Running Year in Review: Nike+
Posted by: Brandi Heinz on: February 5, 2010
Despite all this talk about goals and the New Year, running hasn’t been at the top of my list. I have a lot going on, and running’s often the first thing to slide (not to mention I’m a fair-weather runner and despise treadmills:) ).
Yesterday I ran across another reason to love Nike+. I decided to end my 3-month running hiatus and start incorporate running into my workout routine again. My first run was slow, but it felt great!
Of course, I took my trusty iPod Nano and logged my run with the Nike+ system. I returned from the run and immediately plugged my iPod into my computer so I could let all my Facebook and Twitter friends see what I’d done. Then I went to the Nike+ website to review my run.
I didn’t expect what I saw: there was a screen congratulating me on great 2009! It had a list of my accomplishments and stats:
- I ran a total of 173 miles
- I burned 12,834 calories
- My average pace was 8:43/mi
- Most of my runs were ‘Awesome’
- I ran the most on Mondays
- I usually ran in the mornings
How cool is that? Share on Facebook? Why yes, yes I will! I would’ve never known these accomplishments if I hadn’t had Nike+.
My new motivation? I have to beat my 2009 numbers!
My 2009 Running Rundown
My 2010 Suggestion: Push the Limits
Posted by: Brandi Heinz on: January 26, 2010
- In: Randoms
- 2 Comments
The new year is always an interesting time. It’s a time of reflection on the past year, and a time of inspiration for what you can accomplish in the new year.
I’m not one for resolutions, but I am a planner. I’m always looking ahead, always planning. However, this year’s a little strange. No milestone birthdays. No big life events.
When I look back on the year, I’ve accomplished so much. I’m nearly halfway done with graduate school. I’m an active participant and volunteer for great professional groups (Chicago American Marketing Association and Chicago Social Media Club). I’ve immersed myself in social media and I love it. On a personal note, I got engaged to the man who I think is the best guy in the world.
So what do I do? Do I coast?
I spent a lot of time thinking, and I don’t think so. I think 2010 is my year to push the limits. I’m setting the bar a little higher. Care to join me?
Wedding Resources for Social Media Fanatics
Posted by: Brandi Heinz on: January 18, 2010
Image from the Huffington Post
I’ve only been engaged for about 3 months now, but I’ve done a TON of research online. Since I’m planning a Florida wedding from Chicago, I have lots to research so I can capitalize on my few trips to Florida between now and our April 30, 2011 wedding.
Planning from afar can be tough and you have to make a lot of judgments by photos and email correspondence alone. However, I have figured out some ways to cut through the clutter and I figured I’d share my findings, along with specific examples (most are going to be in the Pensacola/Panama City area, but you’ll get the idea).
1) Standard Wedding Planning Websites: Of course, TheKnot.com is a favorite and always recommended. I spent a ton of time on here to begin with, but soon became a little bored with the site. Since I’m interested in doing as much DIY as possible, I’ve really became a huge fan of MarthaStewartWeddings.com – plus their budget tool is the best one I’ve tried so far.
2) Photography/Event Planner blogs: This is my biggest finding and what I’ve been telling all my friends to check out (FYI I have TEN weddings to attend in 2010…). Photography and Event Planner blogs are great for ideas and getting a feel for what kind of wedding and photographers you want. It’s the perfect way for these businesses to showcase what they can do, and it’s a great way to get a taste of their style – not to mention you almost feel like you’re getting to know them by reading their blog posts. Personally, I’ve found that I definitely want a casual, intimate beach wedding, and I’ve learned I’m looking for a more photojournalistic photography style. No need for too many posed shots as far as I’m concerned – bring on the candids at our fun beach party!
Faves: CookImages.com, Meg Baisden Photography, Pure 7 Studios, Shelby Peaden Events, Bliss Event Group
3) Wedding Communities/Blogs: I’ve joined two wedding communities AND these communities happen to have awesome blogs as well: StyleMePretty.com and Marry Me at the Beach (just starting up). I would definitely recommend finding communities that fit your needs – these ones combine basic forums with photos and profiles to make it more of a dynamic experience to find brides with similar interests to you.
Next Time: Twitter. I haven’t gotten to a point where I’ve really built up my Twitter Wedding network yet, but that’s next on my list. Any suggestions?
Getting Artfully Crafted with Blue Moon
Posted by: Brandi Heinz on: January 13, 2010
- In: marketing
- 5 Comments
That's me... Painting the Blue Moon Mural!
Do brands ever do something that really catch your eye? Make you notice them? Actually engage you? It doesn’t happen often, so I was impressed when Blue Moon caught my attention not once, but twice.
Long ago (this past fall), in a place far, far away (Milwaukee), I was given a paintbrush and told I’d be painting a masterpiece. Right there at the Milwaukee Wine Festival, as I drank a Blue Moon Belgian White Ale in the Blue Moon Brewing Company booth, I hand-painted the billboard they’d be putting up somewhere in Milwaukee. I thought it was so cool I even asked my sister to take a photo. I signed my name on the artist block, and I thought that was it.
Then, as I was watching TV a few weeks ago, their first-ever television commercial came on. You may recognize the new ad (video below). The commercial instantly brought back my memory of painting, and I thought it did such an interesting job of carrying that feeling through the theme and bringing the artistry to the masses. I jumped up, ran to the fridge, and grabbed a Blue Moon.
Ok, so I didn’t do that (though I DO have Blue Moon in the refrigerator right now). The Blue Moon Art Project is a uniquely interactive campaign. As I’ve looked into it further, it builds upon their 2007-2008 contest that called for Blue Moon-inspired art.
I love this interactivity. I challenge Blue Moon Brewing Company to keep it up and embrace the digital art world. There are so many untapped avenues they can take to continue to be Artfully Crafted.
What’s the last marketing campaign that inspired you?
My New Social Media (Wedding) Plan
Posted by: Brandi Heinz on: November 3, 2009
How the proposal happened!
I got engaged.
Afterwards, we spent a lot of time calling everyone special in our lives. It took a while. The funny thing: one of the first questions a friend asked me was: Did you Tweet about the engagement yet?
Yes, I guess my friends know me – I love social media. I had friends congratulating me on my engagement before I even posted anything—and when I did post it, the response was overwhelming! But my focus has shifted from spending hours on social media to spending that time checking out various wedding websites, gathering ideas and trying to figure out how we envision our ‘big day.’ The time I used to spend reading my favorite blogs, brushing up on the latest social media trends, and connecting with everyone on my social networks has decreased significantly.
Last night, I got a bright idea – why not mix these two activities? Why not use these social networks to help get ideas, references and advice on all things wedding? And so it begins…
What’s your favorite online wedding planning resource?
Anyone have any ideas on creating a low budget, casual beach wedding?
Where can I find great beach house rentals in Florida? (I want a beach wedding…☺)
Social Media Cupcakes
Posted by: Brandi Heinz on: August 28, 2009
I have a presentation for my company tomorrow on Social Media. It’s a Lunch and Learn, so I figured I could at least provide dessert. Behold, social media cupcakes!
I came up with this idea initially and wasn’t sure if it would actually come to fruition. Some may call it being bored, but I call it being inspired by awesome social media entrepreneurs like @foiledcupcakes. I decided to spend my Thursday night baking up a storm and creating banana and chocolate fudge cupcakes topped with Twitter, Facebook and Yammer icons made out of Lorna Doone cookies and icing.
I decided to share my masterpiece with you – enjoy!
Ingredients: Cake Mix + ingredients, white icing, Lorna Doone 100 Cal packs, blue cookie icing.
How-to: Bake the cupcakes per the cake mix package directions. Put blue cookie icing on the backside of the mini Lorna Doone Cookies and let set. Put a spoonful of white icing into a ziplock bag and poke a very small hole in one of the corners. I practiced creating the letters for a while before I actually started to pipe them onto the cookies. Lastly, I iced each cupcake with the white icing and put an iced cookie on top. Voila!
The Ingredients
Creating the Icons
Assembling the Cupcakes
Yummy Social Media Cupcakes!
Whole Foods Dives Into the Social Media Deep End
Posted by: Brandi Heinz on: July 31, 2009
This post appeared on VitaminIMC – Medill IMC’s student-run blog.
While some companies are slowly dipping their toes into the social media waters, Whole Foods Market has dove in! Over the past eight months, Whole Foods’ social media presence has grown from corporate accounts to over 120 Twitter profiles and 97 Facebook pages.
Whole Foods is often cited as a social media success, but the details of its amazing tactics are what make them unique – taking a completely decentralized approach to their social media strategy. They have taken the close interaction between Whole Foods employees and consumers, along with team member empowerment and applied it to their social media strategy to create local relationships. This grassroots approach has fueled the explosion of their social media presence while supporting their corporate values system.
Their social media accounts range from umbrella corporate accounts to individual accounts for store locations. There are accounts that cover the many locations for metro-areas (think @WholeFoodsCHI) and topic-specific accounts discussing such topics as wine or cheese. They even created a social media presence around their participation at Bonnaroo.
Some may criticize such a fragmented approach to their social media, but Whole Foods learned from their experiences with their corporate social media accounts and expanded to fit their customer’s needs. They started to see that customers had very specific questions about local stores and quickly adapted, adding social media into the local marketing mix. Liz Bootz, the marketing team leader for Whole Foods Oakland, provides support to customers on Twitter. “One of the things I like best about being on Twitter is if a customer has a question, I can tweet the answer to them and provide that information to 200 other customers at the same time,” she said.
Other companies should follow their lead and apply unique company culture traits to social media, taking a personal and on-brand approach to their online presence. Their responsive, customer-centric method has seemed to work judging by the numbers. Whole Foods Twitter accounts recently reached one million followers.
