TCC Insights

Food trucks serve up street food…and social media know-how?

 By: Kellie Mazur, Administrative Assistant

Food trucks have long been embracing the power of social media. In a way, social media is the fuel that keeps the food trucks going.  Very practically, our four-wheeled friends tweet their whereabouts for the day. Although at Travers Collins we pride ourselves on memorizing the Lloyd’s Taco Truck schedule, in the off chance we lose track of every other Wednesday, a friendly Twitter reminder ensures us a coveted spot in the local food truck’s line.

The USDA Ditches its Pyramid Scheme

By Caitlin Zulewski, Account Manager

In case you hadn't heard, today the United States Department of Agriculture officially retired the food pyramid, the 20-year-old visual icon that described the USDA's (former) recommended guidelines for nutrition.

A Disappointing Finish

 Carolyn Human, Account Manager

This past weekend, three of us at Travers Collins made the trek down the I-90 to run the Cleveland half marathon. Despite the blog title, we did not have a disappointing finish – in fact all three of us earned a PR (personal record) at the race.

However, one company trying to sell a product at the race expo set a PR for the most misleading and disappointing packaging in my book. For those out there trying to get into social media, this is a perfect example of what NOT to do.

Simply put: I love Dash’s Market.

 By: Lisa Cialfi, Account Coordinator

I live in walking distance to the Tonawanda/Kenmore location and visit the store about five times a week. With four locations total in western New York, it’s a true mom ‘n pop shop, which is why I choose to shop at Dash’s over larger grocery stores.

As an avid Foursquare user, my check-ins at Dash’s earned me the Mayorship of the store. Because of this I receive free coffee, daily from the SPoT coffee that’s attached to Dash’s.

Photoshop of Horrors

 By Joe Sweeney, Associate Creative Director

The art of retouching can be a beautiful thing – undoubtedly, it opens a lot of doors for us so-called creative types. Because of the wonders of photo manipulation, nothing is off limits in a brainstorm. Want to attach a laser cannon to the top of an economy car? That’s doable. (That’s a real suggestion from a recent concept meeting, for the record.)

But, like any powerful thing, retouching is often used for evil. If you’re interested in how human beings actually look, then you might as well never look at another magazine again. And when I think about all of the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot hoaxes, my heart breaks (still believe you’re out there, Sasquatch).

The Shamrock Shake Phenomenon

By Brittany Frey, Account Manager

Every year during the month of March, McDonald’s brings back the Shamrock Shake to select stores (remember this point as I will reference it later) across Canada and the United States. 

Introduced in the 1970’s and credited for paving the way for bringing other seasonal drinks to the marketplace, including Starbucks'  pumpkin and eggnog-inspired lattes, the McDonald’s Shamrock Shake has created an almost cult-like following of peppermint-craving consumers, with hundreds of Facebook fan pages dedicated to the Shake.

The Starbucks Brand

 By Alyssa Mayer, Account Manager, Interactive Strategist

I am among an elite group of coffee drinkers – the Starbucks Gold club. This essentially means that I spend too much money on coffee.  But it is not just the delicious drinks that I love about Starbucks.  I am a very loyal customer at businesses that recognize my patronage and make every effort to make me feel special.  From a free drink on my birthday, to discounts on purchases, everything about Starbucks has me hooked.

I recently started reading The Starbucks Experience: 5 Principles for Turning Ordinary Into Extraordinary that outlines how Starbucks has created such a strong brand. In 1971, Howard Schultz had an idea to take a “quality coffee bean and merge it with the charm and romance of the European Coffeehouse.” That first coffee store in Seattle has grown to over 11,000 stores worldwide.

PR Skills to the Rescue

By Kayla Hogan, PR Intern

After compiling the “PR 101” PowerPoint for the Brown Bag Presentation last week, I started thinking of how often I incorporate the basic elements of public relations in my day-to-day life, particularly in my job at Shorty’s Ultimate Sports Bar & Grill in Niagara Falls, NY. I waitress and tend bar at Shorty’s in between school and interning, and even when I’m not scheduled to work, I’m usually there fixing something, training someone, or finishing up side work others have left behind. I arrive early and always stay later than scheduled, because to me my shift isn’t done until all of my work is. I take great pride in the restaurant and the work that I do there, which is why I have frequently put my PR skills to use in order to maintain the strong relationships we have with our customers.

On several occasions, I’ve been faced with minor crises that called for PR action. Specifically, a few weeks ago I was waitressing on a Friday night. The patio was open, a popular live band was playing, and the place was packed. Around seven o’clock, the hostess informed me that I had a 6-top (which in the restaurant business translates to “a party of 6”) of middle aged men. As I approached the table, I recognized a few faces. They were regulars for my Saturday afternoon shift. I greeted them enthusiastically, welcomed them back, and rattled off the specials. I got their drinks, took their order, and brought them their dinner salads. After about five minutes, I went back to check on them and noticed one of them was sitting back, arms crossed, glowering at me.
    “How’s everything going, gentlemen?”

O Canada!

By Jennifer Bucki, Administrative Assistant

Our business is all about brands. It’s interesting how brands with the same name can be very different in different countries. As a native Canadian who has lived in Buffalo for the last five years, I’ve come to the conclusion that some things in Canada are just – how do I say this lightly - better.

Buffalo. A Great Place to Visit

By Bob Travers, Principal

Several years ago our agency was working with the Buffalo Niagara Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) on a marketing campaign that would hopefully attract more tourists to Western New York, primarily the Buffalo area.  We were directed to take a fresh look at understanding visitors to our market, and we conducted research with potential visitors from Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Toronto. We found out that people who would come to this area from surrounding major markets in the U.S. think of our area only in terms of visiting Niagara Falls, not Buffalo.  However, prospective tourists from Toronto and Southern Ontario were inclined to visit Buffalo when they had a better understanding of our variety of cultural and historical resources and shopping alternatives, not just Niagara Falls.

The results of this research changed the CVB’s marketing strategy.  Previously their major marketing hook to encourage visitors to Buffalo was a stop at Niagara Falls.  During the last several years, the CVB’s marketing communications has focused on not only landing more events in Buffalo but also using many of our cultural and historical resources to attract more visitors to Buffalo.  This strategy has spearheaded and encouraged many in our community and local government to support investment in Buffalo’s various architectural, historical and cultural assets. While the CVB has received significantly less financial support from Erie County compared to what Convention and Visiting Bureaus receive in other New York State counties and many other markets similar to Buffalo’s size, the CVB along with many local galleries, museums and cultural organizations have made a real difference in the reputation and the benefits of a visit to Buffalo.

Recently, The New York Times picked its “44 Places to Go in 2009” and Buffalo made the list! According to The Times, the 44 destinations feature "this year's most compelling destinations awash in sublime landscapes, cutting-edge art and architecture, gala music festivals and stylish new resorts."

A few weeks ago, my sister (who lives on Long Island), asked me if I could make a recommendation of interesting places to visit in Buffalo. Friends of hers were going to the Shaw Festival at Niagara-on-the-Lake and were going to stay in Buffalo because the cost of a hotel room was a lot less.  I sent an email out to everyone in our company for their suggestions and got a lot of great responses. I guarantee the list will make you an ambassador for both our great city and the Buffalo Niagara region. (And if this list isn’t enough, check out this video for some more endorsements on why you should visit Buffalo).