Staff Blog
Our weekly blog, written by FH staff, features our reflections about a variety of personal and industry-related points of view.
Archives
Jack of All Trades
Feb. 22, 2012
By Michael Iles, senior graphic designer
“Variety is the spice of life,” so they say. If that is the case, then my workdays are anything but mild.
My official title is senior graphic designer, however, my responsibilities here at the firm entail so much more than that. Here’s a list of everything that comes to mind:
- Graphic designer
- Web designer
- Photographer
- Art director
- Video editor
- Audio editor
- Copywriter
- Liaison for vendors
- Contract Web developers
- Web hosts
- Email hosts
- Printers
- IT support for the firm
- Media “expert”
- Printer repairman
- Interior decorator
I am often called upon to fix my co-workers computers, email problems or software problems. I troubleshoot IT errors when the network fails. I recently tracked down all of the equipment that we needed for a client media training (including a 50 ft HDMI cable and a high-end HD digital camcorder). I advise on hosting environments and requirements for the firm’s and client’s websites. I advise on office décor. And so much more.
It’s all a part of the fun of working for a small firm and without all of this variety, I think I would go nuts.
What random responsibilities have you encountered in your professional life?
One-Year Anniversary
Feb. 17, 2012
By Tom Heiby, chief executive officer and Doug Frazier, chief creative officer
Today we celebrate our one-year anniversary! Over the past year we have changed our name, moved into an office space designed specifically for our staff and continue to add great clients. Thank you to everyone for your support and well wishes. This very successful, progressive year has set the tone for many more to come.
Professional Kudos
Feb. 14, 2012
By Andrea Bils, account executive
It’s award season for the entertainment industry. Celebrities are being recognized for their artistic performances nearly every weekend with much ado. Other industries do their fair share of gloating, though it’s not as concentrated and occurs throughout the year. The public relations industry has several awards up for grabs, including the local Public Relations Society of America Central Ohio PRism Awards next month. With all of this recognition transpiring it got me thinking — We need to do a better job of recognizing the everyday achievements of people and from a professional perspective, this means the successes of our colleagues.
Positive reinforcement from time to time helps everyone to stay professionally motivated and gives the acknowledger feel-good endorphins, too.
Ways to Praise
- Compliment a well-written headline
- Show appreciation for the attention to detail someone spent editing copy for your client’s project
- Commend the media coverage that your colleague received
- Mention the creativity of your graphic designer
- Note respect for the extra time a coworker spent at a brainstorm while balancing other priorities
Everyone deserves to be appreciated. Validation of great work performance is beneficial not only for the individual’s morale, but it also benefits the entire staff because the individual is more encouraged to continue to do great work on behalf of the success of the business. Each person at the workplace plays a role to create a winning campaign or execute a noteworthy project, similar to needing lead characters, supporting actors, producers and directors to create a film or CD worthy of an Oscar or Grammy.
It should always be considered award season at the office.
Super Bowl Ads: What’s the Big Deal?
Feb. 8, 2012
By Michelle Leitzy, account executive
Let me admit this up front. I watch the Super Bowl for the commercials and the halftime show. Don’t judge me, I’m guessing that half of the people who watch the game do so to see the commercials.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a football fan and will glue myself to the television or a tailgate for my beloved Buckeyes, but I just don’t have that same passion for a professional team (no offense to the Browns or Bengals).
So, what’s the big deal about these “super” commercials? It has a lot to do with the viewership. According to a survey from the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association conducted by BigInsight, an estimated 173 million people – a record – watched this year’s game. Nearly three-quarters of the viewers say they view the advertisements as entertainment.
The survey found 16.9 percent said that the commercials make them aware of the advertisers’ brand and another 8.4 percent said that the commercials influence them to buy products from advertisers — the best percentage reported in the survey’s history.
Because of the cost of investing in advertising in the Super Bowl, companies regularly develop their most expensive advertisements for this broadcast. As a result, watching and discussing the broadcast’s commercials has become a significant cultural event.
All of that being said, these are some of my favorites from this year’s Super Bowl:
- Honda – “Matthew’s Day Off”: I’m a “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” fan — What more can I say?
- Volkswagen – “The Dog Strikes Back”: You can’t tell me that you didn’t find this dog cute. However, I could have done without the Star Wars bit at the end.
- Dannon Oikos – “The Tease”: What I liked about this was that it didn’t seem to be your typical Super Bowl commercial “event.” It was fun and playful throughout and the ending was just unexpected and gave me a laugh.
Do you agree or disagree with any of my picks? Do you have any favorites/not-so favorites that I didn’t include? What are your thoughts about companies advertising during the Super Bowl? Would you recommend it?
My Bucket List(s)
Feb. 1, 2012
By Denise Clark, director of client services
I had never heard the term “bucket list” until the movie “The Bucket List” was released in 2008 starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. What a great concept – making a list of things you want to experience before you die. I began to think about my bucket list and making mental notes as to what I want to experience before I depart this earthly plane.
Now, my list is not long at all at this point but it does include a few fun ideas that, until recently, I thought were out of my grasp.
Visiting Australia. I have wanted to go to Australia since I became pen pals with an Australian girl named Cathy when I was in the fifth grade. Cathy and I maintained a writing relationship for many years but lost track of each other as we moved into life after college. With the Internet, Cathy was able to find me and we resumed our friendship – this time online. That is when I began to really think about saving money and planning for a trip to Australia. I even have a bucket list specifically for my trip – holding a koala bear and visiting Ares Rock.
Visiting Egypt. So, now that I have been bit by the travel bug, I really am viewing the world as my oyster. Where do I want to go? I have been fascinated by Egypt for a long time. So, it is on the list.
Owning a convertible. Again, something I hadn’t really considered until I started to develop my bucket list.
As I thought more about my bucket list and my New Year’s resolutions, I started to think about developing a bucket list for my professional life. Instead of listing my professional aspirations (which seems “cold” and “must-do”), I began to create a “professional bucket list.” In my mind, reframing my career goals as a bucket list helps me to embrace these items more than a cold list of goals. My professional bucket list includes:
Obtaining my Accredited in Public Relations (APR). No explanation needed.
Learning to be a better manager. Not sure what this means for me (and more importantly, for those around me) but I am exploring this to add more concrete items to my professional bucket list.
Learning more about today’s business climate and how it impacts our clients. Having a solid understanding of what is occuring throughout the world today will make me a better strategic counselor for our clients.
Do you have a personal and/or professional bucket list? If not, you might want to make some time to give it some thought. Time moves quickly (way too quickly) and it is too easy to get caught up in day-to-day living. Treat yourself right, establish a bucket list and make plans to start experiencing your dreams. If you have trouble starting your bucket list, you might get some ideas from this website.