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Old News Dept: A Two Newspaper Town

The Seattle Times has launched a controversial independent expenditure campaign promoting political causes drawing criticism from journalists and political scientists because it damages the credibility of the newspaper’s reporting and objectivity. Vivitiv saw this issue coming as far back as 2003 in our work with the Committee for a Two Newspaper Town, which at the time was working to keep The Seattle Post-Intelligencer alive. It worked for a while until the P-I ceased print publication and went to an all digital format in 2009. Here are a few of the ads we wrote and designed for the committee which spoke to the need for at least two newspapers in a community to keep each other honest and uphold their sacred trust to inform the public in an objective manner. Opinion and advocacy is fine…on the editorial page where it belongs.

Our Own Worst Enemies. Jacqueline McCarthy on Self-Promotion.

Vivitiv partner Jacqueline McCarthy will be giving a talk to the Seattle Graphic Artists Guild on September 26, 2012. Our Own Worst Enemies will focus on the triumphs and tragedies of over twenty years of self-promotional efforts. Sign up here.

Our Commitment to the Environment Goes Way Back

Looking through a box of Vivitiv partner Jacqueline McCarthy’s old 45 rpm singles over the weekend, we found something very cool (besides lot’s of Monkees, Bobby Sherman, and Clarence Carter records). Buried deep amongst these vinyl treasures were these pins from the New York State Energy Office, imploring young Jacki to “Conserve Energy!”. Jacki figures she got these at the Great New York State Fair sometime in the late 1970s, proving that she has a long and deep commitment to conservation issues, and that she is a hoarder.

Logo For WRED, Washington Recycles Every Day.

We recently created a new brand mark for WRED, Washington Recycles Every Day, a program of WSRA, the Washington State Recycling Association. WSRA hosts three to four WRED events per year bringing professionals from all over Washington State together for discussion of recycling issues and behind the scenes tours of working facilities and technology demonstrations. Some previous WRED events included tours and informational talks at forward thinking companies such as Alchemy Goods, The Boeing Classic, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, NewWood Manufacturing, and Nucor Steel

As an extension of our work with WSRA, the new WRED logo closes the loop with some of the same bold, fresh and forward thinking elements.

Clayton Christensen for the Technology Alliance

This week Bloomberg BusinessWeek profiled Harvard Business School professor, innovation expert, and author of The Innovator’s Dilemma, Clayton Christensen. We were fortunate enough to work with the Technology Alliance for Mr. Christensen’s 2010 keynote appearance in Seattle for the TA Annual Luncheon. Here is an example of alternate event branding we did featuring Clayton and his theory of Disruptive Innovation.

Shop Big, Give Big Fundraising Days

May 1st and 2nd are big fundraising days for The Volunteer Park Conservatory. “May Day! May Day! on Fifteenth” makes it easy to donate while doing what you normally do—shopping, dining out, banking. These select merchants will donate a portion of their sales that day to the Restoration Fund at the Conservatory. See the list of generous shops here. Or look for the poster in shop windows, designed by Vivitiv.

Then, on May 2, the Seattle Foundation is holding their GiveBIG online charitable giving event. From their website:

Each donation made through The Seattle Foundation’s website to the any of the 1,300 profiled nonprofits between midnight and midnight (Pacific Time) on May 2, 2012 will receive a pro-rated portion of the matching funds (or “stretch”) pool. The amount of the “stretch” depends on the size of the stretch pool and how much is raised in total donations on GiveBIG day. For example, if a nonprofit organization receives 3 percent of the total donations during GiveBIG, then it will receive 3 percent of the stretch pool.

The Conservatory is participating this year, as are many other very worthy organizations. Even if flowers aren’t your thing, there is a nonprofit for everyone.