McAfees Most Dangerous 2010 Olympians

Whether you’re in Vancouver or in your warm home enjoying the icy games this year, you could be at risk. How? Let us break it down for you. Criminals on the street and on the web are finding ways to take advantage of you: Vancouver is fighting counterfeit memorabilia and ticket sales and cybercriminals are using Olympians’ names to lure you in.

With any large-scale sporting event or concert series, counterfeit memorabilia finds its way into parking lot and other unauthorized locations. These items are often priced lower than other official products and can even contribute to illegal activities. In order to prevent this, the Vancouver Olympics has created a special tag attached to all Olympic 2010 merchandise.

On the tickets for each event, a hologram is attached to ensure its authenticity. As stated on the Consumer Awareness section of the Vancouver 2010 website the “holograms feature Vancouver 2010 emblems and several layers of security and have been designed to prevent unauthorized copying, protect consumers and assist customs officers”.

To prevent illegal ticket sales, the International Olympic Committee has hired “secret shoppers” to find scalpers at the various events. Many tickets NOT purchased through the three main selling options (Vancouver2010.com, Jet Set Sports, and affiliate company CoSport) may not be valid at the events.

The Vancouver Olympics merchandise and ticket sales contribute to maintaining a safe and memorable event for all participating. Sales also support Canadian athlete’s current and future endeavors.



McAfee has also teamed up to fight cybercrime and identity theft via the web.

While watching the games, at-home spectators like to Google their favorite athletes for the latest news, blogs, and images; what they don’t know is Cybercriminals are using Olympians’ names and images to lure surfers. These sites are often laden with viruses and malware, and can even contribute to identity theft!

Response, created an interesting visual way to show McAfee fans how they might be at risk using Facebooks photo album function. We cultivated the “Most Dangerous Olympians” on the web. The list shows the top Olympic athletes, by sport and overall, who pose the most risk when choosing a page to browse. We devised a rating system for each athlete by using McAfee’s SiteAdvisor technology, explained in full detail in the “Most Dangerous Olympians” photo album.


Which dangerous Olympian will be on your watch list?

Top 5 “IDEAS” to Improve Your Facebook Fan Page

If you think having a standard Fan Page for your business will attract the potential number of fans your page could have, think again. Facebook users are bored of the typical mombo jambo. They want something more. Take the following IDEAS into consideration in order to make the most of your page.

Involve your fans
Designate your fans as the designers
Exclusive discounts for Facebook fans
Area-focused promotions
Send gifts

I
Typically when there is an expressed interest or relation with something, people usually have something to say. So why not incorporate that into your fan page? On Facebook, any random Joe can write on a wall or comment on a picture. Old news. So why not take it a step further and provide your fans with another outlet to express their feelings of your brand?

Example:Baby Gap Fan Page
To promote their line of denim wear, Baby Gap had created a tab that linked to a page where users could upload pictures of their babies wearing this apparel. This was a genius idea because think about it. Have you ever heard of a mom who doesn’t want to show off her baby? I didn’t think so.

D
Individualism. How many times have we heard these words? No matter where you are, people are always telling you to be yourself, express yourself, etc. Therefore, why not embrace it? Show your fans all of the potential looks and styles you can offer to personalize the items you intend to sell. This way, your fans can get a preview of what you can offer them.

Example:Dell – Design Studio
Dell created their fan page to be able to allow potential consumers to edit certain pieces of premade templates in which they could design for their laptops. They were also granted access to share their design with friends as well as directly link them for purchase options.

E
Who doesn’t love discounts? If there is a chance to save money, people are all over it. So why not implement it into your fan page. By offering fan-exclusive deals on certain products and services, the chances of people becoming a fan of your fan page significantly increase.

Example:Walgreens Fan Page
By simply mentioning discounts as their status, Walgreens generated more volume to their page without even breaking a sweat. By doing something as easy as updating their status (something anyone can do), they were able to draw in more fans.

A
From watching the news to reading a book, people instantly focus upon hearing something that has to do with themselves, in particular their area. By incorporating promotions based on different geographical locations, it will come off to the consumer that the brand really does care and is putting an extra effort to target individual consumers

Example:Adidas Fan Page
Adidas created a tab named “Your Area” which provided photos, videos and events which they were hosting in relation to the viewer’s area.

S
Now who doesn’t like presents? Even if it is virtual, getting a gift can always brighten someone’s day!

Example:The Home Depot – DIY Gifts Application
By allowing users to share gift purchases with friends, not only did they get a fun notification, but instantly were reminded of the brand.

Do you have any clever IDEAS or examples? We'd Love to hear them!

Some examples are from past promotions.
Promotion examples adapted from American Express OPEN FORUM

New Twitter Trend: Flitter Dating

In the office today, Katie (one of the interns) had mentioned that she had heard of this new craze called “Flitter” being discussed on the radio. What is it you might ask? Well, I’ll get to that. With the world now hooked on Twitter, it was only a matter of time before this status update phenomenon took on a new form.

In Toronto, Canada, a bar has started this new thing called “flittering.” Basically what happens is that upon entering the bar, you will receive a sticker with a designated number on it to wear for the night. Say you wanted to start up a conversation with the man adorning the number 5 but were too shy to go up to him yourself. Missed opportunity no longer! Simply tweet, or for better words, “fleet” a message like “#5 you’re (insert desired adjective)” to the designated number. This message would then be projected onto a screen for the whole bar to see (and hopefully catch the eye of Mr.5).

So is this really going to be the new way of dating? Are we going to get to a point where all communication is going to be done through a technological device? Personally, I am fine with the old fashion way of dating, but if this is what it will eventually come down to, maybe I should consider purchasing a new phone with internet capability.

We'd love to hear your thoughts!

Response Recognized as a Woman-Owned Small Business Enterprise

As of February 11, Response Marketing has been recognized by the state of Connecticut as a woman-owned, small business enterprise. Our full-service, integrated marketing agency is the most recent addition to the Connecticut’s Supplier Diversity program, which highlights the significance of lesser paramount businesses in our state commerce. The diversity program targets that at least 25% of the state’s business is transacted with small business including those especially owned by minorities, women, and the disabled. Co-owners of Response, Carolyn Walker and Paul Lavoie, were awarded a certificate for its participation in the program. For further information, please visit the Connecticut Department of Administrative Services at http://www.das.state.ct.us.

True Life: Julia as a Response Intern

Meet Julia, age 20, Response's new intern!

Attending Quinnipiac University, Julia is getting a head start on her career with her new internship! A marketing major and finance minor (wow!), Julia will be the first to admit that she can't wait to get out into the real world. When asked what she wanted to do with life, she busted out some lyrics to Drake's "Successful," and proceeded to sing not to me, but at me! While her singing was quite entertaining, she noticed my alarm and proceeded to tell me that she planned on using her internship to find out her next step in life. But she did know that marketing was her calling, and she expressed to me how she wished to do it for the rest of her life!

And speaking of successful, Julia is quite that! In high school she was a tri-athlete and played field hockey, softball, and tennis! But even though high school is over, her active lifestyle has not ceased - she frequents Sleeping Giant, and once even accidentally ventured on the blue diamond trail...SCARY! For those of you who don't know, it is comparable to rock climbing. And not only did Julia climb this with her friends, but it became dark out, and she had reached the point of no return. She had to finishing climbing to the top, and only then could she turn around. Would she ever find her way back down the mountain? Well friends, she did, but it took a lot of cell phone light to find her way back down. I'm sure she'll never do that again!

I also learned that Julia does not joke around with making the moola - she has had more awesome jobs than I knew existed! She was able to get her tennis on as an instructor at a junior tennis club, and she also taught tennis at a summer camp for 2 years! She has also worked at Gap, Tommy Hilfiger, and Forever 21. All this talk about working, led us to a conversation about shopping, naturally. She made me aware of the fact that she loved working at Forever 21, because she was able to secretly hoard the clothes that she wanted before anybody else could get to them. I mean a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!

In speaking to Julia, I learned quite an interesting fact about her. She is actually borderline obsessed with music, and has been to every Bamboozle and Warped Tour since her freshman year of high school! As she was telling me this, she actually cranked up some Bayside, and then we had a nice discussion about our favorite music, and what shows we had seen. I have to admit, that perhaps she has been to more concerts than I, but I admire her drive, and can only aspire to be that dedicated.

I forgot to mention that Julia is from....dun dun dun...the JERSEY SHORE! Actually, Little Silver, New Jersey! She told me how she snooks the night with JWOW in her spare time, and that she is not just best friends, but BFF with "The Situation".....just kidding, but she does live five minutes from the beach, and often goes there with her friends. She loves to "ride around, blast the music, and make a big scene." Who wouldnt?

Although Julia loves going to the beach, she really would like to go to Rome and Greece to see statues, and architecture, and HOTTIES of course! She really does love art though. She told me how she loves to draw, and at first did only portraits. Then she started to draw landscapes, and then she started to draw tattoo art! She wants a tatto, however she did not disclose to me what of. Perhaps a tennis raquet or a music note? It shall remain a mystery!

I did however delve into the "real Julia" and discovered a few interesting facts. She totally has crushes on Jake Gyllenhaal and Christian Bale - mega hotties! Her favorite movie however is Garden State, and her favorite color is black - not because it s gothic and creepy, but because "it matches everything." I second that! You can find Julia eating spaghetti and meatballs, followed by apple pia a la mode! She would also die without chocolate, and likes it dark - at least 70% cacao! If she could be any fruit, it would be pineapple because it is exotic! She once dyed her hair deep red, and can make her tongue into a three-leaf clover! Out of the three surprise birthday parties she had (one of them for her sweet sixteen), she was surprised at all of them! But the best present she ever got was for her "sweet seven" and was a Barbie Jeep. She also had the Barbie Playhouse and got to romp around in a life size little house! She is sad though that she never had a my-size Barbie!

I learned alot about Julia, from her scary hiking incident to her musical obsessions and celebrity crushes. It has been a pleasure letting the world know the true life of Julia Nuara!

Je m'appelle Chelsea Rae!

Introducing the new Response Intern, Chelsea Rae LaManna. 20 year old Junior at Quinnipiac University!!

Chelsea is currently studying International Business and Marketing. She is semi-fluent in french after taking it for 6 years! She also knows some Arabic, which is way cool.

Now, the Favorites game...

Color: Red. She loves the color Red because she was a Red Crayon for Halloween when she was 4, "back in the day".

Food: Steak & Ice Cream (obviously not together though...gross). She loves Habachi, and her favorite dessert is Creme Brulee. Also, when asked what her favorite fruit was she responded, "Papaya is icky, but J'adore manger la pamplemousse! (I like to eat grapefruit)"

Movie: Top 3 favorite movies are 1) Happy Gilmore 2) The Mummy 3) Boondock Saints

TV Shows: Chelsea loves Glee, True Blood, Desperate Housewives, and Law & Order SVU. Here is fun fact: Detective Elliot Stabler lives in Chelsea's home town!

Band/song: All Time Low- Jasey Rae. Chelsea likes this band and song because her middle name is Rae, and because All Time Low is one of her "All Time Favorite bands!" Chelsea and I happened to have a lot of music tastes in common. We have both also been to numerous Warped Tours to see our favorite bands! We happened to be rocking out to Silverstein, Cartel, and 3Oh!3 while interviewing each other.

Clothing Store: Of course, Forever 21 is Chelsea's favorite clothing store. "It always has the newest trends of clothes, with a fun and funky twist" Little did she know, but I used to work at Forever 21 for about a year and a half!

Something very interesting that I learned about Chelsea was about her and her sister. They have this little game that they play. They come up with different lyrics to songs depending on what they happen to be doing at the current moment, and text it to each other. One of my favorites was about dinner. Sing it to the song, Last Resort by Papa Roach..."CUT THIS CHICKEN INTO PIECES. THIS IS A PLASTIC FORK. STARVATION. I'M FEEDING. DON'T CARE IF I DROOL WHILE EATING..." When she told me this, I was rolling on the ground laughing. She certainly has a talent for music and lyrics. Believe it or not, this is not her most embarrassing moment. She actually messed up the words to the National Anthem when she sang for a gymnastics meet. Oops!

Speaking of music, Chelsea is actually a very talented singer. Fun Fact: She met the man who writes l of the songs for American Idol. She sang for him and he even told her she has great potential and should pursue trying out for American Idol! WOW who knew!? She even said her dream career is to be a famous Singer. Well, don't give up hope Chelsea. We'll all vote for you on American Idol!

Besides singing, Chelsea can actually do the Irish Step dance! When I asked her if she could demonstrate, she said she would "Bust this place down" in reference to how much the floor would shake, haha.

So, since the famous singer/Irish breakdancing dream is not as realistic as she would like, haha, she is striving to have a career in International marketing research on consumer behavior (that's a mouthful). She is very motivated and driven.

Why Response?

Chelsea found out about Response through the Career Fair. She was looking for the company, and then stumbled across the bright orange logo. From there on out, she knew she was interested in working with the Response Team!

A Few Randoms:

If you were to die tomorrow, how would you spend your last 24 hours?

"I would go to France and eat everything. Crepes, baguettes, creme brulee, and le chocolat. Anything but fish. Je deteste le poisson!"

Best Christmas gift?

"That's easy, top 5, Easy Bake Oven, My Size Barbie, Polly Pocket, Creepy Crawlers, and a mini battery powered red hot corvette" which she drove all over her driveway as a kid. Clearly childhood was the high point for Christmas gifts. Isn't it for everyone? haha

Last but not least, Chelsea shared some absolutely random facts about herself, including if she was any character in Mean Girls, she would definitely want to play Karen. She can lick her nose with her tongue, and she would love more than anything to marry either Paul Pierce, shooting guard from the Celtics, or Gerard Butler from 300, The Ugly Truth, etc. Good Choices!

Well, this has been quite an insight into Chelsea Rae's life. From her favorite foods to her dream job, Chelsea definitely has a wide variety of interests! Shes cool beans in my book!

This has been a True Life Documentary of Chelsea Rae LaManna...

Responses's Top 10 Super Bowl Ads of 2010

What’s your favorite Super Bowl Ad of 2010?

This year’s Super Bowl proved to be an exciting one with not only a great come back for the New Orleans Saints, but also for Super Bowl Ads.

We all know this is the notorious opportunity for brands to show off what they’ve really got, and do it in the most creative way possible. The Super Bowl Ads even attract non-football fans (me included) who watch simply just to see what the biggest brands of the day have up their sleeves.

I popped into the Response offices today, to find out some of the favorites, as well as honorable mentions of the 2010 Super Bowl Ads.

Here are the office favorites:

1. Nick, the Creative Director, loved Google’s “Parisian Love”

Witty, simple and smart. This ad showed all the search features Google has to offer, not to mention that Google basically has the answer to all your questions… and you gotta love the cute love story just in time for Valentine’s Day. Bravo to Google for showcasing a great TV ad, especially with their competitor Bing showing a heave marketing campaign to gain more market share in the search engine industry.

2. Ben, the Art Director, found Snickers’ “Betty White” to really stand out

Rough, dirty and hilarious. Playing ball like a girl?... Grab a Snickers! This commercial was a typical guys Sunday morning football game… The trash talk was definitely relatable and humorous, bravo Snickers! I mean, who wouldn’t want to tackle Betty White?

3. Cassie, an Interactive Designer, could not stop laughing when she saw E*Trade’s “Milkaholic”

The E*Trade baby commercial's continue to be a hit... and they keep getting better and better. This video, where the E*Trade baby is skyping with his girlfriend and gets caught with another girl, or shall we say a "milkaholic" is classic! I am with Cassie on this one... what a great commercial.

4. Tarra, an Account Executive and David, the Account Director, both favored Monster.com’s “Fiddling Beaver”

The story line behind this commercial could not have been more on target for Monster.com's mission: to help with your job search and find you your dream job. Monster.com can even lead a fiddling beaver to success! Congrats to Monster.com's marketing team for really delivering a powerful message.

5. Julianne, an Intern, really ejoyed Budweiser’s “Human Bridge”

Budweiser, is the number 1 beer in sales for Americans... which is proven in this creative commercial where people will do anything to have a Bud... including forming a human bridge to bring in the beer when the bridge to their town collapses. Talk about brand loyalty!

6. Personally, my favorite was Motorola’s “Megan Fox”

This ad was definitely fun and sexy! The effects a beautiful woman has on a man was taken to a new level in this commercial... and in a pretty funny way. Good thing Megan Fox doesnt send out pictures of herself in the bath tub... the world might come to an end!

Some Honorable Mentions:

7. Audi’s “Green Car”

This clever commercial featured the “Green Police” arresting various criminals of not “going green.” Imagine police actually arresting you for drinking out of a Styrofoam cup, or using a plastic bag to bag your groceries… a lot of people would be found guilty! The execution was comical and definitely got the message across. The “Green Police” song has been hummed around the office all day.

8. Vizio’s “Forge”

Beyonce captivates attention at the beginning of this commercial, where you’re transferred into a dark robotic world. This spot features quotes from viral YouTube videos including: David after Dentist, to the infamous Numa Numa video. This commercial was totally on-point and an appropriate execution for Vizio Internet Applications.

9. Doritos' “House Rules”

This humorous commercial features a little boy telling it straight to his mother’s date when he picks up a Dorito and says “put it back, keep your hands off my mama, keep your hands off my Doritos!” This commercial was actually picked from Doritos' “Crash the Super Bowl” contest. We sure wouldn’t mess around with that little guy!

10. CareerBuilder’s “Casual Friday”

Thank goodness this is not the case around the office! This video, which features casual Fridays as no-clothes-Fridays, shows a different side of every employee… and in most cases, it wasn’t a pretty side. I'm with the main guy in the commercial... how uncomfortable!

Check out YouTube on Thursday to see the top picks of the Super Bowl Ads. Which ones are your favorite?

Top 9 Ways You've Been Ripped-Off

Texting, popcorn, Advil, textbooks, wine, gas, mini-bars, hotel movies: the necessities of life, right? I’m sure at least one of these products or services are a regular purchase in your life. According to an article written on CNNMoney.com, you’ve been ripped-off.

Let’s break down the rip-off’s real quick:

Text messages: 6,500% markup
Movie theater popcorn: 900%
Free credit reports: freecreditreport.com = $14.99/month (not so free!)
Brand-name painkillers: 60% markup
Wine at restaurants: 500% markup
Textbooks: $900/year
Super gas: 15% markup
Hotel mini-bars: 1,300% markup
Hotel in-room movies: 200% markup

So the biggest rip-off winner goes to: text messages. Who would have known text messages were a 6,500% markup? Apparently those texts from last night cost carriers one-third of a cent each to deliver. Even customers who think they’re saving money by signing up for an unlimited texting plan are being ripped-off. No wonder all my “crackberry” friends are bbming (blackberry messaging) all the time.

So, do you feel like you've been ripped off? Let us know!

Check out the rest of the rip-off’s from CNNMoney.

Meet Julie the Jersey Girl!

A new year, means new interns at Response. It is my pleasure to introduce the fabulous Social Media Intern, Julianne!

Julie is a Junior at Quinnipiac University where she is putting her creative talents to work pursuing a degree in Advertising with a minor in Interactive Digital Design. Julie loves Quinnipiac and Connecticut but she is a true Jersey girl at heart, which is where she was born and raised.

Getting to know Julianne, i can tell she is a totally down to earth diva. She loves the beach, shopping, music and hanging out with friends. One of her passions is drawing; her specialty is drawing people (She doesn't know it yet, but my plan is to get her to draw me :) before the intern program ends).

I asked Julie what she was looking to get out of this internship at Response and this is what she said: "I hope to continue learning about how advertising and marketing is implemented in the real world. Although college is an essential part of the learning process, it is detrimental to get real world experience instead of graduating only knowing business through a textbook. Learning how to advertise and market through online media is really beneficial being that everything is becoming so internet focused."

Julie and I share an office and we love to listen to music while we work- its inspiring. We constantly have the John Mayer station of Pandora on. This is how i found out that Julianne's dream job is to be a Music Artist... this is also how i found out that her voice is... well... lets just say she might want to find another dream job! (No offense Julie- i still like singing with you)

The other day, Julie confessed to me that she watches way too much TV. I asked her what her favorite shows were and she said she likes Nip/Tuck and Family Guy. She also could not stop talking about LOST. She spent her entire Christmas break watching seasons 1-5 and was so excited this Tuesday when season 6 started.

Well as you can all tell, we have another great addition to the Response team!

The Tale of Katie Mortimore

Once upon a time there was girl by the name of Katie Mortimore.

• Senior at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut
• Marketing Intern at Response Marketing in New Haven
• Born in Boca Raton, Florida
• Currently resides in New York.
• Her passion is event planning
• Loves fashion, and social media (facebook, twitter ETC), the beach, working out, sushi, shoes, a good book and her family & friends.

One day, Katie applied for a marketing internship at a place called Response Marketing. Due to her hard work and determination, she received the job. But what did she hope to get out of it?

"I want to gain practical hands on business experience with this internship. I am also excited to utilize social media tools in marketing campaigns- since that is our future. Mainly though, I want to have fun. I love the marketing industry, it sort of like anything goes and i love being creative so i really just want to be able to put my mind to work and see what happens with it. Its really cool and satisfying to see your ideas come to life through your clients. "

Katie was asked to look into a crystal ball to see if her career goals would come true. What was in store for her future?

"If i could be the head of Global Marketing for a company like Louis Vuitton- that would be insane. Or Dolce & Gabanna, cause their marketing strategies are sexy."

Alike anyone her age, she watched TV.

• Lost
• House
• Gossip Girl - why? "because Chad Crawford is dreamy

Does Katie pursue a career in fashion? Does Chad Crawford become her prince? Only time will tell.

THE END