Self-serve(ing): Best of Boston® iPhone App

August 6, 2010 by Anita Tandon · View Comments

We’ve got a lot of foodies over here at Holland-Mark, which means that every meal decision is a big one. Whether it was the ponderous process of sorting through user reviews or skepticism about the source content, we decided something needed to be done. And thus our first technology innovation was born – the Best of Boston® iPhone app.

Working with our friends at Boston magazine, we developed an iPhone application that allows consumers to search and access content from the magazine’s highly regarded annual Best of Boston® issues. Best of Boston® is the go-to resource for the expert-selected winners in over 70 categories, from suits to sushi.

Through the app, you can access Best of Boston® winners from the last five years, searching by location, keyword, and category. You can even share what you find and save your favorites.

It simply and effectively gets you what you want: the best from the people that know what’s best. Whether you’re a tourist or a local, it’s ideal for navigating Boston.

We developed the app as part of our newly formed Venture Branding practice, spearheaded by partner Mike Troiano. The Venture Branding model has two facets: we have great ideas and take them to market or others have great ideas and we help take them to market.

Our work with Boston magazine on the Best of Boston® iPhone app is an example of the former; our work with Chris Lohring on the creation of Notch Session Ales, an example of the latter. Whichever way it works, we get to play with smart people and create viable brands and businesses. What could be better?

If you want to check out the Best of Boston® iPhone app (just in time for the weekend), click here. And let us know what you think.

Filed under Backyard Boston, The Holland-Mark Way, Venture Branding · Tagged with Boston Insider, Boston Magazine, Boston Travel Guide, Entrepreneur, Greater Boston, iPhone, iPhone App, Massachusetts, Smartphones, Startup Marketing, Travel in Boston

“How to Build Buzz Around Your Brand”

June 21, 2010 by Anita Tandon · View Comments

If you haven’t heard, MassChallenge is an inspiring organization that supports early stage entrepreneurs. By providing resources and key elements like networking, training, and support, MassChallenge has infused the Greater Boston entrepreneurial community with a new sense of opportunity in spite of a rocky economic climate. Mike Troiano will be joining MassChallenge for one of their great events next Wednesday: “How to Build Buzz Around Your Brand.”

Mike will not be alone — he will be sharing his knowledge alongside other influential speakers: Jay Wilder (Brainshark), David Hauser (Grasshopper), and Kipp Bodnar (Hubspot). Jay will discuss how solo entrepreneurs (or those with small teams) can overcome the obstacles of making your personal feel and passion scalable. David will show how he has achieved success building relationships and creating value (aka the New PR). And Kipp will demonstrate how creative content should be compelling in order to attract customers to one’s business.

Mike will focus on “How to Take your Brand from Interesting to Imperative,” a critical challenge for any business owner. He will walk through what “imperative” really means, and how getting back to the basics of product, communication, and engagement can be a business breakthrough.

Since MassChallenge is one of the hosts, the event should be quite “buzzworthy” and a hot topic for Boston and its growing entrepreneurial and start-up community. We hope it will coax you into dropping by and seeing what these four gentlemen have to share regarding marketing and brands today. Looking forward to seeing you there!

What you need to know:

Date: Wednesday, 6/23/2010

Time: 6:00-9:00pm

Cost: FREE

Location: Microsoft New England Research & Development Center

One Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA

Filed under Getting to Imperative · Tagged with Brainshark, Build Buzz, David Hauser, Grasshopper, Greater Boston, Hubspot, Jay Wilder, Kipp Bodnar, Mass Challenege, Mike Troiano

FutureM is here.

June 18, 2010 by Anita Tandon · View Comments

Like you, we’ve all been to one too many marketing events … and yet, we still have the feeling we are missing out on something. We’re constantly scanning any number of event calendars and wondering if that event last night was it. But it always feels like there are too many people doing too many things in too many places to keep up … and we just wish we could figure out the big picture.

It got us thinking — along with our friends and colleagues at MITX — that there had to be a way to stage a meeting of the marketing minds that would go beyond talk. And so, between cocktails and panels and whiteboards, FutureM was born. Slated for October 4-8th, FutureM is a week-long collaborative conference on the vision for marketing in Massachusetts through an intersection of people and ideas and inspiration. It’s a chance to hear about the latest in marketing, technology, and design– together. And if the thought of nonstop keynotes scares you as much as it scares us, fear not: FutureM includes panels, roundtables, summits, parties, meet-ups, and more, because the best ideas rarely get created around a podium. We can’t wait. Check out the rumblings of the future here.

In the meantime, we wanted to share the opportunity to be a part of FutureM. If you have a topic, technology, team, or even a question that can help define what’s next for marketing, submit an event idea. So get creative and join us at the future here.

It’s Time to Tackle the Unlearning Challenge (scalableintimacy.com)

Filed under Backyard Boston, News, The Holland-Mark Way · Tagged with Boston Marketing, Business, FutureM, Marketing, Marketing and Advertising, Massachusetts, MITX, Technology

Chris Colbert joins panel at MITX on the future for advertising agencies

February 24, 2010 by Anita Tandon · View Comments

: Image of Chris Colbert

Here at Holland-Mark, we’ve been thinking out loud for a while now about how the agency business has changed for good. It’s no longer good enough for marketing to just be interesting – it must be imperative. As CEO of our resurgent business, Chris Colbert has been asked to join industry heavyweights from Mullen, Razorfish, Sapient, and W2 Group to discuss his perspective on the new age of agencies. The event by the Massachusetts Innovation & Technology Exchange (MITX) will be held on February 25 from 6-8 p.m.

Keynoted by Sean Corcoran of Forrester Research, the group will discuss how agencies will adapt to new marketing paradigms, the impact of technology, and agency/client relationships in a new era.

“When I restarted Holland-Mark in 2007, I did it because I knew it wouldn’t be business as usual. The economy has allowed us to reinvent how advertising agencies work – and it’s a good thing.”

We’ve been thinking about this for a while, and we look forward to being a part of this new conversation. Come by and have a listen.

More details on this MITX event can be found on the event website.

“Selecting An Agency for Social Marketing” (pr-squared.com)
Slam Dunk for Dunkin’ Donuts at MITX Interactive Awards (xconomy.com)

Filed under Backyard Boston, Getting to Imperative, The Holland-Mark Way · Tagged with Advertising agency, Advertising and Marketing, Business, Chris Colbert, Forrester Research, Getting to Imperative, imperative marketing, Marketing, MITX

Mike Troiano keynotes at LaunchCamp 2010

February 3, 2010 by Anita Tandon · View Comments

Our very own Mike is the lunch keynote speaker at LaunchCamp Boston 2010 this Thursday, February 4. From what he’s told me, he’ll be sharing a bit about Scalable Intimacy, his philosophy on maintaining personal relationships while scaling your business. In short, what it takes to effectively leverage digital and social media to build meaningful relationships with your target consumer.

As most of you know, Mike joined Holland-Mark at the end of last year to head up our digital practice. In that time he has focused his efforts on imbuing new and existing clients with a practical understanding of the criticality of social media, as well as how it can be used to engage in more effective business practices. It’s great to have him out there sharing the wealth.

“Using the Web to build your brand is less and less about creating destinations, and more and more about creating content useful to the people you want to reach, then empowering them to access that content wherever and however they like. When you do this, you create a distinct and direct connection with a motivated consumer.”

A handful of Holland-Mark folks will be there and we’d love to see some of your familiar faces.

LaunchCamp is a day-long bootcamp focused on identifying and replicating some of the best practices in the market for moving entrepreneurial organizations along the growth curve. LaunchCamp takes a fresh look at the technologies and tools that are driving PR, marketing, social media and management, and attempts to identify the challenges that organizations face in the launch process.

More details on LaunchCamp can be found on their event website.

Filed under Backyard Boston, Driving Engagement, News, The Holland-Mark Way · Tagged with Best practice, Business, Consumer, Keynote, Marketing, Public relations, scalable intimacy, Social media, Website

The Miles Paradox: Can a free benefit actually decrease customer satisfaction?

December 24, 2009 by Anita Tandon · View Comments

: Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Ah, the holidays. With my parents in Austin and my in-laws in San Francisco, I’ve picked the most convenient location of Boston in which to reside. Accordingly, the holidays call for the dreaded task of finding a flight to one coast or the other. I pay it up and suck it up, comforting myself in dreams made of miles earned, upgrades enjoyed, and status galore.

And yet, every time I try to enjoy said benefits, I find a frustrating set of fees, blackouts, lack of seats, and general irritation. Customer Service Reps scoff at my 25,000 miles. When they call out those with my hard-earned Gold Status, everyone in the waiting room gets up. A moot point, because the Triple Platinum Executive Czars who boarded before me have already filled the overhead space with blazers and once, an oversized foam cowboy hat. My frustration turns quickly to anger. All in all, I can’t remember the last time I had even a barely satisfying experience with anything that comes with any sort of travel rewards program. I imagine many of you have felt similar pain. Slowly but surely, I launch into a tirade of how much I hate X Airline.

What’s interesting is that these are “free” benefits. They are given to me and shouldn’t impact my opinion of the airline. I should be thankful for what I get. Regardless, I can’t disassociate the two, and my opinion of their customer service and care decreases. This happens because there is an expectation of benefits that comes with granting someone “status.” But the people within the status system continue to increase — mostly because everyone clamors for entry-level status for basic benefits of boarding and baggage that we should get anyway. The airline answer to this conundrum is to continue to add higher levels of status — rather than raising the barriers to status. Unless you are at the highest levels, you are generally disappointed with the perceived benefit of the status you do have. The same follows with miles.

As only the airline industry is capable of, they have built a system that simultaneously increases their costs and decreases their satisfaction levels. I’d much rather a system that doesn’t give me a mirage of benefits. It’s ok that it takes 50,000 miles to buy a ticket. But don’t run around showing me a 25,000 option. I think only 10-15% of people should board the plane early, so if that means there’s no “gold” status, then so be it. Make rewards feel like rewards, not a hassle.

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