Minnesota’s hunger relief non-profit Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) recently received this email from one of their mission partners in Kenya. After reading this you many never think the same way about your breakfast, lunch or dinner.

John (from Kenya) called today about the FMSC food [270,000 meals of nutrient enriched rice in 6-serving packs]. He said when the people got their bags of food they immediately went home and started opening them up and washing the rice. (About now, I was thinking, “What in the world…”) They were trying to get rid of the rocks. They soon realized that there were no rocks in ANY of the bags. They were so shocked!

All that these people in this village have ever had is rice sent to them that is such poor quality that there are rocks mixed in with the rice grains. The people were so thrilled to find that they didn’t have to check for rocks in ANY of the bags, because we had sent them such good quality food.  They did not throw any of the rice out they rinsed while looking for rocks, but obviously found none because there were none to be found!! They now understand that they don’t have to do what they normally would with these packets because FMSC food is the very best quality.

They truly feel so special that FMSC cared enough to send food that was so good it didn’t even have rocks… something they expect with food, purchased or sent for relief. The people are so happy here. I have gotten numerous calls today about how thankful they are. The children love the taste too!!  As usual, FMSC food is so delicious, the people can’t believe it! They’ve been telling the Bishop how tasty the meals are.

Thanks again from our hearts!!!!…Bill Meyer [FMSC Mission Partner]

P.S.  John’s mother lives in Nairobi, and she also got on the phone and said the timing of the food is a miracle. People in the outlying villages around Nairobi have started to die of starvation. There is always a hunger plague, but due to the poor crops from lack of rain for 3 seasons, the death toll has dramatically risen from starvation. Farmers and their families are dying because they have no crops to eat or sell. It’s truly terrible right now, this food is a tremendous blessing to the nation of Kenya.

Are you shocked by the apparent deceit of including rocks as filler in rice meals? You can make a difference. Donate.fmsc.org.

-Pat Henning

Our Little Secret

To reflect our values, SCG encourages employees to buy local and support local business. I recently put this into practice with a birthday gift certificate I received, by making a first-time visit to Our Little Secret—a local boutique created by Minnesota celebrity Nancy Nelson. Along with her cousin Cheryl, Nancy has put together the store and products of her dreams.

The charming shop—located on Lyndale Ave. right across from Bachman’s—is truly a hidden treasure. I was greeted with a very warm welcome and the inviting shop is overflowing with a wide range of items including purses, belts, scarves, jewelry, watches and home decor pieces—many of which are one of a kind. I visited recently when they were having a fabulous sale, and got to meet Nancy and chat with her. You can really tell she loves her shop and interacting with her customers.

Supporting our local stores allows us to get more creative in our shopping. I highly recommend this shop.

What is your favorite local gem?

-Jenny Silgen

I previously blogged about how social media is affecting personal privacy. (You can find it here.) Now take a look at it from a brand standpoint. What kind of affect can social media like Twitter and Facebook have on a brand? There are already examples of negative effects and good campaigns.

Here are a few questions to consider in regards to social media. How much damage can two people with a video camera at work do? (Remember Domino’s?) And how fast do you have to respond to that? What about offering a great deal over the internet, but then realizing you did not properly plan for the response or inform your stores of your corporate plan? (Quizno’s for lunch anyone?) Are you prepared for the backslash from annoyed customers? Did your great deal help or hurt your brand? Let’s put it on a smaller scale: someone can post on Twitter while they are getting bad service at a restaurant. What are the repercussions to that, and how many current and potential customers do you lose?

If you have been keeping up with social media you might already have some opinions on these issues. But it is not all risk. There are good campaigns out there making effective use of social media. For example take a look at this article about what Target did. I have to say I think this campaign was a great way to make use of social media. Have your customers decide what you will do with your money, based on popularity. Plus, it got the word out about a few good causes.

With the swarms of people heading to social media, brands definitely need to have a plan for crisis control. They should not stop there though; there are plenty of new and undiscovered ways to try to use social media to their advantage. Some of them might fail, but some could also be gems. That is the risk when trying to figure out how to use this new media. Whatever each brand decides to do they should realize that social media is here and it needs to be addressed.

-Chad Breske

The internet has become a very public place. It seems that you can find something on just about anyone now. Social media has been growing for the past few years and continues to grow at an alarming rate. Sites like mySpace, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and LinkedIn allow you to know almost everything about someone before you even meet them.

Many have embraced this change in the way we communicate. In some ways it is great; you can get instant updates on family or friends that live in another state, get reacquainted with old friends, meet new people with similar interests, etc. Because the world has become so connected due to social media, it is hard to ignore the benefits it has provided.

But what about the negative effects? For instance, did you know that high school reunions are disappearing? A fair amount of people no longer see the point in attending high school reunions since many are already up-to-date on their old friends. And do you really want your co-workers or future employers to see those “college drinking” pictures your friends posted? Maybe you had a rough week and someone got it on video—do you really want that on YouTube? Do you want to go in for an interview and have the employer know what you look like, who you associate with, and pretty much everything else about you before you even get a chance to open your mouth?

Some people like to be very public, but what about those that like their privacy? Will they lose out on opportunities because they are not as public as some of their peers? While people continue to swarm to social media, have they stopped to think about the consequences? I believe there will be a movement to recoup privacy in an ever increasingly open world.

Do you think the backlash on lack of privacy has already begun?

-Chad Breske

I recently became certified as a Muay Thai instructor with the Thai Boxing Association of the USA, TBA for short (thaiboxing.com). It was started by Ajarn Surachai “Chai” Sirisute and has become one of the largest martial arts organizations in the world. To even be considered for an instructorship you have to have been studying Muay Thai under Ajarn Chai’s TBA for at least three years, pass two student level tests and be recommended by another instructor.

The first time I saw Ajarn Chai was more than four years ago and he left quite an impression- how fast he could move, the shape he was in, his emphasis on form and his core rule of discipline. I did not know then that I would one day wish to seek an instructorship under him and his organization but I do remember that after his seminar I was very intrigued with Muay Thai. I also personally have an emphasis on good form so his philosophy meshed well with mine.

At some point in my training I decided I would like to seek an instructorship under Ajarn Chai so I talked to my instructors about it and they helped me lay out a plan to achieve this goal. Without going into all the details of that plan, the jist of it came down to Ajarn Chai’s core rule: discipline. The harder I worked and more disciplined I was, the better I would perform on the final instructorship test.

From there, a typical week training and preparing for my test looked like this. After work, I headed straight to the gym, trained until about 9 PM (or later), headed home to sleep, all while trying to eat every 2-3 hours (except during training and sleep) to keep my body healthy. Saturdays were a day of rest and I spent a few hours training Sunday mornings/afternoons. That was my schedule for more than nine months.

So after four and a half years of studying Muay Thai and in particular that final year of extensive training, I passed my instructorship test on April 26th, 2009 (also my birthday). After all of my dedication and discipline I received my Apprentice Level Instructorship. Interestingly, after all of that hard work I now get the honor to start my training and teaching.

To reach the next level of instructorship requires another three years. Ironically, in a world filled with instant gratification and feedback from things like Twitter, it took years for me to reach the beginning. Much like a high school diploma this certification just means I am ready to begin my journey, not that I have reached the end.

I would like to thank all my instructors, coach and training partners that helped me through all of this and gave me strength even when I did not feel like I had it. This achievement is as much yours as it is mine. I would like to especially thank Ajarn Chai for everything.

Thank you, Sir!

-Chad Breske

In light of recent controversy and chaos surrounding Miss USA runner up Carrie Prejean, I find myself wondering what happened to the pageants where contestants where chosen based on talent, personality and involvement in their community. Not long ago were the days when young women took an active role in bettering the community, raising awareness of social issues, fighting to find a cure and playing the part of role model for young girls in America.

Today, scandal has plagued pageants as contestants turn their focus to spray tans, breast implants, partying with Hollywood elite and posing nearly nude as a way of advancing their modeling careers. It seems as though these young women, caught up in the risqué and indecent ways of pop culture, aim to win a title based on superficial and shallow credentials.

However, it is not only the contestants for which the bars of class and dignity have been lowered—the pageants themselves have all been washed away of everything but silly commentary, petty questioning and drawn out choreographed group dances. Instead of judges asking questions on how a contestant plans to advocate for their cause, they ask whether or not she agrees with same sex marriage. Instead of being asked what they are passionate about and how they will incorporate that into their title, contestants are answering which celebrity they would like to have dinner with and why.

Recent drama aside, the fact is what started as a way to recognize young, respectable women who aimed to better their community and their country, has turned into a shameful spectacle of string bikinis and political agendas all for Nielson ratings. In a time when young girls need decent role models more than ever, is it too much to ask where all the beauty queens have gone?

-Jamie Shubatt

You might love it, you might hate it, you might engage in it, you might try to ignore it – but make no mistake, Twitter is everywhere.

Many brands are coming up with novel concepts to harness the power of social media…particularly Twitter. One company taking a particularly cavalier approach, in my opinion, is Pizza Hut. According to this NY Times article, Pizza Hut is conducting a nation-wide search for a “Twintern.” They claim the Twintern will be the company’s social media journalist, chronicling what’s going on at Pizza Hut.

Now, as much as I admire Pizza Hut for turning to the next generation of communicators to embrace social media – I have sincere reservations about allowing the voice of your brand to be represented by someone so new to both the field of communications and the company. Make no mistake, one of the biggest adjustments brands will have to make is relinquishing some control of its messaging. But this seems a bit extreme.

What do you think? Is Pizza Hut crazy or brilliant for hiring an intern to be their Twitter representative?

-Jeron Udean

Last week, a new website was launched called MatterMeter.com. MatterMeter promises clients “a single location from which to rate any product, service, or person.” The data collected will help companies evaluate consumer satisfaction with their own brands and their competitors.

MatterMeter cuts to the quick with this simple question, “If [insert person, place , or brand] no longer existed, would it matter?” Patterned after Twitter, the site offers a live feed of the recent MatterMeter activity, and you can follow members or be followed.

Topics range from Starbucks to hot dogs to Hello Kitty to Home Depot. Just this morning, new discussions were initiated about Lucky Charms, Poptarts and Apple. It seems as though users “matterize” based on experiences, both good and bad. For example, breakfast food makes the most appearances in the morning while home improvement store mentions surge over the weekend. Co-creator Tessie Ting says “Now that consumers are behaving in new ways, it is time to develop a new technique to capture those behaviors. MatterMeter is uniquely poised to listen to consumers.” By seeing all the things that matter to a certain member, lifestyle segments can be inferred.

I became a member in order to join the conversations, and found that it is very easy to use. I have “matterized” twice (Diet Cherry Coke and Ovolmaltine Crunchy Cream), but no one has weighed in on my discussion. Yet. To “vote” if something matters or not, you must leave a comment explaining why, so there is a wealth of public opinion on the site. The live feed appears to have steady traffic. I think the concept is strong, and if membership experiences exponential growth, MatterMeter.com could become a key barometer of brand influence.

Have you rated anything on MatterMeter.com yet? If so, what did you rate?

-Joy Wagner

I was driving through my neighborhood the other day and was struck by the name of a local tanning salon, “Tangerine Dreams.” I pondered the name a bit and concluded the proprietors likely were fans of the ‘60s German electronic music group with this name or they envisioned tangerines as a symbol of tropic sun. However, my first impression reading the sign was I could emerge an unappealing shade of orange if I patronized the salon.

My mind then reeled with other company names that repel rather than attract me personally as a consumer. Though wildly popular, I typically pass by PotBelly Sandwich Works in the skyway because the name conveys I could add heft to my 5’ 2” frame (even though the restaurant chain is really named after the potbelly stove and I LOVE fireplaces). Same goes for Roly Poly. Though certainly a clever moniker, Sew What? leaves we wondering if any issues I raise about my dry cleaning or tailoring would be met with a curt dismissal.

Then there are the names that seemingly surpass the boundary of good taste. I dare you not to chuckle driving past a Pump ‘N Munch or Kum & Go gas station. But Kum & Go is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year so apparently the name has gotten good mileage.

Naming a company or product is one of the first and most critical aspects of the branding process. It’s the first impression with your customer: in a word or two, it tells a story and conveys a message. A good, memorable name can intrigue and draw consumers to your brand and an ill-conceived name has the potential to alienate or confuse.

Here are some things to consider when naming a company or product.

What’s in a name? A lot, when it comes to your company or product. What company names or products attract or repel you as a consumer?

-Steph Haugan

I recently took part in my first Walk for the Animals, one of the nation’s largest human and pet walks, hosted by the Animal Humane Society (AHS). When a co-worker mentioned the event and invited me along, I knew it was something I couldn’t pass up. I was eager to participate in an event that raises awareness and funds for animals in need.

This event was extremely well organized and ran very smoothly—considering I have never seen so many animals, or animal lovers, in one place at the same time. The walk, which was 5 miles long in Theodore Wirth Park, provided community water dishes (only for the dogs, of course), free treats and doggy bags along the way. There was also a festive half-way point that supplied walkers with complimentary snacks and drinks. While the majority of animals were dogs, there were also other critters including cats, guinea pigs, rabbits, iguanas, rats and goats. There were even rumors of a monkey somewhere along the trail!

I loved getting to see and pet all the cute and quirky animals, but I felt most proud that I was helping out an important cause. According to the AHS, in the past year alone they rescued over 10,000 animals from abuse or neglect; placed over 16,000 animals in homes; performed over 2,500 surgeries, and provided healthcare for more than 2,700 animals. In addition, the AHS provides adoption services, outreach, training and boarding for all different kinds of animals. The AHS is a private non-profit organization, therefore they receive no federal, state or government funding. They rely completely on donations and the Walk for Animals 2009 was an excellent way to generate support for the millions of animals in need!

Would you like to make a difference in our community? Click here to make a donation to AHS and be sure to mark next year’s walk (held on the first Saturday in May) on your calendar.

-Jamie Shubatt