Tonic Xmas Party 2008

We couldn’t let the holidays come and go without having a Tonic Xmas Party.  This year we opted for an evening of fondue at The Melting Pot, which was a new experience for many of us.  In case you’re in the same boat, picture a night full of melted cheesy concoctions, steaming meats, and decadent chocolate.  It was delicious!

For our gift exchange we each had to bring our favorite dvd and a cd of favorite songs from high school. We took the White Elephant route and things got pretty heated, but all in all everyone walked home with some premium items.

Tonic’s 2nd Annual "Christmas for a Cause"

You may remember from last December our designers get very competitive around this time in anticipation of our annual T-shirt design contest.  Well, this year was no different.  We came up with 6 designs for clients, partners, and friends to vote on.  The winning design was courtesy of Nathan Rhoads who created the shirt below:

Thanks to all our voters we were able to make a very special Christmas for a local Thousand Oaks family.  We first received word of the Peralta family through St. Maximillian Kolbe Church.  It was very hard not to fall in love the Peralta’s and we felt so great to be able to help them out.  We bought lots of fun toys for their 5 year old son and gave them an Albertson’s gift card to help out with groceries. All of the Tonic team has agreed its better to give than to receive and we are already looking forward to next year’s event.

The Play-Doh Challenge

Did you know that September 18 is National Play-Doh Day? People have been innovating with Play-Doh since 1956, so the TONIC team decided to join in on the fun.

Check out our team’s creations:

Think you can build something even more innovative? Send us your Play-Doh creation photos at info@thinkTONIC.com and you could be featured on our blog!

Email Marketing: Does it Work?

With the prices of postage and printing rising, and the economy slowing, most companies are looking for ways to reduce marketing costs, or at least get more bang for their buck. One cost effective way to promote your product or service to prospective customers is through email marketing. But most people wonder if it actually works? With the loads of spam I receive every day, I wasn’t quite convinced, either.

So I asked myself and the rest of the Tonic team, have you ever actually made a purchase as a result of email marketing? The answer was surprising. Yes, every single one of us has. Of course I probably dump at least 95% of my spam, but there are a few emails I read each time that definitely convince me to make a purchase.

So I sought out to determine what it was about those emails that converted each of us into a paying customer.

The Headlines.
Here are the headlines of the emails we found compelling:
“Holt’s High Noon Special - 24 hour sale with free shipping every Tuesday & Thursday!”
“Coldplay - act now for presale ticket opportunity”
“Complete your iTunes album now for $6.00!”

Theme One.
Each email was from a company we had made a purchase from before. It’s surprising how many companies I come across that do not have a email mailing list set up. If I trust a company enough to make a purchase from them, many times I’d be interested in finding out about special promotions in the future, so I’d be more than happy to get on their mailing list.

Theme Two.
Each email was about a product we had each purchased before. If we were big enough suckers to buy it the first time, we’re probably big enough suckers to buy it again. And at half price? Sold!

Theme Three.
Yes, that’s right, at half the price. The cigar email offered a sale and free shipping. The iTunes email offered a discounted price on an album. Although the Coldplay email didn’t offer a discounted price, the intangible value is that the recipient gets to buy tickets before anyone else (what a true fan!).

Theme Four.
There is a time period in which to respond. Each offer was only available for a limited time, so we didn’t have time to stash it in our to-do folders.

Theme Five.
We really, really, really want what they have to offer. And how did they know that? Our guess is through solid research based on our past purchases. Without this important piece of the puzzle, direct email becomes, well, just junk mail.

The Takeaway.
The bottom line is, when used properly, email marketing can be very, very effective, and costs pennies to send. Even if it’s a simple monthly newsletter, ongoing communication with your customers can help build your relationship with them, keep your company at the front of their minds, and help position you as an expert in your industry. Tonic works with a best-in-class email marketing software that can help you develop a professional email marketing campaign, as well as providing you with detailed analytics for each element of your campaign. For more information, please email info@thinktonic.com.

Inspiration: Graffiti from Around the World

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National Simplify Your Life Week

The first week in August is “National Simplify Your Life Week.” We could all use a little simplifying, but the problem is, most of us have no idea where to start. Here are a few easy tips for making your life oh-so-much easier.

For the Financially Unorganized
Do you know where all of your receipts are right now? If the answer is “stuffed in my cup holder in my car,” that is not acceptable. Make your life easier when expense reports are due and keep track of your expenditures in this handy receipt catcher. Buy one here.

For the Business Travelers Who Always Lose Their Luggage
Nothing is worse than having to explain why you felt it was appropriate to wear the same outfit 5 days in a row on your business trip. It’s easy to prevent strangers from stealing your luggage. Just use these handy luggage tags that make it clear to others that you’re pretty sure that isn’t their bag. Get these great tags here.

For the Less Than Tech Savvy
Your computer freezes as you’re browsing the latest celebrity gossip on the web. Your boss will be walking by any moment. How did you fix this last time? Was it control+escape, no… alt+shift, no… your brain freezes. Your boss walks in. Deer in the headlights.

Next time you’ll be sure to log the easy fix in your Computer Log Handbook. Whether you often forget passwords, login names, troubleshooting tips or serial numbers, this computer log has the answers. So keep it handy. And get back to work.

Find one here.

For the Low-Man on the Totem Pole
You know who you are. You walk into a 4:00 meeting confident that you’ll be home by 5:00. But it never fails–you’re always delegated at least 5 more hours of work for the day. Don’t worry; your time will come. In the meantime, don’t look like a fool by carrying out 20 folders, 3 binders, and a huge stack of paper. Bring your keychain instant carryall that opens up into a 20″ x 18″ bag. Plus, it’s eco-friendly! Get yours here.

For the Employee Who Just Tries to Appear Busy
Sometimes you may be so busy trying to pretend you’re important that you, yourself, even forget what is actually important. Don’t worry. These handy folders will help you clarify which documents are urgent, and which ones are, well, just there for job security.

Grab one here.

10 Reasons to Vote in 2008

AIGA held a design competition to create posters that inspire people to participate in the upcoming Presidential election. Here are a few of our favorites:

To see more entries, and for more information on each of the entries above, including artist name and location, please visit http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/get-out-the-vote

Happy Birthday to Cube

I typically like to celebrate birthdays.  I like ice cream, candles, and I LOVE birthday cake.  But today I don’t feel like celebrating.  It’s Cubicle’s 40th birthday, and frankly, I’m downright annoyed.

When the Herman Miller designers created the “Action Office,” I don’t think they envisioned how the cubicle would take over corporate America.  The original Action Office design featured larger, more private workspaces that promoted productivity and good health and posture.  Somewhere, someone figured out that it’s possible to make the Action Office workspaces a fourth of the size to save costs.

At TONIC, we despise traditional cubes.  We try to promote an open and collaborative working environment, which we believe leads to ultimate creativity.  Here are a few office spaces that we really like:

Even if you can’t afford trendy, modern furniture, there are a few things you can do to spice up your workspace beyond a giant paperweight and an annual kitten calendar:

Kid Robot Toys. You’ll find at least one Kid Robot toy at every desk at TONIC.  Prices start at $5.95.  Buy one here.

A Sweet Poster. Grant really likes this slightly nerdy poster found at My Little Underground.  Buy a set of 3 prints for $12 here.

Bring the Outdoors Inside. I personally enjoy having a plant or flower on my desk to brighten my workspace.  Orchids can last for weeks or months without direct sunlight and minimal maintenance (I kill all plants—mine lived practically maintenance-free for 3 months).  I bought mine at the local Bristol Farms for about $10-15.

Mousepad Notepads. Who needs a bunch of paper cluttering up their desk?  Consolidate your mousepad and notepad with this geometric mousepad by Galison.  Buy one here for $9.

Hedgehog Magnetic Paperclip Holder. This cute magnetic paperclip holder comes in black, pink or green.  Buy one here for $23.

Do you have ideas for brightening up your workspace?  Send us your ideas at info@thinkTONIC.com and you could be featured on our blog!

Helping the orphans of Mexico

Ninos de Baja is a small orphanage in El Porvenir Mexico (near Ensenada) that is having a radical impact on the lives of abandoned, abused and neglected children that have been rescued from life-threatening conditions. I had the privilege of spending the past week with my two boys helping the folks at Nino de Baja along with several other families from our church. As a part of this emotional and life-changing mission experience, we had the opportunity to spend time getting to know the people of this charming Mexican village and witness firsthand the impact the Ninos team is having.

During the days the men and some of the oder boys completed a series of much-needed construction projects (and sweating our butts off!). Most of the women and younger kids spent their days playing games and doing crafts with the orphans. This had a dramatic impact on my boys who really connected with several of the children. I think they took away more from the experience than they gave.

Each evening the whole team convened in the central, community park to play futbol (soccer) and baseball with the kids of the community. Like clockwork, we would show up around 7pm and about 75-100 kids would come from all around to hang out with the Americans in the park. They could have played futbol all night!

We snuck away from the group dining experience one night to sample the local taco stand…amazing!

TONIC at thinkValley

We had a great time at the first meeting of thinkValley last night. ThinkValley is a local marketing, advertising, and media collaborative group that Danielle has had the opportunity to be involved with planning along with Neil Adelman who is the CEO/Advertising Director of Statement magazine. Jason was invited to kick off the meeting with some positioning exercises that led to some great discussions about where we would like the group to go and what we see it becoming.