JRHcreative
How cool! The UFC’s nerdiest fighter, Joe Lauzon, graces the cover of this month’s Fight! Magazine.
Without stealing the spotlight, I was proud to see the Lauzon MMA logo on which Joe and I worked together make it on the front cover. Very exciting!
I’ve been lucky to work with Joe over the years, designing logos and apparel for he and his gym – I look forward to continuing the relationship as Joe furthers his career in the UFC.
A recent client visit proved my Syracuse University talk to be a worthy one – sophisticated use of quantitative data allows for better marketing decisions.
Through the use of Google Analytics and Radian6, we made educated recommendations for how best to use the client’s web presence. What types of blog posts and announcements created the most traffic? What types of content attracted the most visitors? What messages resonated? And how did the conversation shift over time? These answers lead to well-informed recommendations – and more importantly, increased value for the client.
The beauty of research and analysis in marketing: the data never stops. As strategists and marketers, we can “re-measure” digital data for the purposes of making even more educated recommendations. How is data helping you make decisions?
I had the pleasure of speaking at my alma mater, Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, earlier this week. It served as a proud moment for me – traveling back to Syracuse to share real-life experiences with current students. In short, I was able to “give back.”
However, none of this would have happened without the help of a giver: Steve Masiclat, my ex-professor-turned-colleague, who was kind enough to invite me into his class. More importantly, Steve did an amazing job at “making me look good.” By that, I mean he referenced specific parts of my speech as part of his teaching for the day.
I encourage you to give back to your school, community, or favorite charity. Much like my return to SU, I’m sure those acts will be incredibly rewarding.
So thanks to Steve for inviting me to the ‘Cuse. And thanks to HB for encouraging me to speak and for continually investing in my personal development. And thanks to all the grad students for listening – I hope my talk was valuable.
One of Steve Jobs’s legacies lives on at Pixar Animation Studios. Much like Apple, Pixar creates a unique, organic culture resulting in incredible, award-winning animated films. How do they do it?
Pixar prides themselves on constant feedback, a concept discussed in this Harvard Business Review article. Peers provide candid thoughts and recommendations throughout the movie-making process. Sometimes, Pixar will scrap an entire sequence or storyline based on internal team discussion.
How can feedback play a role in your life? I experienced an incredible session of feedback today while practicing for next week’s talk at Syracuse University. I shared the entire talk and presentation in front of my teammates (HBers), who provided straightforward feedback that will result in a better speech.
The best way to improve your product, brand or service? Share. As much as possible. Have a design that isn’t complete? Or the first few pages of a screenplay? Or maybe the first draft of a video blog? Share, share, share. A culture of sharing results in the best possible work. Just look at Pixar.
As a creative, Steve Jobs’s leadership in the design of Apple’s products greatly influenced my career path. Perhaps more importantly, Jobs helped to develop an amazing culture at Apple – one that will continue to define the company he helped create. Rest in peace.