How a Doodle Serves Your Noodle

Often viewed as a sign of a wandering mind, doodling may actually help us absorb information. In a study published in Applied Cognitive Psychology, Jackie Andrade at Britain's University of Plymouth played a rambling voice-mail message to 40 people, half of whom were given shapes to fill in as they listened.

The result: The doodlers recalled 29% more of the message than those who just listened. Andrade says idle scribbling uses just enough cognitive bandwidth to prevent daydreaming, so it may help us stay focused. One boardroom doodler, retiring GM Vice-Chairman Bob Lutz, says he isn't surprised by the finding. "I can look at old sketches done in meetings 40 years ago," he says, "and experience sudden recall of the room, the table, the voices." Ellen Gibson, Business Week / April 6, 2009 / pg 018

New Site Boasts Educational Animations

DLA Creative has launched an informative patient-focused website for Great Plains Orthopaedics. This site provides patients with access to details about preparing for their appointment, physician and staff bios, FAQs and educational information in the form of narrated animations. The website can be found at www.greatplainsortho.org.

This 11-physician practice was established in 1967 and provides a full range of orthopaedic care including clinical services, diagnostic services, physical and occupational therapy, ambulatory surgery and sports medicine. They are the team physicians for many high school athletes, as well as Bradley University, Eureka College, The Peoria Rivermen and The Peoria Chiefs.


DLA Creative has been providing customized marketing and website solutions to Central Illinois for more than 17 years.

DLA Launches Innovative One-Stop Commercial Real Estate Website

DLA Creative has launched a one-stop commercial real estate website on behalf of its client, Joseph & Camper Commercial. This website provides access to a wide range of local real estate listings from Joseph & Camper, as well as other industry sources including LoopNet and CMLS.

In addition, the site contains market information, surveys, access to important data such as property tax information, zoning regulations, current news, and links to organizations related to commercial real estate. This innovative website is like no other in the area and will serve as a rich resource of information for buyers and sellers alike.


DLA Creative has been providing customized marketing and website solutions to Central Illinois for more than 17 years.

Know Your Drinking Buddies

Watch Some of Our Agency
Team Become Mad Men!

You never know where your next customer will come from. One episode of Mad Men shows Don Draper sharing a drink with a gentleman who later turns out to be Conrad Hilton, the hotel magnate. Read more about "8 Lessons from a Few Mad Men ... and Women" here!

Are you blogging? Are you tweeting? LOL!

What about Facebook and Linked in? Yes, it's getting harder to avoid these social networking venues. And they're becoming less "social" and more "business" all the time. Our clients are starting to get serious about incorporating these tools into their marketing mix. So let me answer a few of the most FAQs here.


1. Do we need a Facebook page? You may not NEED one, but it might be beneficial depending on what your business is. If you're in a sensitive field (health care, finance, etc.), be extremely cautious about what you post. Announcing golf outings or links to information from credible sources is usually a safe bet, but don't offer financial or medical advice.


2. Who should be in charge of it? Ideally one person, with a reliable back-up person. That way the voice is the same. However, there should be multiple people responsible for feeding ideas to the person in charge of posting on the page. (Or depending on how large your organization is, one person from each department could provide regular updates.)



3. What about Twitter? You could post separate updates here or have your Facebook updates automatically directed to your Twitter account. Be sure to have a professional-looking background. Either choose an appropriate one from Twitter or have one designed for you.


4. Tell me about Linked in. This is more for professional networking and would work well for sales people or those looking to connect with individuals who can provide business leads.


5. How does YouTube fit into all this? See video article below.


6. Is one better than the other? They all have a valid purpose. And this is JUST the tip of the iceberg. As with any aspect of marketing, start with a plan, a purpose and a goal. Then be sure to follow through and be consistent. And of course, we're always here to help!


Finally, keep this in mind. Be careful what you post because ... What happens in cyberspace STAYS in cyberspace!

Kickin' Marketing Team!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Write well. Right now.

Copywriter needed.

Looking for copywriter with 2+ years ad agency experience. Primarily website copywriting with some print ads, radio commercials and other creative projects. Need ability to effectively translate complex subjects into client-friendly verbiage.

Must be versatile, able to multi-task, have strong attention to detail and thrive in fast-paced environment. Should be able to work both independently and as part of a collaborative team. Part-time position with potential for growth. 20 hours per week at well-established innovative marketing firm in north Peoria. Email resumé, samples and salary requirements to Michelle Lefebvre.