A popular holiday tune claims that the holidays signify “the most wonderful time of the year.” But for some people in the Lehigh Valley, the holiday months are very difficult – those without homes, families, or enough to eat. To help aid those in need and the local charities that support them, First Gen is donating $20,000 throughout ‘The 12 Weeks of Christmas’ campaign.

“The Lehigh Valley is home to extraordinary charities that work tirelessly to help individuals and families who are struggling,” says First Generation CEO Bill Carmody. “First Generation is a proud corporate citizen of the Lehigh Valley community and out of gratitude for these local agencies, we’re excited to announce ‘The 12 Weeks of Christmas’ as a way to give back.”

The purpose of ‘The 12 Weeks of Christmas’, which kicked off in October, is two-part – to donate money to local charities and to make Lehigh Valley residents more aware of these organizations, educating them on how to get involved with these respective groups. For the first 10 weeks, $1,000 will be donated to one organization each week, and in the final two weeks, $1,000 will be donated to one organization each weekday.

Check out the wonderful local organizations we’ve featured so far and look for the rest through December – http://www.12weeksofchristmas.com. Learn about ways you can get involved!

In November, Carpenter Technology Corporation launched MetalMass™, a free smart phone app for the iPhone/iPad, developed and created by First Generation. MetalMass is available in the iTunes® store and features an easy to use interface that allows users to calculate the estimated weight and cost of long product metallic alloy materials (stainless steels, titanium alloys, etc.) based upon alloy family/density, shape, cross-sectional size, and length.

“At First Gen, we understand that smart phone apps can be an effective customer service medium that also enhances and extends the reach of your brand,” says Steve White, FG’s Director of New Technology. “MetalMass serves both of these functions. It is a useful tool that fits a real need in a very specialized market segment while reinforcing and extending the Carpenter brand as the market leader.”

The app functions in both Imperial and metric settings and is intended for design engineers, OEM’s, machine shops or anyone who deals with metals.

Download MetalMass today.

Does your company need an app? Contact Steve White at swhite@firstgencom.com to get started!

With the New Year upon us, people flock to gyms and fitness centers to jumpstart resolutions to get fit, lose weight, and be healthy. In order to attract Lehigh Valley hopefuls, 24-7 Fitness Clubs looked to the FG team to develop and execute a new marketing campaign. In response, “Take the First Step” started taking shape and is in full force for the holidays!

A blended campaign that includes print ads, online ads, direct mail, eMarketing, and social media, “Take the First Step” invites people to join 24-7 Fitness with a free two-week trial and a free personal training session to get started, an easy way to learn more about all the clubs have to offer.

“24-7 Fitness Clubs are the racquet sports and fitness destination in the Lehigh Valley for over 30 years,” says John Brinson, CEO of 24-7 Fitness Clubs. “This campaign helps remind people that we are more than just gyms, but are health and fitness clubs with a friendly staff and members to support them in their quest for healthy living. First Generation developed an outstanding new multi-media program to attract people to the clubs.

Does your company have a new product to launch or need a fresh marketing campaign? First Generation can do it all – from initial concepts to designs to various Web, print, and video tactics. Let us know how we can help you – contact@firstgencom.com.

It’s no secret that the popularity of online video marketing is growing, boosting market share for online retailers. According to a Mashable article, online video “delivers benefits that include personalization, competitive advantage and cost-effectiveness.”[1] When Olympus was looking for a way to enhance their online (and in-store) presence and effectiveness of their entire new line of PEN cameras – the E-P3, E-PL3 and E-PM1 – they turned to the video experts at First Generation to help shoppers learn more about the benefits and features of this amazing new camera.

The nine PEN video featurettes can be found on shopping sites like bestbuy.com and Amazon. Each video shows demonstrations of exciting new features found on the PEN cameras, highlighting tips on how to utilize the camera’s technology for the best photo results.

A First Gen production crew captured the video footage using professional talent during a two-day shoot in the FG studio. Then a team of producers and editors worked together to deliver high quality, attractive pieces that engage and educate consumers.

Check out the videos here – http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-Thirds-Interchangeable-Digital-14-42mm/dp/B0058PL9SO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323104917&sr=8-1

Pictured are Matt Tobias, President of Race for Adam; Casey Creveling and Alan Mendez with their band mates who helped perform “Tomorrow Afternoon;” and Adam and Sean Recke at the Cruise for Adam event.

First Generation is pleased to announce the Race for Adam Foundation as the winner of the 1G for Good contest, which concluded August 31^st. The $1,000 1G for Good prize was donated to the foundation at the Cruise for Adam event on Saturday, September 24^th.

The 1G for Good contest called for creative entries on behalf of local charitable organizations, explaining why that organization deserved a $1,000 donation from First Generation. Casey Creveling and Alan Mendez, juniors at Salisbury High School, earned 136,820 votes from the public on www.1GforGood.com, the contest web site, for their original song and music video “Tomorrow Afternoon,” earning their nominated organization, Race for Adam, the $1,000 1G for Good donation prize. Their video and other finalists’ entries can be seen at www.1GforGood.com .

“It was wonderful to see so many people participate in this contest, and we are proud to have created something that brought the community together,” says FG Creative Director Sara Lorenz. “We hope everyone will continue to support all of the local organizations who strive to give something back.”

The mission of the Race for Adam Foundation is to fund research for treatment and a cure for Niemann-Pick Type C disease (NP-C) and related neurodegenerative disorders. Adam Recke, son of Salisbury School District teacher Sean Recke, was diagnosed with this disease in 2005, and in a community effort to support the Recke family, the foundation was formed. For more information, please visit www.raceforadam.org.

Over the past few months, First Generation has had the privilege of working with the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation (MTF)’s Education Department in developing www.biologics.org. This engaging site was developed to provide a social learning community for medical professionals to help understand the complexities involved when working with biologics. The site is a learning destination for professionals, offering valuable resources, including industry news, robust medical articles, professional credit opportunities, and the ability to connect with industry thought leaders.

MTF proudly announced biologics.org to attendees at the Managing Today’s OR Suite Conference in Chicago, using promotional postcards with magnets designed and delivered by FG.

“We have received an overwhelmingly positive response to biologics.org,” says Jami Ochs, Professional Development Manager at MTF. “This site fills an educational void in the field of biologics, and MTF is proud to lead the charge.”

Biologics.org includes a variety of interactive sections, including Ask the Experts and BioChat, which provides networking for medical professionals.

“For MTF, which supports a very specialized and technical market, providing a community destination that supports, informs and educates just makes sense,” remarks Steve White, FG’s New Technology Director. “Building an authentic and trusted resource helps elevate the level of understanding within their market, which in turn benefits everybody – practitioners, institutions and MTF.”

If your company is considering using education to reach out to your clients and help them overcome challenges, please contact Steve at swhite@firstgencom.com.

First Generation has been named agency of record for The Neffs National Bank, of Neffs, Pennsylvania, a locally based community bank. FG landed the account following their proposal for the bank’s consumer and commercial brand and product marketing campaign and strategic initiatives.

“We are excited to partner with a solid financial institution like The Neffs National Bank and look forward to implementing programs in support of their strong products and strategic goals” remarked First Generation CEO Bill Carmody. “The First Generation team has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the financial industry and we are honored to be selected by The Neffs National Bank as their agency of record.”

First Generation will work side by side with the bank’s management team on all aspects of their marketing, advertising, branding, and marketing communications programs.

About The Neffs National Bank

The Neffs National Bank, located in Lehigh County, has been serving the community since 1923 with a range of services including deposit and loan accounts for consumer and commercial customers. The bank is independently-operated and lead by a dedicated Board of Directors.
www.neffsnatl.com

On September 19th, First Generation proudly produced Just Born’s first Town Hall Meeting in 50 years. Held at the breathtaking Musikfest Café in the new ArtsQuest building on the grounds of the former Bethlehem Steel Company, about 450 of Just Born’s team of associates attended the hugely successful event. The meeting was a celebration of the company’s achievements and an exciting look to the future complete with music, videos, and rehearsed presentations.

FG produced the content for the meeting, worked with the presenters, and staged the event. “We couldn’t have done this without First Generation. They came in at the eleventh hour, helped us organize content, and managed the entire meeting,” says Joané Hockenbury, Organizational Development Manager at Just Born. “Everything ran smoothly and went off without a hitch.”

“Just Born is the maker of some of America’s most iconic candy brands and a large employer in the Lehigh Valley, and we’re so happy to have had the opportunity to work with them on this event,” explains Alexandra Shade, President at First Generation. “It’s every child’s fantasy to work at a candy factory, and for one day we got to join the team too.”

So to Just Born, our sweet teeth and stomachs thank you. Now, pass the PEEPS®, please!

Lisabeth Flynn

FG is pleased to welcome Lisabeth Flynn as an Event Account Manager. Lis will manage the growth of FG’s live event production and audio visual rental business.

As former Operations Manager of Visual Sound Inc., she brings many years of operations management, audio visual service, and staging experience. Lis has a strong reputation in the staging business for her attention to detail and excellent customer service skills.  She has a BS degree from East Stroudsburg University and is CTS certified through Infocomm. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to Lis for all your staging needs whether it’s a large scale product launch or an intimate board of directors meeting – lflynn@firstgencom.com .

Pictured is Lisa MacGregor, owner of SlingBack MMG, new PR/entertainment marketing partner of First Generation.

First Generation recently announced that is has forged a strategic alliance with SlingBack Marketing & Music Group, LLC. The new partnership extends First Generation’s client offerings to include public relations and entertainment marketing services and broadens SlingBack Marketing & Music Group’s repertoire to offer full service integrated marketing communications and video production services to its clients.

Lisa MacGregor, owner of SlingBack MMG, is a seasoned Marketing and PR executive with more than 20 years of experience in both public and privately held companies. Through this partnership, FG will be able to further integrate and enhance our client marketing communications programs by offering public relations support and alternative marketing programming and consulting for brands that wish to explore synergistic opportunities within the entertainment space.

“SlingBack’s unique service offering is a perfect complement to our integrated marketing services,” says First Generation’s President, Alexandra Shade. “We feel it will help our clients grow their brands and reach.”