There is a lot of marketing talent in Denver – and there are a lot of great nonprofits that need great marketing talent. However, getting the two together isn’t always easy.

So what is Insights for Good?

Insights for Good is a gathering of local marketing professionals that want to give back to a local nonprofit while also networking with like-minded professionals.

How does it work? The first 15-20 minutes is like many networking events – introductions and conversation. Then the nonprofit will introduce themselves, give an overview of their challenges, and then the brainstorming and real interaction begins. The goal is to generate as many fresh insights as possible that the nonprofit can take away to further explore and build on.

There is no further commitment beyond the one night – just an evening of networking, brainstorming, and doing some good!

Our first event is already scheduled and nonprofit selected.  We will be hosting The Journey Institute by brainstorming ideas on how to get the word out, building buzz, and getting submissions for an upcoming event.  No matter what your expertise or interest in marketing is, we can use your help!

To learn more, join the group, and RSVP for the event, visit our meetup page.

You can also follow the group on Twitter @InsightsforGood.

And thank you to the Colorado AMA for their support in promoting this event!

On June 29, Corona celebrated Karla’s 10 year anniversary with the firm! As the current CEO and Strategic Consulting Principal, it was not an easy task to surprise her (also 2 days before the actual anniversary on July 1). The group celebrated Karla’s leadership, milestones and style with guacamole, Hawaiian leis and a look back at the evolution of the strategy practice.

Speaking of evolution…only a few weeks later, we found out Karla is a finalist for the Denver Business Journal’s Outstanding Women in Business Award in the consultant category. We’d like to thank those special colleagues and clients who nominated her for this prestigious award.  The winner will be announced at the DBJ’s August 26^th luncheon.

So there you have it, the proof is in the pudding. It’s been a memorable 10 years and we toast Karla to many more!

We are taught to do this for our vehicles; why not our organizations?

Think of your organization as the vehicle for your mission. How are you going to make an impact if you stall out on the road? Can you run your programs without the essential parts? Is it time for a new strategy?  What new bumps in the road have arisen due to our shifting external landscape?

At Corona, we’ve packaged the Strategy Tune-Up service to answer these important questions. It may not be time for you to undergo a full strategic planning process. However, a well-timed maintenance check can ensure that you are staying on track, running smoothly, and keeping up to speed with your community’s needs.

About the awards: “The Colorado Chapter of the American Marketing Association (COAMA) honors and celebrates this innovation and creativity as it recognizes the state’s best marketers at the 22nd Annual Peak Awards.”

Karla Raines and myself were on hand Thursday at the awards event held at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

We were also delighted to see several Corona clients recognized for their marketing prowess, including some campaigns that used our research and planning as guidance:  Nurse Family Partnership, DU Daniels College of Business, and, the big winner of the night, Iliff School of Theology (see another blog post on Iliff).  Congrats!

To view our report, posted by the City, click here (pdf).

Additional background…

Corona Insights and the City of Billings Parks and Recreation Department custom created the survey to answer 4 major questions from the research:

1. City of Billings residents’ perceived recreation needs regarding Pioneer Park;
2. To assess the residents’ preferences for the strategic allocation of Pioneer Park resources;
3. To examine priorities for current and future park maintenance levels; and
4. To gauge current usage levels at Pioneer Park.

Resident attitudes towards disc golf were also examined throughout the survey.

Through the findings park officials were able to determine how a majority of residents preferred to proceed with regards to disc golf, dog regulations, and future maintenance needs within the park. Findings also indicated Billings residents had more favorable than unfavorable views towards disc golf and respondents most frequently felt disc golf should remain as an activity within the park, but should be redesigned in some fashion. Development of off-street parking was the most commonly perceived future need at the park among respondents and respondents most frequently indicated they preferred Pioneer Park to be an active, highly used park with little built-in equipment and lots of open space.

We thoroughly enjoyed working with the City of Billings on this project and were glad to assist them with this community input portion of the larger master plan project.

Corona has worked with many parks and rec departments answer their important questions regarding their parks and planning.  Contact Corona to learn how we can help you do the same.

Corona Insights recently conducted an extensive marketing assessment study for Colorado State Parks, and one major component of that study was a detailed Visitor Spending Analysis that examined the spending habits of visitors to Colorado State parks. The goal of this visitor spending analysis was to calculate the direct spending in local economies (within 50 miles) related to visits to each Colorado State Park.

Total visitor expenditures for each park were prepared by calculating per-vehicle visitor expenditures from raw data that was collected via a large park-specific visitor survey (conducted as part of the overall marketing assessment study).  These per-visitor figures were then multiplied by the total numbers of visitors visiting each park in one year, defined as the June 2008 to May 2009 time period. In developing the final visitor spending estimates for the study, Corona took a conservative approach and included only the spending by visitors arriving from more than 50 miles away in our final visitor spending calculations.

Total estimated spending impacts on local economies (within 50 miles of state parks) were sizeable. Overall, average per vehicle expenditures within 50 miles of Colorado State Parks (for non-local visitors) was estimated to be roughly $230, and total non-local expenditures for Colorado State Parks (over a one-year period) were an impressive $396 million.

Spending patterns and average expenditures per vehicle would likely differ somewhat for Arizona State Parks since every park and every park system is unique, but the overall economic effect of shutting down these 13 state parks will likely produce a rather substantial negative economic impact to communities in close proximity to these parks.

Not only are the cities and municipalities in close proximity to these 13 state parks losing a valuable natural resource, their local economies are likely to feel the economic effects of these park closures for the foreseeable future.

Many local Arizona communities apparently also know this and are contributing to keep the parks open, at least until a more permanent solution can be developed.

While these particular stories all regard Arizona, they’re not alone.  Many states facing budget shortfalls are considering closing parks – or already have done so.  We hope that they have the right information to make their decisions before doing so (and if they don’t and happen to be reading this – we can help).

“I have two children. One is a boy born on a Tuesday. What is the probability I have two boys?”

Find the answer here (and yes, Tuesday is relevant) and learn more about the recent gathering of mathematical recreationalists, including mathematicians, magicians and “puzzle people”.

Leo Lewis, Principal from Corona Insights and Jenni Cooper, President of Periquin Strategy will deliver an interactive, hands-on workshop, which will cover three major opportunities to successfully integrate market research:

1. Product launches
2. Concept testing
3. Informing advertising.

You’ll learn all about how to conduct a qualitative study including scope, instrument design,
recruiting, logistics, implementation/moderating, and analysis. And you’ll review key criteria to pay
attention to in each step.

From outsourcing to a professional firm to a perfectly acceptable do-it-yourself approach; come
prepared to share, learn and maybe even debate a little along the way!

The event takes place this coming Monday, May 24th, from 5pm to 7pm at the University of Denver, University Hall.  Click here for more details and to register.

Corona guided SCOL through the development of their new strategic plan in 2009, with overwhelming faculty approval in December. As of the beginning of May, the faculty approved their various implementation plans with an overwhelming majority. However, SCOL wasted no time informing and garnering support from one of their target audiences: their alumni. The article (beginning on page 22 of the magazine), includes excerpts from the plan document with supporting quotes from thirteen faculty, staff and alumni contributors.

Not only is the SCOL ready to implement their plan , but they are not shy about letting everyone know about it! To read the full strategic plan, click here.

The Economist summed it up nicely in an article from last week’s edition.

When asked whether they supported a variety of issues, most people showed strong support.  However, when the downsides of those propositions were pointed out, support decreased significantly.  The strongest example was support for outfitting soldiers with the best equipment – 83% strongly supported.  When reminded that it would mean less spent on public services that they’d receive, support dropped to 46%.

Interestingly, alcohol bucked the trend.  When asked if the government should try to limit people’s boozing by taxing alcohol more 32% strongly agreed.  When reminded that it would mean they’d personally pay more for alcohol, there was no statistical change.  Presumably, people understood this issue well enough from the start and knew it meant they’d pay more, and therefore that was already calculated into their first response.

Many, if not all, issues can be framed in terms of gains or losses for those concerned.  Asking a question that only addresses one side of the coin is considered a research bias.  Pundits and politicians may rely on biased questioning to sway support for their beliefs, but researchers shouldn’t.

In the end, be careful what you’re asking.  People don’t make decisions in  a vacuum and your research shouldn’t be conducted in one either.