Have any of you seen the movie North? Roger Ebert said, “North is a bad film – one of the worst movies ever made” (and Siskel agreed). I sheepishly admit that I liked it. It’s about a kid who sues his parents so that he can be a free agent and have potential new parents try to woo him. I think the reason that so many people found the movie so distasteful was that North, the main character, has an exceptionally good life–and this makes light of the fact that there are so many real-life kids who really could use legal help to get out of truly terrible situations. Luckily, there’s a real-life organization to help them. It’s called the Juvenile Law Center. They are a Philadelphia, PA based non-profit that “plays a leadership role nationally and in Pennsylvania in shaping and using the law on behalf of children in the child welfare and justice systems to promote fairness, prevent harm, secure access to appropriate services, and ensure a smooth transition from adolescence to adulthood.”
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We live in a world of data. Everything from the prices on financial markets to our weights can be measured and tracked very easily. Even an average person can use easily accessible online tools to fake being a “data scientist.” But what about data that isn’t obviously data? I’m talking about stuff that isn’t neatly sorted into rows and columns–the kind of stuff that you’d have to painstakingly tabulate by hand. We now have technology that can do the hard work for us, and one of the companies behind such technology is ListenLogic. They are a Conshohocken, PA based company that extracts “insights from unstructured big data to drive business outcomes.” Their “big data” technology allows clients to act on information that they never before could have acted on.
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If you’ve been looking for a job for any amount of time, you’ve probably interacted with dozens of applicant tracking systems. In case you’re not aware, they’re the software that companies use to post jobs and… track applicants. A lot of them suck for the end user (you), but a few offer pretty good experiences. One of the better ones is The Resumator. They’re a Pittsburgh, PA and San Francisco, CA based company that helps “great people build great companies” by bringing “talented professionals and compelling companies together.”
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Some things are better left to professionals… plumbing, cutting hair, roofing, and setting off fireworks. I know that a lot of you would prefer to do the latter on your own, but professional shows are not only more spectacular, but also much safer. Zambelli Fireworks is one of the big names in professional pyrotechnics, and the experience that the New Castle, PA based company offers “can be seen in the faces of the spectators and heard in the oohs and ahs of the crowd.” There’s a chance that you’ll see their work tonight, but if you can’t, you can check out the Zambelli portfolio. The company doesn’t have a jobs page, but you can always reach out to see if there are any internship opportunities.
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I wrote a lot of research papers in college, which means that I spent a lot of time poring over academic journals, research papers, and even primary sources. While there is something kind of fun about digging to find facts to support your thesis, I can’t say that I miss it. But I’m sure that there are plenty of you would absolutely love it if you could spend all day searching for sources on ProQuest. In case you’re not familiar with them, they’re an Ann Arbor, MI based company that “is committed to empowering researchers and librarians around the world.” They do this through a variety of products and services that will help you find the information that you need. When Google can’t find what you’re looking for, there’s a decent chance that ProQuest can.
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I’ve been married nearly 9 months now. Slowly more and more people are asking, “When are you going to have kids?” Getting a puppy deflected a little bit of attention, but it’s only going to gain in intensity. If we do eventually give into the pressure, we’ll face a time in our lives that makes preparing for a puppy seem like nothing. That’s why it should be no surprise that the expecting parent market is absolutely huge. In fact, Destination Maternity Corporation, which is based in Philadelphia, PA, does $500 million in annual sales as “the world’s leading maternity apparel retailer.” Yes, a single company (albeit with quite a few brands) can generate half a billion dollars in revenue selling clothes for pregnant women.
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Chocolate and Valentine’s Day are the perfect couple. Whether you’re looking for a gift for your sweetheart or a way to stop feeling lonely, chocolate is the answer. And if we’re talking about chocolate and romance, it’s hard to think of a more romantic chocolatier than Godiva–I mean their logo is a naked lady on a horse. While the company originated in Belgium nearly 90 years ago, it is now headquartered in New York, NY and does all of its U.S. production in Reading, PA. They’ve also opened close to 300 retail locations across the country.
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Last week we talked about brand experiences. They can happen at any scale, but typically bigger brands want to create bigger experiences. The battle for mindshare is only getting fiercer, and that means companies are going all out to get people to pay attention to them. TV, radio, and online are great channels, but it’s hard to beat in person. That’s exactly what Sparks specializes in. They are a Philadelphia, PA based agency that “creates dyanmic brand experiences anywhere in the world a customer engages with your brand.” They’re operating at the highest level and working with the biggest brands–names like Google, LG, the New York Times, Motorola, Dropbox, and HP.
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I’ve always thought that it was weird that big companies use one agency for advertising on tv, another for PR, another for interactive, and probably three more for other types of marketing. We’re seeing more and more “integrated” agencies, but what that means depends on the agency. Tierney is a Philadelphia, PA based agency that does advertising, PR, media, interactive, crisis management, and branding. Their tagline is “Divisions, yes. Divided, no.” They’ve been doing it this way for a long time, so it’s not like they slapped a bunch of independent pieces together and called it integrated.
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I don’t remember what methods my teachers used to teach me how to read, but I do remember that it all came together on while my family was traveling to Florida on a train for vacation. For me it felt like a binary thing–one minute I couldn’t read, and the next minute I could. I’ll assume that’s the desired outcome, even though we all known that literacy is much more of a progression. The progression happens more quickly with the right methods, and that’s what the Children’s Literacy Initiative is about. They are a Philadelphia, PA based non-profit “that works with teachers to transform instruction so that children can become powerful readers, writers and thinkers.” While most literacy focused non-profits work directly with children who are learning to read, CLI ensures that the people working with those children are properly prepared for such an important job.
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We usually think of advertising geniuses as the people who come up with the creative, but the media side (where you show the ad) is often just as or even more important. Everyone has noticed a disastrous ad placement, but how many of us take note when a marketing message appears in the right place at the right time? The people at Crossmedia certainly do. They are a New York, NY based (with offices in LA, Philly, and Germany) “independent channel-driven agency delivering communications planning, media services and international account management.” They offer a variety of services that are built with “an equal mix of business, media and agency performance.”
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I went to a pre-Thanksgiving party last night. I didn’t eat a crazy amount, but I definitely had my fill of turkey, stuffing, and plenty of other delicious dishes. Over the next month and a half many of us will fight to not overeat, which makes it easy to forget how many people go hungry this time of year (and all times of year for that matter). The numbers are mind-boggling. In the Delaware River valley alone, there are nearly a million people facing hunger on a daily basis. Philabundance is a Philadelphia, PA based organization that holds the “simple belief that no man, woman or child should go hungry.” They do this by providing emergency food and services to people in 9 counties across Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
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I grew up in Fairfield County, Connecticut. If it’s not the preppiest place on earth, it’s pretty close. And in case that wasn’t enough, I went to a private school where wearing a blazer was required. I thought that wearing pink pants and pants with little animals on them was totally normal. Working for Orvis in Vermont for a few summers only reinforced that feeling (and gave me a sweet discount on buying more of said merchandise). It wasn’t until I moved to Chicago that I started to tone it down a bit (I still don’t own a pair of jeans though). But what if you wanted to go the opposite direction? What if you moved from Chicago to Connecticut and wanted to fit in? You’d have to shop at Lilly Pulitzer. They are a King of Prussia, PA based fashion brand and retailer (with dozens of locations across the country) that is known for its over the top, colorful prints.
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InvestmentNews is our sponsor this week, and they would like to tell you about their NextGen Virtual Career Fair on November 8th. It’s an awesome opportunity for students and interns to network and find finance jobs on the spot.
I often find charity events frustrating. It’s not the events themselves that bother me–it’s the auctions and raffles. Non-profits have an amazing ability to get all kinds of high value donations (which should be the hard part), but they completely fail when it comes to extracting as much value as possible out of those donations. It could be an inexperienced auctioneer, poorly priced raffle tickets, a confusing silent auction, or a complicated payment process. Technology can solve a lot of these problems, and that’s exactly what BidPal has done. They’re an Indianapolis, IN based company that “improves charitable fundraising events from start to finish with event management solutions, automated auctions, payment processing, online fundraising, consulting services, and much, much more.” BidPal actually came in at #74 on this year’s Inc. 5000 with 4,323% three-year growth to $10.2 million in revenue.
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When my sister and I were kids, our parents would sometimes take us to a toy store and let us pick out something that we wanted (often after doctor and dentist visits–bribery works). I would almost always pick out action figures (G.I. Joes and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), while my sister would almost always pick some sort of art kit. Even though I never really liked art, I was always a little jealous that she had some sort of cool project to work on. I don’t remember which specific products she bought, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them were from ArtSkills. They are an Easton, PA based company “with a commitment to bringing quality and innovative poster making and art materials to [their] customers.”
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Some people can flat out sell. Give them any product, and they’ll convince people to hand over money for it. When these kinds of people are paired with great products in a market that they’re familiar with, the magic really happens. Think Billy Mays. He had a formula for finding, developing, and marketing household products that you’d never buy without his influence. Stroll is a Philadelphia, PA based company with a similar ability to sell and market; however, they’re solely focused on consumer education products. The company’s mission is “to transform lives by discovering the world’s best educational products and turning them into best-sellers.” Apparently they’re succeeding–Stroll made the Inc. 5000 with 424% thee-year growth to $84.9 million in revenue.
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Almost all of are here (in the United States) because of immigration. Whether it was you, your parents, your grandparents, or a passenger on The Mayflower, someone in your family decided that he or she wanted a better life and left a lot behind to come here. How long you’ve been here doesn’t really matter. What does matter is what you’re going to do while you’re here; however, being new to the country brings a lot of challenge. Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanians is a Philadelphia, PA based non-profit that “connects newly arrived individuals from around the world with the economic opportunities that they need to succeed.” The Center has been around for a decade now, and in that time they’ve helped more than 8,000 people from well over 100 countries.
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The last time that I picked up a hard copy newspaper was because I was in it. I consume almost all of my news online, and I don’t even have much loyalty to a particular source. I guess it’s people like me who have ruined the news business, but I’m not going to change. The news businesses that adapt and innovate are the ones that have the best shot of being around in a decade. Digital First Media might be one of them. They are a New York, NY based group of companies that has more than “800 multi-platform products” that reach “61 million Americans each month across 18 states.” They’re still all about the news, but they realize that an outlet can only continue to put out quality content when it is backed by a solid business.
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Everybody thinks that they need a revolutionary, unique idea to start a business. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. It’s often much better to do something well than to do something new. That thought has been reinforced by reading about Beyond Spots & Dots. They’re a Pittsburgh, PA based “full service advertising agency dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients.” They’ve only been around since 2006, but they saw 151% three-year growth between 2008 and 2011 to $3 million in revenue. There are probably thousands of agencies in the U.S. that offer similar services, and even dozens or hundreds in Pittsburgh, yet Beyond Spots & Dots has still found a path to growth.
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Have you ever looked up a doctor online? When you type the name into Google, you’re often inundated with useless results (kind of like when you’re job searching). There are “reviews” that aren’t really reviews, and “information” pages that don’t offer any useful information. While most doctors prefer to focus on medicine over marketing, the truth is that a successful practice requires a continuous flow of new and returning patients. The Internet will continue to play a larger role in how people find doctors, and Treatspace wants to ensure that patients accurate, helpful information. That’s why the Pittsburgh, PA based company is focused on putting “facts online that connect providers, patients, and health professionals.”
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A wedding is a perfect example of how live music brings people together. I got married last night, but I’m writing this beforehand, so I can’t tell you how good the live music was. But I’ll bet that young and old were hitting the dancing floor together. Since we can’t go to wedding every weekend (though it can start to feel like that sometimes), we have to seek live music elsewhere. Levitt Pavilions is a non-profit organization that provides exactly that. They are a Los Angeles, CA based non-profit that “partners with cities to build and transform outdoor music venues into community treasures.” There is actually a Levitt Pavilion in the town that I went to high school in, though I must admit that I’ve never been. I assumed that it was just a local thing, but today I learned that there are six Levitt Pavilions across the country (Los Angeles and Pasadena, CA; Westport, CT.; Bethlehem, PA.; Memphis, TN.; and Arlington, TX).
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One of my favorite episodes of The Office is when Michael Scott tells his employees to pack a swimsuit for a leadership training trip, and then takes them on a “booze cruise” on Lake Wallenpaupack in January. The staff are obviously pissed at Michael, but for the most part end up having a good time. I’ve been on a few evening cruises, and I’ve always had a great time. I guess that is why Entertainment Cruises is doing so well. They’re a company with “26 vessels serving eight cities with six unique cruise products.” Entertainment Cruises’ offerings range from fine dining and dancing to speedboat tours, with a lot in between. They currently operate fleets in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, New Jersey, New York, Norfolk, Philadelphia, and Washington DC.
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Over the weekend I wrote about how important parental involvement is for our education system. I might have been wrong. Today I learned that parents are completely replaceable–and by robots nonetheless. When I first came across 4moms, I thought it might be a later April Fool’s joke, but they’re a totally for real Pittsburgh, PA based company that is “dedicated to finding innovative solutions that make parenting tasks easier and more enjoyable for families all over the globe.” That’s a nice way of saying that they’re building a future in which parents are obsolete. Ok, I’ve completely overplayed the robots thing, but it’s really cool to see how 4moms has used to technology to overcome some of the more frustrating parts of parenting young children.
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About 10 years ago I walked into a random McDonald’s in upstate New York and was shocked to see that the menus were on flat screen TVs. I’d never seen that before, and this was the last place I would have expected to see it (I’m pretty sure this was a test McDonald’s or something). Today digital displays are cheap and everywhere, as they provide an easy way to communicate messages that might change over time or require interactivity. At least it’s supposed to be easy, but technology often gets in the way of itself. Industry Weapon is a Pittsburgh, PA based company that offers a platform called CommandCenterHD that makes controlling digital media simple by centralizing and organizing it.
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Yesterday in our post about A+E Networks I told you about all of my favorite reality tv shows. A lot of them are pretty embarrassing, but I have no qualms about telling people I watch Top Chef. It’s a great show (sidenote: I swear I saw Beverly Kim from last season at Whole Foods yesterday). This week was the start of a two episode “Restaurant Wars.” The rules change from season to season, but typically the cheftestants have to come up with a restaurant concept and build it from scratch in just a few days. Everything gets supplied by sponsors, but if that wasn’t the case they might want to check out The WEBstaurant Store. They’re a Lancaster, PA based company that offers an “innovative, easy-to-use website to meet the purchasing needs of food service professionals throughout the United States and Canada.”
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I don’t put a lot of stock in business awards (though the lists can be great ways to learn about new companies) because so many of them are total fluff. But when I see that over the past three years a marketing agency was named one of Forbes’ Ten Great Ad Agencies 2012, one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in Advertising & Marketing, and OMMA’s Agency of the Year, I take notice. Mullen is a Boston, MA based agency with offices in San Francisco, CA, Winston-Salem, NC, Pittsburgh, PA, Detroit, MI, and New York, NY that is “on a mission to work with the world’s most innovative marketers.” They offer the full range of services including brand planning, content development, design, PR, analytics, user experience design, and much more.
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Here’s a fun exercise. Step back and think about every gift that you gave or asked for this holiday season. Now think about the marketing messages that affected those decisions. A lot of people seem to think that they’re impervious to most marketing tactics, but the stats say otherwise. That’s good news for companies like Engauge. They’re “a full-service marketing agency” that helps grow their “clients’ businesses by leveraging creativity and technology to connect brands and consumers through the most relevant content and channels.” They’re based in Atlanta, GA with offices in Columbus, OH, Orlando, FL, and Pittsburgh, PA. Engauge launched in 2007 and has already grown to nearly 300 people.
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I haven’t had someone read a book to me in years. The last time that I can remember was my Senior year in high school. We had our annual K-12 holiday assembly, and one of the school’s most beloved teachers read us ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. That’s a great story to be read no matter how old you are. In fact, “reading aloud with children is the single most important activity for helping them become successful readers.” That’s why when you read with a child… Everybody Wins!. Everybody Wins! is a Wellesley, MA based non-profit (with affiliates all across the country) that is aiming to “help bridge the literacy gap.”
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An agency is only as good as its work. That’s why I look for ones whose website are light on buzzwords and heavy on showing off what they’ve done. Not surprisingly, that’s exactly what employers want from you. Less talk, more show. There aren’t many words on the 160over90 website. When you land on their home page you can either choose “Our Work” or “Our Agency.” That’s why I like the Philadelphia, PA based branding agency. They tell their story the same way that they tell their clients’ stories. They show. The only part that seems to be missing is an explanation of what 160over90 means.
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There’s about a 70% chance that you found us through Google. That’s by design. I’ve learned that search is by far the best way to reach job seekers, so I’ve invested a ton of time, money, and effort into my SEO strategy. So far I’ve done it mostly on my own (with the help of a few awesome interns), but if I ever get to the point where I need to hire an agency, I’ll look for one that is aligned with the people in the industry whom I trust. SEER Interactive definitely clears that hurdle (I’ve even heard their Founder called “quite brilliant” by one of the best in the industry). SEER Interactive is a Philadelphia, PA based online marketing agency that specializes in SEO, SEM, Analytics, and Conversion Optimization. I actually decided to take a closer look at SEER after I got a link request e-mail that they sent out for one of their clients. (Honestly, I think the the request could have been better, but it stood out from most of the crap I get.)
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