First Friday: What’s A Posture?

“What’s a Posture?”

We live on the 3rd floor of a popular downtown spa and salon, so we’re pretty tucked away doing our web design thing. Most spa-goers think we either do waxing, some sort of chiropractic service, or excel in eyelash extensions. We were thrilled at the invitation of our downstairs neighbor, Alexander’s, to exhibit for First Friday. Getting down to business, we set out to create an experiential installation that helped illustrate what we did all day. But just what did that mean? (Besides Doug’s afternoon naps.)

We decided on two concepts which centered around coding and design. At its core, our daily tasks involve putting certain actions, commands or thoughts into a machine (or Macbook Pro) and anticipating a desired result or reaction to make some slick websites. We also use computer programs to help us design unique branding and awesome interactive elements for our projects.

To put our daily workings into a tactile experience, we used a microcontroller called a  Makey Makey (a fun programmable device) to put the spectator in the driver’s seat.  We programmed various interactive pieces around the space with hand-wired controllers projected to large screens. We constructed our own old school video game controller as well as a cornucopia of wired fruit (yes, delicious, nutritious, AND conductive.) Using their own energy as the conductor, visitors became part of the program as well as the designer. Their own actions layered different motions, shapes and sounds on our interactive canvases throughout the evening to create unique works of digital art.

We also exhibited some of our own generative art. What’s that, you ask? Generative art utilizes computer algorithms and user input to build textured patterns of image and design in static and dynamic forms. These selections were produced using software which was programmed to start minimal and grow while exploring the complexities of computer calculations in stunning and captivating visual pieces.  Umm… still sound like Greek?  TL;DR: We created these sweet designs by setting certain rules in the computer and then letting it go wild!

It also turns out that most of our team is, was, or would like to be in a band.  Pooling their talents Captain Planet-style, our musical forces combined for an awesome evening of entertainment.  This, coupled with Kat’s harvest sangria recipe (thanks Pinterest), some culinary delights from Vine Cafe, and a bunch of curious people – all helped answer the question we were asked throughout evening:

“What’s a Posture?”

Recently, we had the opportunity to host a social media and design session with NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners) NEPA at the Posture office. We were thrilled to have this opportunity to not only share what we’ve learned over the years as an agency, but also discuss ways we all handle the daily challenges that we all encounter with our businesses on social media.

A lot of great points arose from our session with these driven business leaders, and today we’d like to share our 5 favorite takeaways with you:

Respond (positively) to criticism
It’s tempting to just shut out the haters –  but when you own a business, shutting out a hater means shutting out a customer. And their family. And their friends. And probably their friends of friends. This is what reputation management refers to – actively engaging in online comments and reviews to build customer trust. Responding positively to a bad customer review or comment and trying to “make things right” is more likely to regain trust and prompt the customer to return to a business. Other followers can see how the negative situation was handled and build trust with your business, too. With the proliferation of reviews and recommendations on social media, our peers are now viewed as authorities on a variety of topics. Make sure trashing your business isn’t one of those topics.

Be authentic
Sorry, but your social media followers actually can see through bullshit. If you’re constantly pushing your product or service in their face you’ll come off as “fake.” Try finding creative ways to introduce your product in everyday situations while giving them a glimpse into who you are as a person/group of people. Post about your mission first to show where your values lie. Talk to your social following like you would a friend. Otherwise, your followers will have difficulty relating to you or engaging with you – and will bump you out of their feeds fast.

Take advantage of free resources
We’re not saying these resources can take the place of the quality and depth of detail that an agency (wink, wink) can provide you, but photo editing apps like VSCO Cam can help you improve your image quality outside of Instagram while Canva or PicMonkey can help even the most “design-challenged” folks on a budget create eye-catching image layouts on the fly. License-free stock image sites like Unsplash are a must to protect yourself from copyright infringement – always give credit to the author of your images if you did not take them yourself and they are not clearly labeled as royalty- or license-free. Free post scheduling software baked into Facebook is super helpful for loading up your posts ahead of time – or you could use a platform like Hootsuite or Buffer to manage content on multiple accounts at once.

Variety is the spice of life
Have a sale, event or promotion going on that you really want to push? Great, post away! Using the same image/content and posting it every day of the week, however, isn’t going to attract the attention of your followers as much as it will bore them. Find different ways to frame the same event or promotion that will continually grab potential customers with exciting new announcements and eye-catching images. Even try mixing it up a little every time with the types of events and promotions you post so you and your brand don’t become “socially predictable.”

Have fun 
Posting on social media shouldn’t be something that keeps you awake at night. Talk about what comes naturally to you and your business in your daily routine and have fun with how you use photos/video to get people’s attention and share your unique experience. Really liking a popular meme? Go on and work it into a post – your followers may see you as more human. You don’t need a whole marketing team to do this – you just need to be you!

It was a successful night at the NEPA American Advertising Awards (formerly the ADDYs) held earlier this month. Posture proudly accepted a gold award in the category of marketing sales and promotion for the design of the Metz Culinary Management sales kit.  

The Posture team has always been big supporters of The American Advertising Federation, but our favorite event is definitely the ADDYs. Both Kathryn and myself have served on the AAF board of directors for several years and have seen not only the work that goes into this event but also the increasingly competitive quality of entries that come from all across our region.

The Award-winning work

We’re especially proud of this project because it was a true collaboration of not only the Posture team but also our good friends at Metz. We were tasked with packaging sales materials in a new way that would reflect the company values of fun, integrity, quality, hospitality, balance and respect. Once we immersed ourselves in the family-driven, guest-first culture of Metz, our task became much easier.

Using the core company values as our guide we organized information in an interactive and engaging reader experience. Tiered pages created a pacesetting telling the story of the company, while bright colors represented the quality of fresh ingredients. The heart of the packet housed a colorful depiction of the values that drive the team at Metz. A pocket folder in the back of the piece contains matching supplementary material which provides a customizable aspect to the sales piece.

District Two Awards

Our winning work along with eight other professional entries will now advance to Pittsburg where they will represent Northeast Pennsylvania in the District Two competition. District winners will then compete nationally at ADMERICA in New Orleans. Congrats to all of the 2016-2017 ADDY winners!

Kathryn Bondi sits across from us all, doing her thing.  We’re beaming with pride today as it’s exposed that she’s just as busy outside the office inspiring great things as she is daily with us!  Take a peek at our very own resident Northeast Woman!

“What I’ve gotten from this area is a great community,” she added. “There’s a sense of lifting each other and camaraderie, of wanting to see other businesses and events do well. We have to be there for each other. In this area, I feel like no good deed goes unnoticed.”

Read full article here

What does summer camp make you think of?  The woods, getting dirty, s’mores and camp fires?   Naturally when our friends at the Everhart Museum asked Tony and I to be part of their summer camp we shared the same concern- ‘are we going to scuff our saddle shoes?’  Then we were told it was a camp called ‘Mini Millionaires’ and it was NOT your traditional summer camp!  

The week-long camp was only one of the many week-long adventures the Everhart offers every summer to kids in grades K-6.  Mini-Millionaires week took campers through the process of inventing, branding, marketing and financing their own product.  At the end of the week, the groups presented to a panel of local ‘sharks’ with the hope of buy-in on their big idea.

Excited at this educational opportunity, Mr. Joey and Mr. Tony got out the white board and prepared a lesson.  Our week began on Wednesday- our young entrepreneurs had already begun designing their products and our task was to help them brand their new inventions.  Using Tucan Sam and Cap’n Crunch as our tour guides, we dove into the world of branding and advertising- and boy were we impressed with these young minds!   From a fork that would spin your pasta to a space-saving couch that converts to a table and bed, it was clear these kids had some serious ideas- seriously good ideas!

Through our cereal inspired exercise, we helped kids identify the elements of a successful brand and then apply those elements to their own product.  The outcome was solid logo designs for each group to identify their product and use in their presentation later in the week.

At the end of the week, we were honored to be invited back for the campers final presentations of their branded products.  ‘Sharks’ joining us on the panel included Michelle Pane of Fidelity Bank & Trust, Aurore Giguet, Executive director of the Everhart Museum and Katie Gilmartin of Nada & Co.  To say we were collectively impressed is an understatement!  Mr. Wondeful and Lorie Granier would have been battling it out to jump on these ideas!  Great job kids!  And Bravo Everhart on another fantastic program for our kids!