Idea Lab

Serving Up Great Ideas at Catersource

Ideaworks Marketing presented at the Catersource and Event Solutions Conference & Tradeshow, which was held March 8-11 in Las Vegas. Peter Steve, Managing Partner and Donna Hansbury, President, led two sessions designed to help caterers maximize their marketing strategy and ROI.

The first session was entitled Creating a Marketing Plan You Will Use, Not Lose. In this workshop, Peter and Donna took participants through a step-by-step process of creating a GPS-themed marketing plan that yielded maximum results with minimal effort. At the end of the workshop, participants walked away with a marketing plan in-hand — one they will use, not lose.

Resources from this session:

Positioning for Greater Profits: 7 Steps to Growing Your Catering Business was the second Ideaworks session. Peter and Donna explained exactly what positioning is, and walked participants through the seven steps that would help them clearly differentiate their catering business from the competition.

Commenting on the presentations prior to the conference, Steve stated, “Catersource is the premier event in the catering industry and we are honored to be presenting on this national stage. This will be the third time we are a part of the conference’s educational curriculum and we look forward to an engaging exchange with participants during both of our sessions.”

The Catersource and Event Solutions Conference & Tradeshow is the largest conference in catering. The event has been held for over 20 consecutive years, with sessions updated annually so attendees can continually bring back fresh ideas, and stay competitive. This year, Catersource offered over 100 educational sessions, organized into nine tracks, so attendees could customize the experience to meet their specific needs. The award-winning tradeshow also showcased over 900 exhibitors, with hands-on demos and contests on the show floor.

For more information on Catersource and Event Solutions Conference & Tradeshow, please visit www.catersource.com.

Adding Up Addys: Three, Four, or More?

It may not yield as much debate as the recent social media dress color debacle, but the question remains: did Ideaworks Marketing win three, or four awards at the 2015 Addys?

The American Advertising Federation of northeast Pennsylvania (AAF-NEPA), held its annual awards ceremony, affectionately known as the Addys, this past February 20, and three entries from Ideaworks proved to be winners – or four, if you so choose.

Below, a photo of the one Gold, and two Silver awards given to Ideaworks. The winning pieces included a Wedding Invitation Package (Gold/Judge’s Choice for Collateral Material); the “Street Eatz” campaign (Silver for Sales Promotion, Branded Environment); and the Ideaworks 2015 Calendar (Silver for Self Promotion, Advertising Industry).

And here is the Wedding Invitation Package that garnered the Gold:

BridgetInvite

Bridget and Daniel were a winning combination, and so was their wedding invitation package. They likely wrote a lot of thank-you notes when their festivities concluded, and all of us at Ideaworks would like to thank them for inspiring this work, that brought in both a Gold, and a Judge’s Choice award!

It all adds up to four awards, since of course, Gold and Judge’s Choice are two separate awards (that often overlap). So while three of Ideaworks’ pieces won, a total of four awards were earned. Here is the complete award set, the Judge’s Choice in the form of a fabulous miniature billboard from Lamar Advertising.

photo 3

Yes, we could have said that from the beginning — but the Addys are just as much about having fun, as they are about recognizing excellence in advertising creativity. Ideaworks congratulates all the Addy winners from the 2015 AAF-NEPA event.

Ideaworks Captures District American Advertising Award

Ideaworks Marketing recently captured a District Two, American Advertising Award (ADDY) in the Industry Self-Promotion category for its 2014 Annual Calendar.blogpost_addy

The calendar showcases an engaging combination of practical information and creative infographics to bring each month to life. In addition, a special augmented reality feature was employed which enabled calendar recipients to connect to a specially created holiday video produced exclusively by the Ideaworks team.

District Two covers the states of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania as well as the District of Columbia. This year, over 500 entries were submitted to the District Two competition by 157 companies who qualified by winning local ADDY Award competitions.

According to Cynthia Park, Governor of the American Advertising Federation’s District Two, “Winning at the District Two level is another testament to the prestige of the competition. The District Two competition is one of the toughest regions in the country in which to compete.”

Commenting on the recognition, Donna Hansbury, President of Ideaworks said, “Our entire team is very proud of this award. It is particularly gratifying to be recognized at such a high level in the industry, and for work that demonstrates our agency’s passion for powerful ideas.”  

The Risk of Innovation

Innovation is one of those words that is beyond overuse, but like a shiny new object, it continues to capture the attention of copywriters, marketers and business leaders alike.  But beyond its ongoing abuse in corporate tome and collateral, does “innovation” pose an inherent risk for those organizations that are truly, innovative?

While I know that there are many angles and answers to this question, from my perspective, it is best addressed in the old adage “nothing ventured, nothing gained.”  The majority of the greatest inventions (and innovations) of our lifetime would never have been possible without the courage of someone or some company taking a chance on an idea…a hunch…a belief.

So it is with this in mind that we at Ideaworks are taking a risk, being an early adapter and changing our website URL to Ideaworks.marketing.  Now as innovations go, the risk associated with this decision is moderate at best.  But what’s more important than the level of risk is our willingness to try something new, the stake a presence on the cutting-edge of what may become an industry norm.  Success or failure, only time will tell, but I for one am happy that in our own small way we are taking risk head-on in the true spirit of innovation.

Proud To Celebrate 15 Years In Business

When we started Ideaworks in the summer of 1998, we did so with a clear vision of becoming a value-added marketing resource for our clients, founded on the qualities of creativity, integrity and outstanding customer service. Now as we celebrate our 15th year in business, I can proudly say that we have lived up to our vision and continue to do so with each passing day.   

In a day and age when less than 50% of small businesses make it to five years and only one-third make it to ten years, we are truly honored to be celebrating 15 years in business.   

Throughout the years, it has been our privilege to serve a variety of outstanding companies and individuals.  Without their continued confidence in us, we would not be the agency we are today.  We are also fortunate to work with a number of quality partners and business associates who help us maintain our competitive advantage in an ever-challenging industry. 

Finally on a personal note, I want to extend a very special thank you to our dedicated team members who every day continue to amaze me with their passion and commitment to make us the very best.  

Happy Anniversary Ideaworks! 

Peter Steve

Owner & Managing Partner

 

A Force To Harness by Jane Browe

Several years ago, I was a Regional Sales Director for a small company that grew and packaged specialty lettuces and greens, which were sold through both retail and foodservice channels.  At the core of the product line was a beautiful green known as “mâche” or lamb’s lettuce.  It’s a beautiful emerald green, has a light nutty flavor, and is incredibly nutritious.

It’s also very much a niche item, and the company’s marketing budget was tiny.  The Marketing Director asked us to extend the reach of her limited resources by supporting her efforts as “Brand Ambassadors” in our Regions.  There we were, an army of three Regional Directors, dispersed across the Lower 48, equipped, it seemed, with emerald green attire, a megaphone, pom-poms, batons and a one-man-marching-band assortment of instruments.  Well, I exaggerate a bit, but as Brand Ambassadors, we were well versed and fully trained to provide on-the-spot mâche information – historical trivia, nutritional highlights, recipe ideas – to all we encountered on or off the job.  We were INFORMED, and we carried THE BRAND MESSAGE fully in sync with positioning and strategy.

So, the “Brand Ambassador” recruiting efforts described in this Wall Street Journal article, whereby restaurants extend their marketing reach by way of Instagram “Influencers” really caught my attention.

(http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324520904578553502283072828.html?mod=djemLifeStyle_h)

Restaurants are the focus of this article, but this has implications for everyone in the food industry, and it seriously bears this question:

How best to harness the power of spontaneous, grass roots, cell phone-armed legions of Brand Ambassadors, and positively reinforce the Brand’s intended position and message?

This calls for a yet another dimension of messaging strategy and vast implications for the tactical management of 24/7, sometimes around-the-globe, grass roots communications.  Does your communications strategy go this far?

We’d love to hear your perspective and challenges.  We invite you to share comments here, or just give us a call to talk live.  Dial 570-779-9543, ext. 316 to reach Jane Browe.

(email: janeb@ideaworksfoodmarketing.com; Twitter: @janeofideaworks)

Peter Steve Shows How to BRAND Yourself

 

Building Your Brand

Peter Steve, Jr., Managing Partner of Ideaworks recently delivered the featured presentation at the Trans-Med Ambulance Incorporated’s executive retreat held at the Woodlands Resort in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

Entitled Building Your Brand, Steve’s presentation focused on the parallels between corporate branding and personal brand development, and explored the importance of having a strong personal brand to achieve success.  Using the word BRAND as an acronym to represent the five key elements of personal branding (B-Bold, R-Relevant, A-Attitude, N-Network, D-Deliver), Steve emphasized the essence of each element and how they work together to help all of us “live” our personal brand.

As Managing Partner of Ideaworks, Steve is responsible for the overall strategy, marketing and creative development provided by the agency. He has more than 30 years experience in the food industry, primarily serving in senior marketing positions at a number of contract management and restaurant organizations.  Steve is a seasoned speaker and has delivered presentations on branding, marketing and promotional development to audiences across the country.

For more information on the Building Your Brand presentation or having Steve present to your group or organization, email him at peters@ideaworksfoodmarketing.com.

 

Agency Principals Make Return Appearance at National Catering Conference

The 20th annual CaterSource Conference & Tradeshow begins March 10th in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The 20th annual CaterSource Conference & Tradeshow begins March 10th in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ideaworks’ Food Marketing Managing Partner, Peter Steve and President, Donna Hansbury, will return as guest presenters at the upcoming Catersource Conference & Tradeshow scheduled for March 10th to the March 13th at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, NV.

Marking its 20th anniversary, Catersource’s Conference & Tradeshow will offer attendees an array of educational sessions while showcasing some of the most creative concepts, current trends and innovative resources in the catering industry.

Steve and Hansbury’s featured session is entitled The Power of Presence, Permission and Personalization and will focus on the three critical “Ps” that will help any catering business build a strong marketing outreach program.  More specifically, Steve and Hansbury will help attendees learn how to use the latest marketing tools and technology to strengthen their customer relationships and build a loyal and profitable customer base.

Catersource Magazine, Conference & Tradeshow is dedicated to the education and growth of the professional caterer. The organization’s goal is to connect caterers and foodservice professionals with a current and reputable source for news, information, products, services and networking opportunities relevant to their business.

For more information on CaterSource Conference & Tradeshow, please visit www.catersource.com. Follow Ideaworks Food Marketing on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ideaworksfoodmarketing.

Infographic Report Adds Value To Client Marketing Initiatives

Staying current with today’s K-12 audience is no easy task, especially considering the media-intense influences on what is now being referred to as Generation S (Screen). To assist one of our clients in meeting this need, Ideaworks Food Marketing employed the power of “infographics” and grassroots research to create a quick-reference booklet entitled “An Infographic Look At Today’s K-12 Students.” Covering a variety of topics ranging from social media to entertainment to childhood obesity, the resource gave our client (and consequently their clients as well) a snapshot view of some of the more insightful statistics that reflect what this dynamic audience is all about.

This resource is just an example of the various trends and lifestyle tools that Ideaworks produces for its clients. While any company can tap into the latest trends, Ideaworks delves into the findings in a deeper manner, analyzing the impact to our clients’ business beyond the trends alone. Identifying the trends or factors that influence a market or business is one thing, knowing how to use those trends or factors to positively impact your business is what generating real solutions is all about.

To learn more about how Ideaworks can help your company create trends-driven solutions, contact Jane Browe at 570.779.9543, ext. 316 or e-mail her at janeb@ideaworksfoodmarketing.com.

Future Chefs Program Earns National Restaurant Association Recognition

Ideaworks’ Creative Support Helps Program Win the Menu Development Category in First-Ever Innovator of the Year Awards

Sodexo’s Future Chefs program, a national initiative that encourages students to learn about good nutrition by creating their own fun, creative and healthy recipes, won the Innovator of the Year Award in the Menu Development category in the National Restaurant Association’s (NRA) inaugural Operator Innovations Awards. The Future Chefs National Challenge was formally recognized recently at the NRA Show 2012 in Chicago.

Through the Future Chefs National Challenge, students at Sodexo served schools learn about the importance of making healthy food choices by creating and submitting their own recipes to Sodexo’s student nutrition experts. Following district-wide events across the country, five national finalists are selected to create videos of their recipes. These videos are then posted online and the public is encouraged to view them and vote for their favorite.

In addition to crowning a national champion, Sodexo takes the best 12 recipes from the challenge each year and features them on school meal menus in the nearly 500 school districts the company serves nationally. This “For Kids, By Kids” approach to menu development has helped encourage reluctant students to try new things while also increasing overall school meal participation in schools.

“We’re thrilled to be a part of such a worthwhile and award-winning endeavor,” stated Donna Hansbury, president of Ideaworks Food Marketing.  “Our clients at Sodexo are simply fabulous people to work with, and they give us the necessary direction and creative freedom to help them achieve their goals.”

Along with winning the Menu Development category, Sodexo also earned Operator Innovations Award recognition for two other programs including the company’s Did You Know Cafe, which Ideaworks created.  Did You Know Café is a concept designed to make the cafeteria an extension of the classroom specifically for middle and junior high school students, and was selected as a finalist in the Health and Nutrition category.