SCIPAB. If you have to do a Power Point, then this is one formula to follow

SCIPAB

Situation --- what is the situation (eg. it's bad now ... world stats, environment)

Complication --- what complicates the situation (eg. it's getting worse ... the human needs that complicate the situation)

Implication --- what is the implication of S,C (eg. human pain, weather isn't fair ... someone has to do something about it)

Position --- what is our Position on S, C, I (eg. There is a better way --- our way ... we have done something)

Action --- what is the Action to take as a response (eg. we have an opportunity, and the time is now ... for you)

Benefit --- what are the key benefits of taking action (eg. in audience terms, here is how you gain your meaningful ROI)

Source: www.mandelcomm.com

How to write a "creative brief?"

I like to make myself crazy by gathering every detail possible and then torturing myself with the development of cleverly crafted creative briefs. So, here is a creative work in progress for your viewing and using pleasure:

These are questions that I like to answer when developing a "creative brief" or "creative memorandum"

What's the purpose of this creative brief? Or, what story do we desire to tell in the most creative manner possible?

What’s our business objective? Or, why in the hell are we doing this?

What kind of background information do we have?

What should this piece of brilliance look like? Is it a printed piece? Is it a video? A photo shoot? An event?

Who is the audience?

What are the messages? Don't write me a novel. Be brief. Be brilliant. Be gone.

How will this be different than what's already out there? Will it change the world? Will it make people: Act? React? Take notice? Yawn? Angry?

What miscellaneous issues do we need to be made aware of? For example, has a competitor already done this? Will we look really cool or really lame if we take this on?

How much will this cost to complete? Will it be worth the effort?

What do we do immediately after reading this?

How to use Trademark symbols

You cannot use an ® until your trade-marks are registered. While your trade-marks are in application to your chosen country, trade names and the like can be identified with a TM. Please note that there are no requirements to use symbols in Canada, however, attorneys recommend that un-filed trade-mark applications should be identified with the TM as they can accrue common law rights and marking in this manner is considered public notice.

Consideration must also be given to the fact that the use of an ® in brochures and documents that are going to foreign countries where IP applications may (or at this point in time, have not) been filed may carry consequences.

For instance, the United States has provisions in its criminal code wherein the identification of Reg. Pat. or ® to indicate that Intellectual Property is registered, when it is not, can result in criminal fraud charges. It is for this reason that legal counsel has recommended that the TM be used as it is correct in any country and also why they suggest that the Terms of Use on company web-sites include an Intellectual Property clause.

It is imperative that the information relayed to the consumer/licensee not be falsely represented.

On Blogs

The terms Weblog or blog are generic terms and do not just apply to Blogger sites. There are a wide variety of online tools that allow individuals or companies to build their own Weblog (typepad.com and livejournal.com are good examples). If you are interested in looking at more blogs, go to Technorati.com, pick a category and start surfing the Web.

The defining characteristic of a blog is that the content is organized chronologically or as an ongoing narrative. The word weblog comes from this characteristic - "web" because it is online and "log" because it is essentially an ordered list of content.

Why do I like them? Fast. Cheap. Easy. Powerful. Measurable.

Key advantages to using Weblogs for most business applications:

1. Speed. Weblogs can be established in minutes.

2. Cost. Weblogs generally have no hosting fees associated with them.

3. Flexibility. Today's Weblog programs are vastly more powerful and allow for more creativity than most Websites that we built just a few years ago. Adding content, whether it's video, audio, photos, stories, .PDF's, links, etc. is simple, fast and almost effortless.

4. Security. Weblogs can be viewed by the entire world or only those who you invite.

5. Measurability. With statistical code attached to the programming code, the behavior of visitors can be tracked easily, thus providing marketers with invaluable data.

6. Usability. Visitors or members (for private blogs) can post stories, comments and the like in a running dialog similar to how early chat rooms were comprised.

7. Collaboration. As issues are posted, members receive an email of the new posting. This increases the awareness of a particular issue among members of a private blog and is a powerful addition to any corporate communication information distribution system (damn, that's a mouthful to say)

More about Weblogs

Blogs started as personal online journals where individuals could share thoughts, comments, daily activities or anything else they felt like typing about. They gained popularity (and credibility) with news sources as well as a means of quickly sharing news and commentary online. For example, many columnists and sections at the New York Times have blogs online (which you can look at here: http://www.nytimes.com/ref/topnews/blog-index.html).

Corporate blogs have gained in popularity and credibility as well. Content for corporate blogs can vary greatly. They can be a running commentary from a key figure in the company, a place to share news on new products or services, a place to share relevant industry news and commentary on the news, and/or a forum for open dialogue between the company and the public.

Then there are blogs like Ascend Performance Group's - meant to be more of an online brochure.

Now to your big questions about why a blog instead of a traditional Web site. With a traditional Web site, your options are limited only by time, budget and creativity. With a skilled designer and programmer, you can build a Web site to look and function *exactly* how you want it to. With Blogger (and other blogging tools) you are somewhat limited by what the tools provide and allow. For example, almost all Blogger-made blogs will follow the two-column layout. You can change colors, fonts, add images and video, but you are somewhat locked in to the layout provided unless you have a somewhat advanced programming knowledge.

As far as credibility goes, blogs are a more and more accepted and valid form of online presence for companies. This may not have been true five years ago, but most people now do not have a bias between traditional Web sites and blogs.

That said, for Ascend's current purposes, we believe a blog is the right online channel at this time because:

1) We can get the blog up quickly. We do not need to spend time with a designer or programmer to layout and build the site.

2) We have control over our content. Again, it is very simple for us to edit content on the blog on our own, with out a programmer involved.

3) It's free. At some point, it may be worth paying to have a site built. But the tools provided by the blog/Blogger are enough to cover our needs for now.