Interact Now, Benefit Later

I was lucky enough to be invited to a seminar at Marquette University's Raynor Library tonight by a former professor of mine. The keynote was delivered by Thomas Gensemer, a managing partner at Blue State Digital. Based out of Washington, DC, this interactive agency is responsible for my.barackobama.com, the social media campaign that helped vault Barack Obama to the presidency and gave him the title "Marketer of the Year" by AdAge in 2008.

As intriguing as that is, it is not what I took from the seminar and nor should you take from this post. What Thomas preached was about how to energize a group of people online in order to get them to do something offline. This is what social media marketing is all about! It doesn't matter if it's politics, business to consumer or business to business. The reason brands are participating in social media is to excite and interact with their audience - not just pound them with product messaging.Next time you're considering social media or interactive marketing - do not consider the bottom line. Consider your customer. Making sales is important, yes, but if you can't connect with your customer, your bridge is burned.

Cool Product Alert: Vision Fitness S7100

There's no doubt that Suspension Elliptical trainers are gaining in popularity among fitness consumers. The ability to vary workouts and target different muscle groups, all while mimicking one's natural movement, is a distinct advantage over traditional fixed-stride elliptical trainers.

However, Suspension Elliptical trainers can be prohibitive for some consumers due to their sheer size and cost. Vision Fitness -- which is one of Celtic's PR clients -- is tackling this challenge by introducing the S7100, a smaller, more economical Suspension Elliptical trainer that offers many of the same features and benefits of the larger-sized versions.

To learn more about the S7100, click here.

Bobby "Sugar" Hinds

About a year ago, our PR group started working with LifelineUSA out of Madison, Wis. The company was founded by fitness pioneer, Bobby "Sugar" Hinds.

Here's a picture of Bobby from 1953 at the University of Wisconsin. He was a three-time collegiate boxing champion during his years at UW. Upon graduation he turned pro and was featured on the undercard of a Sugar Ray Robinson fight, which was nationally televised to millions of viewers. Hinds scored a TKO, defeating the 9th ranked heavy weight in the country.

Enjoy the Fall Colors

Got out recently for a hike on the Ice Age National Scenic Trail in the North Kettle Moraine near Mauthe Lake - the colors were great.

Made me realize that they'll be down before you know it - get out, and enjoy them while you still can. For those interested, here's a link to Wisconsin's Fall Color Report.

With that said, once the leaves are all down, don't let that stop you from exploring outside. Nov & Dec are great times to get out and hike before the snow flies - gives you a totally different perspective of the landscape. More bare for sure ... but allows you to see things you ordinarily would not.

Congrats!

Congratulations to our friends at Johnson Health Tech North America on the launch of LIVESTRONG Fitness. The new product line (which rolled out at Dick's Sporting Goods this month) is truly incredible, and your comittment to donate a portion of sales to the Lance Armstrong Foundation is equally as impressive. Kudos!

The Naturist

A bunch of us at the office find "The Naturist" to be very entertaining. Kudos to Teva for a great online campaign.

Outdoor Rec Sees Increase in Participation

The Outdoor Foundation recently released its 2009 Outdoor Recreation Participation Report. The information contained in the report should be welcome news for anyone in the outdoor category. Despite a sluggish economy, consumers are participating in outdoor activities in larger numbers.

Here's some top line information that was included in today's Outdoor Foundation Newsletter....

Outdoor recreation is gaining in popularity in many core activities, according to the latest participation report released by The Outdoor Foundation. The 2009 Outdoor Recreation Participation Report found that, while 2008 participation in team sports and indoor fitness activities declined or remained largely unchanged, participation in many core nature-based outdoor activities increased significantly. Backpacking, mountain biking and trail running all showed double-digit increases in participation, while hiking and camping showed 9 percent and 7 percent increases, respectively.

LIVESTRONG Fitness Featured in Bicycling

Celtic's PR crew is VERY excited about some recent editorial coverage. The new LIVESTRONG Fitness LS9.9IC indoor cycle is featured in the November 2009 issue of Bicycling magazine.

If you're interested in reading more about the cycle, pick up the current issue Bicycling. I's on newsstands now! Or feel free to give us a call...we'll send you a free copy (while supplies last).

SkinSmart Reviewed by SNEWS

Coleman's SkinSmart DEET-free insect repellent received a favorable review from SNEWS and its team of independent testers. The reviewers gave the SkinSmart product four out of five "hands clapping," which is the ranking system used by the testers.

SNEWS is a trade magazine and Web site covering the outdoor specialty channel.

Click here to read the full review.