It’s hard to believe almost 18 months ago we moved into the gorgeous space of 1085 Cambie and today we are moving out. When presented with the option to move we chose to take it and we are excited to see how we prosper in our next office space. We are moving to Gastown (our previous office community) and who knows when we will be back to Yaletown again. Something in me suspects it won’t be too long and it will be for good in our design house we envision our office to be in 5 years.

Anyone who knows me, knows I LOVE change. All good things come from change but also it forces you to remember the great moments and memories you had before the change came.

1085 Memories and Moments:
-Mike’s invitation to share space over coffee
-Morning gabs and laughs with Brie and Shannon
-Dog Wrestling (Chelsea, Modem, Angel, Chico, Goldie)
-Karley’s office move/setup surprise
-WTF Workshops
-Couch heart to hearts
-Unveiling the ViRTUS web design
-The Alarm Tripping (usually done by me-scared of alarms)
- Top Ten chalkboard list in the kitchen
-Tuna smell from Microwave (not a fav for Karley)
-Starbucks runs
-Christmas Decorations extraordinaire!
-Brie’s candle zen office
-Chico’s Courier Dog Attack
-Placement of our logo on building
-Vision Board making
-Amazing Garbage Cleaner (seriously we thought there were cleaners, found out 15 months in that Brie was emptying our garbages!)
-Modem’s bed in the cables under my desk
-Pride of our office and our shared office team
-Laughs, laughs and more laughs.

All bittersweet, can’t wait to see what comes next…

I am still reeling from the experience I had with the new book series, 39 Clues. It is series of books, published by Scholastic and has a very innovative spin that is taking 8 to 12 year olds by storm! 39 Clues is an innovative learning experience which utilizes all the forms of media for learning and provides strong creative incentives to continue learning. “Read the Books.Play The Game. Win The Prizes.”

Each book contains 6 cards which the book owner uses to uncover clues to a great mystery. There are 39 clues in total and 19 have been released to date. Not only is the marketing and visual creative design very appealing and relevant to the target book reader audience, there is a web platform which takes the series and reading experience to a new level entirely.

The website is very well designed, has an incredible animated mission/ game area (Arena 39) and offers rich interactive features for the 39 Clues book /game community. The real clincher is that the series offers over $100,000 in prizes to the clue hunters who succeed.

I am half way through the first book, The Maze of Bones with my children and we have succeeded Missions #1, 2, 3 and 4. My kids now know about the Bermuda Triangle, the Titanic, Amelia Earhart, Budapest, the Pyramids and more!

My son is eager to attempt Mission 5 and is anxious for the mission to be unlocked in September (they do not say which day to keep you checking the site).

Various authors contribute to the 39Clues series and there are also additional cards you can purchase to assist you in getting your clues.

In my opinion,  39 Clues is a complete success of marketing, education and merchandising. Well done Scholastic!!!!

I received an email from a colleague who heard about our WTF (Where To Focus) Workshops stating there was a weird Google warning popping up across our website advising visitors to be careful about being on our site. Charming.

Apparently someone decided to place some “malware” on our server and compromised our code by placing an automatic download on anybody’s computer that visited 3 Degrees West. Ya, all priorities that day came to a halt and Karley and I urgently began investigating this nonsense. We were obviously concerned about the security of our visitors but also we were greatly concerned for the negative impact this intrusion would have on our brand.

We immediately placed a fun dead bird on a wire image up on the site and made light of the “doofuses” that did this to us, while we stripped the code and cleaned all permissions on the site and server files.

I had no idea that fixing the site would just be the start of the journey to brand redemption. Ugh.

When I went on to Twitter to earn sympathy from my fellow tweeters for this incredible inconvenience, I discovered my Twitter account had been suspended! Apparently the malware affected a Twitter program and as such I was banned from tweeting and continue to be right now (god, help me).

As far as engaging Google’s trust again for our site and removing any messaging about our site, we have to go through the site review process again and this takes time. I have resubmitted the site and I am concerned how this will affect our search standings which we worked so hard on to improve with our newest website update. **I have a vision of a 30 something person, isolated in their home computer dungeon, spouts of evil laughing at his/her destruction**

Anyways, I won’t even try to understand why someone does this type of thing, obviously it must be for some twisted sense of adventure, losers.

So, as I am always trying to find the upside in a  negative situation (once the emotion wears off, of course); we discovered we were not being indexed by Google Sitemaps in the investigation process and as such, have now implemented that for our site. (Take that, malware messenger!)

The ripple effect on our brand from the Twitter suspension and Google Site review is unknown, but it is definately a reminder that technology can affect your brand, at your hand, or others.

Seems everywhere you look online and offline these days, there is a discounted service or product available. I know the market stinks these days as we are reminded constantly by all media outlets of the impending doom of our economy. It’s just downright silly out there though, and I am seeing the direct impact on businesses’ brand and marketings plans.

The larger sized clients are cutting their budgets, but still expect the same level of service and the smaller clients are wanting more value for their dollars. Now I am all for sensible spending, however it is disheartening to see value bump up the list above quality in any brand or marketing project.

I actually know business owners who are getting their corporate identities (the cornerstone of their brands) redesigned by creative people in India for $50 and then asking small freelance companies to design and develop their site or emarketing initiative to save $. The trouble is, these decisions affect their brand and dilute the brand messaging because they are likely not working with strategy, merely execution. How do you know these “cheaper” projects will be successful? What metrics or goals were developed at the beginning of the project to determine the projected success?

These days I keep finding myself drifting back to the elementary principle and constraints of a successful project and successful project management, also know as “The Triangle”.

As defined by Wikipedia…
“This first project triangle reflects the fact that the three properties of a project are interrelated, and it is not possible to optimise all three - one will always suffer. In other words you have three options:

• Design something quickly and to a high standard, but then it will not be cheap.
• Design something quickly and cheaply, but it will not be of high quality.
• Design something with high quality and cheaply, but it will take a long time.”

Also defined by Wikipedia…
“Each side of the Project Management Triangle represents a constraint. One side of the triangle cannot be changed without affecting the others. A further refinement of the constraints separates product “quality” or “performance” from scope, and turns quality into a fourth constraint.

The time constraint refers to the amount of time available to complete a project. The cost constraint refers to the budgeted amount available for the project. The scope constraint refers to what must be done to produce the project’s end result. These three constraints are often competing constraints: increased scope typically means increased time and increased cost, a tight time constraint could mean increased costs and reduced scope, and a tight budget could mean increased time and reduced scope.”

So, in a nutshell…..The cost constraint is becoming a priority for businesses today and the remaining constraints compete therefore the project size (scope) is being reduced. As business owners in the service industry, we need to be aware of this constraint shift and present options for our clients/customers that fit within their new project requirements. Stay tuned for our new offering for clients today who have a cost constraint (no, it is not a sale)!

Flipping through the journal I took with me to Nicaragua last night and came across a segment I had written about my experience with brand advertising in Nicaragua. **you’re thinking, hmm, sounds interesting**

“I’m on the bus to Leon, driving through Masaya, taking in everything as we progress outside the city and I am struck by the reactions of my team members to the visual imagery they are encountering. Some people are amazed by the transit uniquenesses of the country (motorcycles with multi-passengers, rickshaw “taxis”, oxen pulled wagons, troupes of people standing in back of pickup trucks, etc.). Others are drawn to the people, stoic and calm, almost timeless in their duties. Me, on the other hand, I am completely focused on the advertising and brand marketing presence in Nicaragua. (hey, it’s who I am)

Among the stable of brands being marketed redundantly (and I mean redundantly, with stacked billboards) were Coca-Cola, Del Monte, Esso, Eskimo, Victoria and Tona (beer brands I personally tasted and highly support) and Colgate. These brands utilized marketing mediums standard to the North American market and in some weird way provided me with some comfort and familiarity in Nicaragua.

Two brand marketing campaigns completely stood out for me, one for the use of colour and one for their communication tone…

(For those of you living under a rock, Kotex is a feminine protection product). In a country so heavily riddled with alcoholism, poverty and single mothers, it was not surprising that a necessity brand for women was so highly advertised. After viewing many of the Kotex billboards and poster signage placements, the entire team started doing a “Kotex Alert”, everytime they saw the colour pink. BRIGHT pink usage in all of the Kotex advertising was overstated (to say the least) yet very effective in idenifying and remembering the brand. I don’t know if the Kotex product packaging in Nicaragua or North America is pink, (will be checking next time I am in the aisle) but let’s hope so for their sake.

(Internet and phone service provider) You don’t even need to know spanish to be affected by this brand. It is EVERYWHERE and each message is visual and effective. The logo alone is a fantastic icon to express their ability to connect people and their marketing is friendly.

Their taglines used frequently are “Que tienes ma”(slang term said, when people understand you) and “La navidaden la palma de tu mano” (the world is in the palm of your hand). They have an approachability in their brand that draws the consumer to their products, a memorable and friendly corporate identity and a credibility in their offers as the marketing placement is vast.

The two above brand marketing examples are excellent at showcasing successful colour usage and communication tone in your marketing. I look forward to seeing new players in this arena, next year when I go back to build another home for a family.

I created a Twitter account because a person I know, who I value as an intelligent, professional business mind recommended the tool.(@BrandMaven)

My first questions were, “What is Twitter?”, “How do you use it?” and “Is it like Facebook?”- which I believe Facebook to be a cardholder for social inequities and a time waster for the popularity challenged.

To my great surprise, Twitter’s efficiency in connecting with others, broadening your personal and business networks and updating your activity to your followers is astounding! I jumped on the Twitter train, with no hesitation and I am loving the ride.

One of the things I have enjoyed most from Twitter is the learning and insight I have gleamed of the different stages I experienced in Twitterville.

From my perspective, there are really Four Stages of Twitter Life:

STAGE ONE: “The Tweetbie”

The Tweetbie is a new Twitter account owner, who has been referred to Twitter. He or she is optimistic and excited by followship growth of direct contacts and peers. The primary Tweetbie purpose of adapting to Twitter is to try the tool, to be cool. The Tweetbie typically for the first two weeks is active in posting tweets about their personal activities, food selections, weather and responds (”replies”) to his direct tweet network. He or she uses ample references to “tweet” in their posts, the Tweetbie is easy to spot.

STAGE TWO: “The TweetSpy”

The TweetSpy is a user who has been active on Twitter for a few weeks/months and is envious of profiles with tons of followers. This curious tweeter is extremely excited by receiving followship from strangers (a really cool feeling, making you feel worthy) and has dabbled in replying to people he does not know directly. The TweetSpy reads his/her tweets actively and begins to investigate the ample Twitter tools available.

*****This is a pivotal stage for the twitterer - it is at this moment that he/she chooses to make Twitter an active part of the day (read:a time committment) and he/she has shifted the posts from self confessions to responding to others and engaging potential Tweetbies from their network. The TweetSpy’s purpose is to connect with others, feel ignited by the knowledge sources and incredible possibilities of the tool.

STAGE THREE: “The TwitFix”

This stage of twittering is a blast and once you experience it, you will know the true beauty of Twitter. A TwitFix user is one who is focused on growing their followship - but for purposes of learning, growing and connection. It is at this TwitFix stage, that the Twitter user realizes how the tool connects us geographically by our profiles, interests and humour. There are conglomerate communities at this stage that enrich and focus on specific likemindedness. Some excellent examples (these are only a tiny spec of what is available):

TwitterMoms(personal fav), Authors, Coupon Crazy People, Dallas Cowboys Fans, Entrepreneurs, Firefighters, iPhone Developers, Military Family, Musicians, NASCAR, Networking Divas, Nurses, Plurk Users, Seattle SeaHawks, Small Business Owners, Tupperware Reps, Work at Home Dads, Youth Marketing and SO MANY MORE!!

There are even many tools, like the one I used for the above groups (Twitter Groups), that help you to find people and groups with shared interests.

The type of communication for the TwitFix is unique and giving. The posts are not self-serving, they are direct responses to people’s inquiries, RTs of interesting info (RT=Retweet, the biggest compliment you can give a tweeter) and humourous, genuine replies to follower posts. It is at this stage you must be FOREWARNED: DO NOT autoreply for tweet followers-it is not approved by the twitter community and almost brings you down to a Tweetbie stage.

STAGE FOUR: “The Twitistoric”

Now, this stage is hard for me to identify as simply there are few Twitistorics out there. These users are the leading edge of social media, they adopt technologies quickly, have relevant, interesting tweets and have a fantastic ability to aggregate and educate Tweetbies and TweetSpies. They are NOT Twitistoric because of their number of followers (some people will follow just to build #’s and then not be active in DMs, replies or posts). Twitistorics have been utilizing Twitter for ages, they welcome everyone, respond to DMs (1000s of them daily) and help people to embrace the tool.

Overall, the important thing to note is where you sit currently in the four stages of Twitter and where you want to be. When you are figuring that out, ask yourself, why? What stage are you aspiring to achieve with Twitter and why do you want to be there?

Me - I’m between a TweetSpy and a TwitFix, you can follow me @SandyGerber. I have definately learned that personal network posts are good for Tweetbies but responding and DMing Twitistorics provides me with way more enjoyment and education. Thank you Twitter for bringing our world together online with efficiency.

I recently had a friend describe Linked In as the “red haired cousin of social networking” and I laughed but also felt defensive at the same time. Weird, as I certainly had nothing to do with the development of Linked In, but I guess it is because I think the tool is good and is one of the more professional social networking options available.

Linked In is exceptional for evaluating business contact opportunities, posting and receiving valuable expert opinion, qualifying potential employees or employers and giving and reviewing real testimonials. My opinion on Facebook is very different, I think it is the pretentious cousin.

You have to understand, while millions of people were myspacing and facebooking it, I defiantly declined any suggestion to jump on the band wagon. One day, (when no one was looking) I took a stroll through the Facebook world, created my profile and then went to town looking for my friends and network.

I was so surprised to find the lack of boundaries Facebook provides and more importantly, the obvious amount of work I would need to do to even do a half-ass job at having my piece of Facebook pie. I mean really, how badly did my friends and colleagues need or even want my top Movie Picks? Did I really need someone to send me a virtual plant to say they are thinking of me?

As a business woman and busy mom, I am more interested in CREATING valuable relationships of which I can be introduced to interesting people and colleagues. The final straw was the image tagged of my twin sister in a tafeta prom dress from the eightees that one of her “friends” put up on Facebook. I deleted my Facebook profile and nixed it from my vocabulary, certain that someday the good features of it would be introduced in a new and better tool.

I am thrilled to say, that day has come for me. Twitter city, here I come!! If you are not using Twitter, no worries, you will not have that, “oh no, I am so behind” feeling. Just get an account and get tweeting, it is fascinating and opens you up to a world of information and like minded people. People follow you and you follow people, all at the click of a mouse and no unnecessary work is needed to update or “sexify’ your profile.

The choice is up to you, in my opinion, Facebook is for high school/university and popularity contests. Linked In is for business owners and professionals and Twitter is for everyone. Get tweeting, solidify your personal brand and follow me!