Take the Trek

One of the fabulous things about working at GroundFloor Media is that we are committed to working with great clients who have great stories to tell. And that’s not just lip service. That’s why it’s been so wonderful to work with the Denver Story Trek – the epitome of having great stories to tell!

If you haven’t checked it out yet, visit www.denverstorytrek.org to choose your trek through some of the best kept secrets in Denver. The landmark “hubs” of the Trek include the Molly Brown House Museum, Four Mile Historic Park, Black American West Museum, Byers-Evans House Museum and Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art. And while all of these establishments are well worth the visit, there are so many things to see along the way as well – like the Stoiberhof Mansion, which reveals a second Denver connection to the Titanic through mysterious passenger Hugh Rood, who lived in this mansion just blocks away from the Unsinkable Margaret “Molly” Brown.

The coolest thing about the Denver Story Trek, in my opinion, is the Trek Connect feature. By dialing in on your mobile phone, you can listen to stories along the Trek and record your own memories. There are nearly 40 recorded stories to choose from (and the list is growing), all with a unique perspective on Denver’s rich heritage. Go ahead, call in to share your story and become part of history!

TYKES ON TRIKES (and other wheels, too!)

One of our favorite non-profit partners, The Tennyson Center for Children (www.childabuse.org), is launching a huge initiative around the presidential election. If you have kids, get them involved by writing their first letter to the new president. "Dear Mr. New President" is a new Children's Letter Writing Contest that allows kid to have their voices heard in this most important election season. This contest is open to all children 18 years or younger and the top three entries will be given their awards and invited to read their letters aloud on the steps of the Colorado State Capital on Saturday, August 16 during the "Tykes on Trikes" parade at Denver's Civic Center Park. All entries will be forwarded to the presidential campaigns of both candidates. To submit a letter or to find out more, click here: Dear Mr. New President contest

So what is TYKES ON TRIKES (and other wheels, too!)? Hundreds of kids and families will celebrate kids at Denver's Civic Center Park on Saturday, August 16 at 9:00 a.m. With Denver being the center the American political arena and national media attention in late August, Colorado children’s groups are standing together in unity for the welfare and future of the children of our state with a powerful message to candidates running for public office. Denver’s Mayor John Hickenlooper and First Lady Helen Thorpe, along with other dignitaries will lead Children on decorated tricycles, bikes, scooters, wheelchairs and wagons from Denver’s City & County Building, down Bannock Street and 14th Avenue to the west steps on the lawn of the Colorado State Capitol. Once gathered on the lawn of the Capitol, leading elected officials will speak to the importance of this campaign, followed by a series of fun events for young and old alike.

This is a non-partisan, 501(c)3 public education event so come out and join and don't forget your Big Wheels!

- Laura

YELP! (No I didn't just cut myself, I've joined a new online community!)

Several months ago I attended a PR conference for GroundFloor Media client Morton's The Steakhouse. One of the sessions focused on social media, and one of the speakers was Andrea from Yelp.com, an online community where people can review almost anything in their local community (think restaurants, salons, shops - even banks and museums). I have to admit that when the session kicked off I had never even heard of Yelp.com and I was still just dipping my toe into the social media pool. But - after hearing Andrea speak I was intrigued and earlier this month I set up my own Yelp account.

After only a few weeks in the Yelp community I am Yelping every chance I get! To date I've Yelped about restaurants, my dog's veterinarian, local shops that I adore and even landmarks in New York City including Ellis Island and The Top of the Rock! And, beyond what I can share with others, what I'm learning from the Yelp community is tremendous. I've already established some new Yelp friends, determined that I live smack dab between the two best restaurants in Denver for fried chicken (hello, larger pant size), and I'm starting to dive a little deeper into the social media pool which is fantastically refreshing!

See here for a link to my personal Yelp reviews. Whether you decide to become a Yelper or simply want to lurk around on Yelp to find the best fried chicken in your neighborhood, I suggest that you give Yelp a try. Enjoy!

Recent reviews by Carissa M.

What's this?

Small Businesses and Social Networks

When people find out that we have a social media practice at GroundFloor Media, their first question almost always concerns social networking. Should I be using social networks to market my business? If so, which ones? And once I'm on a social network, how do I use it to attract new customers?

All good questions and a recent Forbes.com article offers some good advice for small business owners who are pondering taking the social networking plunge.

Be sure to check out the slide show on how to build your social network too.

Creative Campaigns That Actually Work

I think its safe to say that the majority of GFMers are suckers for super creative, out-of-the-box, thank-god-I'm-not-one-of-the-models marketing and PR campaigns. We love reading about them, we love brainstorming for them, we love executing them and we love pushing our clients out of their comfort zones. Of course, we do have one big caveat... the campaigns have to actually work. Unleashing street teams in clown costumes might sound creative (This is just an example. We never did a campaign involving clowns. Ever.), but it doesn't mean squat if it doesn't meet your overall program objectives.

Through the years, I've had the opportunity to witness and participate in many such campaigns. (You can read about one of my personal favorites during the launch of Coors Light's Cold Activated Bottle here.) Yesterday I stumbled across another one by Chik-Fil-A. If you missed it on your calendar, last Friday was Cow Appreciation Day at Chik-Fil-A restaurants across the country. The one-day promotion, an extension of its popular "Eat Mor Chikin" campaign, promised free meals to anyone who showed up a Chik-Fil-A restaurant wearing a cow costume. Apparently, the results were great and allowed Chik-Fil-A to capture many great snapshots of their customers in full moo regalia. MediaPost has a great write-up on the campaign here.

What about you? Do you have any favorite creative campaigns that actually delivered results? I'd love to hear about them!

Owen's Wish Comes True (in a galaxy not so far away...)

Thank you very much to everyone who has been sending get-well wishes to my son Owen over the past several months. We are very excited that his latest scans look great with no new cancer since the end of chemo. As many of you know, Owen was diagnosed with a malignant form of kidney cancer that had metastasized and spread to a couple of other spots in his body…but the surgery, radiation and chemotherapy have been effective and he is doing very well. Yaay, Owen! I truly appreciate how much support Lisa and I have gotten from so many people during this – from family, friends, current colleagues, former colleagues and friends of GroundFloor.

Our Make-a-Wish trip to Disneyworld for Star Wars weekend was fantastic and Owen had so much fun. He and Sela got to meet Darth Vader and Princess Leia and Anakin and so many other Star Wars characters. Owen even got to go on the Star Wars ride with the entire Star Wars Cantina Band!

Thank you to everyone at Make-a-Wish and Disney who put so much time and effort into making this an unforgettable experience for Owen. The chapter here in Portland (OR) has done so much for our family and for other families we have met at the children’s hospitals here…and I have heard wonderful stories about the wishes that the Denver chapter has granted as well.

For your viewing enjoyment, here are some photos of Owen’s Wish trip and of him playing with some of the goodies he got during his adventure. He’s pretty darn cute, huh?

--Rich (Miller)

Therapy Garden Healing the “Lost”

This past Saturday I visited a therapy garden with Cheryl Preheim of KUSA (NBC) at an organization called Lost and Found (www.lostandfoundinc.org). We were met at the front door by Loren Lichti, a counselor/therapist and an avid gardener. Lost and Found’s Transitional Living Program (TLP) emancipation program is based in Arvada and gives residential treatment support to emancipating youth who’ve typically come from the “system” (foster care, social services and/or youth corrections). The therapy garden was made possible by a $3,000 grant from the Colorado Garden Show.

Loren has worked with the young men in the TLP program to develop a therapy garden that includes natural space for one-on-one and group sessions. The garden has been carefully designed to incorporate flowers, vegetable and fruit bearing plants, bird houses/feeders/baths and seating areas. It is a vast improvement from the formerly weed-infested area. Loren told us it has been a slow process getting the guys outside to work with him in the garden. “Initially, the guys just watched, but after a few days, they decided to get their hands dirty and now they work in the garden 2-3 hours per day.” We spoke with several of the youth that morning which all have a tough story from serious addictions to broken families to mental health problems. One youth walked me through the garden and showed me various peppers and onions in his plot. He didn’t want to be on camera but mentioned he once thought gardening was for women but had changed his mind. “Now that my garden is growing, I kind of like coming out here. It is peaceful and I can think.”

Therapeutically speaking, remarkable things have happened in the attitudes and hearts of these young men. Loren shared a story about a young man who asked him how long the garden paths they created would exist as he wanted to know if, when he had a wife and kids, he could bring them back to show them the path he built. It was decided that all the garden paths would be named after the youth who built the path. Each path has a sign with the youth’s name, even the ones who have left. “It is kind of cool that when I leave a piece of me will be remembered here in the garden,” a youth told me.

It was an eye-opening experience to speak with these youth. I went home and hugged my kids. I also thanked my parents.

To learn more, check out the segment and interview with Cheryl Preheim here.

~Amy M.

Customer Service at its Finest

I love Seth Godin's blog, and his recent post about customer service is definitely worth sharing.

Enjoy...

When you least expect it.

I sent in a t-shirt order to Customlink a few weeks ago. Three days later, I got a note from someone named Lori that said, "Hi Seth,I noticed that you have designed shirts that appear to be for a charity event. If that’s the case, CustomInk would love to make a small donation to your team or to the charity itself on your behalf. Please let me know if your order is for one of these events. If you would like us to pitch in and support your cause, please include information about your charity event, a link if you have one or the organization’s name if there is no link to a team web page."

That's it. No policy, no standard operating procedure, no promise in advance. Just plain generosity.
It turns out that Customink does this as a matter of course, regardless of whether the customer has a blog or not. They don't do it as an inducement, they just do it.

Formula: The value of a perk is inversely related to the expectation of that perk.

Have a great Independence Day!

~Ramonna

HARO Happy Hour

Last weekend I had the pleasure of meeting the illustrious Peter Shankman in person. He was kind enough to host a public relations gathering Saturday night while he was in Denver. I’m happy to report that Peter is as witty as his e-mails suggest, and he is a genuinely nice person. The Denver-ites had a lovely time playing pool and sipping cocktails at the Wynkoop Brewing Company. If you’re on Facebook, you can check out the photos at http://tinyurl.com/6ekdlz. While you’re there, you can become a fan of HARO (Help a Reporter Out), too! All of the PR folks I know rave about the leads they get from this free service from Peter.
~Ramonna

One Last Post About Online Viral Video...

Yes, I've written about online viral video twice in the past three weeks, but I can't help it. Blame it on Gatorade and NewTeeVee, not me. I've already admitted hundreds of posts ago that I was addicted to social media and yes, viral video is a big part of that addiction. So here is one last fix that I'd like to share with you and then I promise to switch to a new drug of choice (Twitter perhaps?).

Our friends at NPR's Talk of the Nation just did a great show focused on online viral video. Called Behind the Viral Video: What's Fake, What's Real, host Neal Conan and his guests explore how videos like the Gatorade one are able to become to popular. Take a listen here. It's about 30 minutes long, but it's worth it.

Okay, now I'm off to viral video rehab.