creatorstand

The creatorstand and Sustainable Brands Innovation Open 2013

Sustainability is a big deal and for good reasons. Businesses and products that successfully apply sustainable design are good for business, people and the planet.

The creatorstand^® was recently invited to participate (including video) in the SB Innovation Open; public voting is from April 8th - 14th. The presentation above was attached to our submission and here are a few excerpts provided to SBIO '13 judges:

SBIO Elevator Pitch

The creatorstand improves desktop comfort, provides engaging content, and enables people and brands to do more with the web. It's a 21st century reading stand that applies sustainable design, creativity from others, and made-local goals.

Our Commitment to Sustainability

The creatorstand was conceived and patented around 2002 based on an earlier product called the Copy Grip -- with prior consumer sales via Office Depot, college stores, computer accessory retailers, Kmart (test), etc. Around 2000, the Internet was quickly becoming mainstream and we wanted to improve and re-launch the earlier Copy Grip design to:

• Be more eco-friendly (whole product)
• Help people and brands to do more with the web
• Crowdsource meaningful package designs from the community

At the time of creatorstand's patent application, "sustainability" was not a widely understood idea or practice. Communities and media outlets like Sustainable Brands and others have since educated and inspired millions of people about the importance and value of sustainable design and execution.

We've taken note and believe the creatorstand can serve as a new consumer product and a model for how all businesses should adapt and redesign their offerings to better serve connected consumers AND integrate sustainable design for economic, social and environmental benefits. 

We're still learning about sustainability language and practices -- especially in the context of consumer product design, packaging and manufacturing. We're looking forward to the SBIO '13 process to help us master the nuances and for our story to educate and inspire others.

We're passionate about this simple product, a better mousetrap, in the reading stand and copy holder category. The creatorstand's functional simplicity and improvements -- after applying sustainable design thinking -- is a good tool for millions of people to learn and improve their daily lives on the desktop.

The Business Opportunity

Virtually everyone uses some sort of desktop computer or laptop to work, learn, shop and be social. Tablets and mobile phones continue to sell like hot cakes and the web is growing with more content and users; daily! 

The creatorstand can be sold direct to businesses (sustainable brands in practice or early stage SBs) to customize with their own branded content, offers, social icons, QR codes, graphics, etc. -- similar to what ExactTarget did for hundreds of their top customers: http://bit.ly/UGXhJL

We can also sell creatorstands -- direct to consumers via an e-commerce store -- that are "sponsored" by sustainable brands and designed by others to be used for specific applications (i.e. employee communications, e-commerce, social media engagement, customer support, and education and training). This approach can help to facilitate highly engaging "sustainable design contests" supported by brands and shared via social media.

We're also planning to sell customized creatorstands via retail stores like Target, Office Depot, Walmart and other sustainable brands; from big box to local retail chains.

The creatorstand is patented and can be licensed for any organization to use to engage their customers, prospects, partners, employees and community members -- where the digital world meets the physical world on the desktop!

Share and Vote

Help us spread the word about creatorstand and our SB Innovation Open submission.  If we're successful with the SBIO competition, we'll pitch the creatorstand on stage at the annual Sustainable Brands conference in San Diego/June 2013. 

Let's redesign for the times!

 

Customer Profile: ExactTarget innovates with creatorstand for Academy Day engagement and training at Connections 2012

(see creatorstand^® in action in the brief recap video above; 30 second mark)

ExactTarget is a leading global provider of cross-channel interactive marketing software solutions that empower organizations to communicate with people through email, mobile, social media and websites. The ExactTarget annual Connections event, recently held in October 2012, is a powerful three-day experience packed with education, networking and fun for thousands of marketers.

ExactTarget is a consummate brand marketer with a culture focused on customer experience and success. The Connections theme was “Inspire the Future.” So when the Academy Day training team, led by Jenn Aikins, was looking for a give-away to engage and enable customers -- they wanted a quality product that was affordable, creative, meaningful and would help the ExactTarget brand to stand out on the desktop. They decided to customize creatorstand.

“Academy Day is ExactTarget’s biggest training event each year with hundreds of clients and partners who attend.  We are always looking for ways to provide our Academy guests a fun, quality give-away that will encourage them to return to the Academy for future trainings. The creatorstand was the perfect choice. The creatorstand holds important documents or even iPads that you are using during your daily work.  We were also able to brand the creatorstand with a QR code and URL links, so that Academy alumni could easily reference our most current training catalog and schedule,” shared Jenn Aikins, the Manager of Global Product Training at ExactTarget.

The creatorstand provides many benefits for ExactTarget and their customers:

• Improve desktop comfort and organization during training sessions and beyond, when printed and digital content come together on the desktop

• Inexpensive to customize and give to hundreds or thousands of customers; well within the recommended gift value limit for public companies

• Maximum imprinting space to create a unique design including ExactTarget branding, social icons, QR code, URLs and inspirational content printed on multiple panels

• Manufactured in the United States for fast turnaround from design input to delivery

• Eco-friendly with a patented, reusable package that enables meaningful experiences for people and brands on the web

Interactive Marketing Leadership

ExactTarget is an innovative technology company that supports entrepreneurship and is trusted by thousands of interactive marketers worldwide. In August 2012, a crowdfunding campaign for creatorstand was launched with Indiegogo to help bring our new desktop accessory to market. ExactTarget leaders became aware of the campaign and, without a finished product in hand, committed to pre-order 700 units of customized creatorstands for Connections 2012.

Jenn Aikins is responsible for interactive, hands-on training sessions designed to educate and inspire customers. She and her team went above and beyond the purchase order by assisting with the final eco-friendly package design (see video). Jenn’s support throughout was the linchpin for a successful creatorstand launch and bright future.  

Coming from the interactive marketing industry with many years of experience, I highly recommend ExactTarget as a market leader and organization that truly cares about small business success. Like us on Facebook and follow on Twitter to learn more. Email us to inquire about customized creatorstands for employees, customers, partners, prospects, students and the community in general.

 

The new creatorstand in action. A contemporary reading stand for people and brands on the web.

The creatorstand^® holds a wide variety of reading materials at a comfortable viewing angle -- to reduce eye, neck and back strain -- while using your computer at home, the office in school, or on the go. Get creative, improve desktop comfort, and achieve more with the web!

The patented creatorstand is the first, eco-friendly desktop product of its kind! Leading brands are customizing creatorstand for their customers, employees and community at large on the web; it provides useful content where the physical world meets the digital world on the desktop.

Watch the video above to see how to assemble and use the creatorstand. Share this post with marketing colleagues who want their brands and relevant content to stand out. The creatorstand enables more meaningful experiences.