We all love the videos. Those YouTube clips that make us laugh, that we share with our friends, and then quickly forget about. With the immense amount of information we gather daily, it is hard to make something stand out unless it is supported by multiple platforms and  ideas.

Mark Earls, marketing guru, recently spoke at the 4As conference on the “Big Idea” concept. Too frequently, as marketers, we become caught up with our most recent “Big Idea.” We want something flashy, but forget that it is not just a single idea that creates long term brand awareness and, ultimately, loyal customers. Instead Mark suggests a lot of little ideas, building on each other, all to support a larger goal. This could also include cross-channel marketing techniques to carry your idea across multiple platforms that support the initiative.

Check out a clip of his speech here.

By integrating a succession of ideas, potential customers become familiarized with your product and brand instead of simply laughing and leaving. Implement a long-term process of projects that support each other across multiple platforms to build a strong, structural marketing plan.

Despite Microsoft Word being around for a very long time, there are still issues we face when using it in conjunction with other applications. One common issue is the hidden/embedded code within a document file.

Our clients typically use Microsoft Word to provide content which would be added to their website. But, it’s not a simple copy and paste job as you’d like to think. Unfortunately MS Word can give you many more problems than you’d care to deal with simply because of the hidden code it adds when trying to copy and paste that content.

The image above is a snapshot of the code that is added to the WYSIWYG editor and unfortunately, you can only see this by viewing the HTML portion of the editor. This means that if you copy the text from Word and paste it into your CMS, there is a good chance you won’t notice this code and continue to be frustrated as you attempt to format the text.

So now you’re asking, “Why is this a problem?”. Simply put, you’ll struggle to have your content displayed the way you initially intended.

The way you can get around this issue is by using Notepad or a similar program. Copying the content from Word and pasting it into Notepad will strip all the unwanted code from the text. From there you can copy the text from Notepad and paste it into your editor/CMS. This will provide you a clean copy of the text that can be formatted properly from within the CMS. Keep in mind, when you do this you will lose all of the formatting – bold, italics, colors, etc., so keep the Word doc handy for reference.

If you’ve ever wondered how to make those fancy reflective looking design elements using Adobe Illustrator, we’ve created a simple tutorial to broaden your skill set. Follow these steps for making a web 2.0 button and you’ll be on your way to impressing those special people in your design life. Enjoy!

Click to view full size:

How to make a web 2.0 button with Adobe Illustrator CS3

Building complex custom animations in PPT is a frequent requirement here at CGI. Using the Selection Pane is a powerful tool that helps speed production. Remember using the Tab button to drill down to an object buried under multiple layers? Have you ever been frustrated by an animation sequence because you chose Picture 3 instead of Picture 2? Then you’ll love this feature.

In PowerPoint 2007 from the Home ribbon look for the Editing toolbar which includes Find, Replace and Select.

Open the drop down menu for select and choose Selection Pane.The Selection and Visibility task pane offers some powerful options.

Here you can assign a logical name to objects by double clicking on the name in the task bar. If I use two grouped shapes to create a mask effect I can name the Group to be “Mask”. It is good practice to assign names to objects as you build a presentation because updating an object name on slide 3 will not automatically update it throughout the presentation.

Do you need to edit a piece of text that is hidden behind other layers? In the Selection Pane choose Hide All at the bottom of the task bar and then click on the visibility box next to the object you want to edit. Make your change and select Show All at the bottom of the task bar.

Tired of using Send to Back, Bring Forward to get your layering right? When you choose Arrange you will find the Selection Pane option at the bottom of the menu. Open the Selection Pane and use the Re-order arrows to move the object into the correct position. Arranging your layers so that text peeks out from under “Mask” rather than on top will be simple to correct by reading your list of labeled objects.

Keep both the Selection pane and Custom Animation task pane open and you will fly through your animation sequences. “Grab” an object from the Selection pane and “Add an Effect” in the Custom Animation pane.

One more thing, just because you can animate objects faster now doesn’t mean you should. Be selective about adding drama to your presentation; you don’t want your audience reaching for the Dramamine!