advergirl

Brand experience on Facebook is back

A few updates ago (I'm thinking circa early 2009), Facebook migrated all fan or brand pages to look pretty much like profile pages. All the crafty designing and widget wondery that leader brands had invested in was lost, reduced to the lowest-common-denominator rubble of tabs and walls.

Of course the promise was there - the updates also allowed full-width application tabs and boxes of all kinds. But, no one was rushing in to try to figure out how to own the new landscape. Until a last Fall. A few retail brands, like JCrew and Gap, created Facebook pages that looked much more like the quality of their brands, even personalizing the experience to deliver different content for fans and visitors. They stood out because of it. Racking up thousands of fans and earning real engagement.

    

Now, enter Resource Interactive - the top 50 interactive shop that up until now hadn't leaned on its Facebook page for marketing or reputation building. This week they launched a fabulous new presence that breaks out of the tabs and looks like them (not the social network).

 

 

A friendly neighborhood programmer said, "no one knew how to do that two years ago." The truth is, I don't think anyone knew how to do that two months ago. But, I'm thrilled that experience is coming back to Facebook. I've had enough basic blue. Cheers, RI!

I’m off to Pink Tank & IQ at GSW

What do you do with a person who is madly curious about all the newest things, who loves to try to figure out what really motivates people, who is fearless in the face of even the toughest room, and who kind of wants to change the world?

Maybe you put her to work helping connect women with one another and figuring out how the changes in our culture will really change an industry. In an environment where the next big idea can come from anywhere and with the resources to make it all real.

On February 1, I start my new career with two small, entrepreneurial divisions of one of the world’s biggest healthcare agencies: the women-focused Pink Tank group and the innovation-focused IQ lab.

I’m so excited for this. I’ll continue contribute to brand strategy,  but I’ll also be going deep on a whole new industry – health – and getting to focus on socializing brands in the interactive space.  And, equally importantly, I'll get to work with some amazing people – smart, insightful women (many of whom I’ve known for years) and a savvy bunch of digital junkies who want to figure out what’s coming next.

You want all the details? Here we go-

• The title: Digital Brand Strategist


• The role: Ok, that’s a really long story, but topline: I’ll contribute to brand strategy and insight with a specific focus on socializing brands in the interactive space. I’ll get to develop points of view and methodologies that further Pink Tank’s expertise in women and health. I’ll work with the IQ internal community as a contributor and subject matter expert in social media, helping GSW to crystallize and present its pov and expertise to existing clients and in new business. (That means pitching! AKA: THE adrenaline rush for non-runners.)


• About Pink Tank: Pink Tank is a full-service agency and consultancy for health and wellness brands that want to motivate female influencers, whether they are patients, consumers, caregivers, loved ones, or professionals. The people who work there come from all kinds of different backgrounds – behavioral psychology, patient advocacy, clinical practice, interactive media, gender and cultural studies, and, of course brand strategy, writing, and design.


• About IQ: It’s GSW’s internal lab. Part futurecasting; part commercializing. They drive the “what’s next” thinking about how brands can leverage digital media for new kinds of competitive advantage.

Obviously, this is awesome news for me. But, it’s also good news for you. I’m going to have a lot to figure out really quickly – that means: blog posts!

So, what do you think? Wish me luck?

I’m leaving the friendly orange confines.

You’re probably registering total shock right now. I know. Who do you know who loves her job as much as I do?

I’ll tell you all the details, but first let me say this: If you ever get to chance to work with the good people at Ologie – as a client or a colleague – do not let it pass by. You will learn more in a few weeks with them than you will in any other creative process you participate in. They have a way of uncovering that answer that you know has been sitting there waiting for you to find it all along.

Ok, back to my story.

My life seems to be being shaped by chance encounters lately. Have you noticed? The story most of you know is about the wonderful boyfriend I met one morning on an airplane. But, there are others – the theater Board I ended up joining after sitting next to the artistic director in an unrelated meeting; the then-soon-to-be best friend brought to town by a random internet search; the house I bought in a weekend because of the people who happened to be in the restaurant on the corner.

This is just another one of those. An opportunity that will unquestionably change my career and my life that all started with a conversation at a wedding. But, enough about that for now.

I want to talk about Ologie.

I’ve never left a job I loved before. It’s an entirely different feeling. You, dear readers, probably remember one I ran gazelle-like from, happy to be free. This isn’t like that at all. It took me weeks to decide and, still, I find myself kind of mourning the place.

I’ve worked with a lot of great people here. Ologie seems to consistently attract more smart people at the top of their game than any other shop in town. But, there are three particular people here who I owe a lot to; people who in a lot of ways inspire the kind of person/citizen/employee/consultant/human I want to be.

1. Bill Faust. AKA “Boss.” I’m not sure which he says more often - “people support what they help create” or “how can we framework that” or “we simplify the complex.” The first is about making sure the people who have to tell a story are part of the process of creating it. The second, about communicating with words and pictures. And, the last is about getting down to the simple ideas (lingo-free, of course) that explain the core of a brand or story.  All are habits that would make anyone’s work better. And ones I got to practice here (and, of course, “iterate” here >> the nice boss word for do-over many times :) I think it’s fair to say he changed the way I communicate.


2. Bev Bethge. The founder of Ologie – and, many other good things. Bev opened this agency right out of college. Her first clients were the nonprofits and service agencies that take care of this city. The clients Ologie attracts now are more likely to be national brands, top colleges or international organizations, but Bev still invests her time in this community. Through her, I’ve had a chance to help shape how Columbus will tell its story in the years to come and impact the work of a number of arts and service organizations. I’m a member of Boards and committees that are changing our community. I actually feel like I live here now. I hope I always stay this connected to Columbus.


3. Kelly Ruoff. The managing creative director and, at once, the energy and glue of this place. Kelly has a fairly magical ability. When things get tense – a particularly aggressive deadline, a last minute rethinking of the work, a tough pileup of conflicting priorities – she actually gets calmer. She speaks slowly, gets everyone aligned toward a goal, and actually inspires awesome work. She somehow seems to know what’s going on in everyone’s lives (something I hear she even did that before Facebook) and makes sure we all feel welcome and appreciated. Just kind of knowing those things are all possible keeps me working to be better.

I’m grateful for the time I’ve spent here. But, as many things as I will miss about the friendly orange confines, there is one thing I am happy to leave behind...

The bathroom lighting. For some reason, the bathrooms here are lit with near-candle-light dimness while every other room is bathed in sunlight. I haven’t been able to accurately check my makeup before a meeting in years.

Was that a good transition from all the mushy stuff? Ok, now to tell you all about what’s next...