Sorry, don’t mean to offend, but I think you’ll agree, if there’s a video to watch about a product and a 3-page white paper, you’d opt for the video wouldn’t you? Yes, you and about 99% of the rest of the population. We are so time crunched that if there’s a quick way to get information we’ll take that path, and watching a 2-minute video is certainly faster than reading a 3-page white paper.

The big growth area in marketing for 2011 is predicted to be video – consider what you can do with it and how you can use it to help you communicate, quicker, easier and more effectively.

Less is more is a statement that dates all the way back to 1855 and rings truer now that ever.  It’s certainly true for choices of cheese at the deli counter; for words on a billboard; and for the notion that simplicity and clarity lead to good design. Keep this in mind for any and all of your marketing and communications – internal and external. I don’t know about you but I certainly don’t need to try to find my way through the clutter to figure out what you’re trying to tell me.

Sunday morning, 8am and we’re partaking in the usual weekend ritual – coffee – hockey – cheering and then – more coffee.  As I wait in line at Tim’s for my 2nd injection of energy, I watch a Tim Bits hockey player lift his jersey and flash the expectant Tim Horton’s employee, who smiled and asked him what he wanted. Doughnut and a chocolate milk was the young NHL’ers reponse. Then dad ordered a cup of coffee, cinnamon bun, mom ordered coffee and a muffin and little brother had two Tim Bits and milk. Unbeknownst to me, because our son did not play Tim Bits hockey was, on the inside of his jersey was a message that said, “I just played hockey and I’m hungry,” and voila, the player received a free doughnut.

I’ve always admired Tim Horton’s marketing strategies, the, down home Canadiana slant and their true commitment to community. The free jersey doughnut is just another brilliant example of Timmy’s marketing prowess. Child gets a free doughnut – average cost . . . maybe a quarter. Total hockey family’s bill . . . just over $10 . . . and the line-up of Tim Bits jerseys extended outside the door. True marketing brilliance.

I was looking for a new salad recipe this weekend and knew I wanted it to contain candied pecans, so I went to my overworked IGoogle page and typed in “candied pecans,” and voila, 100’s of recipes that contained candied pecans. The recipe also contained spinach, brie, radicchio and pears, and in the end it was one of the best salads I’d ever had. The point here is the Internet has made it easy and convenient for us to find what we’re looking for with a few simple keyword. So, how good is your SEO and online marketing. If you don’t make it to the first page you won’t even be in the running . . .

If you read our last e-news, you know there is no app for creativity, so where does it come from? Well, the source of creativity is truly an individual experience. I’m at my most creative when I wake, so whenever possible I take time before I leap out of bed to think. I think about specific projects, things that require a unique angle or a creative boost. Some days I have wild  creative explosions, sometimes I end up with nothing more than a creative fizzle. But I  know tomorrow and a potential new creative epiphany is only a nap away.

Where and when are you most creative? Find out and nurture your creative source(s), because people will pay big bucks for creativity, whether its art, design, or creative business solutions.

Are you a resolution maker or do you shun the idea of the “New Years Resolution?” Do you live for the challenge of conquering a goal or are you tired of the typical,

• lose weight
• quit smoking
• eat healthier
• exercise more

type resolutions that gyms, personal coaches and health food stores love. Well, good luck to those of you who make personal resolutions. And I challenge you all to make at least one business resolution.  “If you’re  not already doing it, resolve to consider social media marketing (SMM) as part of your integrated marketing mix this year.” You may not think Facebook, Linked In or Twitter will help your business but there are ways to leverage these social networks to your advantage. “Resolve to consider SMM in 2011.”

The website for Harwood Design Builders, designed and developed by Dubyts Communications Inc., is one of five finalists in the website design category for the 2010 Canadian Home Builders Association National SAM Awards.