Little Red's Big Ideas

May Events

May is a month to celebrate biking, mothers and so much more.  Tie in programs and promotions to these events, compliments of Chase's Calendar.

May

• Allergy/Asthma Awareness Month, Natl
• Arthritis Month, Natl
• Asian Pacific American Heritage Month
• Awareness of Medical Orphans Month
• Barbecue Month, Natl
• Better Hearing and Speech Month
• Bike Month, Natl
• Business Image Improvement Month, Intl
• Clean Air Month
• Correct Posture Month, Natl
• Creative Beginnings Month
• Egg Month, Natl
• Family Wellness Month
• Fibromyalgia Education and Awareness Month
• Freedom Shrine Month
• Get Caught Reading Month
• Good Car-Keeping Month, Natl
• Haitian Heritage Month
• Hamburger Month, Natl
• Heal the Children Month
• Healthy Vision Month
• Hepatitis Awareness Month, Natl
• Huntington's Disease Awareness Month
• Law Enforcement Appreciation Month in Florida
• Learn German Month
• Meditation Month, Natl
• Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month
• Motorcycle Safety Month
• Mental Health Month, Natl
• Moving Month, Natl
• Navajo Code Talkers Month
• Neurofibromatosis Awareness Month, Natl
• Older Americans Month, Natl
• Osteoporosis Awareness and Prevention Month, Natl
• Personal History Month
• Physical Fitness and Sports Month, Natl
• Prepare To Buy a Home Month, Natl
• Preservation Month, Natl
• REACT Month
• Revise Your Work Schedule Month
• Salsa Month, Natl
• Shoes for Orphans Month, Natl
• Sight-Saving/Ultraviolet Awareness Month, Natl
• Smile Month, Natl
• Strike Out Strokes Month
• Stroke Awareness Month, Natl
• Sweet Vidalia Month, Natl
• Teen Self Esteem Month
• Victorious Woman Month, Intl
• Women's Health Care Month
• Young Achiever Month

May-June

• Family Month, Natl (May 13-June 17)
• Prepare Tomorrow's Parents Month (May 13-June 17)

Street Team Marketing is Key to Brand Launch

California Park and Recreation Society (CPRS) conference delegates were introduced to a new branding campaign at their annual conference in Palm Springs.  The brand - Parks Make Life Better!^SM was launched at the conference general session and continued to be visible throughout the conference.  Hands down, however, the most critical component of the brand's launch was the use of a Parks Make Life Better!^SM Street Team.

 

What's a Street Team? Borrowing a concept from the independent music industry, street team members are fans who spread the word about a band, concert -- or in this case a BRAND. The nine member Parks Make Life Better!^SM Street Team was very successful in their efforts too share their excitement for the new brand.

In the end, almost 70% of al conference delegates completed a contact form during direct interaction with a Street Team Member.  The secret to a street team's success is a combination of enthusiasm, passion and energy.  In this case the Street Team was charged with the task of sharing information about the Parks Make Life Better! brand and inviting contacts to stop by the CPRS booth. It also didn't hurt that Street Team members competed with one another to connect and collect the most leads among conference attendees. 

Congratulations to Street Team Members Brian Enns (Fresno) and Aliah  Brozowski who brought in the most contact forms and won themselves a sample kit chock full of Parks Make Life Better! gifts and goodies.  You can see a catalog of the types of things they won by clicking here.

 

With less than three hours of training -- using both a pre-conference webinar and on-site meeting -- the team people chatted, schmoozed, talked and collected interest forms from almost 70% of the conference attendees.  This is no small feat since Street Team Members didn't just passively distribute forms.  They truly engaged and connected with most of the conference delegates in a very personal way.  Street Team Marketing is a very effective form of WOM (Word of Mouth Marketing) and can be used by any organization to promote everything from special events to summer camps. 

Learn more about how to use Street Team Marketing in your own agency at an upcoming Parks Make Life Better Workshop.

Branding Campaign Launched - Parks Make Life Better!

Last month I had the privilege of helping the California Park and Recreation Society launch the state's first-ever branding campaign: Parks Make Life Better!^SM  The campaign is much more than a logo and slogan.  It is actually the second phase of CPRS's VIP Action Plan which began more than 10 years ago. Parks Make Life Better!  is an entire toolkit of communication templates, media and ideas aimed at external audiences. 

According to the CPRS webiste:

"The goal of the Parks Make Life Better!^SM branding campaign is to raise awareness of the benefits of parks and recreation throughout California and to raise the status of parks and recreation as an essential community service. When all 525 park and recreation agencies in California unite under one banner and communicate clearly and concisely the key messages of the Parks Make Life Better!^SM  branding campaign, we will reach our brand objectives."  Read more...

The logo and slogan evolved out of extensive research conducted by CPRS over the  past several years.  It is brilliant in its simplicity. It feels playful and happy and appeals to children as well   as adults and seniors.  The logo looks amazing on almost every color (you should see it on a black t-shirt) and also looks great in black and white.  There is a catalog online of all sorts of promotional products that can be ordered with your agency info along with the the Parks Make Life Better!^SM artwork.

For now, the logo on ToolKit are available exclusively to CPRS members,  But, this branding toolkit, alone, is well worth the membership fee -- no matter where you live. Get information about joining CPRS here. 

Workshop Coming to a Town Near You, Californians - Beginning May 7, I will present six half-day "Parks Make Life Better - Living the Brand Workshops" in Northern, Southern and Central California.   The workshop if FREE but registration is required and space, at some locations is quite limited.  You can register on-line or download your registration form here.

Here is the entire schedule of workshops.

Dates, Times & Locations

 

May 5 - 12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Woodland Community & Senior Center

2001 East St., Woodland, CA 95776

 

May 6 - 12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Hiram Morgan Hill Community Center

17000 Monterey Rd., Morgan Hill, CA 95037

 

May 10 - 12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

West Hollywood Park Auditorium

647 N. San Vicente Blvd., West Hollywood, 90069

 

May 12 - 12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Diamond Bar Community Center

1600 Grand Ave., Diamond Bar 91765

 

May 18 - 12:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

El Corazon Senior Center

3302 Senior Center Dr., Oceanside, CA 92054

 

May 20 - 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Ted C. Wills Community Center

770 S. San Pablo Ave., Fresno, CA 93728

I need it NOW! New FREE 24 Turnaround for Time-Challenged Clients

The ADvisors Marketing Group is proud to announce a brand new FREE 24 Hour service especially for those of you who tend to procrastinate a bit.  Or maybe it’s your supervisor or supervisor’s supervisor who comes to you days before your event suggesting you order something commemorative for attendees, volunteers or dignitaries.  You say, “No problem,” but you think “Are you kidding?” while you panic about where to find the perfect customized items. 

Long gone are the days when standard production time for promotional products was four to six weeks.  Today the average turn-around time is two to three weeks, but, thanks to electronic art files and lightning fast equipment – miracles such as 24 hour turn-around is almost routine. 

Since Earth Day is only days away – we thought we’d share some green-themed ideas that are perfect for your festivals,  park clean-up days or events.  These pictures represent hundreds of items that can be ordered today and shipped tomorrow.  So whether you need safe, biodegradable beverage ware, earth-themed, items or those made from 100% recycled materials-- call Andy 800-IADVISU (800)423-8478.  He loves challenges!, .

Earth Day is April 22 - Celebrate the Day that Celebrates YOU

Everyday is Earth Day for most parks and camps -- but on April 22 the whole world celebrates with you!  A quick search of Earth Day events around the country proves that parks and recreation agencies are primary sponsors and organizers of Earth Day events and activities.  No matter what you are doing to commemorate Earth Day this month make sure you remind your community and its leaders that you protect and beautify your little piece of the earth each and every day as part of your daily mission. 

While my very favorite Earth Day promotional idea is pictured at the left (it's a set of portable recycling bins that you can set up just about anywhere.  It's one of the most innovative products ever and costs about $10 imprinted. ) the options of ideas and items to help you promote your Earth Day event and ongoing commitment to the environment are as endless as the benefits you deliver. 

You may be celebrating by hosting a large event at one or your parks or taking part in an offsite festival, it's not too late for you to put together a promotion.  Check out our 24 hour turn-around serviceor call 800-IADVISU (800)423-8478 to talk to a real live person who can handle your every request -- even last minute miracles.

What do Jimi Hendrix and Earth Day Have in Common?

1970 in the United States was an emotional and tumultuous time.  It was marked by events such as the Kent State shootings, the advent of fiber optics, "Bridge Over Troubled Water," Apollo 13, the Beatles' last album and the death of Jimi Hendrix.

1970 was also the year that that the very first Earth Day was born.   According to Earthday.net, ““Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, proposed the first nationwide environmental protest ‘to shake up the political establishment and force this issue onto the national agenda. It was a gamble,’ he recalls, ‘but it worked.’”

At the time, Americans were slurping leaded gas through massive V8 sedans. Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of legal consequences or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. Environment was a word that appeared more often in spelling bees than on the evening news.

Earth Day 1970 turned that all around.

On April 22, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment. Denis Hayes, the national coordinator, and his youthful staff organized massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values.

Read the entire history of Earth Day by visiting Earthday.net where you will find an array of ideas, resources and solutions to your ongoing commitment to environmental protection.

You can even to take a quick quiz to see what type of impact you are having on the planet and test your environmental footprint at Earthday Netowork Environmental Calculator

Earth Day Activities, Crafts for Earth Day Events

  Almost every park celebrates Earth Day in one fashion or another.  Even though your parks and camps, by nature (excuse the pun) support and protect the environment, April 22 is a day when it is officially fashionable to celebrate the Earth.  As recreation programmers, educators and event coordinators you may still be looking for some fun activities and crafts to keep children, adults and teens engaged and excited as you applaud our planet.  Here are some fantastic sites to help you freshen up your Earth Day festivities or curriculum this Earth Day (and every day!)

Kaboose, is a wonderful site for parents, teachers and programmers.  The site now features Earth Day Activities -- front and center.  Some of the highlights include:

• 10 Ways to Teach Kids about Earth Day
• Crafts Made with "Natural Resources"
• Camp Crafts

 

Order Earth Day Giveaways - Promote Your Commitment to the Environment All Yearl Long -- Still need to order items to use at this year's Earth Day Celebration?  Call Andy at 1.800.IADVISU (800)423-8478 or email [email protected]and he'll get whatever you need from eco-friendly water-bottles to bio-degradable, reusable totes.  No matter what your budget, audience or time-frame -- Andy can make it happen.  Plus, he's so down to earth! (Sorry -- again!)