SiriusXM

On my daily commute to and from the RBD office, nothing keeps me more informed or entertained than listening to my favorite satellite radio stations. Whether it’s hearing a great celebrity interview on Channel 100, previewing new music on Channel 10, or catching breaking news on Channel 115, time flies when I’m on the road to the D!

While I do have my favorite channels, the great thing about SiriusXM  is having the choice to listen to whatever I want, whenever I want, all while staying up-to-date on the latest music, celebrity gossip and traffic and weather to boot!

Twitter

I can’t help it; I’m totally into Twitter. It’s one of the first things I log on to each day and check throughout the day, even just for a few minutes. With Twitter, I find that in just a few clicks I can scroll through my Twitter feed to find out what topics are trending for the day, what major news is happening, or even to catch sports scores. Then, if I see something of interest, I click through to read more, or do a search for more details. And, every now and then, I post my own Tweets supporting my favorite basketball team (Go Eagles!), mentioning my favorite places, or giving a shout out to my favorite followers.

For me, Twitter definitely helps keep my finger on the pulse of what is happening locally or virtually at that very moment. Follow me at @lmondro  to see what I find worth Tweeting!

Basecamp

Keeping my fingers on the pulse of events and news doesn’t stop when I get out of my car or after I’ve browsed online. I need to make sure I am in the know on the truly important things – RBD and our clients’ projects! I can do this with the help of our project management software called Basecamp.

Basecamp has been a very easy-to-use and easy to implement tool that allows us to keep everything associated with project in one place. I can create to-do lists for different projects assigned to different team members, track events or milestones to hit certain deadlines, and keep project-related files, notes and discussions centralized for the entire RBD team. And, since Basecamp is an online tool, I can do this anywhere – whether it’s in the RBD Office, on my iPad2 while at Panera, or while I’m sitting on my couch!

So, there you have it…the tools that are right at my fingertips and keep me humming along – SiriusXM, Twitter, and Basecamp – are what keep my fingers on the pulse of all that is happening around me!

All Creative World and Designer’s Toolbox 


The blank page. It’s terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. Sometimes you just need to see what else is out there, to feed your head a little and get inspired. All Creative World is a network of creative sites that show off new work, styles and news from the worlds of fashion, design, photography, illustration, architecture and more. Browse till your heart’s content and your brain is raring to go.

Sometimes for me, the thing is to think about what format might serve a design best. Designer’s Toolbox contains all kinds of pertinent information to help you get your designs started. Want the die cut line for your own 11.5 x 9 tabbed folder? What size enclosure best fits a number 6 Baronial envelope? Looking for iPhone GUI elements? Want some standard web banner sizes? You can find them all here, with specific sizes, conversion charts and clean downloads that keep your productivity humming along.



Coca Cola

Okay, I admit it: I have a Coke habit. While I love the smell of coffee, nothing gets my morning going like a glass of Dr. Pemberton’s brown bubbly. And it just goes well with certain foods, so maybe it’s a glass or two throughout the day. And maybe another one as I relax in the evening. That crisp sound as you crack open a bottle. That little bite that hits you when you take the first sip. What can I say — it does something for me. And sure, the caffeine doesn’t hurt (much).

But the other thing I love about Coke is the longevity and adaptability of its brand. For more than 125 years, that signature swoop and iconic red and white have called upon drinkers to enjoy a moment of refreshment. From bathing beauties to Santa Claus to teaching the world to sing to polar bears, Coca Cola has become an American institution … providing you can overlook that whole “New Coke” thing.



Laughter

And while I’m admitting things, I’m also a big laugher. It fuels me. Humorous stories, life stories, jokes and even the occasional bad pun get keep my juices going. It makes you think about things differently, it can diffuse a tense situation, and in the right circumstances it’s the best sound in the world. I mean, there are times to be serious, but other times, let’s not take ourselves too seriously.

But there are many other great benefits to laughter. It releases endorphins into your system, similar to the rush runners feel when jogging. It can even help your immune system do its job by lowering levels of cortisol. Studies have shown that fifteen seconds of laughter can add two days to your life span, and fifteen minutes of laughter equals the benefits of two hours of sleep. And a good belly laugh can burn 3.5 calories. So laugh hardy! I’m trying to belly laugh as often as possible.



Laughter is also a powerful tool in creating memorable messages. From the original “Where’s the Beef” commercials to Quicken Loans dining at Detroit’s Coach Insignia to Harvey Nichols to the recent Audi Game Day ad  (those pesky vampires are everywhere!), humor puts your audience at ease and helps them retain your message.

Go out there. Feed your head, take a sip and let out a good laugh!

Dorothy says…

Tools for REACHING OUT

I find it hard to get through the day without being connected to business associates, clients, vendors, friends and family.  Tools like Facebook and LinkedIn help me to quickly communicate with hundreds of people. I’m still a big fan of the USPS. You read that right. I believe there is a place for good ol’ fashioned snail mail. But ask us how we do it. It’s not what you are probably thinking. And yes, it WORKS.

Tools for BEING PRODUCTIVE

I have my head in the Cloud over Dropbox because we can all work from anywhere and allow our clients access to individual folders. And nothing keeps me humming through the workday like great tunes on Pandora Radio. I’d be lost without these two tools.

Resources that keep me GROUNDED

There are favorites that simply help me maintain what I need to each day and escape a little when the going gets particularly rough. I’m really thankful to work with clients and staff that are dear friends. Our RBD team keeps me level and everyone knows how much I love that Christmas morning feeling when I get to see the first internal proofs of a project. I am brought back to reality by the amazing Mini Twinneys, Marc and Bryan, who actually aren’t so mini anymore. They make me laugh, they make me think hard and every now and then, they simply say, What the heck were you thinking Mom? A great resource and a great shot of reality, really. Friends and family are so important.

I’m kept well nourished by a couple of my favorite restaurants when cooking a meal is the last thing on my mind, Nico & Vali, No.VI Chophouse and Fiamma Grille are just a few. And if it weren’t for Pandora the Wrangler, I most definitely would not get where I need to go.

I guess I have a lot of favorite things! It’s a combination of all these things that keeps me humming and makes my heart go pitty-pat.

• Take your temperature. Read what people are saying about your company—a quick browse in any search engine on a regular basis is a good place to start.
• Take a good look in the mirror. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and walk a mile—if you get blisters, it’s time to take it seriously.
• Take care of your customers. The whole point of social media is to engage with others, so find a way to thank positive comments while addressing the negative ones.
• Do NOT just delete a negative post. This does two things – it tells all your fans and followers who did see the comment that you are attempting to cover it up or eliminate it and it also could prove to incite further negative comments from the original fan.

We have definitely seen some uncomfortable posts from fans of our clients. For example, a series of highly negative comments came after a fan visited a restaurant she thought was owned and operated by one of our clients.  This is an example that while the original comment thread was highly negative, it was also a blessing as we never would have known our client’s brand was being compromised. It turned out to be an independent restaurant that had our client’s logo all over their materials. Thank goodness that initial post came through to their Facebook page!

Other negative comments have been issues that could be easily addressed by our clients. Service that was not up to snuff, a complaint about the quality of a product received, and a competitor who wrote an inflammatory post themselves on their FB wall about our client. The formula for addressing such situations is pretty straightforward: acknowledge the negative comment, offer an apology that the fan feels the way they feel, offer a solution, and then send a message with immediate contact information for the fan to follow-up with at the company.

There are times when a FB page might be stalked. In situations like this, you can block the stalking fan. But beware, do not immediately block someone who writes a negative post. This is only going to come back as a bigger, more difficult problem down the social media road!

1. Keep extra coats, gloves, scarves or blankets in your car to give to someone who may need them
2. Collect books, canned goods and toiletries drop them off at a homeless shelter

3. Bake a few extra batches of cookies and drop them off at a soup kitchen
4. Pay for a stranger’s gas, lunch or coffee
5. Pick up trash, rake leaves or shovel snow for someone 
6. Donate blood
7. Check in on a family member or co-worker to see how they’re doing and if they need anything
8. Send someone (spouse, child, teacher, mailman, service person, etc.) a thank you card 
9. Collect toys for Christmas
10. Attend a holiday fundraising event

How else do you plan to use your powers for good this season?

* Take a moment of reflection in silence at precisely 11:00 a.m., the same time as the Veterans Day National Ceremony starts at the Tomb of the Unknowns in Arlington National Cemetery.
* View this video.
* Visit a local cemetery and place a memorial wreath at a veteran’s place of rest.
* Bake cookies and deliver them to the VA.
* Visit the VA and ask how you can volunteer.
* Many communities and schools host a Veterans Day celebration, service or parade—check local calendars for listings.
* Make a donation to VetDogs—an organization that uses guide dogs, service dogs, and innovative technology to help disabled veterans once again live the lives they used to.
* Host a cookout and ask your guests to bring a book to donate to the VA.
* Send a card or care package to a deployed soldier, thanking him or her for their service. Two great ones are www.givetothetroops.org and www.amillionthanks.org.
* Honor the service of our military families and veterans with community service of your own.
* Create a Butterfly Tree with your family and friends.

How will you honor our veterans this year?

1) Social Media: this is probably the most obvious on our list. Where else can you reach 1 in 13 people earth than in cyberspace?. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, are all free and easy to set up, and a very convenient way to boost a current campaign, deliver the freshest content to your audience fast, and even generate momentum for your brand.
2) Email Blasts: with services like Constant Contact, your outbox suddenly just got much more powerful.
3) Handwritten Sentiments: why not go retro and send a personal note on actual paper with real ink? Just the fact that you were willing to spend 44 cents on a stamp is sure to go a long way to show that you care, not to mention you’re supporting an American business.
4) Sponsor an event: people like to support companies that do good things. It can be as simple as writing a check or supplying in-kind donations in exchange for your logo on the event website, Facebook page, etc. expanding your reach and potential client base.
5) Speak at a local club, organization or place of worship: let it be known that you are available to speak about your area of expertise as many places mentioned are constantly looking for new topics to share with their audiences, which means more face time with potential future clients.
6) Optimize your website: search engines are always trolling for the most relevant content, so be sure your keywords are working for you.

The key to all of the above is to know your story, be aware of what’s going on around you and have an idea about where you want to go. Before you know it, you’ll be on a roll—and we’re hoping it’s the really cushy two-ply kind.

That’s not to say that you shouldn’t be doing it smartly. I remember working for a software company in the mid 90s that would exhibit at more than 300 tradeshows each year. It was how they obtained more than 85% of their sales leads. For them (pre-Internet) it worked. It was a logistical nightmare – shipping six booths of various sizes around the country – but it was a revenue generator. Most companies nowadays are depending far more heavily on the Internet and networking for their leads, but have used tradeshows as a secondary source for leads as well as a way to stay fresh in prospects’ minds.

Rule of thumb… If you have been present at a show at least three out of the last five years, and it has been either an excellent source of new leads or a strong opportunity for you to visit with existing clients, you need to be there this year. Number one reason? What’s the first thing you say when you realize a company you are accustomed to seeing at a show is not there one year? You wonder where they are. You wonder if the economy is keeping them from exhibiting. You wonder if they are not as financially stable as they used to be. And yes, you wonder if they are still in business. Don’t be THAT business.

So pick your shows wisely. Don’t just go to go. Make sure they have been successful for you in the past, and then exhibit with enthusiasm. Want to collect names and emails? Do a drawing. Want to drive traffic? Be the booth with the uber cool water bottles or participate in the show’s Passport to Prizes opportunity. Want to collect data? Do a survey and offer a great bistro coffee mug as incentive to fill it out.

Make sure your display is fresh and bold. This is not the time to bring out the roll-up banners and depend on the show-provided electric blue table drape. You are spending money for the space, the staff to man the booth and travel. Don’t decide to save money by not buying the new panels for the booth or saving $250 by not offering a great prize that everyone is going to want to win.

I am just finishing at the National Society for Genetic Counselors’ annual conference with one of our fantastic clients, Genesis Genetics. They spend a considerable amount for space, freight, installation/dismantling, travel and staff. To then try to save money by not finishing out the experience with giveaways, proper materials and bold graphics would be a disservice to our client as well as to the audience they are trying to reach. Needless to say it’s been a fantastic show.

So keep exhibiting. Be smart about it, choose your shows wisely and then put some moxey behind your efforts. It really does pay off, but you have to do it right.

Of course, we totally take this for granted. But why does it matter? We agree with Jessica Bennett in her Daily Beast article who says that typography is about message as much as form: a letter’s density, its arcs and points, even its placement can convey tone, spirit or mood. That’s why we consider ourselves to be, in part, typeface matchmakers, finding the right font to pair with our clients’ messages for maximum (and desired) impact. So whether you currently worship Helvetica (who wouldn’t!) or resort to Comic Sans (let’s talk!), or are looking to refresh altogether, be sure to take the time to find your perfect type.

Tell us: What’s your type personality? Find out here, then come back to tell us!

But we also realize that our city needs to change radically to become the Paris of the Midwest again or even just a place that people want to visit, live in and work in. Part of our issues (and yes, there are a lot) is our homeless problem which only continues to get worse as the economy struggles to rebound.
We are particularly struck by the folks without a proper meal – the folks whose bellies remain empty at the end of the day.

There is only so much one little company can do. We recognize this. But then again, there is so much one little company can do.

So next week, RBD Creative is starting a new tradition that we plan to continue until it’s not needed anymore. We pow-wow regularly during the day to make sure client needs are being addressed, projects are on track and to brainstorm new creative. Well, we have decided to start doing this at the end of the day around our conference table, in our chairs that we each painted and while we do this, we will be making PB&J sandwiches. We will package them up in brown bags with a piece of fruit and deliver our brown bags to Cass Community Social Services three days a week.

We know we aren’t going to change the world, but we figure for a doable investment each week, we can indeed make a difference for ten, twenty, forty, or more people a week. And that’s what matters, because frankly if we all did a little more of this, then maybe, just maybe we would start to see change.

So come on down to the D and see us in the late afternoon. We might put you to work, but we know that our work will make the difference between an empty tummy and a satisfied tummy a few times a week. We believe in Detroit. We believe we can make a little difference.

Join us.