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idgroup Honored with a Best of Show for 7th Consecutive Year.

We are excited to announce that idgroup received top honors at the 2015 ADDY Awards Gala. We were awarded Best of Show, two of the three Judge's Choice Awards and 24 Gold ADDY Awards.

"Our goal is to do great work for clients that we believe in and have fun doing it. It's also nice to receive recognition from our peers for our creativity and contributions," says Mona Amodeo, Ph.D.

The local ADDY Awards Gala is presented by the American Advertising Association’s (AAF) Pensacola chapter. Of the more than 162 entries received by the AAF Pensacola from professional members, 47 gold American Advertising Awards and 64 silver American Advertising Awards were presented. Entries were judged based on creativity and originality.

Best of Show

Ever'man Cooperative Grocery and Cafe

Judge's Choice Award

Studer Institute Brand Rollout

Judge's Choice Award

Chain Reaction Brand Rollout

Page 111 is Full of Pain.

To see idgroup’s work for Pain Consultants of West Florida among international companies known for excellence in design was enough to make our creative team fall to the floor with excitement! Our eyes scanned the curated collection of colorful, eye-catching work, eager to see each and every piece in this years PRINT Regional Design Annual (RDA). After taking a few moments to reflect our studies, we couldn’t help ourselves. We started to dissect and identify the various design trends among this year’s collection. Here’s what we found:

No trend is the trend

Our biggest observation is the abundance of differing, blended styles. Instead of one predominant trend or style that we have witnessed in previous RDA’s, there is experimentation with both the new and classic. These “trends” create designs so unique they defy a succinct, authoritative classification. A continuing movement in the design world is to further design through the practice of studying the past. Whether a mash-up of old-world style and modernist aesthetics or the continuation of simple executions, designers are now producing work that is evocative of both the classic and emergent. Through this mindset, we’ve witnessed design decisions being made that bring a multitude of styles to life—from artisanal details in contemporary work to Bauhaus illustrations and layouts made current with monolined embellishments, refreshing color palettes and old world printing techniques. We believe the current design trend is not a trend at all—it’s a movement. By pulling inspiration from a multitude of previous classic and current styles, designers are provided with inspiration to create work that helps distinguish their client visually from their competition. To see so much variety and depth among the work in this year’s RDA is truly inspiring. Thank you PRINT. And kudo’s to our client, for trusting our process to create work that showcases excellence in visual branding.

What is PRINT? Founded in 1940, PRINT is considered to be the preeminent authority on art and culture in regards to design. In addition to leading the dialogue on design and culture, PRINT holds a multitude of different design contests, with the aforementioned RDA being their most prestigious and recognized event in the design community. But why should we care about their Regional Design Annual? The RDA is designer and creative house’s dream showcase, where the best and brightest compete with innovative design. Within its pages, the RDA showcases work from a multitude of global powerhouses Coca-Cola and Starbucks.

Living The Dash

A Note from Mona’s Desk

The title of Linda Ellis’s popular poem The Dash tells the story of a eulogy delivered at the funeral of a friend. The eulogy reflects on the dash between the two dates on the tombstone—what a person’s life represented during his time on earth. The poem calls the reader to consider the question how do we spend our dash. This poem came to mind when I was asked to write about the time management demands that I face as a small business owner. This year marks the 25th anniversary of idgroup. So a good bit of my dash has been spent birthing and growing this company, while raising a daughter, advancing my education, being a wife and doing my best to contribute to my community. Reflecting on it all, I can say that balance is not something I can write about with any credibility. I often say my life is more akin to dancing on the edge of chaos. So, I don’t have any magic bullets or formulas to share with you about managing the complexities of life. I have learned however, there is an art to learning the difference between what is important and what is urgent. There is wisdom in the Eisenhower Decision Principle, “What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.” This life principle was popularized in Steven Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People and continues to be explored by many other personal development and organizational development professionals.

The Eisenhower planning matrix provides guidance for us to fit life’s demands into one of the categories: Important and Urgent, Important but not Urgent, Not Important but Urgent and Not Important and Not Urgent. So there you go. I did find the magic bullet. Right? Oh, if life could only be managed in a simple 2 x 2. As I stated at the beginning of this blog, I have learned that managing life’s complexity is an art—an art of intentionally determining what is really important to defining your Dash.

Chain Reaction Kick’s Off Rebranding Process

Chain Reaction, the recipient of idgroup’s Brand on Us program, came together to participate in the first of two dialogue sessions on Tuesday. idgroup facilitated the leadership dialogue which focused on the organization’s identity and vision. “idgroup is truly brilliant. I have been through many types of strategic planning with a variety of companies, the process they employ is innovative. As the founder of Chain Reaction, it was such a humbling experience to watch amazing leaders invest their heart, time and energy. I had a range of emotions from tears of gratefulness to being overwhelmed with the potential impact of Chain Reaction. This is truly a gift to the community of Pensacola and I am honored to be a small part of such a huge blessing,” says Kristin Fairchild, Executive Director. In April, the leadership as well as other stakeholders will come together for the organization dialogue that will focus on communication tactics and strategies to help Chain Reaction tell and live their brand story. Stay tuned for more updates on Chain Reaction’s rebranding journey.

idgroup Honored with a Best of Show for 6th Consecutive Year; Amodeo Awarded Coveted Silver Medal

idgroup, a Pensacola-based branding firm, received top honors at the 2014 local ADDY Awards Gala. The firm was awarded a Best of Show award, two of the three Judges awards and 13 Gold ADDY Awards. The Best of Show recognition was for work done for the McKenzie Law Firm interactive website. idgroup’s work receiving gold and silver awards will be submitted to the regional ADDY awards competition where each entry will be judged for possible inclusion in the national ADDY awards competition. Additionally, Mona Amodeo, Ph.D., founder and president of idgroup, was presented with the American Advertising Federation Silver Medal Award. The Silver Medal Award Program was established in 1959 to recognize men and women who have made outstanding contributions to advertising and who have been active in furthering the industry’s standards, creative excellence and responsibility in areas of social concern. idgroup’s creative team members have won numerous local, regional, national and international awards for creativity and effectiveness. "Our goal is to do great work for clients that we believe in and have fun doing it. It's also nice to receive recognition from our peers for our creativity and contributions," says Mona Amodeo, Ph.D. The local ADDY Awards Gala is presented by the American Advertising Association’s (AAF) Pensacola chapter. Of the more than 250 entries received by the AAF Pensacola from professional and student members, 55 gold American Advertising Awards and 82 silver American Advertising Awards were presented. Entries were judged based on creativity and originality.

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idgroup Featured in International Design Inspiration Books

idgroup is honored to have our design work for the product packaging of Elkarita, a 100% natural, no sugar added, non-alcoholic concentrate mix, featured in The Best Practices for Graphic Designers, Packaging: An Essential Guide for Implementing Effective Package Design Solutions by Grip. This guide to all things packaging is published by Rockport Publishing and is a reference book utilizing case studies and examples to take you through the entire packaging process. The informative guide includes information on strategy development, materials selection, naming, and studying the competition and provides strategic insights on all aspects of package design.

idgroup has 9 logo designs showcased in Design: Logo An Exploration of Marvelous Marks, Insightful Essays and Revealing Reviews by Paul Howalt and Von Glitschka. Just to name a few, our clients Aventa Specialized Women's Care, BBBS Northwest Florida's Corks and Canvases and Jared Jones CPA logos are featured in this inspirational resource. The publication showcases over 300 logo designs from all over the world, along with helpful information regarding the details of what makes these logos successful.

To see more, see our album on Facebook!

When Your Search Engine Love Changes: How To Cope With Hummingbird

As Valentine’s Day nears, I find myself reflecting on a life-long love: Google. In September of 2013, the Google I knew and loved unexpectedly changed under the auspices of “Hummingbird.” You may have heard a bit or two about it, but most of us have not taken a moment to consider its full impact.

What happened?

Google’s search engine uses a proprietary algorithm or equation to find the most relevant content for an individual’s search. On September 26, Google announced the launch of a search engine game-changer, one that had actually been implemented a month before the official announcement. When Google rolled out it’s new search algorithm, codenamed Hummingbird, it was the most comprehensive search engine change since 2009 and affected over 90% of all searches. he primary differences are a new focus on ‘long-tail keywords’ or ‘semantic search’ as well as higher standards for site credibility and authority, as measured by both social engagement (like Facebook shares) and credible referring links (like local newspaper interviews). One can only speculate the reasons for such a drastic change, but many online and SEO pundits suspect that the shift is a result of increasing mobile accessibility due to advances in mobile device technology.

How does this impact my online strategy?

Sites with breadth of content will bring more relevant visitors than keyword dense content

Short keyword rankings are no longer the strongest indicator of a strong online presence

Measuring success on different ‘entrance pages’ can help define new objectives for content relevancy moving forward

How do I grow exposure to my site?

Publish content frequently; at minimum, update your site weekly

Create content that answers questions, this targets Hummingbird’s longer keyword rankings

Content that inspires sharing will increase your site’s authority online and raise your rankings

Publish recent and relevant content that adds to the conversation on a trending issue

Create infographics, frequently asked questions and conversational web pages

Utilize internal staff to promote social media regularly

Complement content efforts with a targeted paid placement search campaign

Google Hummingbird is just one big change happening in the online world. In 2013, the online space saw changes with the rollout of Graph Search on Facebook and Bing/Yahoo also implemented a Hummingbird-like update. Throughout 2013, Google implemented other quiet changes, like limiting how much keyword information is available in Google Analytics. Since search algorithms are proprietary, the measures of page rankings have changed significantly, and there’s no way to tell for certain what strategies will positively impact their results although there are guidelines. It’s a new Search Engine world, and while SEO is not dead, it has changed and we shall see in the coming months what it means for thousands of websites. This change reminds us that the Internet is an organic, ever-changing world. We can’t ever get too comfortable or we will be left behind. Stay ahead of the updates and changes in the online space by following idgroup’s blog and following us on Facebook!

By: Andrya Crossland

2014: idgroup Celebrates 25 Years!

A Note from Mona’s Desk

It’s here again, the end of another year. This year, like every year’s end is an interesting mixture of reflection and anticipation.

As the calendar turns to 2014, idgroup will begin its 25th year in business. In 1989, after resigning my position at the University of West Florida, I took my last paycheck, put a down payment on 400 sq. foot office in Downtown Pensacola, bought a desk and a phone and prayed I could sell something to make the next months rent. Tenacity, great people with a drive for excellence (and a little luck) and here we are 25 years later—amazing! I am proud of birthing idgroup, but most proud that today the organization has superseded me. There is no doubt that we have the best team we have ever had, but they stand on the shoulders of the many talented people who have passed our way. Don’t let people tell you, “talent doesn’t live in Pensacola.” And, if you are reading this, you are a part of our success, either as a client, friend or family. I believe our success has been defined by our focus on building great teams of multi-talented people, doing great work for clients we believe in and having some fun in the process. So our commitment moving forward is to continue to do it our way, trust the process and hold fast to the values that have defined us over the years: respect, collaboration, responsibility and excellence. Every ending is a beginning—filled with renewed energy, unimagined possibilities and hope. I can't wait to see what’s next. Happy New Year!

Mona

Passion is Good. Obsession gets more likes.

As an easily fixated person, I'm always fascinated by the types of things other people are obsessed with; especially the things that require a lot of time, patience and a certain degree of fastidiousness. And I'm not alone in this preoccupation. If you subtract all the kitty cats videos and the once-in-a-lifetime flukes, how many of the most popular viral videos are the result of a meticulous dedication to doing one thing over and over? All the rest? Francis Ford Coppola recognized how transfixed we become when we watch another's work. By design, most of his films contain a scene with the main character in some act of intricate detail. In his 1974 film "The Conversation", Coppola's camera stops to watch Harry Caul - a security surveillance expert - withdrawal from his own party into a plastic draped room where he assembles eavesdropping devices; listening in on his guest’s conversations. The 1970's electronics are beyond antiquated with their big silver knobs, alligator clips, and long runs of speaker wire. Despite this - or maybe because of it - you can't help watching Harry work. His meticulous obsession and translucent cage are as absorbing as they are revealing; exposing the true nature of the detached and secretive Harry Caul. (Interestingly, Coppola originally named his main character Harry Call...because he tapped telephones. However, a production secretary's typo gave Harry a last name that hinted at his true character: “CAUL” - a translucent membrane that covers the face and head. But I digress) Passion for what we do is good, but showing what obsesses us about our passion is the path to attracting and engaging an audience. Here is an example that "sticks" with me. I love the meticulous obsession of both film maker and he subject - a masking tape artist. www.sarahannedinardo.com/ By: Dane MacKendrick

3 Easy Ways to Help Maximize Your Weekends

The Weekend. That magic little word that elicits either feelings of blissful euphoria or pangs of thirstful longing. You're either working for it, wishing you had it, or wishing it wasn't over. And if by some crazy cosmic arithmetic you're able to maximize all 48 hours (not including Friday) of the weekend, then you might be like me: wishing it was longer. And even more—when it's over—maybe feeling like you didn't accomplish all you wished you had. In our day and age (especially for those of us deep in the throws of business), the weekend is that sacred time to recuperate from the stresses of the office. And if you're like me—and I have a feeling you are—you use your weekend to catch up on all those things that you couldn't get to during the week: chores, errands and if you're lucky, maybe some relaxation. So how do we maximize our "me" time and turn our weekends of "to-do" lists to our "end of the work week staycation?" It's important that your down time be relaxing so that you can gear up for the work week ahead. You can maximize your down time by managing your up time with a few simple life hacks. Below are three I employ frequently to get the most out of my weekends.

Make your bed every morning. This might seem obvious, but I've always believed the trick to a tidy house is in making your bed each and every morning. We're creatures of habit, and for some reason, this small little action flips that switch in our brain that forces us to begin de-cluttering around the house. When the weekend finally arrives, you can spend it doing things you love instead of exfoliating the deep crevices of your home.

Do your laundry during the week. Back before I had a W/D unit, I used to go to the local laundromat and spend 3 hours washing and folding load after load of laundry. Now that I'm no longer a poor college student, I make sure to spread out my laundry chores through the week, so when Saturday morning comes, my weekend schedule is as free and empty as my dirty laundry hamper. Alternatively, paying the laundromat to do your laundry for you is just as productive.

Slowcook your way to a healthy meal. If you work in a fast-paced professional setting, it's bound to happen: those late night, 10-12 hour days; and trying to find time to eat healthy is nearly impossible. One simple solution is slowcooking your food during the day while you're at work, so when you've finally made it home from work in the wee hours of the night, you're not reducing yourself to the high caloric and unhealthy foods of the drive-thru variety. As a bonus, if you cook large enough, you should have leftovers to last you through the next day's lunch or through the weekend.

Often times, people attribute the word "productivity" to an office term roughly translating to "billable time." However, being productive with your personal time can help free up time for you to do the things you really want to do. Whatever solutions you have, the old adage is true: If you love it, you'll make time for it. What are some tips and tricks you do to free up your weekends (or weekdays) to allow you to do the things you really love? By: Kris Poore

A New User Experience for Retina Specialty Institute

We're excited to announce that the new RetinaSpecialtyInstitute.com is now live! Be our guest and take a first hand tour! Inspired by a desire to connect on a personal level with patients and referring physicians, Retina Specialty Institute launched an endeavor with idgroup to design a comprehensive, informational and educational website that could be accessed by any device at any time. In order to provide an engaging experience for their unique audiences, we included strategic features such as a flexible design for those with low vision, new educational sections for retina information and healthy living as well as web responsive design for a consistent experience across all devices.

5 Tips for Good Nutrition

How do you sort through the overwhelming amount of information regarding health, nutrition, diet and fitness? It seems there is always a new book, workout DVD or nutrition plan that will solve all of your health, weight, (fill in the blank) concerns in just minutes. For as long as I can remember, I have had an interest in nutrition, fitness and living a healthy, balanced life. Ten years ago, while consuming what was considered by many to be a very healthy diet, I began experiencing significant physical health issues. With several medical appointments and tests revealing no cause, diagnosis or cure, I was desperate for light to shine on the answers and prayed for wisdom to distinguish truth amidst the many sources of information available. As the information I needed became clear, I learned that vibrant health is not achieved by following the latest diet and is not gained or lost in just minutes. It is a daily commitment to make small, right choices. Through a process of resetting my internal system, I discovered the importance of consuming fresh, whole foods that contain the exact nutrients our bodies need to thrive, eliminating processed, sugary, and GMO foods that sneak into our diets and learning about our food sources. Looking back, I see years of small changes (and a few big leaps) that led to a truly healthy, whole and healed body. I now find it a blessing to create simple, nutrient-rich meals and share recipes and tips with others. 5 Daily Tips for Good Nutrition:

Eat Organic as much as possible

Eat deep-hued foods (raspberries, blueberries, beets, red cabbage)

Eat green (kale, collards, broccoli, spinach, Brussels sprouts)

Mix 1 Tbsp each: lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, raw local honey and water. Drink 30 minutes before breakfast and/or dinner

Drink clean water throughout the day to stay hydrated

By: Brooke Rowell

3 Steps to Improve Patient Perception of Care

As we prepare for 47 million Americans to enter the healthcare system, we are seeing rapid increases in demand for providers, rising costs for care and changes in patient-provider communication. At idgroup, we are preparing our clients for the changes ahead. In 2011, The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) was tasked with finding innovative efficiency models and fulfilling a need for meaningful national data. Now physician groups are armed with timely, relevant data that can provide new insights into patient perception of care in their practices. According to the latest national composite scores from a federal health survey administered by the CMS, the lowest two satisfaction scores are:

The patients’ overall rating of their doctor

Timely, accurate follow up on test results

On the other hand, the two highest satisfaction areas for patients at the national level are:

Helpful courteous staff

How well doctors communicated

These survey results clarify that patients experience a disconnect in how they feel about their doctor’s ability to communicate and their overall rating of the physician. As patient expectations evolve, patient-centered care is becoming the norm across the nation. What have we learned?

The survey results demand 3 important changes to increase patient ratings:

Providers work with patients collaboratively, providing easy to access and easy to understand resources. Patients continue to ask for educational resources about their health, illness or disease. Providers now have a responsibility to provide easy to understand information with easy access to educational resources.

Providers must acknowledge that their patients are struggling. Patients need clear, brief instructions for continued care and/or use of medications. Patients crave a feeling of control throughout their care experience, especially regarding health choices and behaviors. From an integrated health and patient-centered approach, clarity around health information, actionable steps and accessibility to information will influence overall patient perception of care.

Providers must actively fill in communication gaps by encouraging patient storytelling. In the 2011 CMS survey, patients reported they were not satisfied with their provider’s understanding of their own medical history. Providers should encourage patient stories to gather background information and context because these stories have significant personal meaning embedded. This gives the patient the opportunity to feel heard and the provider the opportunity to build rapport and impact patient outcomes.

By: Andrya Crossland

The Importance of Internal Brand Performance

A Note from Mona's Desk

Perception is reality. In other words, you are what others say about you, at least in the world of business. Building and protecting your brand reputation is one of the most important functions of building a successful business. Developing an external brand image is one important aspect of building a strong brand reputation. However, the most often ignored part of reputation management is internal brand management. Paying close attention to what happens inside the four walls of the organization can yield high returns on the efforts. Key to successful internal reputation management is clarity on the part of the leadership and engaging all employees in helping bring that vision to life. There is an increasing volume of research on this topic. Below is a sampling of key findings that can help your organization build your brand reputation from the inside:

Staff must understand the brand if they are to live the brand and its values.

Aligning actions with the brand promises is critical. Vision, values and sense of purpose need to be translated into detailed day-to-day actions.

Your staff behavior projects images that characterize the organization in the eyes of external stakeholders. Let the staff know what is expected.

Feedback about internal process should be encouraged in order to improve alignment of the customer experience with the organization’s values and beliefs.

Companies should be very clear about the image they are projecting to prospective employees and very careful in selecting people that fit the values upheld by the organization.

Training and employee appraisal need to be aligned with brand values so as to encourage on-brand behavior.

idgroup teams up with the Humane Society of Pensacola

We are excited to announce that the Humane Society of Pensacola has been chosen to participate in idgroup's first annual non-profit branding initiative; brand on us™. Through our Branding From the Core® process, we will engage their stakeholders in creating clarity around their identity, image and culture, as well as create communication materials that express their brand story and a promise to the community. As we begin our process, keep an eye out for updates and announcements on the idgroup Facebook page. About The Initiative: brand on us™ idgroup commits to bringing the power of our process to small, local non-profits that make a positive contribution to our community through their services. We will lead a team of committed, local organizations in giving one deserving non-profit a brand makeover. Over the course of a seven month engagement, the selected organization will receive over $100,000 in idgroup services. We will be opening a public RFP process for selecting our 2014 organization in October 2013.

idgroup honored with Best of Show for 5th consecutive year

idgroup, a Pensacola-based branding firm, received top honors at the 2013 local ADDY Awards Gala. The firm was awarded all three Best of Show awards, two of the three Judges awards, and ten gold ADDYs. The Best of Show recognition was for work done for The University of Southern Mississippi, Atlanta-based Ray C. Anderson Foundation and Baton Rouge-based Elkarita. idgroup’s work receiving gold awards will be submitted to the regional ADDY awards competition where each entry will be judged for possible inclusion in the national ADDY awards competition. idgroup’s creative team members have won numerous local, regional, national and international awards for creativity and effectiveness. "Our goal is to do great work for clients that we believe in and have fun doing it. It's nice to win awards, too."- Mona Amodeo, Ph.D, idgroup President The local ADDY Awards Gala is presented by the American Advertising Association’s (AAF) Pensacola chapter. This year’s competition consisted of 64 professional and 36 student ADDY awards, three Judges awards and three Best of Show awards in the areas of Print, Web and Television. The judges consisted of award-winning industry professionals from large advertising markets: Shane Santiago – Chief Creative at SBS Studios in Jacksonville, FL; Beni Mendez – Creative Director at Out of the Blue in Miami, FL and Janet Bowman – Senior Accounts Manager at Studio 101 in Atlanta, GA.

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Decisions of the Heart

How do we make decisions? Research by neuroscientist, MIT Professor Gary Klein and his colleagues suggest our decision-making may be guided more by emotions than logic. In fact, the more complex the choices, the more intuition is triggered. Using brain scanners, the researchers have been able to show the limbic region of our brain plays a major part in our choices. This is the area where emotions such as fear, love, anger and hope originate—the area that connects to metaphors and storytelling. As consumers are faced with an increasing number of choices, organizations should pay attention to how the work by Klein and others can inform strategic communication decisions. Perhaps the old sayingis an old saying for a reason, people need to like you before they will listen to you. Paying attention to the human aspects of business may in the end trump the analytical, logical, fact-driven communications. Creating connections based on what is emotionally meaningful to the customer may ultimately be more important than building a factual case for purchasing. One only needs to take a look at the top-rated Superbowl commercials: Budweiser, Jeep and Taco Bell to confirm the power of emotions and storytelling to create connections.

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