Learning at MBM

Since I'm both the youngest MBMer and one of the more recent staff additions (although it's been almost 2 years!), it's pretty rare that I'm explaining how to do anything. But, with Mary Blanche here as our intern, I've been stopping to explain techniques, policies, and marketing know-how quite a bit recently.

It's been a good exercise to sit back for a minute and think through why we do anything the way we do. It's easy to go through the motions, but when you have to stop and explain why, it can be a challenge!

Whether it's going over how the print process works, how to work with a designer, or how to communicate with a client, it's interesting to see Mary Blanche soaking everything up like a sponge. Plus, at MBM, I think we're always learning something new - all of our clients and vendors work differently and there's always a new project on the horizon. Beyond that, I'm sure at some point, Mary Blanche is going to offer up a better method or two.

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.

Peter and The Wolf

I was fortunate to grow up in a family that loved the arts. I was introduced to the ballet, symphony and theater as a child and therefore have an appreciation for these that was founded before I could fight it. Add to that a liberal arts education and it makes me a good fit for marketing. In our profession we have to know a little bit about everything in order to have the right reference points for our varied audiences.

I'm taking my 5 year old nephew for his formal introduction to the symphony via Peter & The Wolf tomorrow. We're both excited, but it's only as I write this that I realize there will be 100's (perhaps 1,000's?) of other small children in attendance. That's a point of reference I may need to do some homework on between now and then.

Go do something artsy this weekend - and if you see me listing on a barstool at Penny Lane Pub at 1:00 in the afternoon you'll know why!

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!

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!

Communication

So I spent the weekend with a good friend and business associate - I'm on her company's strategic advisory committee. Turns out she's been frustrated trying to find the right marketing company and just happened to mention it in the course of casual conversation. For the 8 years we've known each other, socially and professionally, I've felt confident she knew what MBM does - turns out I was very wrong. So lessons for today are (1) Never assume someone else knows what you know and (2) just because you do a good job marketing your clients doesn't mean you do a good job marketing yourself. I'm sure there's a lesson (3), I just haven't processed it yet....