70 Years of Powder

A 70th wedding anniversary is recognized with gifts of platinum, while cotton is assigned to the second year of marriage. This being our second year working with Alta, cotton fit the bill as we designed t-shirts to celebrate Alta's 70th. It was an easy assignment to tip our hat to 70 years worth of powder: as precious as platinum and every bit as beautiful.















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Check out the guy at 3 o'clock

You've been waiting for this.
The sitter is lined up.
You've got the dress (or suit).
You are ready to seriously tear it up.

And then you see him (or her). The one person that can ruin it all,
maybe it's an ex, maybe it's just a creep, either way, your perfect night
seems in danger of being slimed.

Tribune Media Services recently requested an invite that would scream:

"You know that guy?


He won't be at our party.


Click to view html.



Did you get an invitation?

No?

Oooh.



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Bleak Does Not Call for Bland

It's no secret that even those of us tucked blissfully away from the hustle and bustle of big cities are feeling the pinch. Times are tough, concerns are high and temperatures and budgets seem to be in a sprint toward zero. Here's the thing, now is not the time to go silent. This isn't a cue for companies to stop promoting themselves or for those with great ideas to stop thinking.

They say, "Desperate times call for desperate measures," these bleak times do not call for a bland approach. As each dollar becomes more precious, what you do with it should become more important. You have a brand, a product, a mission and it must be sustained. Looking back, even to the Great Depression, the common thread was a consistency in advertising investment.

Procter & Gamble. To this day, P&G maintains a philosophy of not reducing advertising budgets during times of recession, and the company certainly did not make any such reduction during the Depression. It's not a coincidence that P&G has made progress during every one of the major recessions. While competitors cut ad budgets, P&G increased its spending. While the Depression caused problems for many, P&G came out of it unscathed. Radio took P&G's message into more homes than ever, and P&G became a pioneer in effective use of that medium...more from this article

We will emerge from this, but as we move forward, it will be the individuals and organizations that continue to sculpt their message and carry their voice that will succeed. Rather than hunkering in and waiting for the dust to settle, align yourself with the individuals and companies that can continue to communicate with your audience. The value and potential in staying connected is more critical than ever.

Your ability to position yourself is significantly enhanced by the unfortunate and rash decision that some organizations make to cut their marketing budgets. Strong creative, intensity of message, potency of purpose, these are the things that a targeted campaign can have when created with a partner. And, might I say, it's all that much more fun if your partner has a trampoline...




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We've all been there

It's safe to say we've all been guilty of the odd typo or printing glitch— I once sent an email saying that I would "ass it along." And, just like the excruciating mix of discomfort and amusement you experience during awkward movie scenes, there is a thrill when you catch one not of your making. This particular grammatical hiccup was enlivened by uncanny ad placement.

Here it is for your catty pleasure.










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Plasterrific

Ok, so the headline is cheesey, but there is nothing but class and polish when it comes to the plaster artistry of our award-winning client and friend, Erin Lonergan. This month Erin's work can be seen within the glossy pages of the Better Homes and Gardens Kitchen & Bath special.








We know firsthand how incredible plaster can be as she has performed magic in our homes, texturing our walls and coloring or lives with her incredible talent and personality.

Congratulations to Erin, from all of us at Trampoline!

There's No Place Like Home

There's no doubt we're lucky to live in the Adirondacks. We have at our fingertips:

Adventure
Health care
Culture
Entertainment
Inspiration
Treasures
Localvorism
Imaginative Folks
Legends
Luxury
Recognition
Love

Unfortunately something that comes with exceptional quality of life can be prohibitive cost of living realities. Recently an organization we've begun working with, Adirondack Community Housing Trust, had the opportunity to participate in an article published by the Albany Times Union regarding the increasing struggle to secure affordable housing in the northern points of our region.

The Adirondacks, of course, have never been an easy place to live. It sometimes seems the word "hardscrabble" was invented for the region, so frequently is it used to describe life there.

Still, some say the out-migration of residents is accelerating, fueled by housing-price increases. The result? The park's towns become second-home havens, lacking their former vitality.

"More and more, you see dark houses at night," said resident Alan Hipps. "You don't see people on the porches, and you don't have the social cohesion that you used to."

Hipps is the head of an organization, Adirondack Community Housing Trust, that is trying to address the problem. Created last year and funded by a $1 million state government grant, the trust subsidizes housing costs for lower and middle-income families.

The families buy the house and have full ownership rights. But the trust takes ownership of the land, then leases it for $25 annually to the home owner.

If the house is sold, the owner gets 25 percent of the increase in value, with the remaining 75 percent helping the next buyer afford the house. The idea, Hipps said, is to keep the homes forever affordable.

The trust is also developing two small subdivisions, and is looking for a buyer for a donated house in North River.

So far, the trust has helped one family buy a home, while three others are about to close on purchases. About 60 families have enrolled in the program. Read more...

We are looking forward to working with an organization dedicated to making it possible for more people to call this beautiful corner of the world home.

Redefining

The economy, technology, consumer expectations; together they demand an evolution, if not of practice, then at least of thought. Whether it's speaking to a younger generation or finding new ways to connect people, we need to adapt.

We've been working with the Memorial Foundation in Yakima, Washington on creating a strong, multi-dimensional presence online that reflects the passion and personality of the organization and its mission. An admittedly game organization, the CEO is a self-professed "iPhone packin' Grandma," the Memorial Foundation is creating an entire online forum devoted to their donors called NetCommunity.

As the direction, capabilities and spirit of the community become more defined, we are excited to have a role with imbuing NetCommunity's face with vibrance and energy. NetCommunity presents a dedicated environment for communication and recognition, connecting donors, volunteers and beneficiaries of the many programs funded through the Memorial Foundation



The truth is, regardless of economic climate, we must still communicate; asking for gifts, proposing investments and driving a momentum of philanthropy. You might think we have reached a recession-imposed end of giving, but let's not give up hope.

Convio and JupiterResearch have released a study that gives nonprofit fundraisers new and valuable insight into the expected online giving of Americans in the upcoming holiday season. The report As we read the data, the news is good: Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus! A report asked 175.6 million online users over 18 within the United States about their online giving intentions for the holiday season. Some things to note from the report:

51% say they plan to give to charities through an online avenue;
24% of these say they will give $100 or more;
Despite what they say is a worse financial situation than years prior, 46% say they plan to donate;
61% say they will give about the same amount as last year, 6% say more, 33% say less.




Where do they plan to direct their donations?

53% to faith-based charities;
43% to human and social services;
37% to disease research and health services;
37% to animal welfare;
31% to international relief and disaster assistance.

Where do we go from here? We must be fluid in our communication, striving to use the tools that reach our audience and allow us to appeal to their emotions and or sense of duty. Maybe the key will be an online forum or an HTML email, maybe it's in Facebook or YouTube.

There is a world of possibility and a community that will give if asked. Adopting the spirit the Glens Falls Hospital Foundation used when it said, Your gift this year makes our whole promise possible, your willingness to explore new avenues of communication will make anything possible.






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Still 2.0

Sometimes an idea is still great a year later.

This year The Sagamore elected to go with an HTML email for their holiday mailer. We kept true to the idea of still as it does capture the essence of winter in the Adirondacks– calm, timeless, still.

A New Face on 90 years

Established in 1918, relevant in 2008.

Quandt's Fish Market in Amsterdam, New York has spent the last ninety years moving with the times, culminating in a position now as a full line distributor carrying everything from food to paper products, to chemicals and equipment and supplies. They dove head first into positioning themselves on the web as not just a company, but as a genuine, family-run business intent on providing quality service and products.




Take a peek at their site, if not for our funky design, then for the priceless photos dating back to the company's earliest days.




A signature of the Quandt's approach is usefulness, which led to the introduction of a tool to assist their clients in their endeavors in the food service industry.

What more could you Quandt?





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