June 22, 2010 • Atlanta, GA USA – ScanLife’s EZcode brand version of quick response (QR) scan codes will win the defacto standard battle in the United States rather than the QR code first developed – and now ubiquitous – in Japan.

EZcode • Twitter Example (Text SCAN to 43588 for free scanning app)

I agree with Mashable Associate Editor Jennifer Van Grove (6/11/10) writing about City of New York Blankets Times Square with Giant QR Codes:

• Unfortunately, the QR codes miss the mark and don’t provide an optimized experience for scanners on the mobile device – which pretty much, includes the entire target audience.
• These QR codes are certainly impressive to behold and are a nice first try … we hope future endeavors will yield QR codes that provide scanners with much more exciting and mobile-friendly content.

New York City – that’s an “A Plus” for a great innovative idea and great timing with Internet Week 2010; and a “B Minus” for implementation.

Here are my top 10 reasons why EZcodes will be the scan code of choice by U.S. marketers and why the City of New York (“NYC”) should have used EZcodes instead of QR codes in their Times Square buzz-marketing campaign. (In this That’s GREAT! blog post, I have also included a recommendation for ScanBuy to help ensure that their ScanLife EZcode wins the defacto standard in the U.S.)

EZcode v QR Code

1. Analytics. Analytics. Analytics. – When you create EZcodes at ScanLife.com and the codes are scanned with the ScanLife app, ScanBuy provides you with data and analytics (e.g. gender, age, household income, zip code, smart phone model, mobile carrier, number of scans and date scanned). If you use a free QR code generator on the web, you don’t get analytics. Clients – and their Agencies – need data to help evaluate campaigns. (ScanBuy also includes data and analytics for QR and Datamatrix codes created at ScanLife.com and scanned with the ScanBuy app.) Any code created by ScanLife and scanned by the ScanLife app will generate “most data 100 percent of the time; and income and zip date about 10-15% of the time,” according to a representative of ScanBuy. My guess is that NYC used a free QR code generator that does not provide any analytics regarding the scanning of the QR codes in Times Square. [Kindly comment to this blog post, if you know otherwsie ...]
2. Size Matters – EZcodes can be as small as a dime. “Typically QR codes are anywhere from 2x the size of an EZcode to 10x the size of an EZcode, but the QR codes that [ScanLife] generate can always be a minimum of 1 inch,” according to a representative of ScanBuy. Typically, QR codes that are not generated by ScanLife, are larger because the information is include in the code itself (rather than the EZcode that “points to” a database for the content or call-to-action).  Using an EZcode scan code leaves more room in print media to use for something else. “The size of an EZcode does not increase based on the information which it is linked to, while other formats are directly proportional to the amount of data delivered [except when generated by ScanLife],” says a ScanLife in its “EZcode Benefits” brochure. See page 2 of this brochure for a terrific chart showing a comparison of size examples of EZcodes versus QR scan codes.
3. EZcodes Are Easier To Scan On A Smart Phone – the simplicity of an EZcode density design make it easier to scan. While EZcodes and QR codes may be equally easy to scan in a magazine, that’s not true of outdoor boards, clothing and other uses.
4. EZcodes Are Faster To Scan On A Smart Phone – the simplicity of an EZcode also make it faster to scan. Seconds count to get the call-to-action completed.
5. EZcodes Are Easier to Reproduce – the simplicity of the EZcode design means it’s easier to reproduce – even as small as the size of a dime, for example. If you make a QR code the size of a dime, it’s likely that the QR scan code will not scan!
6. ScanLife App Is Pre-Loaded on Many Smart Phones – Since the ScanLife app (free) that reads EZcodes is pre-loaded on many smart phones, you’re a step ahead. Plus, the ScanLife app reads every major barcode format including: Quick Response (QR) and Datamatrix scan codes. Millions of mobile phones with the ScanLife app can read EZcode scan codes. [Scanbuy reportes 25 million as of 6/23/10]
7. No One Ever Gets Fired For Buying From IBM – You’re in great company with EZcodes. Major marketers using EZcodes include: McDonalds, American Airlines, Sears, CitySearch, US Air Force, Case Western University, Sprint, Guinness, Billboard magazine, Morgans Hotel Group, and Car and Driver magazine.
8. Pre-Built Scan Code Tools – With EZcodes, in addition to launching a webpage, you can (easily) create a tweet; run a sweepstakes; automatically initiate a pre-determined phone number; send a text message; automatically open a message with the address and text fields pre-filled; launch a carrier specific menu; send all basic contact information to the address book;automatically save a calendar entry (and more). In the NYC Times Square campaign, I would have preferred pre-filled in tweets to create audience engagement, or at the very least, a NYC mobile optimized websites, as Mashable suggests.
9. EZcodes Are Smart (Change Info – Even After The Code Has Been Published) – You can print an EZcode scan code in a magazine without knowing the info that you will associate with that EZcode. Plus, even after the scan code is in use, you can tweak your content. Perhaps the production deadlines for the NYC spectacular signage was before NYC knew what content it wanted to provide, so it had to go with an existing URL at the time of production. Had NYC used EZcodes, it could have changed the URL that it “points to” during the campaign!
10. GREAT! Recommends EZcodes – Just because you are starting to see QR codes in the U.S., doesn’t mean that’s the best choice. Once you do your research, you’ll agree that the scan code of choice for U.S. marketers will be easy an easy decision – EZcode.

QR Code • Twitter Example (Text SCAN to 43588 for free scanning app)

Recommendation For ScanBuy To Help Ensure The Success Of It’s EZcodes

ScanBuy offers two pricing strategies for using EZcodes:

• pay a flat monthly fee, or
• pay a one-time project fee based on the scale and scope of the project and the window that the EZcodes will be used

The challenge with these two pricing options is that you have to have a conversation with ScanBuy for every project. At best, this is cumbersome in the get-to-know ‘em phase. (Personal usage of EZcodes is free, but no analytics and not all EZcode uses are offered.) At worst, some potential marketers will fail to test EZcodes and opt for a free QR code generator without knowing what they are missing.

I recommend that ScanBuy eliminate its free personal usage EZcodes and add the following ScanBuy Membership plan:

• $49 12-month ScanBuy membership; includes up to 5,000 scans per year (a penny a scan) and then 2 cents per scan. Offer a free introductory special now through 12/31/11 (via promo code); or $24.95 for the first 12 months including up to 5,000 scans free. Offer pre-pay options for various buckets of additional scans within 12 months. (e.g. pre-pay $50 for 5,000 additional scans.)

• The 12-month $49 membership offer enables an affiliate marketing program to be implemented to generate revenue to cover marketing this expense (even if discounted to $24.95); and, more importantly, enables offering the same EZcode service to every customer (offering analytics and all versions of EZcodes options) so Clients and Agencies can test a full-working robust account without having to disclose its marketing plans to ScanBuy.) Codes can be retired – and re-cycled – if the annual 12-month membership is not renewed.

• After 5,000 scans, the ScanBuy member can either pay monthly via credit card; cancel the account (all codes for this customer will no longer work); or – in the case of a major account, request and receive special one-time project or monthly pricing. (Large projects/accounts will need to know fixed costs up front in order to budget for the project.)

• Even once large projects end, ScanBuy members can still opt to pay the two cents per scan to keep the codes active (or, pre-pay for a bucket of scans for predictable savings.)

The annual $49 12-month membership revenue will generate substantial revenue for ScanBuy beginning with annual renewal of membership. Plus, by the 13th month, it’s a an easy business decision to renew the EZcode membership and to pre-pay for EZcodes in exchange for predictable savings.

[For 101 Uses For Quick Response (QR) Codes: Creating Audience Engagement With The Next Killer U.S. App, please see my That's GREAT! blog post of June 12, 2010. To download the free ScanLife app for your smart phone, text SCAN to 43588; search your app directory for ScanLife; or go to getscanlife.com]

Related That’s GREAT! blog posts: [Added 8/2/10]

• That’s GREAT! – 101 Uses For Quick Response (QR) Codes: Creating Audience Engagement With The Next Killer U.S. App (6/12/10)
• That’s GREAT! – Top 10 Reasons ScanLife EZcodes Are Better Than Quick Response (QR) Codes For U.S. Marketers (6/11/10)
• That’s GREAT! – Top 10 Mistakes To Avoid When Integrating 2D Quick Response Codes In Your Marketing Plans (8/2/10)
• That’s GREAT! (8/20/10) Product Camp Atlanta: Social Media Meets Quick Response (QR) Codes: 25 Great QR Ideas In 10 Minutes (Then We Brainstorm 25 More Ideas)

Postscript:

• Here are some comments – via Twitter – to this blog post: @christianoliver, @christianoliver (Since most scan codes take you to a URL, your mobile still needs a data connection to the internet.)

• ScanLife VP of Marketing David Javitch posted (6/21/10) a comment on the LinkedIn Group: 2D Codes for Global Media regarding the difference between Japan and the United States regarding scan codes and camera phones:  “… The main reason that Japan worked so well is because all of the operators preloaded a reader on devices which run on 2-3 operating systems, and that had great AF [Auto Focus] cameras (needed to read complex QR codes). They also focused on the QR code as the primary point of interaction.  In the US for example, AF cameras just started hitting the market in the past 10 months, and there are 6 different operating systems that all handle the camera differently (even different devices on the same OS work differently). UPC code scanning has also become quite popular here which is great because it creates adoption, but it also adds another layer of complexity.  So, we need to prioritize both the handsets and the barcodes which are most likely to be used by consumers and businesses. Right now, that is evolving very quickly based on what the market wants, and we will continue to be flexible to do what is best for the industry. The market will standardize, but that will likely happen on different timelines by region.”

• GoMo News – BA’s barcode causes confusion – Datamatrix or Aztec? (7/20/10) [UK based]

Disclosures:

• ScanBuy provided GREAT! with a free ScanLife EZcode scan code business account.

• [As of July 2010] GREAT! is a value-added reseller of *Scanbuy’s Scanlife 2D and 1D Platform for Quick Response (QR);EZcode; and Datamatrix codes. GREAT! provides two (2D) scan code implementation, scan code management and scan code consulting to clients and their agencies. Contact us.

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ATLANTA, GA USA – April 2, 2010 – OMG! I LOVE Project Runway in Lifetime HD. I love the storytelling, drama,* design challenges, people following their passions. And, while I may dress as a schlub, as an (aspiring) fashion and glamour photographer, I enjoy all the galm of fashion and glamour; accessories, models with (amazing) make-up and hair transformations walking the runways. I am a super-fan (even if I am outside the demo.) I have watched nearly every episode since my wife insisted that Project Runway is way more than sewing. “Sew” – for almost seven years, we have watched nearly every episode – together.

But – and this is a big BUT – Thursday’s (4/1/10 – Season 7/Episode 11) night’s episode felt like a missed designer challenge marketing integrating opportunity that might have been worth $1 million or more.  First the good news, Project Runway does a terrific job with product integration to reduce production expenses and provide a terrific prize package:

• $100,000 to start your line from L’oreal Paris
• $50,000 technology suite from HP and Intel to help you design your line
• A fashion spread in Marie Claire magazine
• Show your work at the Mercedes-Benz FashionWeek
• An opportunity to sell their line on Bluefly.com
• Mood Designer Fabrics
• Brother International Corporation
• Parsons The New School of Design
• The Garnier Hair Studio
• Clairborne
• Glaceau Smartwater

The design challenge on Thursday night’s episode was a red carpet look for Project Runway Supermodel, Fashion Maven Host and Executive Producer Heidi Kulm. The designer challenge marketing integrated marketing opportunity should have been: a red carpet look for an A-List celebrity attending [be specific] red carpet Awards show on [TV channel]. A non-competiting TV channel with a Red Carpet Awards Show would jump at this win-win cross-promotion opportunity. You don’t have to be sister TV channels to cross-promote together.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The winner of this Project Runway design challenge will:

• walk the the [Awards Show] red carpet with [celebrity] and with either Tim Gunn, Heidi Klum or Project Runway Judges Fashion Designer Michael Kors or Marie Claire Fashion Director Nina Garcia
• be interviewed – live – during the [Awards Show] Red Carpet pre-show about your “show-stopper” design worn by [celebrity]
• attend an [Awards Show] post party with [celebrity] and with either [Tim Gunn, Heidi Klum, Michael Kors or Nina Garcia]
• two great seats for the [Awards Show]
• [TBD Lifetime advertiser prize element]
• plus, after the [Awards Show] your outfit will be donated to the Clothes Off Our Back Foundation to help call attention to [charity]. [A huge integrated marketing opportunity here for more "legs" ...]
• Tweet from the Red Carpet

In exchange for the organic inclusion of [TV Awards] Red Carpet show within an episode of Project Runway that airs prior to the [Awards Show], [TV channel] provides:

• Design Challenge Prize: money-can’t-buy [Awards Show] design challenge prize (including air/hotel/limo/cash) – a money can’t buy prize for the designer that wins the Red Carpet challenge
• Consumer Marketing: TV promos that include Project Runway walking the Red Carpet Pre-Show
• Affiliate Marketing: promos for local affiliates to air to promote both Project Runway/Lifetime and Red Carpet Awards Show/[TV Channel]: affiliates would love this “two-in-one” promo
• National Ad Sales: To add irony to this Red Carpet episode, Country Artist Miranda Lambert was featured in a commercial promoting Cotton that aired in this episode of Project Runway. And, she was being photographed on the Red Carpet by the paparazzi! With enough time, Lifetime might have made money on this [TV Show] Red Carpet challenge by featuring Miranda Lambert in an outfit made of cotton. Or, use an A-List celebrity on another Lifetime show that has not been on Project Runway.
• Publicity: Paparazzi Red Carpet experience [Project Runway designer photographed with (celebrity) wearing the designer's "show-stopper" Red Carpet look]
• Social Media: YouTube, [TV channel] mylifetime, Flickr photos, website, inclusion in opt-in email blast
• Web Site: behind-the-scenes video from Project Runway
• National Consumer Sweepstakes: you and a guest (viewer of Project Runway) will walk the Red Carpet with the winner of this design challenge … to drive traffic to myLifetime.com or text & win
• Mobile: use of 2D/datamatrix codes on [Advertiser] products to launch Project Runway video on SmartPhones (2D/datamatrix codes are used EVERYWHERE in Japan. And, soon in the U.S.)
• And more … [Please use the comment feature below to add what you feel "And More" should include.]

Since the designers did a look for Heidi on a prior episode to have Heidi wearing their design on the cover of Marie Clare (brilliant idea), doing it a second time felt like the design challenge planned fell through.

Can your TV channel leverage a big idea? Or, does each silo operate in its comfort zone that does not require buy-in from one or more silos? One great, big idea can help all departments achieve objectives of:

• increase ad sales revenue
• increase affiliate revenue
• increase dot com revenue
• increase ancillary revenue

… by increasing viewership (and from key demos), increasing length of viewing and driving traffic to your website. It’s not about reach, frequency, GRPs, number of press clips, how many Twitter followers, Facebook friends, etc.

To be fair to all those involved in producing, marketing and distributing Project Runway, it’s possible that the switch to Lifetime from Bravo – with all the legal wrangling, the acquisition of Lifetime Entertainment Services by A&E Television Networks and many Lifetime leadership changes – were distracting to marketing integration opportunities. Plus, nearly all TV shows feel like they are produced in a vacuum and then handed off to the marketing team to promotion. The 4 P’s of marketing – begins with Product. With shrinking marketing budgets and new opportunities with social media, it’s essential that the silos of product, consumer marketing, affiliate marketing, publicity, on-air, mobile, ancillary revenue, national ad sales and dot com begin with a big umbrella idea that can be leveraged across the silos to produce results that far exceed silos operating separately. It’s possible to do more with less when we leverage integrated marketing opportunities with strategic alliance partners. As Tim Gunn might say, Lifetime, Bunim-Murray Productions and The Weinstein Company … Make it Work!

Got to go. The drama continues. Time for the shocking backstories on Models of the Runway in Lifetime HD.

*Anthony is eliminated. Maya quits. OMG Anthony is back! Seth’s model quits for Donna Karen gig. You made three dresses? Two winners in one episode: a first! Jessica Alba will be wearing Anthony’s dress on the Red Carpet. Jonathan; you’re out. Avida zane.

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ATLANTA, GA USA – March 31, 2010 – When you hear a great, big idea, do you know it immediately? Can you visualize success? Can you get buy-in from all your silos (and fast)?

AirTran Airways did  … when its Agency, Aspen Marketing Services, proposed their (brilliant) “Mark on AirTran” buzz marketing campaign featuring Comedian Mark Malkoff living aboard AirTran aircraft for 30 days to call attention to wi-fi on all AirTran flights.  And, while the campaign was completed nearly a year ago (June 2009), its social media websites (YouTube, Facebook, Micro-Site, Flickr, Twitter, etc.) are still delivering results for AirTran (and Gogo inflight internet). It’s a terrific integrated marketing case study. [Mark also lived in an Ikea store.]

The “Mark on AirTran” campaign was presented Tuesday (3/30/10) at the Integrated Marketing Summit in Atlanta by Aspen’s Director of Digital Analytics and Social Media Greg Asman and Senior Public Relations and Social Media Strategist Heather Dueitt. You can learn more about the Aspen Marketing Services campaign for AirTran by clicking here.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Beyond the measurable success of the campaign (with all its multi-silo “moving” parts and “legs”), here’s what I love:

• When AirTran was presented with a big idea (way beyond the scope of the request), they figured out how to say yes (even though it probably required participation by all of its business units).
• Never mind out-of-the-box; Aspen Marketing Services thought out-of-the silo to present their Client with an opportunity to have a huge success: even if the resources required far exceeded the original request.
• Social Media was leveraged to create extraordinary value in traditional media.
• Social Media was monitored in real-time to fine-tune tactics. (She just posted to our Facebook page that she was afraid of flying too, but Mark gave her the confidence she needed to fly. Let’s get Mark seated next to her for her flight home.)
• Aspen Marketing Services and AirTran were already working shoulder-to-shoulder with trust and respect so that together they could create magic. 1 + 1 can equal 58.
• It’s unlikely there was ever a conversation about: Return On Investment (ROI), estimated reach, frequency, gross impressions, how many Twitter followers we will get, etc. (And, there are plenty of after-the-fact metrics to show the success of this campaign.) It takes a Client with vision to say yes without a guarantee. These days, the risk of playing it safe can be the riskiest decision.
• The value AirTran received far exceeded the cost of implementation (including internal people resources). Way to go!
• AirTran employees could rally around the spirit and excitement of this fun campaign. (That added user generated social media content from the aircraft crew.) Way to go activating the team!
• Aspen recommended – and AirTran agreed – to initially launch the campaign organically (with embargoed media on the first few flights: USA Today, AP, New York Post and WABC-TV.)
• Mark’s AirTran frequent flier miles – A+ Rewards from 135 flights – were turned into a sweepstakes.
• The campaign had “legs” for seven key AirTran Airways markets.

Congratulations to Aspen Marketing Services and AirTran Airways. Together, you demonstrated that a brilliant idea + social media + shoulder-to-shoulder Client/Agency teamwork = priceless promotion.

Note: GREAT! is not affiliated with Aspen Marketing Services or AirTran Airways. We just want to acknowledge Aspen Marketing Services for a brilliant idea, their Agency-Client relationship and their super-fast implementation.

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ATLANTA, GA USA – February 2, 2010 – Here is my big idea* for a new social media internet platform for large-scale transformational change to help raise money for nonprofits.

[This proposed GREAT! idea needs best-in-class large corporations to collaborate on building and marketing this new social media internet platform.]

GREAT! Big Idea

YouCanCountOn.Us** is an online marketplace for people to volunteer their services in exchange for 100% of the payment – for these services – going directly to the volunteers’ nonprofits of their choice.

Tactics (“Search By” and “Sort” Tactics with some examples)

• Service – Select Photographer within x miles of Zip Code to see price and nonprofit to receive $$$

• Location – Select x miles of Zip Code to see all services available and sort by service, price or nonprofit [Plus, mobile location app]

• Nonprofit – Select [specific nonprofit] to see services and prices to benefit this nonprofit

• Wish List – Select “Wish List” within x miles of y for service you would like and payment offered

• Gift Registry – Register your gift list of services or search a friend’s Gift Registry

• Virtual Services – examples include: design, writing and programming

• Community (“Walled Garden”) – such as a school, church or Nonprofit (with ID/Password) [Implement via Causes Facebook app]

• Price of Service – show all services and sort by price

Features

• Wish List – notification alerts when a “wish list” service is added x miles from Zip Code

• Friend-Get-A-Friend – email notification to buy your service to benefit nonprofit

• Let’s Split It – 50/50 feature: 50% of donation to volunteer’s nonprofit and 50% to buyer’s nonprofit

• Nonprofit Tools – to encourage their volunteers and donors to offer services

Examples of Benefits to a Credit Card Company to Fund and Champion This Idea

•   Increase base, share of wallet and usage of [credit card]

•   Add value to [credit card] membership through exclusive [credit card] benefit

• Differentiate [credit card] from other credit cards

•   Increase transaction size and increase feel good factor towards [credit card] membership

•   Generate income for nonprofits in America (Phase 1) and across the Globe (Phase 2)

•   Generate social and traditional media coverage for [credit card]

• Build on the success of [credit card] Pro-Social initiatives

Potential Strategic Alliances

•   a major online auction site to provide the online market place, including “Buy Now” and auction pricing

•   a major online market place for services to offer virtual services

•   a major online service provider to enable easy payment solution to 1,500,000+ nonprofits [501c3]

•   a major video hosting service to provide online video clips to promote services offered

Marketing

•   Launch includes 50-market launch with a local media partner to help reach critical mass quickly (listings and viewers of listings): “You Can Count On Us: Atlanta! Go to (example): YouCanCountOn.Us/Atlanta**

•   Nonprofits add a youcancounton.us link to their home page that links to a “walled garden” community of services offered that exclusively benefit their nonprofit.

Backstory

In 2008, private giving to nonprofits in the U.S. was down 6%, reports The Wall Street Journal (2/1/10).

“In April [2010], world leaders and philanthropists will meet at Oxford University in London for former eBay President Jeff Skoll’s annual forum on social entrepreneurship,” reports The Wall Street Journal (2/1/10). “This year’s title: Catalyzing Collaboration for Large-Scale Change.”

“The once-booming nonprofit sector is in the midst of a shakeout, leaving many Americans without services and culling weak groups [nonprofits] from the strong. Hit by a drop in donations and government funding in the wake of  a deep recession, nonprofits – from arts councils to food banks – are undergoing a painful restructuring, including mergers, acquisitions, collaborations, cutbacks and closings,” reports The Wall Street Journal. “The nonprofit sector includes everything from universities to hospitals, arts councils to homeless shelters. While all categories [of nonprofits] are suffering, human service organizations – which account for nearly one-third of public charities – may be hurting the most. Private donations to these groups fell 12.7% in 2008, while demand for such services was booming.”

May I Get Your Help?

While this idea can be implemented organically by a non-profit (e.g. a school fund raiser) without the proposed social media internet platform, the creation of this new social media platform will enable all nonprofits to easily “plug in” to leveraging their stakeholders: donors, volunteers and Clients.

Perhaps you can get this idea in front of one or more of the people or organizations quoted in The Wall Street Journal (2/1/10) Beyond The Bubble: America’s New Economy column authored by Shelly Banjo and S. Mitra Kalita (with help from Robert A. Guth) headlined: Mergers, Closings Plague Charities:

1.      Diane Aviv, chief executive of Independent Sector, a coalition of 600 nonprofits

2.      Giving USA Foundation (tracks charitable contributions)

3.      American Red Cross

4.      Catholic Relief Services

5.      Business Civic Leadership Center (nonprofit arm of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce)

6.      UNICEF

7.      United Way

8.      Paul C. Light, professor at New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service

9.      Tim Delaney, chief Executive of the National Council of Nonprofits

10.   Elizabeth Boris, director of the Urban Institute’s Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy

11.   Jerry Hirsch, entrepreneur that started The Lodestar Foundation

12.   Lois Savage, president of The Lodestar Foundation

13.   Former eBay President Jeff Skoll’s annual forum at Oxford University for social entrepreneurship. This year’s title: “Catalyzing Collaboration for Large-Scale Change”

14.   Girl Scouts of America

15.   Peter Goldberg, president and CEO of the Alliance for Children & Families

16.   Big Brothers Big Sisters

17.   Boys & Girls Clubs of America

18.   Causes Founder Joe Green

*If you think this is a big idea, please give the link to this idea to your friends or colleagues at: American Express; VISA; MasterCard; PayPal, eBay; Amazon; YouTube; justgive.org; guru.com; United Way; The Coca-Cola Company; McDonald’s Corporation; philanthropists and nonprofits (that have relationships with these companies). Short URL to this idea: http://j.mp/99E3kQ. This blog post is about putting a big idea “out there” to find its audience: attract interest, discussion and action. You may be one degree away from a friend or colleague that can turn this idea into action: helping charities across the globe. Thank you for your help!

**Website name reserved as a placeholder; not implemented

_________________________________________

Dan Smigrod is GREAT! Chief Executive Officer & Chief Creative Officer.

Dan Smigrod

He founded his GREAT! Agency in 1988. His passions include international travel, Argentine Tango dancing, fashion and glamour photography and all things social media. Dan implements the social media and fan engagement strategy and tactics for GREAT! Client, ZOOZ Mobile, Inc. (ZOOZbeat), including ZOOZbeat Tweets, ZOOZbeat Blog, ZOOZbeat Update eNewsletter for the new ZOOZbeat Music reCreation Studio app for iPhone and iPod Touch.

A highlight of his 22+ years of his GREAT! Agency implementing turn-key travel experiences include chartering eight jet helicopters to fly a Client’s VIP guests from Las Vegas – in formation – to the Grand Canyon. Land. And, then have a champaign bunch with a former Miss America. Dan’s favorite travel/food/experience TV show is Anthony Bourdain No Reservations on the Travel Channel. Dan lives in Atlanta with his wife, Ann. Email: Dan Smigrod Twitter: @Smigrod

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