Upstate PA is much more than just a Pennsylvania State Tourism region. It is a community, home to a wealth of outdoor activities, and a destination for Roof Rackers from across the Mid-Atlantic. With the help of Carrot Creative, we recently launched a new home for Upstate PA on the web that created an even better user experience for this group of powder and trail lovers.

With a new winter look, direct navigation to the most sought after information and links to social sites like Twitter and Facebook, it’s now easier than ever for Roof Rackers to find what they need and join in the conversation.

Wanna see more? Mount up at UpstatePA.org.

We’re fired up to announce our newest client partner, FireKeepers Casino – the latest gaming destination in the great state of Michigan! Masterminds is excited to start fueling the buzz about this hot new brand until the buzz becomes a roar and their success grows like wildfire. Enough fire puns for ya?
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There’s a lot of talk out there about social media in marketing departments around the world. As a result, a lot of companies are claiming to specialize in social media.

We specialize in our consumers.

By focusing on our audience first—the travel, leisure and gaming consumer—we can then decide which channels are the right fit for the conversation we’re trying to start. More often than not, we find social media to be well equipped to meet this challenge. With that said, here’s our take on social media:
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We peeked at Santa’s list and saw that you wanted a new car and lots of cash this year. Well, we can’t swing that (you know, the economy and such) but we can give you the next best thing—an interactive holiday greeting featuring your super-talented friends at Masterminds! You won’t believe how much holiday spirit we crammed into this baby—and all you have to do is click and watch.

Witness some of your favorite Masterminds flex their golden pipes with special, one-time-only performances of classic holiday tunes. They probably won’t be featured on American Idol anytime soon, but they’re sure to warm your heart and give you a good laugh. Don’t miss our talking reindeer, delicious recipes, a sassy nutcracker (he said what?!), bloopers and more. Just a little holiday cheer from us to you!

Exciting week here at Masterminds. We’ve just been honored with some very prestigious accolades from the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) 53rd annual Adrian Awards Competition and the American Gaming Association (AGA) Communications Awards.

At the Adrians, we won silver for the “Philly LOVE” campaign that we worked on for the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation. Our work for the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino was also honored with bronze awards for the “Baggage Belt” and for the “Where Atlanta Plays” campaign.
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Kick the Bucket. No, kick all the buckets–the ones you divide your annual marketing budget into each year. It’s a decision based on a laughable glance at the past and a wild guess about how to best spend your money next year. Kick the outdoor, television, printing, magazine, production, direct mail, newspaper, interactive, PR, mobile, social media and the agency fee bucket. Once that money gets dropped into a bucket, it literally takes an Act of God–or at least the CFO, who’s a close second–to move it.
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Today everyone is talking about what’s next. Technology and the web have us all focused squarely on the future. Voicemail is already ancient history for a whole generation. Email is becoming passé. “Tomorrow” is what it’s all about. Well, it seems to me then that we’re being very shortsighted.

“Look back. See forward.” was actually a tagline I wrote some years ago for The History Channel, but it has become much more to me over the years. It’s proven itself over and over to be a trusted precept.
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