New York SBDC Research Network

I would like to point out that Entrepreneur Magazines did not capitalize the word "brilliant" in the title to this blog. Although the title of the article is 10 Brilliant Marketing Ideas , the magazine only capitalized the first letter. After reading the article, I felt that it was important for me to highlight how truly brilliant the 10 marketing ideas were for the world of business. I have highlighted a few below, but I highly recommend checking out all 10. #1 - A Diamond is Forever - The popular De Beers campaign in 1939 "brazenly promoted the idea that every marriage required the gift of bling...[and] invented the "two months' salary" spending rule." Another example - "Just Do It". #6 - Absolut Vodka - "The product was clear, flavorless and more or less indistinguishable from any of its competitors. But the agency TBWA's clever use of the bottle's shape and name made Absolut the first breakout premium vodka - and inspired bar...

Every now and then I like to write a blog post about general business resources that I use. A few months ago, I discovered a very useful resource that I recommend bookmarking for future use. The William and Joan Schreyer Business Library at Penn State has compiled Industry Guides for various industry. The guides are organized industry sector or alphabetically. Check out the guide for the Biotech Industry . Guides provide NAICS, scope of the industry, databases to use for further research, U.S. and World companies and resources that provide industry data, related reference titles in the library, trade associations and journals, and occupational information sources.

A list from ABC News, reminding me of just how long ago 1999 really was: http://tinyurl.com/ycjabyb Nonetheless, I can't believe the Snuggie didn't make the cut.

Mary Climes, Head of Reference at the Middletown (NY) Thrall Library, and Thrall reference librarian Robert Tiess have created (and continue to update) a resource guide concerning the earthquake crisis in Haiti . They have done so, as they have done "in the past with other guides in our Special Coverage Center, for the dual benefit of our local library system members and the larger world of online users." Topics include: ◦About Haiti ◦About Earthquakes ◦Charity & Relief Organizations ◦Contact Information ◦Embassies & Consulate ◦Health Information & Issues ◦Photographs & Photojournalism ◦Maps of Haiti & Earthquake Zone ◦Missing Persons Searches ◦News & Special Coverage ◦U.S. Government Information ◦U.S. Military Support Missions ◦United Nations (UN) & International Information ◦Library Resources & Research Keywords *** IRS Notice 2010-16 designates the Haiti earthquake occurring in January 2010 as a qualified disaster for purposes of § 139 of t...

Recently, the U.S. Department of Labor released an updated version of its " Employment Law Guide ". Here's a description of it, from a DOL press release: "The Guide helps the public - workers and employers - understand many of the laws affecting the workplace. For instance, it helps small businesses develop wage, benefit, safety and health, and nondiscrimination policies . . . The updated version addresses recent and important changes in employment laws, including the increase in the federal minimum wage and an expansion of the Family and Medical Leave Act . . ." They also stress how helpful this guide can be to those businesses that do not have a dedicated human resources person on staff. Keep this in mind for clients who fit that description, as they (obviously) are still beholden to labor law.

It's getting a little late in January to be talking about bests and worsts of 2009, but here's a couple of lists that I enjoyed. Brand New, a division of UnderConsideration, provides commentary on brand identity work, and has a couple of interesting lists with logo and brand analyses. Check out: The Most Relevant Identity Work of the Decade and The Best and Worst Identities of 2009 Do you agree with their assessments? Give you any good ideas?

The USPS will be displaying this poster nationwide from Feb 19 - May 31, 2010. When a “warning” from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) about how to avoid census scammers started circulating on the Internet, many educated and otherwise savvy people bought the message and passed it along. Several well-meaning friends sent the missive to me, asking in an innocent effort to be helpful (and maybe to impress their census-crazed friend), “Is there anything we should add before sending to our e-mail list?” My answer: TRASH IT, before this doctored message hoodwinks more unsuspecting readers! More here .