VerveCast

It’s not easy taking something as simple as the UNICEF trick or treat donation box and making it evolve with technology but the people over at the United States Committee for UNICEF have managed to do just that. In 1950, the year of it’s inception, the program raised just $17 when a small group of kids in Philadelphia, PA walked their neighborhood asking for dimes and nickels instead of treats and candy on Halloween. That has grown to the massive participation today which has raised over $144 million for undernourished children.

The box has slowly evolved since it’s origins. In the 50′s, it was just an empty milk carton. In 2008 UNICEF introduced mobile phone text messaging, along with donation collections on MySpace and Facebook. Starting this year participants will have to opportunity to scan a QR code which will make the donation experience much more interactive. Not only are you able to donate through this web portal, but you can also upload a picture of yourself and create a digital costume which can be shared over the web. Depending on your donation amount, you are able to select from a number of digital costumes and photo effects.

So this year as you are out buying bags of candy for the children of your neighborhood, be sure to also download a QR code reader and do your part to help the less fortunate children in the world.

As you may have heard, last week several Z2 staffers attended the Summer Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City—and boy was it a rowdy one! On Day One, we teamed with our new client Mountain Khakis (MK) to devise an unbranded howling flash mob, which created a great buzz around the show. See video below.

On Day Two, we sent our street team back out for more howling, but this time to also drop their pants, while spreading the word about MK. See video below.

Howling on Day Two helped connect for show-goers the flash mob on Day One to our client. The street team also drove traffic to the MK booth and drew attention to our fundraiser, the Howl at the Moon Best Bum Contest, which raised nearly $1,500 for the Outdoor Industries Women’s Coalition.

You can check out photos from the best bum contest and vote for your favorite in the Howl at the Moon photo gallery. Or you can upload your own bum through Aug. 21, at www.mountainkhakis.com/howl. On Aug. 22, the bum with the most votes will receive a $150 gift card from MK.

We had an awesome time “mobbing” the OR Show and are looking forward to the next one!

From indoor bocce games Tuesdays and Wine Craze Wednesdays to the UnderGround music series Fridays, our friends at InterContinental Milwaukee have always been ahead of the “cool curve.” Perhaps one of the hotel’s most exciting endeavors, though, is the creation of its Pink Rooms.

At InterContinental Milwaukee, guests have the opportunity to fight breast cancer while they sleep. When they stay in one of the hotel’s two Pink Rooms, a portion of the proceeds from each stay are donated to ABCD: After Breast Cancer Diagnosis, a Milwaukee-based organization whose mission is to provide free, personalized information and one-to-one support to people affected by breast cancer—patients, families and friends. The initial idea for the Pink Room project came from three InterContinental Milwaukee employees’—who all share a personal connection with the disease—desire to support the fight against breast cancer.

When guests of the Pink Room enter their room they’re greeted by an abundance of pink—from the comforter to the commissioned artwork. They’ll notice a laptop on the desk that opens up to the Pink Room blog, where they can read previous guests’ survival stories, learn about breast cancer events in the area and much more. InterContinental Milwaukee’s guests have been inspired by design concept and stories left on the Pink Room blog since the hotel began taking reservations for the Pink Rooms last summer.

Next time you’re booking a downtown Milwaukee hotel, keep InterCon and its Pink Rooms in mind. It’s an easy way to contribute to a great local organization.

Over here at Z2, we’re all buzzing about an upcoming benefit concert. Jazz for Japan is coming up on Sunday, May 1 from 3-6 p.m. at the Summerfield United Methodist Church in downtown Milwaukee. For a suggested $10 donation, you’ll be able to hear talented Midwesterners like Greg Marcus, the President and CEO of our client Marcus Corporation.

To find out more about the event, go to http://jazzforjapan.eventbrite.com

Please use #jazzforjapanMKE when tweeting about this event. Thanks!

Would you take a beer from this guy? We hope so!

Tim Cigelske, along with Annie Munkwitz (also known as @TeecycleTim and @bananza) are as close as we get to “Milwaukee Celebrities” on Twitter.

They’re both fun, inspiring, and all-around helpful people who are bartending tonight at Blu.

If you haven’t been to Blu (inside the Pfister Hotel) go there… it’s the best view in the city!

And hey, it’s for charity! They’re part of Team Challenge Wisconsin (@teamchallengewi) Team Challenge is the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation’s endurance training and fundraising program, and it’s great to see Milwaukeeans taking part in it.

Do you want go? Do you want to see who is going? Check out the event on Facebook.