More than 335 people completed the Visit Topeka, Inc. logo survey last week, and it’s unanimous, Visit Topeka is the winner!

We used our social media networks to recruit participants through our blog, Facebook Fan Page and Twitter accounts. Visit Topeka also distributed an email blast. Eighty-nine percent of the participants were between the ages of 18 and 64. Just over two-thirds were women, and over 80 percent lived in or nearby Topeka.

The most popular logo received 42 percent of the votes. Here’s how the various logos fared:

For the full results, check out this page.

Congratulations to Taylor Clauson, winner of the hotel package giveaway drawing. Enjoy your night’s stay in the great city of Topeka!

In the first week of Marketing 101 we learned the four P’s of the marketing mix: Price, Product, Place and Promotion. But as time went on, we discovered there are many MORE P’s to consider for successful marketing. So which ones are important? All of them!

Briefly, let’s take a look at two more P’s we should keep in mind.

People:

How many times has a company’s employee swayed your opinion of a product or service? Maybe your opinion improved – maybe it got worse! That’s why recruiting and training the best team to represent your business is so critical. As far as the customer is concerned, your people ARE your company.

So make sure you hire people who are well-suited to their positions. And give them good training so they can enjoy doing great work for you. Are your people well positioned for success?

Process:

For several years I worked for McDonald’s. That might be your last career choice – but I loved it. Their focus on process made work fun and easy. McDonald’s processes are time-tested for efficiency and quality control, which makes your meal experience consistent whether you visit McDonald’s in Topeka or Beijing. Fast-food fan or not, you always KNOW what to expect at McDonald’s. And that’s why they’re the category leader.

What processes do you have in place? Are they regularly re–evaluated from an outside perspective? How can improved processes make your customers’ experiences more reliable?

Next time, we’ll look at Physical Evidence and Packaging.

Earlier we told you how jhP was in consideration for an American Advertising Federation National ADDY Award for the illustration “Paper Dali,” created to promote the Mulvane Art Museum’s Mountain/Plains Art Fair. At last Saturday night’s National Conference ADDY Show, Dan Billen and Gary Jones received a Silver ADDY on behalf of jones huyett Partners -– the highest honor awarded in the category! This was the first jhP piece to win national recognition from the AAF. Here’s what Dan and Gary had to say:

Dan Billen, in an email from the hotel after the ADDY show Saturday night:

I’m sitting in the hotel room with Gary trying to come down from a pretty big night. We won a Silver ADDY for Illustration, and – because the awards are based on a point system, not by rank – there wasn’t a Gold ADDY given in that category. That puts us at the top of the nation!

There were about 50 tables and several hundred people at the award show. It was a packed house! I did my best to represent jhP with a bright orange tie and orange Converse shoes to match (that was a real crowd pleaser). We dined on huge steaks and watched as people were called up on stage to accept their awards. Pretty soon it was jones huyett Partners’ turn, and Gary and I went up in front of what seemed like an ocean of people to get our award. I felt like a rock star (again!).

Gary Jones, on the ADDY Award-winning project, after returning to the office Monday morning:

The Mulvane Art Museum, which is part of Washburn University, was our client on this project. I serve on the Friends of the Mulvane Art Museum Board of Directors, and jhP works on the advertising for the Mountain Plains Art Fair, one of the big fundraising projects for the museum. Each year I work with our creative staff to come up with a fresh, new look for the fundraiser.

This year’s goal was to select an artist who personified creativity. I suggested Salvador Dali, remembered for his flamboyant mustache and wild eyebrows. Dali was highly imaginative and looked at things in a surreal and grandiose manner. His work was just as striking and bizarre. Our mission was to create an illustration that captured Dali’s energy in a fresh, exciting way. Dan’s personal collage work made me think he could collage a portrait of Dali. With little direction, Dan created the image and it was clearly a winner. We used the illustration on everything (billboards, banners, posters, flyers, postcards, tickets, T-shirts and TV) and the response was fantastic! Some people knew immediately who he was, and others just liked him because he looked so outrageuos and fun.

Receiving a National ADDY award for the piece solidified our confidence that the ‘Paper Dali’ illustration is world-class work. We are thrilled to bring national exposure to Washburn University and the Mulvane Art Museum. jhP has always appreciated the value of supporting the arts, and we’re proud to help children learn through Mulvane Art Museum programs. Topeka is a great place to live and learn about the arts.

Congratulations Dan and Gary! Everyone at jhP is very proud of you for being recognized as among the best in the country and bringing honor to the excellent work our creative team produces every day!

Please help us re-brand Visit Topeka, Inc and be entered into our giveaway drawing!

The short survey will take about five minutes. Upon completion, you will automatically be entered into a drawing for a free hotel package including: a one night stay at Senate Luxury Suites, a lavender sachet, two Ghost Tour tickets, $10 off at Brick Oven Courtyard Grille, two tickets to Great Overland Station and scratch-off tickets to Jersey Mike’s.

The winner will be drawn Monday, June 15. The winner will be contacted directly by phone and email, and will be announced via Twitter and the jhP Facebook Fan Page.

Click here to get started.

Thank you for your time!

With temperatures rising so are the number of activities in our day planners. The idea of lazy summer days sounds great but with so much going on we ALL have bigger and better plans than a little R&R. Here’s how the jhP team plans to enjoy the next few months of extra daylight.

I have theatre tickets for the summer – so I plan to spend my time enjoying fabulous show-choir tunes under a gorgeous blue sky while I dream of the cool temperatures October will bring! – Brie Engelken

My family has softball and/or baseball games through the middle of July.  We’ll be eating a lot of baseball dust during the summer.  Although I’m pretty sure we had plenty this past weekend.  I don’t wash my vehicle until the season is over. – Theresa Knapp

This summer I will be enjoying the fact that we took our pool out last year! No more expensive chems, no teenagers sneaking late night swims and no high water bills! We will just enjoy our green grass, gardens and the AC when we need to cool off! – Linda Bull

Softball games and tournaments for my daughter and preparing to send my son off to college, so paperwork, dorm shopping and spending a bit of extra time as a family. – Michelle Stubblefield

I’m leaving Thursday for Bike Across Kansas. 545 miles across our beautiful state with 800 of my friends. Fun, food, Kansas scenery, great communities and bicycling. Can’t get much better than that. – Jake Huyett

Summer is a time to enjoy family. I’m looking forward to bike rides and swimming with the kids. And what would summer be without my annual rash. (just kidding about that last part) – Dan Billen

Other than the usual yard work, lounging in the pool and entertaining I am most looking forward to the family vacation on Fire Island in August with our kids and grandkids. – Leslie Palace

I’m going to spend as much time as possible with my family – going on walks, grilling out and taking Leo swimming for the first time. – Alissa Sheley

My family is going to a reunion in Ruidoso, New Mexico in July. I’m especially looking forward to leading an expedition to the summit of Sierra Blanca, a 12,000-foot extinct volcano that’s nearby. From the online photos, it looks like it’ll be a beautifully scenic trek. – Kurt Eskilson

My family is going on a family vacation with friends in July to Disney World. Other then that you will find us at in the yard or on the lake. – Linda Eisenhut

I’ve got a long “to-do list” but I’ll probably spend most of my summer jogging or trying to find my lost golf balls. When I’m out of the sun, I’m going to try learning Japanese (again) or maybe some 3D software. – Dustin Dean

We’re planning on going out to see my son-in-law perform for Pilobolus in New York City. – Gary Jones

We’ll spend as many weekends as possible camping. Otherwise, you’ll find us at home trying to get rid of the junk we seem to accumulate. My daughter’s answer to this was, “buy a bigger house.” Instead, we’ll be busy making the house we already have seem bigger. – Sherri Wilson

I have a dozen books to read and one to write, design, and draw. Summer will have to wait til’ September or so. – Brian Wells

My son turns 16 in November, so this summer I will be riding shotgun in the car with him, white-knuckled, forcing myself not to scream and cover my eyes. – Tracey Stratton

The Armstrong’s will be busy doing housework!  Finish building our fence, finish landscaping, finish unpacking, and enjoy our new home! – Mindy Armstrong

The Weichert clan will be playing baseball just about every night until the end of June and then we plan on kicking back, barbequing and just enjoying the kids. – Lyn Weichert