mandy lipka

There’s so much on which I’ve ruminated after the Boston Marathon bombings and still I feel a need to keep silence. Everyone knows someone who was in that race. We all weren’t sure if our loved ones were safe  spectators or tragically injured. Many knew someone who died during that race.

In branding, it’s important to remember from where you came, what you dreamt about as a kid, for what you stand, and your mission for the future. The day of the bombing, I booked my ticket to Boston (luckily, mom had already scheduled a visit that magically still happened days later). It was a whirlwind visit home that I’ll remember forever. It deeply ignited my patriotism and reminded me of a long-standing goal I’ve worked toward– to become more bicoastal in my professional career. So far, it’s happening and I’ll be back for trip two in May this weekend to help give to The Lower Leg.

I didn’t know Krystle Campbell personally, but I saw her often while she worked at Summer Shack. She was a dear friend of the Bukowski Tavern family and she lit up every room she entered. Karen Rand, who called Krystle her best friend, survived the bombing, but lost both her best friend and her left leg. She is also part of the same restaurant family, so the family dedicated Sunday afternoon to help raise money for the fund her sons set up through GiveForward: http://is.gd/KarenRandFund.

WHEN: Sunday May 19th, 1-5pm
WHERE: The Lower Depths – Kenmore Square – Boston, MA
WHAT: Kindly give a minimum donation of $20 at the door

The donation will get you three drink tickets and apps throughout the day.

A raffle will also be held for $20/ticket. Coveted prizes include Red Sox tickets, Patriots tickets, gift certificates, wine baskets, and much more.
——————————————————————————————————–
If you can’t make it and want to help, you can give online here: http://is.gd/KarenRandFund.
Have something to give for the raffle? Please contact one of the three event organizers:

• Suzi Samowski: bukowskitavern@yahoo.com
• Jenna Figueiredo: lowerdepthstaproom@yahoo.com
• Matt White: mwhite@shackfoods.com

ALL proceeds will go to the Karen Rand Fund and the employees will be donating all of their time for her.

Friends, thank you all in advance. All donations are so greatly appreciated. Let’s show ‘em how Boston gives! See you there!!

Now that the 2012 dust has settled, take a digital journey with me in the world of social media. Shall we?

Where there’s passion, there’s going to be stupid passion. - Kathleen Hessert, social media consultant, as quoted by The Wall Street Journal

Social media have reached rueful adolescence as it seems every other day we read about the next biggest #FAIL on Twitter. So it’s no surprise the following headline topped SmartBrief’s most-shared, most-read social media stories.

• Chik-Fil-A Struggles to Rein In Facebook Critics (Remember the backlash on this one? Even the Muppets got involved!)

Can you guess the other leading stories? Some may surprise you…

• 6 Reasons to Embrace Pinterest– And 5 Reasons to Run Away (This one remains a bookmark as I refer to it often when discussing with clients)
• The A to Z Guide to Social Media Marketing Buzzwords (I should send this one to mom…)
• Ugly Debate Tweet Leaves KitchenAid in a Spin (Who could forget this?! I was lucky enough to watch the madness unfold live. Tsk, tsk!)
• David Armano: Social media is dead; long live social business (Because I couldn’t give you this kind of list without something from him)

What do you expect will be your greatest social media challenge in 2013? SmartBrief readers say:

1. Getting fans to respond to a call to action (31%)
2. Measuring results (27%)
3. Creating content (22%)
4. Attracting fans (9%)
5. Something else (6%)
6. Providing customer service (5%)

For further reading about the never-ending Facebook changes, how to use Pinterest, and the best blogging tools, don’t miss Social Media Examiner’s top articles of 2012. While you’re at it, check out their list of the best social media blogs. Visit the five randomly selected blogs out of 750 (!) below. And mom still says social is a fad?

1. Content Marketing Cardiology
   
2. Social Fresh
3. Socially Sorted
4. Heidi Cohen
5. 60 Second Marketer

Stay strong my social media friends. And stay tuned for what you know is coming next!

By now, you’ve likely read a “Best of 2012″ list or two, or twenty, but, maybe you missed the top headlines this year in adland.

My favorites:
Newsweek Ends in Print
Marissa Mayer Named Yahoo CEO

There are likely more to add to Ad Age’s list. Which ones did you like most?

If you follow me on Twitter, it’s no surprise to you that my ears perk when it comes to women in business and female entrepreneurs. Then it too, is no surprise that these 10 tips for building your personal brand courtesy of the #NAWBOWBC or, National Association of Women Business Owners Business Conference (whew!), are worth reading.

Brooke Howell, of Smartbrief blogs fame, was lucky enough to attend and we’re lucky enough to get her takeaways, which even include Louboutins, from the event held this past October. Please share your own experiences, tips, thoughts below!

1. Begin within. “You have to start by figuring out who you are before you can build a brand.” Focus on the PITs — passions, interests and talents — that make you who you are. Take your examination all the way back to childhood and don’t forget to look at  your personality, because it doesn’t change.
2. Ask “What’s your red sole?” Thanks to a recent court decision, Christian Louboutin has an enforceable trademark on red-soled shoes. With a few exceptions, he is the only one who can sell red-soled shoes. You need to pinpoint what is unique about you — not something that applies only to a few other people, but something that applies only to you. For most of us, this is only going to be one or two specific things.
3. Own your name. Buy your space on the Internet — http://www.YourName.com — and work at making yourself the first full page of results that come up in a Google search of your name by blogging and engaging on a variety of social media networks. You also want to put pictures out there tagged with your name so that you have a full page of image results. Don’t forget to set up Google alerts for your name and its various misspellings, so you always know what people are saying about you.
4. Create your look. You need a consistent appearance for yourself and look for your brand. Think about colors, logos and fonts — and don’t forget to get a great head shot.
5. Post valuable content. Write blog posts and use social media to pass along useful content that relates to your brand. Be sure to tag everything with your name, so it all leads back to you.
6. Start something — something big. Villalobos started The Women’s Success Summit, Miami’s largest business summit for women. Jessica Kizorek founded BadassBusinessWomen.org. “When you create something that’s valuable to people, you open the door to making real connections with them,” Villalobos said.
7. Speak in public. If you’re unsure or inexperienced, just start practicing. Toastmasters International is a great group where you can make connections with people while developing your public speaking skills.
8. Fire clients. “The easiest and quickest way for you to create a breakthrough in your lifestyle is to fire those clients (or customers, or products, or product lines, or revenue streams or service offerings) that don’t produce,” said Villalobos. You can’t serve everyone, and you don’t want to be wasting your time on work that doesn’t pay off.
9. Raise prices. Yes, you’ll lose clients by raising prices, but you’ll have to work less to make the same amount of money, so you’ll be a winner. There are a variety of ways to raise prices, including bundling your service instead of charging by the hour, charging more for fast or last-minute service, and charging new clients more at the outset when you have the most leverage.
10. Prepare for haters. When you set out to establish and promote a strong brand, “there will be haters, but there will be people who love you more and they’re the ones who count,” said Villalobos. “Surround yourself with people who love and support you and who think you’re great!”

Read the full post here.

A mindful moment in honor of the day that changed our worlds.

Sitting in World History next to one of my best friends, I watched in awe as my field hockey coach turned on the TV just in time for us to witness the second tower. Pretty sure Kurt solidified his future with Marines in that instant. The shock, confusion, empathy, and pain were heavy on us all. 

But what I truly will never forget is my first visit back to the towers while looking at colleges. Mom, Lauren and I stood watching the cleanup, reading the notes, smelling the flowers along the outskirts of the hole in our hearts. Just then, I noticed a little girl, not more than 4 years old, look up to her mother and say in the most incredible little voice, “Mommy, I miss daddy.”

I’m lucky enough to find daily inspiration from all of my clients. Personally, I enjoy working on the small scale and in the startup world a bit more than on the larger brands– though playing with their money surely was fun In this world, things seem to move much faster (especially with the likes of Kickstarter and Medstartr) and daily life is ever-changing and exciting.

These 10 brands prove it with elegant and inspiring branding.

Have a favorite small biz or startup? Share examples of their branding below.

Last year was a stellar year for innovation. 2011 put tablets, mobile payments, targeted therapy, education and eco-technology on the map. And it’s about time.

Movements such as Occupy Wall Street (#7) and Recyclebank (#37) brought our missteps as a society to the forefront of our conscience. Kickstarter (#41) completely blew away traditional startup funding. As a health activist, I’m thrilled to see Genentech (#25), a brand I’ve been lucky enough to work with, get recognition for using technology to improve healthcare. And my personal favorite, Square (#5), turned our iPhones and iPads into super cash registers.

It’s childhood moments like the one Jack Dorsey recalls in an interview with Fast Company that become catalysts of innovation. Fast Co explains:

He tells me a story about how his father, an engineer and semi-serial entrepreneur, helped him build a model of a mass spectrometer out of Legos, ball bearings, and magnets when he was 11. (A few weeks later, Dorsey’s father, Tim, tells me his version of the story, taking the time to teach me the concept of mass spectrometry. In the Lego device, the magnets were there to encourage ball bearings of different sizes to arrange themselves by weight, just as a real device would do with gases of different weights. “Did it work?” I ask. “No! It was a disaster!” Tim Dorsey laughs. “But we had a great time!”)

And that’s exactly it. That’s what makes these brands succeed– having a great time. With all the discussions on Google’s cafeteria, toys and campuses, it’s no surprise the company continues to rock the charts, this year moving from #6 to #3 after bringing G+ into our social playgrounds. Apple, too, reigned supreme maintaining the top spot even as its late leader sadly passed on the crown.

These crowns aren’t easy to achieve, but they’re well-deserved and I hope to see even more breakout stars in 2012. To compare these shining stars, take a peek at last year’s leaders. For the full list of the top 50 and to view innovators by vertical, visit Fast Company and soak up the brain food. After all, you could be next.

Contrary to many, I actually enjoyed JC Penney’s new coupon-free declaration. In fact, I especially loved the dig thrown in Macy’s direction. Regardless, I think the brand’s new look and motto is a refreshing change in the retail industry. Here’s why:

1) Branding  - The logo redesign helps boost the company’s image from a place where grandma shops to a low-cost fashion department store that would rival TJMaxx. Though the simplicity of the design whispers Gap, it’s clear the brand took notes from their logo gaffe. Overall, it’s clean and multi-generation friendly. And, it throws in a little Americana that the company often references with their brands and seasonal ads.

2) New Look, New Motto, New Attention  - JCP launched their new look with a new promise– fair and square prices. And three to boot: 1) everyday prices – regular prices which are “always great” 2) month-long values 3) best prices – lowest prices twice a month. All without any coupons. Oh, happy day! My hope is that they continue to communicate this properly and gain the attention of new shoppers.

3) Ownership - JCP isn’t trying to be another brand. The brand knows where it stands, but it also knows it should be making smart moves to keep shoppers interested. In these times, they know how important price is, but also that shoppers don’t want to compromise value. Throughout the last few years, I’ve been pretty impressed with some of the designers the brand has attracted. Something they should continue to do as competitors like Kohl’s has had success with this, too. Another good move– the company is launching a new layout to merchandize labels instead of burying them in endless racks to re-invent the in-store experience.

Though it’s subtle, the new ads (sorry, can’t seem to find ‘em) demonstrate the core value of the brand as well as the new look/motto. A perfect combination for success.

But, the brand relaunch isn’t without its faults. The best price timing is a bit confusing. JCP says the company will slash prices on the first and third Fridays of every month. While I think doing so on more than one occasion is great, expecting customers to remember this is not. Moreover, this message isn’t front and center on their website or in the tv spots. This is something the brand must work on to communicate effectively and ultimately, reap the rewards. To learn more about JCP’s pricing strategy, check out this post by ABC.

Regardless, I have to agree with Forbes and say that JC Penney will be the retailer to watch this year.

What do you think? Does the redesign speak to you or totally miss the mark?

This week, YouGov introduced last year’s results from their BrandIndex. Some of these may surprise you. Check ‘em out and share your thoughts below.

Infographic: Carlos Monteiro

Source: YouGov BrandIndex

One would hope (or at least I did) that 2011 would be the year of social business. We’ve made real progress, but we’re not quite there yet. As you’ll see, marketers are still learning from the social web and how to best present their brands.

Recently, Fast Company presented a social business case study cooked up by Vivaldi Partners and  examined the following brands:

• Mattel’s Matchmaking Marketing for Barbie & Ken
• Intel’s Museum of Me
• Flip Video’s Fatal Flop
• American Eagle’s Spring Break Style
• Blablablab’s Barcelona Bet

As FC reported, here are the lessons:

Mattel – When reviving an old workhorse, consider the entire target market. Ken and Barbie may be toys for children, but it’s the moms and dads on Facebook and Foursquare who have the buying power.

Intel - Any branding effort that focuses on the user/consumer will boost all-important sharing (Hey, look at what I made!) and narcissism can translate to revenue.

Flip Video - Even great campaigns can’t stop a shutdown. The initiative scored high on the Social Currency meter. As a tool for self-expression it was the best example of identity generators, according to Vivaldi. “The innovative and viral nature of this initiative helped it score high in building conversation and stimulating positive advocacy.”

American Eagle - To expand your reach and draw more customers, play in a different (and bigger) sandbox. Vivaldi gave American Eagle props for community building on a larger platform, “allowing them to comment on looks that were created and find styling inspiration from one other.”

Blablablab - Most quirky and fun initiatives don’t necessarily lend themselves to mass market replication. Beyond obvious technical challenges, Vivaldi says the initiative doesn’t “score much on advocacy, affiliation, and/or utility due to the fact that the interaction is mostly between the brand and the users, and not as much between the users themselves.”

These are all good lessons every marketer could, and should, learn. Then again, these hard lessons could also be avoided if marketers took cues from social biz expert David Armano’s recent post on Social Business Planning in 2012. Worth the read!

There’s so much on which I’ve ruminated after the Boston Marathon bombings and still I feel a need to keep silence. Everyone knows someone who was in that race. We all weren’t sure if our loved ones were safe  spectators or tragically injured. Many knew someone who died during that race.

I didn’t know Krystle Campbell personally, but I saw her often while she worked at Summer Shack. She was a dear friend of the Bukowski Tavern family and she lit up every room she entered. Karen Rand, who called Krystle her best friend, survived the bombing, but lost both her best friend and her left leg. She is also part of the same restaurant family, so the family dedicated Sunday afternoon to help raise money for the fund her sons set up through GiveForward: http://is.gd/KarenRandFund.

WHEN: Sunday May 19th, 1-5pm
WHERE: The Lower Depths – Kenmore Square – Boston, MA
WHAT: Kindly give a minimum donation of $20 at the door

The donation will get you three drink tickets and apps throughout the day.

A raffle will also be held for $20/ticket. Coveted prizes include Red Sox tickets, Patriots tickets, gift certificates, wine baskets, and much more.
——————————————————————————————————–
If you can’t make it and want to help, you can give online here: http://is.gd/KarenRandFund.
Have something to give for the raffle? Please contact one of the three event organizers:

• Suzi Samowski: bukowskitavern@yahoo.com
• Jenna Figueiredo: lowerdepthstaproom@yahoo.com
• Matt White: mwhite@shackfoods.com

ALL proceeds will go to the Karen Rand Fund and the employees will be donating all of their time for her.

Friends, thank you all in advance. All donations are so greatly appreciated. Let’s show ‘em how Boston gives!

Earth Hour is upon us again and I thought, what a perfect opportunity for a meditation practice! Join me at 8:30pm local time. Shut off the lights and sit for 60 minutes. Imagine the power that would create in the world if we did that once a month!

A few years ago, I had the electrifying chance to sit on a restaurant deck overlooking the entire city of San José, Costa Rica on March 23rd. As if the breathtaking sunset wasn’t enough, my best friend (who lived there at the time) and I watched as one by one, the city lights turned black. That hour was one I will never forget– this image of ticos captures that sentiment perfectly.

¡Salud!

Word play is a wonderful thing. The Latin word spirare has given us not only “breathe,” but also the Latin word spiritus, which means both “breath” and “spirit.” A spiracle is a breathing hole used by dolphins and whales. So to inspire is to breathe in, and to expire is to breathe out. To transpire and to perspire are to breathe through, while to respire is to breathe again. To suspire (ever hear that one?) is to breathe from below, as in “to sigh.” To aspire is simply to breathe. Try connecting these ideas with the general idea of “spirit,” too; it’s an interesting thought experiment. Conspire, as you might imagine, is to breathe together. Let us breathe.

Phenomenal insights from a nameless meditation classmate. Definitely one to consider during practice.

It’s wise to direct our intentions toward accomplishing real goals now instead of aiming toward unreachable ideals. The Moon’s shift into powerful Scorpio helps us find the resources we need to be successful. Significant gains are likely if we’re willing to work for what we want.

March has begun. And what an exciting month it is! It’s Women’s History Month (which includes International Women’s Day on the 8th), National Nutrition Month, and my birthday month. And spring– a symbol of nature’s rebirth– is only weeks away. So, in honor of these occasions, I’ve officially launched my month of self-love. It’s a small tribute to myself and our mother.

So far, I’ve kicked off the event with an exciting new book, lingerie, a month-long meditation class (can’t believe it’s been a whole year since my MBSR class), shoes, vinyl, yummy food, new dates, inspiring shows, yoga, and more.

I’ve made sure to schedule some me dates this month, too– SIFF movies, a wine, tea, and chocolate tasting, an herban wellness workshop, a photo course, and an evening talk on mindful relationships.

And, I plan to surround myself with inspiring media. I kicked off my first show this month with Alabama Shakes. Brittany brought me to tears with her ass-kicking soul… See below. Next up is a stellar lady-rocker musical– These Streets, a talk by Duff McKagan, Mudhoney’s album release show, and my ongoing obsession with PBS’ MAKERS: Women Who Make America.

During this exciting month, I’ll be channeling good ol’ Maya Angelou and have printed out the following as a mindful trigger for the next 20-something days. It will be work, but it will be worth it in the end. I welcome you to join me.

It’s the arch of my back,

The sun of my smile,

The ride of my breasts,

The grace of my style.

I’m a woman

Phenomenally.

Phenomenal woman,

That’s me.

Let your heart guide you. It whispers, so listen carefully.

A little reminder from Littlefoot’s mother in Land Before Time.

There’s a quote in my email signature that I purposely keep there so I can read it daily. It’s both a mindful reminder for my work ethic and a sign to others about how I do my work. It’s from Cecil Beaton (Maybe you have seen it on Pinterest lately) and it reads:

Reading this every day keeps my focus on balance in my work and for my soul. But when it comes to the daily grind, in my experience, for example– planning and writing and executing holiday promotions in a 24/7 world can suck the life out of you (especially in the retail vertical). And quickly.

Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic has a brilliant suggestion for us:

Maybe it’s time to redefine the work-life balance — or at least stop thinking about it.

In his latest HBR post, he offers some considerations:

• Hard work may be your most important career weapon
  
• Engagement is the difference between the bright and the dark side of workaholism (YES!)
• Technology has not ruined your work-life balance, it has simply exposed how boring your work and your life used to be
• People who have jobs, rather than careers, worry about work-life balance because they are unable to have fun at work
• Complaining about your poor work-life balance is a self-indulgent act (And it’s the trigger to all of those negative thoughts– that vicious cycle!)

What do you think? Do you agree? I couldn’t help but soak up his every word. I kept thinking how much meditation, psychotherapy, and yoga can all play a role in helping you make these realizations and stay away from those negative cycles. And then he added the following:

In short, the problem is not your inability to switch off, but to switch on. This is rooted in the fact that too few people work in careers they enjoy. The only way to be truly successful is to follow your passions, find your mission, and learn how to embrace the work-life imbalance.

Couldn’t have said it any better! What do you do to embrace the imbalance? How do you define work-life balance? Please share below.

Before giving, the mind of the giver is happy.
While giving, the mind of the giver is made peaceful.
And having given, the mind of the giver is uplifted.

A friendly reminder for those of us who get carried away by the holidays and lose sight of their meanings a la Anguttara Nikaya.

My friends joke that this was me. Simply hilarious.

Take a moment to check out the full list of best iPhone autocorrects on BuzzFeed (will update link later). Would love to hear your own pitfalls! I know I’ve had a few myself.

Namaste!

After last week, I’m sure we could all appreciate a little comedic relief. Portlandia is back! I find this one extra hilarious because I had a similar experience with a new yoga teacher this week. If I hadn’t been experiencing such savasana brain, I likely would’ve had the same reaction as Carrie when my goodbye didn’t get a response…

Fred saying namaste may just turn into one of the sounds on my phone! Can’t wait for more.

On a worldwide tragic day like today, it’s really all we can do. If you’d like to take the extra step, try this. I just got back from a Hatha class and it’s keeping the sadness at bay, for now.

Om mani padme hum