From the amusing five word acceptance speeches to the controversy of its pay-to-play formula, the Webby Awards are now firmly rooted in the industry and in pop culture as the leading authority on excellence in websites and digital advertising.

Launched in 1996 by the now defunct “The Web Magazine,” the Webbys are backed by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, which mirrors the Academy Awards with celebrity judges like Arianna Huffington, Beck, Martha Stewart, David Bowie, Harvey Weinstein, Matt Groening and Sir Richard Branson.

The four main categories are websites, interactive advertising, online film & video and mobile web.  Awards may be earned by securing votes from The Academy and/or by online voters (over 500,000 participate) for the People’s Choice awards.  Work can be entered and can win under multiple subcategories such as: Best Welcome Page, Best Copywriting, Best Navigation Structure, Humor, Politics, etc.

While the 2010 awards have been announced, the ceremony will be taking place on June 14^th in New York City.  This year’s host is BJ Novak from The Office.

Now for the pay-to-play catch. To be considered for a Webby, you have to pay an entry fee per submission ranging from $150-$499 and you also have to agree to attend the awards event at your own expense, which tends to leave behind many small to medium size companies that are doing excellent work.

Check out the Webby award-winning work.

Make 2010 the year you “do some good.” Whether it’s donating to victims of the earthquake in Haiti or bowling for your local chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters — social media platforms have leveled the playing ground, making it just as easy for a small entrepreneur or multimillion-dollar conglomerate to play a philanthropic role in the community.

Why should you expend energy on “giving?” Besides the obvious answer — because you can make a difference — there are some business advantages. Remember, “community” no longer defines a geographical region just outside your door. It represents a larger, virtual online community populated by your fans, customers and prospective customers. People talk about you in these virtual communities. And they share your links, events, white papers and postings.

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TMA+Peritus is building a series of consumer panels — what we call our PopVox Panels — to help us identify key trends in specific category segments. The people selected to become part of PopVox will be invited to provide their insights in activities like short surveys, quick telephone interviews, Web-based focus groups, and brief responses to email exercises.

PopVox Panel members will be required to provide us with their contact information — email address, telephone number and mailing address — to enable us to interact with them in a variety of ways. This information will not be shared with any other organization or entity and will remain confidential to the TMA+Peritus PopVox manager.

Panel members who complete assigned activities will be invited to choose from a variety of online gift cards as a thank you for their input. You can opt out of Panel activity at any time.

We are currently recruiting two groups of members:

1) Consumers aged 18 – 35 who use financial services
2) Consumers of all ages who are members of a credit union

If you are interested in becoming a PopVox Panel member, please email abrown@tmaperitus.com or call toll free (877) 296-7114 by TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10 .

If you call, please tell the operator that you’re calling about becoming a PopVox member.

We hope you’ll join us!

The Women’s Community is now on Facebook, and to jumpstart their fan base, Thomas Marks and Associates and Peritus Design (TMA+Peritus) are hosting their semi-annual social networking event to benefit the non-profit organization during Domestic Violence Awareness month.

TMA+Peritus’ Fall Ice Maker will be held on Thursday, October 22, 2009 at the RedEye Brewery in Wausau. But you won’t see invitations in the mail. TMA+Peritus and The Women’s Community are using the power of social networking to generate awareness for the event.

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The Business Development team from TMA+Pertius will be tweeting followers from The Mirren New Business Workshop Series in Chicago. On September 24 and 25, Craig Sweeney, Director of Business Development, and Shawn Van Dalfsen, Senior Business Strategist, will be attending the Mirren workshop “Advanced New Business Training: Practical Strategies and Tools.”

“We are one of the very few agencies in this state to implement The Mirren Method™,” notes Tom Marks, Managing Partner of TMA+Peritus. “By tweeting directly from the workshop, our team will share the insights they gain from this training in real time. Our clients will have immediate access to new strategies and business innovations.”

“The training curriculum from Mirren is constantly evolving, which ensures that we’re at the forefront of best practices and strategies,” adds Kathy Marks, Managing Partner of TMA+Peritus. “As an agency recognized for our business-first approach to marketing, it’s imperative that we fully understand our clients and their business. The Mirren Method™ is the process through which we increase that understanding. Only from that foundation are we able to build successful, integrated strategic campaigns for our clients.”

Executives from PJA Advertising + Marketing and Mintel Research are featured guest speakers. These national workshops, held in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, have been sold out each of the past three years.

Madison, WI – September 04, 2009 – Thomas Marks & Associates and Peritus Design (TMA+Peritus), a strategic agency specializing in the interaction between businesses and customers through branding, public relations, print, web 2.0 and social media marketing, announces the appointment of Craig Sweeney as Director of Business Development. (more…)

Local interactive design and marketing agency to grow sales of state’s potatoes

The Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association (WPVGA) has partnered with Thomas Marks & Associates and Peritus Design (TMA+Peritus) to increase awareness of the Wisconsin Potato and Healthy Grown® potato brand among consumers and retailers nationwide.

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Getting a Grip on Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing and Social Media from a Real, Live Geek

Presented by: Jim Carlson, Director of Internet Strategies for TMA+Peritus

Wednesday, September 9, 2009, 7:30 a.m. at the Portage County Business Council office
5501 Vern Holmes Drive, Stevens Point
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Madison, WI — The Wisconsin State Capitol will be bathed in blue on Monday, August 3, and will stay that color for seven days, all to raise awareness for the prevention of child abuse and neglect. The Exchange Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse, a non-profit organization committed to child abuse prevention in Dane County, recently launched a yearlong awareness and fundraising initiative — Paint the Town Blue – to raise community awareness and funds to prevent physical child abuse and neglect, and also to honor, in part, The Exchange Center’s 25 years of service in Dane County.
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What is Strategic Interaction and How Can It Drive Sales and Business Relationships?

Presented by Tom Marks and Dave Neelsen of TMA+Peritus
Wednesday, June 24, 2009, 11:30 a.m.
at the Edgewater Hotel, Madison

There are three fundamental principles to Strategic Interaction:

• Focus on Understanding – We spend so much time and money trying to be understood and not enough time understanding
• Engage your Audience – Don’t about breaking through; it’s about being invited in
• Foster Interaction – The more your customers and prospects interact, the more they’ll transact

In this session Tom and Dave will discuss the importance of these principles as he details the elements of Strategic Interaction and offers various strategies and tactics that can help you succeed in a down-turned economy.