Promise Marketing Blog

Archive for the ‘Tri-Adathon’ Category

When you give, you get!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011 —

Clear Verve Marketing was recently featured in a Profile in Philanthropy from BizTimes Milwaukee. These profiles, which appeared in the BizTimes Giving Guide, highlight the services of individuals in the Milwaukee area who have made significant contributions to the nonprofit community. Clear Verve, along with Catral Doyle creative and Welke Group, were highlighted for our Tri-Adathon work. You can view our profile, along with profiles of other generous individuals and some deserving nonprofits, online.

If you’re not familiar with Tri-Adathon, it’s a once a year opportunity for Milwaukee-area nonprofits to receive some really great pro-bono marketing work. Each year, we take applications from local organizations, select a number of projects to work on, and then shut down and complete these projects in a 24-hour work marathon. It’s exhausting and fun. It’s also given us the opportunity to meet some really great people and learn a lot about the many organizations that make our community a better place. The 2012 Tri-Adathon will be held in spring. Be sure to watch for our call for entries coming in March or April.

We don’t do Tri-Adathon specifically to get publicity, but it’s nice when that happens. Many thanks to our friend and client, Gary Ross from Community Health Charities of Wisconsin for nominating us. We’re looking forward to another successful creativity marathon this spring.

Here’s a video of our Tri-Adathon experience last year:

Christina Steder is the President of Clear Verve Marketing and works with clients to plan, create and execute marketing campaigns. Follow her on Twitter as @clearverve

Tags: Clear Verve, marketing, media relations, nonprofit, Public Relations, Tri-Adathon

Tri-Adathon 2011

Friday, February 25, 2011 —

Last week, we participated in our annual Tri-Adathon event. Tri-Adathon is a partnership between Catral Doyle creative co., Welke Group, and Clear Verve in which all three agencies shut down for an entire day to provide pro-bono work for Southeastern Wisconsin charities. The result was an amazing assortment of invitations, posters, logos, tag lines, radio spots, and marketing/PR plans. And, although we were EXTREMELY tired after getting only a couple of hours of sleep on Friday morning, it is definitely worth it when we present the work to a group of organizations that do so much good for our community.

At Clear Verve, we selected a lot of marketing plan and PR plan projects and did less design work this year. One comment we kept hearing as we presented our finished work was that it was good for the organizations to get a fresh perspective. We all get into habits, and sometimes it is hard to generate new ideas when you are trying to solve the same problems over and over again. Sometimes, our suggestions seemed pretty simple and we wondered if our ideas would be rejected as “too obvious” when they were presented. Instead, we found that the nonprofit usually had a “V-8″ moment. You know, one of those moments where you realize something and feel like you should have seen it before.

So, how can you avoid this trap? One of the best things to do is get an outside persepective. We know many nonprofits can’t afford to hire an outside agency, even with a nonprofit discount. That’s why we participate in Tri-Adathon. Unfortunately, not everyone can benefit from Tri-Adathon. This year, we received about 120 applications, and selected 32 nonprofits between the three agencies. If your organization can’t afford to hire someone to get an outside perspective, and can’t benefit from Tri-Adathon, here are some ways you can get new ideas:

Ask a family member or friend look at your materials. Don’t tell them what you’re trying to communicate. Older kids are great for this.
Put together a marketing committee or group of volunteers who can review projects for you
Approach a local university and inquire if there is small business/organization resource center, internship program or class that could be approached to provide an outside perspective
Ask yourself how every project ties back to your mission
Keep things simple. Don’t try to communicate too much with your copy points and visuals. You have a few seconds to grab someone’s attention so keeping messages simple will help you get a cross what you need more effectively.

We are working on a video highlighting our Tri-Adathon experience and will share it soon. Thank you to all involved in this year’s Tri-Adathon!

Tags: marketing, nonprofit, pro-bono marketing, Tri-Adathon

It’s Tri-Adathon Time Again!

Monday, December 20, 2010 —

It’s Tri-Adathon time again! A 24-hour pro bono frenzy!

Tri-Adathon is a 24-hour creative marathon which provides pro bono marketing communication services to Southeastern Wisconsin charities. It’s a joint venture between Catral Doyle creative, Clear Verve Marketing, and Welke Group.

During the inaugural Tri-Adathon, the aforementioned agencies completed a total of 37 projects for 22 Milwaukee-area not-for-profits in a 24-hour timeframe. This year, Tri-Adathon begins on the morning of February 17, 2011 and will wrap up just over 24 hours later with the presentation of finished marketing, graphic design, interactive, and public relations programs on February 18.

Tri-Adathon is seeking entries from not-for-profit organizations located in Southeastern Wisconsin that are interested in receiving pro bono marketing support (including PR or interactive services) from one of the participating agencies. Winning not-for-profits will receive solutions to their current marketing and public relations challenges. Potential support includes marketing strategy, graphic design, radio scripting, annual report design, event invitation design, TV strategy/storyboard, Web strategy/home page design, press kits, media plans, or interior design services. The participating agencies will work on individual projects and collaboratively on multi-faceted assignments.

Applications are being accepted until January 7, 2011 at www.triadathon.com.

The 2011 event is the second annual event with 88.9 Radio Milwaukee as a promotional sponsor.

Tags: 88.9 Radio Milwaukee, branding, Catral Doyle Creative, Clear Verve, marketing, nonprofit, Public Relations, Social Media, Tri-Adathon, Welke Group

Bringing Haiti Home

Friday, January 29, 2010 —

In the wake of the Haiti disaster, the American people have shown incredible generosity. From star-studded fundraisers on television, to campaigns encouraging people to donate ten dollars by simply sending a text message, millions of people have stepped up to the plate and raised millions of dollars.

This is an amazing thing. I cannot even begin to imagine the suffering of the Haitian people as they have no food, no homes, and in many cases, no one to help them. It certainly makes my complaints seem insignificant. I may have a dent in the back of my van, but I also have a decent house with heat, indoor plumbing, and plenty to eat. (More than plenty, judging from the way my pants fit.)

However, this generosity makes me wonder. What would happen if we focused this hard on problems in our own backyard? Why don’t we? Are we numb to the decrepit houses we drive by on our way downtown? Do we fail to notice homeless people on the streets?

This is an issue nonprofit organizations struggle with every day. They work to find ways to make their cause relevant and urgent, to spur people to action because they want to make a difference. While the problems we face in Milwaukee are certainly not as sudden as a major earthquake, they are truly not any less catastrophic. Working on Tri-Adathon last week really opened our eyes to the incredible needs of Milwaukee not for profit organizations. There are many opportunities to contribute your time and talent or open your wallet to make a difference. What would happen if, as a community, we worked this hard to improve MPS, increase job opportunities, rehabilitate addicts, or cure a disease? Don’t you want to find out?

Next month, when Haiti is no longer in the headlines, remember there are problems right here in Milwaukee that need fixing. Pick one and do something. Need some help ? How about something that would take only 15 minutes a week? Check out It Starts With Us – a group that provides people with simple ways to work together to change the world with simple pay-it-forward missions that take 15 minutes or less. Or, do something on your own. Just like with Haiti, if everyone gave ten dollars or a little time, our contributions would make a big difference.

A Good Way to Burn the Midnight Oil

Monday, January 25, 2010 —

Our marketing firm, along with Welke Group and Catral Doyle Creative Co. partnered last week to hold Tri-Adathon: three agencies, 24 hours and unlimited possibilities! The three agency team helped 22 non-profits execute 37 pro-bono marketing projects during the 24-hours Tri-Adathon was held. The full list of organizations and sponsors can be found at http://www.triadathon.com/.

At Clear Verve, we stayed up for 22 hours to complete three marketing/PR plans, two brochures, logo concepts, web page and billboard designs for five local non-profits:

The experience was amazing. It took us back to our college days of pulling all-nighters. Lots of coffee was consumed and towards the middle of the night things got a little wacky here. We created a short video to share the experience with you.

Each of the non-profits involved was very happy with what was created. We will definitely continue doing this every year. It is a great way to give back and appreciate everyone involved with the planning, support and execution of Tri-Adathon 2010.