working ideas

Ever feel like you’re screaming “yahtzee,” but your supervisor is hearing “bingo?” It’s no secret that generations are separated by more than just years and fashion sensibilities — each generation has its own vernacular, communication style, and even work ethic. Realizing that cross-generational communication means overcoming these age-related roadblocks, Ewald Consulting, a Minneapolis-based public relations and association-management firm, hosts a teambuilding and networking event dubbed “Generations at Play,” which is open to the members of the associations it represents. The event bridges the workplace generational gap through games spanning 50 years, from Twister to Cranium, and Atari to Nintendo Wii. The eclectic mix of old-school and modern-day games means younger generations can teach older generations how to play their favorites, and vice versa. The casual environment fosters communication and teamwork among colleagues that carries over into the workplace. Game on!

To make sure the content presented at its Smart Business Seminars reached the widest audience possible, Ricoh Americas Corporation teamed up with Woodland Hills, CA-based Image Work Communications to create several Web videos. Each video, an edited and condensed 5- to 7-minute version of select seminar presentations, was posted online at www.ricohbusinessbuilder.com, providing potential clients and investors with 24/7 access to seminar content. By posting the videos online, time- and cash-strapped customers can benefit from the seminar content even if they couldn’t attend the event in person.

Even the most passionate electrician will tell you that it’s hard to get too excited about aluminum 50-Ohm transmission-line cables. To circumvent boredom and build buzz among top clients about its new Extremeflex FXL 780 and FXL 1873 cable, CommScope Wireless Solutions Inc. created a VIP event during the CTIA Wireless show in Orlando, FL, that brought some familiar characters from its ad campaign to life. The characters — two Eskimos, a yogini, and a “smooth guy” (think Vince Vaughn in the 1996 movie “Swingers”) — illustrated the durability, flexibility, and smoothness of the Extremeflex cable. Guests were invited to select a character to pose with, and stood in front of a character-specific scene displayed on a green screen while a professional photographer captured the shot. Each photograph was printed and placed inside a branded 5-by-7-inch frame, before being hand-delivered to the client’s hotel room by a CommScope account executive the next day. Word of the VIP event, which was held at The Peabody Hotel in Orlando, spread beyond the 60 invited clients, and more than 100 people showed up for their chance to hobnob with the ad characters and CommScope account executives. The photo op not only provided top customers with a unique giveaway, the personal delivery of the photo provided a built-in avenue for face-to-face follow-up after the VIP event was over. The buzz-worthy strategy also worked wonders for the Newton, NC-based cable manufacturer’s bottom line, as the company raked in $350,000 worth of business as a direct result of the event.

How do you build brand awareness while promoting social responsibility when your product is alcohol and your target audience is out hitting up the bar? You provide them a safe ride home in a branded sober cab. Norwalk, CT-based The Crown Royal Co., makers of Crown Royal Whisky, did just that prior to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in Indianapolis. Crown Royal, whose car No. 26 (a Ford Fusion) was being driven in the series, assembled a fleet of eight, replica No. 26 Crown Royal-branded purple-and-gold Ford Fusions and drivers to provide free, safe rides home for enthusiastic racing fans. To spread the word about the cash-free cabs, street teams comprised of Crown Royal Ambassadors passed out fliers throughout Indianapolis during the Thursday and Friday before the race weekend. The fliers contained information about the free rides and directed those interested to Crown Royal taxi stands positioned at key intersections throughout the downtown area. Those who wanted to participate simply had to register for the service and present an ID verifying they were 21 years of age or older. Then, all they had to do was return to the stand at designated times throughout Thursday and/or Friday evening and they were given a free ride home. The free rides not only exemplified Crown Royal’s “Be a Champion. Drink Responsibly.” message, but the branded fleet also became a recognizable icon during race week. Hundreds of people took advantage of the service, and some even had the opportunity to take a ride home with the driver of the real car No. 26, professional NASCAR driver Jamie McMurray, who was on cab call Thursday evening.

To pay homage to the 1969 bed-ins for peace staged by John Lennon and Yoko Ono in Montreal and Amsterdam, and to promote its “Give Peace a Chance” campaign along with the launch of its newest flavor, “Imagine Whirled Peace,” ice-cream maker Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings Inc. decided to get in bed — with a moviestar, a nonprofit organization founder, and a famous photographer. Unlike Lennon and Ono’s bed-in, however, Ben & Jerry’s put its bed inside a 31-foot glass case on the back of a tractor-trailer and tooled around New York. The Waterbury, VT-based company teamed up with the Lennon Estate and nonprofit organization Peace One Day to create the mini-tour, which made several laps around Manhattan before settling in for the day at its Times Square Scoop Shop location. On board for the ride were Roy Kerwood, the photographer who snapped the famous shots of John Lennon and Yoko Ono in bed during the 1969 Montreal Bed-In; actress and peace activist Maggie Gyllenhaal; Jeremey Gilley, founder of Peace One Day; Ben & Jerry’s cofounder Jerry Greenfield; and Ben & Jerry’s CEO, Walt Freese; all of whom gave interviews to members of the media who were invited aboard. In addition to raising awareness for Peace One Day and spreading the word about its newest flavor, the glass-enclosed bed-in-mobile resulted in 65 million media impressions through 500 different outlets and doubled the company’s goals for Web site visits. What’s more, the transparent nature of the vehicle meant that curious onlookers could get an eye-full of the on-board action, which made the Bed-In for Peace an event for everyone to enjoy.

With more than 76 million travelers annually, Chicago’s O’Hare Airport is the busiest terminal in the Midwest. To let harried business travelers in Northern Illinois know that the General Mitchell International Airport (MKE) in Milwaukee, WI, offers a smart and less hectic alternative for business travel, airport officials teamed up with Harvest PR & Marketing Inc. and Weiss & Co. for a two-tiered “Fly Smart. FlyMKE.com” campaign. The plan targeted two groups — male business travelers and Chicago- and Northern Illinois-area travel, business, and transportation media outlets. To reach both markets at once, the event took place at a baseball game at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, which research showed could deliver a large audience of male business travelers. To give the Chicago reporters further incentive to attend the Cubs game (and then to spread the word about the Milwaukee alternative), Harper sent out mailers to 15 or so reporters. Inside, recipients found a ViewMaster with the familiar circular slide, featuring images of the airport. Twelve reporters — 80 percent of MKE’s target media audience — accepted the invite to watch the Chicago Cubs game from a rooftop next to Wrigley, where airport representatives joined them. During the game, a skywriter inscribed the words “SkyMailMe.com” across the sky. Ballpark attendees who visited the Web site could send a “sky-written” e-mail message to friends, and then were directed to the MKE Web site. Traffic to the site increased by 95 percent, proving the campaign was a home run.

To take steps toward Greening its largest annual event, the International Special Events Society (ISES) implemented a variety of initiatives for its 2008 Eventworld Conference at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort & Golf Club in St. Petersburg, FL. ISES’s Green efforts included providing glass pitchers and glasses for water instead of plastic water bottles, eliminating disposable to-go cups at the host hotel, using china serveware and actual silverware instead of paper and plastic when possible, and using recyclable paper and plastic products when china wasn’t an option. But perhaps the largest conservation effort was also the most charming — ISES uploaded all of the conference’s session handouts and other collateral onto a robot-shaped USB drive. Not only did the transition from paper to digital translate into financial and ecological benefits, ISES enlisted an event sponsor to cover the cost of the USB robots and, in return, allowed them to place their logos on the data-storage devices. In one fell, affordable swoop, ISES demonstrated its commitment to reducing paper waste while giving attendees a lasting — and reusable — reminder to do the same.

The name Harley-Davidson often conjures images of grizzled, middle-aged men clad in leather vests. But that image of the Harley-Davidson rider has waned over the past 20 years, as the number of women who have purchased a hog has tripled since the 1980s. Today, women account for 12 percent of new Harley-Davidson motorcycle purchases. To grow that percentage even more, all 680 Harley-Davidson USA dealers across the United States host female-only “Garage Parties.” Each party consists of four education sessions: Motorcycle Orientation, MotorClothes Merchandise, Motorcycle Fit & Function, and How to Pick Up a Motorcycle. The four sessions cover topics ranging from motorcycle-gear basics to how to handle the weight of the motorcycle, providing interested women with a crash course in all things Harley — and perhaps giving them the confidence to purchase a hog of their own, and increase Harley-Davidson’s top line.

When Panache, a Classic Party Rentals Co., launched a new line of table linens, the company was searching for a way to amp up excitement about the products. Event inspiration came when the new line of fabrics prompted employees to comment that the materials were pretty enough to wear. And since the Panache event in Miami was scheduled to take place the same time as Fashion Week in New York, the idea of a table-linen fashion show was born. Local Florida event designers pinned, tucked, and tied tablecloths, chair covers, and napkins to create 18 outfits worn by 14 models as they sashayed down a runway that ran through the company’s warehouse, which served as the event venue. To complete the look, designers turned flatware into hair accessories for the models. Not only did the fashion show elevate Panache’s products from mere table coverings to haute couture, the event attracted nearly 400 clients and prospects.