In a salute to February's Black History Month, American Spirit's January/February issue features recently discovered information on Eunice Davis, recognized as the first and only known Real Daughter of color. More than a century after her death, DAR historians are delving into the life of this fascinating and passionate anti-slavery activist and community volunteer.

Davis--among the few women with the designation "Real" Daughter, or members of the DAR who were just a single generation removed from a Revolutionary War Patriot--was a founding member of the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society and helped catapult it to the forefront of women's abolition groups in the 1830s. Her home was even a station on the Underground Railroad.

Continue reading "American Spirit on the Case: Saluting Black History Month, Finding Female Ancestors" »

Marines have always been amphibious warriors, usually striking from the sea onto dry land. At the 2010 Marine West Expo aboard Camp Pendleton, CA, a powerful winter storm did just that to the hundreds of vendors displaying the latest in military gear under a large tent. The storm swept ashore Jan. 26, the night before the show opened, and driving rain seeped into the carpeting under the exhibits.

Continue reading "Marine West Expo 2010" »

One of the things that I always find most valuable at such gatherings is the questions people ask. They give you a little window into understanding the association audience they serve.

I found myself asking "How would we answer that at Hammock?" since we are using all types of social media tools as part of our content marketing strategies every day. Instead of blurting out answers there, I circulated the questions to our Internet marketing team and here's what they said.

Continue reading "Recently (and Frequently) Asked Questions About Associations and Social Media" »

Christmastime is magical at Tryon Palace, the Georgian-style palace in historic New Bern, N.C., gracing the November/December issue of American Spirit, the magazine we publish for the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Once known as the finest public building in the Colonies, the palace, which was built around 1770 as the royal governor’s home and North Carolina’s first permanent capitol, hasn’t always been so radiant. It was reduced to ruins, until local preservationists launched a campaign to resurrect it. Thanks to their tenacity and the discovery of the original architect’s plans, the palace still enchants the public today, 50 years after its restoration.

Continue reading "Celebrate the Holidays With American Spirit" »

Yesterday, I wrote about some of the year-long content marketing plans I'd execute instead of spending $3 million on a Superbowl ad. (If you read to the 5th point, my list of ideas had more than $2 million left over.)

But why do companies keep spending money on the hail-Mary passes that a $3 million Superbowl ad represents? In some cases -- Budweiser beer springs to mind -- an ad during the Superbowl makes lots of sense. Budweiser probably generates tens of millions in revenue during the game itself, making the ad something of a "Let's go out to the lobby" jingle from the old days at the movie theater.

But for advertisers who are using the ad to generate conversation about their brands or products, the venue and costs make little sense. So why do they spend such a significant portion of their budgets on a 30-second ad and not a year-long content marketing strategy?

Continue reading "Superbowl Ad vs. Content Marketing II" »