When I lived in Chicago, I rode the 151 (Michigan Ave.) or 156 (LaSalle financial district) to work every day. Over the past year, I've started using transit again, this time in Grand Rapids. That's a photo from my phone, as I'm headed to a meeting at Madcap Coffee on the #6.
It's a great way to travel, most of the time, because it saves money, conserves fuel and eliminates parking hassles. I'm lucky to live and work near the 6, 14 and 15 routes. The drawbacks are that we don't yet have the frequency and expanded routes that would make it practical for people who are used to the convenience of a car. But over the next 20 years, all that is going to change.
After months of meetings between the public, the Mobile Metro 2030 task force, The Rapid staff and experts from peer transit agencies, a new transit master plan (TMP) has been officially adopted by The Rapid's board.
I sat in on many of those meetings, representing media relations / community outreach with the HDR / LSL Planning team. Over lunches and during many evening hours -- in Grandville, Wyoming, Walker, Kentwood, East Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids -- we listened to people step forward to talk about the pros and cons of why we need / don't need to improve the current system. A group of people attended two meetings that covered the exact same information because they were so passionate for more transit. An urban planning student traveled from Flint to Wyoming to get involved and express his views. Equally, people expressed concern about funding in this type of economy, and whether Grand Rapids was ready for such a plan.
To me, it's exciting that our metro area could someday have a system like those in other cities where I didn't even need a car, like Chicago, Boston or New York. It wouldn't be exactly like that, of course, because it needs to be right for people who live and work in our community, as well as for our out-of-town guests. But people talked about connecting Grand Rapids to the lakeshore, extending transit lines to major employers with longer hours for later shifts, connecting transit stops with Zip Car lots, preventing further sprawl and thinking as a region, not as individual cities. They are taking the investment of transit very seriously and believe it's a critical component to making our city better, for the long term.
If you've never been to NeoCon, you might wonder what all the talk is about. Preparing for the World's Trade Fair 2010 in Chicago is a lot of hard work with can't-go-back deadlines. But it's also a terrific amount of fun because you're working with highly creative people - product and showroom designers, engineering teams, art directors, copywriters, photographers, stylists, media, website programmers, catering/event specialists and more. You name it - and for NeoCon, there are businesses and people to support it. As AAF notes every year during Ad Fair, a tremendous part of this creative talent is located right here in West Michigan.
What I enjoyed most this month was exploring the connection between people and spaces -- the kinds of places we are drawn to, how we feel about them, and how they influence what we say and do in those places. How do you start those conversations with people you've never met before? It starts by treating incredibly cool furniture designs less like museum pieces and more like a comfortable place to be - products that people can see themselves using and inviting others to join them.
For CWC client izzy+, there were several levels of engagement. You could draw on tables with dry erase markers, jump up inside two concept pieces by Joey Ruiter ("it's a tree fort!"), pose for the Couch Cam photos posted on Flickr and wave to your new friends in the other showroom through iCam technology. You could even stop for a friendly game of ping pong at the new double Dewey 6-Top Table in the izzy+ University showroom. It was a hit with everyone - employees, designers, competitors and even the media. A game started right in the middle of a video interview so they decided to stop and play for a few points, too. The 6-Top won the respect of the Best of NeoCon judges as well, earning a gold award for Education Solutions.
Throughout all that activity, there was serious product conversation. It wasn't fun just for the sake of fun. One media representative I talked to today described the izzy+ showrooms (yes, there are 3) and products as "friendly, upbeat and comfortable...furniture that's enjoyable." Winning points for the home team!
I love great commercials. It drives my husband crazy, who'd rather flip to the other MLB game than sit through 30 seconds of product pitch. But I love the music, can't wait for the punchline or try to guess the brand before the logo flashes on screen.
(NOTE to Detroit Tigers: Call Sam or Wallside Windows are not on this list.)
What's amazing is the great stories these commercials tell in literally seconds become instantly identifiable with an image, a few well chosen words or musical notes.
Think different.
Can you hear me now?
Don't leave home without it.
What makes a great tagline? "When it connects across all generations, geographies and markets -- and becomes relevant for the consumer in his [or] her own way," says Christa Carone, VP/marketing and communications for Xerox, one of the 10 experts tapped to rate the selections.
I cringe because the art of headline writing has long been a point of pride for really great communicators. Reducing the headline to SEO stats makes you wonder if people remember that the point is to reach the right few people with your message or your news. It's probably not relevant to everyone. And that's OK.
I smile because Rob Zeiger at Amway instigated a friendly competition a few years ago among his corp com team and outside agency partners. Whenever he'd see a story with a lackluster title, he'd challenge the group with I DEMAND A BETTER HEADLINE. It was, and still is, a great creative exercise to see if you could outquip your fellow writers.
So do keywords matter in a headline? Yes. But they are not everything. Is your brand about dumbed-down headlines or a smart conversation? I'd argue that relevance is a lot more important. We should take Rob's lead and all demand a better headline.
I'd like to introduce you to Andy Otteman. He's a client of CWC who is getting some well deserved recognition for his hard work and a cool idea.
After 17 years in a corporate job where he enjoyed managing people and helping them grow professionally, Andy has applied his knowledge and passion to a new business: Parnunu. You can learn more from Candace Beeke in this week's Business Review. It's been fun to see people get inspired about his vision.
What is Parnunu? It's an online career portfolio that helps you develop the way you want people to view you as a potential job candidate. You're not limited to a paper resume, or filling in an online form. Now you have space for videos, photos and project files that help show the real you. And if you've been between bookings, you know what I mean. It helps bring some dignity back to that depressing job-searching experience. With Parnunu, take creative control of your story.
For recruiters, it's offers a step between the resume and the initial interview, where you can learn a lot about someone and their potential fit in your organization.
Fairly Painless Advertising (The Happiest Agency in the Nation's 2nd Happiest City) also works with Andy, and interviewed business people in downtown Chicago about their career readiness. They asked, "Could you put your hands on your resume today? Are you ready?" Video here and on YouTube.
Think of your career like working out to stay in shape. It's ongoing. It's the journey.
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