Here’s a great new spin to interning. Mid-career Interns.

Check what “Women on the Web” did. This a sassy web site for women started an innovative mid-career internship program. High-level former executives, — including publishers, editors and VP’s drawn from the shrinking print media companies — are retraining in on-line skills at wowOwow.com.  Joni Evans, WOW’s CEO explains, “These are people with wisdom and worth.  In our program we draw on their skill set for WOW while teaching them new skills, reequipping them for the new economy.  It’s a win-win situation.”

Lois Dreagin, a 55-year-old former senior editor at TV Guide is one of these mid-career interns. In her old job she did not need to know a URL from an SEO, facebook from twitter, or a Google trend from search engine optimization. Now at WOW she’s paired with a 24 year old WOW staffer, Randi Benfield, who’s teaching her how to write tag lines for Google and URLs in return.  Lois supports Randi with expert literary instincts and flawless copy-editing skills.

WOW editor in chief, Deborah Barrow, who conceived the program, says that she thinks, “This could only happen at a company like WOW.  This website is run and owned by women.  The idea of women helping women, empowering each other, participating in a caring community, is so different than the way male dominated workplaces have functioned.”  Deborah believes that other companies should imitate her concept of women helping women as a means of survival in the new economy.

wowOwow.com, was founded just over a year ago by former Simon + Schuster publisher Joni Evans, author Peggy Noonan, columnist Liz Smith, ‘60 minutes’ correspondent Lesley Stahl, and advertising guru Mary Wells.  Contributors Candice Bergen, Joan Juliet Buck, Joan Ganz Cooney, Whoopi Goldberg, Judith Martin, Cynthia McFadden, Sheila Nivens, Marlo Thomas, Lily Tomlin, and Jane Wagner join them on line.  These iconic women are making history with the first-ever website aimed at educated affluent experienced Women.

The past couple days I’ve been in Orlando attending the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s annual conference. Oddpodz was invited to be apart of a special program called The Long Tail. This segment featured a handful of small niche publishers. The Long Tail companies showcased their important role in the future of the exploding interactive media world.

The conference included many inspirational speakers like Michael Mendenhall, Chief Marketing Officer from Hewlett-Packard, Wenda Harris Millard, President of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and Jack Myers, innovation and media consultant.

While the conference attendees were mostly from large companies, I gained a lot of insight about where the industry is going and how all of this will impact all businesses, large and small. In fact, other than scale of budget and resources, the issues applied to any size company.

Here’s my take away.
1) Even in these challenging times, online and interactive media continues to grow, in fact, it exceeds all other media.

2) Stop dwelling on that “R” word that we’ve all heard too much recently. Instead, but energy and resources on: renew, refresh, rethink and innovate.

3) Speed kills if you don’t have it.

4) Interactive advertising is the art and science of persuasion and participation. Using only analytic tools is like treating heart problems with a single aspirin. Not recommended.

5) There is no need to choose between direct marketing and branding strategies. Interactive is an “And” world. Effective and compelling campaigns balance both.

6) Advertising should not interrupt, but be an on going conversation.

7) Don’t hide behind math and science of online. Creative is needed fuel for success.

8) Brands are good for brands. Work together.

9) Brands are not static logos, but moving, living sums of values, products and experiences.

10) The only thing that is certain about interactive media, it is change, embrace it.

On the topic of earning advertising when your site is small and growing.
Oddpodz just engaged Adspeed to run our ad operations. We’ve had their ad server installed for a while, but had no one to leverage it. If you are looking at ad servers, I recommend checking them out. It has lots of great features and is build with the small business in mind, it’s user-friendly and affordable. And if you are like Oddpodz and have a shortage of staff to manage ads, Adspeed will let you contract out the full management of those duties, so you can focus on other parts of growing your business.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 400 leading media and technology companies who are responsible for selling 86% of online advertising in the United States. The IAB educates marketers, agencies, media companies and the wider business community about the value of interactive advertising.

That’s right, I’m your good friend, I’m a business partner and I am even your customer, but I’m opting out of you ezine mailing list. Because I get too much stuff, and a lot of what I get is light weight and not adding to my world. In fact, it just stresses me out.

Today I opted out of 50 ezines. I, like many of you, and loads of other subscribers, am feeling ezine overwhelmed.

Lose the guilt, don’t feel bad. You cannot afford the time to read every ezine out there.
Even if you are a close friend to the person sending the email, you have no extra time to be opening useless emails. And you, the companies that are sending them, need to ask yourself, it this really worth 30 seconds of brain time? If not, what can you do to make it right?

Here’s the reality. You buy something, download something free, register to be in community and BINGO you are opted in to someone’s list. OK, that’s the system. But after a few communications from them, if they are not making you feel smarter or happier, dump ‘em and opt-out of database dodge.

If you publish an ezine a newsletter, don’t freak out that you may lose a few subscribers. Be happy that those people who really don’t care about what you are saying are no longer polluting your list and hogging space. Now get going on improving your publication’s content, the subject line and visuals so people can’t get through a day without reading your awesome newsletter from top to bottom.

About the author: Karen Post, a.k.a. The Branding Diva® is an international authority on branding, marketing, and entrepreneurial matters. She is has been featured as a business expert in print publications; on TV, radio, and on Web channels. Karen authored the best-selling book Brain Tattoos, Creating Unique Brands That Stick in your Customers’ Minds and she is co-founder and CEO of Oddpodz.com, an idea engine for creative professionals and business. Her work has benefited large and small organizations in the United States and around the world.

In case anyone you’ve been wondering, the Oddpodz team has not turned into a slacker blogger team. We know our last post was over a month ago. Sorry about that.

We’ve been cranking on a few new things that we know you will like. One is a new feature that will save you time and provide you some awesome free stuff, the other is huge partnership with with one of the top job placement/resume board companies in the US and finally the every improving front page project of our site in an effort to make your journey a bit easier on Oddpodz.

This new action is scheduled by the week of November 25th. Please check back and make sure you’ve signed up for ezine too. Thanks for your continued support.

~K & J

by Karen Post, a.k.a. The Branding Diva®

The past two weeks my dining regime has been upside down. I’m doing some remodeling to my condo in Tampa and with the war zone of construction, I have not had a kitchen. So I’ve been eating up a lot more fast food than I normally do. To my surprise it’s been pretty tasty and shockingly affordable.

Meet the 59 cent cheeseburger from McDonalds. Protein, vegetable, niacin and great starch, too. How do they do that and make any money? Then, I met the $1.69 small Orange High C. Now the math works and so does the psychology.

I enjoyed these cheap burgers, and they made me feel good, too.

This is a simple strategy that can work with selling creative services also. Create an offering that is a ton of value at an unbelieveble price. Deliver it with a smile, use good ingredients and make your customer feel as important as if they were buying 1,000 burgers for the entire office. Using this menu concept to solve propects’ business issues provides a great way to encourage trial buying. Showcase the very attractively priced product or service and then give equal focus to other offerings that have your normal margins.

If you are a writer, maybe you offer a first assignment at a flat fee below your normal rates.
If you are a printer, why not print double the quanitity for same price.
Or, if you are an agency, package some type of marketing audit (for a flat fee) that provides a check list of the prospect’s current activities with a scoring card.

Sure, this may bring in the over-the-top penny pinchers, which you can spot and weed out or direct to other better suited vendors, but it’s also likely to bring in some very good candidates for your other menu items. This not only lets them test you, it lets you test them.

About the author: Karen Post, a.k.a. The Branding Diva® is an international authority on branding, marketing, and entrepreneurial matters. She is has been featured as a business expert in print publications; on TV, radio, and on Web channels. Karen authored the best-selling book Brain Tattoos, Creating Unique Brands That Stick in your Customers’ Minds and she is co-founder and CEO of Oddpodz.com, an idea engine for creative professionals and business. Her work has benefited large and small organizations in the United States and around the world.

by Karen Post, a.k.a. The Branding Diva®

In May of ’07, I moved to Savannah, GA. from Tampa, FL. My reasons were all over the board. I needed a personal change, I had been in a toxic relationship that clearly was something I need to get away from. Business-wise, two of Oddpodz largest and most supportive investors lived right outside Savannah, and I’m a lifetime adventurer, free bird and free agent. Because I can be spontaneous, make change, when I want to, I do.

Before I moved to Savannah, My business partner Jocelyn and I toured the town. It was historic, quaint, full of charm and a growing community of creative people from SCAD, The Savannah College of Art and Design, adds to the eclectic mix of diverse arties. One year and a few months later, it is still all those things, but what it was not for me, and my desire to move outweighed the positives of Savannah.

Which brings me to what’s really important to people really matters. It matters in living choices, purchasing products, picking friends and being loyal to brands.

I don’t regret my move to Savannah. I met some really wonderful people, learned a lot about small town cultures that make up our great America and had some very interesting experiences. I lived in two parts of Savannah, the downtown area and then the rural out skirts. I had not really inventoried my values in awhile. This past 16 months clarified a lot for me.

I don’t like rats, mice or gnats.
I really dislike parking meters, parking tickets and parallel parking. I don’t respect people who are over the top religious and equally over the top rude when you don’t share the same beliefs as them. I’m not crazy about having to travel through Atlanta to get most places. Blatant racial divide is so 1960s and out of my zone.

I’m a modern, city girl.
I love safe parking lots near places I want to go and sometimes valet parking. I really love 7 days a week active tennis environments, pro sports, cool shopping and being 13 minutes away form one of the best airports in the US. I like lots of people, for business and personal reasons. I appreciate professional broadcast news. Sophisticated convenience is really important to me. And I prefer bright blue oceans with white sand.

My move back to Tampa feels right. I’ve been here a week and I so appreciate things I had taken for granted. Even the tropical storm this week was OK. Last week, out of the blue, the toxic relationship guy invited me into his Facebook network, of course I ignored him, and was thrilled to learn he no longer trolls the street of Tampa. He’s in NC. Social media is a wonderful thing.

So back to understanding what’s truly important to your buyer and for you as marketer. Demographics are good to know. Gender and age is sometimes key. Buying history can be an important indicator too. But uncovering what really moves them, turns them off and makes them happy is the magic insight.

I have lots of exciting things to share with you about the move back to Tampa, my new work space, my reconnections, the Superbowl and my new furry friends. Till then, listen, ask questions, observe and find out what really matters for you and your customers.

About the author: Karen Post, a.k.a. The Branding Diva® is an international authority on branding, marketing, and entrepreneurial matters. She is has been featured as a business expert in print publications; on TV, radio, and on Web channels. Karen authored the best-selling book Brain Tattoos, Creating Unique Brands That Stick in your Customers’ Minds and she is co-founder and CEO of Oddpodz.com, an idea engine for creative professionals and business. Her work has benefited large and small organizations in the United States and around the world.

We couldn’t agree more. Sure, we might be biased, but this is good advise nontheless.

We found this article by Brandon Leibowitz, president of SEO Optimizers, via Marketingprofs.

His ten reasons are below. Our comments are in italics. To read the full article in E-commerce News, which is excellent, click here.

1. New Directories Can Become a Dominant Web Site in the Future
True. You never know which one will take off, and there are an abundance of directories to choose from. Fortunately, it’s not too time consuming to enter your information. And, directories require less day to day interaction vs. a social networking strategy in which one should be actively participating, updating the profile, building a contacts list and rapport with other users (potential colleagues and clients).

2. Many New Directories Are Free
Thankfully, this is true. For a majority of them, including ours, the only cost is your time.

3. All Relevant Links Are Valuable in SEO
True. Check to make sure that the site is SEO friendly. Find someone in the network, then, go to a search engine and search their name. Does it show up? This is an important tip - don’t use a cryptic user name when entering information in the directory. If people search your company name, make sure that name is what you use in the directory, and be consistent across directories.

4. Many Directories Do Not Require a Link Back
We can’t speak for all, but ours doesn’t.

5. New Directories Are Not Cluttered With Links
Not yet!

6. Potential Clients Can Find Your Site Through Directories
This can be helpful if you haven’t had a chance to do a super duper job on your own Web site. Oddpodz also allows people to rate your company and recommend you which can amp up your rankings within our directory for added exposure.

7. Web Directories Are Highly Useful Resources for SEO

8. Qualified Visitors Will Find Relevant Information
A targeted directory (such as Oddpodz) is great for this. Imagine the confusion someone experiences if they go to Google and type in “Branding expert.” Yikes. Between all the natural search results and the paid results, someone with limited knowledge of the branding arena could have a meltdown. They wouldn’t know where to start sorting through this list, much less how to choose a professional or firm. When visitors go to a directory, some of the mystery has been removed. They know what is likely to appear in the directory. Likewise, entrants in the directory know that visitors to and searchers of the directory are looking for them.

9. Less Time to Edit and Approve Listings
We touched on this in #1.

10. Directories Help Search Engines Gather Information

Take a few minutes and search for some of your competitors and see where they turn up. Also search for directories in your business field and see what comes up. There should be quite a few to choose from. It’s also a good first step into internet marketing and more involved social networking. Give it a try!

By Karen Post, The Branding Diva®

I was in Cancun Mexico earlier this month speaking at marketing meeting for a large consumer packaged goods company. I have not been to Mexico in over 15 years. And even though I had traveled to the country at least five times in my life, my memories were vague. Maybe it’s early memory loss setting in, maybe nothing was very remarkable.

It’s also funny how as you evolve in your life, as you have more experiences, your brand affinities and values change too. When I was in my twenties, carbonated beverages, sweet liquors, and snacks mattered. Suntan oils had clout and the hotel brand didn’t even register. Today for me, it’s about luxury brands, products that really perform and solve some challenge and brands that reflect who I am.

Wind of change.
Before arriving in Mexico, my brain was introduced to a potential, newly popular brand category, named by the national hurricane center, a tropical storm named Andrew. Fifteen years ago before 24/7 news weather occurrences did not earn such high-profile notoriety. Today as soon as the storm is named, they have branded, tracking meteorology teams, dedicated TV programming and depending on the storm’s impact, printed T-shirts. Fortunately for me and several hundred thousand other folks, this brand never fully developed, in fact, most have already forgotten its name.

Just thinking about a disaster like this while traveling out of the country made me a lot more aware of the brands near me, and how suddenly even a packaged good, like bottled water, or the hotel brand they provided an important security value and relationship to me.

As I made my journey this past week and encountered some brands, I’d like to share some observations and insight on global identity, awesome customer experiences and small things that can have huge impact on any size brand. I believe people keep scorecards of a brand’s communications, their delivery of benefits and the overall experience. Good stuff adds to the brand equity and stimulates loyalty. Disappointing stuff weakens the emotional connection and dilutes their value.

So who scored points with me this trip and who has work to do? I’ve grouped my thoughts and would love your comments on these brands and these subjects.

Delta Airlines.
I’d rather sell root canals than be in the airline business today. Even the media darling brands like Southwest and JetBlue have had their share of brand damage recently. However, if I were a betting branding person, I’d keep my money on both of those companies because they do get the simple, powerful formula and I am confident they will get past this turbulence.

Was Delta a chosen brand or a default purchase?
Chosen brand.
Even though I can’t say I’m having a love affair with Delta, I did consciously choose them over others. Why? Most direct route and The Crown Room. Hanging out in airports can be a doable, productive chunk of one’s day if there is a nice Crown Room. Electrical outlets, nice restrooms, complimentary drinks including adult beverages, and they can service your ticket, change flights etc. a lot faster than the mass service desks.

Branding humor.

As you may know Delta recently emerged from bankruptcy. As part of their new beginning, they have launched a rebranding campaign with the help of creative agency Shepardson, Stern & Kaminsky in New York. Part of the effort is a new visual mark/logo that will be applied to the airline’s planes along with other marketing communications.

According to Delta’s press release, the centerpiece of the new look is “a striking three-dimensional, red “Widget” icon flying across a blue background that reflects the company’s successful transformation into a highly differentiated, customer-focused airline.”

Jonberrydesign thinks Delta and its new “’do” threw the baby out with the bathwater and ended up with something bland and soulless.

I don’t disagree with Jon’s take on the mark, but, I believe the real plane wreck here is the company’s belief that they have successfully transformed into a highly differentiated, customer-focused airline. Are they referring to the same Delta that I know? Maybe my dictionary is old and they know a new meaning for “differentiated.” Last I looked, it meant “be different.”

OK they do have the Breeze Way that allows First Class and high ranking frequent flyers the ability to board early through a special lane. That’s a little different for a small segment of their elite customers.

Details differentiate.
What about how the planes smell? A nice brand scent would be different. The plastic wear for drinks could be Delta blue or clear red as a memorable brand asset. Boarding gates with a few nap chairs or more sponsored areas with electrical outlets might be nice. What about something unexpected in the seat the seat pocket? Travel tips, destination trivia, or something that directed guests to the Web site for something of added value?

Oh, I did forget this, on my trip to Mexico the Delta staff had failed to bring any English immigration forms on to the plane, so the entire cabin enjoyed personalized line by line translation so we could complete our forms. Now that’s customer engagement, not sure about different.

Seriously, Delta. Walk the talk. If differentiated is what you promise us and your new mark symbolizes this, deliver it. That would be different.

Fiesta Americana Coral Beach, Cancun
Was Fiesta Americana a chosen brand or a default purchase?
Default brand.
My client hosted their conference here. It looked like my kind of place (5 diamond rating and luxury) from their Web communication, but the experience to me was nothing special.

They did not do a lot of things wrong, just not enough extraordinary. This waterfront property was spacious and lightly elegant. Marble adorned the floors, mammoth flower arrangements were the centerpiece of every important room and the staff was pleasant. From here the experience took over. If it had been great, the above would have had more value. But, since they lost points on brand execution the grandness of the environment and décor just faded into a very average place.

The food was fair. The walls were thin. Someone was always pounding on something. The room’s air conditioners were loud and either freezing or barely cooling. There was a huge population of screaming kids and nasty, black birds everywhere. I’m not sure what was worse. I think it was the birds, because they swarmed all the pools and the outdoor restaurants non-stop, like we were filming part 2 of Alfred Hitchcock’s famous flick; very creepy. Even though this brand hosts many English-speaking guests, there were many touch points that were not in English. Which brings me to the point, when your consumer can’t understand what you are saying, you’ve got a challenge.

The psychology of pricing.
When a brand starts disappointing me on the experience, other elements seem to be amplified—like nickel and dime pricing. I don’t get why hotels continue to take this approach instead of just increasing the room rate. This would enable customers to feel good and as if they are getting something for free, instead of the annoyance and even guilt that comes with paying for the fitness room, in-room coffee, and $20.00 a day Internet.

I had added a day after my speaking assignment to relax. I was not feeling like I was in the nirvana zone and knew I needed to find one of my trusted brands for some relief. There was a Ritz Carlton down the road; surely they could deliver on a five-diamond experience.

Ritz Carlton, Cancun
Was Ritz a chosen brand or a default purchase?
Chosen brand.
What a difference a trusted brand makes. From my first step onto the property, a well-spoken, welcoming brand ambassador greeted me. I explained I was not staying with them, but was interested in lunch. “No problem. We are happy to see you” said the staffer. “Would you like a tour of the property so you will know where everything is?”

Globally, The Ritz has done a great job at setting high expectations and consistently meeting them. Whatever country or city you are in, the piped-in classical music, lobby and room décor, art, food, service, and even scents are familiar and thoughtfully executed. At this Cancun property there was not one chirping, annoying black bird anywhere, and no screaming kids. I suppose the price tag at least keeps the kid population down. I had a fabulous lunch, the food was incredible and the service was over the top. The experience was great.

Delivering a total sensory brand experience, leaves lasting impression.
Global branding guru and author of Brand Sense, Martin Lindstrom claims most brands only tap into two of the human senses. Why is that, when full sensory stimulation and engagement significantly heightens the emotional connection between the brand and a consumer. Maybe because investing in these touch points makes it difficult to track ROI? Or operations leaders get too bogged down with bigger scale, non-detail activities?

The next part of my day in Cancun was the ultimate sensory experience, all in the Ritz Carlton brand fashion. While I was having lunch one of the staffers was telling me about a Mexican food cooking class they offered in this super cool, state-of-the-art culinary learning kitchen. She also asked me if I had ever had a massage on the beach at their spa? This was not a hard sell conversation, but a very casual, helpful chat with a very knowledgeable, hospitality pro. Both sounded intriguing, but since I had limited time and an over-abundance of stress, I opted for the spa treatment.

I’m sure this in-depth expertise on property-wide services is part of the staff comprehensive training. Many businesses fail to see the opportunity and don’t do enough in the area of knowledge transfer concerning different departments or business units within an organization to all employees. Two ideas here are to invite employees to experience these services and also consider conducting job swaps where individuals are placed in completely different positions and departments to learn first-hand about diverse areas of a company or property in this case.

Let the senses awaken.
My “seaside” massage was to start at 6pm. My personal concierge arranged everything, scheduling, selection of massage products, down to which therapist would be best for me. Once this was finalized, she prepared a passport-like document in a personalized envelope, all setting the tone for my ultimate experience. This is another important branding touch point; the packaging before a service is delivered. The service is not limited to luxury categories either, business services often miss an opportunity to add a higher perceived value by how they package documents like proposals, contracts, or offering options. This can take the form of a very interesting envelope, or box/container or even silver tray.

Per the instructions of the staffer, I arrived an hour early to enjoy the full range of spa features. I have had a lot of spa treatments in my life, so my “really impress me stage” is pretty high off the ground. I’m happy to report the Ritz hit a home run.

The environment was immaculate. This orderly detail communicates so much to your customer. It says you run a smooth, quality organization. After being greeted by the front staff, I was introduced to my personal valet. She was there every step of the way, ensuring I had everything I needed to be totally relaxed. First stop–my locker. It was filled with small branded amenities, a lush robe, and matching slippers. Next was the steam room. My valet guided me there and presented a chilled glass of cucumber water and iced towel for my eyes. The room was filled with intense steam and a potent aroma of infused eucalyptus oils. After 10 minutes the valet was back to escort me to the whirlpool located in an outside area. Along with warm towels, she presented a beautifully appointed tray of dried fruit, nuts, fresh mango juice and a loose tropical flower. The attention to every sense and thoughtful service took my stressed soul to another place.
The only off-the-brand track details I noticed were in the posted rules throughout the wet rooms. Absolutely no spitting or blowing nose in any of the spa areas. Hmm, can’t say I considered doing either of those. Maybe they printed the signs as duplicates from the men’s room.

From the whirlpool I was guided to the quiet room. Dimmed lights, candles flickering, and my valet brings me a heated, lavender-scented neck pillow. This just kept getting better. The important aspect of all of this is how the brand experience is extended far beyond the one point of the purchased service, in my case getting a massage. This thinking can apply to so many service businesses.

The sea massage begins. Situated about 200 feet from the hotel in a quiet area away from any noise other than the natural sea tide, the wind, and soon-to-be a mild thunderstorm. The white gauze, screened-in grass hut was open on two sides, allowing a strong breeze to add to my experience. The head cradle was scented with a cool mint scent. The sheets were finely woven Egyptian cotton. The treatment was unbelievable. A soft rain started about 15 minutes into the session, followed by thunder and stronger winds. It was like the ultimate Disney ride that extracted all my evil tension and stress. And there was my valet, ready to guide me back to the hotel. Finishing off the journey was a very high tech multi-point massage shower, complete with an assortment of Ritz brand hair and body products. An awesome end to a memorable brand experience. As I exit the spa, and pay my bill, the front staff, along with my personal valet, gift me with a token of their appreciation. The gift was a small fragrant necklace on a soft silk cable with a tiny clay bottle filled with one of their signature scents. What a nice way to be reminded of the brand even after I return home.

This brand experience was a complete 360 adventure. It neglected nothing and reinforced the essence of this global brand of luxury, quality, and supreme service.

4 takeaways to increase the strength of any brand experience.
Even non-luxury brands can gain from the Ritz’s all touch point approach.
1. Small details make a big difference.
2. Leverage all 5 senses.
3. Address the before, during, and after brand communication and experience.
4. Full-circle staff education and training on company-wide brand offering is key.

In summary, my trip was good. Familiar packaged good brands—from the Evian water to the Bayer aspirin—had a deeper connection to me in a foreign land. Easy communication enhanced all my experiences. Language gaps and things not in English added a frustrating element that I assigned to the brand owner as a shortcoming. Mexico is beautiful place, but there is nothing like America. And I’m glad to be home.

About the author: Karen Post, a.k.a. The Branding Diva® is an international authority on branding, marketing, and entrepreneurial matters. She is has been featured as a business expert in print publications; on TV, radio, and on Web channels. Karen authored the best-selling book Brain Tattoos, Creating Unique Brands That Stick in your Customers’ Minds and she is co-founder and CEO of Oddpodz.com, an idea engine for creative professionals and business. Her work has benefited large and small organizations in the United States and around the world.

NEWS RELEASE
Contact: Karen Post, CEO
Cell: 713-828-0691, Office: 912-898-0408

Oddpodz Launches Beta Site Powering Creative Professionals and Business
With a New Creative Idea EngineSM

Oddpodz is not another social network, career/job brokerage platform, or lowest-cost project bidding site. Oddpodz is introducing an online destination called the Idea EngineSM that connects buyers of creative services with trusted providers, and offers educational content and a platform for creative collaboration.

JULY 16, 2008, SAVANNAH, GA—Oddpodz released its new creative Idea EngineSM platform to a Beta community today. This new site represents a transformation from a pure online social network for creatives to a business-to-business property serving the $300 billion creative services marketplace.

Web 2.0 and user-generated content is dramatically changing the way creatives and creative service organizations market themselves, are accessed and evaluated, and procure new clients. Oddpodz is leveraging technology and online marketing to bring these creative buyers and sellers together in an educational, inspiring, and interactive environment called a creative Idea Engine. The Idea Engine brings collaboration, content, and connections to one place for creative professionals and business.

After making a very costly choice with one of their key creative service providers, Oddpodz realized that finding the right creative talent and resources in an efficient, comprehensive way was far too difficult and risky. Lack of know-how and experience in a vendor selection process and choosing a provider that is not a good fit for the project can severely and negatively impact a business’s future or a product’s market success. Through learning this costly lesson first-hand came the clear new strategy, purpose and offering for Oddpodz.

Currently, locating trusted creative resources online can be a grueling and unfruitful process. The majority of top search engine results can be irrelevant if a buyer does not know what type of service provider they need. Sponsored search results may be even less appropriate as they are generated from paid words and sponsors—not the best provider for the task at hand. Additionally, many super talented professionals and companies still don’t have strong Web presences, so creative buyers can’t truly evaluate their work or find specialty providers. Oddpodz would like to bridge the gap between buyers and sellers of creative services and help foster productive business relationships.

Oddpodz first launched in June of 2007 as a basic social network for creative people. Despite its course corrections, it has attracted thousands of members and ambassadors from around the world including entrepreneurs, creative and diverse industry professionals, students, and educators.

“We’ve learned a lot from the market and our journey. Creatives and those working with creative companies told us that just socializing online is not enough for busy, creative professionals. Conversations, collaboration, content, and connections to advance creative ideas, careers, and business interests are key to active online engagement,” explained Karen Post, CEO of Oddpodz. “We’ve regrouped and are confident we have something that was not being provided to the professional creative market. Creative services and industries are huge markets. This market includes everything from marketing and advertising to packaging, broadcast products, publishing, and new product design. While there are fragmented offerings to find creative resources, talent and content, most do not offer ways to validate the service provider, or screen for specialized expertise; nor do they provide complimentary content, tools, and features to further generate new creative ideas and creative work.

In January, Oddpodz engaged Wyndstorm Corporation, a Washington, DC-based social media technology and online marketing firm, to partner on the rebuild. “We’ve been very happy with their leadership and creative problem solving,” Post said. “The July Beta test is just the beginning of our creative Idea Engine. Our development is being launched in phased modules. Our vision is to be the Web’s most important destination for buying and selling of creative services. Our initial focus is on the Marketing/communications niche. That’s where the founders came from and we understand this space. Soon we will add a resources marketplace and content to cover a grander universe of creative sectors like film, fashion, and architecture.

Oddpodz, LLC was founded in January 2006 by entrepreneurs Karen Post and Jocelyn Ring. Karen is an international branding expert, consultant and speaker. She has been featured in a broad range of media outlets; including Bloomberg TV, CBS Early Show, The New York Times, The New York Post, NPR, Fast Company, and The Boston Globe, and her writing is published internationally, including a column for FastCompany.com. She is also the author of Brain Tattoos: Creating Unique Brands That Stick in Your Customers’ Minds (AMACOM). Jocelyn a former investment banker and brand strategy consultant.

NEWS RELEASE
Oddpodz.com
Contact: Karen Post, CEO
Cell: 713-828-0691, Office: 912-898-0408

By Karen Post The Branding Diva®, co-founder of Oddpodz.

If you pay attention to the media you’d be convinced the U.S. eco-consumer was a dominant market segment and most were hugging a tree every morning. Are the masses really committed to the earthly cause? Are they really doing their part to save the world, and should marketers embrace this sustainability movement with full force? A recent study by Havas Media uncovered a much smaller slice of green interest than the media suggests. Turns out after interviewing over 11,000 consumers in Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Spain, the UK and the United States, Americans are the least concerned about the issue.

The study also revealed this separation of attitudes into consumer eco levels:
o Eco-absorbed - 35% who are “very focused” on issues of climate change
o Eco-attentive - 43% care, engage in small to moderate activities of change
o Eco-apathetic - 22% -they recognize the concept of climate change, but share no responsibility.

Another interesting finding was most consumers don’t know what ’sustainability’ is. “It’s this huge buzz term, but it’s such a client term,” said Carol Fitzgerald, president of the market research firm. “So maybe there’s a disconnect with consumers.”

Most consumers lost in the leaves.

But they do know The Six Sins of Greenwashing, reports TerraChoice Environmental Marketing,
1. Sin of the Hidden Trade-Off: e.g., “Energy-efficient” electronics that contain hazardous materials.
2. Sin of No Proof: e.g., claiming to be “certified organic,” but with no verifiable certification.
3. Sin of Vagueness: e.g., Products claiming to be 100 percent natural when many naturally-occurring substances are hazardous, like arsenic and formaldehyde.
4. Sin of Irrelevance: e.g., Products claiming to be CFC-free, even though CFCs were banned 20 years ago.
5. Sin of Fibbing: e.g., Products falsely claiming to be certified by an internationally recognized environmental standard.
6. Sin of Lesser of Two Evils: e.g., Organic cigarettes or “environmentally friendly” pesticides.

We’d love to hear about what you’re seeing in your industry or in the marketplace. Share your stories of the truly good earth Samaritans and the guilty sinners too.

About the author: Karen Post, a.k.a. The Branding Diva® is an international authority on branding, marketing, and entrepreneurial matters. She is has been featured as a business expert in print publications; on TV, radio, and on Web channels. Karen authored the best-selling book Brain Tattoos, Creating Unique Brands That Stick in your Customers’ Minds and she is co-founder and CEO of Oddpodz.com, an idea engine for creative professionals and business. Her work has benefited large and small organizations in the United States and around the world.