Uncategorized Archives - Page 4 of 7

February 10, 2021

Why it was good to see some Big Brands sit out the Super Bowl

For marketers, the Super Bowl traditionally begins in the summer when budgets and creative ideas are set in motion. This year was anything but traditional. Although all 256 regular season games were played, some advertisers chose to sit out the Super Bowl. In fact, it was the first Super Bowl in 37 years without Budweiser airing a spot during the game. Clydesdales, Mr. Peanut, Korean cars, Mexican avocados and Coca Cola were all conspicuously absent. Whatever their PR people may have said before the game, we know it’s all because most big brands aren’t risk takers and couldn’t handle this year’s uncertainty — but that’s a good thing and below are three reasons why: 1) Budweiser, Kia and Planters diverted money to good causes. According to Ad Age, Planters is shelling out (ha ha) $5 million to support unsung heroes this year while Kia plans to expand its giving to support America’s youth....

November 18, 2020

in Uncategorized

by Patricia Uhrich

Gettin’ GIFFY with it.

As a new year approaches, perhaps it’s time to update your stable of favorite GIFs. We’re talking GIFs used to spice up conversations with friends and colleagues, not GIFs for marketing your business. We’ve pulled together some marketing and office life-related favs for you to share. Of course, you can always choose your own from GIPHY which is now owned by Facebook. That’s right, back in May the social media empire paid a reported $400 million for GIPHY. Apparently we can’t get enough of these charming little loops. First up, some marketing-jargon gems from Schitt’s Creek: via GIPHY via GIPHY via GIPHY And when you need to remind someone that you’re still working from home: via GIPHY via GIPHY When you’re back in the office and someone books a tiny conference room for a big strategy meeting (but there’s still no vaccine): via GIPHY via GIPHY Or, you’re working with someone who clearly needs a little caffeine: via GIPHY via GIPHY And when we’re all...

October 15, 2020

in Uncategorized

by Patricia Uhrich

Learning from the pandemic: 5 direct marketing survival facts

While the term “new normal” has become a cliché, it’s an apt description for the pandemic’s impact on daily life. We are resilient creatures and we’ve quickly adapted to living with COVID-19 in ways that will forever change the way we think and act. Looking ahead, marketers need to recognize that much of the new normal is here to stay. Consider how these 5 facts and trends may affect your marketing plans: 1) The value of E-commerce cannot be overstated. This comes as no surprise but it’s important to note that the lockdown has forced traditional brick-and-mortar retail shoppers to become more comfortable with online shopping. At the height of the lockdown, there was a 66% spike in global daily e-commerce sales. If you sell directly to the consumer via your website, now is a critical moment to ensure that your shopping experience is optimized. 2) Technology’s role in customer relationships is...

July 23, 2020

in Uncategorized

by Patricia Uhrich

5 hot blogs & news sites for insurance professionals

With professional organizations putting conferences and meetings on hold for now, staying abreast of hot topics within your industry takes a little extra effort. Fortunately, we have some great recommendations for those of you working in the world of insurance. The Triple I Blog (property and casualty focus): Brought to you by the Insurance Information Institute, this blog provides professionally written articles on everything from insurance fraud to catastrophes. Whatever’s trending in the industry, you’ll find it here. org (for consumers and professionals): While the website is aimed at educating consumers, their blog called The Scoop focuses on providing the latest news on health insurance and health reform. Each edition has several easy-to-digest news bites covering the entire nation. America’s Health Insurance Plans (trade association blog): If you work for a health plan, this blog should be on your reading list. You’ll get the inside scoop on current issues and...

June 16, 2020

in Uncategorized

by Patricia Uhrich

Take Five: Choose your must-have summer reads

Everyone enjoys a good book. Here's a variety of this summer's favorites: For a new perspective: My Vanishing Country A Memoir by Bakari Sellers. Unless you grew up in a rural, black, working-class town in the deep south, you need this book as a window into what has become a forgotten and neglected part of our country. Penned by a lawyer who became the youngest African American elected official in the country at age 22 and has served as an analyst for CNN, it’s an American success story wrapped in the struggles of the rural south. It’s no wonder that My Vanishing Country has become a New York Times Bestseller and a #1 New Release on Amazon.com. For the kids: The World Needs More Purple People by Kristen Bell & Benjamin Hart. Full disclosure, this writer has had a thing for Kristen Bell ever since binge-watching The Good Place and all of her Funny...

May 20, 2020

in Uncategorized

by Patricia Uhrich

Recalling office life in 1995 as we celebrate our Silver Anniversary!

As your hand searches for the snooze button on your clock radio, you hesitate upon hearing an update from the O.J. Simpson trial. There’s an incriminating bloody glove but the defense insists a dirty cop has planted the evidence. Intrigued by this update, you are compelled to learn more. You decide to buy a newspaper along with the obligatory cup of coffee on your way to the office. Regular or decaf are your only options. No Italian dark roast, organic breakfast blend or mochaccino to be found. Arriving at the office, you boot up Windows 95, marvel at the colorful new interface and wait for email to load. There’s no social media, no text messages and no app notifications to distract you from getting right to work. That’s a good thing for Nick Lanzi. He needs all of the time in the world to manage the duties of his full-time gig while starting a side-hustle...

April 1, 2020

in Uncategorized

by Patricia Uhrich

No-cost virtual doctor visits for Seniors during the coronavirus outbreak

Direct Choice Inc. has recently engaged in some pro-bono communications for the Medicare Telehealth Hotline, a service which we feel could benefit our friends and family. By now, we are all well aware that our nation’s 44 million Medicare recipients face the greatest risk from the Coronavirus pandemic. Along with having the highest mortality among COVID-19 patients, seniors are finding it difficult, if not impossible, to get access to the care they need for many other chronic health conditions. In light of this health crisis, the Medicare Telehealth Hotline is providing Medicare recipients with no-cost doctor visits from the comfort of their homes. How the Medicare Telehealth Hotline works: Patients with Original Medicare (with or without private supplemental insurance) who cannot reach their primary doctor can simply call 1-888-392-8889 (7 a.m. – 7 p.m. ET) or visit https://medicaretelehealthhotline.org/ The Medicare Telehealth Hotline connects patients with appropriate board-certified doctors who can address...

February 4, 2020

in Uncategorized

by Patricia Uhrich

Test yourself with our Super Bowl advertising trivia

There’s really no point in adding to the commentary about this year’s forgettable Super Bowl ads. Seriously, do you recall what Jason Momoa was hawking? Do you care to know what in the heck is Quibi? Even the much-loved “Smaht Pahk” was no “Whassup”. Good thing the game was memorable. Anyhow, this is where opinion ends and the fun begins …UNLEASH THE AD TRIVIA! We’ll begin with an easy one. Which brands are the top-five Super Bowl advertisers of all time? Considering the ad spend for type 2 diabetes drugs these days, four out of five of these brands should be of no surprise. The top advertisers during Super Bowl games in order of prominence are Budweiser, Pepsi, Coca Cola, McDonald’s and Ford. Because, after decades of poor dietary choices, you’re gonna need a heavy-duty American truck to haul your butt to the ER. Name five brands who advertised during the first Super...

January 15, 2020

in Uncategorized

by Patricia Uhrich

THREE MEGA-ISSUES FOR MARKETERS IN 2020 and how we need to address them

If your New Year’s resolutions include staying ahead of the curve, this article is for you. We’ve separated the wheat from the chaff (sorry for that paleo & gluten-free friends) to focus on today’s mega-issues for marketers. 1: The Steady Rise of Voice Search. Yep, just when your SEO team thought they had mastered the game, Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri change the way we all search. Now it’s less about keywords and more about answering very real and human questions. Smart speakers play a huge role in this trend. According to Canalys research, smart-speakers grew by 82.4% in 2019 and will overtake tablets by 2021 with over 400 million installations. In fact, the use of Google Assistant has quadrupled in just one year. What to do about it: Start thinking about the questions that prospects and customers will be asking and insert those questions in headers. In addition, adjust web content so that...

November 19, 2019

in Uncategorized

by Patricia Uhrich

That’s the Spirit! Creative ideas for giving back during the holidays

Feeling challenged to come up with an event more interesting than a toy drive or canned food collection? Look no further than the agency world. Marketers are known to turn their fundraising up to 11 during the holidays (perhaps they feel a bit guilty for all of the crass consumerism). Last year for example, a Toronto agency auctioned off some of their prestigious awards via Instagram (including this gold Clio) as a means of raising funds for their favorite non-profit. If you’ve been following Direct Choice, then you may recall voting for our Ugly Sweaters or Holiday Album Covers to raise money via Facebook. Both of those holiday campaigns motivated our staff, friends and clients to join together for a good cause. This doesn’t mean you have to create a social media campaign to get creative. Consider these alternatives: Auction off some perks within your organization During a holiday party, you could auction-...

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