Maryland Business

Say you had to tweet your cover letter and file your resume through a Facebook page. Does the idea make you panicky?

Under Armour is looking for two intern candidates to join its “Ultimate Intern Team.” The program is open to undergrad and graduate college students who want to learn more about sports and marketing.

But they have to make their pitch in 140 characters and use Under Armour’s Facebook fan page to submit their resume through May 12. The chosen interns will be working with the digital marketing team at the company, focusing on social media engagement.

The internship sounds like a pretty sweet gig. For five weeks, the interns will work with some of UA’s athlete sponsors, see the technology behind the brand’s innovation and spend some time getting to know CEO Kevin Plank to discuss leadership and entrepreneurship. The students will also work on Facebook posts, Twitter tweets and blog entries on their experiences with the company. Reminds me a bit of when Charlie Bucket gets to take the glass elevator trip with Willy Wonka. If only.

The selected interns will receive a $5,000 scholarship paid directly to his or her school. The final 100 candidates will be announced on May 16, then the top 10 will conduct a Skype interview on May 23 with UA officials. Airfare, travel and housing will all be covered as part of the internship, which lasts June 13 to July 15.

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I really like preventative giving. Meaning, I think it’s great to offer help before a situation turns dire.

Purple Cat PR, a Chester-based boutique public relations agency, is doing just that, offering pro bono marketing services to nonprofit applicants of CreatAthon, a national program.

How does it work?

Public relations or graphic design agencies, like Purple Cat, sign up as local affiliates and choose a specific market. They then solicit applications from nonprofits in their region and choose five organizations to offer their services. The projects are completed free of charge during national CreatAthon week, held Sept. 13-17.

Somewhat unique to Purple Cat, a one-man firm, is that everybody wins: Even the agencies that aren’t selected get a three-hour pro bono consultation.

Purple Cat’s founder and owner, Carol D’Agostino, said she used to work in the nonprofit sector herself, so she understands the stress of trying to put together the yearly budget. That stressed only increases during a recession, which hits nonprofits hard because donations typically decrease while the demand for services increases.

“I wanted to serve the nonprofit sector because I knew it the best,” D’Agostino said. “Part of everyone’s business plan should be giving back.”

Since 2002, CreateAThon has benefited more than 1,100 non-profit organizations with 2,500 projects valued at more than $11 million. Purple Cat says it has assisted 25 Maryland nonprofits and one New Orleans-based organization on projects valued at almost $81,000.

Applications are due July 12 and can be found here.

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In this never-ending quest by phone companies to alleviate the pressures of thinking for ourselves, the Ocean City Department of Tourism is jumping on board and has announced the launch of its free iPhone application.

Ocean City Mobile is now available through the iTunes Application Store and provides information on restaurants, accommodations, entertainment, services, promotions, weather forecasts and more.

Ocean City is one of the first beach destinations to launch an official iPhone app, according to the news release, which also notes a version of Ocean City Mobile for Blackberry and Android will be available “in the near future.”

I am doing my best to avoid the iPhone/Blackberry/Android revolution so can’t comment on the potential awesomeness of the new app. But I can comment on the marketing benefits to Ocean City. With its biggest summer marketing budget ever, the beach town is staying relevant to its audience AND making itself more accessible.

Now the trick is once people get to Ocean City, how to pry the phone out of their hands so they actually enjoy the sights and sounds of the tourist town. Is there an app for that?

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I attended a Memorial Day parade with my family Saturday morning. My high school’s marching band made an appearance, which brought back a flood of memories. So I documented it the way I often do with these sorts of things, by uploading a picture and caption to my Facebook page.

Within minutes I was reminded of candy sales held 25 years ago to raise money to buy new uniforms, as well as a long-forgotten crack in a Sousaphone bell and how it got there. Old friends in other states were reminiscing with me, practically in real time, about things my memory had misplaced. It was another testament to the power of Facebook, the way the social networking platform bridges vast distances of time and place and powerfully connects people.

Coming as it did within days of Facebook announcing changes to its privacy policies, however, my warm remembrance also had a healthy streak of cynicism running through it.

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For the past few months I’ve been hearing people talk about Foursquare and haven’t paid much mind, kind of hoping that our society is all social-networked-out between Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and whoever else still uses MySpace.

No such luck.

I got my first Foursquare marketing campaign e-mail today from MGH Inc. The Owings Mills-based advertising company has launched a social networking campaign for Miss Shirley’s, owned by Crazy Man Restaurant Group, and the restaurants operated by Classic Catering People. The eatery is among the first in Baltimore to offer a special deal to customers through the new social network.

First, what is Foursquare? For a detailed explanation, read Larry Fiorno’s article in a December issue of The Daily Record. In short, it’s a location-based social networking website, software for mobile devices and a game. Users “check in” at venues using text messaging or a device-specific application and they are then awarded points and sometimes “badges.”

Miss Shirley’s is allowing the customer crowned “Mayor” –- the person who has checked in via Foursquare the most at the Roland Park or Inner Harbor locations –- to show his/her “Mayor card” on their mobile device and skip waiting in line at the popular breakfast, brunch and lunch destination.

That’s actually a really good prize if you’ve ever tried to get breakfast on a weekend at the popular eatery.

S’ghetti Eddie’s and Roland Park Bagel Co. are also getting in on the game and will reward frequent patrons through Foursquare with freebies.

So kudos to the restaurants and MGH for getting in on the latest trend in social networking. But how long do people think this one will last? Seems to me the new network is also the perfect virtual stomping ground for stalkers or just creepy people in general.

It’s way too easy to know a lot about a person with just a little effort. For instance, the name of the current mayor of Miss Shirley’s is listed as first name and last initial on his Foursquare profile. But from that profile and you can go to his Facebook page and view his entire name. You can also see his siblings’ names, his wife’s name and where he works, among other things.

Between the two pages we know a lot about this guy and where to find him. I can only imagine how fast this marketing campaign would shut down if something were to happen to one of the frequent diners at these establishments and Foursquare was the connection.

Granted, Twitter’s not that different in that people freely announce where they are, what they’re eating, etc. But for me, basing an entire site on tracking people’s movements is jumping into murky water.

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In today’s story about how the Orioles can sell hope to its fans (or, really, how they can’t) several people I interviewed mentioned it’s tough to sell an intangible like a feeling or emotion.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t try to measure it.

According to New York-based Brand Keys Inc.’s Sports Loyalty Index, Orioles fans rank second-to-last in the MLB. Company founder Robert Passikoff said brand loyalty was measured using four criteria:

• Play on the field
• Authenticity (i.e. is the team believable; typically a new stadium boosts this category)
• Fan bonding (does the team have people its fans can relate to)
• History and tradition

Um, guess which category is bringing the 12-straight-losing-seasons-Orioles down? Yeah. It’s that one.

And no wonder that the team’s ranking is sandwiched right between the Kansas City Royals (25 years since a postseason appearance and one winning season in the last 15) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (who hold an MLB-record 17 straight losing seasons).

“Losing isn’t everything but it’s a lot,” said Passikoff. “You don’t have to always win but you have to play well and you can’t just do it on history and tradition alone.”

But here’s some good news for O’s fans who are reading this and getting more insulted by the minute (by a New Yorker whose wife is a Derek Jeter fan, nonetheless). Fan bonding has improved over the last year, a direct effect of the team developing players within its minor league system.

“Their issue has always been of fan bonding,” said Passikoff. “Once [Cal] Ripken [Jr.] was gone you didn’t have a lot of people to look for. That changed last year.”

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This Friday 20 Baltimore high school students are hopping on a bus to New York to present their marketing plans to Bad Boy Entertainment, rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs’ recording label.

The trip is sponsored by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship’s Baltimore affiliate and the students have collectively worked on three proposals: 1) the importance of micro-enterprise, 2) going green through business ventures and 3) developing a new product line for women 35 and older.

(I’m especially curious about what kind of perspective high school students would bring to that last topic.)

Upon their arrival the students will meet with an NYU business professor and two campus entrepreneurs over lunch. They’ll also get to visit Bad Boy Recording Studio and the 105 Radio Station.

We’ll keep our fingers crossed for the students, who won’t know until they get to New York whether Diddy will be able to join Bad Boy’s executive team members for their marketing presentation. He was able to meet with students two years ago for NFTE’s last trip there.

NFTE was founded in New York in 1987 and provides entrepreneurship education programs to young people from low-income communities. The nonprofit’s regional business plan competition was held last weekend and Reginald F. Lewis High School 11th grader Shawn Curtis won first place for Dante’s Cleaning Service, a business that caters to the elderly and to working professionals. He received $1,000 to grow his business.

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Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but Maryland sure seems intent on making a love connection of an economic development sort.

And its courtship strategy looks like it hasn’t changed much in 10 years. (I know what you’re thinking: We’re really exploring the romance theme a lot here at the blog lately, huh?)

News of state efforts to woo Northrop Grumman Corp. trickled out last week. Gov. Martin O’Malley, General Assembly leaders and state economic development Secretary Christian Johansson have put the Free State’s best foot forward in hopes of landing the California defense contracting giant’s corporate headquarters.

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When you hear the words credit union, what other words immediately come to mind? How about private or exclusive?

If so, it seems you’re not alone.

The people over at SECU (that’s the State Employees’ Credit Union) have been doing their research, and they’ve found that the words “credit union” alone have stopped people from leaving banks to join credit unions.

“The term credit union is a barrier,” Rod Staatz, chief executive at SECU, said. “People believe it’s a club and it’s exclusive. They don’t want to be rejected.”

It turns out SECU is sort of a misnomer in that you don’t have to work for the state to join. Rather, a whole list of other people — alumni, students, staff and faculty of most Maryland colleges and universities are welcome, as are current and former employees of state, city, county or town agencies and labor union employees representing state employees.

Even spouses and family members of the above people can bank there. That opens membership up to a huge number of people.

SECU is working to get the word out that membership isn’t all that exclusive, because the team there is confident that once you go credit union, you never go back (to your bank). The main problem beyond the whole name thing is that most people don’t know what a credit union actually does.

So what’s the big difference between banks and credit unions? Banks are working to make money for their shareholders, while credit unions are nonprofits owned by their members. Any earnings the credit union makes, it filters back to its members through lower fees and loan rates.

Federally insured and state chartered credit unions are highly regulated, and held to the same or higher standards than banks.

And it’s not just SECU that’s on the scene. While it does have a large footprint in Maryland with 19 branches, a quick search of the National Credit Union Administration reveals that there are 108 credit unions in the state.

For a look at how credit unions are trying to market themselves, check out the above take on the Mac vs. PC commercial, subbing in credit unions and banks. It’s much better than this rap battle between banks and credit unions.

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While the Orioles are raising ticket prices for some games (and for all games if you wait until game day to buy tickets) the Washington Nationals are continuing their desperate attempts to attract more people to the ballpark.

The latest promotional packages (announced last week) are called the 2010 Grand Slam Flex plans. Fans can choose four games and receive a fifth game of their choice for free. Plans start at $68 per seat, and the team says this is the most affordable multiple-game option it’s ever offered. Here’s the breakdown:

• Zim’s Gold Glove Plan Fans can attend some of the biggest games and see some of the brightest stars. It even includes Opening Day vs. the Phillies.
• Hondo’s Heavy Hitters Plan Fans can watch the League’s premier power hitters take the field as the Nats look to blast their way to victory the same way that Frank “Hondo” Howard did.
• Beasts of the East Plan Fans interested in intra-division competition will love watching the Nats take on their NL East rivals and the Baltimore Orioles for some of the best marquee matchups of the season.
• Bang, Zoom Go the Fireworks Plan Fans can start their weekend off with a bang at Nationals Park each Friday while enjoying the game and family.
• The Promo Plan Fans can choose from the most popular giveaway dates the team has to offer so they can collect the three Bobbleheads or a NatsTown T-Shirt.

So … by offering the first three plans, the marketing staff is fully admitting that most people come to Nats games to see the competition. And if you buy one of those plans, chances are, you will see the Nationals lose. Except maybe against the Orioles.

Now, the Nats have made some decent moves so far in the off-season. They acquired second baseman Adam Kennedy for a one-year, $1.25 million contract, and they’re going after Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang . Rookie pitcher Stephen Strasburg could also make an impact this year. But the Nats have made some good moves before (signing Christian Guzman and keeping Adam Zimmerman) and the team still hasn’t shaken its NL East basement dweller status.

The last two plans seem good to me — baseball is about the experience and family and the plans capitalize on that. But the first three seem dangerous to me. Financially, it’s smart because the team is offering what the market has shown it wants. But it seems like it’s a bad message to send to the few Nats fans out there who are standing by their guys and rooting for the team to improve. Those are your real fans — not the folks who come to see the other guys play.

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