Picture this… two Stalelifers walk to a big meeting to propose alternative marketing ideas to The Chicago Tribune. Along the way, on Lower Wacker Drive, one of the pair sees a wallet lying on the ground.

Joe: “Kurt, check this out, someone dropped a wallet.”

Kurt: “No way, is there an ID?”

Sure enough, there was an ID. And money. And a gift card. Not to mention a dry cleaning receipt, a business card and a map. All of which pointed straight to Burger King.

See the wallet was a guerilla tactic for the new Reverse Pickpocket Campaign. We actually found The King’s wallet.

We laughed and looked for a camera (like the Whopper Freakout campaign), then tucked the wallet in our pockets to show the clients. It was a very apropos find.

Kudos to you, Crispin Porter + Bogusky for turning the dial a little farther. And if you were one of the 5,000 wallet-finders in Chicago, be happy that you got to be part of a great experiment. Spend that cash and gift cards, so more marketers will take advantage of alternative media.

Some iPhone images:

One of our favorite partners frowarded this video to our attention. It was created by Geert Desager, a Marketing Manager with Microsoft.

All too often we only know our consumers as statistics on a spreadsheet. When, in fact, the new idealism found in pace-setting companies is all about communication.

When you think about advertising and direct marketing and even website building, every facet of your company could provoke comments and communication from your consumers. Choose to listen and adjust, and you set the pace.

Cycling is good for your health. It’s good for the environment. It’s good for healthcare workers.

Healthcare workers?

Yes, especially in places where people walk everywhere they go. Like in Africa, it’s nothing for the people of Zambia to trudge for hours to get water or to school. But if you give a person a bike, it takes four times less to commute. So people can do more for themselves and each other. And that’s where our favorite charity comes in.

World Bicycle Relief provides sustainable transportation to those who need it most. Here, watch this quick video from The Today Show that shows the power of bicycles in action:

World Bicycle Relief was founded by members of SRAM Corporation, a local Chicago company that leads the cycling componentry industry. It’s a great project to be a part of, so consider signing up for updates to help them out.

We’re lucky to work with clients who enjoy the same passions as us. From our love of bikes (The Dirt Derby and World Bicycle Relief - creative to come) to our affinity for independent film, we really enjoy a nice balance.

This year we’ve lent our support and design prowess to the Midwest Independent Film Festival, a year long fest that runs on the first Tuesday of every month in Chicago.

Help us decide - which awards poster do you like the best?

We’ve created three concepts for the annual “Best of the Midwest Awards” and we’d like your opinion. Please read our rationale and give us your thoughts to help pick a winner.

Creative input:
Design a branded poster that exudes a “sharp, high-end, classy, for everyone” feel. Be sure to keep the film community in mind when designing.

Concept One

Dark and sleek, it plays off of the modern touches of legendary designer Saul Bass. The bright colors juxtapose the black background and pop off the page grabbing your attention. The stark white imagery shows the foundation of indie film - the old 8mm camera. While a classic Zippo top shows that these films are ‘hot’ and cutting edge.

Concept One

Concept Two

This poster an abstract heart is comprised of overlayed translucent cutouts of the states that make up the Midwest. After all, the Midwest is the heartland of our country. The clean white background harkens back to modern/minimalistic artwork form the 70’s & 80’s.

Concept Two

Concept Three

Our good friend Brian has knuckle tattoos that read ‘hold fast’ and it made us think about the dedication required for his permanent belief. Midwestern artists strongly believe the middle of the country is one of the best places to find emerging artists. So poster three showcases the strong love of the Midwest in a simple illustration accentuated with graffiti graphics.

Concept Three

So which one do you like?

What’s your favorite and why?

If you are in Chicago, check out the Midwest Independent Film Fest on the first Tuesday of every month at the Landmark Century Cinema. Amazing films and a good place to see film from artists before they get famous.

What company doesn’t want great things said about it?

Public perception might not matter to a super established brand like IBM – wait, no, they really want people to like their products and services too.

Mid-sized companies, they need it.
Same with the SMBs.

So how can you improve perception? How can you show yourself as a company that cares, a business that has a human side that makes prospects and competitors say out loud “you know what, I really like them.”

Try social media.

It can be tricky – there are a lot of rules to it. Your presence has to be fun and upfront, caring, compassionate and you’ll need to contribute to your community. Your product or service must be up-to-par and able to withstand criticism (sounds like a general rule to me).

But the end results far outweigh the budget – social media is cheap and should be apart of your marketing plan. Especially if you’d like to find brand advocates who tell their friends why they enjoy what you bring to the table.

It’s almost like FREE advertising.

Here are some additional tips:

• Track your campaigns. All major blogging software can provide results on FREE Google Analytics pages. Plus sites like LinkedIN, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter also have tracking or search available. You can even create links that people can share with others, and you can track the usage.

• Let people comment and talk about you. Think about cultivating, not controlling. Encourage discussions on this two-way street.

• Watch the goodwill spread. It will take some time – you won’t see immediate gains. But like any part of a campaign, it needs to blossom to help build your name and your brand.

Here’s one example using something we love, the bicycle. The companies involved are MASH, an innovative cycling products company, and Mellow Johnny’s, a bike shop in Austin owned by Lance Armstrong.

Yeah, that Lance.

We’re not sure who started this conversation, but somehow these two places got together and before you know it Lance is riding a fixed-geared bike all over the city of Austin with guys from MASH. The only real sign about the shop is his hat, but it’s in there.

And once the video was up, it spread like gangbusters. Blogs. Forums. Twitter. 25,000 people saw it on YouTube. Eventually people all ended up at MASH and probably said, “what is this company?”

Now they know. And they think it’s once cool place, that’s for sure. Who knows, they probably even bought an innovative new product or signed up for email alerts.