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I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I did not begin with the Old Spice campaign developed by the prodigies from Wieden + Kennedy. Granted, the extensive Old Spice Man advertising campaign did start late last winter, but it did not fully blossom until the warm climate associated with summer time. The advertising strategy is composed of Tv, print, web, and more. The original TV advertisement showcasing acting professional Isaiah Mustafa, won an Emmy award for Outstanding Commercial. The social media push “Ask Old Spice Man” generated 72,329 Twitter followers and 7,258,771 YouTube channel views in just 48 hours. What is the take away? Wieden + Kennedy generated a buzz that exposed Old Spice to billions of potential customers through word of mouth.

Additionally, with fall season on its way Wieden + Kennedy implemented Raven’s line Backer Ray Lewis in view that the new Old Spice Man. This campaign is rather similar to the previous one except that it is more highly targeted toward men that enjoy football. So far the TV advertisements have been a massive hit.

Definitely one of the far more dubious “campaigns” was Bros Icing Bros by Smirnoff Ice. Campaigns is in quotes because Smirnoff emphatically denies any kind of correlation with the drinking activity and has toiled diligently to extinguish it’s appeal. Regardless of its source, the Icing campaign demonstrated the capability of guerrilla/WOM of promoting and advertising. For virtually no cost to Smirnoff their merchandise was promoted on Television, radio stations, web, pubs, night clubs and more around the whole country through the viral excitement it generated. Just about everywhere you went someone was icing someone else and everybody around understood exactly what was going on! On the other hand this imbibing game promotes irresponsible conduct and underage alcohol consumption, but this technique utilized for a morally correct social activity could generate free direct exposure in truck loads.

Google receives credit for finishing the summer season off with a bang by recently implementing Google Instant. Google Instant uses the technology of Google Suggest to the next level. Google Instant uses the suggested enquiries launched from your search terminology and simultaneously showcases the matching search results. A lot more impressively, these suggestions as well as results change in real time as you continue keying in your query. Read the rest of this entry »

The following is a quick list of some of the really good small investments which you can make as of today. A very quick overview of the significant pros and cons, and some of the really good features of the options have also been discussed. Take a look…

1. Government Bonds and Other Treasury Bills
One of the best ways of stowing away small amounts of money for shorter time periods is into treasury bills and bond. Treasury, bills, notes, bonds, Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS), I Savings, EE/E Savings are some of the best channels, most of which require about only $100 minimum investment. The advantage of such an investment option is that you can pay off the investment and wait till it matures, where upon you can enjoy the returns. Some of these bonds and State government bonds and municipal bonds are some similar investments.

2. Common Stock, Corporate Bonds and Debentures
There are three types of contributions to the capital of a company. Common stock, corporate bonds and debentures are some of the common ones. All the three can be traded freely, and bonds and debentures also have a certain maturity or expiration dates upon which a certain accumulated interest is also paid off as a return on the same. The bonds and debentures are perfect investments, all you have to do is invest into them and wait for the returns. On the other hand, stocks or rather shares are the investments where you need to keep a tab on the prices of shares in which you have invested.

3. Systematic Investment Plans and Collective Investment Schemes
The Systematic Investment Plans (SIP) and Collective Investment Schemes (CIS) are professionally managed plans, such as mutual funds wherein you need to invest small sums of money periodically in the fund. In case of SIP, the amount that is to be invested, is not specified or mandatory, in fact for certain years, one may not even invest anything. The Collective Investment Schemes on the other hand have a certain mandatory investment is to be invested every year.

4. Roth IRA
Individual Retirement Accounts are probably the best accounts to invest your money into. The IRA can be opened in prominent banks and also in financial institutes and there is not mandatory minimum limit on the amount that can be invested into it. The IRA account is tax-free and it usually as an upper limit. Read the rest of this entry »

Most people remain quite unconvinced about the fact that their interest can actually be turned into a revenue making business idea. Of course this does not mean that every hobby could be a marketable talent or have prospects as a job but there are ways and means of converting your interests into a resource people would willingly pay for. There are some important questions that you need to answer to convert your hobby into a job.

Is it possible to make your hobby a viable job?
This is an important question that will need to be answered. Focus on your hobby and try and work out a plan that will make it a marketable skill. Check if people would actually be willing to pay money for what you have on offer. For example, if you are a trained dancer who never considered it to be anything more than a hobby, then you could offer your services as a dance teacher or even a choreographer for events.

Is it possible to make a long lasting money making venture out of it?
The second thing that you need to check for is whether or not the hobby can be expanded on scale and whether it can be a long term career plan. If you have a hobby like quilting, then in the long run, you will need to scale up your production line and hire people to help you with the orders. These are things that need to be thought about before you start up. You also need to ensure that the business venture is profitable. If you are putting money into it, you need to get returns. The joy and happiness aside, it is important for you to get a tangible income from the venture.

Do you have the financial standing to convert your hobby into a job?
Many banks offer loans for entrepreneurs at attractive rates. While this is an option you will have to look at, you need to have a decent amount of financial backing. If you are jumping into a business proposition full time, then you need the money to run your house and sustain the business. These are all pragmatic things that need to be thought of.

These are some of the most important things that you need to keep in mind if you are seriously contemplating turning your interest into a full time career. But how do you go about the process. We tell you in the next section.

Turning Your Hobby into a Job

Who hasn’t thought of turning their passion for cooking into a restaurant business or their talent for writing into a writer’s studio? At some point of time or the other, all of us have toyed with the idea of starting our own venture at some point of time or the other. In this section, we give you some tips that will make the job easier for you. Read the rest of this entry »

Rubber wristbands have served many purposes for years. These are also used as a form of identification for certain groups or as a charity fundraiser. Since rubber wristbands are very easy to manufacture, these are easy to make and sell and prove to be a great way to gather funds for any charitable organization.

Today, sporting a rubber wristband holds more reason than just a fashion statement. Rubber wristbands are a great way to show your support for any organization that needs help and assistance. Such wristbands are a subtle reminder to people about the various worthy causes one can help and support.

The most important and popular case is the famous ‘Livestrong’ rubber wristband. These were designed in 2004 in order to raise money for a cancer foundation. Cancer survivor Lance Armstrong designed these wristbands to create more awareness of this issue and as a way to raise funds for the foundation and the people with their family members who needed the help and support. This rubber wristband is also known by its trademark yellow color. There are also other organizations that have used it as a way to raise money for different worldwide issues that need to be tackled.

Custom Rubber Wristbands as Promotional Advertising Gift:

There are many companies that specialize in the manufacturing of custom rubber wristbands. Here, these rubber bracelets are fashioned for the purpose of promotional advertising gifts to be used as a gimmick. These promotional rubber wristbands are generally available in a wide range of colors, textures and even in varied sizes and thickness as per the need of the company. When it comes to planning custom rubber wristbands as promotional advertising gifts, one can even have the name of the company printed or even embossed on the band. These can also be decorated with designs and forms that can suit the product that the rubber wristband is associated with.

When it comes to advertising and using rubber wristbands as promotional advertising gifts, these can help and assist any campaign or marketing strategy of the company. This is because the company firstly wants the brand recognition amongst people. Establishing the name of the brand and promoting the products is done extensively through various print and online media. There are times when advertising professionals use this ingenious way to promote the name of a product. These custom rubber wristbands are also given free with the products, so that people use them, which ensure the name of the brand is constantly flashed before others. Read the rest of this entry »