I was just thinking about how so many companies/brands want me to be their friend these days, especially in online social media. They want to get to know me, my habits, desires, and fears.  But they usually go about it all wrong by pushing messages at me, trying to get me to engage in meaningless interactions via social media, etc.  For now, I'm OK with that since that's the game currently being played online. However, if they really want to get to know me, they should take me to dinner.

Literally.

Often, when you meet new people that you like, one of the things typically done is that you hangout and get to know each other over a good meal.  I challenge brands to do that as well. Mitt Romney and some law from the 19th century says that companies are people too, so it's time for them to act accordingly.

I dare a brand to try this. Double-dog dare them.

Take some new or current customers out for dinner. Not an overly fancy dinner. Something realistic. Ask them questions. They'll ask some back. Get to know each other. Exchange emails. Real emails, not corporate ones. Pick-up the check. Who knows, you may make a real, meaningful and lasting connection with someone not as a consumer, but as a person. You could do this randomly, via Facebook or Twitter. Just email one of your fans/followers and ask them to lunch or dinner. Heck, why not brunch?  Maybe tell them to bring a couple of friends as well.  Make it fun, authentic and engaging. Leave the suits at home. This isn't field research, it's a meal with friends. Get it?

What could happen if Apple did thi,s or the makers of Pez, or Adobe, or your favorite brand?  They'd probably get some positive impact in social media. Possibly some press. But most importantly, they would learn a lot and probably gain a friend for life.

Isn't that the ultimate goal anyway?

While in a meeting at work, someone jokingly said "Creatives are such divas sometimes."  Um, really? Divas?  I haven't met any creatives that are true divas. Yeah, we can be emotional and expressive, but from what I've experienced, creatives are hard-working, expressive, clever, and supremely talented. Here are five reasons why: 

1. Taking Arrows - There's nothing less fun than standing in front of a room full of people while they review your work. hoping they will like it or some part of it. Hoping that it's on-brand, on-strategy, beautiful, exciting, memorable. As creatives, we are constantly being judged so we develop thick skins and try not to take negative feedback personally. Oh, how we try. As the arrows are being shot at our work (that we might have spent all weekend on), we nod, listen, take notes, ask questions and move on to the next round - eventually solving the problem (after taking more arrows along the way).  Not many other jobs REQUIRE you to do this on a daily/weekly basis as the primary part of the job. I'm just sayin'.  I've given slightly negative feedback to big, tough home contractors only to have them whine like babies because I called them out on their less-than-good work. Talk about Divas!

2. Hard Working - I don't know of any other profession where it's generally accepted as normal to work 10+ hours several days a month AND to pull all-nighters a few times a year. Did I mention we work late while being taking arrows from others, while direction is changing, and with end-all-be-all deadlines approaching. Not many people could take this kind of pressure but creatives do it all the time, only to jump back into the ring again. No divas allowed.

3. Public Speaking - Public speaking America's #1 worst fear, above death, and it's a big part of what creatives have to do. We may not like it, but we do it in service of our idea, design or strategy. Again, it's an expected part of the job.

4. Dealing with bullsh*t - Getting judged on our creative output means that many times we get thrown curve balls. Many times, we get feedback that doesn't make any sense because it comes from an unidentifiable and personal place within the reviewer. Someone might personally hate that tone of blue you choose, that word you used in the headline, the photo of the woman that looks like their ex-wife, or using Twitter for that idea you have because they don't understand Twitter. As much as we wish it would be, sometimes the feedback we get has nothing to do with brand guidelines, strategy, tone, etc. Heck, I just heard a client tell me during a review, "I know we gave you that blue as part of our color palette, but we don't like it so don't use it." With examples like that being the norm, creatives continue to stand in front of the room, present their work, get the feedback, fight to keep the things that are good, adjust and finish. 

5. No Respect - I've heard it a million times. People think what creatives do is easy or that we're having a big party over in the Creative department. To many others, we just sit around all day making pretty pictures, reading design magazines and showing off our Apple products to each other. On the opposite side of the spectrum, the creative team is sometimes seen as the "graphics people" or the "pixel pushers", etc. Production people, generally, there to do the bidding of others and make their work look pretty. Oh, let's not forget about those people that think they can open up Photoshop/illustrator/Word/InDesign/etc. and do what creatives do. We dare them to try. Dare them to deal with items 1-4 above as a career. If they think they can do it, stand up and present your portfolio, Skippy.

I'm just sayin'.

Most of the time people say you shouldn't assume things, or you'll make an a$$ of u and me.  After having many terrible interactions with large and small businesses recently (and hearing my friends have similar issues), I realized that there are many things businesses should assume if they want to compete and stay in business. So I thought about it and created a list of assumptions any business should have about their customers, IMO.

As a business, you should assume...

1. that I care more about myself and my time more than yours
2. I don't spend time thinking about your brand unless your product/service is a key part of my life
3. that a genuine smile and just acting friendly will go a long way with me
4. I know you think of me as a number/consumer/conversion and not as a human most of the time
5. you don't understand my needs as much as you think you do
6. I'll sometimes need your people to go over and above what they are allowed to do
7. that every employee I interact with in your company is the one and only face of your company to me at that moment
8. that there are several other businesses, just like yours, courting me for my attention and dollar, at all times
9. that while I may love your brand, I'll try out your competition anyway if it's easy and affordable to do so
10. I visit Yelp to research companies like yours and believe most of the reviews
11. I have a Yelp! account and will use it to review your business if you do wrong (or right) by me
12. I have hundreds of Facebook friends and I don't mind telling them about your business, especially if you suck
13. I haven't read the manual/contract/warranty and don't want to feel dumb for not doing so
14. I don't understand every aspect of your product
15. I don't remember my password
16. I don't want to give you any part of my social security number, ever, if possible
17. if I have to talk to robots when calling your company, it makes me think you are cheap and don't care
18. when I have to give my name and address more than once while on the phone with your company, I think you are stupid
19. I don't like when you put me on hold, for any reason
20. that making me call back during "normal" business hours makes me angry since I'm at work during that time. You are essentially asking me to stop working at my job and call you because it's more convienient for you.
21. I hate to be transfered to another person or department because I'll have to explain everything to them again
22. I feel my call is really that important to you, because you had a recorded message tell me so
23. I know your call center people are probably incentivised to handle as many calls as possible, and I don't like it
24. if you don't let me know what's going on with my order, I'll stop trusting you and order from someone else next time
25. you probably send too many emails I don't care about
26. I don't read the snail mail you send every month
27. I think you are a commodity
28. I get mad when you break your promises, no matter how small, and immediately start looking at your competition
29. I think most of your commercials are stupid/cheesy/lame/boring and rarely remember them, so I fast-forward past them (via DVR)
30. I think your online ads are a distraction and get in my way
31. Doing the unexpected is a good thing, but consistency is more important
32. I won't take part in your referral program because your incentives aren't good enough to get me to whore myself out to my friends
33. If your product/service is really good, you don't need a referral program
34. that even though I take part in your rewards program, I'm also taking part in your competitor's programs as well
35. giving me something for free for no reason is really cool and I'll tell my friends
36. I think shopping online isn't as fun as shopping in a store
37. Any sale under 15% off is lame to me 
38. I think your bathroom is kinda gross
39. when you wait to tell me you are going to get my stuff done late or it will cost more than we agreed without giving me a heads-up, I'm going to freak out
40. I'm going to take it out on you, sometimes unfairly
41. I overlook the average and seek the unique
42. I may not alway tell you when I'm unhappy with your company and will just stop being your customer one day
43. I don't think you are proactive in anticipating my needs or problems
44. I know you are hiding your customer service phone number because you'd rather not talk to me
45. I get frustrated when you make it hard for me to give you money for your product/service
46. I never believe that you are "putting a note on my account" for the next person I talk to
47. packaging matters. Just ask Apple.
48. I don't want to take a survey on your website until after I've ordered something or am leaving the website
49. because I was interested in your product/service six months ago, that doesn't mean I'm interested now
50. I hate when your employees ask me "Can I help you" as soon as I walk in your store

    Bonus assumption!

51. I now demand everything immediately since I can get it on the internet that quickly

If you have some more assumptions based on your own dealings with a company, please add them in the comments below.

Things like this annoy me. Easy decisions that could make everyone's life easier in a stressful situation are overlooked. This is basic stuff.

As is typical at LaGuardia Airport, my recent flight was delayed due to Air Traffic Control. Because of this, the Southwest counter at my gate was packed with fellow stressed-out travelers waiting to get one question answered. After looking at the board in the photo above can you guess the question everyone had?

 

"What time is our plane taking off now?" 

The board didn't display the new departing times because the two SW people working the gate didn't bother to post them on the board - but not because they didn't have the info. They knew the new departing times and kept announcing them over the very low volumed announcement system at the gate, which no one could hear.  They also had the plastic numbers to put onto the board, because I've seen departing times posted on the same board on previous trips. 

So, the simple solution would've been to just pull out the box of plastic numbers and post the new departing times onto the board (that was 4 ft. behind them). Somehow that solution was overlooked resulting in a gate full of stressed out people and SW gate agents. Four little plastic numbers (per flight listed) could've solved it all.  

Hopefully, the next time you design something you won't omit key information people need most, just to save you work upfront.  Being lazy upfront always results in a lot more work and stress later on.  Just ask the two SW gate agents who are probably still there answering the same question. 

_SS

 

So, I get off the train at O'Hare airport and see these two twin United ads. 

Really, United?  The same two ads? 

I wonder if using the same ads next to each other really works (2x the exposure!), or maybe their marketing team didn't have time to fill two ad spaces with two different ads. Either way, I think they do more harm then good. Seeing both together looks like a mistake, making me look away and diluting the message (I don't want to read it twice!).

Also, it's a missed opportunity to connect with people getting on/off the trains based on their situation (about to get on a plane / going home on train / starting trip in Chicago) and mindset (in 'travel mode' / tired and just want to go home / excited to start trip).  What if the ads were helpful?  What if one ad connected with people getting off the train and the other to those getting on?

Heck, instead of talking one-way AT people, what if United created an interactive billboard that would help, inform, and connect with people on the platform?  That would've given me something to do while waiting for the next train. Here are some ideas for the interactive billboard:

• Let people view maps of the airport, maps of Chicago, and of the CTA train system
• View more features of the card (since they do have to show ROI)
• Find out where in the gate area to apply for the card
• Give people $50 off one-time access to the Red Carpet Club at O'Hare if they enter their name into the billboard
• View what people are saying about the card in reviews, on Twitter, FB, blogs, messageboards

Seeing those billboards reminded me that my company's marketing philosophy, Connectedness, is spot-on. Connectedness is a framework for helping brands become more connected with their customers. This would drive a new set of behaviors for brands. Becoming more transparent. Listening to customers and talking with, not at them. Being visible to them in a way that makes it easy for them to connect with the brand. Engaging customers at every marketing touch point, building a sense of community and involvement with the brand.

So, how could United do a better job at connecting with people on the platform in their different modes (coming / going) ?  Post your ideas in the comments.

Yes, it just keeps going. Download the hi-res photos I took over Labor Day weekend. Feel free to use them as you wish. I took these images while walking the Bloomingdale Trail in Chicago.What's that you ask? Well, the Bloomingdale Trail is a set of abandoned railroad tracks that run above street level, and runs uninterrupted in that way for nearly 3 miles across Chicago. You can see all kinds of wacky things along the trail, including old train cars. Download the images and get busy designing!

Here's an example of some inspirational words on a train car:

I didn't have time to resize them for different screen resolutions but you'll figure that part out.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/worklife/08/24/cb.job.social.medial.pitfalls/index.html

This is CareerBuilder.com's take on "How social media can hurt your job", served by CNN.com (they are partners). The article includes a few stories about people that deserve a big FAIL when it comes to social media. There's also a list three basic rules to ensure you get hired and don't get fired. Some of this is common sense, but if it was common, I guess everyone would follow it.

This page is also an example of interesting/useful/topical content being used as advertising. I'm guessing CareerBuilder.com hopes that this article will help job seekers see them as trusted experts, resulting in reading visiting their website. Everybody wins.

It seems so obvious now, this clock's design. Why hadn't anyone thought of it sooner? Well, I bet 100 people have thought of something similar, but no one has brought that idea to life until now. I also bet that no one would've used such clean lines, white space, type layout, and offer multiple colors (seen on website) to boot. The result is clean design hotness. This pricey ($1,300) clock is called QLOCKTWO from Biegert & Funk. Look for it in your boss' office in the near future. Doh!

Learn more about it and see the other colors here: http://www.qlocktwo.com/index.php?lang=en

For those (most of us) that can't afford the real thing, they also offer a somewhat useless iPhone app version so you can get your clean design fix.

http://www.southwest.com

Click image below to see my comments:

Not sure how new this is, but it's new to me. 

Southwest has given their "Select flight" search results page a new look and feel. They've also added in some modules (right column) to the page. I like this new page, but there are some odd things about it as well (click image above see my notes). Also, notice they added in tabs for "Canada" and "Mexico" in the tabbed navigation (I admit I'm not sure when these were added, but I don't remember them being their last week when I booked a flight). Another thing that bugs me is this page all the different navigation bars at the top. There are two mismatched navigation bars, a process indicator bar, and then navigation for the content I care about below that. I'm not sure users need all that navigation at this point but I wasn't part of Southwest.com user testing, so what do I know? I'm just one man.

Overall, I think it's a step in the right direction. What do you think about this page refresh/redesign/redo/resomething else? 

Here are some more hi-res photos I've taken that I use for desktop backgrounds and for layer in designs/artwork. I didn't have time to resize them for different screen resolutions but you'll figure that part out.

OK, here's the linkz (click the images to get the full res version)...

Enjoy.