Summertime Dreaming

Hello, long lost readers! I have returned from the North and South Shores of Lake Superior....aah. Forest, volcanic rock formations, waterfalls, and freshwater majesty—it doesn't get much better than this. It feels good to be home, but I have to admit that when I looked out at vistas such as this one, I seriously started dreaming of a summer house. A beautiful location + internet access = creative, inspired work, don't you think? Something for me to ponder, perhaps.

Preparing for a Post-Jen Landscape?

Greetings, all! Hard to believe another whirlwind week has passed at C/S hq.

It is such a bittersweet feeling as I prepare to bid Jen a fond adieu! I’m so excited for my friend on the cusp of some amazing professional and personal accomplishments. But of course, at the same time, I’m going to miss that girl!

So, you might be wondering: How does this announcement change Crazy Savvy? In the short-term, it doesn’t. Jen and I shared creative and administrative heavy lifting pretty equally, so C/S core capabilities remain unchanged.

But looking ahead, yes, the business probably will shift and evolve to reflect my passions and specialties—an exciting planning endeavor to be sure! For instance, right now I am considering the merits and drawbacks of positioning oneself as a specialist vs. a generalist within the field of communications. There is something to be said for a tight focus, but on the other hand I love the challenge of new projects, new subjects to research, new audiences to analyze.

So, no announcements from me just yet!

And now, dear readers, I'm preparing to head to the shores of Lake Superior—one of my favorite places in the world. Proposals and projects and updates are out the door. Now all that remains is to pack! Here's hoping summer is treating you equally as well!

Some big news ...

Hope everyone had a safe, happy, fun Fourth of July weekend. Yes, it's been awhile since we've updated our blog .... but I assure you there's a reason! A reason related to the events of the 4th of July holiday, indeed. Aside from breaking a new iPhone (not mine), cutting a foot open (yes, mine), and having to tow my brand spankin' new car 200 miles back to Minneapolis behind a 26 foot semi-truck (sans air-conditioning), there were even more momentous events in store.

After connecting privately with my clients, colleagues, and business connections, it's with both excitement and a bittersweet feeling that I share the following news with the broader Crazy Savvy universe .... I'm moving to San Francisco at the end of the month! Some opportunities came up for my better half and me that were simply too good to refuse — so the packing and relocation has commenced. Of course, I couldn't be more thrilled: living in the Bay Area has been a long-time dream for the both of us, and I'm excited to jump into the heart of the agency world out there and do some really nifty work. (Living near the beach, the mountains, and wine country doesn't exactly hurt, either.)

At the same time, of course, it will be hard to leave not only family and friends, but also this amazing business I've had such joy in building with Erin. She and I have (natch) been on the same page about this throughout, and C/S will remain in her more-than-capable hands here in Minneapolis. She's already tackling some major projects for the later summer and fall, and the future is looking bright. I'm sure she'll share more about these endeavors in the coming weeks!

I feel so very fortunate that I've had the opportunity to realize the dream of building and running a successful business in this industry. It's been hard saying goodbye to our clients — truly great people — but I'm overwhelmed and moved by the goodwill and gratitude they've expressed to me. San Francisco may be on the other side of the country (no tears for leaving Minnesota winters behind!), but I'll always be a phone call or email away. Who knows, maybe Erin will even let me guest blog here from time to time! :) And of course, I promise to send postcards. Who could be a bigger fan of C/S than me, after all!?!

Thanks, Crazy Savvy nation, for being a part of this amazing adventure. Erin will keep the updates coming — I couldn't have asked for a better business partner. As I begin the next chapter of my career in the ad biz, I do so with a wealth of experiences and insights that could never have been gained without Crazy Savvy. I feel truly blessed.

In closing, I'll share the postcard I sent C/S before my 4th of July took a turn for the even more interesting ....

So ciao for now, friends ..... it's truly been a pleasure, and I know more adventures are in store. This may be farewell, but it definitely isn't goodbye.

Fireworks, family, & fun

Wow — this week has been a crazy one for us thus far (I guess with a name like Crazy Savvy, it's no more than we should expect!). As the 4th of July weekend approaches, we've been hustling and bustling, running business errands, updating our books, and — most importantly — getting a major project draft for an out-of-state client out the door. All this, though, so we can have a long weekend of (relative) peace and relaxation as we celebrate not only our nation's independence, but also our own.

Yours Truly will be heading out of town with her sweetie and some good friends, enjoying the comforts of cabin living in Minnesota's northwoods. (After the adventures of the past few months, we're all hoping there are no more poisonous spider encounters!) My dear biz partner will be sticking around closer to home, holding down the C/S fort and basking in some much-deserved R&R. This is the first year in the past three that Erin and I won't be spending our 4ths together (alas!) — but I am confident we will persevere.

When we're at last reunited next week, we'll have plenty to catch each other up on. In addition to the requisite recounting of holiday stories, we'll be putting our freckled little noses to the grindstone, finishing up a ginormous, content-heavy writing project (among other things) and starting some fun design and photography work. Some of us will also be awaiting with bated breath the conclusion of the World Cup (Spain, Spain, Spain). (Others may also be awaiting its conclusion, if only so I shut up about the whole thing!) In any case, the dog days of summer are nearly here. Happy Fourth, to all our U.S. readers — we'll be tuning back in next week for more!

My dream campaign, and other stuff

OK, now that I've managed to scream my vocal cords into non-existence after the dramatic U.S. World Cup win to advance into out-rounds .... I think I'll sit down and write a blog post. Because I surely can't talk right now, or perhaps for the next few days. Yes, adoring readers: World Cup fever has set in. The recent paucity of blog posts mayyyy be somehow attributable to this little distraction; usually I am more than content to scribble a post during my downtime, but the past few weeks have perhaps found me planning my free time around certain soccer matches. (Particularly matches in which Spain is playing.)

Anyway, I'm here now, and glad to be with you (albeit a bit breathless still). Mid-June already, no? This month has been a blur for us here at C/S. We've been getting rolling on some projects, figuring out logistics for others, and doing some in-house cleaning, planning, and tidying as well, as we look forward to the next quarter and beyond. We should have some sweet new stuff to share with y'all soon, so be sure to stay tuned!

On a broader industry note, I've been enjoying (of course) all the advertising hoopla surrounding the World Cup. Ad Age this morning leads with a great article about marketing and the games, highlighting Nike's amazing "Write the Future" campaign (um, more Cristiano Ronaldo, yes please). If you're watching the games en español as I am (thank you, Univision, for giving me coverage of every game on network tv and brushing up my Spanish skills in the process — te amo!), the campaign becomes "Escribe el Futuro" — but no less charming for all that. Basically I watch this with severe agency envy .... if I could work on one campaign, it would likely be that! But until Crazy Savvy gets to shoot C-Ron and the rest, I guess I'll amuse myself with this piece of ad candy. Enjoy your Wednesday, one and all!

The name game

Happy Monday, Crazy Savvy Nation .... hope the weekend treated y'all well. If you were in the Twin Cities, hope you managed to stay dry, too — this weather is soooooo not pleasant!

Just a quick Monday update to announce a change — I have at long last returned to a family name and will now be going by Jen Fluke. For anyone who had to spell — or try to pronounce — Emelianova, this will no doubt come as a huge relief.

More updates on the biz later this week, so stay tuned! (And if you're not in MN, please send some sunshine our way.)

Thursday musings

Can't believe it's already Thursday (again) .... this month is absolutely flying by. Although both Erin and I have been done with the classroom for quite some time, there's something so very school's-out-for-the-summer about this time of year.

We've been busy all week trying to find the best printing solutions for a fun new client project with some nifty (but thought-requiring) environmental components. Fortunately we have a slew of talented printing and production experts at our disposal, and they've been weighing in with fantastically helpful advice. We're also gearing up for some bigger content-driven projects on the horizon. From messaging manifestoes to annual reports, development consulting to social media campaigns, our brains (and coffee makers) are busy as we begin assimilating project specs and tons of information. Of course, we wouldn't have it any other way!

Yours Truly is also gearing up for another very special event, one that only happens once every four years (alas!) Yes — it's World Cup time. If the next month's worth of posts find occasion to link to information about Mr. Fernando Torres, well .... indulge me.

Fortunately a few members in good standing of Crazy Savvy Nation are lucky enough to find themselves in South Africa for the World Cup, so I'm sure we'll have all sorts of exciting postcard updates. Let the games begin!

And, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that this weekend heralds the birthday of my beloved biz partner. I'm wishing the fabulous Erin the very best in the coming year — and I know you all share my sentiments on that account, too!

June so soon

Wow, it's June so soon — happy summer, one and all! Our apologies for a post-less week last week, but things in Crazy Savvy land have been, well, crazy busy. Last week found all sorts of exciting new projects being thrown our way — great news, but it left us little time to write, alas!

Fortunately after all the hustle and bustle of getting contracts signed, scopes of work written, and creative briefs solidified, we had a lovely long weekend at our collective disposal. Yours Truly relaxed at a lakeshore cabin in the northwoods of Wisconsin with her sweetie, Pushkin (woof woof), and some dear friends. Despite some scary creepy crawlies, it was a great time .... and I even managed to come home with a bit of a tan! My biz partner better half, on the other hand, stuck closer to home, enjoying the Minneapolis sunshine with plenty of cookouts, walks in the park, and even a new patio set. Much excitement abounded.

But now we're back in action, getting ready to dive into some great new work (which, of course, we're so excited to share with you!). And, we're also able to kick off the month of June with a bit of fan-mail — this time from our upstairs neighbor, aka Canada. Thanks, Krystal! Now, let the summer fun commence.

Time flies when you're having fun (Happy 1-Year Anniversary, C/S!)

Wow. It's been a full year for us here at Crazy Savvy. Pretty hard to believe. I guess the old adage really is true: time flies when you're having fun.

And what fun we've had! The thrill of setting out on our own, the strategic challenges of building our agency from scratch, the elation of signing our first client, the satisfaction of launching our website and printing our business cards and collateral — all these moments (and so many more) were relived today as Erin and I enjoyed a celebratory lunch on Le Meridian's sun-kissed patio. Naturally, champagne was consumed. Laughter was shared. Memories were rediscovered. Projects were rehashed and the future was discussed, not at the conference room table or at an intense planning meeting, but over crepes and chocolate confections (yum, yum).

A year ago, as we officially made the leap into the Great Unknown (aka entrepreneurship aka potential insanity aka welcome to advertising, baby), it was swelteringly hot. We locked ourselves in a variety of un-air-conditioned war rooms, wishing and hoping that our best laid plans would not go astray as we ventured out on our own.

Since then, those early days before we had a logo or client base or articles of incorporation, both Fate and Fortune have been kind. (Maybe they were amused by the name Crazy Savvy? I know many of our clients are!) We've been able to do some really nifty work, partner with clients we're genuinely enthused about, build an agency brand that we find both authentic and compelling (hm .... perhaps the two are intertwined!?)

There have been countless deadlines, briefs, budgets, conference calls, plane flights, business card exchanges, proof sheets, invoices, spreadsheets, pitch decks, Post-It notes, 3-a.m. emails, Twitter updates, client meetings, and (of course) blog posts since those early days. We've both learned so much — from our experiences, from the industry, from our clients, and, natch, from each other. In the past year, our lives have changed in so many ways, both professionally and personally .... decidedly for the better. It seems there are some very exciting things on the horizon, as we look to the next chapter of life at C/S. We're ready to seize the day.

But some things don't change. We still finish each other's sentences, often enough to be spooky. We still love the challenge of combining strategy and creativity to tackle the communications and marketing needs of our clients, near and far. We still believe in transparency, sincerity, hard work, curiosity, courage. We still enjoy conducting our staff meetings on the patio rather than in the board room. Most of all, we're still so profoundly grateful to have been able to pursue our dream and run a satisfying, successful business. We're still not only colleagues and business partners, but also the greatest of friends. Hell, there's enough change in the world — it's nice to know that some things stay the same, too.

So these are the things we celebrated today, sipping champagne and soaking in the sun. We can scarcely believe how far we've come — and we're both excited at the prospect of where we're going. So cheers, cheers to a fabulous year at Crazy Savvy!

Presenting in a Bullet Point World

While I was prepping for a presentation yesterday, my mind turned to PowerPoint. Oh, PowerPoint, almost universally reviled PowerPoint, how people love to hate you. We've all struggled to stay awake through presentations in which people read their PowerPoint slides, bullet point by monotonous bullet point.

*Yawn*

I have a few quibbles with PowerPoint. First, it's ugly. Horribly, unforgivably ugly. Yes, it's possible to create an attractive slide show using this program, but as someone who has wrestled with it herself and seen designers tearing their hair out over the program, I find myself wondering how many hours of productivity have been wasted in this manner? Particularly when alternatives like Apple's Keynote can effortlessly create presentations that don't make your eyeballs bleed.

Of course, aesthetics only go so far. My bigger issue with PowerPoint is its fixation on bullet points. Is this always the best way to present information? Let me go out on a limb here and exclaim: Hell, no! And yet this is the default standard in presentations thanks in no small part to Microsoft's continuing dominance in the market.

You likely saw the article "We Have Met the Enemy and He is PowerPoint" recently, which featured an insanely complex chart designed to illustrate the complex strategy under way in Afghanistan. As the caption dryly notes, it "certainly succeeds in that aim." If you haven't seen it, take a look. That's one heck of a chart.

I would love to show some examples of brilliant slide presentations. I have seen some, but can't seem to put my hands on them at the moment. I welcome your suggestions...maybe this will be a future blog post!

So anyway, after all this, it will come as no surprise that Jen and I chose not to use a PowerPoint in our presentation to a Board of Directors last night. We were aiming for something more personal and down to earth. This was a small enough group that we were hoping to share some information and spark a dialogue about our topic (the nuts and bolts of strategic communications plans), rather than leave our audience with the feeling they should have earned continuing education credits for enduring another consultant clicking through yet another PowerPoint presentation.

Hitting the jackpot (in so many ways)

I'd love to post something really witty and substantive today, but I just don't think it's in the cards. My brain is still a little fuzzy from last weekend's medical adventure. (I think I belong on House. Although as the good doctor or one of his patients, I'm really not sure.) After heading off to the ER for what seemed to be a cut-and-dry case of appendicitis, we instead discovered (many hours later) that I was suffering from the bite of a black widow spider. Two bites, to be precise. Rare in Minnesota, but not unheard of .... go figure.

Anyway, much excitement abounded, but now I'm on the road to recovery .... a road navigated largely from the comfort of my couch in front of the fireplace. And believe me, the fireplace is a necessity, because here in Minneapolis, we've been going on nearly two weeks of solid rain. Delightful.

But never fear, even with half its leadership team temporarily down for the count, Crazy Savvy continues its adventures in communications and marketing. With some exciting presentations on the horizon, it's looking to be a satisfying end of the month. We're getting back to our roots, tackling a number of projects that combine strategy and creative in stimulating ways. And we're fast approaching our official one-year anniversary — look for more news about the celebration next week! Hard to believe it's been a year .... I guess time really does fly when you're having fun.

But it's back to the couch for me (actually, I haven't left it .... how did people survive before the days of laptops and wireless?). To brighten up this very wet and dreary Thursday, we'll share some fan-mail from a much-loved (and jet-set) client of ours. I have no doubt that the weather in Vegas is infinitely nicer than ours here ....

More Than Yes (Wo)men

Allow me to get on my soapbox for just a minute today.

Communications professionals of the world, let me entreat you to join me in acknowledging our collective responsibility to be more than yes men (or women, as the case may be) when clients come to us with ideas that could benefit from more thought and planning.

So often in my career I have witnessed professionals shrug somewhat indifferently and say, "Well, that's what the client wants." End of discussion.

That's the easy way out, dear colleagues. And it's also missing a tremendous opportunity.

Certainly, nobody wants to offend or alienate their clients! (That's where tact and diplomacy come in so very handy.) It's infinitely more difficult to dig deeper and discover the root of the idea, but this is also precisely where the best solutions can be found, where we can do our most creative, strategic work.

After all, our clients presumably come to us for our expertise and counsel. As an industry, we do a disservice to our clients and to ourselves by taking the easy way out just to avoid a difficult conversation.

Facebook fail

So while we're on the topic of social media (see my penultimate post for more on the subject), I want to chat a bit about Facebook's latest iteration. Since the website was launched in .... let me see, 2004? .... it's pretty much been my social networking bible — my electronic little black book, if you will. There have been a number of tweaks to its look and functionality over the years, but it's the latest iteration that has my dander up.

Facebook has helpfully (!!()(**&^%#$) translated one's likes and interests into quasi-fan pages, presumably designed to link people together by shared interest. Sounds nice, granted — more layers of interconnectivity and all. But it's driving me batty. I dunno, maybe it's my peculiar tastes, but I put some thought into what I put under my likes + interests category. Much of it was insider information, things that my friends would laugh about and understand, but things irrelevant (and often nonsensical) to the greater world.

Number one on my list (as anyone who knows me would instantly grasp) was Pushkin. Now, when Facebook made the change to its newest version, it helpfully (%#$$#&*(!!) suggested the fan page of the great Russian poet for said entry. All fine and well: I do indeed like the writings of the literary great ..... but I was in fact talking about my dog. Another interest was "winning at Scrabble" — not just a game at my house, but more of a blood sport. Oh, thinks the new Facebook, you must be a fan of Scrabble. Well .... sort of, but what I really like about it is the winning part. Losing doesn't go down too well (especially when dinner at La Belle Vie is on the line, as it often is!)

What Facebook has added in interconnectivity, it's taken away from in originality and customizability. Plus, my understanding is that one's "likes" are now visible to the public. I sure do like champagne, but do I really want anyone from Grandma Suzy to a prospective client to be able to find that out about me from a simple Google search? (A silly example, perhaps, since I'm freely talking about it here — but I think you get my drift.) There have been waves of complaints about Facebook's approach to privacy since it was founded, but this latest seems the most egregious violation yet. I haven't poked around enough yet to determine if there's a privacy control workaround — there probably is, but the whole new system infuriates me to the point that I decided not to post my interests anymore, period — but the fact that the default is to public view is concerning enough.

I don't know. As far as I'm concerned, interactivity and interconnection are good .... to a point. But Facebook just hit that tipping point for me, and it makes me a bit incensed. What this will mean for companies and brands that have Facebook pages, only time will tell — it hasn't seemed to do much to our C/S page yet, anyway. But if this is the latest tweak, I can't help but wonder what's next.

To end on a more sunshiny note, though, I'll leave you with a picture of the "Like" that inspired this entire diatribe. It's hard to feel cross when looking at a smile like that .... clearly, someone is very happy it's spring!

Social media reality check

Greetings, one and all, on a drab and drizzly Thursday morning. Today I'm going to ponder for a moment the social media phenomenon and what it means for our clients and our industry. At coffee this morning with a friend and colleague, the conversation turned to the subject of blogging and its relative value. It's a question we often confront here at Crazy Savvy as we help clients find the best tools to build their brands, boost their business, and engage their audiences.

What about social media?, clients often ask. There seems to be this perception (misconception, one may venture ....) that social media is some sort of silver bullet. Current marketing initiatives not working out? Let's get on Twitter and Foursquare. Want to build brand awareness among new constituencies? We'll write a blog and hope they stumble across it! You may be rolling your eyes, but these conversations occur — far more frequently than you might think. Social media is perceived by many as a cheap, easy-to-use, dynamic medium that can galvanize followers and turn them into true brand advocates. Done correctly, this is indeed the case. But it takes some work.

It's simply not enough to merely have a Twitter account or a Facebook page or a blog. At minimum, these sorts of channels need to be updated — frequently — for them to remain relevant. There's no incentive to keep coming back to a blog that only offers new posts once every few months. But beyond frequency, there's the question of content. Is it relevant? Engaging? Fun? Does it have an authentic voice? Does it inspire some sort of action? The particular approach, of course, varies greatly depending on the organization: a major retailer of consumer goods is going to have a different social media strategy (and different goals) than, say, a start-up accounting firm or a university. But the fundamental principles of savvy social media use remain largely the same.

It boggles the mind that organizations that place so much thought on their identity systems or website or latest ad campaigns become remarkably blithe about social media. Even (seemingly) little things, like formatting mistakes or typos or off-brand voice and design, seem glaringly stupid to me. Presumably you'd proofread your company's annual report, edit your tv spots, fix glitches on your website, no? But I see these sorts of oversights cropping up time and again on the social media platforms of even some very well respected organizations. And don't get me started on endless repetition or shameless spam-type messaging from outlets that are supposed to be engaging and discursive in nature .... Think! Your social media presence could well reach more people than your latest campaign. So what's it saying about your brand — and why?

At C/S, we often work with clients to develop a social media plan that addresses the aforementioned issues in a way that reflects the organization's voice and serves its objectives. Sometimes we assist with execution as well, helping to author blog posts or identify salient content. Done well, the results can be impressive: we've even been lucky enough to get referrals based on this very blog! But what we always stress to our clients is that there needs to be a method to the social media madness, so to speak — a strategy, a goal, a purpose beyond merely "being there" for its own sake. It's like networking, in a way: it's not enough just to show up to the party. If you want anyone to take notice of you, you'd better find ways to be engaging and memorable. (Unless you want to be noticed for your really horrible shoes, in which case, I will happily oblige! But nobody wants to be the punchline .... and your blog shouldn't be the subject of one either.)

Alright, well, rant over. I'm looking forward to getting out of town for the weekend (in the new car! yes! yes!) for some lakeside R&R .... hiking, fireplaces, scenic drives, picnic lunches, endless games of Scrabble .... sounds like my cup o' tea! As always, Dear Readers, thanks for tuning in.

Updates from life in the fast lane (literally)

Phew! If you were waiting with bated breath for a blog post last week, my apologies. Our schedule took a turn for the crazy (and savvy, natch) and before I knew it, the weekend was here .... time for gardening, cooking, concerts (caught the Jonsi show last night at Pantages — sweetness), and yes, a bit of relaxation too.

So, let's see what's new around these parts. How'd we spend last week? Wrapping up some bigger projects and going through our traditional client follow-up processes: always a rewarding task, especially when the client is so clearly enthused by the work you've done. Also doing some of those less-than-scintillating (but oh-so-necessary) bureaucratic tasks and spring housekeeping (and bookkeeping). And, as always, meetings, meetings, meetings. A busy week, in short, if a more or less uneventful one.

But, oh! The oversight! When talking about what's new in C/S land, how could I possibly forget to mention our newest team member?! Okay ..... not a staff person ..... or an intern ..... or even a brand spanking new Apple device, as is so often the case. No, this half of Crazy Savvy recently brought home a sweet, sweet, fast new ride. This means commutes to meetings will never again be the same. (Erin will no doubt sit white-knuckled as I test out what my car can really do. In fact, on second thought, she may lobby that we don't go to meetings in my car!) And the car is even in C/S colors — fear not; it's not hot pink. But it is a wicked silver-grey that looks an awful lot like the shade in our identity system! Anyway .... can you tell I'm excited?

Looking forward, this week is filled with more meetings: with great colleagues and collaborators, with clients past and present (and future, daresay!?), with some of our great team of professionals, perhaps even with destiny? Well, we'll see. But suffice it to say, we're getting in the Q2 groove, enjoying spring, keeping busy, and — as always — having a great time.

Gone in a Flash!

This week has gone by in a flash. I suppose that traveling (and the attendant catch-up game that ensues) had something to do with it. I got to spend some time with those nearest and dearest to me on the east coast. Suffice it to say it was a weekend filled with delicious eats, excellent photography (as shown in the postcard above), and many, many laughs.

Back in C/S land, a few new projects from clients old and new are gearing up to begin. The calendar is booking up with planning meetings and research dates. This makes me a happy girl. Speaking of which, the library calls...

Have a wonderful weekend!

The art of the pitch

It should come as no surprise to anyone who knows me that I essentially live to pitch. (No, I'm not talking about baseball .... although Twins fever has definitely swept Minneapolis, boy oh boy.) When asked what my favorite part of owning my own agency is, my answer is invariably: the art of the pitch. Whether it's presenting new opportunities to existing clients or bringing in new business altogether, the greatest satisfaction for me is in creating the connections and generating the excitement that forms the foundation for fantastic work and lasting client relationships.

Of course, in my (always humble) opinion, there's a right way and a wrong way to go about doing it. I'll leave matters of presentation style and deck design aside for the moment to talk about broader strategy and messaging (it's what I like to talk about best, anyway). It seems to me that a lot of agencies structure their pitches around how flippin' great they are. And of course, you should walk (or saunter) into a pitch prepared to show & tell about how your firm's work, approach, talent, and results are top-notch .... don't get me wrong. But the kernel of wisdom at the center of a great pitch, I think, is about making the connection between the greatness of your agency and what the (prospective) client truly needs.

It's all fine and well if you do beautiful, wonderful work for fancy-schmancy clients, but if you can't talk intelligently and strategically about how your capabilities and experiences dovetail with the needs of your prospect, you may as well save your breath. Read the memo: the pitch isn't about you. It's about them, the client .... and they want to feel that their agency partners understand that, because who wants to work with an egotistical agency team, anyway? [Awkward pause. This might exclude most of our industry.]

I see the same thing when choosing talent, too. So many creatives want to show a pretty, pretty book — and often times, they're indeed mind-bogglingly pretty, especially when viewed by someone with my limited design skills, for whom making it through an InDesign file of my own creation without crashing my computer is a miracle. But if they can't tell me why their prodigious talents uniquely benefit our company and the client we're working with, I don't want to listen. Talent in a vacuum is irrelevant. It isn't about what you've done .... it's about what you can do, for the client, for their needs, at this moment. That's the art of the pitch .... at least in the C/S book, and so far it's seemed to go pretty dang well. In this day and age, where hundreds of thousands of dollars and billable hours often go into making the perfect presentation, it bears some serious consideration.

Plus, is there any better feeling, really, than walking into a pitch and absolutely rocking it, anticipating the client's needs and questions and addressing them before they're even verbalized, showing great work with panache and speaking both eloquently and strategically about how your agency can help realize their vision and exceed their goals?

No, no there's not. Not for me ... not in the professional sense, anyway. (Can you tell my background includes both theater and debate?) Annnnnd ladies and gentlemen, that's the Crazy Savvy take on the art of the pitch. Now I'll leave you with a very different kind of art — a postcard from sunny Madrid, courtesy of our intrepid world traveler and dear friend Kate. Until next time, friends, adios!

Sweet Satisfaction (or Grant Writing 101)

Ah.

Excuse me for a moment while I savor the satisfaction of a deadline met (with time to spare, even). A major federal grant proposal is signed, sealed, and delivered. OK, it was actually submitted electronically through grants.gov, but that's not nearly as poetic a process as you might imagine...

Perhaps you did not know this, but Crazy Savvy offers grant writing right along with our core capabilities in strategy, branding, creative services, social media, and copywriting. I don't think it is particularly common for a creative agency to offer grant writing services—but then, at Crazy Savvy it's never been our goal to be common. With a background that straddles branding, publications, and nonprofit development, it's a natural for me to include grant writing in my repertoire.

Plus, there's this: I really like grant writing.

Grants may not be as sexy as creating a flashy billboard, but I find them equally rewarding—and every bit as creative. Grant writing, at its purest, is where the art of storytelling meets strategy. I've always approached grants from a writer's perspective. Each grant is an opportunity to draw the reader into your organization's story. It gives you the chance to construct a prima facie argument in support of your mission, to answer each reader's question before it even surfaces.

The more stringent (and dare I admit, sometimes even arcane) limits proscribed by grant guidelines, the richer my creative challenge. Page limits and checklists of required elements? Bring 'em on!

Beyond the writerly joys, grants give a writer the opportunity to dig in deep and learn about new issues and topics. This is innately rewarding to the lifelong learner in me. Occasionally, it is an exercise in irony, as well: To wit, a recent project found me researching the educational potential of video games....while fending off near-incessant requests from a certain eight-year-old in my life to purchase a video game system. Thank goodness he didn't find my stack of research or I would be doomed!

I also enjoy the deadline driven nature of grant work. Some may call deadlines a cruel mistress, but they do offer a heady adrenaline surge as all the little pieces of a project come together. And a sweet, satisfied exhalation once the deadline is met.

Like right about now.

Aaaah.

Sunshine of our love

Well, Erin and I are more or less up to our eyeballs in some pretty major projects — but the end of the tunnel is finally in sight. I must confess, it's much easier to immerse ourselves in all this content when we can do it with the windows cracked open and the sunshine streaming in. What a (wonderfully) bizarre March it's been here in Minneapolis. I heard on the radio the other day that this is the first March in some 160 years in which it hasn't snowed so much as a single flake (glory, hallelujah!).

In fact, two years ago to this very date, we had to endure the cruelty of an end-of-the-month snowstorm. (April Fools came a day early, we said.) Indeed, as it just so happens, I can crack out a picture from the Crazy Savvy archives showing my wonderful biz partner and yours truly in our pre-C/S days. What was supposed to be a celebratory happy hour looking forward to spring became instead a soppy, snowy mess of an evening, which we spend huddled indoors, tropical drinks in our hands seeming sadly out of place, watching the snow fall and bemoaning our luck.

But 2010 is ringing those changes, because as I sit here typing this, it's nearly 80 degrees. Needless to say, I heartily approve.

Back to the grind for us, but I'll leave you with a bit of fan-mail — it always brightens our days, anyway. Although, I must confess, the thought of dinner at Spiaggia makes me very jealous (and hungry!) indeed.

Very much my (World) cup o' tea

Happy Tuesday, one and all. Here in Minneapolis, it's finally primo bike riding weather, which means I've cracked out Old Faithful (my much abused mountain bike) and am using it for all sorts of errands, business and otherwise. Why drive to the post office when I can bike? Why drive to work in the morning when I can bike? (Caveat: it's not as easy to bring a to-go coffee mug on a bike as it is in the car. Consider yourselves warned ... learn from my mistakes.)

Spring is here at last — which means summer is just around the corner. (Hey, a girl can hope.) And if I await this summer even more eagerly than most, well, there's a very good reason: the World Cup. Having grown up overseas, soccer isn't just an idle amusement for me ... it's a passion. (Hey, with players like this, how can one help but feel passionately about the sport?!)

But I'm not the only one taking note. This year's World Cup in South Africa is going to be the subject of ostensibly the most sweeping cross-platform media research ever. ESPN, in partnership with the Wharton Interactive Media Initiative (shout-out to my alma mater!) and a number of national media research agencies, plans to track media consumption of all things relating to the World Cup, laying the foundation for one heck of a bargaining chip in structuring future media deals with advertisers.

According to Ad Age, the ESPN initiative includes a number of industry firsts, including the first commercial use of an electronic mobile panel that tracks mobile media usage, as well as the use of iPhones as "electronic diaries of media consumption."

Huh. Sounds like a pretty sweet gig to me. What I wouldn't give to be the one monitoring the results! Having to watch hours and hours of soccer coverage .... that, truly, would be a labor of love. It'll be interesting to see what ESPN discovers, particularly in terms of smartphone usage and the interactive components of World Cup coverage. Perhaps even more interesting will be the subsequent negotiations with major advertisers, as media buys take on new, cross-platform relevance.

In any case, I'll be doing my own, slightly-less-formal, er, "research", as the games commence.

Tasty Thursday .... done properly

Needless to say, I couldn't possibly agree with Erin's previous post any more strongly than I already do! Being the mistress of my own destiny certainly has its perks. In addition to the personal-fulfillment and remunerative aspects of such a nifty little arrangement, determining my own schedule means I get to plan days like today.

This sunny Thursday afternoon finds me working from home: connecting with clients, doing some writing, and pursuing exciting leads — all from the comfort of my own dining room. Decidedly a good thing, since today marks my first-ever attempt to bake a cake .... homemade carrot cake, no less! So far, the cake's in the oven and all's well. Indeed, the smells emitting from the kitchen are so intoxicatingly delicious that further concentration may be difficult.

But I will try, Dear Readers, because (as always) there are many exciting things going on in Crazy Savvy land that we want to share with you. (So many, in fact, that we've been too busy to write here all week ... mea culpa.)

We're excited to announce the launch of a wonderful client's website. Based in San Francisco, Proper Suit offers custom-tailored suits in fantastic fabrics to fabulously attire the dapper gentlemen in your lives. (It's a sad thing for me that, thus far, they only cater to men .... because otherwise I would totally be buying things for my closet! As if I need any more clothes.) Proper Suit prides itself on fit, style, and value — and we pride them on their exciting launch, and for being so fantastic to partner with in the development of brand messaging and more. Kudos! We hope a celebratory follow-up trip to San Fran will be in the works shortly, too.

In other news, we've been in meetings all week, and some exciting things are on the horizon. More soon! We've also been working furiously away under deadline for one of our East Coast clients (note to selves: it's an hour later out there .... so deadlines come an hour sooner! Luckily, we're on it), and the results thus far are looking very tantalizing. Tasty. Delicious. .... Oh wait, could I be distracted by the smell of my cake baking?

I think I'd better wrap this up before I get drool all over my keyboard.

A Brilliant Balancing Act

Before Jen and I founded Crazy Savvy, I surmised (correctly, whew!) that there would be many facets of running my own business that I would find gratifying. Back when I was in the planning phases, knowing that I would be giving up a modicum of security by stepping out on my own, I drafted a list of the potential benefits of running my own show — a list heavily dominated by themes of autonomy, freedom, and flexibility.

Like all entrepreneurs, I was motivated by a desire to stretch my wings beyond the confines of my role as an employee. Now, a full nine months into this new life as a businesswoman, I can report that it really does feel wonderful to run my own show. I am continually delighted to observe just how much more productive I am now that work/life responsibilities can naturally flow as needed. To wit, it's parent-teacher conference time once again. How wonderful does it feel to be able to go during traditional working hours without that nagging feeling that I'm somehow shortchanging my employer? So. Wonderful.

This has me thinking about how businesses can structure workplace cultures that are truly supportive of work/life balance. As C/S continues to grow and evolve in the future, this is a value that will be at the core of our work environment. I am enjoying reading about companies near and far with innovative programs in this arena — Clockwork's Babies at Work program immediately springs to mind. Of course, Crazy Savvy is a bit young yet to be formulating such policies, but I'm filing examples like these away for future reference. (Got any to share? Hit me up. I'd love to see 'em.)

Speaking of work/life balance, here's wishing everyone a wonderful weekend. (Please let the sun come out in Minneapolis, weather gods! Please?)

My kingdom for .... a new iPhone

Just a quick update to say ..... my tech-envy finally bubbled over when Erin upgraded her iPhone the week before last. I tried my best to resist, but in the end, I caved in and found myself, too, at the Apple store last weekend, buying the latest, greatest model of iPhone wonderment.

And I don't regret it for a second!

In other Crazy Savvy news, our corporate taxes are filed (yay for not procrastinating!), our March marketing initiatives underway successfully, and our numerous — and varied —projects keep life interesting. Even a wonky server glitch yesterday hasn't been able to dampen our spirits (although it made for a rather stressful hour-and-a-half — luckily, catastrophe was averted and all is well in C/S Land).

Maybe our buoyant joy springs from watching the snow melt away and seeing the first signs of green (okay, more like brown .... but whatever) grass. Maybe it comes from the satisfaction and excitement of tackling some nifty new work.

But I suspect a good portion of it comes from my burgeoning love affair with my new phone. Off to make puppy dog eyes at it .... more updates later this week!

America's next top (agency) model

My oh my, this sunshine is glorious. Sunshine, the happy sight of Mn/DOT finally fixing all the potholes ... perhaps the impassioned spring fever pleas from my previous post have been heard by the Powers That Be. Hm ... having the weather gods on speed-dial would be a pleasant thing indeed. But enough frivolity! Today I'm going to ramble a bit about a trend I see in the agency world these days: the changing composition of what an agency looks like and how it operates.

Traditionally — certainly since the 19th century, when the ad biz began coalescing into the structure it still resembles today — the full-service, in-house model was usually considered the way to go. If you had the revenue, hire away, and bring the best and brightest on staff. Sure, the names of the departments may have changed quite a bit; a century ago, social media looked more like some dude in muttonchops and a top hat chatting over cigars and brandy about the wares of his client than Twitter or one of the thousands of other social media apps that now dot our technological landscape. But the principle, I think, remains largely the same. We want the best, and we want them on our team.

I'm not going to argue against that, for sure. To create the best, you've got to have the best talent (and guts, and an understanding client, and often a bit o' luck). But it seems to me that these days, many agencies are moving away from the bigger-is-better approach into something a bit more ad hoc, streamlined, freelance-friendly in terms of relationships with creatives.

I know when we were writing our business plan and figuring out how we wanted Crazy Savvy to function (can't believe that was more than a year ago already — how time flies when you're having fun), we thought a lot about this very question. Did we want to perhaps bring a designer or developer on board with us from day one? It had its appeals .... getting your working styles in sync, knowing you have someone to do the job no matter what. But we found ourselves thinking, what if it wasn't always the right person for the job? Did we really want to be so locked in?

We found the answer was a hearty no. We liked the option to bring in the right creative for whatever project we were tackling. Doing a print-heavy ad campaign for an environmentally-conscious fashion retailer? I know just the lad. Working on a Flash-intense website redesign for a sports team? I've got the right lady for the job. And so forth. We liked that, by keeping things small, we could keep them nimble, and ensure that we were able to bring precisely the right talent on the job to fit our clients' needs and visions. There are plenty of people who are good at a lot of things, but everyone — even the very best — seems to specialize in one or two things, and (just as crucially, in my opinion) have a genuine passion for them. That's the way we decided to set up shop, and for us, it's worked out brilliantly.

Of course, it's silly to think it works this way for everyone. The agency behemoths of the world aren't going to magically become a five-person shop overnight — nor should they. Some projects require a huge team, moving in synchronicity, to tackle all the requirements in a cohesive fashion. But it seems many small-to-midsize agencies are rethinking their approach to talent acquisition. It'll be interesting to see how this trend continues to play out as our economy in the States begins its bounceback from the recession (one hopes). It'll be interesting to see how clients' expectations and the bid and pitch processes evolve. It'll be interesting to see how creatives begin to talk about themselves, market themselves, see themselves. It'll be interesting all around .... and you can be sure to read about it here!

Spring fever

Now that the Olympics are over, it's time to reclaim our free-time, bid adieu to spangles and spandex for the next four years (Johnny Weir, I'm looking at you), and get ready for spring. What's that?, you may wonder. What is spring, this most elusive and seductive of concepts? Well .... I can almost remember. As I recall, it has something to do with being able to go outside without cursing the gods of weather and your own continued existence in Minnesota. Oh, and sunshine. Green grass. Flowers. Baby animals. Maybe, if we're really lucky, the fixing of the potholes that now dot the streetscape of Minneapolis like chickenpox on a second grader. Yeah. Spring.

We're certainly feelin' the vibe here at Crazy Savvy. This week finds us brewing up some delicious marketing initiatives, both for ourselves and for some of our clients. It finds us putting the finishing touches on some budgets and proposals. It finds us in meetings, at our laptops, on the go. It finds us typing merrily away as we tackle a pretty major writing project. And it finds us really, really longing for spring ... oh, what, did you just insinuate that I have a one-track mind?

Well, perhaps. And nothing underscores spring fever like fanmail from distant, milder climes — in this case, the verdant forests and rocky shores of Oregon. Thanks for the shout-out, Jess .... and come visit Crazy Savvy HQ any time you like!

They love us, they love us, they really love us (just in time for Oscar season)

Client 1: " Love, love, love it."

Client 2: "Everyone loved it."

We take client relationships seriously here at Crazy Savvy (though we often have fun doing so). Part of our approach to account management includes sitting down with our clients face-to-face after completing a project and discussing what worked, what didn't, and ways we could collaborate in the future. Today was one of those days .... and as the above dialogue indicates, our chat went well. Very well. So well, in fact, that we simply had to stop on the way home for a congratulatory lunch at Lucia's.

(Please don't burn down, Lucia's. I am already bereft over the demise — hopefully temporary — of both Heidi's and Blackbird, my south Minneapolis homes-away-from home. Stay strong, Lucia's! Avoid grease fires!)

I digress. It was great to sit down with some of our clients, including the organization's Executive Director and its Program Manager, and gain valuable feedback about the project we'd recently completed — an annual report and marketing vehicle for a public health institution. Not only did we glean some valuable insight (and hey, the heaping praise never hurts either), we were able to set the stage for next year's report and get the ball rolling early. Plus we were able to explore some other opportunities for collaboration .... always an exciting chat to have!