Costa DeVault was again honored to be a part of Camaraderie Foundation, Inc.’s most recent flag event held in Jacksonville on November 21. A team of volunteers gathered at Metropolitan Park with a common goal, placing 21,173 flags in the ground – one to honor each soldier that has served in the area post-9/11. Fifth Third Bank is matching in-branch donations made in the name of the nonprofit now through the end of December. To find the branch closest to you, visit www.53.com.

For more photos from the event visit, please visit our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/CostaDeVault

In 2010, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (USDA, ERS) reported that 48.8 million Americans, including 16.2 million children, are food insecure – meaning they lack consistent access to nutritious food. It is a sobering snapshot of the pervasiveness of hunger in our nation.

Florida, along with West Virginia and Alabama, showed the largest increase of people in need. According to the USDA report, approximately 7,520,000 Florida-based households are at risk for hunger every day.

Most of us will enjoy delicious home-cooked food with our families this weekend, but many of our neighbors are in danger of facing empty tables this Thanksgiving. As the PR agency for organizations like Second Harvest Food Bank and Seniors First, the Costa DeVault team has spoken with many families that have never had to rely on charity before. It’s heartbreaking.

Donations to anti-hunger programs are more important than ever during this holiday season. There are just a few days left until Thanksgiving and every dollar donated can help provide several meals to families facing hunger.

Nobody should have an empty plate on Thanksgiving – or ever.

To donate to a local anti-hunger program, visit:

• Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida — foodbankcentralflorida.org or 407-295-1066.
• Christian HELP: christianhelp.org or 407-834-4022.
• Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando: jfsorlando.org or 407-644-7593.
• Community Food & Outreach: communityfoodoutreach.org or 407-650-0774.
• HOPE Foundation: helpforthehomeless.net or 407-366-3422.
• Seniors First, Inc.: seniorsfirstinc.org or 407-292-0177.

This blog post originally appeared on CDe in 2010.

Last week, we helped the Camaraderie Foundation place 10,678 American flags in the ground at Loch Haven Park in Orlando. Today, we had the honor of volunteering with them again at Cambier Park in Naples, Fla. This time, there were 12,714 flags – each representing a local soldier who has served post-9/11.

Photo credit: Naples Daily News

A recent USA Today article examined the use — or perhaps more accurately, overuse — of the word “artisan” in marketing campaigns. More than 800 companies are following this trend. Tostitos has an Artisan Recipes tortilla chips line; Starbucks sells Artisan Breakfast Sandwiches; and Wendy’s serves an Artisan Egg Sandwich.

When exposed to “artisan” ads, I never thought twice about the word or what it actually meant. Merriam-Webster defines it as “one that produces something in limited quantities often using traditional methods” — which, to me, doesn’t exactly fit a chain restaurant like Wendy’s.

So what is it about this certain label that appeals to consumers? As most marketers know, it’s all about perception. To many, a product touted as artisan is perceived to be more gourmet, fresh, homegrown and/or exclusive — resulting in a higher cost.

Domino’s used an opposite approach with its recent “We’re Not Artisans” campaign by poking fun at the snobbery associated with the term and emphasizing their low prices.

With so many “artisan” products clogging the market, does the label still retain its original meaning by describing a gourmet product — or should marketers be called out on this food foul?  

Nina Laureano is a public relations intern at Costa DeVault and is a senior at Stetson University majoring in family enterprises with a minor in marketing. Writing this blog post made her hungry.

Dominoes pizza box for its "Artisan Pizza" promotion

Since 1985, Costa DeVault has donated tens of thousands of hours to nonprofits in our community. From pro-bono and matching grants for PR and graphic design … to delivering Meals on Wheels to seniors since 2001 … to adopting a family each holiday season through the Boys and Girls Club of Central Florida, giving back has always been integral to our company culture. It still is. But, this year, it’s taking on a different look.

As technology evolves, we thought it only fitting that our giving should do the same. That’s why, this year, we’re going to donate a free mobile website to one Central Florida nonprofit – and you get to help us choose.

It’s easy to qualify. Just guess how many total column inches of publicity (print and online) Costa DeVault garnered for clients in 2011. Guesses must be posted on Costa DeVault’s Facebook page wall at http://www.facebook.com/CostaDeVault. (In order to post, you will need to “like” the page first.)

You can make your guess between now (November 14, 2011) and midnight on December 31, 2011. The person closest to the actual number will be contacted on Tuesday, January 3, 2012 and asked to decide which local nonprofit will receive the mobile site. The winner will be announced on Facebook on Wednesday, January 4, 2012.

For more information, please visit http://on.fb.me/rC1G20.

Good luck – and happy guessing!

Today, the Camaraderie Foundation and Fifth Third Bank came together to support our local veterans. We were honored to be a part of the team that helped place 10,678 American flags in the ground at Loch Haven Park. Each one represented a Central Florida resident who has served our country post-9/11.

For more photos from the event, please visit our Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/CostaDeVault.