Word on the street

Whether you're an analyst by trade, constructing your theories in a corner office or you are simply a casual observer of the human condition musing on the front stoop; you see things. The conclusions you draw are of value.

Some recent perspective from a retail client of ours has sparked some discussion here at 166 Glen. What began as a strategy meeting for 2012 evolved quite naturally into commentary on the trends from the previous twelve months. "The wealthy are not spending money. We see it in our customers, the middle class is doing all the spending and the wealthy are holding on to their money. Tightly." Our conversation continued, plans were hatched and we wrapped things up with a collective so-long-2011. 

That comment about wealthy clients, or lack thereof, got us to thinking about how the financial perspective of an area impacts how we operate—specifically with regard to philanthropy.

It has been said that people with less tend to give more. If it is indeed true that those with money to spend are holding it tight while organizations in need of capital need it more than ever, then maybe we ought to really get comfortable with completely changing how we view things.

For non-profits, maybe the pursuit of a huge gift isn't as realistic; maybe it's time to truly start believing in the power of relationships. Spark a chain of philanthropy with five new givers who combined don't give the equivalent of what a major donor used to give, but who—in their new pride of participation—will carry your message further.

These aren't easy times and there are no silver bullets, what there is is the potential to leverage creativity, stretch your willingness to try new things and ultimately, the reward that there are still people who give and there are still avenues you have not pursued.

How do you get people to give?

Do you need to adjust the ask?

Or do you need to think more strategically about whom you are asking to give? 

Holiday Travel

It's that time of year when we pause to look back over the last 12 months and prepare for the next four quarters. This year has been all over the place, literally. Our work has taken us near and far and our methods have been a hearty mix of tried and true and let's-see-if-this-sticks. 

A number of our clients call us tramps and we might be just that, if you consider a tramp as someone who packs light and adapts easily. Ours is a traditional approach untouched by time, budget or pressure: we work to accomplish client goals and we don't advance by stepping on the backs of others. Everyone knows that hard work is easy to spot, and great creative is hard to forget. 

Thanks to our talented team who continue to execute for clients old and new, far and wide:

Tango Group, Plymouth, MA
For more than 12 years, Tango Group has been serving emerging and innovative companies and nonprofit organizations in the digital media and marketing space. We're happy to be working with Sue Thorn again, whose glowing testimonial on location at Northeastern has convinced many a client to sign with Trampoline.

University at Albany, Albany, NY
We'll be chronicling the stories of recent alums for an outcomes brochure for the Admissions Department at UAlbany. It will likely involve a significant amount of train time with Rob Spring, who's been tapped to photograph the students. 

Featured alumni include Accountants, Stock Brokers, Medical Residents, Social Workers and Nanotech Specialists. Many with graduate degrees from institutions like Harvard, Yale, and New York University. We're looking forward to telling stories that started at UAlbany.

LiquidSpace, San Francisco, CA
Trampoline helped LiquidSpace, in a pinch, to prepare for Mobile Work Week—an event debuting in the Bay Area on the 5th of December. LiquidSpace is an app that connects people seeking workspace with venues that have space to share. 

High-end business centers, hip startup co-working spaces, hotels and private offices are listed. We enjoy at trip to the coffee shop as much as anyone, but when it's time to actually accomplish something, a productive environment makes a difference.
 

Inrix Traffic, Seattle, WA
Google's hand picked provider of real-time traffic data, Inrix, has involved Trampoline in the creation of design elements for the next generation of their mobile app. A series of icons and an updated interface will help users navigate through snarls, bottlenecks and back-ups to reach their destinations on-time and without worry.

Alta Ski Resort, Alta, UT 
As avid skiers, this two-planker powmecca holds a special place in our quads. Alta created a new retail space for merchandise in the off-season, doubling the square footage for gear, rentals, safety equipment, outerwear and branded merchandise.

We're excited to add to our body of work for Alta, and to make the Snowbird fans look lame by comparison. Clearly, several on-site meetings will be necessary over the winter months.

Tribune Media Services, Chicago, IL
We've been trying to visually articulate entertainment data since 2005. Tribune is a great example of a company once rooted in newsprint that has evolved their business model to offer what's needed. Today, their unique connectivity —pairing celebrities with their appearances in movies and on TV—is in use by sites like imdb, Fandango and Zap2it.

El Dorado Hops, Moxee, WA
CLS Farms is nestled in the Yakima Valley, home to most of the domestic hop production in the US. They created the El Dorado hop, named for its golden color and memorable flavor that has breweries like New Belgium and Flying Dog clamoring for more. Trampoline provided an updated online presence and social media support with a consistent look on Facebook and Twitter.

Davidson Brothers Brewing Co., Brooklyn, NY
With a new sales team, an updated distribution model and bottomless demand in the city, our favorite Brothers are on tap in the Big Apple. 

Davidson's IPA, Brown, Dacker and Oatmeal Stout can be found at fine establishments in Brooklyn and Manhattan. 

Primarily offering small batch product has created a market curiosity that continues to grow. Next up: Reyes Tripel. Oh. Scratch that.

SUNY Adirondack, Queensbury, NY
Doing business with distant clients is fun, but we appreciate our nearby accounts just as much. We're proud to work together with the leadership team at SUNY Adirondack to announce the biggest thing on campus since, well, campus:

Dorms.

SUNY Adirondack will soon offer the full college experience, complete with talented faculty, new housing, athletics, 4-year degree programs and a campus in the Adirondacks!

Guide-to-Market

Poster Retrospect

It's time for us to take a look back at summer, that brief stretch in Upstate New York when snow doesn't cover the window panes, nor condensation dot the inside. Poster season. Ours was an active one and here, in no particular order, are some of our favorites from 2011. 

This crimson composition greeted returning students at Suny Plattsburgh as part of a series that identified up-and-coming undergrads.

Universal Preservation Hall played host to a series of performances presented by Applause Factory. Acts included the Max Weinberg Big Band, Collin Hay, and John Sebastian. Our favorite, however, was the poster for Lisa Loeb. Mostly because she signed it: Design Tramps Rock.

As owners of a retail store in the City of Glens Falls, it was nice for us to have an involvement in event promotion for downtown. In October we worked on posters for the first-ever Stew Fest, and, on the heels of that success, a Halloween street-celebration to pull families with young kids to the very heart of our region.

Rock Hill Bakehouse proudly sources a majority of ingredients from right here in New York State. They operate with a commitment to buying local, supporting sustainability and making better bread. The poster above identifies their sources and suppliers and also shows the stores, markets and co-ops downstate and in New England that sell Rock Hill Bread on a regular basis.

Parks Heritage Federal Credit Union services the Healthcare industry here in the North Country. In an effort to speak directly to potential members, a series of posters was created, each with a specific audience. They're hanging in fire houses, Doctors' offices and EMT squads (above).

 In an effort to build anticipation from two-plankers everywhere, we designed a new poster with an old look for Nine.

The Adirondack Theatre Festival's mid-season show, set in a snowed-in airport, provided polka-dot direction for this orange-and-blue number.

Screen & Sparkle

Collaboration comes in many forms, some of the better known iterations are musical pairings, whether it be Broadway’s Gilbert and Sullivan or Folk's Simon & Garfunkel. There are, however, many partnerships that lack the glamour or notoriety, but carry their own special punch.

As an agency in the business of communication, it's nice for us to be able to make connections. Whether that means connecting consumers to a new product like Element Caffeinated Water  or joining organizations with a common goal like Six Flags and West Mountain, we love it when a plan comes together. 

When Adirondack Radiology Associates, a medical imaging company we’ve worked with for more than five years, asked us to spearhead a new Breast Cancer Awareness campaign we were ready to go. The reality is that ARA does not need more mammography customers, but they do feel a sense of duty to continue to build awareness of the importance of being screened.We created a print campaign to remind women to get screened, at the same time we created an opportunity to connect two organizations that wouldn’t otherwise be linked. Screening patients at all the Adirondack Radiology Associates centers can take a Scoville Diamond Jewelers card and receive 10% off their purchase during the month of October. Scoville’s will than donate 10% of the proceeds of the month’s sales to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

The campaigns to support Breast Cancer Awareness are numerous and varied. We recognize that going pink can, for some people, trivialize the cause it is intended to support. We have long respected the work our colleagues at Behan Communications do in support of Colon Cancer Awareness each year.

Another incredibly powerful project is the Scar Project. If you’ve not seen it, it will change your awareness of Breast Cancer 

Wherever you are, we hope this October and all the months that follow, you find support for your own cause and heightened awareness toward the causes of others. It is through these connections that we really make a difference, find consensus and impact change.

Pushing the Envelope

The US Postal Service reports, in their annual survey, that US households receive a personal letter once every seven weeks on average. The same report finds that greeting cards and invitations are also a rare mailbox appearance.

The lesson, it turns out, might be that the best way to cut through the communication clutter is to simply put pen to paper. Trampoline and the team at Finch have just completed a piece that can help ensure that your letters will make it where they're intended to go.

This new guide to envelopes and mailers is full of tips & best practices for designing an efficient direct mail piece. Learn to master the fold, quickly determine envelope and enclosure sizes, and streamline mailings. It includes a chart with dimensions, information requirements and a list of readily available envelopes from Finch. All in all, a handy guide to have at your fingertips. Get yours here.