Banfield-Seguin at the NAC Gala

Banfield Seguin's "Team NAC" enjoyed a beautiful evening at the National Arts Centre's annual gala. Headlining the performance was spectacular young pianist Lang Lang, the “hottest artist on the classical music planet”, according to the New York Times. The NAC's gala raised $745,000 for the National Youth and Education Trust, a fund aimed at nurturing and developing the creativity of young people across Canada. We had a fabulous time - it's hard to beat an evening of world-class entertainment in aid of fostering youth and creativity. (We just need to bring a real camera next time!)

Fostering Talent, the Banfield-Seguin Way

I wonder if employers ever think about how important it is to keep their workforce busy, engaged and learning new things?

Let’s be perfectly honest for a second: How many of us have ever caught ourselves idling for a few minutes during a workday? Or found it hard to stay focused on and (dare I say it) excited about the tasks at hand?

To be fair, underutilization of workforce happens even in the most successful of businesses.

Image courtesy of iGadgetReport

Ever heard of Jonathan Ive?

For non-Mac fanatics out there, Jonathan Ive is an industrial designer whose ingenuity and creativity was/is instrumental in the revival of Apple over the past decade or so. The reason I mention him here is because, before the return of Steve Jobs in the late 1990s, Ive had already spent multiple years at Apple working in frustrated effort without anyone noticing him.

It was only once Jobs recognized Ive's unrealized talents that the designer was able to flourish and help the company become the industry leader it is today.

Taking a longer-term view

Having this kind of vision requires taking an unusual approach to work however.

In a prior lifetime, I worked in an industrial casting facility where there were a few employees who were classified as “floaters.” This meant that they were assigned to whichever department had the greater need for them at any given time. If you’ve got ca multi-skilled worker, what better way to offset disengagement than by allowing them to “float” between different jobs if they are open to the possibility?

Supporting your people means encouraging them to follow paths that might diverge from the conventional, pushing them to keep experimenting and learning (and allowing them the time to do that) and knowing that the benefits will likely manifest in a) a happier worker, and b) a uniquely-skilled worker who will eventually provide a better return on investment.

In short, investing in your people means taking a long-term, open-ended view with respect to development.

The Banfield-Seguin way

Working at a place like BSL – where people get hired on and stay on for multiple years – really makes one realize the benefits of trusting your people and mining the latent potential within them. For us, it simply makes greater sense to retain and nourish the people you hire, versus constantly looking for “fresh talent.”

Not only does doing this help your company develop a reputation as a great place to work, it fosters loyalty in your workforce and keep them connected to their jobs, which is preferable to having them feel bored enough that they start to feel unappreciated.

Ultimately, the longer teams work together and know one another (and your clients and business partners), the better the work they produce in the long run.

Look around your office

Could there be anyone with a genius seed waiting for the opportunity and encouragement to flower?

What initiatives could be implemented to make that come about, whether targeted to individual needs or company-wide ones?

Could you instigate a regular and open dialogue about ways for them to put their talents to more effective use in the workplace?

Let us know what you think.

Hot off the press: BSL's latest issue of Brainstorm

It's that time again! Another issue of Brainstorm ready for your consumption. This issue takes a look at the hot summer we've had--of course we mean the projects we've worked on, awards we've won, and new staff...
Read all about it in the latest issue of Brainstorm:

Not receiving Brainstorm (our quarterly company newsletter)? Sign up here.

An “extreme” social media strategy

What I find special about social media is that it’s a form of storytelling in the moment.  We can share our insight as something happens - whether it’s about a newsworthy event, a life milestone or a popular photo/video. And this is what, I believe, has contributed to the massive popularity of this online medium.

When putting together a social media content strategy for a company, the story’s theme often revolves around its products and/or services. What is so unique about working with our client Iridium – a global satellite communications company – is that their products can, at times, become part of the strategy. We get the opportunity to go beyond our terrestrial limits and plan a strategy for the people doing something extreme and adventurous.

The strategy is then framed by the tools we decide to use – Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr, etc – and we determine how to best tell the company’s story on these platforms in a way that’s appealing to their audience.

We recently worked with Iridium employee, Walt Everetts (Executive Director, Satellite Operations and SCS development), and his friend, Al Lepore, on how we could best tell their story of hiking Mount Everest – a lifelong goal for the two men. Iridium provided Walt & Al with an Iridium Extreme satellite phone for communications as they were out of terrestrial range.

We wanted these two men to be the primary drivers of this story for authenticity; therefore, we worked with Iridium to determine how we could tell this story on social media with only the phone. And here’s what we discovered:

• They could tweet from their Iridium Extreme via SMS
• They could create live podcasts during their trek

This framed our content strategy as we created a Twitter profile for Walt & Al to share their progress and an account on ipadio for followers to hear the excitement in their voices as they were living this dream.

To supplement these live updates from the mountain, Walt & Al sent us photos and videos from their training and during their expedition. To house all of these assets, we created a webpage on Iridium.com as their hub, so people could learn about Walt & Al and track their progress.

What could have been perceived as a challenge – telling a story on social media from a region without terrestrial coverage – became a strength for this campaign. The combination of an extreme expedition and Iridium technology allowed followers to stay up to date with Walt & Al as they shared their experience of reaching Everest Base Camp while in the moment.

Confessions of a Pro(fessional)crastinator

I can’t believe I finally completed this article! I'm excited! I’ve been looking forward to writing down my thoughts on this topic for a very long time. As long I can remember in fact. 

But for some reason, I just kept putting it off… and putting it off… and putting it off… 

I think you get the point. What I’m talking about here is 'procrastination.'

You see, I’m what you call a pro(fessional)crastinator. And believe me when I tell you that I left the ranks of amateur “crastinators” a long time ago. I'm a lean, mean, easily-distracted machine! 

But don't get me wrong. For me, “waiting until the next day” to do something – whether it is a house chore or a blog post – is not really a bad habit. Or an obstacle to greater achievements.

Procrastination is a skill, a gift even! And I’m only half joking…

The Pros of Procrastination

When it comes to procrastination, the key in my opinion is not to pay too much attention to what’s not getting done. Rather, you should focus on what is getting done instead. 

If what you’re doing while procrastinating is of greater value to you than what you’re temporarily putting off, then you’re definitely not wasting time. In my case, as a creative strategist and writer, I see occasional daydreaming as way more valuable than, say… doing the dishes or filling my taxes, for example. It’s an exercise in imagination and problem solving, both of which are assets in my job. 

Procrastination can even have benefits for the task you’re postponing (that's right). Since it leaves you with a shorter amount of time to complete it, your survival instincts are forced to kick in and you start only paying attention to what’s crucially important. 

When everything goes well, the last-resort burst of energy produced can help you be more focused and efficient, and even come up with better, more creative ideas and solutions. It also helps that you’ve had more time to collect information and think the situation over before getting started. 

The Cons of Procrastination

Of course, there are also limits to the virtues of procrastination – eventually everyone has to pay their bills and clean up their apartments. We can’t just put this stuff off forever (or can we?). 

As you’ll no doubt have noticed, when you procrastinate, you’re more likely to feel stressed out and anxious, to cut corners and overlook details, and to do a poorer job on the task at hand than you would have if you spent more time on it. 

It’s easy to understand why most people try to avoid it.

But ultimately, I truly believe that there’s a productive way to procrastinate, if you’re willing to put up with a bit of uncertainty every once in a while. 

My advice is to take notice of what you do during “off” time and to try to become really good at it. And to only tap into your source of last-minute magic when you absolutely need to – otherwise, it’s bound to eventually run out. 

You’ll see, when used in moderation, procrastination can do wonders for all aspects of your life! 

How do you feel about procrastination? 

Do you have a success (or horror) story about procrastination? Or any tricks for making the most of your tendency to put things off? 

Please share them in the comments section (like, right now… not tomorrow… or later this week… NOW!).

Get ready to socialize: Social media expert Kelly Rusk joins Banfield-Seguin

Kelly Rusk recently came into the Banfield-Seguin fold, and that’s great news for our clients.

With her strong background in public relations, social media research and analysis and community engagement, Kelly really knows how to make social media work for businesses.

At agencies and on the client side, she’s created social media strategies and communications plans for local and national clients in both public and private sector. In fact, Kelly is a sought-out social media speaker and has presented at events in Ottawa, Edmonton, Toronto and Miami. She’s also President of the Ottawa chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators, in which she leads the board of directors in fulfilling the association’s mission to be the voice of communications in Ottawa.

And now she’s ready to put all those awesome social skills to work for Banfield-Seguin clients. Want to find out more about Kelly? Check out her blog, her tweets, her Facebook page, her Linked In profile... you get the idea.

Banfield-Seguin: our company profile video

As a full service marketing communications agency, we sometimes feel like the cobbler's children--we are so busy creating great work for our clients that we don't have time to do it for ourselves.

Fortunately that was not the case with our company profile video. Our video team worked hard between client commitments to tell the story of our agency--from our beautiful stone heritage building in hip Ottawa neighbourhood Hintonburg; to our dynamic leadership team and working style; to the personality of our nearly 40 full-time employees.

This is Banfield-Seguin:

Family-friendly and responsive web design: a perfect fit for Ottawa Museum Network

For an organization devoted to history, the Ottawa Museum Network is remarkably with the times.

With the goal of driving both foot and online traffic to the 10 local museums that comprise the Network, the OMN wanted to update their brand as well as their website to better reflect their primary target audiences — families with children under 16 years, and the grandparents of these children. And they chose Banfield-Seguin to help.

To be more approachable, we developed a web strategy using an open source CMS that would allow for ongoing updates to be made to the site in-house – with limited design and technical support required. We also designed the new website with more images, more personality and more fun. To cater to busy Ottawa families, we made the information clear, super easy to find, and organized to fit the way families plan their social and cultural calendars. And, since families are increasingly on the move, we also designed it with a responsive layout to better fit their lives.

What’s responsive about it?

Basically, when we built the site, it was coded so that it automatically reformats for the device you are browsing with. In effect, it is optimized for viewing on your desktop, laptop or smartphone — all at the same time. The site was also built to allow the client to control the content the user views from each type of device.

The results have been pretty impressive. From April to June, 2012, year-over-year web visits have nearly tripled. And, assisted by a marketing campaign embedded with QR codes, the increase in mobile user activity is even more dramatic, with a 726% increase over the same period last year.

So if you’re looking for family-friendly fun this summer, look no further. And look on any device you want.

Organization 101 - Lesson 3: Orderly Workspace = Productivity

In this article we tackle… the cluttered workstation.

A lot of productivity has to do with being in the right “space”, both physically and mentally. For me, a clean, organized workstation is a must – I can't work if mine is messy.

But being neat and tidy is also not for everyone (some people like it, some people don't). What is truly important to increasing your productivity is to create the right environment and atmosphere to accomplish the tasks at hand.

You should consider these four elements: 

1. Work area
Ideally, you should have a different location for each of your activities. For instance, you could choose to answer emails while having breakfast, to take care of your main responsibilities while sitting down at your desk, and to do strategic planning when stopping by the nearest coffee shop.

Even if you have to complete all of your daily tasks within a few square feet of space, you can still train your mind to make connections with physical cues, such as sliding your chair over to a different part of your desk. 

2. Tools
Preferably, you should always have access to all the tools you need to do your job – all within arm's reach.  Doing this makes you more efficient and reduces your resistance to doing a certain tasks because they require getting up to go look for something.

For example, you could keep a note pad for capturing ideas or a “to do” list on the fly, or a few spare file folders and labels for quickly creating new project folders. 

3. Distractions
Some people are more productive in silence while others prefer working to the beat of their favourite music. Neither is right or wrong. The important thing is that you're aware of what types of distractions (or lack thereof) work best for you.

Try to take notice of how you respond to various environmental factors:

• How do I function when I'm connected or disconnected to the Internet? 
• Does having certain mobile devices turned on affect my productivity? 
• How does my mind respond when I'm completely alone? 
• Can background music help me focus? 
• Does working some days from home lead to higher or lower productivity?

4. Surroundings
For your most important work, having an environment that you like spending time in is definitely a plus. If you have the ability to design your workspace, consider the type of lighting, colors and materials that make you feel good and inspire you. 

If a custom workspace isn't feasible, you can still make small improvements to your existing area, such as: 

• Bringing in a small lamp with a soft white light bulb for a warmer glow 
• Keeping fresh flowers or plants around you 
• Putting up some favourite pieces of art or inspiring quotes 
• Requesting additional storage drawers so that your surface is less cluttered 

By setting the backdrop for your day, you can reduce friction in the flow of your life and create better, more creative work in less time. 

What are some of your tricks to get the most of out of your workspace?

Enabling the best possible online shopping experience with Canada Post

As eCommerce continues to grow rapidly, so do shopper expectations. Recently, Banfield-Seguin and Canada Post worked together on a campaign for Canada Post Web Services, a solution that will enable the best possible online experience for shoppers. 

Banfield-Seguin developed an integrated campaign - including video, DM, print and online advertising - to communicate the benefits of Web Services through simple, clear creative concepts. The national campaign was targeted at both online merchants and eCommerce solution providers. 

Web Services is an important opportunity for Canada Post. The suite of eCommerce solutions integrates Canada Post shipping data and enhanced capabilities easily, seamlessly and affordably in a merchant’s ecommerce solution. 

Banfield-Seguin and Canada Post collaborated closely in determining the marketing plan, messaging strategy, and mix of tactics. Together we also developed a creative testing strategy to ensure we could continuously refine the campaign while in market.