“Integrated Marketing” seems to be one of the many buzz-phrases these days. However, making multiple marketing vehicles work together in a thoughtful and effective way just doesn’t seem to come together as often as you may think. (And simply tagging a TV spot with a campaign specific URL doesn’t count!)

Recently, EP had the opportunity to develop a truly integrated marketing program for one of our biggest clients, Verizon Wireless. The idea was to have Verizon to sponsor a contest to find the best church choirs in Memphis. We called it “How Sweet the Sound.” The campaign utilized print, radio, sponsorships, point of purchase, direct mail, PR, event marketing, and interactive components all working together to promote the contest.

EPInteractiv just launched Phase One of the website (www.HowSweetTheSoundMemphis.com) less than a month ago. The website includes a trailer for the contest that is a must see, contest registration, and will include online voting and other interactive features prior to the event itself later this fall.

Kudos to the team here at EP who continues to work hard to pull off this event. Hopefully we’ll get to see it grow into other parts of the country.

Far too often the most effective solutions are overlooked. If you favor a lightweight, simplistic, intuitive (and free!) approach to software, the open-source communities have alot to offer you. Listed below are 10 open-source or freeware apps I use daily and I can’t imagine not having them.

• Mozilla Firefox - web browser
• ImgBurn - disc burning utility
• Pidgin - instant messaging client
• Thunderbird- email client
• Synergy - keyboard/mouse sharing
• Task Switcher XP - alt+tab replacement
• VLC Player - media player
• Azureus - bittorrent client
• Filezilla - ftp client
• Xvid codec - video compression

To promote the upcoming Simpsons movie release, a handful of 7-eleven stores across the country have been turned into highly detailed Kwik-E-Marts. The campaign has no doubt created a healthy buzz, and photos of the renovations have seen a warm reception on blogs and particularly on Flickr where photo sets have quickly made their way across the web, logging 600,000+ views within the first 5 days.

The attention to detail has certainly paid off. At several of the locations customers were lined up at the door to get inside, and a Kwik-E-Mart employee uniform is already on eBay for over $250. The memorabilia collectors are likely to have a field day as each renovation utilizes about 1,000 custom displays and signs, even converting the gas pumps and ATMs into perfect replicas of those found in Springfield.

In addition to the in-store signage, several branded products are being sold exclusively including Krusty-O’s, Buzz Cola, Squishees, and the Radioactive Man Comic Book. The movie premieres July 27th, and the stores will resume their normal appearance at the end of the month.