The Black Swan

As a child, my father would often try to explain his job and teach me about how the stock market works. I would always get lost in his example of trading fictitious pencils and erasers, but the part about bull and bear markets – or upward and downward trends – made sense. Bulls were rambunctious and bears lumbered, plain enough.

So, I was surprised while reading The Wall Street Journal when I came across an entirely new term, “black swan,” to describe drastic market upheavals, such as the Sept. 11 attacks, Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the 1987 stock market crash – wait, I thought that was “Black Monday” – OK, this is all becoming very confusing.

The article described that the term black swan hails from the historic belief that all swans are white – a claim that was obviously false when European explorers discovered black swans in Australia.

The gist: Anything is possible. In fact, big surprises are more common than people think.

This notion caused me to think about the current upheaval in media and communications, largely wrought by the rise of the Internet. Newsrooms are shrinking, user-generated content continues to dominate online channels, and now Facebook has launched Places as a new location tracking service, the likes of Gowalla and Foursquare, to find friends and share your location with the rest of the world. But that’s a whole other blog post!

Stock market investors have the benefit of hindsight in knowing that financial markets will ebb and flow, and also rebound from dramatic black swan-type events. But not since the printing press have we experienced such dramatic change in communications. What will become of this current upheaval in the way we distribute and share information?

I imagine that more is to come in mobile communications and that both traditional and new media content sources will need to be even savvier at delivering news and information to small-format devices. I also expect the ongoing convergence of home entertainment and computing technology – whether it’s broadcast-quality TV from our laptops or computing from our flat screens. This is one thing that “Back to the Future II” got right.

Regardless, it’s safe to say that media and communications are in for continued black swan moments and that we shouldn’t expect a return to the past with a bear market any time soon.

So as PR professionals, this constant change translates into a new way of doing business. We cannot rely exclusively on a toolkit of proven best practices. To stay ahead of our industry’s own black swan moment, we need to continue to evolve our skills and use new and emerging resources to the best of our ability to meet the needs of our clients.

As an example of this new paradigm, our client Qdoba Mexican Grill recently launched a new campaign to fight burrito boredom – check it out! The campaign combines word-of-mouth marketing with online surveys and social media to keep burritos top-of-mind – a good example of how our jobs are evolving to get you (and reporters) to think differently about new and existing products and services.

(Source: Kim, Jan J., The Wall Street Journal, "Preparing For The Next 'Black Swan'," Aug. 21-22, 2010.)

~ Kimmie Greene

The Safety Pin

My little brother got married in May. Ten minutes before he was set to walk down the aisle, his pants broke. Wide open. As you can imagine, it was a melee trying to find a solution so he could make it down the aisle, say his “I Dos” and find a longer-term option for the reception. We searched high and low for a seamstress that we could pull out of the pew for a quick mend, but apparently there wasn’t one on the guest list. In a last ditch effort; we opted for the thing that always holds things together when you are in a pinch – the safety pin.

It’s an amazing little invention, the safety pin. It’s not ostentatious, doesn’t command the limelight and always seems to appear just when you need it the most. In a nutshell - it fixes things.

I wish every company had a job description for a safety pin.

As I look at the team at GroundFloor Media, I am reminded how invaluable these character traits are in a person and a colleague. Who is the safety pin in your office? On your team? In your life? Take a moment and send that person thanks for always keeping it together and for fixing things when nothing else seems to work.

You might even give them a small safety pin as a token of thanks for who they are and what they do for you. They may not light up in the same way they would should you show up with a bouquet of sunflowers, but once you take the time to explain it, it may mean far more than you could ever imagine.

~ Laura Love

Do the Right Thing

In between what has seemed like nonstop client crises and dealing with some serious things in my personal life, I’ve been reminded frequently over the past several weeks that simply doing the right thing is highly underrated.

It sounds simple, right? Just do the right thing. But in the business world and even in our personal lives, it’s very easy to let selfishness, profits or that next big promotion, drive our actions rather than focusing on what is right. Some might argue that “right” and “wrong” have different meanings to different people, but I would say that’s just a way of complicating a very simple concept.

Does the “right thing” mean waiting for regulators in your industry to implement new standards, and then complying fully with the new regulations? Or is it taking a look at your business, proactively, and setting your own standards despite what your competitors are doing or how it might affect your bottom line?

If one of your employees is going through a tough stretch personally, is it enough to provide personal days, as outlined in your employee handbook, so he/she can sort things out? Or do you pull the employee aside and really ask him/her “what can I do for you and how can we help you get through this?”

Real life examples of this concept are outlined extremely well in a book that I started re-reading this week. Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman is the business biography of Yvon Chouinard, founder and owner of Patagonia. It’s a compelling story of how the outdoor clothing/gear business was built, almost by accident, and how the closest thing he had to a business plan for decades was this: Patagonia and its employees have the means and the will to prove to the rest of the business world that doing the right thing makes for good and profitable business. It’s a great read for business owners, managers or anyone who might need a little perspective on how doing the right thing doesn’t have to be difficult.

Call it karma, the Golden Rule or simply doing good… whatever it is, we could all benefit from taking a step back a little more frequently and asking ourselves “what is the right thing to do?”

- Jim

Revisiting PR101 -- Messaging

I have been involved in a lot of messaging projects lately. Be it drafting key messages to help a client with issues management or building general messaging for a client from the ground up, it’s been a primary focus for many of my clients over the past few months. Which got me thinking about messaging – and why it matters in the first place.

We know we need messaging – it’s a basic tenet of PR. But does it really matter? Can’t we just wing it? Not advisable. Winging it can lead us down all sorts of tricky rabbit holes. So, here is a friendly reminder of some of the reasons that having solid messaging in place is of the utmost importance.

Key messages…
• Allow you to concisely articulate your company’s benefits
• Keep you focused
• Provide consistent positioning throughout all communications efforts
• Help you tailor your comments to specific audiences during media interviews
• Help you define not only who you are, but who you aren’t
• Highlight differentiation without bashing the competition or giving them a voice
• Allow you to measure success of communications efforts

I actually think messaging may be one of my favorite PR projects. To help a client nail down its story in a clear and concise way is a fun challenge. Sometimes it’s daunting at the outset, but once you conduct the interviews needed, cull through the loads of information gathered, and really hone in on those “nuggets” that define and differentiate your client, it’s very satisfying. And when you can take a crisis situation and distill it down to the key points you need to address, the crisis becomes less overwhelming and somehow more manageable.

Of course, messaging is never really finished – your company’s messages are always evolving and need regular updating and revisiting. At GroundFloor Media, we’re practicing what we preach and are revisiting our own key messages. In fact, we conducted a message development session for ourselves just last week. We all gathered in the conference room and went through the same steps that we take with clients – and came up with some great results.

That process is very reassuring because those key messages can come in handy. Two great case study examples from PRWeek include:
• Clear identification emerges as a focal point of messaging (Dec. 1, 2009)
• Consistent message helps P&G in diaper rash crisis (June 18, 2010)

When was the last time you took a look at your key messages? It may be time for a refresh. Or, if your answer is “never,” it’s definitely time to put that foundation in place.

~Amanda Brannum

What's Growing in Boulder County? Hint: The Natural Food Industry.

Last week the Republic (of Boulder) earned a front page business story in The Sunday Denver Post titled “Boulder: Where innovation is hip.” It touted four industry leaders, including software, biotechnology, natural foods, and outdoor products as the front runners in thriving startups.

In the natural foods sector, Boulder has given birth to Alfalfa’s, Wild Oats, and Celestial Seasonings. Although all three of these companies were purchased by out-of-state rivals, they were able to blossom in the New West. There are hundreds of businesses reaping the benefits of launching in Boulder County, like Justin’s Nut Butter, Rudi’s Organic Bakery, EVOL Burritos, Fiona’s Granola, to name a few.

I liked what Frances Draper, executive director of the Boulder Economic Council, had to say: “The message to companies is if you want to be cutting edge, you want to have some of your operations in the Denver metro area. It’s a cool place to be.”

Boulder is cool. Very cool. GroundFloor Media was founded in Boulder in 2001. Due to our employee base, we made the move to Denver in 2005 but have fond memories of our little house off Pearl Street. We weathered the storm of 2008-2009 due to our startup/entrepreneurial mentality and like-minded food & beverage partners who took chances and tried new things, including local favorite Qdoba Mexican Grill and a new luscious snacksquare called goodnessKnows™ by Mars.

It’s not hard to see why Colorado, and Boulder in particular, is attracting startups and churning out new products in the natural food industry. Plus it is the perfect test market for functional foods. If a new product can make it in Boulder, it can make it anywhere. (That might even be trademarked) On the communications front, these businesses have great stories to tell via traditional media, social media, experiential marketing and influencer networking.

It is hard to believe it is August 2010. Colorado business leaders are predicting growth in the state economy, according to the most recent quarterly Leeds Business Confidence Index, released mid-July by the University of Colorado at Boulder Leeds School of Business. You can bet the natural foods industry is impacting these numbers. I’d like to say this is good news without holding my breath or whispering the word recession.

And with that, I guess it is time for a mid-afternoon snack break of Justin’s Chocolate Almond Butter on an apple from SunFlower Farms. California can have Silicon Valley. We live in an outdoor playground backed by the Flatirons that lends itself to new ideas and tomorrow’s next big _________. Go ahead, fill in the blank and dream a little…it may become a reality in Boulder.

Resources:
• Naturally Boulder
• Boulder Innovation Center
• New Hope Natural Media
• Downtown Boulder Business Improvement District
• Boulder Chamber of Commerce
• Boulder Small Business Development Center

Finding Your PR Pause Button

Stepping back to make time for community involvement

As a busy PR professional it can be really easy to get wrapped up in your own professional and personal obligations. We are so busy planning events, chasing the “big hit,” and trying to stay on the bleeding edge of a lightening fast industry—not to mention raise families and maintain friendships—that months, or even years can go by without noticing that you haven’t made much time for those who are less fortunate.

I will admit to being one of those busy PR professionals as of late, which is why I am extremely grateful for the community awareness GroundFloor Media has reenergized in me personally. For example, last week we got to spend time with a group of brave and strong young women that GFM sponsored for an Outward Bound Urban Adventure program. Our agency sponsored the girls so they could spend two days backpacking around Denver and participating in both team building and community service projects. They finished their adventure by coming to our office for lunch from Qdoba and participating in a round table discussion of challenges and successes in life, as well as the importance of finding a mentor and volunteering in the community.

The Outward Bound Urban Adventure group enjoys lunch at GroundFloor Media's offices 

The short time I spent listening to and talking with the girls, who ranged in age from 12-18, was powerful for me because I realized that each of them were at a real tipping point when it comes to community service. The longer you wait to get involved, the busier you get, and the easier it becomes to make various excuses—I have too much homework, work is too hectic, or my weekends are for my family.  I wanted to share this personal realization with the hope that it might motivate even one more busy PR professional to step away from it all for just a few hours each month in order to lend a hand in the community.

I have a passion for the elderly and so I am getting ready to begin my Denver nonprofit journey by donating my time to Jeremy Bloom’s Wish of a Lifetime organization. While I couldn’t be more excited, I can also fully understand how hard it is to find the time to take a first step towards better community involvement. At GFM I am also lucky enough to be surrounded by team members who dedicate countless hours to various organizations and have fantastic, real-world advice for how to get started here in Denver.  What’s the GFM consensus? Take advantage of at least one of the many leadership programs in town to meet other community-conscious professionals and get inspired to give back along the way.

A few examples of leadership programs that GFM employees have either graduated from or are participating in now include:

• Downtown Denver Partnership Leadership Program
• Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation
• CBCA Leadership Arts
• Leadership Boulder County

I challenge you to find your personal passion to give back to the community. How will you make a difference?

~Alexis Anzalone

Planning for the Inevitable

Four Things Business Owners Should Consider for Succession Planning

Entrepreneurs spend a lot of time talking about the trials and tribulations of trying to build a successful business, but rarely do you hear us espouse on the importance of planning for when we might exit our business. I am not talking about the infamous "exit strategy" and selling for multiples of EBITDA. I am gently referring to the inevitable "exit." I don’t care if you are 40 years old or 80 years young, if you are a business owner you should make sure you have planned for the worst. On average, 45% of a business owner’s net worth is tied up in the business (LIMRA International, Small Business Owners 2005 Report). While it may sound like a grim topic, the death of a small business owner could lead to internal turmoil, customer erosion and disruption in revenue flow. Quite simply -- planning just seems like the smart thing to do, but only 26% of small business owners have some type of succession plan in place. (LIMRA International, Small Business Owners 2005 Report)

So, where do you start? There are several important elements to help you plan for the unexpected and how you go about it depends upon the ownership structure of your business and your intentions. I am a far cry from a lawyer, but my partner and I have spent time talking about the options and putting plans into place. Some options you might consider include:

1. Have you granted a key manager a limited power of attorney so that he or she has the authority to make decisions and continue operating the business?

2. If you have a business partner(s), do you have a buy-sell agreement in place? You can look at a cross-purchase plan, in which each of you owns a life insurance policy on the other so that the partner can use the death benefit to purchase your share of the business. You can also consider an entity purchase or stock redemption plan.

3. Perhaps you should establish an advisory committee to act in the immediate days and months afterward? If your company has several executive level employees, this committee could be given the authority to make key decisions by consensus until a stronger team is in place.

4. Several entrepreneurs I know have established an employee stock ownership plan to insure that a buyer is available when the inevitable happens.

No one likes thinking about their mortality, and entrepreneurs are no exception. But these simple planning tools will ensure the continuation of the company you worked hard to build, while offering your staff, bankers, clients and partners an important sense of security.

Here’s to hoping we never have to put these plans into action.

~ Laura Love

Don't overlook this viable media tactic: Bylined/op-ed article

In June, I wrote about the importance of developing a communications plan and including key tactics in it for both traditional and non-traditional media. While there are numerous PR vehicles that organizations can implement as part of their strategy, it’s worth remembering a tried and true PR tactic that often gets overlooked – the bylined/op-ed article.

I would agree that sending out press releases and pitching targeted story ideas to the media (particularly as an exclusive) are powerful media tactics – especially when your strategy is on target. Yet with these tactics, you are banking on the editor/reporter to “bite” and write about it within the timeframe your client expects. However, in the instance of a bylined/op-ed piece, you are submitting a finished article to the media that is authored by a key spokesperson in your company and that hopefully has a longer shelf life.

Developing a bylined/op-ed article requires a sound strategy, and there are numerous benefits. Bylines and op-ed pieces allow you to position your company as an industry thought leader, differentiate your company from competitors, take a stance on issues important to your company and its mission, and communicate and control the message you want to deliver.

Many media outlets – including local community papers – accept and publish bylined/op-ed articles as a way to add perspective to their publications. Submitting one is rather easy: most newspapers have a general editorial e-mail address. The address is typically listed in the editorial section of the newspaper or online under the “contact us” section. If you can’t find an e-mail address, give the newspaper a call and ask there preferred method for receiving an op-ed.

Recently, we have found that even if the print addition is too “full” to accept an op-ed piece, the publication will often publish it online. There is still a benefit to this as you can re-purpose it across your social media networks and share with your company’s key constituencies, business partners, etc.

In the spirit of sharing, I wanted to provide a few examples of bylined/op-ed articles that GroundFloor Media has secured for its clients. Two of these were developed in direct response to published news (child poverty rates and an obesity survey) and one was part of a larger media strategy to support a client’s annual event.

Tennyson Center for Children: The Denver Post

LiveWell Colorado: The Denver Post

The Colorado Health Foundation*: The Gazette

*Additionally, The Denver Post, Summit Daily News and Fountain Valley News ran the piece.

~ Jen Wills

Perfect is Overrated

As the self-proclaimed perfectionist at GFM (and I think everyone else has noticed, too), I was actually relieved to see Seth Godin proclaim in his blog that “Perfect is overrated” and “Perfect doesn’t scale, either.” He makes a great point…

The questions we ask each other every day shape the answers we receive. For instance, if I ask one of our team members, “How is the media pitching going?” – s/he is likely to tell me about the challenges s/he is having getting media to bite on the story at hand. However, if I ask, “What’s up?” – I’m much more likely to hear about the positive things going on in their lives and accounts.

We shouldn’t expect perfection, and we shouldn’t set people up to always have to tell us what’s not perfect. Life is too short, and there are too many small victories to celebrate to always dwell on the challenges. So here’s to focusing on the positive and forgiving imperfection!

~Ramonna

Moving Forward or Backward

The impact of Internet on the way we process information

Last week Nicholas Carr, author of The Shallows: What the Internet is doing to our brains, was in Denver for a reading at the Tattered Cover. I was first introduced to Carr via his Rough Type blog. Before his book tour and high-profile reviews in the New York Times and elsewhere, he would often write about cloud computing, privacy issues and other tech concerns covered in his earlier book, Does IT Matter?

The Shallows expands beyond technology services and leadership to discuss the impact of technology, namely the Internet, on the way we think and consume information. Wow! Who knew that all of my Google alerts, Skype calls, eBay messages, Digsby and Outlook updates could be changing the way I think? Actually, I did.

For the past few years, each new application that I added to my computer or iPhone would make me stop (sometimes abruptly) to figure out a new way to manage my online life – resulting in new distractions and also impacting my offline time. Rarely would I have uninterrupted time to dedicate to work or personal projects, unless of course, I committed the desperate move of turning off all of my gadgets.

Why are we so easily distracted by our technology?

Carr addresses this question in The Shallows and begins his discussion back in the 15th Century with the development of the printing press. Carr argues that the rise of the Internet in late-20th Century was equally as significant as the introduction of the printing press. The Internet inundates us with distractions and we are now faced with a barrage of information.

This juggling act provides greater access to information than ever before, but also relegates us to a constant state of short-term information management. We are no longer encouraged to engage in deeper thought or introspection, making it harder for us to commit all of this information to long-term memory and distinguish between trivial vs. important details.

So, how do we get back to a place where we can take the positives of both the book and Internet to create greater balance? Carr suggests personal discipline, but also increasing awareness of the Internet as a tool and not as a way of life. I realize though that not everyone has the option to disconnect – particularly in the PR world where reporters are often on deadline and news is available 24 hours a day. But, if we cherish more offline time, Carr recommended that we back away from our keyboards and practice calmer thinking, while also using the Internet as a ready-reference for information and channel to connect instantly with friends, family and peers.

So, in that vein, I’m writing this blog post while on vacation in Crested Butte. Yes, it would have been nice if I had finished it while still in the office, but baby steps. I’ve now turned off my e-mail alerts, declined all meetings and have a frothy latte in front of me while I reflect on Carr’s comments from last week and share them with you all. Tomorrow, I’ll try not to turn on my computer at all – wish me luck!

~ Kimmie Greene

Social Media in the Health Care World

GroundFloor Media works with a number of clients in the health care arena. As with all of our clients across widely varying industries, social media is a big topic of conversation with the health care groups we advise. However, health care organizations face a number of somewhat unique challenges when it comes to social media – including HIPAA (privacy) and security concerns, as well as making sure that any medical information shared online is understood to be general information as opposed to specific medical advice. Therefore, it is very understandable when health care organizations have reservations about jumping into the world of social media.

With this in mind I am always on the lookout for best practices and articles related to the use of social media in the health care field. I recently came across a couple of interesting reports regarding the use of social media – Experian Simmons’ 2010 Social Networking Report and another by the Nielsen Co. research firm – both of which reinforced for me how important it is for all of our clients – health care or otherwise – to find ways to overcome the perceived barriers and engage in this “brave new online world.” Both studies cited impressive numbers regarding the continued rise in popularity of social media sites. For instance, according to the Experian Simmons study:
• 66 percent of online Americans use social networking sites today, up from just 20 percent in 2007.

• Two-thirds of all online adults today have visited a social networking site in the last 30 days, up from 53 percent in 2008 and 20 percent in 2007.

• 43 percent of those who access social media sites report that they visit them multiple times per day.

And according to Nielsen:
• The number of global consumers visiting social network or blog sites increased by 24 percent in the last year.

• The average visitor spent 66 percent more time on these sites in April 2010 than in April 2009, almost six hours in April 2010 versus three and a half hours a year ago.

There are several outstanding examples of health care organizations that are really setting the bar when it comes to the use of social media. Perhaps not surprisingly, one of those is the Mayo Clinic. Under the direction of Lee Aase, Mayo Clinic's manager of social media and syndication, Mayo has developed a very impressive social media presence with numerous blogs, as well as a presence on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

However, Mayo is by no means the only great example. Two colleagues recently shared the following examples of health care organizations getting it “right”:
• Philadelphia’s Fox Chase Cancer Center’s “Love Versus Cancer” campaign

• UAB is the Place to Be

Both highlight how health care organizations can get really creative – and make a big impact – with social media. Do they spark any ideas for you?

~Amanda Brannum

Social Media Reality Check

Taking a Practical Approach to ‘Outta the Box’ Thinking 

Participating in creative “blue sky” brainstorms is one of my favorite parts of my job. I love hearing my colleagues’ ideas while also watching them react and dissect the ideas I throw against the preverbal wall. Lately many of GroundFloor Media’s (GFM) brainstorms have focused solely on the social media efforts of our clients, and as we start to look ahead to 2011 for many of our accounts, the emphasis on creating dynamic digital strategies continues to grow.

Through this process however, I am reminded that sometimes we, as creative PR and marketing professionals, need to step back for a moment and make sure that our ideas are still rooted in practicality—budget, team bandwidth, resources and the target audiences’ needs and expectations. At GFM that often means aligning ourselves with brilliant partners in the areas where we are not experts so that when we dream up a “crazy” idea about launching an augmented reality iPhone application, someone can walk us through the true cost associated with building and maintaining such a complex technology.

It is easy to get swept up in the excitement around the newest and sexiest social media tools—hey, it happens to the best of us. So below I’ve reflected on recent examples of when it was necessary to “pause” the high-speed social media brainstorm train to make sure the we were actually staying on track to the final (i.e. the client) destination.

Mobile
“Let’s launch an iPhone app” is a phrase uttered during countless brainstorms today. However, do you really understand the cost, commitment and content that are needed to develop a truly unique and experiential application? Are the majority of your end-users even using Smartphones? Do they want to access information about your company, product or service while on the go? These are basic questions you should ask, as they provide a general framework of the research you need to do before leaping into a mobile application recommendation.

Hyperlocal
“We should launch a Foursquare promotion!” Hyperlocal tools and news sources like Foursquare, Gowalla and Examiner.com are fun to use and are expanding to offer many exciting tools for marketers. But like the example above, is a company really ready for a full-blown Foursquare “Mayor” promotion if customers aren’t even engaged with them on Twitter or Facebook yet? It’s important to make sure that we aren’t pushing our clients into phase two or three of a social media program before they’ve fully committed to phase one. A better use of time might be to really focus for another six to nine months on creating a flurry of organic and steady engagement on the “basic” social media platforms before diving into the more niche applications that are frequently visited by early adopters.

Private Communities
“If you build it they will come,” is a famous phrase, but not always relevant in the world of private online communities and groups. Custom social networks such as Ning.com (now a paid service) and LinkedIn Groups offer people an online area to gather and interact within a moderated setting. But before you dive in to create one it’s imperative that you really think about the bandwidth and resources it takes to keep a custom community updated and relevant. Can someone log in daily to respond to posts and questions? Will original content be created weekly and will it be different enough to stand apart from your other social media efforts on Facebook, Twitter or a company website? Is your audience passionate about connecting with other likeminded people about your product or service? Custom communities offer a “sky is the limit” approach to marketing creativity, but realistically you want to make sure enough people will be there to listen to make it worth the investment.

As a social media enthusiast, my goal is to learn about and embrace, albeit just personally at times, as many social media tools as I can. Teammates and clients alike rely on personal enthusiasts in the social media space to keep them up to speed on the latest trends in order to help shape future programs. However, as PR practitioners, we must take responsibility for bringing a practical approach to our creative recommendations—which sometimes means saying “no” to a trend or tool we’ve been eager to put into practice. In the long run, everyone benefits from a social media reality check before diving in.

- Alexis Anzalone  

Can I Really Impact Denver?

That was one of the questions that ran through my head on January 14th, as I entered the first day of the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation’s (DMCLF) Impact Denver class. I also wondered what could little ole’ me have to offer to the community? How will I make an impact and what exactly does that mean? Although I fully understand the power that people can have within their community, I was a bit unsure of my ability to make a difference beyond my company or my family.

During the past six months the DMCLF staff organized information-filled classes about issues and topics that impact our local community. My classmates and I heard from various speaker including Tom Clark, executive vice president, Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation; James Mejía, CEO, Denver Preschool Program; Anne Warhover, president & CEO, The Colorado Health Foundation; Jamie Van Leeuwen, former project manager, Denver’s Road Home; KieAnn Brownell, president, Metro Denver Sports Commission; and Councilman Michael Hancock, Denver City Council, District 11. Topics ranged from education and health and wellness, to sports and culture, to community service and board involvement. Regardless of the topic the message was always the same – the only way to make an impact is to get involved. By the end of each class the question was no longer, “will I make an impact,” but instead “how can I not?”

On our final day of class, Councilman Hancock asked one thing – forgo an hour of ‘me time’ each month and give that hour back to the community. Recently, The Denver Business Journal published an article about Denver ranking 12th among 51 large U.S. metro areas for volunteering. On average, Denver residents donated about 40.4 hours of volunteer community service a year, representing $1.6 billion a year in labor. Imagine the impact that would be made if each of us upped the ante and gave one hour of time each week and also financially committed to supporting one charity – maybe Denver would then be propelled to #1 on this list?

Last Thursday, the Denver Metro Chamber Leadership Foundation graduated 49 members of the 2010 class of Impact Denver. In addition to realizing that I can make an impact, I will forever be bonded to my classmates through our shared experiences in our class and our future endeavors in our community. On graduation day, we voted on our class project. As a class, we have committed to using our time and talent to assist Denver Public Schools, Slow Food Denver, Sprout City Farms and it various partners in the launch of its school garden and school farm pilot program at McGlone Elementary. Over the next year, the Impact Denver 2010 class has committed to our hour per month, what are you willing to do?

~ Kristina

Food With Benefits: Do We Care About the Science Or Are We Just Suckers for Good Marketing?

We are bombarded with conflicting and confusing information about health and nutrition every time we click on media, pick up the paper or drive around town. Billions of dollars are dedicated to food research each year, but that research often takes a long time to trickle down to information consumers can really use. I think we all know we need to eat more fruits and vegetables and probably shouldn’t consume an entire bag of snack-sized chocolates, at least not in one sitting.

When it comes to marketing food with benefits, weeding through the science can be a daunting task.

Here’s an example on the science front from one of our clients. One well-researched and proven natural plant compound which has anticancer activity, sulforaphane, is readily available to everyone in its precursor (sulforaphane glucosinolate, often referred to as SGS) from broccoli sprouts. These sprouts are available in fresh produce sections of supermarkets. And let me tell you, they are great on salads and in sandwiches.

The real question is, do we, the consumer, care?

I attended Naturally Boulder’s Spring Fling last month and heard Michael Funk, chairman of the board for UNFI, a multibillion-dollar company and the largest publicly traded U.S. wholesaler of natural and organic products, speak about trends in functional foods. He said foods within the probiotics/superfruits category are selling very strongly. Gluten-free is also expanding into more categories. He pointed out that people are buying natural and organic for their babies before they buy for themselves. I must raise my hand and say “guilty” on that front. Actually, I think my dogs eat better than I do too.

But what really struck me was when he admitted that media attention is really driving awareness, creating trends and changing consumers’ eating habits.

Who wasn’t sold on milk after the “Got Milk?” campaign exploded on the scene in 1993? I think the campaign has lasted longer than the Energizer Bunny. The fruit and veggie industry should learn from this cornerstone campaign. As marketers, we can’t just sell the science. Science is the proof point but we need to do a better job of telling a story and close the distance from the field to the fork. Consumers are listening.

We all want to eat healthier and do the right thing for our families.

Last fall, GroundFloor Media conducted a media training session for The Children’s Hospital with several nationally known obesity/health and wellness experts. We also interviewed staff from the trenches. When Renee Porter, obesity clinical nurse coordinator, was up, she gave us a tip: “Don’t drink your fruits and vegetables. Drink your milk.” Sounds like a brilliant consumer marketing campaign to me. And I believe the science can back it up.

~ Amy

Taking Downtown by Storm

Last week I had an incredible opportunity to travel to Vancouver to spend 48 hours on the Downtown Denver Partnership’s (DDP) 3rd annual Urban Exploration trip. I had the chance to get to know an entertaining and energetic group of business and community leaders including David Kenney of the The Kenney Group who received the 1st annual Fellowship of the Explorers Award because of his creativity, tenacity, curiosity and longevity, as well as the fact that he hobbled through the entire city with a broken ankle and a smile on his face. As a group, we shared a great deal of caffeine, a few Band-Aids from the long walks and a greater appreciation for the staff of the DDP who managed to herd an extraordinary number of cats around an international city in the midst of a few rain showers.

We were prepared to get a behind-the-scenes look at a number of Downtown Vancouver projects that coincided with a few of the priorities of the Downtown Area Plan and the 2027 committee. “Downtown residential” is the mantra for urban vitality in the new century and we were there to see the city that has often been described as a living example of a successful and vibrant residential downtown. Yes, they had a boost from EXPO ’86 and the 2010 Winter Olympics, but the city did not disappoint.

As a newbie, I walked away understanding more about this beautiful downtown than I do the city I grew up in for the first 18 years of my life. I was struck by Vancouver’s confidence in setting – and maintaining – its priorities. “Living First” has been the strategy for growth in this city since the 80’s. It seems to have a formula that works. A few things to note…

1.) Pedestrians are first. Cyclists are second. Cars? A distant 5th.Vancouver limits the amount of commuters into downtown. There is no freeway system into downtown (which was a surprise) and therefore it forces multiple modes of transportation throughout the city that are all linked together.

2.) The city creates complete neighborhood units. Yes, they have schools, daycares, grocery stores and parks smack in the middle of the places people work and sleep. I considered moving to Downtown Denver several times and the only major reason that I decided against it was because of the lack of families. This is a wonderful goal for our city to continue to keep in mind as it grows.

3.) It creates a rich housing mix of residential and commercial. City planners and developers have also focused on “third places” where people gather after home and work to create a neighborhood. Cafes, art districts, street performers, all make up the mix of living vibrantly.

4.) The use of public space is unsurpassed. The city puts resources into their sidewalks, street art and unique lighting and signage. The sidewalks serve as living rooms. The open space is developed as carefully as the towers and townhomes and the water’s edge is always dedicated to the public.

There are nearly 87,000 residents that live in Downtown Vancouver (compared to Denver’s 10,000) and 40% of those residents walk to work every day. It is no wonder that its carbon footprint is one of the smallest in North America. More than 25% of its residential spaces are designated for families. They have schools, day cares, urban markets, dog parks, bicycle paths and its own gum removal machine (for $5,000 you can have one for your house too!). One of our presenters said, “If you offer residents clean, green, safe and schools, you can give them everything they get by going to the suburbs. They just don’t have to commute.

We left the city impressed by its unique urban design, sustainability efforts and generous hospitality. We will bring back ideas that will be turned into action as we continue to build an even more vibrant Downtown Denver. The best part? We live, work and enjoy a downtown that rivals Vancouver. Our strengths are different, as are our challenges. However, both downtowns share a passion of continuous improvement where, as Tami Door said as we departed, “our people come first.”

~ Laura