Medals for Excellence

Addus Healthcare makes it possible for thousands of seniors to continue living in their homes instead of moving into nursing homes. In the long run it’s a healthier and happier situation for the clients and their families.

Tonic Blue Communications played a role in creating an important program for Addus Healthcare that encourages Home Care Aides to be on the lookout for signs of change in the client that can lead to more serious problems and possibly hospitalization. As soon as an aide spots a wound, signs of dizziness, swelling in the legs or other changes in the client, they must report them to the Addus Care Coordinator who will see to it that the client gets immediate medical attention. The goal is to keep the client healthy and safe in the comfort of their own home.

The prompt action on the part of Addus Home Care Aides does not go unrewarded.  At In-Service meetings, those who have gone above and beyond receive a custom made medal that can be worn in recognition of their actions.

Award-Winning Design

We are very proud to announce that Tonic Blue has won
two American Design Awards!

Takara Belmont Ad Campaign

2nd Place, Advertising

See the campaign

Tonicblue.com

3rd Place, Web Design (Portfolio)

See the site

About the American Design Awards

The American Design Awards were established in 2000 with the mission of providing an objective, ethically sound design competition with global reach.

The Winter 2010 competition selected winners across 19 categories from a pool of 1,888 entries.

Why, what’s it cost, and what’s in it for me? Answers to the big questions surrounding social media

It’s pretty obvious these days. Social media is in no way, shape, or form, a trend, but marks a fundamental shift in the way we communicate and connect with others. Just take a look at today’s younger generation. Recent research from the Kaiser Family Foundation indicates that 8 to 18-year-olds are spending more than 50 hours a week with various forms of digital media, a huge chunk of that time a result of Facebook and Twitter. And think about that a little more because in just a few years, these “kids” will most likely become your target audience.

Need more convincing? Look at some of the most recent headlines in the ad world. Pepsi made a bold move on Super Bowl Sunday last month by becoming the first longtime advertiser to sit out the game, instead devoting its resources to a Social media campaign promoting its “Pepsi Refresh” initiative.

More…

Advertising the softer side

Click to enlarge

We’re proud to announce the launch of our strategic campaign for Takara Belmont. The series, featuring juxtaposed salon and spa furniture in the most unusual settings imaginable, paints a playful portrait of a company that has been a leading name in the beauty market for more than 50 years. Although Takara has carved a niche for itself with high-end products, the campaign promotes the more expressive side of the business. Selection of furniture is a big step for a salon or spa owner—not only is function important, but it’s a statement of the personality and character of their business.

By choosing products that reflect a specific image, the salon owner is establishing their salon or spa’s brand. Image is huge. From retro to modern, Tonic wanted to strike an emotional chord with the audience at a point when they may be considering an investment that will play a major role in molding identity.

Social media efforts soon to pay off big time with Google

One of the most common questions we hear from clients during our discussions about social media is, “What’s the real value?” It’s a good question. Although social media and similar communication channels generally fall into the category of brand building, and though we routinely remind clients that intangibles remain vital to the health of an enterprise, news from Google that social media activity will play a role in search-engine ranking dangles a nice juicy carrot in front of us all.

The idea that Google would gather this type of data makes total sense. The communications ecosphere formed by your threads and dialog on Twitter and Facebook say as much about your company as the content on your web site.

So what does this mean for us agency folk? That our job is to ensure you’re playing in the right sandbox – that the dialogue between you and your community is a reflection of the image you’re seeking to cultivate.

Brand building, yes, nothing new, but the Google initiative should make it a wee bit easier for businesses to recognize the relevance of social media.

A fairly recent article in Website magazine indicates Google not only intends to track and associate the social media connections your organization forges, and dialog with them in searchable data, but potentially use the data to assist it in more accurately ranking your site in the world of search-engine optimization.

As the article suggests, the key is to focus on building quality communication threads, in addition to solid connections with those you trust and value. After all, your reputation is as much about who you associate with as it is about you.