Last week, SSG attended the Chick-fil-A Leadercast as a guest of our client, Booster. The speakers were phenomenal, the entertainment was mediocre (kidding – Booster was responsible for the entertainment and did an incredible job!), but the insights…the truth that each and every component of the day offered was remarkable and worth repeating. Daily.

Here are a few of the nuggets I took away:

On Leadership…

“Leadership is who we are in all areas of our life, every role, every relationship.” – Connie Podesta

“Talent is God given, be thankful. Praise is man given, be humble. Conceit is self given, be careful.” – Tony Dungy

“You can’t take anyone to higher ground, until you find common ground. Leadership is influence. Influence requires connecting.” John C. Maxwell

On Success…

“Greatness is not a function of circumstance – it is a matter of constant choice and discipline.” –Jim Collins

“Starbucks didn’t reach store No. 5 until they were 13 years old. Most ‘overnight successes’ are 20 years in the making.” – Jim Collins

“Success, born of hubris (arrogance) leads to failure.” – Jim Collins.

“The signature of the greatest executives we studied is their humility.” – Jim Collins

“You have to be working for more than your financial bottom line. Every enduring institution has an answer to this question: what would be lost if we disappeared?” – Jim Collins

“Great companies are built on a purpose beyond making money and a set of core values that are unshakable. Purpose ahead of success. If we lose our values, we lose it all.” – Jim Collins

On building a team…

“The right people are on a mission and they don’t write better stories, they make the story better.” – Jim Collins + Mark Sanborn

“We hire ambitious people. The most important job you have is the job you’re doing.” – Ed Bastian, Delta CEO

“Employees take care of your customers, so take care of your employees.” – Ed Bastian, Delta CEO

“If you treat people like they’ll do something great, they’ll do something great.” – Jim Goodnight, SAS CEO

On inevitable change…

“We’re schizophrenic to change: part of us wants it, part of us doesn’t. And if you don’t like change, don’t have kids.” – Chip Heath (ha!)

“Positive change comes from focusing on what’s working and doing more of that.” – Chip Heath / When’s the last time you asked, “What’s working?”

“Providence follows the prepared mind.” – Steve Uzzell

“To the 6 questions of journalism—who, what, when, where, why and how—add this: are you sure? Making sure you know what you know is the key to being prepared.” – Steve Uzzell

Brilliance…

Dr. Ben Carson, pediatric neurosurgeon, was utterly brilliant and closed the day with powerful teaching. Learn about his scholarships at http://carsonscholars.org/.

And I’ll leave you with this pic of our friend John Maxwell wearing Booster’s fancy red Converses on stage!

Passion Twenty Ten kicked off the year for us this January with a call to global awakening. Passion was held at Philips Arena and the Georgia World Congress Center in downtown Atlanta with 22,000 in attendance and students representing 37 countries and nearly 1,500 campuses. What incredible story we had the privilege to tell!

Throughout Passion Twenty Ten, the ideas of worship and justice were wed as students engaged in opportunities to impact lives worldwide through the Do Something Now campaign as an act of worship.

The city of Atlanta was greeted by the initial outpouring of tens of thousands of towels and socks for Atlanta’s homeless community that students brought upon arrival to the gathering. By the final day, an overwhelming response to many of the initiatives included:

• World Vision :: $62,160 covers 1-year sponsorships for 148 children & 1,000 kits packaged for AIDS workers
• Bibles Unbound :: $8,198 given to send 8,198 Bibles to East Asia
• CURE International :: $61,555 given to cover 111 surgeries for children with cleft palates in Afghanistan
• OneVerse :: $69,603 given to translate 2,784 verses
• E3 Partners :: $21,663 given to send 138 men to seminary in the Middle East
• Operation Mobilization :: $85,473 given to fund 1 Education Center for the Dalit people in India
• Living Water :: $111,513 given to build 22 wells
• HOPE International :: $59,164 given to fund 295 small business loans to pull women from poverty in Haiti
• Not For Sale :: $83,636 given to build 3 Border Posts to rescue women from the sex trade in Nepal
• Compassion International :: $47,111 covers 1-year sponsorships for 189 children
• Feed My Starving Children :: $16,589 and 108,432 meals packaged for the hungry
• Gobena Coffee :: $21,927 donated to support orphans in Ethiopia

With a goal of $500,000, students far exceeded that goal giving a total of $668,597 in addition to bringing 15,000 towels and 74,000 socks for Atlanta’s homeless. A couple attending gave a matching gift to double that amount to $1,337,194!

You can track along with Passion throughout the year by texting your email address to 30644 and/or join the Passion268Generation Fan Page on Facebook.

Starting in May 2010, Passion will be going to Kiev, Ukraine; London, England; Tokyo, Japan; Hong Kong, China; Manila, Philippines; Sao Paulo, Brazil and Vancouver, Canada. See you there!

Our phone service provider, Grasshopper, became the inspiration for spontaneous creative session this morning with our team.

It all started when we noticed our phone line was down (it’s back up, thankfully). When looking for the customer support number on Grasshopper’s Web site, we came across this publicity stunt they did when announcing their rebrand. From their site: “We FedEx’d 25,000 chocolate covered grasshoppers … to 5,000 of the most influential people in America, including bloggers, politicians, celebrities, entrepreneurs, CEO’s, journalists, reporters, TV anchors and more to promote our new Entrepreneur Movement.”

One of the things I love about the campaign is the parallel of an entrepreneur and a risk-taker, begging the question, “Are YOU brave enough to eat one?” I guess you have to be a risk-taker to find out. (I know you’re all wondering – the answer is no, we didn’t receive any chocolate covered grasshoppers despite the fact we are a client and a pretty influential bunch if you ask us!)

The result? Our creative session led to some VERY BIG, exciting and doable campaign ideas for existing and potential clients.

Yesterday, I was asked this question: “What are you working on BIG?” I love that question and I hope I always have an answer. Do you?

As stated in a previous entry, PR is ultimately about the story you’re telling. What if I said I know 80 individuals that are going to change the world and they all happen to work for the same organization? Now that’s a story, right?

These particular people happen to work at Booster, a company in Atlanta, GA that offers a fund raising strategy for elementary schools through the promotion of fitness, education, and character. But they are not just any fund raising organization. This extraordinary team asks students to get pledges for each lap they run in the Boosterthon Fun Run, which is held at the end of their 2-week program. This unique strategy not only cuts out product sales, but it promotes fitness, which is quickly declining in the U.S.

While these students are getting the benefit of fitness through running, the big win with the Boosterthon Fun Run is what these students are gaining by way of character. Not only are these experience leaders enthusiastic, they are incredible role models (I can affirm that since I married one). They have taken it upon themselves to be a good influence for these young minds across the nation, and I have no doubt that any parent would be thrilled to know the hearts of these team members and how they are impacting their children.

The key to Booster is their corporate culture of building themselves from the inside out. If they do not have balanced, grounded character themselves, they cannot make nearly the impact they do on a daily basis. From the corporate office to the experience leaders, the focus is leadership development. From there, they will change the world one child and one leader at a time. Get fired up! (As they would say).

Now that is a good story to tell.

Today’s post is a tribute to the incredible team at Skadaddle Media who created the Aha Moment Campaign for Mutual of Omaha and allowed our team to be a part the campaign’s tremendous success.

Mutual of Omaha launched the Aha Moment Tour in 2009 in honor of their official sponsorship of the aha moment. The tour featured a 34′ Airstream trailer designed as a one-of-a-kind mobile television studio. The mission? Seek out next year’s commercial spots featuring real people sharing real stories. From the participants along the 25-city and 7,800-mile tour, several new 30-second ads will be produced to air next year.

The popular ad campaign turned cross-country tour is part of Mutual of Omaha’s belief that when everyday people have clarity of purpose, the possibilities are endless. That clarity is the definition of an “aha moment”, an instance where real wisdom can transform a life and a community.

Throughout the tour, we collected nearly 1,000 people across the country sharing their stories and moments of inspiration. It was astounding to hear these amazing tales and the thought of narrowing down to 10 finalists was overwhelming. So, we asked YOU, America, to help us out and launched a nationwide survey during the month of October.

At last, here they are: America’s 10 favorite aha moments that will be featured in Mutual of Omaha’s next commercial spots in 2010. Be sure to look out for them!

And to top it off? Check out the great press here.

I love this time of year. Not simply because of Christmas lights and peppermint mochas (although both are very good reasons), but because we are constantly reminded that this is a season of giving. Giving thanks and giving of ourselves to help those less fortunate.

We at See.Spark.Go. have a lot for which we are thankful. I’m thankful that we have had the opportunity to serve amazing clients since July 2007 and that we continue to work with great people. I’m thankful that our team continues to grow. I’m thankful for Andy who balances me (and our checkbook). And I’m thankful for brilliant leaders that inspire all of us.

I hope you all enjoy tomorrow giving thanks for those around you. And embrace this season of giving to others. Here are a few organizations with great ideas and amazing hearts that you may consider giving to:

• Gift Card Giver
• Rally Foundation For Childhood Cancer Research
• The Barnabas Way Foundation
• One Million Can
• Wisdom Hunters
• 410 Bridge

Thanks! And goodnight!

It seems like all you hear about today is Twitter, doesn’t it? It took me a little while to jump on that bandwagon, not only because I didn’t want to use the word “tweet” in everyday conversation, but I wasn’t really clear how to use it. But what other tools are out there that may be just as helpful and fun?

There is actually a website for Web2.0 applications with pages (and I mean pages) of different tools. For example, there is an application on this site that is solely for Free Font Downloads (that’s just a random example).

It’s amazing how much our culture relies on social media, including the business world.  It has become such a helpful way to promote events, restaurants, and products. It’s hard to remember even last year where we didn’t immediately hear about the next big thing spreading around.

Yes, Twitter and other Web2.0 tools are fun for social purposes, but these technical phenomenons are becoming an important part of our job. Brittany and I were in Barnes & Noble the other day where we actually stumbled across a book called the Social Media Bible. Nice. We read through it some and there were so many different ways to voice yourself!

If these applications are out there, why wouldn’t we take advantage of them? Part of PR is about promotion isn’t it? There is definitely a fine line when it comes to over-promotion, however. I can strongly say that too many “tweets” results in you getting blocked, at least on my account. Overall, these tools are out there for our use, so let’s keep up with the times and figure out how to use what these social media gurus have created.

A lot of people don’t understand PR and have the perception that hiring a publicist meanings making the front page of the New York Times.

I often run into people who ask if See.Spark.Go. does Web sites. The answer is no, but we know people who do!

PR ultimately is the story you’re telling. It has a lot more to do with branding than launching a new product or service, hiring a new employee or moving office space. Landing publicity focuses on differentiation. What makes you different than your competitors? And what are you doing that adds immense value to your customers?

I looked up my cousin’s Web site (he owns a barbershop for men in Dallas, Texas) yesterday after reading some press that he had received in Men’s Health magazine (pretty big press, huh?). So, I wanted to find out what all the fuss was about.

Turns out, The Gent’s Place is a whole lot more than your everyday barbershop. In fact, it was rated one of America’s Top Barbershops in the U.S. by the editors at Men’s Health. Perhaps it’s the complimentary beer, whiskey, wine or sodas. Or maybe the 3-course consultation, cut and style. Once there, you may find yourself in for a little more indulgence with their 5-course or 7-course options on their service menu. Additional selections include the hot lather straight razor shave, hand repair, foot repair and massage. Become a member of The Regulars Club or purchase a fancy cigar.

Let’s just say they’ve done a really good job of creating an experience for customers who want more than a run-of-the-mill service. What’s more? They have a story to tell. A story that made them one of “America’s Best Salon and Barbershops” according to Men’s Health.

The story HAS to be there for folks like me in PR to tell the world why they need you in their lives. I can tell you one thing, family or not, I’m going to The Gent’s Place next time I’m in Dallas.

Anna is the newest member of the See.Spark.Go. team. A recent grad from the University of Georgia (we only pick the best!), Anna brings a wealth of energy, excitement and quality work to our team.

She’s a hard-worker AND a lot of fun. Check out her post below on her Fab 5 brands and be sure to comment and welcome her aboard!

Have you ever thought about who you’re loyal to? I’m not simply talking about people here, I’m talking about your favorite restaurant, phone, or even toothpaste. When you go to the store, are there certain brands that you just can’t end a relationship with? I’m sure there are some of you out there that don’t even need a grocery list because you’ve mapped out your route through the store so well that you can get in and out in 5 minutes flat, hitting all of your favorite food items. Then there are the shoppers like me who wander aimlessly, picking up a new kind of cheese that has hit the shelves, just because.

Maybe not for every product, but there is something in us that wants to stay married to certain items on the shelf. Is it because the advertising did its job, or are we so afraid of change that we can’t even risk switching from Crest to Colgate just to see if we like the other better?

Personally, I have trouble staying with one thing for too long (not a reflection on everything in my life…), so I had a little bit of a struggle targeting 5 brands I am most loyal to. But here is what I came up with:

Whether they are store items or food chains, I just can’t stay away (especially from that last one). Fab 5, you’ve won again.

Which brands are you married to?