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Thursday
11Mar2010

Launching websites like it's our job.../ es nuestro trabajo lanzar paginas web...

Here's your TPT-inside-the-turtle news for the week:

So, we're launching websites like it's our job (and yes, it is our job...)

Check em' out!

WINDERMEREMARATHON.COM

The official website of the Windermere Marathon.

What are you waiting for? Click on the link and register NOW!


LACOUGA.COM

LaCouga.com--your one stop shop for clever novelty gifts inspired by the cougar. And we aren't taking about feral cats. If you're still confused, check out the Couga Dictionary.


MCNEICELAW.COM

Website and full branding efforts developed for the fine team at McNeice Law.


RESTURANTECOSTAVERDE.COM

Website for Restaurant Costa Verde in Lima, one of the most recognized seafood restaurants on the coast!


ELVILLIANO.COM

 

Website for El Villiano-- the perfect weekend stop for ceviche and Peruvian cerveza.

Wednesday
10Mar2010

SIX 2010 behavioral trends/ Seis Tendencias del 2010

My fascination with social behavior and love for research causes me to find immense joy in observing, researching and analyzing human behavior and society. Putting the social media phenomenon to the side for a minute, if we observe society as a whole there are some strong behavioral trends that when used correctly can immensely benefit your business from a branding point of view.

Many look at a brand as a utility, a vessel that transports added value and services to your consumer, but how do you know what is valuable to your consumer if you don't understand their behavior? Understanding behavioral trends will give you the ability to leverage the potential of what has yet to happen.

Here are my thoughts on some behavioral trends for 2010:

SLOW LIVING

Consumers rethink fast in favor of a new pursuit of real products and genuine experiences. Happiness will become a way to measure economic prosperity, some call this Happynomics. As this trend grows, we see more and more products and services that reflect the consumers desire to slow down.

CRAFTMANSHIP AS A LUXURY

Wonderful handmade cheese from Seattle. beechershandmadecheese.com

Consumers who want luxury goods want goods that return to the true meaning of luxury: quality materials, authenticity, refinement and simplicity, regardless of the price. Artisans care about the small details, from the chef who hand picked the freshest ingredients for the soup you had yesterday to the watch craftman who put hundreds of hours on building that legacy you will pass along to your son.

LOCAL

The new and already beloved Main Market Co-op in Spokane, WA.

The effect of recession have brought people together and changed how people consume. We are now more eager than ever to support our fellow neighbor. As consumers we have accepted personal and community responsibility for our own well-being. Does the word sustainability rings a bell? Social Media has also taken a true grasp on building a sense of localism with the new trend of "geo-tagging"... but l'll have to discuss this topic in depth in another post.

ECO-BADGES

Take a close look at the USDA eco-badge on the cereal box.

Whether it is "eco-friendly" or "organic", products tap into the consumer's desire to showcase their beliefs through visibly showcasing labels to support their case. It is a point of pride to be so committed that you will go out of your way to protect our environment and be socially responsible for it. Brands that add these ecobadges to their products and services are able to show that they understand and are listening to the environmentally conscious consumer.

VISUAL FLUENCY

Hello. There's no need to be wordy when the iPhone imagery does the all of the talking.

The ongoing shift from words to images will accelerate. BIGGER images, BRIGHTER colors and  LESS words.

POTENTIALISM

Oprah, the queen of inspiration, fosters a sense of potentialism every month with O.

Potentialism is the act of branching off the traditional path of life to pursue a passion and realize your full potential.  This can mean prioritizing travel, hobbies and personal fulfillment above career success; ever heard of a bucket list?

Do you recognize a common denominator between these trends?  Times of turmoil and chaos cause people to think about what is most important to them. Do you identify yourself with any of these trends? Keep an eye out and watch as brands and companies continue to relate to you


-Sara Balcazar-Greene


VERSION EN ESPAÑOL


Mi fascinación con la conducta social me genera un gran interes por la observación, la investigación y el análisis de la conducta humana y la sociedad. 

Poniendo de lado el fenómeno de las redes sociales y observando la sociedad en su conjunto, veremos fuertes tendencias de comportamiento que cuando se utilizan correctamente pueden beneficiar a su empresa inmensamente desde el punto de vista de desarrollo de marca.

Muchos miran a una marca como una utilidad, un buque que transporta el valor añadido a sus consumidores, pero ¿cómo saber lo que es valioso para su consumidor, si no entiende su comportamiento? La comprensión de las tendencias de comportamiento le dará la posibilidad de aprovechar el potencial de lo que (en muchos casos) aún no ha ocurrido.

Aquí están mis pensamientos sobre algunas tendencias de comportamiento para el 2010:

VIDA LENTA

Los consumidores piensan a favor de una nueva búsqueda de productos "reales" y experiencias "auténticas". La felicidad se convertirá en una forma de medir la prosperidad económica, algunos llaman esta tendencia "Happynomics" o "Economia de la Felicidad". Cuando esta tendencia crece, vemos más y más productos y servicios que reflejan el deseo de los consumidores de "tomarse su tiempo".

ARTESANIA COMO UN LUJO

Los consumidores que desean productos de lujo desean volver al verdadero significado de lujo: los materiales de calidad, la autenticidad, el refinamiento y la sencillez, sin importar el precio. Los artesanos se preocupan por los pequeños detalles, desde el cocinero que recoge a mano los ingredientes más frescos para la sopa que se tomo ayer hasta el relojero que puso cientos de horas en la construcción de ese reloj que le pasará de herencia a su hijo.

LOCAL

El efecto de la recesión a cambiado cómo la gente consume. Ahora estamos más dispuestos que nunca a apoyar a nuestro vecino. Como consumidores hemos aceptado la responsabilidad personal y comunitaria para nuestro propio bienestar. De la misma manera, las redes sociales están enfocándose en el localismo con la nueva tendencia de la "geo-tagging" ... pero tendré que hablar de este tema en profundidad en otro articulo.

ECO-ETIQUETAS

Si es "ecológico" u "orgánico", marcas aprovechan el deseo de los consumidores de mostrar sus creencias a través etiquetas para apoyar su caso. Es un tema de orgullo el proteger nuestro medio ambiente y ser socialmente responsables. Las marcas que añaden estas eco-etiquetas a sus productos y servicios son capaces de demostrar que entienden y que están escuchando a los consumidores con conciencia ambiental.

FLUIDEZ VISUAL

El cambio continuo de las palabras a las imágenes se acelerará. Las imágenes más grandes, colores más brillantes y menos palabras.

POTENCIALISMO

Potentiacialismo es el acto de ramificarse de la ruta tradicional de la vida a perseguir una pasión y realizar su potencial al 100%. Esto puede significar dar prioridad a los viajes, los pasatiempos y la realización personal por encima de el éxito profesional.

¿Ve el común denominador entre estas tendencias? Tiempos de confusión y un caos nos obliga a a pensar sobre lo que es más importante para nosotros. ¿Se identifica con alguna de estas tendencias? Preste atención y verá como las marcas y las empresas se comunican con usted.

Thursday
04Mar2010

The social side of Gen Y

I am a member of the famed Generation Y…the generation of babies born with cell phones attached to their diapers, that use the word “google” as a synonym for “search” and haven’t the slightest clue how anyone ever kept track of ALL their friends without Facebook.  We are described as extremely expressive, confident and connected*.

*FYI: We’re only as connected as our cell phone towers and Wi-Fi networks are reliable.

Along with most generations these days, we dig the social media craze. It’s another way for us to stay connected and have something to do (peace and quiet is not an option.)

Lately, I’ve been interested in understanding social media for Gen Y. I mean, I know I am supposedly a part of it, but I’m hardly as vocal as many of my counterparts. I’m especially interested in the millennials born in the 90’s (ah, the days of scrunchies and caboodles!) still in high school or fresh out. In my mind it’s that group that is incredibly vocal and free of inhibition (although I know my mom, would classify my status updates with weekend plans and photo albums as completely risky.) So…what are teens doing on social networks? Here are some new trends I’ve noticed.

SOCIAL NETWORKING AKA TALKING ABOUT ME, ME, ME…


They’re on Facebook updating their statuses and interacting with friends (that’s what Facebook is all about, right?) They tend to wear their hearts on their sleeves walls and they love apps based on quizzes and surveys like Friends Exposed.  Since it’s all about interacting with friends and expressing yourself, formspring.me (another platform that allows you to ask your friends questions on their own sites) has gained some nice momentum of late.

LOCATION BASED SOCIAL NETWORKING AKA GEOTAGGING


“Checking in” has become a buzz word as big markets (and now smaller markets) have adopted the geotagging trend popularized by sites such as Foursquare. You basically let people know where you are by “checking in"-to locations. Social networking for Gen Y is all about tearing down the boundaries. Our parents were taught to keep their business private…we’ve been trained to share it with the world.

VIDEO SHARING


This is not a trend. Repeat: this is not a trend. For most Gen Yers, YouTube is YouTube…how else do people find videos?

CAUSE RELATED SOCIAL NETWORKING/ACTIVISM

It’s been a decade of going GREEN, rocking the vote and popularizing the $5 donation. The youth are being empowered and there are countless networks online that continue to enable and activate the troops! SocialVibe, Kiva, Facebook Causes, the Good Guide iPhone app, the list goes on…

THE RANDOM

Finally there are the networks that are random and (sometimes unfortunately) exciting. Take Chatroulette for example (it’s a website that helps you randomly connect with strangers...with web cams.) It sounds like trouble to me, but I do recall the excitement of talking to strangers on AIM in middle school. Anyone remember what a/s/l means? I don’t endorse this behavior, but at the time it was about as thrilling as the 6th grade gets.

So, what do you think? Any major Gen Y trends I’m missing? I know some will come to me later in those middle of the night “a-ha!” moments, but this is what I’m seeing today. Hopefully some insight for businesses attempting to reach this demographic!

Oh and found this quiz from the Pew Research Center that might entertain: HOW MILLENIAL ARE YOU? I got an 83!

-Erin

Friday
26Feb2010

Color me 2010

Pantone (the “authority” on colors) provides the world of fashion, home décor and graphic design with oodles and oodles of color inspiration (not to mention those handy little color chip books that make matching colors oh-so-easy).

Twice a year they come out with the color trends for fashion and home and once a year they debut the color of the year. So…if any tells you that 2010 is the year of the tiger, I would kindly let them know that it is actually the year of turquoise and that they should forget about animal prints because turquoise is IN!

In all seriousness, color trends really are inspiration for us. We embrace some, scoff at others, but when it’s all said and done these color trends get our wheels turning.

For instance, we used notes of blue and turquoise (PANTONE 15-5519) on a book cover we designed last year (always trend forward, eh?!) However, since turquoise is a relatively feminine color we paired it with a complementing, bold red. The color turquoise is soothing, representative of water and a sense of rejuvenation. Red on the other hand is strong, powerful and controlled. The use of these two colors on opposite sides of the spectrum perfectly fit the title of the book: Navigate. See, there is a method to our madness at the turtle!


 

So…amongst the color trends that Pantone has introduced, here are some of my new faves: 

Amparo Blue, PANTONE 18-3945

or

Deep Blue, PANTONE 19-1620


Keep an eye out for the new Windermere Marathon website and the much anticipated Flying Goat logo. You’re in for a treat with the rich, vibrant shades of blue.

 

Tomato Puree, PANTONE 18-1661

A beautiful silky take on tomato (..or apple).

 

Pink Champagne, PANTONE 12-1107

Delicate and delicious shades of ivory, beige and blush.

 

Golden Glow, PANTONE 15-1050

or

Lemon Curry, PANTONE 19-4316


In the near future we plan to integrate some of those mustard-y, rich yellows into a brand. The right one just needs to come around…

 

Charcoal Gray, PANTONE 18-0601

Crisp, clean charcoal gray. Always a fave.

 

Purple Orchid, PANTONE 18-3027


Shout out for purple. Gotta love it!


What are you favorite colors? Don't worry...you aren’t limited to a box of Crayola crayons, so have some fun and check out the Pantones. You might just find some inspiration of your own.

-colorful thoughts from Erin



Tuesday
23Feb2010

to blog or not to blog

 

You have lots of experience and knowledge to share, maybe some business advice, or just something to say. You’ve decided it’s time to embark on a new venture for your business: you’ve decided to start a blog.

As a newcomer to blogging, you may feel pressured to follow in the footsteps of others and sign up for blogspot, wordpress, or blogger. But then what?

My advice? Treat your blog as you would adopting a dog: it needs careful planning, constant attention, friends, and a name (among other things).

Start by asking yourself the following questions:

1. What is my niche? Are you going to focus on one specific subject or various topics? Write down all the different possible subjects and find the common ground they all share. You will probably find you have a lot more to say than you thought.

What values, beliefs and perceptions do you wish to portray? This will help you give a voice and personality of your brand. TIP: keep it consistent.

What is your brand promise? What makes you YOU? There are 133 million blogs (indexed by Technorati) since 2002, 346 million people globally who read blogs (comScore March 2008) and on average 900,000 blog posts in any given 24 hour period.* How will you be different?

…This takes careful planning.

2. Who will read your blog? Knowing your target audience allows you to relate to them, talk to them as if you were talking to them in person, treat them with respect and professionalism, welcome their opinions and interact with them.

...These are your friends.

3. Set a schedule and stick to it (but monitor in between). Your followers will expect to hear from you on a regular basis. The more consistent you are the better trained they will be. Next thing you know you have followers for life.

…Be vigilent and pay constant attention to what is going on.

4. Finally find a name. You will set your blog's name as soon as you join the blogosphere, yourname.wordpress.com but if you want to be taken seriously then using your name followed by dot com is the way to go. A dot com extension will show that you are serious, aware of your choices, but want the very best. Choose a name that describes you, whether it’s direct, methaphoric, descriptive or evocative. The options are endless…choose thoughtfully and carefully.

Follow these steps and you will see your blog’s personality grow. Don’t get intimidated by the numbers and statistics but take it seriously, it can be one the best things you have ever done for yourself and your business!

-Purple infused words of advice from Sara Greene, Strategy and Marketing Director at the purple turtle, inc. 

*Statistics by http://thefuturebuzz.com/2009/01/12/social-media-web-20-internet-numbers-stats/