June 2008

Two weeks ago, I traipsed off to see an acupuncturist that a friend had suggested. Was I in bad health? No, but between you and me — I’d always wanted to try it. My doc is known as an energy healer … or spiritualist … or guru … or swami … or something. That would explain why he is not covered under PForm’s HMO.

Now I typically have an open mind about things … and I’ll try anything once. Heck, that’s how I fell in to advertising! My motto: Nothing ventured, nothing gained. This does not apply to Brussels sprouts, however … which I have never tried because they resemble green turds.

So I’m sitting in his office when – as God as my witness – he starts waving his hand over me with this magic wand-thingy. I was intrigued. I was perplexed. And I was starving and wondering when he’d finish up.

He informed me that I had far too much wine to drink the night before. True, but how did he know that? Was he psychic? No – my liver was “sending off bad energy”, according to him. He also informed me I had a fracture in my ankle (which I failed to mention on my 36-page questionnaire because said fracture happened when I was eight years old). And he found great humor in the fact that I had recently injected multiple vials of Botox in my face. He (and the magic wand) knew that because my face was “toxic and devoid of energy”.

I was now shocked … amazed … and stunned. And even though it wasn’t registering on my face (thank you, Botox!), the doc immediately knew I was impressed.

After quickly deducing I had a crappy diet, he thoroughly chastised me. And immediately put me on something called the “Candida” diet. Which means I can only eat things while listening to Tony Orlando and Dawn. Kidding. I can eat meat and vegetables and that’s it. Or as he put it … “steak and potatoes … minus the potatoes because they are too starchy.”

Two weeks later the weight is literally falling off me. I’ve never looked better. I’ve never felt better. And it’s all thanks to trying one new thing. Which just goes to show you … you can teach an old dog how to get thin quick. Nothing ventured, nothing gained … at least on the scale.

Where an adult can be a kid! Last Thursday PlattFormers gathered together in a not-so-faraway place where we were all able to bring out the inner child in ourselves. Our annual all company meeting was held at the huge, hidden, entertainment center gem (as much sense as that makes) of Johnson County, Power Play.

Under one roof you can race go-carts, ride bumper cars, compete in Whirlyball (the world’s only totally mechanized sport!), play some cosmic mini golf, ride carnival rides, and play laser tag. Not to mention there are over 250 arcade games. Shooting games, racing games, dancing games, jump rope games, the list goes on and on. And you can’t forget the redemption games. You know; the ones where you can earn tickets to exchange for ridiculously overpriced novelty prizes? Well let me tell you, I know a little about these.

Walking around Power Play with heaps of ticket in my arms, I happened to be (or at least looked like) a professional arcade game player. Having been swiping my little Power Play card in every machine possible, I came across what seemed to be the tallest arcade game of all time. The object of the game? Punch a button and the claw drops a ball from way up top, to hopefully fall into the jackpot hole, rather than any of the other insignificant holes. Well, me being the professional I am (right?), hit that button just right (seriously there is no way that what I did had anything to do with whether that ball did what it was supposed to do or not), and boom, JACKPOT! Tickets started streaming, and I mean streaming, out of that contraption from two different slots. They just kept coming! Seriously, at the time, I honestly thought maybe the game was malfunctioning.

550 tickets came out of that towering arcade game. Combined with the other tickets I’d accumulated, I was on my way to the shopping spree of a lifetime at the redemption store! 700 tickets were sure to get me something marvelous! OR… NOT. 700 tickets wouldn’t even get me the little Dora the Explorer kickball. Seriously, I walked out of that redemption store with a measly Barbie doll outfit for my boyfriend’s daughter. Un-freakin-believable. I guess it’s all for the fun of the game.

After 2 hours of food (I’ve failed to mention the enormous buffet that provided everything from pizza to taquitos to coke flavored ICEEs) and fun, we all crammed into the Power Hall to get down to business. Well, if you know PlattForm at all, business typically has some silly fun intertwined…

We went over PlattForm’s budget and numbers (we’re doing quite well). The new building and upcoming revised dress code (we don’t have to say bye to the beautiful sound of flip-flops coming down the hall). Each department had a chance to do a presentation of some sort (i.e. – make fun of at least one of their co-workers). Kevin Kuzma read a beautifully written story. And Dave Admire ended it all with a quote that let us know how he really feels. “If you want to create an extraordinary company, you have to fill your company with extraordinary people, and that’s what you all are.”

All in all, I don’t think we could have asked for a better afternoon at “work” . Whoever said you can’t mix business and pleasure definitely never worked for a fantastic company like PlattForm.

It might be easy, on first impression, to underestimate Laura Anderson.

Far too often in the workplace, pretty, petite women are not taken seriously, and Ms. Anderson is both of these things. But if you were to consider her as anything less than a force to be reckoned in the world of graphic design, then you would be mistaken. After all, in only three and a half years, she has gone from being a designer on the Print team, to being a senior, to being the Creative Director. And she doesn’t believe in taking a back seat on this crazy ride of life.

“Be aggressive,” she says about the keys to success. “You can accomplish anything you want. You just have to figure out how to get there. Set goals and make sure you accomplish them. You can’t sit around and wait for great things to come to you. You have to go after them.”

Anderson has taken her position as a director in stride in just two short months, developing ways of dealing with the obstacles that crop up daily.

“The biggest challenge is balancing my workload and being a manager at the same time,” she says. “I have to be organized or I wouldn’t make it. Every morning when I come in, I make a list of things I have to get done for the day. As other tasks arise, I add them to the list, and I start knocking them out one at a time.”

Talented and sharp-witted, Anderson juggles a team of fun, creative-minded individuals, which is one of the best parts of her job, according to her.

“They create an indescribable work environment that makes it enjoyable to come to work every day.”

And the other best part of her job? Designing, of course. She loves the challenge and reward of getting to design something different every day.

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, creativity is a driving force in Anderson’s life, and for her, it extends beyond the Adobe Creative Suite. Outside of PlattForm, she likes to cook, paint, decorate and design – anything that allows her to continue to create. But when asked what she would garner worldwide fame for, her creations and designs were surprisingly absent from her answer.

“Possibly stalking Brad Pitt,” she admits. “I’ve had a minor obsession with him ever since Legends of the Fall came out.”

Can’t blame you, Laura. He was pretty hot in that movie.

Well it looks like I am the new guy here at Plattform. Or at least I was three weeks ago when I started. Since then they have hired several others. Seems you are not the new guy long here, this company is just growing and growing. I was asked to explain what it is like to be the “New Guy” at Plattform and to be honest it is an amazing experience. Let me start with my first day…

My first day at Plattform started off fairly a-typical for any company. I filled out paperwork for HR, I was told the rules, details of the programs they offer, and shown around the building a bit. Then I was introduced to the team I would be working on in the Interactive department. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Everyone is close to my age being in either their 20’s or 30’s. The environment is extremely relaxed. Everyone is having a really good time, joking and kidding each other, chatting, yet I noticed something odd about all of this… They were still being very productive.

This is completely counter-intuitive to normal corporate theory of operation, yet they pulled it off. I soon realized that they are not really strict about anything. As long as you can accomplish your goals with it, you can use any tools that you like. There are chess boards and Nerf guns everywhere. People have each of their desks customized to their liking, many with their own hand-drawn cartoons up on a wall nearby. This is truly a unique and fun place to work.

Things don’t stop there though. Because everyone is close with age no one talks down to you. No more being called youngster, kid, son, or tiger by those you work with, just because they are 30 years older than you. It is a wonderful change that I am enjoying very much. It helps relax me and just make me more comfortable to know that I will be treated as an equal here.

As you can probably tell by now, I really like working at Plattform and that is just on my first day. But the day didn’t end there. I was taken to lunch by my co-workers, welcomed with open arms into their community. One of them bought me lunch. Then when we got back I was informed that they were starting flex Fridays that week, which allows us to leave on Friday after we have worked for 4 hours. To make things even better they told me that I get to have my first flex Friday on my first week at Plattform. I have to say, that was a great way to ease me into my new job.

The rest of my first week went really well. I met more people than I am capable of remembering. I found that I like pretty much every person I met at Plattform. I won buzzword bingo. I also got to spend some time chatting with two old friends of mine that just happen to work here too. All-in-all it was a great week. Since then things just keep getting better and better.

I expect that I will continue to be very happy at Plattform for a very long time. For the first time in my life I actually enjoy being the “New Guy” at work.

Have you ever been to a sporting event, or on a boat looking up at the sky and seen a small airplane pulling a banner ad across the sky? Did you think to yourself and wonder how many people saw the same thing? As an advertiser and marketer, I often ponder this thought when viewing the Bud Select advertisements, among others, waving across the Lake of the Ozarks on a regular basis.

Aerial media can be used as a very cost effective advertising effort. Messages can be viewed by your audience at beaches, sporting events – tailgating counts! - concerts, parades, special events, or even during rush hour drive times. Average reading time is about 37 seconds at 1000 feet - Much more effective than billboard or other sorts of outdoor advertising!

There is minimal competition with this targeted circulation, unless those ugly birds or fluffy clouds count. Become more prominent in the ever-growing world of advertising.

Aerial advertising is four times more cost effective than regular print media! Also, GPS technology allows you to track where exactly where your ads have been. To continue, your company’s or product’s name most likely will be read, register, and also recalled quickly later.

You should consider the same objectives with traditional outdoor to be similar with aerial advertising – large letters, short message, quick and to the point. Black, red, yellow, and purple are some of the best colors to contrast against a blue and white sky. When it’s cloudy, simple white is good against the dark background. Always make it striking to demand the audiences’ attention.

Let me continue with some other benefits: your audience won’t flip through the channels or cut to the page in the paper or magazine without noticing your 4×5 placement in the upper, right-hand corner.

Aerial advertising is somewhat of a novelty in the world of product promotion. Most ads are seen during the day, when energy levels are high, positive moods are flourishing (audience is, most of the time, on vacation or enjoying a hobby!) They are most receptive during these times anyway.

How about the GoodYear blimp across the Royal’s and Chief’s stadiums? This “graceful giant” in the air has been making a presence since 1925 with the first blimp from their company known as the Pilgrim.

The only down-fall to this great exposure – the FAA doesn’t allow you to ride along in the air plane during the paid-for exposure time. You’ll have to leave that to the professionals, I guess.