. And this approach worked very well. What happened is ad agencies and marketing firms got lazy. They no longer spent time getting to know the consumer. And they no longer spent time coming up with insightful experiences. In fact, it works better than ever still today. Whizbang creates consumer experiences and benefits. We always have. We always will. Just check out our work at Whizbang Ideas.

Over the past couple of years we have seen an evolution in how companies are using social media websites to promote their business and expand their customer base. Websites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have allowed companies to reach out to their fans in ways that are more creative and interactive than traditional websites or advertisements. Now there is a new social media website that has grabbed the attention of everyday users and is becoming increasingly valuable for companies as well.  It’s called Pinterest and I am absolutely pinned on it.

Pinterest is most popularly known as a site that allows its users to organize and share some of their favorite things. It is a quick and easy way to find new recipes, personal style and decorating ideas, DIY crafts, and suggestions for your dream wedding. Now that the core of Pinterest has been developed and discovered by its users, companies are now jumping on board to this new platform of business marketing.

Companies are constantly looking for new ways to engage current and potential consumers, and Pinterest has allowed them to explore a whole new world. Through my personal use of Pinterest, I have entered a contest by Lands’ End and discovered new products from modcloth.com. What makes Pinterest so valuable to companies is the fact that it is purely visual. Consumers aren’t forced to read a product or service description. What captures the users’ attention is purely the product, for what it is at the most basic level: a picture.

One of the most valuable aspects of Pinterest is that it gives its consumers the option of exploring a picture further. Find a couch that you would love in your living room or that perfect outfit for an upcoming social event? Simply click on the picture and follow the URL that takes you to where the picture was originally found, more often than not, the website where the product can be purchased.  Consumers aren’t left having to search the Internet for a product they saw in an advertisement.

Pinterest has made it easier for users to share their favorite products and ideas on the web, and has made it even easier for businesses to get their products into the eyes of potential customers. And quite often, the original post of a product came from a customer, not the business itself. This has allowed for almost endless possibilities of free marketing for businesses.

Pinterest is still a social media site that is being tested in terms of what it can do for both consumers and companies. I believe that over the next couple of months we will see an evolution in how companies use this platform to market and promote their products.  Will companies go away with traditional print and television advertising and instead post their advertisements and videos directly on Pinterest, where the sharing capabilities are easier and endless? Only time will tell.

It is often said that small businesses are the lifeblood of America, and working with many small businesses I could not agree more. Each entrepreneur brings something new to the market that was not there before. Those skilled and innovative enough will grow and push their industry. The influx of new ideas is what I love about working with small businesses.

You could say I was born with a love for small business. My mom has taught marketing and entrepreneurship for over 30 years now. I, like a child of a famous Hollywood actress, am following in the footsteps of my parent, except much less glamorous and fewer paparazzi. I am lucky to have a mom so gifted at her craft that she has even written a textbook on starting your own small business. (http://www.amazon.com/Small-Business-Entrepreneurs-Plan/dp/0324591020/ref=dp_ob_title_bk) Not only is it a great book for a class, but for anyone thinking about starting their own business.

My mom’s textbook is a great reminder to anyone thinking of starting a small business, or currently running one, of the fundamental steps you must take to allow your business to succeed. This is why Whizbang is such a great fit for me, no matter how creative a project is, it is still grounded in the fundamentals of business strategy. As we have seen quite often with new technology, a new business idea can change the world, but it takes careful planning to bring that innovation to life.

I was thrilled when I received the news that I would be the marketing intern at Whizbang Ideas.  Just from my interview, I loved the atmosphere; dog friendly and easygoing.

Before I interned here, I believed that I would want to work for a large corporation in the future, but interning at Whizbang, has definitely changed my mind about that.  I enjoy knowing and working closely with my co-workers.  I also feel that working in a smaller environment has made it easier to learn new things.  There is always something to do, which is good for me because I like to stay busy.

I have been learning a lot of things about marketing and what Whizbang Ideas/Recipe does for companies.  Before this internship, I never thought of how much goes into starting and maintaining a business.  There are so many different aspects, such as looking up data on competitors, creating a name/brand, developing a company logo, having social media, and much, much more.

I am very thankful I have had the opportunity to intern here and I believe that this internship has given me a lot of new knowledge that I will utilize in the future.

Getting started in social media as a small business can seem like a daunting task. Your business may not have any presence in social media and you might not have anyone skilled in social media. Luckily, when getting started you don’t need the reinvent to wheel. Many small businesses have been successful with social media and you can have success too even if you are currently not a user. Starting from the ground up in to the world of Facebook, Twitter, and blogs is not as confusing as it seems. You just need a plan to get started. Here is a good one to follow:

1. Commit to the success of the social media campaign. Just because social media is seen as a low cost way of reaching customers doesn’t mean it won’t demand a time commitment. You will need to create content, interact with followers, and work to grow your fan base on a daily basis. Be prepared to commit at least three hours a week.
2. Don’t overwhelm yourself with too many social media channels to begin with. Choose one social media channel to start, learn how to create buzz online, and then move forward with others.
3. Create Content. You have to give your followers a reason to follow and pay attention to your page. This doesn’t mean you have to constantly be giving out deals to your Facebook fans. If you post content that is relevant to your clients, they will pay attention to you online. This could be content you create or content you share or find pertaining to your industry.
4. Engage your followers. When they post on your wall or retweet you, you need to respond. This lets them know you care about what they are saying and gives them a reason to engage you in the future. Also, they may ask a question about your products or services and your answer could help lead to a sale.
5. Brand your page. This is a step many small businesses ignore. A welcome page branded for your business on Facebook is the number one way to convert someone into “liking” your page. A background on your Twitter or YouTube profile goes a long way to making your profile look professional.
6. Monitor your progress. Most social media sites give you good tools to be able to track your progress, but you may want to get even more in-depth analytics. There are many different social media analytics programs including Hootsuite and Tweetdeck. Remember, like any other marketing effort you want to track results.
7. Be Patient. You are not going to get a thousand followers your first week. It will take time to build your following, but if you are willing to put in the work, you will get great results and a loyal base of followers.

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 single bite appetizers (always complimentary) specially created to give guests an idea of a chef’s cooking style and prepare them for the meal ahead. They are in essence tastebud tinglers. The term is French, literally translated to “mouth amuser.”

While I was pondering amuse-bouches (and cracking myself up saying the word out loud: ä-ˌmüz-ˈbüsh) I thought about social media and how it offers a great way introduce your brand.  Social channels give your fans and followers a taste of what it is like to work with or buy from your company. So what follows are great social media amuse-bouches to tingle your customers and get them excited for more to come:

1.     Acknowledge them.

2.     Thank them.

3.     Say you’re sorry if you need to.

4.     Give them inside information.

5.     Hang out with them.

6.     Give them free stuff.

7.     Write a blog that solves their biggest problem.

8.     Retweet them.

9.     #ff them.

10. Introduce them to someone influential.

These social media morsels are just a start. There are many more ways to make your fans and followers feel special. What amuse-bouches do you serve your prospective customers?

As the email about Whizbang’s Cadet Program came through my inbox I was both excited and intrigued. My mom always told me that internships are what set you apart, internships are what get you references, and internships are what help you get your foot in the door. They’re an insight into what the “real” world expects of you and what you can expect from it. They also allow you to find what your real passion is and what you would rather not do again.

I had never really absorbed the importance of them until this past summer, which is why I jumped on the opportunity at becoming a Social Media/PR intern at Whizbang.  Here at Whizbang, it is evident that both Frank and Ellen have found their passion providing high quality marketing services to San Luis Obispo and the surrounding areas. As I come to the end of my experiences here, I can say that I will truly miss everyone here, including the furry, four-legged counterparts Roscoe, Duke and Coco.

The atmosphere at Whizbang is one of nonconforming, imaginative, free thought. It’s a family full of Macs (which I had to get used to using as I am a PC person), oversized wine glasses, forks and spoons, where the stuffy suit corporate world meets the SLO life. As I come down to my last few weeks here the most important thing I have learned is you have to love where you work and most importantly what you are doing.

If you try to make something fit just for the money or geographical location, or any other reason, you just won’t get the end result you were hoping for. Having passions in life and finding them is the greatest reward a person can reap. So I am off in search of my passion, but I am a few steps closer thanks to Whizbang.

by Frank Scotti, Chief Idea Officer

It may be a futile statement, but I’d like to be the first one to officially declare the “i” movement retired. I’m talking about products and services that use a lower case “i” in front of their name to loosely associate with Apple’s innovative “i” products. Search for a domain name beginning with “i” and ending with any other word. You’d be lucky to find one still available. My favorite is iCopy, a landing page for copy machines. Copy they did. You know we have gone too far when there is even an app called the iFart.

Like green washing, where environmentally friendly marketing messaging is deceptively used to promote a product, I have coined the word iWashing. iWashing is the abuse of products and services using “i,” thus suggesting they are anywhere close to the innovation and technical aptitude of Apple’s “i” products.

Does anyone even remember what the original “i” was all about? Here’s a bit of “i” history. Steve Jobs and Apple Computer introduced the very first “i” product, the iMac in 1998. It was the first computer that seamlessly integrated internet access with a computer. The “i” stood for internet, individual, instruct, inform and inspire.

So what’s my hang up with “i?” First off, to brand a product an “i” product if you’re not Apple, is a marketing rip off lacking any creativity, which is sort of the opposite of “i” in the first place. It’s just plain lazy. Most of these products don’t even have anything to do with the internet. Most are not individualized. Most do not inform or instruct. Very few inspire. From a sales perspective, adding an “i” has helped many companies move product. But that is a short term effect. Who are any of the companies behind any of these “i” products? Name one besides Apple Computer?

So what will replace the “i?”

I’m going to rally for “o,” and say it stands for open, like open source, openness, open to ideas, open for change, open to expression, keep the door open, etc.

What do you think?

I don’t know if Frank knows this, but I tend to ease drop on a lot of his conversations. Sometimes you can’t avoid hearing what he has to say (he yells here and there), other times you have to strain your ears to piece together what he’s muttering to himself. I haven’t known Frank long, but the guy is crazy.

Ironically he reminds me of a guy at Smart and Final while taking my two full trash bags of cans to the recycle center on a windy Friday afternoon. He has a brushy, wooly, coarse beard. His hands tanned and leathered, green eyes half sunken in. His voice is stark, a little raspy. His name is Christopher. He looks kind of crazy.

It was nearing closing time and people continued to arrive with recycling. He had to start turning them away, and he felt guilty having to do so. “I’m sorry we’re closed, I didn’t get out of here until dark yesterday. I’m sorry sir, thank you for your patronage, thank you.” He really appreciated everyone taking the time to properly recycle. “Jose brings about a thousand pounds of glass to me every weekend. He already brought me about a thousand pounds this morning”.

I was the last, lucky group of seven: A leathered man and his pack loaded- sun tried bicycles, a latin mother, father, and their son chasing escaped cans taunted by the wind. The bald 40-something year old Harley Davidson rider who points out every good looking girl who walks by. Jose, the recycle center regular who guards his mountain of cans and plastic; all interacting within this incentive based recycle program, patiently waiting for their ticket for the extra cash.

How does Christopher remind me of Frank? Well for one, they both have that Star Wars Jedi-depth look in their eyes when they blankly stare at you. They both smell a little like dog (just kidding Frank, labs are naturally really oily), and they’re both crazy. Comparing and contrasting Frank and Christopher prompted me look closer at how I develop my own perceptions of people, places, emotions…etc, and further reflect on how these perceptions shape my experiences. Acknowledge why they seem crazy to you. Confront yourself why you’re uncomfortable. I argue flirting with the fine line between street crazy and professional crazy holds value to creative thinking. Crazy is hostile. Crazy is volatile. Crazy makes you look. Crazy makes you listen. You just have to pick the good crazy from the bad, which is subject to an infinite set of variables largely associated with time, culture, and context.

Generally most businesses react to weird, wild, and crazy as threats. Whizbang sees them as comets entering the atmosphere, comprised extra-terrestial compounds that offer potential to new discoveries, links, and ideas. Whizbang encourages outlandish ideas and honest feedback; reinforced by the creative staff and methodology of assessment, idea generation, development, and deployment.

Humor never fully circulates out of the office, and Frank’s pranks and stories theme my days at the office. The creative soil at Whizbang has made me more passionate about my projects, more prone to ask questions, and more adept in how to approach and solve problems. If I were to imagine an appropriate portrait for Whizbang, it’d be a cartoon collage of Frank, Ellen, Duke, and Rosco: Star Wars movie poster style, all gazing in opposing directions under a full moon with a piercing rocket on fire entering the atmosphere. The caption would say, “Let’s Get Weird”.

Whizbang launched their video department on June 24 with a viral video campaign that features numerous San Luis Obispo celebrities.  The video, called “Happy Town,” is a compilation of well-known community members doing the “Happy Town” dance to the “Happy Town” song.  The dance was choreographed by award-winning choreographer Suzy Miller, while the song was created by Whizbang’s , Ellen Curtis and Jose Molina.  Molina is also a cast member of the Second City Improv Group in Chicago and collaborated with fellow cast member Caroline Lucius .

Whizbang came up with the idea after San Luis Obispo was given the title “Happiest City in America” by Dan Buettner’s book Thrive.  The purpose of the video was to introduce their new video department, which specializes in YouTube videos and video marketing, as well as help promote the city.  Whizbang also says they did it to have a fun summer project to work on.

“Whizbang is all about showing, not telling.  Happy Town is a great way to show how to leverage a current topic with video,” said Ellen Curtis, Creative Commander of Whizbang.

The video features KSBY’s Jeanette Trompeter, John Reger, and Dave Hovde, Magician Rich Ferguson, Mayor Jan Marx, Tolosa Winery and many more.  Whizbang will be launching more videos for the “Happy Town” promotion throughout the summer on their YouTube page and other social media channels.