If some group or organization wants to bring attention to a cause or event, the easiest way to do that is by celebrity endorsement.

If the famous person is well liked, chances of the group or organization’s “ask” being answered (donation, signature, whatever) are probably better.

Celebrities like to do this because many of them are big-hearted and like to help.

The challenge is so many celebrities are supporting so many causes, the message can fade pretty quickly.

To wit (don’t I sound ejukated) the Gulf Coast Oil Disaster – I’m sure there have been telethons and maybe a concert and I’ve been outta that loop (that’s the fade part I spoke about). Doesn’t mean I don’t care, it just means that their message (the event organizer’s message) didn’t resonate with me or get my attention. Theirs is a hard job.

But today I saw a YouTube video freezeframe (that still image that marks where a video screen is located) with Sandra Bullock holding up her index finger. That visual caught my eye and I watched. And I listened. And I thought you might want to too.

Theirs is a hard job – getting the message to everyone – but not an impossible job.

David Airey over at the Logo Design Love blog has a really cool post about all the World Cup logos going back to 1950 whilst announcing the new logo for Brazil, the country hosting the World Cup in 2014.

I crafted a little logo chart below and wanted to ask you the musical question (it’s not really musical by the way): of all the logos, which are your top 3? If you want to talk about why, you certainly can.

Leave your answers in the comment box.

Male Voice Talent Michael Minetree

As a world, we seem to be mostly a proud bunch.

But too much pride can be a bad thing. I know because I am better than you – smarter, better looking, more successful – so I know pride can be a bad thing and conceit is even worse.

Wait a minute…

Anyway, I mention this because I got an email blast from Michael Minetree of MineWurx Studio. In addition to voice work, he’s overseeing a myriad of other projects including voice over directories, isdn directories, voice coaching and web hosting.

It was the web hosting part that he was emailing about. I’ll let you read the whole thing because I think it’s a really great example of how to adapt and change in a transparent way that builds credibility.

We all have to change and we all make missteps. How we make ourselves accountable can determine success or failure. I think the way Michael did this was a major success. Really well done.

In this newsletter:

1) A total slash on pricing – things have gotten El Cheapo – like Unlimited Web Hosting for $4.95 a month…

2) A total shift in policy – now we don’t have one.

3) A complete change in our course of business.

4) A total redesign of the site.

Our hosting site, www.artistwebhosting.com, has been made anew.

1) A shift in Pricing: We have completely removed all limitations on the hosting accounts – now everyone can have unlimited disk space and bandwidth for as little as 4.95 a month. On top of that – unlimited emails, databases and FTP accounts. Now – we are just like the big boys – and even better in some instances. Your web hosting has never been any cheaper. Add free setup and free site transfer to that and you’re looking at a winner.

2) A massive shift in Policy: Gone are the setup fees, gone are the account limitations, gone are the confusing “Tiered Hosting” accounts. All of it – GONE. Now – there are just unlimited accounts – with all the backend server features activated for all of them. No more junk. No more clutter. Wide open accounts. Period.

3) A complete change in course: We’re always ready to admit we made a mistake and change things. The first approach was old and out-dated. We goofed on the concept and figured people would have the time to figure it all out. We were wrong. So we changed it. There’s always room for improvement – so we hope that our new course for the future is the right one. We’re certainly convinced that it’s a whole lot better now.

4) A complete redesign of the site: Last week we sat and looked at the site and realized that the original test design was a bust. Too much data, too many choices and much like most of our newsletters – too much information. The whole damn thing was wrong – from top to bottom. So we scrapped it and went to work on making it better. Because we sit and look at data all the time we kind of lose sight of the fact that not everyone else wants to. This led me to make the site WAY too detailed and forced a lot of the important information off to the side. Not any more. All of the important stuff should be there. Right up front.

We encourage you to go by and take the new site for a test drive. Any of your comments and input will be greatly valued, so valued in fact that we’re offering an additional $3.00 per month off any monthly account to any one of our newsletter subscribers who sends us a little note with their feedback about the new site. $3.00 may not seem like much – but in the world of web hosting – it’s absolutely huge.

We look forward to hearing from you. And look forward to your comments about our new course of direction.

Michael Minetree

MineWurx Studio

www.minewurx.com

(blower) 703-293-8906

ISDN 703-766-1048/1049

Find Great Voices at:

www.minewurx.com/voiceovertalent

Find ISDN Voice Talent at:

www.voiceswithisdn.com

Find Great Web Hosting at:

www.artistwebhosting.com

Find Voice Over Coaching at:

www.thevoiceovercoach.com

My voice over friend Stefania had a blog post that started my wheel house spinning. It was about relationships and how we should treat people.

It begged the question in my head: wouldn’t you really love to know what’s going on inside your client or prospect’s head sometimes?

Wouldn’t that be really helpful when negotiating your fee, for example?

Selfishly, I think we’d all (client and vendor) like that ability sometimes but just for a second, I’d like imagine we COULD know what a client is thinking – specifically about us as service providers. How would we feel about their honest, internal answers that in reality we’ll never know?

Do they think of us as competent or merely convenient?

Are we considered creative or average?

Honest or questionable?

When our transaction is done, will the client be our cheerleader or a backstabber?

The truth and the challenge is, since we cannot know, we can only focus on how we comport ourselves in both word and deed…and how we manage (as Stefania pointed out) relationships.

Or expectations.

Oooo, there’s the question! What do clients expect from us?

Well, great service, great job great value, duh!

But I think more than that, they want attention as part of their contract which I think also means/implies (maybe more importantly) respect.

We are probably polite to clients but are we respectful? Not subservient. Outwardly, buoyantly respectful of their time, talent and treasure.

I think we mostly are but I think we don’t truly think about being respectful, act on it, speak of it. We fall back to….politeness.

I guess I posted this mostly as a reminder to myself. A reminder of the code of conduct I wrote for this company in 2008. A reminder that when all is said and done, people would rather do business with friends and that friendship for me has always been built on mutual respect.

Am I talking crazy?

The Old and New Logos of the YMCA

OK, so the YMCA is in the news for updating their branding and that includes a new logo. I haven’t done a logo post in a while, mostly because I’m probably the only person that enjoys such conversation but in case you find this a fun diversion, here goes:

I have not yet read (as I write this post) the branding statement that the YMCA (or more likely its design agency) has put out describing the logo. Just by the way, I’m usually uneasy about these logo “explanations”; I understand the desire to offer some text clarification to an icon but usually these descriptions sound awful poofy.

So here is my initial opinions of the new mark…I hope YOU will chime in too with your own thoughts, just for the fun of it.

* Overall, I like it better than the old mark but I never really disliked the old YMCA logo

* I would not have gone with that color combination. With me and color, if I wouldn’t normally wear colors together, I think I’d rarely put them in a logo together (especially true of a 2 color logo)

* I wonder if the branding people are going to allow/encourage changes in color of the logo to visually represent the diversity of people who use the Y. That could be a nice creative touch – it could also lead to branding nightmares but that’s not my problem

* The main stem of the Y I think was designed like the play symbol on most audio and video devices (>) to mean play, go, move forward….all reasonable ideas to include for a YMCA logo

* I’m guessing the triangle part of the Y has some heritage meaning since it was a hold over from the old logo. I’d be interested to see if my guess is right

* I think the “the” in the logo is unnecessary. I know the new branding is about just calling the organization “The Y” instead of YMCA but as the organization has noted, people already call it “The Y” and have been doing it for years

* The YMCA at the bottom of the Y is fine

Of note, I have had my very first experience with the Y only this past weekend as my oldest started taking swimming lessons there.

OK, so now let’s look at the Y’s web site and pick out some logo tidbits from their release:

* “The Y’s former logo had been in place since 1967 and was the organization’s sixth since its inception.”

* “Today, across the United States, Ys are making a difference in three key areas of focus:

* Youth Development: Nurturing the potential of every child and teen
* Healthy Living: Improving the nation’s health and well-being
* Social Responsibility: Giving back and providing support to our neighbors”
Editors Note: While it does not reference it directly, I think these three points tie into the triangle part of the logo I mentioned earlier.

* “The refreshed logo, with its multiple color options and new, contemporary look, better reflects the vibrancy of the Y and the diversity of the communities it serves. The new logo’s bold, active and welcoming shape symbolizes the Y’s commitment to personal and social progress. ”
Editors Note: Well, as far as poofy goes, that wasn’t too bad. It mentions multiple color options so I may have locked on to something there (remember my diversity comment; I grabbed some of the variations off the web site). Talks about progress, hence the forward pointing Y stem. If you’re scoring at home, I did OK on this one

Color options for the new YMCA logo

What say you?

Mary McKitrick, female voice talent extraordinaire (or whatever the German translation of extraordinaire is) has gone and done it.

She done went and set up herself a Facebook fan page just like all the utter idjits out there.

Well, y’all better commence to fanning her right quick.

(Note to self: less sugar at dinner)

Some will think this stuff and nonsense but I have been stewing about something for while and it has truly been bugging me.

Facebook Fan Pages.

Specifically, should I have one for my voice over marketing?

I have one for the Voice Over Entrance Exam and I have my own personal Facebook page…but do I need a “Fan” page? Sheesh!

Social Media clearly has a narcissistic component to it. Rarely are you asking people on Twitter or Facebook or LinkedIn or on your blog how they are doing – more likely you are telling people who, what, when, where and how you are doing.

There is no ME in team but there sure is ME in Social Media.

Yet most of us play the game and often times enjoy it especially when there is give and take, usually always pleasant.

But I guess it’s the term Fan Page that has bothered me (I think Facebook is trying to get everyone to call it a Like Page but you’re basically asking for fans or for people to vote that they like you.)

That’s awkward to ask and seems kinda desperate in appearance when the Fan Page is about me (the e-book is a “thing” and it helps people – I have no problem with a Fan Page there).

I have joined a ton of fan pages for other people and never gave it a second thought. No, I didn’t think they were desperate at all because of their Fan Page.

But I look at myself differently. It feels like I am being egotistical if I do this Fan Page thing. The old comic line “But enough about me, what do YOU think of me?” comes to mind. Again…awkward is the word that keeps coming to mind for me.

From a business stand point, it could help me communicate with people on Facebook who are interested in my voice over business (the same reason I participate on LinkedIn and Twitter). That’s the big “Pro” in the “Pro/Con” debate that’s been raging in my cranium literally for months.

Well, ultimately that was the deciding factor for me and shamefully, I am announcing I have a Facebook Fan Page now (talk about burying the lead). Peter K. O’Connell – Male Voice Over Talent is what its called (for the SEO lovers out there). In this context, it sounds as ridiculous as “Peter K. O’Connell – Male Model” but, in for a penny, in for a pound.

We’ll have to see how long I can stomach this. I make no promises.

Thanks for listening.

Is it the partner of sales? Is it the overlord of advertising?

Is it missing from your business? It depends on who you ask.

Does this picture represent Kodak quality?

So my brother-in-law and I are strolling the grounds of the Locust Hill Country Club in Rochester, NY on Sunday enjoying the LPGA Championship there, presented by Wegmans.

A few quick notes – sadly, there are not enormous crowds respecting and enjoying the talents of these great golfers – happily, that makes it easier and more comfortable to get around. This is a MAJOR championship for Ladies Professional Golf Association (like the Masters and the PGA Championship for the men). My father-in-law and I have long agreed that the LPGA tournaments are some of the most enjoyable because of the the access and quality of golf guests experience. Also of note, most of the good merchandise is sold out by Sunday at these tournaments.

But now on to Kodak.

So Kodak was a huge American corporation based in Rochester and in spite of changes to photography that the company didn’t always weather well, the company seems to be enjoying a bit of a resurgence (a quick example, I own and enjoy my Kodak Zi8 video camera which I purchased in the past year based on a presentation I saw by Kodak’s very gracious Jennifer Cisney). This is all great for Kodak and the city of Rochester, NY. I want Kodak to succeed.

They are one of the sponsors of the LPGA Championship and as such had a fairly big tent with the chance for guests to get their picture taken with the LPGA Championship trophy as a free gift. A lady from Kodak stopped us and beckoned us into the tent for a picture and we said sure.

The above photo, taken by Kodak, had us standing in front of a green screen with the trophy on the podium. It was taken by what I assume was Kodak cameras, set up by Kodak staff and assembled on Kodak software to allow the images to be mixed.

Setting aside the obvious – that the two subjects (at least one of them) are not terribly photogenic in the best of circumstances- if you are Kodak, I would assume you would want this cute, silly throw away (possibly) memento to have outstanding photographic quality in reproduction, color, contrast, lighting, framing….the whole deal. Cameras, imaging and photo reproduction are what the Kodak brand is all about.

I looked at the picture and I thought – it looks as if my wife or anybody else could have taken it. It was washed out, the framing was odd (likely because of the background and the logo they put in) and basically I was underwhelmed.

Maybe I am highly critical because I’m more involved in media and marketing than most people. Maybe most people DON’T make the correlation between a photo booth picture and quality imaging and photography…but if they don’t, why would Kodak do the booth?

If you or I host a silly photo booth at a carnival with our little cameras, people aren’t expecting too much. But when you are Kodak – an iconic leader of photography and imaging in the U.S. and the world – I think people do and should expect higher quality and I think if you are Kodak you should want and expect to provide it.

I think Kodak tried to do the right thing here with the booth, I just think the execution needs to be tweaked. I know that it would be difficult to adjust photographic conditions for hundreds of individual photographs…but I think there’s got to be a better way for them to achieve a higher quality product even with a mass assembly line process.

It’s Kodak, it’s America – shouldn’t we expect their best?

Voice Talent Doug Turkel, the UNnouncer

Some folks call them tchotchkes, trinkets, gifts, souvenirs or ad specialties.

They are the presents, usually logoed, that business give to other businesses as a thank you or as a possible long term reminder of a company’s name and brand. Hopefully the gift (pens, hats, flashlights etc.) are useful or at the very least fun.

This came to mind as I was going through my VOICE 2010 bag (yes, I knew I’d get around to it) and saw this gift from UNnouncer Doug Turkel.

The message on the envelope says:

Have you ever needed a surprisingly compact copy stand to use with your mobile recording rig? A minimalist frame to hold that photo you should’ve reconsidered posting on Facebook? Or a convenient place to keep your important list of to-do items front and center?

Yeah, me too. Enjoy.

Creative, different, memorable.

Now you have to go out and think up something for your business? Or do you have an idea you’d like to share with the class?