We’ve developed a tradition at Greteman Group to help us celebrate the holiday season. The entire agency splits into three teams that donate time, energy and resources to three charitable causes. We’ve recorded these activities and created short videos for unveiling (yes, they’re secret) activities at our annual holiday party.
Now you can witness the fun too.
Random Acts of Kindness
The Random Acts of Kindness™ Foundation inspired this team. They made up random acts that touched both complete strangers and familiar faces.
Team members: Ashley Bowen Cook, Carol Farrow, Lori Heinz, Shelley Downs, Chaney Kimball, Craig Tomson and Randy Bradbury.
Elephant Yard Cleanup
Zoo volunteers seem to hybernate like the animals come winter. It’s hard to get people out to help with necessary manual labor once the thermometer dips. So, this group offered to come out early on a Saturday morning to assist with cleaning up the elephant yard. Raking hay and scooping poo was a small price to pay for the treat that followed the work – an up-close-and-personal visit with elephants and rhinos.
Team members: Angelina Ortega, Sonia Greteman, Debbie Comes, Jessica Forbes, Donna Grow, Chris Parks and Todd Ramsey. Special guest appearances by Fran and Kale.
Mail-Ordered Christmas
This group really wanted to make a direct impact on young lives so The United Way pointed them to the Wichita Children’s Home, the community’s oldest charitable organization. Armed with aprons and good spirits, they set out to serve up a chili feed alongside teens from the home. Unfortunately, a felonious rapper usurped their plans (yes, seriously) and they had to help out another way. You’ve got to watch this.
Team members: Deanna Harms, Garrett Fresh, Ginny Walton, Todd Gimlin, Pam Headley, Jen Gore and Marc Bosworth.
Be sure to check out last year’s videos as well. They may not feature any famous rappers, giant beasts or photos of Jack Daniels getting put into mailboxes, but they’re still fun.
What are some creative ways you’ve given this holiday season?
Life can get crazy around the holidays – especially if you wait until the last minute to buy gifts for your loved ones. So forget the malls and the crowds. Here’s something special that you can give to someone special.
On this fun little microsite you’ll find just the thing for everyone on your shopping list. Just because you don’t wear footie pajamas anymore doesn’t mean that giving handmade, redeemable coupons isn’t still a great gift. After all, the true meaning of the season isn’t about spending money. It’s about spending a bit of yourself to show others you care.
So head on over to the site, check out our naughty and nice ideas and pass them along to friends and family. Let us know which are your favorites – or if you come up with some wickedly clever ideas of your own. We know you have it in you.
Wichita native and aviation legend Clay Lacy entertained a capacity audience in Wichita with a few stories from his long career. Yeah we know. Legend is overused. Tiresome. Sometimes, though, no other description will do. See if you don’t agree.
- The world’s top aerial cinematographer
- Nearly 50,000 flight hours in 50-plus years
- A commercial pilot for more than 40 years
- Type-rated in 30 aircraft, from helicopters to 747s
- One of the first pilots type-rated in Learjets
- Owner of one of the nation’s top jet charter firms
- Pilot for celebrities and presidents
- Still flying at age 75
We could go on. But you get the idea. World-renowned (we resisted the temptation to say “legendary,” but we could make the case) air-to-air photographer Paul Bowen chatted with Lacy for the benefit of an appreciative crowd at Wichita State University, eliciting a number of nuggets from among Lacy’s endless trove of aviation tales.
WSU’s Ulrich Museum of Art brought the two together to discuss the art of aviation as part of an exhibit, “Aircraft: The Jet as Art.” Lacy said when he first was contacted, he wasn’t sure that he knew much about aviation art. But the more he thought about it, he said, the more he realized that, “I think airplanes are art. I think that airplanes in flight – all of them – are absolutely beautiful. I’ve seen more of them in flight than anyone ever, and I still love them.”
Then Lacy showed two short films, one showcasing his air-to-air cinematography and one covering a few highlights of his life in aviation. They erased any doubt about whether airplanes constitute art or whether Lacy is an artist of the first order. Bowen described the complex choreography and precision flying required for one of Lacy’s photo shoots as an aerial ballet. We think that’s a perfect description.
Sonia, who serves on the Ulrich board and knows more than a few aviation luminaries, finds new inspiration each time she hears the words of masters such as Lacy and Bowen. “Aircraft are the perfect expression of function driving elegant form. Clay’s cinematography, like a Paul Bowen photograph, is truly breathtaking. Graceful. Fluid. It’s such a privilege to hear these men in person, talking about their lives and their work. It’s one of the real advantages of living in the Air Capital.”
Do you have a Clay Lacy or Paul Bowen story to share? Thoughts about aircraft as art?
My dad, aviation photographer Paul Bowen, has developed amazing relationships over the years. I recently accompanied him to the Kansas Aviation Museum gala honoring one of his dearest friends: Mort Brown, Aviation 2008 Hall of Fame Inductee. Mort turned 100 this year, which made this honor even more special. During Mort’s years as Cessna’s production-flight-test chief pilot, he released more than 85,000 new aircraft to owners. This man has stories.
Other highlights of the evening included Director Lon Smith sharing what the countless hours of volunteer time from the Wichita community have meant to the museum. Had the museum had to pay for those hours, the costs would be in the millions. Wichita loves its aircraft – and their preservation. It made me proud to see the museum’s new Greteman Group-created identity so prominently displayed throughout the evening and to know that it’s playing a role in the museum’s outreach and growth.
Dave Franson, friend and executive director of the recently launched Wichita Aero Club, kept busy spreading the word about the organization and its plans. Of course seeing Dave talk nonstop is nothing new. I say that with love.
Aviation reporter Molly McMillin was also sharing news. Her’s was about her new blog, the Air Capital Insider, which launched this week. Be sure to check it out.
Keynote speaker Eric Lindbergh, grandson of the first man to fly nonstop across the Atlantic, reminded us of how far we’ve come since 1927. Discussions with leaders from some of the industry’s leading aircraft manufacturers inspired us with new boundary-busting visions. The entire evening made me glad that I make the Air Capital my home.
Photo credit: Wichita Business Journal
We all know that the democratic process isn’t always fast or pretty, but none of us would choose the expediency of authoritarian rule.
The process for developing public art is equally time consuming and sometimes messy, but neither would we favor the efficiency of a single art buyer.
As more and more communities work to reap the cultural and economic benefits of public art, we thought you might like to peak behind the canvas a bit to get an idea of how you get something of the people without looking like it was created by the people.
Grab a caffeinated drink and journey on with us.
Continue reading ‘Public Art for our Public Airport’
Whether or not your candidate won on November 4, we can all learn something from Barack Obama’s successful presidential campaign.
He had a single, voter-resonating message – change – and stuck with it. And he bolstered traditional tactics by using new media in ways never before seen in an election. Working with chief strategist David Axelrod and campaign manager David Plouffe, Obama crafted a strategy that made him Advertising Age’s “Marketer of the Year.”
Businesses Can Learn Much from Obama’s Campaign
Here are just a few of the lessons:
- Consistency. Obama’s branded “change” campaign set him apart from the pack. As branding guru Al Ries points out, do you even remember Hillary Clinton’s creative? Here she was, the beneficiary of Bill Clinton’s eight years in office, with the most experienced campaign team, yet her message kept morphing into something different. (If you can’t remember, you’re not alone. There’s a number to keep track of. First, came “Experience,” then “Countdown to change,” then “Solutions for America.”) McCain threw out numerous branded images and hoped one stuck. Maverick. Straight talker. American hero.The public and media’s infatuation with Sarah Palin drowned out McCain and, at times, made it feel like he was second on the ticket. Obama, meanwhile, stayed with his message: Change.
- Resonance. Obama had the luxury of distance from George W. Bush’s policies. McCain did not. And if McCain tried to create that same distance, Obama would remind us how often McCain voted Bush’s position. You heard it often enough to recite it, too: 90 percent.
- Tactics. Obama successfully employed social media to speak directly to his supporters and, equally important, to get their feedback. He listened. And learned. Obama created a groundswell of support at the micro level and communicated with his base via what insiders call MyBO, or “MyBarackObama.com.” He used email, text messages and Twitter. If you attended an event, he sent an email saying thanks. If a candidate attacked him, he refuted the attack with a video, delivered directly to your inbox. These tactics helped him earn votes. But they also helped him harvest an unprecedented $650 million from more than three million supporters. That war chest allowed him to purchase the ads he needed to win: $160 million on broadcast media, almost $14 million on print, $12 million on digital media. Note that while his social media campaign was phenomenally innovative and effective, he still spent the bulk of his outreach dollars on traditional media.
Applying the Principles
Whether you voted red or blue, remember that branding principles, properly executed, can help you succeed. Know your audience. Speak to their dreams. Create a vision of what you will do. Choose the right message and stay with it. Work tirelessly and well using both traditional and new media tactics. Reach out and energize new customers. Give them the tools to convert others to your product or service.
And once you’ve made the sale, remember to keep building and deepening the relationship. What’s happening now that Obama won the election? The millions who used MyBarackObama to organize 35,000+ groups and host more that 200,000 events are now being encouraged to continue the community, to stay connected, to collaborate, to add members and to move forward. Together.
Winning Is Only the Beginning
Check out the new transition social media site, appropriately named Change.gov. It lets you upload your ideas for the country, apply for a job, check out the developing face of the new administration and more. Want to see images of the election? You can view them on Flickr.
A brand is what people think of you. And that perception constantly shifts. So you must keep building your brand. Every day. It will be interesting to watch Obama these coming weeks and months.
Talk To Us
What social media strategy do you think was most successful in this past campaign?
Urban Spoon
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