To borrow from the great Clark W. Griswold: If any of you retailers are looking for any last-minute Christmas ideas, we've got some:
Victoria's Secret Santa (mele kelikimaka, indeed)
Black & White Christmas (ka-bing?)
Snowman the Frosty from Wendy's (with two eyes made out of M&Ms - whole ones, not the crushed ones Mars swept up off the floor and realized they could package)
ah, time's up. maybe next year.
Tough economic times always seem to hit small businesses hardest. We think we can do something about it, though. We want to generate big buzz for your biz. And consequently generate the sales you might think are too hard to find in the current economic climate.
We take a lot of pride in finding creative ways to make the biggest impact on our clients' audiences, without blowing the ad budget. By mixing mainstream media with unique grassroots ideas and other placements, we can help stretch your budget and your imagination of what's possible.
Of course, this approach also works pretty well with the big boys, too. Because whether you have a budget of $50,000 or $50 billion, we’ll make you look like a million bucks.
Call for the backstory of our Big Buzz portfolio at 317-251-4332.
Batten down the hatches. The economists told us a few weeks ago what everyone already knew: we're in a recession. Since last December. Thanks for the newsflash. 
And now the news came this morning that Uncle Sam won't be playing Uncle Pennybags for Chrysler, GM and Ford.
Now what? Well, whether you're in sit-and-wait mode, circling the wagons or running around like your hair's on fire, remember this: it's a recession, not a retreat. more
A new study came out from Forrester Research showing that only 16% of consumers trust what they read on a brand's blog -- that's dead last for you playing at home. The corporate blog was followed closely by another hot, must-have media trend -- the social media page (18%).
The study offered this reasoning: Many brands too often blog about (ding, ding, ding) themselves. But there is hope. Josh Bernoff, the study's author, explains that companies need to focus more on the customer and his/her pains, thereby becoming more of a resource and a refuge.
To paraphrase: Nobody cares about your product. They care about how your product makes them feel.
You can download the whole study here. They'll only want a little bit of personal information in exchange, which according to a different study, nearly 60% of you are willing to provide if you think it will get you something of value.
Let your ideas evolve into something to be admired. We believe great ideas aren’t simply self-serving. They make your audience want to aim higher, think bigger and be better. We want to help you become their source of inspiration.
Use it as a chance to revive your company. Even if it's just a matter of sparking new thoughts, exploring new directions and creating new ways of empowering the people in your organization to take an active role in the company's destiny. Who knows what could emerge: a new profit center, a better reason for customers to choose you other than deep discounts, or just the brave new blueprint to follow so you can hit the ground running when the clouds have lifted.
So where's the now-marketing's-more-critical-than-ever spin? you wonder. Well, that's not really the point of this post. Especially considering the challenges your company is facing probably go deeper than a reallocation of your ad budget or the infusion of brilliant, cost-effective ideas will fix. But here is a suggestion: make the first step you take toward a brighter future a small one. The one that jumps out at the creative cabin here is a smart little book called Unstuck. Check it out (from the library). It's cheaper than a business consultant coming in to tell you what you already probably know. (Maybe they moonlight as economists.) It's even relevant when you're not stuck.
It appears the bailout money has dried up. And now more than ever you need to remember what made your company, your career, your life the success it's been to date: you've always preferred to make your own luck.