Since the last Census was completed, I graduated high school and college, got married and bought a house. While I was keeping my life busy, the U.S. government has been working to find a way to motivate Americans to take part in the 2010 Census. The result? A $300 million dollar advertising campaign budget, which will include $140 million worth of paid media, a website, PR, events and materials to promote the Census through more than 100,000 partners that range from storefront churches to Target stores. After an 18-month application process, the 2010 Census campaign will be coordinated by Interpublic’s DraftFCB out of New York.

DraftFCB has formulated a campaign that uses ethnic identity to motivate people to fill out this year’s form. Their team also brought in a group of subcontractors who specialize in targeting specific ethnicities to help best reach each target audience.  Census materials will ultimately be available in 28 languages this go around. 

The main message of the overall campaign will emphasize the benefits of participation, with the tagline “It’s in our hands.” The campaign hopes to leave people feeling that if they participate they will have a “hand” in better roads, schools, hospitals and more.

For the approximately 4.5 million Native Americans and Alaska Natives, and 1.5 million Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders that message will subtly vary. The reason for their message shift stems from (according to DraftFCB’s team of specialists) a perceived mistrust of the government within this audience. The language of these particular advertisements will not promise anything. It will however, send the message that if you participate you may help bring better roads and schools.

Another variation will be made for illegal immigrants. There will be clear reassurances that their information will not be shared with other government agencies. 

Although the approach of designing messages around ethnic groups for the 2010 Census campaign may spark a bit of controversy, DraftFCB feels that getting people to participate is the most important thing. The Census Bureau has a goal of 64% of Americans filling out their forms.

The Census has always had its controversies that is for sure, but what do you think? Will targeted messages like these help the Census reach their goal, or just will they just get “lost in translation?”

Many employees try to tough it out and head to work when they are feeling under the weather. Not this year. The federal government is encouraging all workers to stay home if they are sick. To learn more, check out “Feeling Sick? Just Stay Home.” in this month’s issue of Alstin Answers, and keep up on your vitamins.

This got me thinking about the best ways to stay focused at work. Are there things I can do to help me spend more time concentrating on the work at hand rather than the perfect way to display table numbers and what should my cake look like?

I read a bunch of different articles and other blogs about ways to stay on point during the workday, and it seems the basics are the same. Get enough sleep, stick to a task list, minimize interruptions, stay organized and make work fun. Sure, these make sense and all, but what if I am already crazy organized, make more lists than one person should, and enjoy my job, but I just can’t seem to get invitations and flowers out of my head long enough to type an email?

Here is what I found to be the best of the bunch for simple and effective ways to stay focused:

1. Do not check personal email in the morning. Checking personal emails can be very distracting. This is especially true when your friends send you links to interesting articles, jokes or videos on YouTube. If you’re not careful, you can get side tracked for hours.

2. Don’t make long personal calls. Most of us have a good separation between our working and personal lives (or a least try to). Limit the time you spend doing personal things during work hours, find the time later after business hours.

3. Use shortcuts on your computer. If you find you do the same thing with your computer more than once throughout the day, you might find it helpful to look for ways you can do them without too much manual repetition.

4. Take more breaks. More breaks = More productivity. It may sound wrong, but it’s true. Breaks allow us to re-group our thoughts and focus for the task at hand.

5. Notice your lazy routines. Everyone has recurring lazy spots throughout the day. Plan to have your breaks during those lulls.

6. Plan the night before. Planning the night before is a great way to really get focused on what to tackle the next day. “Sleeping” on your tasks and goals for the following day can really help your mind prepare. Advanced focus is key.

7. Set time limits for tasks. There’s no motivation like a deadline. Giving yourself real deadlines is a great way to stay motivated and focused. Given the fact that most of us are natural procrastinators, it’s no surprise that we’ll take as long as we’re allowed to finish something. Setting real but attainable limits is a great way to keep the project humming, so to speak.

8. Keep a journal of what you did throughout the day. Knowing how far you’ve come can keep you sharp and motivated to finish.

9. Clean yourself up. You perform the way you feel. And if you feel polished, groomed and ready, you’ll be more likely to be productive.

10. Move your body. If you’ve been sitting at your desk for more than 45 minutes, it’s time to get up and move your body (shake your legs, do some stretches, etc.). Often we find it hard to concentrate on our work because of a lack of blood flow.

You may be wondering if these tips will actually help you stay focused at work. I did manage to get through the list without mentioning dresses and tuxes didn’t I? Hope these tips help! Good luck!

So what is “mobile marketing” anyway? The Mobile Marketing Association gives us the official definition as “The use of wireless media as an integrated content delivery and direct response vehicle within a cross-media or stand-alone marketing communications program.” What?

OK, let me break that down for you. Mobile = any kind of cell phone, PDA, smart phone, or other mobile device. Marketing = the commercial processes involved in promoting and selling and distributing a product, service, or for this blog a career opportunity, or employer message – just think of the possibilities. Simply put, mobile marketing is the use of a mobile device to deliver a promotional message. Better? I thought so.

What makes mobile marketing so powerful is that it is 100% “opt-in” (permission-based) and your message is actionable.

How does it work? Here’s a basic approach to help better explain how this might work for you. Step one is to select a specific target audience and we will help you obtain a list of their mobile numbers. Alstin develops and sends a creative and engaging message that includes a call to action, i.e. “Reply Y if you are interested in more information,” that will allow for the all-important opt-in step. A second message is sent out to the potential candidates who opt-in that includes (for example) a link to a microsite that houses branded content and a means to apply. (Start to think about having a career website that is optimized for viewing on a mobile phone – prospective candidates will have access to your job listings at any time, from any source.)

So who is using mobile marketing now for recruitment? It may be no surprise that the people at AT&T are. Check out the AT&T Talent Network’s web page. There is an opportunity to join the AT&T Talent Network to receive information on potential careers at AT&T. Once you select the click to join button, a brief online registration form appears. The form requires the individual to provide an email address, phone number, wireless provider and position(s) of interest. Upon completing the registration form, individuals will receive mobile text messages and email updates on specific job opportunities within AT&T as well as information on contests the company may be running, or any related messaging for that matter.

Another example of how AT&T integrated recruitment into the world of mobile marketing is with an AT&T Jobs iPhone application. This application is available for iPhone users only via download allowing them the ability to reach career possibilities with AT&T at the touch of a screen.

Isn’t mobile marketing just SPAM? Even with the impressive stats above, you may be asking yourself that. Here’s another stat to remember: 59% of Smartphone users and 38% of people recall seeing an ad on their cell phone within the first quarter of 2009. And as more of us continue to use our mobile devices for a wider range of activities, the immediate, personal and actionable nature of mobile marketing will make perfect sense for recruitment, retention and other varied employee communications. Have more questions? Contact me at blog@alstin.com.

Time and again, I have found that one of the best methods for gathering solid information to build a “true to life” employer brand and targeted media plan is through a focus group. Although the words focus group might initially conjure up product surveys and blind taste tests for you, have you ever thought of conducting one for the ongoing development of your employment brand?

There are many ways that focus groups can be conducted including a blind or open Q&A session with current or target employees or even a simple online survey. An evaluation of the ultimate goal(s) and budget for the focus group will help us determine the recommended approach.

Recently, Alstin conducted an internal focus group for a premier international luxury brand looking to update their employment marketing campaign and learn more about their current employees in the process. In a nutshell, we performed three sessions with employees across all levels and years of experience and one session with the Human Resources team. Each session took approximately 45 minutes, with a range of 8-12 questions asked. Although this wasn’t a blind focus group, it was somewhat confidential – no names or position titles were recorded to encourage open communication and honest responses.

The objectives of this research were to qualitatively:
- Explore employee attitudes toward and perceptions of the client’s work, environment, culture, benefits/perks, and image to determine its status as an employer of choice for potential candidates
- Examine factors influencing employer selection by industry professionals at a variety of position levels and with varying years of experience
- Obtain direct feedback from the targeted participants on ranking the top “selling points” of their work environment.

Although there were many anticipated responses, the HR team was surprised to learn that the majority of the company’s current employees, when initially hired, had assumed that the company was much larger – in regard to staff – than it actually is. For example, one employee said, “You hear this company’s name and you think huge company, you come here and realize it’s really not like that.”

We heard several comments along these lines, however rather than a negative, there was also a consensus with the employees that the company’s strong “sense of family” and “stability” of the brand made for a great place to work. Brand perception plays such a major role in our decision-making and this valuable insight about new hire perception helped shape the tone of the campaign to attract the right candidates – candidates who enjoy working with a smaller team, but also want the challenge that comes with working for a major international organization.

So, why should you add a focus group to your already strapped budget?
- To gain a better understanding of the perceptions of your company either by the general public or current employees
- You will gain knowledge that will help shape the message behind your employment brand
- To get input on how to better your workplace for your employees
- It’s just a good idea!