In today’s post, in honor of the Super Bowl, we stray a bit from our normal branding for advisory services realm. But just a bit. . . because sometimes a charismatic leader can “be the brand.” Today’s post is written by our newest staff member, Tara Urso. Welcome, Tara!
Hard to believe the first month of the new year has come and gone. With one twelfth of the year over, are you following the vision you set out for the year, holding to your resolutions, meeting your goals? Actually, this year in the onslaught of posts about planning, predicting and creating visions to start off right, I was struck by the number of people who were abandoning the idea of resolutions altogether and trying something different. Instead, some are working on creating new habits slowly and gradually, choosing a word or theme for the year, or choosing a book (or three, like in Chris Brogan’s Three Book Diet) to read and truly implement to influence leadership or success in their lives.
Insight180 president Wendy Baird (a singer in her other life) couldn’t resist lending a hand (well, her voice) with a different kind of Ravens’ fight song. What fun! Kudos to BSO musician Jonathan Jensen for being the creative mind behind it!
Hard to believe the first month of the new year has come and gone. With one twelfth of the year over, are you following the vision you set out for the year, holding to your resolutions, meeting your goals? Actually, this year in the onslaught of posts about planning, predicting and creating visions to start off right, I was struck by the number of people who were abandoning the idea of resolutions altogether and trying something different. Instead, some are working on creating new habits slowly and gradually, choosing a word or theme for the year, or choosing a book (or three, like in Chris Brogan’s Three Book Diet) to read and truly implement to influence leadership or success in their lives.
To start off, let’s congratulate the RAVENS! We are, after all, a Baltimore-area company (and I for one love the Ravens!).
Let’s see. Hurricane Sandy. The end of the world. The fiscal cliff. 2012 was certainly a year and a half, wasn’t it?! Whether or not 13 turns out to be a lucky number or not remains to be seen. But I, for one, think there’s reason for optimism. We’re seeing many of our clients make significant progress in their businesses and we see hope on the horizon for the advisory business sector.
Let’s see. Hurricane Sandy. The end of the world. The fiscal cliff. 2012 was certainly a year and a half, wasn’t it?! Whether or not 13 turns out to be a lucky number or not remains to be seen. But I, for one, think there’s reason for optimism. We’re seeing many of our clients make significant progress in their businesses and we see hope on the horizon for the advisory business sector.
With Christmas here again, I thought I’d share something I came across on a design blog I occasionally frequent called LogoDesignLove. It’s a cute take on the branding of Santa. It was done by The Bond Agency for Icon Magazine. According to the post, there was “a general feeling at the (Bond) office that it was time for Santa Claus to get his act together. Belief in Santa Claus is at an all-time low. Confused by the thousands of different Santas out there, children don’t know what to think. Bond gave him a facelift and a few new guidelines to help boost his credibility.”
We’ve all been there. You’re part of a great presentation or meeting among your peers or clients; great discussion ensues; wonderful, meaningful questions that apply to the whole group are being presented and answered and commented on; and then it happens. One person asks a question that pulls the focus away from the tremendous momentum that has been occurring and focuses on his or her specific issue. It sucks the energy from the room. Do you know what I’m talking about? It’s frustrating, discourteous and ultimately disheartening. Even masterful facilitators can find it difficult to get back on track. And that is a great reminder for those charged with developing website strategy and content. It’s not always all about you.
Corporate gift giving is a long-standing tradition and gift options run the gamut from greeting cards to custom imprinted laptop bags. But it can be challenging to decide what to give and to whom. Most businesses give the same gift to everyone on the list, while others give individually chosen items. So, as an advisory services firm, what should you do? Here are a few things to consider:
I glanced down… the ground was 300 feet below me and I had to jump. I had to trust that I would make it down safely. My heart was pumping fast and I was more frightened than I’d like to admit, but I leaned back, as instructed, and took the leap. I was rappelling into a cave. Initially I was scared, but once I jumped I was able to sit back and enjoy the beautiful views around me.
A few weeks ago, as I was doing my research for a topic for this blog post I came across a post featuring the new look of Goodwill San Francisco and was excited to share their new “branding” with you. It was developed by the former creative director for Target, Tim Murray. Murray joined forces with Goodwill San Francisco in July 2011. “After many years convincing people to consume more stuff, I felt a need to address the environmental impact of my actions as a marketer,” he says of the decision. “By providing a second or third use for stylish stuff, Goodwill is one of the reasons the San Francisco Bay Area is one of America’s greenest and least wasteful regions.”
