November 3, 2006

Tim’s Do'in a Little Grindin'

Word on the Street

George’s Going to Market: 3 Easy Tips to Keep PowerPoint Files to a Manageable Size

Mindbender: A Pepper Halloween

Sarah Speaks: It's Time to Get Charitable

Greetings!

Traditionally, a firm like ours would be named after the founders. In our case, that would be Padgett & O'Neill. As exciting as that would have been, we took another path—Origin of the Pepper Name which has proven to be a great decision on many fronts.

Over the years, some of our friends, family and clients have given us great gifts, featuring pictures of peppers, various sculptures and several sets of salt and pepper shakers. It would have been tough to find any of those with Padgett & O'Neill on them!

Recently I did a little research on pepper, the traditional condiment, not the chili pepper style. Some amazing things came out of that exercise. Though I know that very few of you are quite as interested as we are, you may be able to sound very knowledgable at the Thanksgiving table when someone innocently says, "Please pass the pepper."

No other spice has had a greater effect on world history than pepper. Ancient Greeks used pepper from India for medicinal purposes, and it was mentioned in the world's oldest surviving cookbook, dating back to ancient Rome, De Re Coquinaria (On Cookery).

At one time, pepper was so valuable that guards on London docks had their pockets sewn shut to prevent them from stealing peppercorns—literally worth more than their weight in gold. In fact, pepper was used as a currency, including legal payment for taxes, in the 11th century.

We all learned about the spice trade and how it fueled much of the world's exploration in the 15th thru the 17th centuries. Once America was colonized, Salem, Mass. became the pepper capital of the New World. In 1790 it was the nation's sixth largest city and the richest per capita.

Can you name the world's largest exporter of pepper today? Vietnam! They are the second largest producer, next to India. India boasts growing the finest grade of peppercorns.

Pepper is still used for medicinal purposes in some cultures and in actual high tech research labs. Headaches, asthma, anti-inflammatory and anti-convulsant maladies are just some of the things either treated or being researched.

Grinding pepper just before use is by far superior to using pre-ground pepper. When pepper is ground, it oxidizes and loses its oils, creating the pungency. Once that disipates, the flavor begins to lessen. Although wooden grinders are prettier and more dramatic when in a restaurant server's hands, plastic is preferred because the wood absorbs the surface oils on the peppercorns.

So, there you have it. Just a few dashes of knowledge that you can sprinkle about the dinner conversation! Have a wonderful dinner and remember, "It's always better with Pepper (Group)."

Tim Padgett
tim@peppergroup.com

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“Everything in excess! To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites. Moderation is for monks.”
     —Excerpt from the notebooks of Lazarus Long


“A cucumber should be well-sliced, dressed with pepper and vinegar, and then thrown out.”
     —Samuel Johnson
     (You think it's easy finding a quote that includes “pepper”?)

Word on the Street

Greg Whalen—professional voice-actor, comedian, longtime friend of the Pepper Group—and our own Todd Underwood, recently voyaged out to Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo to get answers to some of life’s burning questions. They spoke with anyone willing to talk on camera and were surprised at the willingness of people to open up to a couple of strangers standing around with a camera and microphone. In fact, they got much more footage than was expected that day and should be able to keep you entertained for months to come.

Why, you might still ask, did we spend valuable work hours putting these videos together? In addition to enriching the content we offer in the Pepper Mill, we wanted to remind you that we offer full in-house multimedia/video/animation capabilities.

And now, click on the link below for our third installment of Word on the Street, in which we go directly to kids on the street to find out what they like.
www.peppercornlearning.com/word-on-street03.wmv

George's Going to Market: 3 Easy Tips to Keep PowerPoint Files to a Manageable Size

PowerPoint is a great tool when used correctly. But most every PowerPoint user has experienced file bloat. That is, you build a beautiful presentation and the file size ends up so big that you can’t email it. In some cases, things get really out of control and it won’t even fit on your flash drive or, at worst, your computer chokes on it when you try to present!

Fortunately, there are some simple tricks that will help you reduce the size of these bloated files:

1. Ever notice that every time you save, whether you added any net content or not, the file size keeps growing? The reason is that PowerPoint holds on to previous drafts, images you may have changed, etc. artificially inflating your file size. Instead, get in the habit of using “save as,” choosing a new filename and erasing the old one. This way, you save only your current presentation, not every keystroke and revision you made along the way.
   
   
2. Large-size pictures are the second most common cause of file bloat. Ideally, you should insert pictures that are sized correctly for your presentation (72dpi at full size). This way, they’ll look as good as possible and be as small as possible. Hint: More information on this can be found in a past Mill article Pixels, DPI and Image Quality.
   
   While this is optimal, there is another very simple technique. It’s less accurate but often will suffice. Simply right-click on a picture and select “show picture toolbar.” Then, choose the compress pictures icon. You’ll have the choice to compress only that picture or all pictures in a document, and you’ll get to choose how much to compress them. If you’re not sure how much to compress, just take them down one step at a time. Do a “save as,” and check the picture quality against the file size that results. If it’s still too big, do it again.
   
   
3. Finally, be careful about copying and pasting an image or a graphic from another program into PowerPoint. It may bring with it all kinds of baggage from the original file. The solution, however, is simple. Just right-click the image, choose “grouping” and then “ungroup”. Next, immediately right-click the image again, and choose “regroup”. Ungrouping throws away the baggage and leaves just the image—in a form that PowerPoint can now compress.
   

Follow these simple tips and your PowerPoint files won’t get out of control. If you want some additional PowerPoint tips, check out Avoiding BPD (Boring PowerPoint Disorder). And for the professional touch, just give us a call.

Happy presenting!

George Couris
george@peppergroup.com

P.S. As a board member of the Chicago American Marketing Association (AMA), I head up the Strategic Marketing Division. We've put together a powerful event on November 14th called Anatomy of a Strategic Marketing Plan. I'm particularly excited about the presenters and the content and believe you'll find it very valuable. Click here for details and feel free to email me if you're interested in a referral discount or a group rate.

Mindbender: A Pepper Halloween



An Over Rated Bears Fan, a Chicago Cop, Dr. McCleavy, a Crash Test Dummy and Crash Test Dummer,
the Faithful Illinois Fan, (didn't wear a costume, he always looks like this), Duuuuude,
a Buzy Bee, a Gypsy Queen, the Cereal Killer, Tigger and a Bag full of leaves.

Sarah Speaks: It's Time to Get Charitable

Every year during the holidays (yes, it is that time again), I think of what I can do to give back to the community. In the past, I have donated clothes to local resale shops, donated toys to needy children and I have even stood on the corner of a busy street collecting money for a local charity, but I always feel like I can do a little more.

Recently I came across this great organization called Journeys from PADS to HOPE. Journeys’ doors are always open to provide homeless men and women with warm meals and a roof over their heads. They have one main center and 18 additional support sites throughout the Chicagoland area. They are able to provide case management, mental health counseling and vocational support for those in need to help transition them into permanent jobs and housing.

After learning of Journeys, I have teamed up with my co-workers to organize the Pepper Group’s First Annual Food and Clothing Drive. We would be honored if you and your office would also participate with us because every little donation counts. We are looking to collect non-perishable foods, men’s and women’s clothing and basic household goods (all of which you can find around your house).

Giving back to the community and others who need it gives you an incredibly warm feeling and the satisfaction of making the world a better place. So, let’s all do our part and get charitable this holiday season. With your help, we can make this food and clothing drive a huge success!

Donating items that you have around your house is easy to do and we are making it even easier for you by picking your donations up from your office! Our happy little Pepper Group Elves will be making pick-ups on:

	Spicy Marketing by Seasoned Professionals