The Big Idea Bake-Off

THE BIG IDEA BAKE-OFF IS A COMPANY-WIDE COMPETITION THAT GIVES STAFF MEMBERS THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE THEIR OWN IDEAS FOR THE FUTURE OF MARTHA STEWART LIVING OMNIMEDIA. I WAS ABLE TO NARROW THE 40 ENTRIES DOWN TO 7 FINALISTS...BUT I JUST COULDN'T CHOOSE A WINNER...SO I'D LIKE YOU TO HELP ME DECIDE. HERE'S A SUMMARY OF THE PROPOSALS FROM OUR 2008 BIG IDEA BAKE-OFF FINALISTS!

Barbara, Television Producer
Freestanding Martha Stewart store for merchandising and workshops
Big Idea: A huge Martha Stewart store right here in New York, and soon to come to a city near you! Imagine floors and floors of shopping, learning, creating -- all under one roof. Meet celebrities, join in live demonstrations, get one-on-one help from our editors, advice from our experts, be a guest on our radio shows, eat fabulous food, take a class, make the perfect cappuccino, and maybe even get to drink it with Martha. A store that's everything Martha? It's a good thing waiting to happen.
View Barbara's presentation

Katie, Digital Advertising Sales Assistant
marthastewart.com digital scrapbook
Big Idea: A marthastewart.com digital scrapbook that would allow marthastewart.com community users to create and store virtual scrapbooks online and share them with family and friends via their community profile. Users would design pages from scratch using virtual versions of Martha's tools and embellishments or scan and upload pages from actual albums they have already created. Ultimately, they'll be able to order their scrapbooks professionally printed and bound within their favorite Martha Stewart Crafts albums.
View Katie's presentation

Shara, Associate Product Manager
Special publication for pet lovers/pet food
Big Idea: To create a yearly or biyearly publication focusing on pets and pet crafts, where readers will be encouraged to create their own pet-related products, and we'll also offer tips for including your pet in your life...

My alternate idea is to create a packaged line of Martha-branded pet craft items. This line would vary from holiday-themed products, like a bone-shaped Christmas stocking, to wedding items, like a ring pillow your dog could wear down the aisle.
View Shara's presentation

Alexis, Deputy Home Editor
Special publication catering to those with food allergies and sensitivities that would include recipes
Big Idea: To publish a special magazine that offers delicious allergy-friendly recipes, making life for people with food allergies and sensitivities easier and more delicious. Millions of people, including myself, can't eat nuts, dairy, wheat or gluten, and I’d like to empower people to make great recipes even if they can't use all the standard ingredients.
View Alexis's presentation

Jackie, Senior Integrated Marketing Manager
Special publication about collecting
Big Idea: To publish a onetime magazine called "The Essential Guide to the New Vintage." It'll be filled with everything you need to know to spot treasures at tag sales and flea markets without investing a lot of money. The guide will cover new, inexpensive trends in collecting and show ideas on how to beautifully use and display what you've found.
View Jackie's presentation

Irina, Product Designer
Line of home merchandising catering to young demographic
Big Idea: To create a modern line of housewares that caters to a younger demographic. This line will combine affordability with the highest standard of quality that our brand is known for. The products in this line will be fun, colorful, and elegant; they will include furniture, tableware, home decor, bedding, and bath items.
View Irina's presentation

Jacqueline, Product Manager
MSLO employee cookbook
Big Idea: To publish an "Employee Cookbook," which will be a collection of the best handed-down family recipes from the 700-plus employees at MSLO. It will feature favorites such as my coworker Sabrina's carrot cake and my fiance's third-generation "Sunday Sauce." I guarantee there will be something for everyone in this cookbook, and it will also help to justify the "Martha 15" that everyone gains when they start working here!
View Jacqueline's presentation

Thank you for voting for your favorite Big Idea. The poll closed on Thursday, February 7. On Tuesday, February 12, Martha will announce the big winner live on "The Martha Stewart Show." Be sure and tune in to find out which idea Martha will be bringing to life.

Comments

[Tiffany Wright]

I would like to see a Cookbook that also has food items that a person with Crohn's Disease could also eat. I have a Ilistomy bag, and its so hard to actually find healthy foods that I can actually eat to help with my Diet Plan.

Thanks Tiffany

[Pam Smith]

I am a big pet lover and a lover of all "good things" Martha Stewart. It is very difficult to choose just one. It would be great for the winner of the contest to be first and all the rest to work out over the next year. So many excellent ideas.

[nicole]

I love Barbara's idea! Martha said she and here ceo could not decided between all of these finalist. She should take all these great ideas and put them all into the store idea. Then everyone gets a chance. What a good way for all the public to be enchanced with all these great and wonderful ideas.

[kelly]

come on, how cool would that store be. Marth you have to do this.

[JO]

I love the idea of a Martha Stewart store.. it would be a wonderful day trip where a group of business minded or craft minded ladies can spend an afternoon together....

I also love the vintage in mind magazine and the cook book for those with food allergies

Cant wait to find out the outcome of this one

JO

[Mary-Lynn Ragot]

Everything that MSLO does is beautiful and functional, and a magazine like this would be so incredible for those of us who have children or other loved ones affected by food allergies!

[Melissa]

I love the idea of a store! I read the previous comments and the combined launch of an Atlanta and NYC store sounds wonderful to me! I'd love to see the store do internet sales as well.

A store with an internet site could combine several of the above ideas! You could publish the cookbook and unveil it at the grand opening and include a pet line in the MS products.

As a matter of fact, I envision a 'cottage' theme to the store. One department could be devoted to the kitchen, one for bedroom, one for laundry, one for pets and one for cooking...since you would need a separate area for cooking demos, recipe books and, possibly, tie-in links to organic farms who could ship through your online site or through in-store kiosks.

Wanna hire me to help put the whole thing together? :)

[Laura Hewa]

Martha, Please choose the allergy free magazine. Thousands of people are looking for good allegen-free recipes. I myself have bought several books and magazines, never knowing the level of quality the recipes provide, and then unfortunately, being dissapointed. However, if there was a magazine generated by Martha Stewart, consumers would be assured it would be the PERFECT, HIGH QUALITY product for allergen-free recipes. Such a magazine would be a blessing. I would love to subscribe and create cupcakes for my two-year old cousin to enjoy and know that it has the Martha Stewart stamp of approval!

[Debbie]

I agree with Kelley let us have them all please!! But start with the store I would come from Ohio.

[Joan Fluor Mason, OH]

I love the idea of a "Martha" store.

We love your blog and TV program, wish the TV show was for 2 hours.
But then we would be asking for you to do more, heavens knows you are busy enough now.

Cheers

[Kathy]

I love the allergy/special diet idea. My mom has Celiac disease and a publication for those w/ special dietary needs would be great, especially from MS and staff. Seems like many people could benefit. Please choose more than one!

[Pam]

I love the Martha store idea, but hopefully there would be a store in a community like Fredericksburg, Virginia and not just in the major U.S. cities. Believe me, a Martha store that promises all that Barbara promises would really draw attention anywhere! I also think that all the ideas are terrific!

[Marianne Baker]

I love the idea for the magazine for people with food allergies / sensitivities. This is definately a growing group of people (unfortunately) and there is not very much out there marketing to this demographic. Thanks for the fantastic idea!

[Luke]

All of the Great Ideas are truly great. I was most impressed by the idea of addressing the unique interests of people with food allergies. For some, this is a life and death matter, and it would please me to see someone other than a special interest group pay attention to the particular needs of individuals in our communities. It would show a degree of inclusion toward which most mainstream retailers give little effort, and could be a first step toward elevating the "Martha Factor" even further. Other products in this line of thought could include things for people living with other issues that often disenfranchise them from participating in "Everyday Living" as most other people do.

For example, health and dietary restrictions affect many who often enjoy observing the ideas found in the food-related presentations of "Martha Media" but are unable to use the recipes without major adaptations, if at all. Food allergies, diabetes and other health challenges, or even lifestyle choices like vegetarianism, organic living and so forth are, at most, only modestly given any thought by major publications, so a line of specialization would be servicing a niche as well as showing a degree of philanthropy that is rare in mainstream marketing.

[Ginny Mohney]

I would Love to see a Martha Store in every state and all of the big cities. Also the Martha House, we all need Martha!! We could use all of the suggestions, and not just one. BRING BACK MARTHA BY MAIL AS WELL.

[Khris]

My vote goes to Barbara's idea for the store & workshop space. What a delightful way to build a community that brings Martha devotees and staff together.

[Vince]

When creating the store, ensure that it is creatively designed so as to offer the guest (notice not "customer") a browsing experience rather than a hard-line item list from which to choose. Sort of like a virtual stroll through a garden or antique store or a brick-n-morter department at your favorite botique. In that way you can have ALL the ideas implemented without having to eliminate all your staff's great ideas! (...and maybe even some of the ideas that did not make it to the top seven!)

PS: I'm available for hire to ensure your new store achieves the excellence in creative design and perfect execution to meet the high quality of the Martha Stewart brand! :-)

[Bob Maplethorpe]

I'm a man's man but I can't tell you how much women adore pets, especially acccessories for them. A magazine or line of homemade pet products? Brilliant. Sign me up for the first subcription.

[Sandra Creighton]

The Marthastewart.com Digital Scrapbook is a fantastic idea. I personally feel that this would be your most profitable and appeal the most number of people. I know lots of people who enjoy scrapbooking but even more, like myself, that find it too time consuming for there busy lives. An e-version of this would take the scissor and glue work out and appeal to those who are looking for the ease of online access and ordering ability. Please consider this as I know I would be a regular user of such a product.

[Lynn]

You MUST DO THE FOOD ALLERGY IDEA. MY BELOVED GRANDSON IS ALLERGIC, ESPECIALLY, TO PEANUTS, BUT ALSO OTHER NUTS IN VARYING DEGREE AND SHELLFISH...BOTH ALLERGIES ARE IRONIC...SINCE HIS GREAT-GREAT-GRANDFATHER FOUNDED A NUT AND CANDY BUSINESS...STILL IN OPERATION TODAY, AND WE LIVE NEAR THE CHESAPEAKE BAY...HELP, HELP, HELP.

[Paula M.]

Martha,
Hard to chose from these fantastic ideas.
Love the pet publication one. Have subscriptions to all your magazines and this would be one I'd go for! People can get the scoop on what's the best for their pet ranging in size from large to small. I agree with some posts about having rescue topics and places where people can adopt a pet. Maybe some natural and holistic practices too? .. (like Body + Soul for the pet!)
I also love the Martha store idea!! I know you are in Macy's and K-Mart (which stock in our area seems to be lacking these days).
Funny, I had to tell Macy's employees that one of Martha's new Wedgewood designs was known as "Lusterware". They thought it was the name of the plate! Hey Martha, can I head one of your stores in CT??
If you don't go with this idea, bring back MARTHA STEWART CATALOG FOR LIVING! That was a classy catalog and I miss it horribly.
Whichever Big Idea gets the vote, it's a win/win idea! WTG team!
Thanks Martha!!

[Gloria]

I am a Faith Community Nurse, RN who sees a great need for this type of recipe collection and would suggest that when it is published, that it has the nutrition information included with the recipes. This would be a Marvelous help to people from all over the world! Please publish this in humanitarian interest if it doesn't get all the votes! What a GREAT Idea!! Thanks!

[Julie Ann]

I like the idea of the allergy magazine. No one in our family has allergies. I like the idea of being able to provide allergen free treats for my children’s friends. Maybe we do have intolerances and would feel better eating differently.

[Careen Warren]

I would love for Martha to have her own store because it is so frustrating trying to find Martha products at K Mart and Macys. Most of the Kmarts in my area were either dirty and haphazardly stocked with MSO products. Although if I was willing to drive there was one nice store. I had to go to more than one Macy's to find a scattering of MSO products. I know Martha stores would be beautiful and perfectly stocked. What a heavenly idea! I also really miss the old website. The products were wonderful!

[Cathy Rush]

Marth, I love the store idea the most. I think the others are good but could be incorporated in the store. I'm a mother of 2 middle school age children. I live in Maine and clean houses for a living in the Kennebunkport, Maine region. I always watch the show for tips and ideas from you. My customers are really impressed with some of the things I use from you. Thank you so much and God bless you! Cathy