Last night was a big night for the Sarasota Film Festival (SFF) and for Next-Mark. The festival announced their line-up for this year’s festival during a gala for premiere sponsors at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, attended by Next-Mark’s Steve Wroczynski, Director of Creative Strategy, and Joe Grano, President.  Next-Mark’s graphic design work was featured prominently throughout the event space.

View all 222 films in the SFF line-up by visiting the SFF Film Guide. The line-up includes the films below as well as narrative feature, documentation feature, and independent visions competitions:

• Opening Night Film: BLACKFISH, directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite
• Closing Night Film: FRANCES HA, directed by Noah Baumbach
• Centerpiece Films: THE SPECTACTULAR NOW, directed by James Ponsoldt and RUNNING FROM CRAZY, directed by Barbara Kopple

Tickets are on sale this Friday, March 15th, at 11:00 AM for the general public and may be purchased online via the SFF website, on mobile devices using SAMY, or in person at the SFF box office located within the Regal Hollywood 20 at 1993 Main Street.

The 15th Annual Sarasota Film Festival will take place April 5-14, 2013.  Events will be held throughout the Festival at some of the most beautiful and exclusive venues in the Sarasota area, allowing celebrities, filmmakers, film enthusiasts, media and even student filmmakers to experience what happens when Hollywood hits the beach.

Our new newsletter, “The Next Big Thing in 2013,” is now available for download. In our latest edition, you’ll find links to timely articles on marketing trends for the year, as well as a little news of our own. Download the newsletter (pdf).

Recently, an article, “Why Butler Basketball Holds The Key To Organizational Success,” on Forbes.com talked about Butler University’s amazing basketball program success. In just a few years and without vast resources and budgets, Butler has risen to national attention.  A Final Four darling, this Indiana institution came within an eyelash of defeating perennial powerhouse Duke for a national championship in 2010.

Reminiscent of another small Indiana basketball program, featured in the iconic film, “Hoosiers,” Butler relies on the essence of teamwork to succeed: the Butler Way.  It strikes us that what works on the court will work in business as well.

Among the principles cited are: humility, passion and a commitment to excellence, unity, servanthood (making teammates better) and thankfulness (learning from every circumstance). Furthermore, it is demanded of all Butler coaches and players that they live these core values, place the well-being of teammates before individual desires, embrace the process of growth and demonstrate toughness in every circumstance.

A focus on, and dogged adherence to, these success elements can bring a business endeavor to the same pinnacle – a peak some may view as unlikely, but which may not be unlikely at all.  And that’s a business advantage.

As Norman Dale, the coach in “Hoosiers” preached:  “Five fingers: one hand. Team, team, team.”  Butler is showing us the way.

(Author’s note: Small bias here, my son is a freshman business major at Butler – enjoying college life and learning a lot about business and sportsmanship too!).

Forbes recently divulged the following “5 Surprising Marketing Trends for 2013.” Though the article was targeted at small businesses and entrepreneurs, there just may be something for organizations of all sizes to learn in this look ahead.

1. Smarter social media

They’re preaching to the choir here, but we agree that not all social media sources are suited to every industry. Theoretically, according to Forbes, this will be the year when small businesses “become confident and adept enough at social media integration to pick the specific platforms that make the most sense for their business.” (Hopefully, others will follow, thinking before engaging and wasting time on sometimes half-hearted efforts that produce no return.)

2. Simplicity will reign supreme

Pushed to the edge of overstimulation by bright, flashy, complicated input, consumers in 2013 supposedly will respond to marketing strategies that re not only simple in nature, but promote goods and services that serve to simplify the individual’s life, or even just their customer experience. (Fingers crossed. We know we, at least, would enjoy a rest from glitz and Gangnam.)

3. Campaign-based marketing ill take a break

According to Forbes, the problem with focusing on a tactic that involves a set group of marketing activities and processes centered on one theme is that it operates on a company-based timeline. As consumers operate in real-time, the theory goes, social media and web sites will become the primary drivers of marketing in 2013. (For our nickel, marketing campaigns often can make good sense unless they detract from, or dilute, the power of the brand.)

4. Marketing will be more tied to revenue generation

In 2013, it is envisioned, marketing’s worth will start being weighed against sales growth vs. lead generation. This could entirely change marketing’s key performance indicators, according to Forbes, and lead to more effective marketing altogether. (Music to our ears. As a business strategy company, as well as a communications firm, we’ve always measured ourselves by the impact of our work on our clients’ growth and profitability.)

5. Mobile will get its due

Based on the fact that more people purchased smartphones than PCs in 2012, Forbes sees mobile strategy as a “bigger, boler line item on every major marketer’s strategy this year.” (As in social media, the trick will be knowing when to jump in and how best to do it.)

So there you have it:  Marketing in 2013 will be smart, simple, real-time, sales-focused and available on your phone.

Easy enough, huh? Not really. But we can help. Give us a buzz and get 2013 off to a roaring start for your company

It’s interesting that companies that never would advertise in a publication outside their target market will still jump feet first into every social media network they can find. This enthusiasm can leave them treading in water or being pulled under in quicksand – while no one notices.

But how do you know which network is right for your business or organization?

The answer is found in finding the outlets that reach your market and suit your content. And even if they all do that in some shape or form, it still my involve tailoring to suit specific audiences on the varied sites.

It can be complicated, but a recent article on the Ragan’s Health Communications News site recently provided some research tips, including:

• Facebook Insights – If you are the owner of a business page on Facebook, the Insights tool will give you data on age, gender, location, new “likes,” “like” sources (mobile, timeline, on-page) and more.

• LinkedIn Follower Insights – If you are the owner of your company’s LinkedIn page, you can get information on career levels, industries, job functions and locations of your connections.

• Followerwonk – Twitter doesn’t provide follower data, but this free tool can break down your Twitter followers by location, gender, social influence and language, and show the most frequently used terms in their profiles and tweets.

• Google Analytics – Among other features, this platform allows you to sort by social referrals with the Traffic tab, seeing which pieces of your content were shared and which drove visitors to your site.

The article also suggested a little competitive research, allowing you to learn from others’ social network savvy (or lack of same). And Pew Research recently released a report on more specific demographics (i.e. Pinterest users are mostly women; Facebook users generally under 50).

So there are a lot of things you can do on your own. Or you can ask us for help. We’ll be happy to assist you in making the most of social networking.

Most likely.

Do you have expertise in your industry? Do you have useful information that would appeal to clients and prospects? Can your product or service resolve a problem or challenge they face?

If the answer is “yes,” white papers can be an integral component in establishing your market leadership and drawing users to your web site to order or download them.

In that regard, here are some tips for creating effective white paper content:

– Save readers’ time by succinctly explaining a specific challenge that exists, i.e. a new regulatory mandate, and advising them how to successfully address it. You don’t have to name your own product or service – often it’s best not to – but you can show how its unique features and benefits are integral to the solution.

– The topic, in and of itself, may be boring (laws and regulations generally aren’t written to entertain), but the impact is not – or you wouldn’t be writing about it. Take the subject to the personal/corporate level with examples and just overall good writing.

– Break it up. Charts, graphs and quotes not only pull the reader through the copy but also highlight key points.

– Start with an outline, which is approved by all appropriate persons before writing begins. There are many ways to attack one subject, and opinions can vary on key points. An outline provides the writer(s) with a clear goal and manages the expectations of the client/manager.

There’s more, of course, but this is a start. If you need help initiating or maintaining a store of white papers, give us a call. We stand ready to help.

If you’re a college football fan, right now you’re probably going through some major withdrawal. Thanks to a stroke or two of genius from the creatives at Pixar, though, you now have a worthy goal to pursue in the offseason:  admission to Monsters University!

The spot Pixar is running to promote its summer prequel to Monsters, Inc. is part parody, part inspiration, all monsterously perfect.

You’ve seen the sweeping, sun-drenched campus aerial shots before. Again and again, from every team’s school during every college game ever. But which school is this? The first clue is the bloated green hand that’s writing an equation on glass (probably Dr. Rufus Oozeman’s, from the School of Engineering). Then there’s the MU flag in the distance, with the eye from the Monsters, Inc. logo. But the real payoff is our first glimpse of a real monster whose first word of dialogue is “I”. And she has three eyes. Get it?

This is just a brilliant way to grab viewers’ attention, suck them into a false world of humorous wonder, and deliver them directly to the gates of the fake college website of MU. As we speak, high school seniors and their parents are counting the days until the college admissions decisions come out in April. Now everyone will be counting the hours until the release of Monsters University (June 21st, according to IMDB).

For the record (school transcript?), here’s the script of the spot:

“Imagine an education where extraordinary comes standard, and the power that drives us can’t be contained. Where those who embrace their history become those who create it.

Imagine a university where I… where I… where I (eye?) can be unique… in a family of thousands. Where I can love to learn… and learn what I love.

Your future is knocking. Open the door. Monsters University.”

Here’s some good news for those of you who can’t walk past a university store without buying some gear. The store on the MU website sells real stuff. It’s run, in real life (wherever that is), by DisneyStore.com.

See you during admit weekend! In the meantime, go get a quick marketing education now at http://monstersuniversity.com/edu.

Here’s some good news for those of you who can’t walk past a university store without buying some gear. The store on the MU website sells real stuff. It’s run, in real life (wherever that is), by DisneyStore.com.

See you during admit weekend! In the meantime, go get a quick marketing education now at http://monstersuniversity.com/edu.

Dusting off its crystal ball, PR Daily recently made six public relations and social media predictions for 2013. They are (with our thoughts included):

1. LinkedIn is the new Facebook, and companies will increasingly recognize its marketing potential. Also, as adoption and activity on LinkedIn surge, journalists will spend more time using the platform for research, identifying sources and breaking stories. (We say: The networking opportunity is great, as well.) 2. Governments will go social. The 2012 election generated record-breaking activity on Twitter. In 2013, social media will see an increase in political conversations, driving its adoption as a news source for citizens and traditional media. (We say: Even if you don’t fit in this picture, it’s always good to be where people are talking.)

3. The reputable journalist is revived. The rise of blogging and social media has increased the volume of online news and the speed at which it’s available, often at the expense of responsible reporting. The “citizen journalist’s” 15 minutes of fame are running out and information-overloaded consumers will demand a higher standard of reporting. (We say: Hurray!)

4. PR goes mobile. PR practitioners have learned to draft compelling email pitch subject lines and deliver a message in 140 characters. The next step will be crafting mobile-friendly content as millions of consumers and journalists use their phones as their primary news source. (We say: Simplicity + substance + brevity will drive effective communications.)

5. Pictures tell the story. The rise of infographics, photo sharing and visual storytelling will push PR pros and their clients to deploy messages visually in order to compete in a crowded content market. (We say: As visual content grows in the digital space, the traditional storyboard will become even more important.)

6. PR wins the social media battle. The debate over which corporate discipline (i.e. PR, marketing, advertising) “owns” social media is over. As more businesses recognize the opportunities and threats social media present to their reputation, they will turn to PR pros who can manage the dialog between an organization and the public, achieving results that directly impact the bottom line. (We say: Good. Many companies have gone unguarded too long.)

So what do YOU think? Agree? Disagree? Talk among yourselves.

Don’t miss our latest newsletter, “Thirteen Thoughts for 2013,” please download here.

At the risk of being a downer this happy holiday season, now is the time to think about bad news. That is, to think about avoiding bad news in the coming year.

Every organization has vulnerabilities for criticism – deserved and unwarranted. What if those vulnerabilities became public knowledge?

If you wait until the sky falls, you’ll likely waste the all-important first few minutes or hours covering your head and running in circles. If you acknowledge potential crises now, you can make the easy fixes and prepare to address the more difficult situations.

So make a “I wish this never happens” list and give us a call. We can help you take care and prepare – and tie a nice little bow on your corporate peace of mind.