On the Schedule:

“The Giving Tree” is presented by Appleton Creative, Panera Bread and the City of Orlando.

This event will allow patrons to play games, buy a wish, and spend time with the family, all right next to Lake Eola and the Lake Eola playground. This event benefits the Foundation for Foster Children whose mission is to enrich the lives of children placed in foster care due to abuse and neglect.

The event runs from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. with special guest Orlando City Commissioner Sheehan and several local foster children at 11 a.m.

Lake Eola Farmer’s Market

A Farmer’s Market is hosted every Sunday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Lake Eola. The Farmers Market offers hundreds of local merchants in an outdoor, dog friendly atmosphere. Live music, farm fresh produce and a beer and wine tasting are among the many great things offered by the Farmers Market at Lake Eola.

Viva Jazz, a Latin Jazz series

Viva Jazz is the first ever Latin Jazz Series held in Orlando. This event is presented by jetBlue and is free and open to the public. VivaJazz will feature international jazz greats like Charlie Sepulveda and Paoli Mejias as well as acts from the local Latin Music Institute.

The City of Orlando invites all to come an taste local food trucks as well as enjoy beer and wine in the garden at Lake Eola while hearing the awesome jazz.

Viva Jazz is from 4:30 p.m. until 9:30 p.m.

For more information on these events, check out givingtreeorlando.com, facebook.com/events/277807672311269/ or cityoforlando.net.

Muck Rack started with 150 Twitter handles and now lists thousands of journalists from Twitter, Facebook, Quora, Tumblr, Google+, LinkedIn and other social media outlets used by the pros. Similar to Twitter, Muck Rack will show you what is trending, the top publications and top Tweets. Muck Rack also helps you track the reach of your Tweets. As experts in social marketing, Appleton Creative is on board!

Muck Rack is free for journalists and a paid service for businesses, which sign up for Muck Rack Pro. For more information on Muck Rack or to sign up for an account today, visit muckrack.com.

Appleton Creative is an award-winning Orlando advertising and marketing agency that provides marketing solutions through web, video, and print—all in-house.

Appleton Creative – at the Core of Innovative Marketing and Advertising.

The system works too! This past December, the Appleton team lost a combined total of 30 pounds! To return the favor, Appleton Creative is in the process of designing a new logo for Transformations’ rebranding campaign. This weight loss company is rapidly expanding, with 10 locations in the Central Florida area, one location in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and several more to open in the near future.

Thank you Transformations! Congratulations on all your success!

Our next project to benefit the Foundation for Foster Children – and the city of Orlando – is the Giving Tree event at Lake Eola on Sunday, May 20th. From 9am – 2pm, come downtown to see a beautiful Lake Eola tree decorated with children’s “wishes.” Each heart-shaped wish is displayed for every dollar we raise for the Foundation.

We got a head start on sales at our exhibit, but there are plenty of wishes left! To donate and help foster kids to get their wishes, visit http://www.givingtreeorlando.com.

Or, visit your local Central Florida Panera Bread location tomorrow on Friday, May 4th and  buy a blue ribbon bagel! All proceeds from blue bagel sales will be donated to the Foundation for Foster Children, and wishes will be hung for each dollar earned.

1234►

Online video: Most movies, music videos and most television shows are now on the internet. In my opinion, our televisions are becoming extinct. I know it sounds terrible! “Derricka, I don’t want to get rid of my television,” you protest. Well lucky for you, I can’t imagine a complete extinction for at least another 50 years. The facts are clear though; online video ratings have blossomed greatly since the year 2009 to about 57%. It’s become commonplace for companies to premiere videos on YouTube as opposed to buying time during major TV programs.

Another video trend is comedy becoming the most engaging technique. Comedy has become so popular because everyone responds to humor. Viewer expectations are high and they are no longer responding to emotionless videos. Viewers want bright and cheerful. Take the new Target commercial for instance: it’s full of color, people hopping around and speaking French! Very unique and entertaining!

The last video trend I’m seeing is cross-platform interactive videos. This trend allows viewers to engage in some way with the video and being affected by or having an effect on the outcome of the video. Advertisers are getting into this trend with viral videos such as this video from Roger’s.

The video world is changing. Are you?

Want to read more from Appleton’s Resident Teenager and get her unique insight into marketing and advertising? Be sure to visit Appleton Creative’s blog the first Wednesday of every month.

Appleton Creative is an award-winning Orlando advertising and marketing agency that provides marketing solutions through web, video, and print—all in-house.

Appleton Creative – at the Core of Innovative Marketing and Advertising.

Few things in this world matter as much as the wholesome, flawless wishes of a child. While big dreams come easy for most Central Florida children, our community’s foster children bear heavy burdens. They move from home to home facing the trials of a disconnected family, lacking in resources that would make their dreams come true.

However, there is hope. May is Foster Care Awareness month, and through the grit and determination of a few key Orlando-based companies and the support of Orlando city officials, hope comes in the form of an event called the Giving Tree.

Produced by local advertising agency Appleton Creative, in partnership with the Central Florida Foundation for Foster Children, the Giving Tree is an open-to-the-public fundraising event that will be held at Lake Eola Park. Appleton Creative earned the support of the City of Orlando, Mayor Dyer and Commissioner Sheehan to produce the Giving Tree fundraising event.

The Giving Tree event, which will run from 9 am – 2 pm on Sunday May 20^th, will allow Lake Eola Park visitors to purchase foster child wishes. Wishes will also be given to all those who purchase blue bagels from Central Florida Panera Bread locations on Friday, May 4^th. These sponsored wishes will hang on trees at Lake Eola near the playground, creating a visually stunning piece of environmental awareness art. All proceeds raised will go the Foundation for Foster Children, who work hard to turn these foster child wishes into reality.

The concept of raising attention to community causes through art is not new to Appleton Creative. In fact, the initial idea of the Giving Tree, which won Mayor Dyer’s “Why I Love Orlando” concept contest at his State of Downtown Address late last year, came through a group brainstorm of leading area business professionals and cultural Orlando icons who were inspired by Appleton Creative’s in-office Giving Circle Gallery.

The Giving Circle Gallery, which provides the inspiration and the spirit for the Giving Tree, is an art gallery housed on the first floor of Appleton Creative’s Delaney Avenue office. This “Awareness Art Gallery” is dedicated to showcasing causes in need. There is a piece of art always featured called the “Giving Circle” which represents the spirit of giving and mankind’s interconnection.

Foster Care Awareness events will kick-off with a new show in the Giving Circle Gallery, featuring a collection of works by foster children.

The dreams of children have value. Participate in Foster Care Awareness month activities this May and help keep childhood wishes alive.

Fat finger syndrome. It’s the frustrating situation when a cell phone user’s iPhone usage is limited by the size of their fingers. That’s because typical websites aren’t made to work easily within the tight frame of a mobile device.

Mobile sites are a specialty of Appleton Creative, and a valuable tool in connecting businesses to the on-the-go customer. When it comes to mobile web design, functionality and a focus on customer needs is not just a good idea, it’s the difference between a ho-hum site and a successful company tool.

PROBLEM: Mobile Site Needs Improvement

Six years into having a mobile site, 1-800-FLOWERS.COM’s mobile site wasn’t the hit with users they had projected it may be.

According to Amit Shah, Director of Mobile and Social Media at 1-800-FLOWERS.COM in an article from Google Mobile Ads Blog, “Trying to bring all of your desktop site to mobile misses the picture. You need to bring the right things to mobile.”

SOLUTION: Mobile Site Sees Success

To address the issue, Shah launched a strategic mobile initiative.

Recent updates to the 1-800-FLOWERS.COM mobile website includes user-friendly features such as the ability to purchase orders on-the-go. Mobile website users may now shop for flowers by categories including birthdays, anniversaries, get well and same-day delivery. The successful option had long been included on the 1-800-FLOWERS.COM website, and customers missed the option on mobile.

According to a case study released as part of Google’s “GoMo” initiative, the strategic revamp to the 1-800-FLOWERS.COM mobile website resulted in:

• a 53% reduction in cart abandonment
• an increase on the average order value on mobile
• an increase in conversion rate and 25% increase in average time spent on site, despite decrease in steps to complete a purchase

What Does This Mean For My Business?

A mobile site can be a great asset to any business; however, without analyzing customer behavior and producing a functional, easy-to-use interface, your mobile site may never reach full potential.

Want more information about the benefits of a strategic mobile web site? Appleton has been leading the market in mobile development for the past five years. Call Appleton at (407) 246-0092 x7# or email amy@appletoncreative.com to find out how your company can benefit from this trend.

Appleton Creative is an award-winning Orlando advertising and marketing agency that provides marketing solutions through web, video, and print—all in-house.

Appleton Creative – at the Core of Innovative Marketing and Advertising.

On Sunday, May 20, Appleton Creative will create a visual event at Lake Eola showcasing the wishes of foster children in the Orlando area. The Giving Tree holds the purpose to honor National Foster Care Month and to increase proceeds for the Foundation for Foster Children.

Interested in participating in the event, and being part of the solution? Here’s how you can be involved:

1)   Purchase a Blue Ribbon Bagel at Panera Bread on May 5. With your purchase, you will receive a “wish” card to write a message of hope for an area foster child.

2)   Attend the Giving Tree event on May 20 and donate to the cause. You will receive a wish card for your efforts to hang in the Giving Tree.

All purchased “wishes” will be hung on the Giving Tree at Lake Eola. Appleton Creative hopes this event will increase awareness and provide for the unmet needs of kids in foster care throughout Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties.

For more information, visit the Giving Tree website.

Appleton Creative is an award-winning Orlando advertising and marketing agency that provides marketing solutions through web, video, and print—all in-house.

Appleton Creative – at the Core of Innovative Marketing and Advertising.

MBA Orlando celebrated their 20th anniversary as an organization and after four years of recognizing the Debbie Simmons Community Service Award, they expanded the festivities into a red-carpet awards affair!

LGBT & Allied business owners and community leaders who  go above and beyond the call of duty for the LGBT community were celebrated with awards, whether they be small business or big business, employer or employee, for-profit or not-for-profit…LGBT or Allied.