Opus 59 Creative Group Blog

There was a time not that long ago when a company’s website — especially the maintenance and upkeep of its website — were the thorn in an organization’s side: sites were very expensive to have designed and coded, and when completed, the owner had no control over changing or adding to the site. In fact, if your organization’s web site is more than three years old (or younger and done by your neighbor’s nephew’s best friend), it was likely built in flat HTML, with all elements hard-coded, allowing you zero control over content. In this scenario, you or some other unlucky team member you designated:

• submitted requests to the web design firm
• waited and waited for changes to be made
• got hit with a sometimes large bill

Fortunately, for the web customer, those days are long gone. The proliferation of content management systems (CMS) for web has given the keys back to the organization. Now an entire site can be built on a CMS for a reasonable rate.

Planning is the most important step when your organization is ready to redesign its web site. In addition to thinking through messaging, functionality and how the site is organized, if you plan ahead of time to give key persons in your company access and responsibility over certain parts of the site, that will help dictate which CMS is best for your company. Examples of areas that need regular updating include image galleries. case studies and news releases. A CMS allows these sections to be easily maintained by designated persons in your organization.

Opus 59 has built several websites for clients on the WordPress platform. What began as an open-source platform mainly for bloggers has developed into a CMS platform perfect for full-featured sites. There are a vast array of free or low-cost plug-ins available to enhance functionality, and we have the capability to custom-build plug-ins as well.

One of the biggest advantages of this platform is that is not proprietary and users’ sites always benefit immediately from any new developments and enhancements. Excellent search engine optimization (SEO) is another huge benefit of using the WordPress platform.

In the age of social media, there is an expectation of immediacy when it comes to information. Facebook and Twitter have conditioned us to take for granted that we can get news and opinion with the click of a button. This new reality makes the need to keep your company’s site updated an absolute necessity. You must be able to create and share content quickly and easily to stay competitive.

When updating or redesigning your website, be sure to begin with this in mind: with the proliferation of solid, easy-to-use CMS, you can regain control over your website at a reasonable cost and avoid the headaches and frustrations of the old way.

Facebook.
I got on Facebook fairly early in the game. It was really fun for a while, reconnecting with folks from the past, seeing who was doing what with whom, who had gotten fat, in shape, gray, bald, married, divorced, kids, alimony, palimony and the like. I was on it for a while, but have sense suffered from Facebook Fatigue and closed down my profile. I found myself looking at my life through a “what kind of status update could this be” filter rather than just experiencing the moment. When my almost-two-year-old looks at me, I want to him to see me looking at him, not at the Facebook app on my iPhone. I want him to know that he, not a glowing screen, is most important. I think I suffer from “constant partial attention” as it is, with smart phones and iPads and email on one hand and flesh-and-blood spouses and children and family on the other. I just decided to simplify a bit. And I am glad I did. I may resurrect the FB profile—it never goes away. Zuckerberg et al is kind enough to archive it should I ever come to my senses. It’ll be as though I never left. Which, to be honest, I wonder how many of my “friends” notice I even did.

LinkedIn.
I have a LinkedIn profile. As does Mark. As does or company. I use my iPhone app to send out “I’d like to add you to my connections” to folks who hold positions at companies with whom we’d like to do work, or individuals with skills I think might be useful should the need arise, such as photographers, writers or graphic designers. The challenge I find is how to talk to this newfound pool of contacts. What can I add to the collective conversation that is worthwhile and not like the kid in class who always raises his hand, waving it enthusiastically in hopes of being called upon, but having nothing to say when chosen.

Twitter.
To quote Despair, Inc. “Never have so many people with so little to say said so much to so few.” There are some interesting personalities—either fictional and cleverly written, or real and scarily narcissistic—on Twitter, and the voyeur in me has followed them for a while and been thoroughly entertained. And I can definitely see the usefulness for news media, charitable groups, and activists as a quick way to get information out to interested parties. Other than that, I haven’t really gotten my tweet on. Again, there is just so much noise, do I dare add to it?

FourSquare.
I recently was coaxed onto FourSquare by my friend Lisa at OrthoCarolina. She checks in everywhere, all the time. FourSquare still has a novelty with me. I am proud to say that I am the mayor of my apartment, and I just overtook Mark as mayor of Opus 59. Better recognize! I do like being able to search for restaurants and other attractions based on my location. And some companies are promoting specials for folks that check in on a regular basis, like a cyber punch card.

Conclusion.
I think, when it comes down to it, all social media brings out aspects of the individuals taking part. For some, it is merely an extension of their “real” selves. For others, it is empowering: an alter ego. It allows them to be confident, bold, daring in ways they may not be in “real” life. For still others, it is complete fiction: their real lives are a total disaster or disappointment and the media allows them an easy way fictionalize their existence. I’ve witnessed all these scenarios play out in my foray into Facebook. Wild stuff.

Personally, I think maybe I am simply too self-conscious for social media. This makes sense to those that know me. I have a small but invaluable group of friends for whom I care deeply. I talk to or text these dear people constantly. I find that this one-to-one conversation fits me better than posting on a wall and waiting for comments. But that’s just me.

So what Social Media do you use on a consistent basis, and why? Do you use it for personal or professional reasons—or both? Have you made as much as a nickel for yourself or your company that you can directly attribute to using social media? (NOTE: Blackmail over drunken pool party photos doesn’t count) Let us know!

Just recently the KFC next to our office closed, its last official day was a Sunday. The Town of Matthews had zoned out drive-throughs in the “downtown” area about 10 years ago, and the 25-year-old KFC was operating on a grandfather clause – Conditional Zoning. Corporate KFC told the franchise they had to remodel the store. The Town of Matthews told the KFC franchisee if they ceased business for any amount of time the Conditional Zoning expires and they can have no drive-through thereafter. Franchisee used the opportunity to shutter the underperforming store.

On that Monday, the KFC De-Branding SWAT team shows up, four trucks, twelve dudes who’ve obviously done this before. They proceed to remove all signage, anything KFC red that was not structural on the leased building was ripped off, organized in piles, loaded onto trucks. They dismantle the “branded” KFC steeple on the roof.

They’re doing their thing with ballet precision. Around lunch time, I go outside. It’s obvious this placed is closed. I’m walking to my car and a lone minivan pulls up, serpentines around the workers and stacks of plastic, and places itself in the drive-through.

I stop, watch. Another car follows, lines up behind the minivan, then a third. The KFC SWAT team keeps doing their thing. The patrons are bobbing their heads around, getting angry, going through the cycle of emotions. There’s no signage on this restaurant; it’s pitch black inside. It’s closed. These loyal fans just don’t buy it.

That afternoon, the work continues:  the trucks and the KFC red plastic stuff disappears. One truck remains. It’s a tractor-trailer with a 40-foot crane on the back and two people are hooking the drive-through menu and unbolting its footing. I’m leaving at 5:30 to go home. A pickup truck pulls up, gets in “line” behind the crane vehicle, sits, driver gets indignant. Another follows. Again, three cars stacked up when I drive off.

The next day, some locals show up with a compressor and paint the red mansard roof with primer. Finally, the cars stop lining up at the drive-through.  KFC has left the building.

I will admit I was a bit shocked last Fall when Charlotte-based Belk rolled out their new logo for a couple reasons:

• The old mark had years of equity. Sure it was a bit dated, but aren’t we all?
• In the midst of the economic downturn, Whisky Tango Foxtrot are they thinking, spending millions on rebranding? (Store signage alone is estimated to cost $25 million)

I wanted to be a hipper-than-thou, bandwagon-jumping design nerd and rail against the new logo. I wanted to point out that their “b” looked like a rip-off of Bloomingale’s.

That they used a font that is a derivative of Avant Garde. Like Glee. I wanted to Photoshop smart-ass images like this to show how plagiaristic the new logo is:

While all those things may be true, after living with the new logo for more than half a year, I must say that I have come to like it. More than the mark itself, I really like how it has been thoughtfully translated to, among other things: bags, architectural signage, credit cards, in-store signage, and my absolute favorite: television. Having spent a holiday advertising season watching the Belk spots, I think they’ve done a great job. Using the blue petals as a visual device… I love it. Here are links to a couple of my favorites:

Belk Christmas television spot

Little Blue Book

How about you? What’s your opinion about the new logo? Do you think the new mark reflects the customer experience? Does the tag line “Modern. Southern. Style” ring true to you?

 

I remember when I was a kid, I’d watch shows and notice how creative the set decorators could be in not showing the labels on soda bottles and so on. I understand that TiVo and DVRs of every stripe have made it hard for conventional broadcast advertisers. Couple presses of the >> button on the remote and that clever talking gecko blips out of sight and you’re back to How I Met Your Mother and it’s laugh-tracked humor. I can appreciate corporate advertisers looking for ways to integrate their wares into shows so viewers can’t blow past them. But, in my opinion, some of these guys are just getting lazy.  Last week we had a four-minute clip of dialog in ABC’s Cougartown that features a main character noshing on a cold cut sammich with his head framed by a giant Subway sign. Geez.

So what do you think? Does this sort of shilling annoy you as you watch shows, or do you really even notice it?