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Rainbird: Help End Child Abuse with 1,000 Mile Walk Around Capitol

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Brian Lee

MEDIA ALERT
May 23, 2011

Contact: Brian Lee
(608) 622-7767

Rainbird: Help End Child Abuse with 1,000 Mile Walk Around Capitol

(MADISON, Wis.)—The Rainbird Foundation is hosting 1,000 people walking one mile around the State Capitol in the second-annual 1,000 Mile Journey, which begins at noon on July 31, to raise funds and encourage people to take action for the end of child abuse, the non-profit organization announced today.

“Child abuse still exists because most of us don’t know what to do,” Hanna Roth, Rainbird’s founder, said. “We invite people to join us and take a stand for the end. That stand gives people access to the next action. It’s that easy.”

Featured speakers this year are Roth and Josh Jasper, CEO of the Riverview Center in Dubuque, Iowa.

Registration for the walk is $25 (free for those 9 and younger). Participants commit to collecting a minimum of $25 in pledges and are encouraged to create a team with friends, family and colleagues.

WHAT: The 1,000 Mile Journey
WHEN: Noon-3 p.m. Sunday, July 31, 2011
WHERE: 1.75 laps around the State Capitol
COST: $25/person (free for nine and younger), plus $25 in pledges
INFO: www.1000milejourney.org

The Rainbird Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization headquartered in Madison, Wis., is committed to the end of child abuse. Rainbird generates a conversation for the end of child abuse and builds local and global partnerships with organizations that share the same vision. Find out more at www.rainbirdfoundation.org.

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Resulting media coverage:

WISC-TV (May 29, 2011): Mother Of Fatally Beaten Infant Twins Speaks Out
WIBA-AM (May 31, 2011): Outside the Box with Mitch Henck
Wisconsin State Journal (June 5, 2011): Victim becomes full-time advocate against domestic abuse
WORT-FM (June 27, 2011): Access Hour
Wisconsin State Journal (July 8, 2011): Experts say homicides show problem of domestic violence, child abuse
Wisconsin Public Radio (July 11, 2011): The Joy Cardin Show
NBC-15 (July 12, 2011): 15 News at 5
WKOW-TV (July 16, 2011): Fighting Against Child Abuse
The Isthmus (July 21, 2011): Rainbird Foundation targets child abuse
WIBA-AM (July 29, 2011): Outside the Box with Mitch Henck
WISC-TV (July 31, 2011): Child Abuse Walk Held On Capitol Square
NBC-15 (July 31, 2011): 1,000 Mile Journey
WKOW-TV (July 31, 2011): Walkers take steps against child abuse

A fake product for research

Posted on July 19, 2011June 8, 2018 by Brian Lee

Ask anyone, and they’ll agree that research is the foundation of any campaign. From market insights to competitor analyses to determining who exactly your target audience is.

ESPN took this to the extreme by developing a fake candy bar and seeing how it fared with its viewers, as reported by AdWeek. It showed that fans watching a football game would pay a premium for the “High 5” candy bar after seeing a commercial about it.

This is impressive data. ESPN went to great lengths and expense to show how effective advertising on its channel can be (read the article for more details).

Now, not every company can afford to do this level of research, but it’s what potential clients want when they decide how to spend their advertising budget.

On the ethics side, it does seem deceiving to trick an audience into thinking that High 5 actually exists, but then I realized that in many experiments in which I’ve participated, the true purpose of the study is not revealed until after it’s completed. And ESPN didn’t actually try to sell this product in a store or online.

Either way, I’m wondering if more media (esp. TV) will try this?

How to use SCVNGR to connect with customers

Posted on June 23, 2011 by Brian Lee

Foursquare is still one of the most popular location-based social media tools based on number of users, but restaurant/bar owners also should consider adding the relatively new program SCVNGR to their arsenal. Like foursquare, SCVNGR users check in to your venue using their smartphone and can let their friends and Facebook/Twitter feeds know. However, the main difference is that users take part in challenges to earn points and gain badges and/or rewards from the restaurant/bar.

These challenges including taking a photo of something in the restaurant/bar or finding a particular item on the menu. This adds a great level of interaction between you and your customers.

As the restaurant/bar manager or owner, you can claim your virtual business at http://scvngr.com/builder. The lowest package, which allows you to create up to five game elements, is free, but more elements will cost you between $80-$1,080 per month (SCVNGR recently removed pricing from its website, so I can’t confirm these prices anymore). I recommend using the free package for now.

Whatever package you choose, you still get access to analytics, which are key to learning about your customers. For ideas on what to do with the analytics, please review my foursquare column.

Regarding some game elements, I suggest a social check-in (so the user’s Twitter/Facebook connections see he/she is at your bar), snapping a picture of the exterior (great in helping with recognition of your venue) and shouting about a nightly activity your bar is doing (e.g. poker on Mondays, karaoke on Wednesdays, team trivia on Thursdays, etc.). For a reward, buy one get one free always is a crowd pleaser.

The upfront time and effort required is less than an hour, and the upkeep is even less. Just don’t forget to check those analytics at least weekly to determine what changes, if any, are needed for your marketing efforts.