KJA Mind Finds

Were there ads during the game?

February 8, 2010 by the kja crew

Michelle Corley : KJA Designer & Thinker

For years now the Super Bowl, for many of us, has been more about the pull-out-the-stops commercials than the action on the gridiron. What will the Clydesdales do this year? How much more sex will Go Daddy use to sell websites? Will the office linebacker hit again?

That all came to a festive halt for Super Bowl 44. Eyeballs were glued to the passes and runs – and that one game-changing interception. This morning, Super Bowl 44 is about the onside kick, a 2-point conversion, and confetti being caught by an MVP daddy and his son. The talk – rather chanting – is “Who dat!” and “MVP” and “Thank you Breesus!”

Were there actual commercials during the game? Sure.

For me, three stood out. Everything else became a mishmash of Danica, Oprah, Chevy and Mike Ditka.

Snickers: What’s not to love about Betty White? I thought it was laugh-out-loud funny…and the tag line “You’re not yourself when you’re hungry” – worked perfectly with the scenario.
Doritos: The bark collar on the dog – the dog smarter than the dirt-bag dude. What’s not the love?
Dodge Charger: The promises – hilarious. “I will listen to your friend’s opinions of my friends.” “I will watch your vampire TV shows with you.” “I will carry your lip balm.” They certainly spoke directly to their demographic (because lets face it, the Charger is one hot boy-toy muscle car). Man’s last stand.

The USA Today Ad Meter tracks the ads live as they run with a panel of folks. Seems I was in line with the panel on #1 and #2. They picked the Bud Light spot about the house made out of beer cans as their #3. You can see all the results here if you’re interested.

For me – and countless others – what will stick longer than any of these million dollar efforts… that confetti, the teary-eyed MVP and Sean Payton pumping the Lombardi trophy in the air. Can I get a WHO DAT!?!

Any commercial, moment, image stick in your mind? Weigh in – the comment section belongs to you!

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Job Shadow Day at KJA

February 3, 2010 by the kja crew

In the spirit of “Planting trees under whose shade we’ll never sit”, KJA joined in the Rapides Parish School Board’s annual Job Shadow Day.

We consider it both an honor and an investment in our profession’s future and gladly carve out time for such a worthwhile venture. Students from Pineville, ASH and Aiken Optional spent the morning enjoying a personal tour of our facility and a comprehensive overview of our operations.

From our perspective, the Job Shadowing opportunity, a relatively new approach to career education, is to be applauded. Just a few decades ago, kids on the threshold of adulthood didn’t have such opportunities to peer over inside the career field they were considering. This approach gives the students much more information about specific professions allowing them to better determine what direction best fits their individual interests and strengths.

And who knows — one of the students who participated today just might become part of KJA’s tomorrow. In the 30+ years KJA has been doing what we do, many new, young faces have been brought into the fold. In time, those young faces became part of a very key nucleus.

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Facebook effectively

January 26, 2010 by the kja crew

The changes in the way Facebook shares information clues you in on the number of businesses who’ve joined the Facebook Nation.

“Jane Foote became a fan of Sneakers Towing.”
“John North became a fan of Southern Tours.”

Bowling lanes, shopping malls, and restaurants, oh my! More local businesses hang their digital shingles every day. They’re exploring the possibilities of social media, hoping to tap into the viral love of the plugged in audience. We say “Bravo!”

But are they tapping effectively?

We visited several of the businesses popping up in the past few days of updates. Two areas seemed in need of some course-correction: interaction and information.

I N T E R A C T I O N
One company’s made 2 status updates since August – not terribly engaging. On the opposite side, the dozen-a-day updaters talked nonstop. These businesses felt the need to share every breath – and some repeatedly. That’ll send folks HIDE-button hunting before you can say “We have a customer.”

Find the grey area between being informative and authentic, and “TMI”. Social networking is about interaction – it’s not broadcasting. You want them to talk back. Why? Because conversation builds relationships. Use your Facebook analytics to dial in that grey area.

I N F O R M A T I O N
Three of these new business pages posted no links to their existing websites. One simply told us when it was founded…nothing else.

The content for your “About” area provides visitors insight. “About” also feeds the Google monster because the super search engine indexes Facebook pages. Take advantage of this 250-character chunk of text by including keywords that point their way to you. And by all means, fill out the “Information” areas. Include keywords and links to increase the content score of your page for different types of Google searches. For instance, Address, City, State, and Zip Code supply info for local searches. Company Overview, Mission, and Products help with product searches.

O N E M O R E T H I N G
All you businesses masquerading as “friends” – only fellow Facebookers can learn anything about you. Sure, you can send friend requests to bump up your “friends” count. Great. The only thing the rest of the web finds in a Google search? The names of 8 of those friends. Plus you get zero analytic information about your interactions. Sort of boils down to quality vs. quantity.

So, to you new Facebook businesses – we offer a hearty WELCOME to this connection-making tool. But keep in mind, a tool is just a toy unless you use it effectively.

If you’ve ventured out into Facebook’s business district, have you discovered things that work? Things that flop? Do you have questions? As ever, the comment section is open for business.

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The Spirit of Light

January 18, 2010 by the kja crew

Sometimes you see stained glass and your eyes think “That’s pretty.” When your eyes land on Stephen Wilson’s stained glass, your pulled in – visually, emotionally and even spiritually. He transforms what is often mundane into visual meditations in light.

His commissioned architectural works reflect a specific purpose and message.

“When I design a window, I feel that I am touching two characteristics of God, of his very person—color and light. I want each window to be a jewel, a work of beauty through which God’s glory can shine.”

Wilson’s independently created panels, gemeaux (applied glass), and mosaic works convey his ongoing fascination with nature, color, local culture, found objects, poetry, and music.

Take a few moments to explore what this Baton Rouge-based artist refers to as “the Spirit of Light”.

www.stephenwilsonstainedglass.com

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Be curious

January 7, 2010 by the kja crew

Sometimes you read something and get blown away by the simplicity of it. Seth Godin knocked our socks off today with his short and to-the-point Why ask why? blog.

Why ask why?

The secret to creativity is curiosity.

We often forget to teach kids to be curious. A student who has no perceived math ability, or illegible handwriting or the inability to sit still for five minutes gets immediate and escalating attention. The student with no curiosity, on the other hand, is no problem at all. Lumps are easily managed.

Same thing is true for most of the people we hire. We’d like them to follow instructions, not ask questions, not question the status quo.

Yet, without “why?” there can be no, “here’s how to make it better.”

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Make a one pound click

December 18, 2009 by the kja crew

Provide one pound of food for the Central Louisiana Food Bank with your click!

This holiday season, the KJA crew will ring in the New Year with a hefty donation to the Central Louisiana Food Bank.

Your click can help!

Simply click the “Share” button and we’ll add one pound of groceries to our donation. It’s that simple. We’re hoping to load the sleigh with one ton of food for families in need. It’s like putting the spirit of Christmas in cans to be opened throughout the year. But every pound depends on your click.

Your part’s easy. Aim your cursor at the big button, and click to share. (You can send this to friends and family to do the same.) Then celebrate this season of goodwill.

Happy Holidays!

The KJA Crew

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I will not eat cranberry sauce

November 23, 2009 by the kja crew

I will not eat cranberry sauce.
For as you can see, it makes me quite cross!

Do not make me eat it! Do not even try!
Or I will shiver and quiver and sniffle and cry!

I really don’t mean to be so persnickety,
But just look at it there all wobbledy and wiggledy!

I will not eat it, I must confess;
Instead I’ll protest and make a big mess!

I will not eat it from the can,
I’ll smash it and bash it between my hands!

I will not eat it any place;
Here, let me just smear it all over my face!

So if you don’t want me to make such a fuss,
Just keep it away from me, this nasty canned stuff.

There’s just one thing that will bring me some cheer,
As we gather ’round the table at this time of the year.

It’s a berry special message that I’ll pass along to you:
Have a Happy Thanksgiving from the KJA Crew!

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This holiday season we urge you to leave that can of jellied cranberry sauce sitting on the grocery shelves. Step outside your tin-wrapped routine. Put down the can-opener and reach for real cranberries instead. A little sugar, a little water and you’re on your way to a tradition worth repeating. You may like it so much you eat it more than twice a year.

Cranberry Sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
4 cups (1 12-oz package) fresh or frozen cranberries
Optional Pecans, orange peel, raisins, currants, blueberries, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice.

HOW-TO

Wash and pick over cranberries. In a saucepan boil water and sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add cranberries, return to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 10 minutes or until cranberries burst.
At this point you can add any number of optional ingredients: a half a cup of roughly chopped pecans with or without a few strips of orange peel; a cup of raisins or currants; a pint of fresh or frozen blueberries for added sweetness; spices like cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice.
Remove from heat. Cool completely at room temperature and then chill in refrigerator. It will thicken as it cools.

Makes 2 1/4 cups.

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The Coffee Connection

November 17, 2009 by the kja crew

Why is it that the best places tend to be hidden in some obscure corner of the universe? While the Coffee Connection isn’t exactly hidden, it can easily be missed by passers-by. For those of us who’ve discovered this little treasure, it’s become a regular detour from the routine of life, offering a lot more than just fancy coffee and tempting pastries.

With ornamental iron lamps and hanging baskets adorning the brick columned facade, it whispers of another time and another place – miles away from familiar Main Street, Pineville. But crossing the threshold, you step into a completely unexpected dimension, where the color pallet, distinctive finishes and hip furnishings define this über-cool, upscale-feeling, coffee bar. At this point, you hear your brain say “Wow!”

A vital component of this well put together space is the art tastefully exhibited throughout. And that’s where this interesting story takes an unusual, hard-left turn. The talented masters behind these killer paintings? Residents of Pinecrest Developmental Center. In fact, The Coffee Connection is a very admirable non-profit venture of Pinecrest.

Pinecrest Habilitation Director, Cynthia Brown explains that this venture provides Pinecrest residents with the invaluable experience of finding fulfillment through legitimate work, as well as interaction with mainstream society. Cynthia, along with Pinecrest Art Therapist, Melanie Downs, are the “space designers” who did a fantastic job transforming this formerly vanilla property into a rich Expresso expression worth savoring.

The Coffee Connection customer base greatly varies. “Some days,” Cynthia says, “we only serve a handful of our ‘regulars’. Other days, we can suddenly be filled to capacity. An LC psychology class frequently uses this alternative location for classes. Local clubs, such as the Central Louisiana Volkswagon Club, regularly hold monthly meetings here.”

And if the environment and art aren’t enough to make your mouth water, The Coffee Connection’s Wi-Fi and karaoke stage might sweeten the cup for you.

You owe it to yourself to seek out this community treasure. You’ll find The Coffee Connection across from the front entrance of Louisiana College on Military Highway/Main Street, around on the side of what was once the A&P grocery.
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On Wednesday, December 2nd, Pinecrest artists will be on location at The Coffee Connection selling greeting cards that are created from reproductions of their painting. The artists receive 100% of all sales.

Click here to check out more of Coffee Connection’s art and interiors.

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Carve out some fun

November 11, 2009 by the kja crew

You’ve heard the saying “the family that plays together stays together.” That’s not an old wives’ tale. Research shows that playing as a child taught us a huge spectrum of skills, which in turn helped us become happy, smart adults.

But recently, the compounding stresses of life, work and responsibility press on us – hard. In offices, there’s an all-consuming focus on productivity and quota-making. We find ourselves mired in the confines of business. Our smart and happy adult selves now boxed-in and tense.

Sounds like fun.

Rather it sounds like it’s TIME FOR FUN!

Years ago the team at KJA Communications Group recognized the importance of play in the creative process. We’ve learned that ideas come from relaxed minds, not from the hot lights of “we want it NOW” burning down on our brains. But we can’t say enough about the need for finding a place for fun in EVERY workplace.

The Halloween season provided us a perfect opportunity to infuse a bit of neighborly frivolity into the workplace. We sponored a building-wide Carve-a-Lantern punkin’ carving competition. Employees from 5 different businesses gathered round a big conference room, armed with assorted tools, decorations and templates and dug in. For a couple hours that Friday afternoon they were focused on something other than to-do lists. These realtors, home health workers, media representatives, insurance adjusters and a few ad agency types carved away some of the tension and stress from their work week.

Sounds like fun.

Playing at work creates a spirit of joyfulness and fun. This is a good thing, you want people to enjoy the place they spend most of their day. And, despite your misconceptions, research tells us clearly that offices where people actually LAUGH, tend to have people who are more productive.

As children, we formed relationships with our buddies at play in the sandbox. Apply that to a business setting and see how play can help us build communications skills, learn personalities and strengthen relationships.

Sitting around, sculpting goofy faces in vegetables stretched our funny bones. Who can’t laugh at a pumpkin with green onions sticking out of its “head”? We hee-hawed, we kibitzed, we got to know one another better. We learned that inside those big ol’ punkins… it’s really gross. And that if you put cinnamon inside a jack-o-lantern, it lasts longer.

When all was said and done, we returned to our respective desks, one last cookie in hand…as happy, smart adults. THAT sounds like fun.

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