April 2008 Update Sometimes, great thinking just can't wait until the next month. Check out the latest news on our revamped, blog-based Creative Strategies® newsletter.

Don't miss out on the latest Creative Strategies articles! Subscribe to our RSS feed

Freemiums? Gift Economy? The growing vocabulary of Freeconomics

David Yoon - Interactive

Ever wonder why so much stuff on the Internet is free? What brought about such a precedent, and how do sites make money by giving away their products? According to a recent Wired article the answer lies in traditional media, stretching all the way back to the Gillette "give away the razors, sell the blades" model. In the online age, these tried-and-true giveaway strategies are taken far beyond simply exchanging cash for services and goods.

Thanks to Google, we now have a handy way to convert from reputation (PageRank) to attention (traffic) to money (ads). Anything you can consistently convert to cash is a form of currency itself, and Google plays the role of central banker for these new economies.*

* source: http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/magazine/16-03/ff_free?currentPage=1

Central to the online freeconomics explosion are the non-existent marginal costs associated with digital content distribution. Now that you've entered a world in which everything is free, ask yourself: what is it you're really selling? On the user-created, self-policed streets of the online marketplace, commerce isn't just about money--it's about respect and honesty. And marketers everywhere are challenged daily to overhaul their messaging to adapt to these new, more personal currencies.

What’s the Big Idea?

Armand Kerechuk - Art Director

Big ideas can come from anywhere and occur at anytime. But, when your creative engine is stalled and the ideas aren't coming, here are a couple of proven ways to get "unstuck."

Find a quiet place where you can just relax and stare off into space. Clear your mind. Think only about the problem. When a solution comes to mind, scribble it down on a piece of paper - without looking at the paper. The reason? Staring at your notes is distracting and can cause you to lose focus. Ever wonder why some of your best thinking comes to you at night? It's because this time is typically when you're most relaxed and your mind is at its clearest.

Here's a second technique. Grab your digital camera and set out to capture pictures that might inspire new thinking or creative ideas. The quirkier the subjects, the better. Set a goal for yourself, such as 15 images. Whether you use these images or not doesn't matter. The real value of this exercise is that it forces you to start thinking visually. A change in your environment can help get the creative juices flowing.

Finally, a third technique that always works: Have faith. The ideas will come.

Politics in the Web 2.0 Era

Allison Pines - Account Management

Web 2.0 is playing a large role in the 2008 presidential campaign, enabling candidates to reach millions of voters and truly engage them in the political process. This has been accomplished through the rise of social media, which is now a vital component of a candidate's marketing strategy. This emerging political marketing strategy serves as an example to brand marketers looking at social media as a way to influence consumers.

Tapping into this audience allows candidates the opportunity to get their message distributed virally in an interactive environment. This increases their reach exponentially and, often, with greater influence given the level of voluntary consumer advocacy - something most brands want. A lot can be learned from the campaigns' creative and successful use of this marketing platform. Keep watching!

Why Build an Employee Stock Ownership Plan?

Joe Phelps - CEO

As written for the Washington Post's Amex BizBox
You're a business owner, a long-term planner and you'd like to have a succession plan that benefits you and the people who've helped you build the business. You also want to:

• Have your business continue beyond your own career.
• Sell stock to the company's employees in a tax-free exchange.
• Balance compensation to your employees between salaries, profit-sharing and company stock.
• Have the employees act like owners instead of employees and drive the value of the business even higher.

An ESOP can help you achieve these goals. Many books and articles are available on this subject. So I'll keep this article short and simply hope that it stirred your interest in starting an ESOP to the extent that you'll research it further.

Related sidebar: 80% of America's workers are employed by businesses with less than 100 employees. The future of our social security system is suspect. Wouldn't it be great if more citizens actually owned part of the business they work for? Think of the advantages for everyone involved.

Good News About Some of Our Great Clients

	ThinkCure, the official charity of the Los Angeles Dodgers, recently designated City of Hope and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles as the beneficiaries of its their fundraising efforts. ThinkCure champions critical cancer research at both facilities.
	Dunn-Edwards, one of the largest employee-owned paint manufacturers and distributors in the nation, open its 100th store in Fullerton, California.
	HBA/Hirsch Bedner Associates, the world's leading hospitality design firm, was ranked #1 in hospitality design for the ninth year in a row by Interior Design Magazine in its annual industry rankings. HBA topped the magazine's list of "Hospitality Giants" and was one of only two Southern California firms to be named in the magazine’s top 20.
	Monrovia, the leading grower of premium plants, was named the first ever Vendor of the Year by Armstrong Garden Centers. This new award was started to recognize vendors that provide high quality products that help differentiate the 36 Armstrong Garden Centers from other garden retailers.
	Los Angeles Orthopaedic Hospital opened the Everychild Foundation Universally Accessible Playground on its downtown campus. The public playground was designed to accommodate children with wheelchairs, leg braces, crutches and other barriers that usually leave them sidelined at traditional playgrounds. The playground will serve the largest demographic of physically challenged children in the nation.
	The Panasonic Toughbook 30 laptop was the recipient of Frost & Sullivan's 2008 North American Mobility Award for Ruggedized (Military Grade) Notebook Computers. This rugged laptop computer was honored for its ability to perform under the harshest of conditions and its integrated wireless LAN, fostering reliable mobile productivity. The Mobility Awards represent the best products and services as voted by the top editors and analysts that cover the mobile and wireless industry.
	In response to growing consumer interest and confusion about natural personal care products, Whole Foods Market, the world's leading natural and organic foods supermarket, has developed a new Premium Body Care standard and labeling seal of approval, setting a new industry benchmark. The new standard will help consumers decipher which body care products in its Whole Body™ departments contain natural ingredients of the highest quality.

Newsletter Archive

Review our archive of past issues of Creative Strategies at http://thephelpsgroup.com/sitemap.asp.

Your Thoughts?

Creative Strategies is written to deliver marketing philosophies and tips for our clients and agency friends. Email us and tell us how we can improve it.

The Phelps Group is a marketing communications company organized in client-based teams of advertising, PR, promotion, direct and interactive specialists, delivering integrated programs from a full-feedback environment. Our mission is to create great work for deserving clients, in a healthy working environment, to realize our clients' goals and our potential.

View our agency fact sheet.

cs@thephelpsgroup.com
thephelpsgroup.com

901 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA 90401 • 310-752-4400

We are a partner in the ICOM international communications agency network.