The week of April 27th is National Volunteer Week

Thank all of your volunteers with a small memento of their efforts. Hold a thank-you celebration and include table favors that commemorate their contributions. Select a Volunteer of the Year and award them with a larger commemorative gift. And, be sure to get pictures and send to the local papers.

Some other designations for April that you might be interested in are:

• Alcohol Awareness Month
• National Child Abuse Prevention Month
• Holy Week
• National Donate Life Month
• April 1st: April Fools Day
• April 2nd: International Children's Book Day
• April 3rd: Tweed Day
• April 4th: Victims Of Violence day
• April 5th: National Fun At Work Day
• April 6th: Teflon Day
• April 7th: No Housework Day
• April 9th - 15th: Egg Salad Week
• April 10th: National Sibilings Day
• April 11th: Trivia Day
• April 13th: International Plant Appreciation Day
• April 7th - 11th: National Public Health Week
• April 13th - 19th: National Library Week
• April 27th: National Volunteer Week
• April 15th: Income Tax Pay Day
• April 17th: International Ford Mustang Day
• April 19th - 27th: National Wildlife Week
• April 22nd: Earth Day
• April 24th: Take Your Daughters and Sons to Work Day
• April 27th: Mother, Father Deaf Day
• April 28th: Cubicle Day
• April 29th: National Dance Day
• April 30th: Spank Out Day USA

This One is a Real Cutie

Cuties, a cross between a sweet orange and a Chinese mandarin, knows that things can go ugly without the right marketing support. That's why when Cuties hit stores in November, it did so with a $7 million integrated marketing plan that included ads, promotions and events that positioned its product as a healthy snack option, especially for children, in a fun, playful way.

Print ads read "Root for the fruit" and show a healthy Cuties mandarin orange chasing away a slice of pizza. T-shirts bearing the ad were also created, as were branded adhesive bandages, custom ice packs that say "Cuties. They're so cool," temporary tattoos and iPod covers that say "Root for the li'l guy."

These items were distributed at American Youth Soccer Organization games, Radio Disney events and other kid-friendly happenings. Members of the press also received these items, as well as Cuties branded lip balm, shoelaces and a USB port shaped like a business card. And, more than 3.5 million first through fifth grade students were exposed to the brand through custom-designed lesson plans, book covers and reward stickers.

As the rollout of the product continues through May (when mandarin orange season ends), other promotions including a Valentine's Day effort will hit markets.

"Cuties are a fast-growing citrus brand," says Dominic Engels, vice president of marketing for Cuties, in a statement. "Increasing our marketing support throughout the season will continue to grow the category, especially in today's market where we know consumers are looking for quality, health benefits and convenience."

Dickies Honors the American Worker

America hasn't exactly had a strong run of late when it comes to its workers. Many are struggling to make ends meet; others are fighting for their jobs. Dickies, the brand that outfits many of our hardest workers (as well as some hipsters), decided to honor the hard working men and women who give it their all each and every day.

Through the summer months, beginning June 1, consumers were invited to name themselves the hardest worker in the country. Entrants were given the chance to win a grand prize of $1 million and VIP trip tickets to the Dickies 500 race at the Texas Motor Speedway.

The "Dickies American Worker of the Year" sweepstakes honored farmers, builders, teachers, electrical lineman and other strong-willed workers. Six regional finalists were selected. Each received a prize package including a trip for two to the American Bull Riders World Finals in Las Vegas.

Dickies, the "voice of the American worker," also awarded each with a new Yamaha Grizzly 450 4x4, a Dickies gift certificate and logoed bags and clothing.

Hal Hughes was named the winner. For his honest day's work, he received a new 2009 Ford F-150 with a B&W hitch, a Yamaha Rhino 700 FI 4x4 as well as the chance to win $1 million by picking the number of the Sprint Cup car that would win the Dickies 500.

Dickies rep Misty Otto says, "The American Worker of the Year contest really embodies what our company stands for - hard work and determination."

OrangeSoda Uses Promo Products to Make Things Pop

Small- and medium-size businesses have a lot of online marketing agencies from which to choose. Still, agency OrangeSoda feels it has the best search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click offerings. The problem is how to stand out from the pack. A strong brand name like OrangeSoda helps, but to really drive the point home they decided to give away, well, logoed orange soda cans and bottles to prospective clients, partners and investors.

They also distributed standard promotional giveaways like pens and note pads. But the actual soda works best because it ties directly back to the company’s overall branding and positioning., says Jay Bean, CEO and co-founder of OrangeSoda.

Bean says he didn’t lose a great deal of sleep over deciding which item would be best to use for his marketing efforts. “The choice to give away orange soda as a promotional item was actually pretty simple since it’s in our name. But, more than that, we wanted to give something away that’s nontraditional and would help us stand out like our product and services do.”

Well aware of the pun involved, he says, “It’s also a part of our culture and brand since we try to put some fizz into the online marketing we provide for thousands of clients.”

While many online agencies lean on the Web for their marketing efforts, OrangeSoda has proven its faith in offline tactics. It also runs local billboard ads in Utah that prod drivers to first ask, “What the heck is SEO?” and “What does OrangeSoda have to do with it?” When it comes to promotional products, apparently a lot.

Boru Takes Battle of the Bands Online

Anyone who has ever attended college has likely experienced at least one battle of the bands competition. The scene generally involves a few wannabe rock stars with semi-tuned instruments and loud amps. Boru Vodka, for the second year, decided to pay homage to these rockers via its online “Defend the Bar Band” competition.

Consumers were invited to visit www.borubarband.com and vote for their favorite bar band. A panel of judges spared viewers’ eyes and ears by selecting 14 semifinalists from among 800 applicants representing 47 states.

To generate interest, Boru brand ambassadors hit the bars hosting “Defend the Bar Band” nights. Patrons were spurred into competing in impromptu Guitar Hero competitions. For their hard work and hard rocking, they received promo kits containing posters, T-shirts, hats, tattoos, coasters, napkins and other items.

A band called The Loveblisters emerged victorious after voting had ended. The band received a professionally produced music video of their song Devotion as well as $10,000 in new equipment. The Castle Brands-owned Irish vodka also delivered the track to 650 radio stations using Yangaroo’s eNotes technology.

“This year’s Boru ‘Defend the Bar Band’ competition was extremely successful, with more than eight times the number of bands participating over last year’s number,” says D’Arcy King from C2 Creative, Castle Brands’ agency of record. “Fan involvement through online voting helped The Loveblisters, capture the top spot in the competition and claim the title of the most passionate and authentic bar band.”

Thanks to the success of the campaign, Boru is looking to vastly expand the competition in 2009 in hopes of finding the next The Loveblisters.

Brown is the New Green - Environmental Entrepreneurs - Entrepreneur.com

Brown is the New Green - Environmental Entrepreneurs - Entrepreneur.com

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Treeless Paper... Really?

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