PC-World reported smartphone sales will surpass desktop PC sales by 2011. Numbers for these do-it-all phones continue to increase as standard mobile sales decrease. You know the names, Blackberry, Palm Pre and the game changing iPhone. People are adopting. They’re buying phones that do many of the same things as their PC…and then some.

These smart phones are where social networking and mobility collide. Like when the peanut butter and the chocolate formed the Reese’s – mobile social makes for a very tasty (yet awkward sounding) morsel.

Chew on this idea. Consider how this growing technology could impact your business.

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Customer walked onto YOUR sales floor.

Do you let her wander, without so much as a “Well, hello – thanks for coming in. What brings you by today?” (Skip the “Welcome to Generic Greeting” that zooms out of lips so fast no one understands it. That’s just noise.)

Do you actively engage her? Look her in the eye? Foster some type of relationship showing Customer just what a pleasant experience shopping would be with you?

You must let Customer know – without a doubt – you’re there to help. Not pester, pressure, tail, spy, or otherwise invade her space. Simply help solve her problem.

Sure, Customer might find the solution alone – choose the right item, make the purchase and walk away with little more than “Thank you.” When that happens, you’re forced to rely on your merchandise alone to bring her back. You did nothing to earn the sale OR Customer’s loyalty.

How long do you think that merchandise will sell itself in this competitive marketplace?

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Sha’nah, KJA’s web and interactive guru, shared a link to a ‘test’ developed by the design firm Pentagram. The goal of What Type are You is to determine what typeface best represents you. Is it Courier or Dot Matrix? Baskerville or Perpetua Titling? Answer a short, simple series of “this” or “that” choices and get a diagnosis of your type.

Fun stuff – no doubt. (Even if you’re not a type-geek. So don’t be afraid.)

But there’s a bigger point: Type speaks.

This clever test simply reverses what designers work to do every day – match the emotion and personality of a client’s message with a typeface. Fonts tell a story as important as the words on the page. They communicate distinct visual and emotional messages. We use “feelings words” like clean, friendly, grungy or professional to describe different typefaces. In order to make a statement and grab your attention – the fonts must say the right things.

So go have some fun. Visit What Type are You and discover the typeface that represents your personality (in a faux-scientific way of course). But when it comes to your advertising, make sure your type fits your message.

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Smart small to medium size companies are now working to understand it all AND make their way into this inter-connected landscape.

But there’s resistance. Things you don’t understand. Lingo you can’t wrap your brain around. Concepts which simply feel silly. Long term benefits you can’t see.

It’s like history repeating. The phone, computer and internet were once derided as time wasters, distractions and fads. Well – two out of three ain’t bad.

Do any of these describe you?

• You didn’t need a computer in your house.
• You thought one cell phone would do for the entire family.
• You saw no purpose for Facebook until you found 250 friends and family members to endlessly jaw back and forth with.

If so, maybe you’re a late adopter. Nothing wrong with that – for your personal life.

For your business – it’s time to figure out how this shrinking world can work FOR you.

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David Crain, KJA Creative Director

We’ve all heard the expression “raining cats and dogs”.

But apparently there’s a little-known phenomenon in the deep south that can be summed up in only 2 words — “snowin’ gators!”

Oh sure, it’s quite rare – as is snow of any kind in Louisiana, but this photo is proof that the Cajun folk legend really is true.

For those who ventured out seeking a relief from cabin fever, they just might have caught a glimpse of this guy — right here in the heart of Central Louisiana (Alexandria). He was standing guard in front a house near the Hill Street and Chester Street intersection. The second photo shows his more traditional cousin just inches away.

Kudos to the ‘artist’ that made this happen. Simply amazing!
Probably yet another person who claims to “not have a shred of creativity in their bones.”

I’D BEG TO DIFFER!

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Instead – work to show your audience how your brand benefits them. Remember, you don’t have to convince yourself. You – hopefully – believe in what you’re selling. You have to convince them.

To do this you must to listen to them. You have to walk in their shoes, insert yourself into their seats, stand on the other side of the counter, put yourself on the other end of the phone. Think of it as role playing. Pretend – if you must – to be anyone in your demographic. Keep in mind, your tastes, opinions, arguments of logic don’t matter here.

1. Determine how you affect their lives (not just what you sell them)
2. Can you do it better?
3. How can you show and tell them?

Now consider this: When your focus is on your customer – don’t you deliver a message about yourself?

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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.

1. 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.
2. Doritos: The bark collar on the dog – the dog smarter than the dirt-bag dude. What’s not the love?
3. 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!?!

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

Copyright 2010 The New York Times Company

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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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That whole “Build it and he (they) will come” bit only worked in Hollywood.

Social media isn’t microwave-ready: Pop it in and 30 seconds later you have a ‘meal’. It requires time and attention. You have to get the ingredients right, try it out, tweak it, try again. You have to interact, engage, listen and respond.

From Seth Godin’s Blog:

The reason social media is so difficult for most organizations

It’s a process, not an event.

Dating is a process. So is losing weight, being a public company and building a brand.

On the other hand, putting up a trade show booth is an event. So are going public and having surgery.

Events are easier to manage, pay for and get excited about. Processes build results for the long haul.

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If you’re unwilling to invest time in your social media efforts – don’t bother building them.

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“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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