You Are My Hero!!!!!!!!!
What does your subject line say?
The other day I received an email from my friend. The subject read, “YOU ARE MY HERO!!!!!!!” I looked at the subject line, and thought, ‘Really? Why?’ So… I opened the email – even though I was in the middle of something else. Of course I would have opened the email even if there was no subject, because it was from a good friend of mine, but I probably would have left it until I finished with the project I was working on.
Brand Identity: alignstaffing
Holiday cheer is good for morale.
Good office morale is important for success. In fact, little in the office is more influential to success than the happiness of our employees. Happy workers are more productive and interface with clients more cheerfully and effectively. And the efforts required to cheer up the office are both affordable and invaluable. Here are some things to consider:
Think it through from all perspectives.
If there is one thing you can learn from the recent Coca-Cola fiasco, let it be this- when you set out to do something new, always think about how it will affect ALL of your customers or clients. When Coca-Cola came out with white cans in an effort to raise awareness for the World Wildlife Fund, Coca-Cola customers quickly began complaining that they were confusing the white cans with the silver Diet Coke cans. For some, this was extremely frustrating. Which makes me wonder, did Coca-Cola think this campaign through? I am not sure the company realized what such a drastic change would do to its consumers. The ABC news clip below explains the change from red to white, and how this affected the customer, and why the change made such an impact.
Authenticity, Art & Copy
If you are a fan of the history of branding and advertising like we are at insight180, check out “Art & Copy,” a documentary that delves into the history of the advertising industry and the advent of the artist and copywriter actually working together in the same room. The film does not tout “trashy” advertising, but rather sought to gather insights from the greatest advertising minds of the last 50 years. Director, Doug Pray, describes these great minds as fiercely independent mavericks. Some cast members include Wieden+Kennedy’s Dan Wieden and David Kennedy, responsible for Nike’s “Just do it” campaign, Mary Wells, founding president of Wells Rich Greene and the first woman to own and run an ad agency, Rich Silverstein and Jeff Goodby of Goodby, Silverstein and partners who conceived the simple yet effective “Got Milk” campaign; additionally, Lee Clow, Chairman and Global Director of TBWAWorldwide, responsible for the groundbreaking 1984 Apple ad. This all-star cast really shows the audience how advertising works and the ideas behind “good advertising.”
Starbucks Holiday Cups!
Today was the debut of the Starbucks holiday cup. You may think, “so what, who cares? It is just a cup.” Or, if you’re like me, a little smile crept onto your face, and a small burst of joy hit you when you saw the Holiday cup. I am not sure why, but each year I get excited when I get my coffee in a red cup with a wintery mix of graphics.
Ten innovative ways to thank your clients
Thanking clients for their business is not only a nice thing to do, but it’s good for business. It leaves clients with a good feeling about you and prompts them to reflect on your value as a resource to them. A definite win-win. You appreciate them and they appreciate you back. And while some businesses go all out with client appreciation dinners and events, particularly around the holidays, sometimes those expensive endeavors just become one more holiday obligation that can really push the budget, rather than have the personal impact you’d hoped. Here are ten innovative, cost-effective and memorable ways to deliver your appreciation:
History Repeats
The First Advertisements
William Caxton set up the first printing press in England. Caxton was a merchant by trade, but learned printing later in his life. He is responsible for being the first to print many well-known books, including Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (BBC). He was also, the first to publish an ad in English.
What's a company to do?
Ok, so there’s no way around it. Losing a million customers in a few months is not a good thing. That’s what has reportedly happened to Netflix after they announced that they planned to separate their DVD rental business from their online streaming business.
The Facebook rescue
It was a perfectly normal day. Rainy but warm, and hump-day — the day that divides the beginning of the work week with the end of the work week. So who could have known that a crisis was just about to come in our door — literally.
Floods and Facebook
In the wake of topical storm Lee, there were flash floods throughout Maryland on Wednesday, September 7, 2011. Ellicott City ‘s Main Street became a river. After evacuating our office, we posted some footage of the action happening right outside our office. (In this video, you can actually see the entrance to our office with near foot-high water when the camera pans to the left of the big black truck.) The footage was taken from a bystander’s phone and then posted to You Tube.
