Best of the Holiday eCards

'Tis the season for electronic holiday greetings. We've posted our own "smashing" video card below, along with links to a few other favorites.



Check these out for some more holiday joy!

• American Airlines 
• Haynes and Boone
• World Famous Inc.

Lessons from a Bell Ringer

Ring-a-ling, ring-a-ling. "Merry Christmas!" So went the refrain this morning outside Macy's at Eastview Mall in Victor, N.Y., where McDougall Travers Collins manned a famous red kettle.

Aside from raising a considerable amount of donations for the Salvation Army, we were struck by how much some simple bell ringing -- when done with conviction -- can provide insights into marketing any product or service. 

1. Vary your volume. See those prospects in row 15 of the parking lot? Amplify that ring... make them notice you from afar, so they're ready to give (buy!) when they reach the destination. As they draw near, turn it down a notch, giving them a break from the otherwise earsplitting cacophony. 

2.  Mix up your rhythm. Who wants to hear the same ring pattern time and time again? Throw in a little variety to keep the message fresh, and to prevent your audiences from tuning out. 

3. Find a prop. Sleigh bells? Nah, we went with an old school dinner bell from home. Its silver plating, deep wooden handle, and loud (LOUD!), deep tone made quite an impression versus the standard issue equipment. That, as you might expect, led to more than a few questions, which allowed us to...

4. ... Engage in conversation. Bell ringing is the 18th-century version of social media -- you're not just asking for a dollar or some coins, but trying to strike up a discussion. Once your audience knows there's some substance behind that smile, they're more like to give a little more. 

5. Say thank you to everyone. Everyone, whether they give or not, receives a heartfelt thank you. They've taken the time to listen, whether they wanted to or not, and maybe -- just maybe -- they'll make that donation at another time.

Jumping out of the metaphorical world for a moment, consider giving of your own time or good fortune this week as the Salvation Army makes its final Red Kettle appeal. Click here to learn more!

Chat with us live!

We've just added a new slew of MTC-led presentations and discussions to our calendar for the end of this year and 2012. Glance to your right, and join us in Rochester, Chicago or Austin over the coming months!

Loser (How to Throw an Awards Competition)

ADDYs. Silver Anvils. Tellys. A Lion or two. Winning awards sometimes seems to be an agency discipline unto itself. I know of at least one large firm who employs a full-time awards coordinator. It’s serious business (well, in the minds of some, at least).

I have one question: With all this firepower, with all of this creativity, with all of these resources, why in the name of all things good and great are the majority of awards entries so lackluster?

OK, you’ve caught me climbing onto my soapbox. But stick around for a moment; as a long-time judge for a number of global, regional and local competitions, I’m trying to help.

Just yesterday, I had the opportunity to serve as a judge for a national competition focused on a conservative but somewhat creative industry. The first few entries were duds — the luck of the draw, we figured. As we dug deeper, the entire lot turned out to be just mediocre or less. This marked the second time in recent months where my fellow judges and I deemed no entrant worthy of an award. There was a trend afoot.

Ignore best practices — no one seems to care. Instead, how about I share a few ways to guarantee that your awards entry is tossed aside? With real examples included, yet masked to protect the not-so-innocent, here we go...

Intrigued? Read my full column at AgencyPost.com, which launched today to to equip communications professionals with information and insights that allow them to innovate and drive their own success.