Great Holiday Event brings German Village Publicity!

The husband and I were experiencing the early stages of cabin fever yesterday and decided to get out and do something festive.  We ended up going back in time to Germany in the 18oos, where we walked down snowy cobblestone streets with glowing luminaries,  heard Christmas carolers, and stopped into some of the small businesses who offered warm cider, wine and cookies.  Seriously, who knew this kind of merriment still existed?!  Well, it did at the Annual "Village Lights...Shop, Dine & Stroll," which took place in German Village on Sunday December 7th. 

Although reading the cheesy description I just wrote almost made me nauseous, last night it was absolutely perfect.  Getting off the couch, away from the tv & newspaper where all you hear is "economy crisis, layoffs, and bailout plans" was just what we needed.   The recession was actually the perfect reason to attend this free event and spend a few bucks at these independently owned businesses.  So, way to go German Village business community! I know I will be back again soon for dinner, drinks and more shopping.  (And way to go Adam for taking your wife out for a romantic holiday evening.)  

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Macy's is 150 years old.  This retail store started out as a fancy dry good store in 1858.  Today they are a leading retail store with hundreds of brands including celebrity branded merchandise. We're pretty sure everyone has seen the nostalgic advertising campaign they've been running the past few months.  We really like how Macy's has captured iconic moments mentioning Macy's over the years.  For us it resonates long-standing comfort and trustworthiness.

In 1924, the Macy's Day Parade was born.  Originally known as the Macy's Christmas parade, employees of the store and animals from Central Park Zoo started this holiday tradition.  The world famous giant helium balloons were added in 1927 and in 1948 the parade was televised.

A holiday tradition for our family, we will be watching the parade while making Thanksgiving dinner.

Little trivia. . . Did you know how Macy's got their branded iconic star?

Answer:

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Grandview Theatre to Open early January

Renovations, decoration, and plans are being made for the Grandview Theatre (formerly Drexel Grandview) to open and film fans are thrilled!  Residents are also excited about the location re-opening (the image on the right perfectly the nostalgic and charming structure), but concerned about it's longevity.  Marketing is key, as foreign and independent films are a very specific niche. Audience research and awareness are essential for success.  How do you reach the young artsy market?  How can new customers be engaged?  What is unique about Grandview Theatre and how do you capitalize on it?  Will mainstream movies be shown?  Classics?  Who is the largest competition and where do it's clients live?  How do you involved the tight-knit Grandview community? ....  And that is just a start.

Fundraising Luncheon

Friday afternoon we were invited to be guests at the Annual Camp Fire Luncheon and to sit at the table of Camp Fire's President and CEO.  

This one hour lunch was delicious, informative, celebratory, nostalgic and very moving. The room was filled with over 400 captivated people.  Learning about the organization and their impact over the last 80 years was powerful.   Camp Fire really has changed the lives of many central Ohioans. Former campers stay connected and loyal to this non-profit organization and many become camp counselors, advocates, or board members.  

A short video of a few long-time campers being interviewed clearly expressed what Camp Fire means to them and so many others.  The video setting was the beautiful camp grounds.  It made you want to be there, especially when hearing the birds chirping and the young campers singing in the background.

The moving part of the program was when a single mother and her older son told their story. For them Camp Fire was life-changing.  The mother, unable to afford camping, was able to get funding for her son to attend, funding that changed their lives. The mother spoke of how proud she was of her son and of the man he has become.  She tearfully attributed that to his Camp Fire experience.  Her son, now a camp counselor himself, has become a positive role model to current day campers.

After the short heartwarming program their Board Chair spoke of thanks for 80 wonderful years, as well as the desperate needs for the coming years.  Funding is needed to get more children into nature.  It's important for their health.  So many central Ohio kids have never even seen a forest and spend way too much time in front of the TV, computer or video games.

Table captains passed out pledge envelopes and everyone filled them out pledging financial assistance for the next year. Looking around we saw that everyone was writing, getting out check books and wallets.

This simple luncheon and program was an incredibly smart fundraising tool. Having a luncheon lowers the fundraising expense over having a huge gala dinner.  The program was simple, but compelling.  A connection was made with the audience.  Using the nostalgic slide show, short video, and most importantly, the mother and her son had a lasting and powerful impact.  Camp Fire's event was a success.  Many non-profits could learn from this smart, well thought out event.

Thanks to Amy Boyd for allowing us to be guests at her table.  We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and look forward to helping Camp Fire Central as they begin planning their 100th celebration!

O - H . . . . DONATOS

This Saturday the "Shoe" will be filled with scarlet, gray and cheering Buckeye Fans. Yes, Buckeye football is back and this year is promising to be another great season!

During all homes games fans can enjoy Donatos Pizza because just this week a sponsorship agreement was signed for the exclusive vendor rights at the "shoe" - not only for this season but for the next SEVEN years!!

This year marks Donatos 45th birthday. That's right back in 1963 Jim Grote, a college sophomore at The Ohio State University, put down $1,300 to purchase his dream—a small pizzeria on Thurman Avenue in Columbus, Ohio.

It's nice to see this pizza story come full circle - from being a student at OSU to becoming the exclusive pizza not only at the Shoe but also the Schott (for the last 10 years). We think a great nostalgic advertising campaign would be extremely successful in this town. It's too great a story and we're not sure many people know it. Researching the site and learning the human interest history made us want to purchase our next pizza at Donatos to support a local Buckeye.

Once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye and this Buckeye has done good - over 200 stores in five states!

Hamptons Moving in to the Old Estradas

After months of stalking my old King Ave stomping grounds trying to figure out what was going to happen to the Estrada's property, the mystery has been solved.... Hampton's on King. B. Hampton's, formerly located a few blocks away on 3rd Avenue, will now reap the benefits of the old Estrada's patio.

For me personally, this is a bittersweet change. I was the longest employed worker at Estrada's through college and afterward, and will always cherish the 8 years I spent learning from and having a blast with my other dad, Ray Estrada. Ray passed away in March of 2007 after a disastrous house fire. The strange part of this story (well actually there are many strange parts) is that a few years ago Ray asked me to help him spruce up the place to increase the winter-time business. We walked down to B. Hamptons to have a few beers and take notes on the scene; clearly Hampton's was doing something right. The next day we painted the dining room mahogany, hung up art and did our best to create a bar atmosphere. It looked great but still maintained the hole-in-the-wall feel that people loved (and many hated).

I came very close to taking over the restaurant after it became too much for his son to handle, so it's hard to see it become someone else's. But at the same time, Hamptons on King seems to fit well.

Now, if only they hired columbus imPRessions to help get some exposure- the ideas are already flying .. a VIP opening for neighbors, a grand opening, a story in the local papers, advertising, internet marketing... this is a project that I could really be passionate about. It would be such a story-book ending to my Estradas days, that I would be compelled to actually write a book.

Return of the Pink Panther

It looks like the animated character, Pink Panther, is making his return to TV. This time though it's not in an animated short like those in the 60's and 70's. This time he is pushing products - pink products from Owens Corning insulation to Sweet and Low artificial sweetener.

Why would they tag their brands of today to the pink panther from years ago? Because they are both pink? Possibly. But most likely it's because these brands are using nostalgic advertising. The demographic targeted for both of these products is the baby boomers. Pink Panther was very popular when they were younger.

Advertisers are playing on their emotions urging consumers to "remember how good things used to be." With the growing concern and uncertainty of the economy don't be surprised if marketers and advertisers start using nostalgia to encourage consumers to return to the past in hopes they will appeal to their emotions in return for a product purchase.

Wonder how long it will be before the Victoria Secret's Pink Line starts sporting the pink panther on their products?