Author:

As we close in on our goal of 40 Acts of Kindness for 2019, we’re inspired with even more ways we can give back in the coming year. We have so many ideas! But before we get there, here are the organizations we gave back to during September and October:

In the spirit of National Day of Service and Remembrance on September 11th, we thanked our local fire department in Morris Plains, NJ for their service with some delicious pizza and presented them with a thank you note from our team. We are deeply grateful for those that keep our communities and our country safe.

---

For most children’s shelters, Halloween costumes tend not to make the list of essentials. Every year, Jersey Care helps more children living in NJ’s shelters take part in and celebrate Halloween by organizing a costume drive. We were happy to be able to support Jersey Cares’ efforts by organizing a drive in our office and delivering our collection to them.

• 

• 

---

Still in the spooky spirit, we gathered the entire Smith team (founders, too) to assemble 100 goodie bags for the Goryeb Children’s Hospital in Morristown, NJ. We were thrilled to help the kids take part in the Halloween fun!

• 

• 

• 

---

With their friends and family, some of the Smith Design team participated in the Out of the Darkness Walk organized by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The walk was initiated to give people the courage to open up about their own struggle or loss and the platform to change our culture’s approach to mental health.

• 

• 

---

Table to Table, an organization that delivers food to those who need it most, created the Bag A Lunch, Help A Bunch initiative to encourage those that are able to donate the equivalent of one day’s lunch money. We were happy to help fight hunger in New Jersey with our team donation of $250. With every dollar raised, Table to Table is able to deliver 10 healthy meals.

The holidays are a saturated time of year for consumers, from parties and travel to cooking and shopping. Big brands start planting the seed for holiday shopping needs before the pumpkins, ghosts, and goblins have even come down, inundating consumers with ads and marketing campaigns.

Most consumers begin searching for inspiration several months in advance as well, but holiday shopping typically doesn’t take place until 1-2 months, weeks, or days beforehand. Many decisions even get made on the spot, whether via the help of an in-store display, a quick web search, or price comparison. In the last decade, influences on consumer decisions have increased, and brands must take into consideration a wide variety of touchpoints and think outside the box to distinguish their products from the masses.

With brands bombarding consumers in and out of the store, let’s take a look at three ways your business can break through the clutter during the holiday season:

1. Lean on data to get personal with customers
   
   Dig into data from previous years and tune in on social media. What are consumers looking for this season? What did your customers purchase in previous years? Which promotions produced the most sales? Use the data to inform your holiday approach and reach your customers with more personalized email campaigns. Studies continue to show that personalized communications result in higher open rates, and most importantly, increased sales*.
   
2. Create an engaging in-store experience
   
   Typical retail displays often rely on traditional holiday shapes and colors and make the product the focal point of the display, but bringing your product and the spirit of the holidays to life or using the latest technology could spark memorable consumer experiences. Here are two examples:
   
   In 2018, Home Depot took its display for ShowHome lights to another level, setting up a model house on top of the display and showcasing miniature versions of the lights and their capabilities*. Above the house, the display communicated the products’ corresponding app and technology. The highly-visual display won over customers in-store by really bringing the product line to life. 
   
   Walmart created an augmented reality experience in 2018 through an app that enabled shoppers to see brand-sponsored aisles come to life with festive face filters, games, and 3D animations. Shoppers could also record the experience and share it to their social networks, creating buzz beyond the brick and mortar. The mass-market retailer partnered with iconic brands like Pepsico, Kellogg’s and Nickelodeon for the AR experience*.
   
3. Offer solutions to consumer problems via digital content
   
   When shoppers are early in their journey, they often search for inspiration and solutions for recipes, planning, gifting, etc. on social media. Here are some ways for you to meet them where they are and help them with their decision:
   
   – Create Pinterest boards with gift ideas for different age groups, interests, etc.
   – Create shoppable Instagram posts that simultaneously provide inspiration and an easy way to purchase.
   – Share rich blog content that addresses common holiday situations. Think easy, crowd-pleasing recipes; tips for keeping the kids occupied or improving the travel experience; gift ideas for a hard to shop relative; and more.

–  Pareesha Narang, Social Media & Communications Manager

*Sources:

https://www.campaignmonitor.com/blog/email-marketing/2019/07/15-email-personalization-stats-might-surprise-you/
https://p2pi.org/article/home-depot-showhome-tout-synchronizable-holiday-decor
https://www.zappar.com/campaigns/walmart-interactive-holiday-experience/

One of the keys to a well functioning business is strong communication coupled with processes that work for each team member. I walked around the office to ask some of our team what tools they use to keep organized through all of their projects.

Here’s one of my main takeaways: you don’t need an expensive tool or complex process to stay organized. Especially as a creative agency, the human element is important for us – not everything can be automated, and that’s OK. We focus on working with smart tools that have an easy user interface and can be adapted to our needs.

The simple yet invaluable sticky note for the creative process

Jane Sayer, our Director of Visual Strategy, says part of her role is that of a translator, taking briefs that are written in marketing code and translating them into visuals. Once she understands the category, competition, and consumer as well as existing brand equities and assets, she starts to organize the various ideas that have risen to the top of her mind for how design could proceed. 

“I’ve had to learn how to be organized without sacrificing the ability to free-associate, which is vital to the creative process,” Jane says. “Sticky notes allow me to jot down random thoughts as they occur and make sense of them later. Usually, thoughts will start to align as the process moves along, so I try not to force or speed anything along. The creative process really needs to evolve organically.”

Tools that enable collaboration (and are free)

As the social media & communications manager, I constantly work cross-functionally, so maintaining unique processes that work for each team is key to keeping things moving. It took a little trial & error since I started at Smith Design in June, but I’ve landed on a couple processes and tools that are working well.

For projects or tasks, especially those that require multiple steps or approvals, I lean on free online platforms like Asana. I can section off separate projects, set deadlines, check things off (so satisfying!), receive email reminders, and more.

Spreadsheets come in very handy because not everyone utilizes Asana. My requests to the design team tend to accumulate weekly, so I created a Google Sheet that is a living document with information about requests, due dates, and post dates. Google Sheets also enables me to assign fields to people and have conversations within the document. 

NOTE: I work closely with my cross-functional partner to ensure that this document is useful to her. Always beware of letting process become the thing – check in occasionally to make sure the process is working for everyone involved.

Next level project management

Our agency manages several projects at once, so keeping on top of all the moving parts while also managing time, resources and budget is vital for our account managers. We use a tool called Workamajig, a creative project management software that addresses those needs and much more. 

For those not looking to employ a new tool, we also like the Gantt chart, or a timeline view of your project. To the left of the chart, you can list tasks and subtasks underneath them, and in the chart the length of the bar will represent the time allotted to complete an item. Gantts can also include milestones, dependencies, and people responsible for different tasks. 

Want to keep nerding out on project management? Here you go.

– Pareesha Narang, Social Media & Communications Manager