Get Some Perspective

This weekend my husband took some photos of me while I was practicing my yoga. When I looked at the photos later I realized that some of my asanas were much more aligned than I'd thought. And others were further off than I was aware of. This awareness started me thinking - how many other aspects of my life were (ahem) out of balance?

Do I need a new perspective on how happy my team is? What about client satisfaction? P&Ls and other accounting reports provide insights, but maybe some outside perspective there would be helpful too?

I don't want to question everything, and get lost in "analysis paralysis." But at the same time, a new vantage point on some critical aspects of MBM will likely be as enlightening as my yoga photos. Now, if only that were as easy as handing Richard a camera...

No Reservations?

I'm a big fan of Anthony Bourdain and his approach to food and travel (within the context of being a pescatrian). That being said, why do so many restaurants in Richmond not take reservations? I know there are issues of people not showing up on time (solution: make it clear "all your party must arrive within 5 minutes of reservation or you lose your table"). In Boston they take your credit card when you make your reservation and will charge you a fee if you don't show up.

Neither of these options screams "customer service" but on the other hand, many of us have turned into selfish, thoughtless consumers who have no respect for the hard working retailers and restaurateurs out there trying to make a living in a "the customer is always right" world.

At MBM we're lucky - our clients respect us and enjoy working with us. And for that, we bend over backwards for them. But it's more than luck. It's a calculated strategy of understanding and defining who is a good client for us and making sure we're all in agreement of the expectations of our relationship. And part of that agreement is that they can fire us if we don't live up to our end. And if they no longer respect and appreciate the work and the effort we put into the relationship? "Bye bye" we say. With no reservations....

New Website Coming!

Kelly mentioned in her last blog that she's been working on a couple of sites for clients. In the meantime, Courtney has been hard at work on the MBM website, along with Jason who is a former MBMer turned freelance. He did a great job and we're all really excited about how the site reflects our fine-tuned brand messaging and really reflects our diffentiation.

Look for the site to launch in mid-August. And if you see Court, thank her for her hard work and ask her if I would make the worst client ever. Don't tell me how she answers that question, though.

Muse!

I've spent the last 6 months as the Un-Gala Chair for the 2010 Muse Awards. Muse is an event put on by the Virginia Museum of Fine Art (VMFA), in which the VMFA's Business Council (made up by local businesspeople) awards companies for "creativity in business". Paired with the awards process and ceremony is a huge "un-gala", held at the VMFA, complete with a fun theme, costumes, tasty food, and an open bar.

This is the second year that I've been involved with planning the Un-Gala portion of the Muse Awards, and it was especially fun this year because the party was held in the newly completed wing.

Fellow MBMers Kelly and our new intern, Mary-Blanche, came out for the party as well!


And check out some of the press coverage here.

Flying Squirrels Game!

This past Tuesday we spent our second quarter MBM Outing at The Diamond! It was a great time, and unfortunately, the Flying Squirrels didn't win, but we all enjoyed the game and Nutzy's antics. The threat of evening storms almost ruined our night of baseball, but cleared up just in time for the game. It was "Tribute to the Marshmallow" night, so we learned that a marshmallow Peep has only 32 calories and other marshmallow trivia throughout the game. Richard also was given a free Ledo pizza, so that was unexpected fun as well.

Here are some pics from the outing.

The Real Thing

I don't even know where to start...I'm not a soda drinker, and definitely go for the local spring water vs. filtered..but when it comes to an iconic brand as an example for a marketing presentation, nothing beats a Coke. And they are smart enough to tell their story in as many different ways as you could possibly want it. Even a section for students who might be doing research on their company. Of course, they have all the cool stuff like screensavers and videos of their ads. And they even have their logos and images for download - that's how strong their brand is, and how smart they are about sharing the happiness. Wow.

Breaking Ground

Courtney and I spent the morning (and early afternoon) in Hampton. Our client, Virginia Company Bank, had a ground breaking ceremony for the new banking office set to open this fall in Hampton. As usual, we enjoyed an opportunity to celebrate with the Bank - executive team and Directors alike.

Check out some photos from this morning's festivities.

Blogging and other bad habits

Like Courtney just posted, I'm part of the office blog slump - which is weird, because I love to tell stories about myself, and a blog post would just be a continuation of that, right?

I thinking blogging is like any other routine habit. When you keep up with it, it's easy (thus why Maggi's so good at blogging)... when you slack, it can be hard to get back into the habit. Just like going to the gym or calling your mother - although both my mother and my step instructor have been known to track me down when they don't hear from me!

So why blog? Why get (and stay) in the habit? Our blog is a great tool for so many reasons. From the back end, it helps give us another voice on the web, which helps our web traffic - for free. On the front end, it helps our clients, partners, friends, potential clients, and even Kelly's mother learn more about MBM and the people behind it.

An additional bad habit of mine? I'm snacking on jelly bellies right now. Better go get some lunch!

Adventure Awaits

I'm leaving in the morning for an intensive 3 day trip to Raleigh, NC with the Greater Richmond Chamber. This InterCity Visit promises to be as great as the ones I've been on in the past (Oklahoma City, Miami, Louisville and Charleston) with long days, challenging agendas, lots of thinking and conversations about what we can learn from Raleigh to continue to improve Richmond. It's a privelege for me to be part of the trip, and a great opportunity for MBM as it increases our exposure and our insights how we can help contribute to the growth of our community.

As we focus on technology, schools, development, and leadership there'll be plenty of networking as well. Of course, I'll be checking my phone to keep up with what's going on at MBM - and there's a lot going on. I'm glad there's such a strong team here to keep business moving forward, and to support each other.

Raleigh's not quite Madrid, but then again, I haven't spent that much time there - yet.

To Those Who Wait

Good things do come! Out of the blue, sometimes. A referral from a business associate via one of his business associates has turned into a new and exciting client. All in the span of 5 days. It's a new industry for us, with a connection Down Under which has great potential. We couldn't be more excited. And of course, we have another reason for champagne!

I wish for you patience and the confidence to know that closed windows can turn into open doors. Salud!

Champ-agne

When asked how she survived her crazy rock & roll marriages, Pamela Anderson said "2 words: champ-agne!" Dorothy Parker listed "sufficient champagne" as one of the 3 things she would "never attain." And my mother always accused me of "champagne tastes and a beer pocketbook."

As you may recall, at MBM we find as many opportunities as possible to enjoy the bubbly (often a Cava or California sparkling rather than the real French stuff). Excuses this week, so far (it's only Tuesday) are Kelly's birthday today, the release to press of the National Capital Bank annual report, and the fact that we survived last week.

Cheers to you and to a reason for you to celebrate before the week's over! Salud!

Tempus Fugit

In Stephen King's Hearts In Atlantis the mother is always encouraging her young son to get moving, because time flies. And, as mothers always are, she is right.

I just realized it's the last week of February (I thought there was one more coming), and I haven't been to a Mysore session yet. Our trip to Madrid is less than a month away, and there's lots of research and planning still to be done (not to mention the packing and repacking).

As a team, MBM has accomplished a lot already in 2010 and we're feeling good about what's ahead of us. We have some big proposals sitting out there waiting for a thumbs up (or down). And we're staying busy and challenged with the work we already have.

So, what's the point? Use your time well. Organize, prioritize and keep moving forward. Oh, and watch out for low men in yellow coats.

What's Your Friday Afternoon Like?

With Courtney working from home on Fridays to take care of Jacob, we're short a team mate for our weekly Catch Phrase games. I can tell you Megan has a wide range of knowledge, Kelly is amazingly creative with her descriptions, and me? Well, if you're over 30 then you'll get more of my references.

So, give us a call, drop us an email, come by and be our 4th - you can pick your team mate! Hope to see you at MBM soon.

Holiday Greens

Our MBM gift this year was a donation to charity, coupled with a small desktop plant. Given that it's been a challenging year for all, we thought our clients, vendors, and friends would feel good about a donation in their honor and a little greenery on their desks.

The plant is a cool contraption in and of itself. A little brick of dirt, chock full of wheatgrass seeds, is nestled in this little silver container.



All you do is add a little water and keep the plant near some sun, and bam! Easy office plant.

The best thing about this gift has been receiving photos of the plants in action.

Jason, one of our designers, planted the seeds with his son, Sam. Below is Sam shortly after planting...

And here is Farmer Sam after the plant had grown some (also, I think just after waking up from a nap)...


Marcus, one of our programmers, sent in this beautiful shot of his plant...


And even I have been monitoring a plant here in the office. Well, trying to monitor. These thirsty little suckers need a fair amount of water!

Tacky Has Its Place

After our original plans were snowed under (literally), we had our MBM holiday outing tour of the Richmond Tacky Holiday Lights last week. It's a must-do if you live in Richmond, and worth the trip to town if you don't. We had a great time and were amazed at the effort homeowners put into their decorations. You can see a slide show here, but it's way better in person: http://www2.richmond.com/content/2009/dec/21/tacky-lights-slideshow-2009/

To juxtapose the grandeur of the Tacky Lights (and our grand fun), we continue to edit and simplify a "scrapbook" version of a brochure for a new client. We think the concept is dead-on for the audience, but are working to make sure visuals don't take over the message, and that the font size and color are distinct and easily read by an older audience.

We're presenting tomorrow - fingers crossed! And cheers for a great 2010!

Well, hello 2010!

The holidays are finally over and 2010 is here. Was it just me or did the holidays last a long time? I'll be glad to get my house cleaned up and my refrigerator thinned out. Now if we could just hurry spring along to get rid of this cold weather!

It's "back to school" week and we're all trying to get back in the swing of things. We'll be presenting some new design concepts that we have been diligently working on during all the holiday cheer. Let's hope we've hit a home run!

Maybe I'm just an optimist but I think this is going to be a really great year!

You Never Know Until You Ask

Courtney created a great survey we've sent to all past and present clients. We really want to get a read on what we're doing well and what our clients value, but also where we stand to improve. The responses have been insightful and have given us much to think about as we look to 2010.

As Megan blogged earlier, the upcoming year holds some exciting projects for us. It is my new year's resolution for MBM that we are careful to really listen to and learn from the survey feedback.

Maybe you have a suggestion or constructive criticism for us? Please let us know!

Holiday calm before the storm

As 2009 is coming to a close, it's hard to believe that January is just around the corner. In our business (like most others), late December can be fairly quiet - annual budgets are spent and everyone's just trying to wrap up the year. It's easy to forget that those first quarter 2010 projects are just around the corner...

A couple things on the horizon - Courtney and I will be busy as we initiate the second phase of a major branding campaign for one of our bank clients. We'll also be continuing to shape identity and sales support materials for a new senior living client. And undoubtedly, there will be a campaign or marketing need that hasn't yet be anticipated.

Looks like 2010 will be off to a busy and creative start!

Bah Humbug?

A holiday update from the person at MBM who doesn't particularly care for Christmas:

Last week I saw Richmond Triangle Player's Scrooge In Rouge. It was a laugh riot!

This week has been quiet, with Megan taking vacation time for the week. And Kelly is taking time next week. After a client giving me a hard time, I decided there's no need to be open 1/2 day on Christmas Eve so the week is winding down quickly.

Lori from the Greater Richmond Chamber and I spent the afternoon outlining a marketing plan for their 2010-2012 strategic plan. We finished off a tin of Chex Mix and she left me with a bottle of bubbly for later!

MVYRadio has been interspersing more and more holiday songs so I'm actually almost getting in the mood. Who doesn't love The First Noel as sung by The Crash Test Dummies?

A few more gifts to purchase, a few more friends to toast with and then off to North Carolina where the Christmas joy of my 5 year old nephew is sure to be infectious.

Have a good one, ya'll.

Through The Looking Glass

As much as I'd like to start this blog with one of the classic quotes from Alice in Wonderland, it just feels too cliche today. Anyway, what I'm thinking about is the difficulty of holding a mirror up to your own company. Although we've done some of our best ever brand, logo and culture work this year for clients, we just can't seem to clarify MBM's brand. We've tried every tactic on ourselves but somehow we just can't seem to articulate who we are and what is special about us. It's frustrating but we're not giving up. We just put the finishing touches on a survey for current and former clients and hope they'll give us that extra insight we need to finalize our work. Stay tuned for updates and probably a new website when we get it right! And if you're struggling with the same issue, let us know. Maybe we could help each other?

PS - how cool is this film going to be?
http://www.slashfilm.com/2009/07/22/tim-burtons-alice-in-wonderland-teaser-trailer/