alstin communications

I went to see the movie “The Hangover” before all of the hubbub. Before it became the highest grossing comedy of all time. Before people said it was the funniest movie ever. My expectations weren’t high, in fact, they weren’t even established. I hadn’t heard much about it. During the movie I remember laughing out loud in the theater – something I rarely do. I left thinking that it was one of the funniest movies I had ever seen. A very pleasant surprise. My friend, on the other hand, didn’t get to see the movie early on. She saw it several months into its run – after all of the buzz, kudos, and word-of-mouth. She liked it well enough. She just didn’t get what all of the fuss was about. The difference? Expectations.

We’ve all had similar experiences. While personal tastes largely determine our likes and dislikes, expectations can also play a tremendous role in our reactions and responses. The implications for branding, and especially for employment branding, are far-reaching. The disappointment of a brand underperforming is likely to result in a more negative response than a brand fulfilling even low expectations. The trick with branding is promising something that you can actually deliver.

As Walter Landor, the oft-quoted father of branding, said “Simply put, a brand is a promise . . . ” If your brand doesn’t match what you deliver, you’re breaking that implied promise.

When we work with a client to help shape their employment brand, we’re looking to discover their UVP – or Unique Value Proposition. What makes them special? What can they offer that no one else can? If we are successful, the employment brand we develop will accurately reflect the environment, culture, and opportunities that they offer. This doesn’t just result in more appealing and effective ads – although that’s a nice byproduct. More importantly, it results in better suited hires. The candidates that they attract are the individuals who are actually looking for what they have to offer. It’s a win win. An employment brand isn’t about inflating who you are as an employer, it’s about accurately reflecting it. And that’s a promise you can keep.

A few weeks ago, I posted the first five of my “Top Ten” favorite iPhone apps. The list continues below. In the spirit of new beginnings that comes with the start of a new year, I’m focusing these five on self-improvement. These are the apps that can help you live a better life – and, in the case of the first one, possibly even extend it.

5.) Fit Builder – If you have an iPhone and you are at all interested in fitness and exercise, get this app. At $9.99 (for the standard version) it’s on the pricier end, but it comes with content that makes it more than worth it. I log on to Fit Builder to select from more than 200 iPump workouts. Depending upon my goals, I can select from programs like “Upper Body Stretch,” “Quick Cardio Blast,” “Soccer Conditioning” and many, many more. Once I’ve selected a workout, I scroll through photos and instructions for each exercise in the workout, using the on-screen timer to keep me on pace. If I have a question on how the exercise is performed, there’s a video provided to show me proper form. There are also tracking tools and interesting ways to share your routines. This is a highly motivational fitness app that is fun to use. Seriously, you need this app.

 4.) Wine Ratings – For the umpteenth time, I’m trying to learn more about wine this year. While this will require plenty of tastings on my part and a good, solid “Guide to Wine” book, this app is a great supplement to my, ahem, thirst for knowledge. I can search from a database of more than a million wines by numerous variables, including price, grape, and region. I can also save and rate my own favorites for future reference. In the short time that I’ve had this app, it has come in mighty handy while perusing restaurant wine lists and while making wine selections at the store. With this app in hand, this just might be the year. 

3.) Deepak Chopra’s Stress Free – Who doesn’t want more tools to handle the stresses in their life? Deepak Chopra’s Stress Free is a handy app to keep you grounded. It takes you through a series of steps to reduce your stresses. It also offers videos on things like yoga, meditation, music, and other pointers to reduce stress. Some of it is admittedly simplistic, but it does serve as a useful reminder that our hyped up “fight or flight” response was probably better suited to the wild than it is to the conference room.

 2.) Camena – While we’re on the subject of stress reduction, nothing relaxes me more than singing along to my favorite songs. Conversely, nothing embarrasses my kids’ more than me belting out the wrong lyrics. Enter Camena. This app displays the lyrics to the song you’re playing on your iPod. Very handy. Now I can sing along at the top of my lungs without embarrassing anyone. Right? 

10.) Mouthoff - All self-improvement aside, this one is just for fun. Tap the app, select from a series of hilarious cartoon mouths, hold your iPhone up to your mouth to speak, and watch the hilarity ensue. Trust me. It’s funny.

 The iPhone has proven to be a true game changer. And apps like these can legitimately add to your quality of life. Here’s hoping that 2010 brings all of us iPhone users lots more to love in the coming year. (And maybe even a Tablet to change the rules even more. Here’s hoping.)

I’m getting a jumpstart on the 2009 “Year in Review” articles. Just for fun, I’ve assembled a list of my all-time favorite iPhone apps. They aren’t in any special order and they don’t represent any particular app category. They’re just my go-to favorites. The ones I turn to most often for assistance, information, or thrills. Drumroll please.

Shazam – Even if you’re not an iPhone user, this is the app that you’ve probably heard the most about or remember most readily from the Apple commercials. Hear a song you like? Simply double tap your Shazam app, hit “Tag Now,” and hold your phone up to the music. 9 out of 10 times, Shazam will come back with the song name, artist, album artwork, and numerous helpful links, like “View YouTube video” or “Album Review.” Of course, there’s a link to “Preview and buy on iTunes,” too. The cool factor is definitely there, but the app is darned useful, too.

Maps – It’s not an app per se, because it comes bundled with the iPhone, but nothing beats being able to quickly find out how to get where I want to go. And it couldn’t be simpler. I simply search for my goal destination (in the search box) and then route it from my current location. My built-in GPS gives me a real-time visual of my current whereabouts moving along a nifty map. If I prefer, I can flick on “List” and get written directions. I don’t have a GPS in my car, so this app has helped me more times than I can count.

Doodle Jump – I’m not typically a gamer, but this is an all-time favorite. If I describe it, it won’t sound as fun as actually playing it. Download this game and become instantly addicted. The kiddies love it, too. All you have to do is tilt your phone and fall upward. Trust me. It’s a blast.

CNN – If CNN is one of your preferred news sources, this is a great app to add to your iPhone. It is a well-designed news app that updates content frequently. It puts lots and lots of info at your fingertips, including robust video content, that doesn’t require a wifi connection to view. There’s also a “Live Video” option and a “My CNN” function that aggregates local content from your location. My experience with the “Live Video” option has been positive, even through 3G connections.

Flixster – As a big movie fan, I like being able to find theaters, showtimes, and movie information at the tap of a finger. This was the first and only movie app I downloaded and I still love it. I can effortlessly check showtimes, view movie previews, check out upcoming releases, get ratings and reviews, and lots more. I haven’t tried the Fandango app out yet, so the final jury is still out. But, as of this writing, Flixster has served me well.

This is not another cautionary tale about cybercrime or identity theft. This is about a loss of another kind. The disappearance of something that we used to value highly and guard closely: our privacy.

In many ways, we are colluding in our own loss.

When I log onto my Facebook account, an empty square beckons. “What’s on your mind?” it asks. What it doesn’t say, but is implicit in its message, is: “Tell the world. And tell them in a way that will leave a digital trail forever.”

This should give anybody pause. Especially those concerned with personal branding. As an advertising and communications professional, I know that real consumer branding is created by a tremendous team. A combination of public relations, advertising, and marketing professionals who shape, finesse, research, and test the “face” that an organization puts in front of the public.

Individuals don’t typically possess that kind of savvy or have access to that kind of staff. They are incapable of researching the reaction to an electronic “post” that will be linked to them in perpetuity. That means that if I can look at the “interests” of an acquaintance’s 18-year old and see that she ” . . . likes to paaaaaaaarty!,” then so can future employers and college admissions professionals. And if I can see that a co-worker has updated their status with “I hate my job,” then so can our mutual boss.

Electronic communications present a unique point in time, and a true cultural shift, in our ability to broadcast who we are and what our personal “brand” is. Professionally, it can be a real opportunity. Personally, it can be a real threat.

A word to the wise: Individuals involved in social media should view every post, every tweet, and every shared photo as a kind of personal tattoo. If it’s not something that you want to stand behind forever, perhaps it’s something that you shouldn’t say at all.

By the looks of this blog, you might think we over here at Alstin eat, breathe and sleep all that is recruitment and retention. Every so often we’ll stray from the HR talk and bring you more on some of our favorite things, places and activities that also populate our daily lives.

In the not-too-distant past I was known as a walking, talking restaurant directory. Everybody’s go-to guide for the latest and greatest places to eat. No matter how obscure the request, I had a recommendation. Malaysian food in a kid-friendly atmosphere? Penang, of course. A michelada within walking distance of The Kimmel Center? Try Tequila’s. Particular steak for a particular client? Take them to The Capital Grille. Call ahead for the bone-in filets.

At any price point, for requests that ranged from the exotic to the mundane, I was a one-person Zagat’s. And my recommendations weren’t just canned responses from “Best Of” lists. I had been there. Done that. Tasted it. In the bygone days of fast metabolisms and flush expense accounts, if my friends and I had any one consistent craving, it was this: Something Different. We already had our favorites, but when Friday night rolled around, we didn’t want the usual: We wanted what was next.

So how did this happen? How is it that when friends and I actually do go out we always end up at the same place? What is it about Misconduct Tavern that brings us back again and again? 

You can chalk some of it up to the usual suspects. Nights in the city get trumped by kids in the suburbs every time. Money matters, too, and calories. These days a parade of tapas looks less like a great meal and more like five hours in the gym. But there’s some deeper reason, too. In a world that seems increasingly chaotic, there’s something to be said for a comforting and familiar place. A dim and cozy bar where everybody really does know your name. And Misconduct Tavern is just such a place. It’s comforting right down to the food. Need proof? Try their homemade macaroni and cheese, with a variety of tasty add-ins like bacon, oven-dried tomatoes, and roasted garlic. Want something healthier? Go for the grilled Caesar or baby spinach salad. Or try the exceptional Misconduct fish cakes. And for the best lunch bargain in the city, order the five ounce, five dollar burger. It’s served with a side of thin and crispy fries and their own chipotle mayo. Sure, it’s bar food. But it’s bar food with an emphasis on local ingredients and “home” cooking. And it’s a bar that isn’t afraid to pepper their menu with things like blue cheese butter, tarragon aioli, and truffle oil. While you’re there, be sure to save room for Diane’s “Best of 15th & Locust” cheesecake or homemade bread pudding. There are new flavors every day. If that day’s cheesecake is Turtle, stop counting calories right then and there. 

Have I sworn off new restaurants entirely? Or course not. For special occasions, I’ve still got a go-to list of novel places to try. But on days where I want comfort and consistency (and these days, who doesn’t?), you’ll find me at Misconduct Tavern.

As a creative professional with expertise specific to employment messaging, I’m doing some serious navel gazing these days. It’s a tricky time to be an expert in employment communications.

For more than twenty years I’ve worked on the creative side of an agency that specializes in helping organizations all over the country, big and small, find employees. But there’s no trick to finding employees these days. You probably know the numbers – millions of unemployed people looking for work. Millions more who are employed and looking to make a change. For every one opening advertised, companies are receiving hundreds, sometimes thousands, of responses. The biggest challenge for employers right now? Sorting through the responses. But that’s what got me thinking about pendulums.

One of the things that 20 plus years of industry experience has taught me is that the one constant is change. In the not too distant future, I believe that there is going to be a change. A big one. And, once again, a good employee will be hard to find. Anyone can react to the current circumstances; it’s the visionary who prepares for what’s next. And here’s what I think is next: The jobs will come to me. Directly to me. In my pocket. In fact, in some ways, they already do. I’m an iPhone user and I can currently find jobs through my Twitter app, my Facebook app, and any number of Job or Career apps that I could download, including my personal favorite, iJobs. A quick search in the app store using the word “job” brings up a host of downloadable job search options, including applications like “JobCompass,” “Job Search Coach” and even something called “JobRadio.fm.” A search using the word “career” brings up many more.

Now, here’s my question to the recruiters out there? Are you represented in my pocket job search? Should you be? In short, are you ready for what’s next?

Over the next few months, I’ll be taking a closer look at numerous mobile career apps. Stay tuned for details on what’s working, what’s not, and what’s next.

The majority of employment marketers are simply not early innovators. Often for good reasons: The budget isn’t there, the needs are not great, and the old methods are still working fine. Why rock the boat? But, developing a social media strategy for your employment marketing isn’t about rocking the boat – it’s about not missing it.Through social media, the world is literally having a conversation. A large, loud, raucous, and incredibly varied conversation. If you are not participating in that conversation, your voice is not being heard. As a recruiter, this self-imposed silence represents a tremendous missed opportunity. Of all the possibilities that the growth of digital communications has presented to recruiters, the potential of social media may be the most powerful. Here’s why:

It’s about connecting.
Recruiting is about connecting – person-to-person. Finding the right candidate for the right position. At its heart, social media is about the same thing.

Your message adds value.
If social media contributions have no real value, they quickly become ignored or filtered out. The result? Immediate irrelevance. Employment marketers have the unique opportunity to contribute content of real value to social media. Employment messaging has never been more acutely relevant.

Timing is everything.
There are tangible advantages to entering the social media conversation sooner rather than later. Right now, early innovators are reaping the rewards of early entry. Things like desirable EM Twitter names and Facebook vanity URLs are being gobbled up as you read this. A “wait and see” approach = a lost opportunity.

Ease of Entry and Affordability.
Developing an effective Employment Marketing Social Media Strategy is not difficult or expensive. As the popularity of social media continues to grow, it’s possible, and even likely, that there will be high costs associated with content placement in the future. Right now, however, costs are minimal or non-existent.

Considered individually, the above statements present a compelling reason to plan your social media strategy now. Collectively, the message is clear. The world is waiting. The clock is ticking.

Developing great creative isn’t really the hard part. With the right team of writers and designers – and good information to build on –  Alstin’s usually got that part in hand. Sure, there’s sweat, and sometimes tears, but the lightbulb usually flickers on and the fun part, the creative process, begins. The tricky part is getting buy-in from the client particularly when the “client” is actually many clients.

The more people involved in reviewing and (gulp) revising the creative, the more the work will suffer. There’s nothing sadder than walking into a conference room to present really great work and watch it die a slow and painful death as it is passed from hand to hand, person to person, around a crowded table. Creative is subjective. Some people like blue, others yellow, that’s just the way it is. We can work with that. Even in a crowded room.

But, what if you had to design to please not a handful, but millions, of people.

Douglas Bowman was the first visual designer hired by Google. This was nearly three years ago and, up until that time, Google, the most-used search engine in the world had, tellingly, been running for more than seven years without a designer on staff. At the time he accepted the position, Mr. Bowman viewed it as a plum opportunity. What designer wouldn’t want to be in a position where his or her work would be seen by literally millions of viewers? But in his three subsequent years at Google something went very wrong.

You can find the details on Mr. Bowman’s personal blog in a post entitled “Goodbye, Google” that outlines the reasons for his departure. It makes for interesting reading on its own, but at its heart you’ll find a challenge that every person in the creative industry and those who turn to us for help are facing in the digital age. How much of digital design is driven by aesthetics and how much is driven by data?

At Google, for instance, Mr. Bowman cites a time when Google conducted online tests of more than 40 shades of blue when the in-house design team couldn’t decide between two blues. That’s millions of viewers, with a click, determining what shade of blue to include in the “design.” Creativity by proxy. Other examples abound.

The moral of the story isn’t simply that one person didn’t like a design atmosphere driven by data, it’s that a world-class designer one who was intimately involved in the process says that design was harmed, not helped, by too much information. Too many opinions.

Design, by definition, is an art. It seems that something is lost if we try to make it a science.