<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <!--Generated by Site-Server v6.0.0-31019-31019 (http://www.squarespace.com) on Thu, 25 Nov 2021 02:01:20 GMT --><rss xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:media="http://www.rssboard.org/media-rss" version="2.0"><channel><title>Blog Articles - LAUNCHPAD</title><link>http://www.lpnyc.com/blog/</link><lastBuildDate>Thu, 22 Sep 2016 21:56:49 +0000</lastBuildDate><language>en-US</language><generator>Site-Server v6.0.0-31019-31019 (http://www.squarespace.com)</generator><description><![CDATA[]]></description><item><title>The One Key Thing You Need for Content Marketing Success</title><dc:creator>David Low</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 27 Dec 2016 17:00:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.lpnyc.com/blog/2016/1/22/the-one-key-thing-you-need-for-content-marketing-success</link><guid isPermaLink="false">563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8:563bb26be4b04fd1f90e32a7:56a2b0cd42f552c00248d974</guid><description><![CDATA[In a recent SpiceWorks survey of content marketing, one major factor was found that separated the winners from the losers: having a formal, written content marketing plan with a clearly defined budget. This may sound basic, but the numbers tell a very different story. While 72 percent of businesses claim to have a strategy for content, only 30 percent actually have it documented.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><h3>Putting your content marketing plan in writing, with a defined budget, is the most critical driver of success.<br /> </h3><p>Marketers are investing more in content marketing than in any other digital tactic, except for digital advertising. Very soon, content-related investments will likely emerge as the largest share of digital marketing spend.</p><p>In a recent SpiceWorks survey of content marketing, one major factor was found that separated the winners from the losers: having a formal, written content marketing plan with a clearly defined budget. This may sound basic, but the numbers tell a very different story. While 72 percent of businesses claim to have a strategy for content, only 30 percent actually have it documented.</p><p>Why is having a written plan and established budget so important? Consider this: 36 percent of businesses with a documented plan feel that their efforts are very, or extremely, successful, compared with only 11 percent of those who have not documented a plan.</p><p>Getting the most return from content marketing investments requires a rigorous amount of planning. Many businesses have developed content primarily as a means to an end, a deliverable designed specifically to populate websites, social media efforts or specific promotional efforts. But content marketing is its own unique beast, and those who treat it with this perspective in mind are far more likely to succeed.</p><p>What are some of the keys to creating a successful plan?</p><h3><strong>1. Define ROI upfront.</strong></h3><p>Before investing in anything, it's always important to have a thorough understanding of what that investment should deliver, and how it will be measured. Unlike social media, most businesses cite lead generation as the primary goal of content marketing, yet the top metrics tracked today are views and website visits. Defining the right measurements and ensuring that the necessary tracking mechanisms are in place right from the beginning will result in a more precise alignment of metrics and ROI.</p><h3><strong>2. Identify a strategic positioning for your content that aligns with your brand.</strong></h3><p>Effective content marketing is essentially like running a marathon. While specific pieces may do better than others, the goal is to make a long-term impact through content that engages and influences prospects as part of the overall marketing mix. Building your content around a single, clearly defined positioning ensures that your blog posts, infographics and videos are all working in synchronicity to make sure that the whole is inevitably greater than the sum. And since much of this content will live across your array of marketing platforms, its positioning must be aligned with the positioning of your overall brand.</p><h3><strong>3. Create a content calendar.</strong></h3><p>The biggest challenge facing content marketers is having to consistently create quality content. Most companies create much of their content in-house, but few companies have dedicated Content Marketing Managers on their team to make sure internal resources that are burdened with other responsibilities are able to deliver the content they originally committed to. With so many disparate moving parts, having a well planned out content calendar is crucial to the task of productively managing all the different experts that serve as content providers, while also assuring that a diverse set of topics and contributions is consistently produced. Creating the calendar should also help determine exactly when the content needs have surpassed your organization's ability to handle it in-house.</p><h3><strong>4. Get more out of each topic.</strong></h3><p>Often, the most difficult parts of creating a large volume of content is developing a diverse set of consistently interesting points of view. Many companies begin with a certain tactic--"We need a video on Topic X"--when planning content. What you should do instead is to turn that model on its head and approach it from the inside/out--"We want to focus on Topic X; what is it about the essence of this topic that we can use to create interesting content, and how many different kinds of content can we create to get the most exposure around it?" One of the best Content Marketing books available, Epic Content Marketing by Joe Pulizzi, encourages creating up to 20 different pieces of content for every topic. That may be hard to do, but the important thing is to get as much mileage as possible from each one.</p><h3><strong>5. Maximize reach.</strong></h3><p>The whole purpose of investing in content creation is to get it seen, right? It's important to spend time to make a plan for each piece of content that will maximize the number of eyeballs that happen to gaze it's way. This may sound simple, but few marketers look outside of the original, intended home of their content to give it more lets. Actively planning to leverage content in ways both obvious and creative will maximize its effectiveness, and go a long way towards transforming your content from merely a marketing expense into an asset that works hard and powerfully well beyond its initial deployment</p><p> </p>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1453913834214-77KR9SNRCKMVUNP5UJH9/image-asset.jpeg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="1500" height="999"><media:title type="plain">The One Key Thing You Need for Content Marketing Success</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>3 Tips to Harness the Power of Buyer Personas</title><dc:creator>David Low</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 06 Dec 2016 16:02:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.lpnyc.com/blog/2016/buyer-personas</link><guid isPermaLink="false">563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8:563bb26be4b04fd1f90e32a7:56e2eac67c65e4a5816e94ff</guid><description><![CDATA[Understanding what makes your target customers tick is the most important factor in delivering and communicating real value to them. All too often, companies view what they are selling only through their own eyes, a potentially fatal mistake. Getting out of your own head and into the mind of your consumer is the road to success, and increasingly, tools like Buyer Personas are emerging as the all-important key to capturing both hearts and minds.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3>Getting past the focus groups and PowerPoints to truly understanding the lives of your prospects and customers requires creativity, but it's the key to marketing success.</h3><p>Understanding what makes your target customers tick is the most important factor in delivering and communicating real value to them. <strong><em>All too often, companies view what they are selling only through their own eyes, a potentially fatal mistake.</em></strong> Getting out of your own head and into the mind of your consumer is the road to success, and increasingly, tools like Buyer Personas are emerging as the all-important key to capturing both hearts and minds.</p><p>Embracing this concept of Buyer Personas--truly understanding the lives of your prospects and customers--is critical to delivering a narrative that connects with them based on where they are in their buying cycle, what problems they are trying to solve in their lives and how your product can satisfy these needs.</p><p>Successfully harnessing the power of Buyer Personas requires a level of creativity that extends far beyond the standard research report or PowerPoint slides. Any actor worth his salt doesn't step onstage or in front of the camera without first diligently researching his character's life to the point where he begins to instinctively think, fee and behave as they do. It's no different for marketers. The more you can get into character and think and feel as your customers, the more successful you will be in engaging them.</p><p>Below are a few techniques that can inspire your team to move beyond simple and impersonal demographics to make more profound and direct connection with your customers:</p><h3><strong>Have a conversation</strong></h3><p>Have you ever been in a focus group? People are forced to discuss a series of contrived questions with a pack of strangers, while staring dead-eyed at a glass wall, feeling like they're trapped forever inside an M&amp;M-powered fishbowl. Does this sound like an effective way to capture the complex intricacies of what a human being truly thinks and feels? Of course not. A better way is to find people who fit the profile of your buyer and just sit down and talk to them. Take them for coffee, or meet with them in their office. Always make sure to steer the conversation away from your company. Instead, focus on their life and their desires, and what they are trying to accomplish every day. Then use this information to figure out how your product can best fit into the needs of their world, and when.</p><h3><strong>Walk in their shoes</strong></h3><p>It's one thing to intellectually understand someone, but it's another to actually know them--to feel the pressures they feel and to face the non-stop choices, demands and problems that make up their life. While it's almost impossible to step in and truly inhabit someone else's life, a little role-playing will go a long way toward understanding the truth about your target. It's an interesting and often fun exercise that can prove very illuminating. First, to get into character, do a quick profile of one of your key consumer targets, to serve as a guide. Then pick one of your products and start your day. While in character, consider what prompted you to seek out your product category in the first place? Where would you go to start to investigate things? Remember, you only know what your "character" does, so keep it real. What's most important based on how this person would be purchasing and using your product? In the end, decide whether "character you" would have chosen your company and products. If not, you've learned a ton!</p><h3><strong>Find a friend</strong></h3><p>One day, recently, my team was having a tough time trying to identify with a particular persona. Rather than trying to explain it to them, I asked each of them to name a person they knew who reflected the profile on the page in front of them. I then had them describe that person, and tell me a story about them. This exercise enabled everyone in the room to apply what they were working on through the lens of someone they could relate to. That little piece of paper with information on a target customer suddenly came to life and became very real for them. This completely reframed the project in a way that connected directly to things their friend would relate to.</p><p> </p><p>Lets face it, customers don't really care about your products. They care about their own lives. And your job is simply to find ways to make their lives better. Reaching beyond the impersonal clutter of demographics and PowerPoint slides to enter into your customer's hearts and minds will drive better products, better marketing and better results.</p><p> </p><p> </p>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1457712606216-N1USGREQIC51M8PCTTHL/getty_483357882_970647970450058_71718.jpg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="970" height="450"><media:title type="plain">3 Tips to Harness the Power of Buyer Personas</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>Launchpad Announcement</title><dc:creator>David Low</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 22 Sep 2016 21:59:22 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.lpnyc.com/blog/2016/9/22/launchpad-announcement</link><guid isPermaLink="false">563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8:563bb26be4b04fd1f90e32a7:57e453a159cc68ff27050a51</guid><description><![CDATA[Launchpad’s Co-founder, Scott Elser is moving on after 9 successful years at the company. Following many years of growth and success at Launchpad, a unique opportunity arose to work with some of his past clients and colleagues that enabled him to pursue several professional and personal goals. ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Launchpad’s Co-founder, Scott Elser is moving on after 9 successful years at the company.&nbsp; Following many years of growth and success at Launchpad, a unique opportunity arose to work with some of his past clients and colleagues that enabled him to pursue several professional and personal goals.<br />&nbsp;<br />“I’m proud of what we built at Launchpad.&nbsp; The people, thinking and work has truly helped transform our client’s marketing performance.&nbsp; While I’m moving onto something new, I look forward to seeing Launchpad continue to accomplish great things in the future” says Scott Elser.<br />&nbsp;<br />“Scott has been a great partner and friend for almost 20 years.&nbsp; It will be hard to see him go, but at the same time we are excited by our recent growth and successes” says co-founder and President David Low.<br />&nbsp;<br />David and Scott founded the independent full service agency in 2007 after years in leadership roles at some of Madison Avenues biggest agencies.&nbsp; Launchpad’s approach has proven incredibly effective as shown by their range of client wins, marketing successes, and a number of awards along the way.<br />&nbsp;<br /><strong>About Launchpad</strong></p><p>Launchpad is one of the fastest growing advertising agencies in the US and a member of the prestigious Inc. 500/5000 the past 4 years.&nbsp; Founded in 2007, NY-based Launchpad is a full-service advertising agency with a client roster spanning Fortune 250 companies to fast growing start-ups.&nbsp; For more information, visit: <a href="http://lpnyc.com">http://lpnyc.com</a>.</p><p> </p>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/png" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1474581985220-GUX7FP64K0KS5LKM82KJ/Screen+Shot+2016-09-22+at+6.05.33+PM.png?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="446" height="314"><media:title type="plain">Launchpad Announcement</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>Habitat for Humanity NYC Build 2016</title><dc:creator>David Low</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 20 Sep 2016 18:49:45 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.lpnyc.com/blog/2016/9/20/82abge30v95n196fmuibkvmrndxqwi</link><guid isPermaLink="false">563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8:563bb26be4b04fd1f90e32a7:57e18320b8a79b25269d86b6</guid><description><![CDATA[At Launchpad, we are very fortunate to be able to work on campaigns and initiatives with Habitat for Humanity NYC on a daily basis. It’s immensely gratifying to know that the work we do to raise awareness, volunteerism and funds goes directly to building and preserving communities in our own backyard. Recently, we decided to take that to the next level by signing up as an agency to volunteer for a build day.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>At Launchpad, we are very fortunate to be able to work on campaigns and initiatives with Habitat for Humanity NYC on a daily basis. It’s immensely gratifying to know that the work we do to raise awareness, volunteerism and funds goes directly to building and preserving communities in our own backyard. Recently, we decided to take that to the next level by signing up as an agency to volunteer for a build day.</p><p>Fifteen of us arrived at a semi-detached house in St Albans, Queens, on the hottest day in August. The site supervisor explained that this was one of 26 sites Habitat for Humanity NYC had recently secured from the city to build affordable housing for families. Upon completion, these homes will retain affordable housing status, so if and when a family sells their home, it will go to another family with a similar financial profile. It helped to know that the work we were doing in the 100+ degree heat would pay off for generations to come. He then distributed drills and power tools to a bunch of agency folks. Very scary.</p> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img class="thumb-image" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1474397979816-L9IEIPGQYGS55QNPPATP/image-asset.jpeg" data-image-dimensions="600x450" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" data-image-id="57e186db579fb3910f3efb53" data-type="image" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1474397979816-L9IEIPGQYGS55QNPPATP/image-asset.jpeg?format=1000w" /> </figure> <p>Fortunately, there was a support team of workers onsite to help us along. Clad in hard hats, boots and gloves, we set out for the day’s task—building a perimeter fence around the site. It was quite a site. Art directors and writers screwed enormous wooden panels into 2x4s. Account executives operated table saws. Office directors dug trenches for post holes. And eight hours later, we had a great green wall around the property to show for it.</p> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img class="thumb-image" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1474400133040-OPO3TW4OV1WZWV80OV42/image-asset.jpeg" data-image-dimensions="600x385" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" data-image-id="57e18f62197aea20e2a5fdef" data-type="image" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1474400133040-OPO3TW4OV1WZWV80OV42/image-asset.jpeg?format=1000w" /> </figure> <p>While we believe the work we do every day matters, that day, as we dragged our sore, sunburned bodies home, we could reflect on work that truly made a difference—bringing Habitat for Humanity NYC and one of their families one step closer to home. With all of our fingers intact.</p> <figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img class="thumb-image" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1474400232529-ZSKKK3OX3CREH7HT8KNI/image-asset.jpeg" data-image-dimensions="600x450" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" data-image-id="57e18fb7197aea20e2a6030e" data-type="image" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1474400232529-ZSKKK3OX3CREH7HT8KNI/image-asset.jpeg?format=1000w" /> </figure>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1474397503392-UN4NBNL330YA1FY81JVR/truck.JPG?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="1500" height="2000"><media:title type="plain">Habitat for Humanity NYC Build 2016</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>2016 Pat Tillman Leadership Summit</title><dc:creator>David Low</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 19 Aug 2016 22:10:57 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.lpnyc.com/blog/2016tillmansummit</link><guid isPermaLink="false">563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8:563bb26be4b04fd1f90e32a7:57b7834f6a496393900a2ad5</guid><description><![CDATA[Last month, working alongside the Pat Tillman Foundation, we had the great pleasure of launching and attending the Pat Tillman Leadership Summit at Roosevelt University and Venue SIX10 in Chicago. Historically, Launchpad has worked in tandem with PTF to develop all of the branding, communications and materials for their annual three-day leadership event.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img class="thumb-image" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1473350583950-RSKPHMQV6VOH66C7F0EC/image-asset.jpeg" data-image-dimensions="2000x500" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" data-image-id="57d18bb6725e2585d446e1a8" data-type="image" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1473350583950-RSKPHMQV6VOH66C7F0EC/image-asset.jpeg?format=1000w" /> </figure> <p>Last month, working alongside the Pat Tillman Foundation, we had the great pleasure of launching and attending the Pat Tillman Leadership Summit at Roosevelt University and Venue SIX10 in Chicago.</p><p>Historically, Launchpad has worked in tandem with PTF to develop all of the branding, communications and materials for their annual three-day leadership event.&nbsp;The program is designed to foster collaboration and learning amongst all the Tillman Scholars through an assembly of inspirational keynote speakers, engaging panels,&nbsp;peer workshops, community service projects, and the Tillman Honors showcase.&nbsp;More than 100 Tillman Scholars attend the summit to network with each other, and to identify opportunities for collaboration and impact.</p><p>This year proved to be our best year yet, with the introduction of the very first Make Your Mark Talks. This portion of the event was designed to showcase the foundation's impact through a series of talks given by four of the Tillman Scholars.&nbsp;The talks were passionately and intelligently delivered, and wonderfully received by 400+ audience members. Above all else, they put a human face on the meaning of the foundation’s mission: "Writing the story of a better future." The Make Your Mark Talks have carried on well beyond the event. &nbsp;They continue, every day, to inspire the large network of scholars, sponsors and supporters through the many pathways of social media and email. These talks will soon be available to view online at PatTillmanFoundation.org.&nbsp;</p><p>Tillman Honors celebrates Pat’s legacy by recognizing and awarding outstanding leaders for their remarkable civic contributions, extraordinary fortitude and purposeful spirit of service. This year, the Make Your Mark Award recognized Tillman Scholar Kimberly Jung for all these qualities, and more. &nbsp;Kimberly is CEO and Co–Founder of Rumi Spice,&nbsp;a for–profit start-up of saffron farming in Afghanistan that has recently created 300 jobs for Afghan women, while at the same time effectively combating the opium trade,&nbsp;which historically has been a major source of Taliban funding. Her product is now used by many of the world's finest chefs, including Thomas Keller, Eric Ripert and Daniel Boloud, and Rumi Spice itself was recently featured in the New York Times.&nbsp;This year’s Champion Award was given to the much celebrated and award-winning Jon Krakauer, author of <em>Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman,</em>&nbsp;in recognition of his remarkable service, contributions and support for the foundation.&nbsp;</p><p>Other highlights from the three-day leadership event include a fireside chat between Krakauer and MOH Honoree Sal Giunta; a Tillman Scholar panel, moderated by New York Times best-selling author Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, where they recounted their experiences serving in, and with, teams of female soldiers that have become such important resources during critical missions in Iraq and Afghanistan; a heartfelt discussion amongst several accomplished novelists and poets, along with PTF President and Co-Founder Marie Tillman, about why they choose to share their stories in their writing; and a conversation about the value of veterans as civic leaders,&nbsp;amongst four Tillman Scholars who have become leaders within their communities in the areas of education, government, medicine and the arts.&nbsp;</p><p>The success and inspiration of the Pat Tillman Leadership Summit fills us all with enormous gratitude and pride for the opportunity to support the Tillman Scholars as they create a better future for all of us.&nbsp;</p>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1471644598260-J5K0A9AL55ONZPMTSFK0/PTF_SUMT_16_1_20_TH_slides_2.jpg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="1500" height="844"><media:title type="plain">2016 Pat Tillman Leadership Summit</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>Habitat for Humanity NYC Appoints Launchpad Advertising as AOR</title><dc:creator>David Low</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 16 Aug 2016 18:25:50 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.lpnyc.com/blog/habitatnyc</link><guid isPermaLink="false">563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8:563bb26be4b04fd1f90e32a7:57b357f5414fb514a39cf425</guid><description><![CDATA[Habitat for Humanity New York City (Habitat NYC), a non-profit leader dedicated to ensuring that everyone has a decent and affordable place to live, has named New York-based Launchpad Advertising its new strategic and creative advertising agency partner across multiple marketing disciplines. ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>NEW YORK, August 16, 2016 </strong>– Habitat for Humanity New York City (Habitat NYC), a non-profit leader dedicated to ensuring that everyone has a decent and affordable place to live, has named New York-based Launchpad Advertising its new strategic and creative advertising agency partner across multiple marketing disciplines.</p><p>The agency will spearhead strategic and brand marketing initiatives designed to integrate, elevate and raise awareness of Habitat NYC’s properties and impact in communities throughout the five boroughs. Work for these integrated efforts will include experiential, digital and social campaigns promoting the non-profit’s banner housing builds, ReStore and A Brush with Kindness programs.</p><p>"We are excited to work with Launchpad Advertising on new plans to elevate Habitat’s brand here in the country’s toughest media market,” said Habitat NYC CEO Karen Haycox. “We currently have the most robust pipeline in our organization’s history, and Launchpad has demonstrated excellence in strategic planning and creative development that will help us promote the great work we are doing.”</p><p>"Habitat for Humanity NYC has built such an incredible organization that directly impacts the staying power of our communities and so many of our families and neighbors” said Noah Ross, Chief Creative Officer of Launchpad. “It is a huge win for Launchpad and a privilege to work with Habitat NYC’s team to make that impact even greater. We are all excited to develop huge end-to-end ideas to promote the awareness, donations and volunteers to ensure Habitat for Humanity will continue to make NYC’s residents and communities stronger than ever far into the future."</p><p><strong>About Habitat for Humanity New York City</strong><br />Habitat for Humanity New York City transforms lives and communities by building quality, affordable homes with families in need, and by uniting all New Yorkers around the cause of affordable housing. With the help of thousands of volunteers each year, Habitat NYC builds, repairs and preserves homes across the five boroughs of New York City. Learn more at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.habitatnyc.org">www.habitatnyc.org.</a></p><p><strong>About Launchpad</strong><br />Launchpad is one of the fastest growing advertising agencies in the US and a member of the prestigious Inc. 500/5000 the past 4 years.&nbsp; Founded in 2007, NY-based Launchpad is a full-service advertising agency focused with a client roster spanning Fortune 250 companies to fast growing start-ups.&nbsp; For more information, visit: <a href="http://www.lpnyc.com">http://lpnyc.com.</a><br />&nbsp;<br /><strong>Media Contacts:</strong><br /><strong>Habitat for Humanity</strong><br />Heather Phibbs<br />VP of Marketing &amp; Communications<br />212.991.4000<br />Hphibbs@habitat</p><p><strong>Launchpad</strong><br />Noah Ross<br />Partner/ ECD<br />212.303.7678<br />noah@lpnyc.com</p><p> </p><p><span>&nbsp;</span></p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.lpnyc.com/blog/habitatnyc">Permalink</a><p>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1471372257809-SLAO9G04KE586L6ABIJM/large.jpg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="776" height="600"><media:title type="plain">Habitat for Humanity NYC Appoints Launchpad Advertising as AOR</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>Mirren Live New York 2016</title><dc:creator>David Low</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 13 Jul 2016 15:47:10 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.lpnyc.com/blog/2016/7/13/mirren-live-2016</link><guid isPermaLink="false">563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8:563bb26be4b04fd1f90e32a7:57865f15d2b857c40a66eaa2</guid><description><![CDATA[A recent attendance to the Mirren Live NYC New Business Conference quickly became one of the most inspiring and electric experiences in a long while. By the end, a number of truly impactful insights emerged, whose power resonated far beyond the world of advertising. The panels included some of today’s most influential marketers and researchers, as well as a number of esteemed members of the Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Mintel, plus a host of some of the most influential and creative minds in the world of advertising.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3><strong><em>6 key insights that will powerfully galvanize any marketing approach</em></strong></h3><p>A recent attendance to the Mirren Live NYC New Business Conference quickly became one of the most inspiring and electric experiences in a long while. By the end, a number of truly impactful insights emerged, whose power resonated far beyond the world of advertising.&nbsp; The panels included some of today’s most influential marketers and researchers, as well as a number of esteemed members of the Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Mintel, plus a host of some of the most influential and creative minds in the world of advertising.</p><p><strong>1. View marketing as a business problem rather than a communication problem</strong></p><ul><li>Understand in detail how clients’/business’s economics work</li><li><span>&nbsp;</span>Listen more attentively; simplify and focus</li><li>Embrace a multi-agency environment<ul><li>Always be confident about what you do best</li></ul></li><li>Ensure that you (client/agency) have the capabilities to operationalize exactly what you promise</li><li>There is always an inherent need for speed—better, faster, smarter</li><li>Exercise ruthless prioritization</li></ul><p><strong>2. Be liked—but MUCH more important—be respected</strong></p><ul><li>Stop following, start leading</li><li>Be hungry, thoroughly committed to winning and inspiring</li><li>Get passionate about CLIENT’S business and CLIENT’S $$$ (this is not Monopoly Money you’re playing with)</li><li>Pick a business goal and go for it, relentlessly—keep your focus on the goal line, rather than playing cutesy with the cheerleaders</li></ul><p><strong>3. Chaos is the enemy</strong></p><ul><li>“Fuck committees”—it’s not about consensus, it’s about focus</li><li>Confirm individuals’ roles and responsibilities—with no excuses/no exceptions</li><li>Everyone must have GRIT<ul><li>Push yourself to the limit, be endlessly resourceful</li><li>Always embrace a positive attitude: “I can get this done”</li></ul></li></ul><p><strong>4. Demonstrate VALUE—not just cost</strong></p><ul><li>The customer is ALWAYS FIRST in the equation; not just the service/product that’s delivered</li><li>Focus on outcomes and define exactly what “success” means for every different venture</li></ul><p><strong>5. Be Honest, Fierce and Independent</strong></p><ul><li>Honest: What kind of clients/business do you want to have?—strategy is sacrifice</li><li>Fierce: Institutionalize innovative, out-of-the-box thinking; make it as popular in the office as beer in the fridge<ul><li>Set a high bar—then inspire them to reach for it</li></ul></li><li>Independent: The freedom to “do what we feel is right”<ul><li>Demonstrate independent thinking; your employees will follow, your clients will respect it</li></ul></li></ul><p><strong>6. View EVERYTHING as a creative opportunity (with a purpose)</strong></p><ul><li>Push to do things that haven't been done</li><li>Create opportunities for creativity—it’s not OK to say we don’t have the right product/service/client/agency</li><li>Always ask “What else can we do?”</li><li>Never give up</li><li>Start focusing immediately on making the “tangibles” happen…rather than whiling away time, energy and money in more “discussions”&nbsp;</li></ul>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/png" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1468424763694-8HEDYSOQMM0J702VQD6J/Mirren-new-business-conferencenew-york-May-17-18-1.png?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="1350" height="375"><media:title type="plain">Mirren Live New York 2016</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>Latest Trends on Brand Drivers</title><dc:creator>David Low</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 23 Jun 2016 16:24:27 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.lpnyc.com/blog/2016/6/22/latest-trends-on-brand-drivers</link><guid isPermaLink="false">563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8:563bb26be4b04fd1f90e32a7:576adb732e69cf79eafdf5bc</guid><description><![CDATA[Marketers constantly grapple with two major challenges: how to deal with new trends, and how to effectively influence brand choice. One of the most rapid and effective ways of doing this is simply just going out and talking to consumers. A recent man-on-the-street exploratory discovered three intriguing takeaways that reveal a noticeable shift from emotional drivers, as prime influencers, to drivers that are more functional and fact-based.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Marketers constantly grapple with two major challenges: how to deal with new trends, and how to effectively influence brand choice.&nbsp; One of the most rapid and effective ways of doing this is simply just going out and talking to consumers.&nbsp; A recent man-on-the-street exploratory discovered three intriguing takeaways that reveal a noticeable shift from emotional drivers, as prime influencers, to drivers that are more functional and fact-based.&nbsp; The following examines the three top trends that are now influencing brand choice.</p><h3><strong><em>Trend #1:&nbsp;Peer-to-peer remains a driving factor behind brand choice</em></strong></h3><p>We all know that brand content is a major catalyst in marketing and is consumed in mass quantities.&nbsp; What’s surprising is that P2P or simple word of mouth consistently emerged up as a primary driver of brand choice and influence.&nbsp; Perhaps this shouldn’t be such a surprise.&nbsp; The reality is, who do you trust more than your network of friends, and where else can you get a more honest, organic point of view?&nbsp; What this means is that there must be greater focus on evangelizing brands most loyal customers as part of any serious marketing effort.</p><h3><strong><em>Trend #2: Quality—not just Image—can influence both brand choice…and brand abandonment</em></strong></h3><p>In our fast-paced, “everything is disposable” society, one would assume that products themselves would deliver just that—a quick fix of immediately disposable satisfaction.&nbsp; But the truth is, brand selection and abandonment are driven by factors grounded in the old-fashioned ethic of “quality.”&nbsp; Buy less…but buy better.&nbsp; This principle trumps almost everything else, including cost, innovation and perception.&nbsp; Consumers are demanding that we live up to a very high bar.&nbsp; Because one bad experience can result in complete brand abandonment.</p><h3><strong><em>Trend #3:&nbsp;Imagery is the most powerful social component of all</em></strong></h3><p>Over an intensely short period of time, we’ve witnessed a lightning transition from websites to 1,000-word blogs to unlimited posts to 140-letter tweets, and now to visual sharing.&nbsp; It’s no surprise that social sites like Pinterest (2nd largest driver of Internet traffic) and Instagram have completely exploded, and that YouTube has grown into the 2nd largest search engine on the planet.&nbsp; Consumers still engage with “talk” and they’re still willing to “read” about brands, but more and more, they require visual content as the essential tool in determining brand and product choice.&nbsp; This shift offers brands a tremendous opportunity to utilize images, photos and videos as a means to galvanize greater interest and engagement.&nbsp; It’s apparent that the old saying has proven markedly true: a picture is truly worth a thousand words.</p>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1466699015349-30W1I3NJS24QROXVLRHM/images-1.jpg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="225" height="225"><media:title type="plain">Latest Trends on Brand Drivers</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>Judging the 2016 Effie Awards</title><dc:creator>David Low</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 03 Mar 2016 16:36:02 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.lpnyc.com/blog/2016/3/3/judging-the-2016-effie-awards</link><guid isPermaLink="false">563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8:563bb26be4b04fd1f90e32a7:56d866e24d088e9377d9a403</guid><description><![CDATA[We are proud to announce that for the second consecutive year, David Low, Co-Founder and President of Launchpad, was selected by The North American Effie Awards to serve as final round judge. This is one of the most prestigious events in the industry.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We are proud to announce that for the second consecutive year, David Low, Co-Founder and President of Launchpad, was selected by The North American Effie Awards to serve as final round judge. This is one of the most prestigious events in the industry.</p><p>David will thus be helping to select the winners from the 200 finalist entries. Volunteering his time and expertise will provide entrants with meaningful feedback and, in turn, enhance marketing throughout the industry. &nbsp;</p><p>David was selected because of his premiere pedigree in advertising and marketing excellence. Prior to founding Launchpad, David worked at some of the industry's most esteemed NYC agencies, including BBDO, McCann Erickson, and Grey.&nbsp;&nbsp;He has earned a handful of Gold and Silver Effie awards for his work on a variety of leading brands, such as Pepsi/Mtn Dew, HBO, MasterCard, Xbox and Nokia.</p>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1457023621504-NYQL02H7RMYK2EMSDLCC/image-asset.jpeg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="1500" height="2000"><media:title type="plain">Judging the 2016 Effie Awards</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>Ten Trend Predictions Service Brands Should Know</title><dc:creator>David Low</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 19 Jan 2016 21:29:46 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.lpnyc.com/blog/2016/1/14/ten-trend-predictions-service-brands-should-know</link><guid isPermaLink="false">563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8:563bb26be4b04fd1f90e32a7:569809675a566807bca7e6d7</guid><description><![CDATA[This year, Millennials will overtake Baby Boomers as the largest generation, and they will be in the driver seat defining the expectations of all service brands for the next five years. We’ve leveraged both in-house and 3rd party research to uncover the 10 critical shifts that customers will expect. These shifts are not subtle, and how companies deliver on them will define their brands, and impact the success of their marketing efforts.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Customers will call the shots.</strong><br />Pre-packaged services or even multiple-choice options won’t be enough down the road. Customers will expect and demand more personalized products, services and experiences from the brands they choose. Today, consumers play a more active role in shaping brands than ever, through social sharing, and reviews that appear everywhere from Yelp to YouTube. Brands themselves are engaging outside influencers on a regular basis as part of their media and content plans. It has become very clear just how much influence consumers already have, and that brands are beginning to rely on customers as a channel. Over the next few years, this trend will continue to gain momentum to the point where customers will be shaping and at times dictating the development of products and services themselves.</p><p><strong>Brands will provide solutions to problems customers didn’t even know they had.</strong><br />Customers will be more loyal to brands that actively look for ways to improve their service without even being asked. Research shows that certain moves like Apple allowing line-free checkout at retail <a href="http://lpnyc.com/trend10/#">locations</a>, and banks providing Sunday hours, have not only had a dramatic positive impact on their current customer base, but they’re actually motivating customers to switch from competitors who don’t provide the same level of service. Soon this expectation will become table stakes, not just a nice add-on.</p><p><strong>Self-service will be a necessity.</strong><br />We already know that customers are more tech-savvy than ever before, and self-help has become a win-win for both companies and customers alike. Going forward, customers will look for more sophisticated tools to service themselves, on their terms, and will ask for assistance when they want it. As with Delta Airlines, and retailers like All Saints, the companies that continue <a href="http://lpnyc.com/trend10/#">to invest</a>&nbsp;in technology that makes it easier for customers to self-direct, will come out on top.</p><p><strong>The way forward is backwards–innovation will be linked to the fundamentals.</strong><br />Brands in the service space will revisit what customer relationships (and all great relationships) are about: the feeling of being seen, heard and truly appreciated. Drone delivery, emoji campaigns and new technologies are great–but if they don’t impact what customers actually feel about you, they’ll want out of the relationship.</p><p><strong>Customer service will go concierge.</strong><br />Customers today have higher expectations of service than ever before, and those expectations will only get higher in the future. American Express and Bank of America have already moved to <a href="http://lpnyc.com/trend10/#">live video chat</a>&nbsp;on their websites, and <a href="http://lpnyc.com/trend10/#">Crutchfield</a>&nbsp;now enables their reps to have shared <a href="http://lpnyc.com/trend10/#">Internet</a>&nbsp;sessions with callers to guide them to the best products and services possible, thus creating a whole new experience. Currently, customer service is largely resolution-focused, but tomorrow, innovations delivering more personalized and guided concierge-style service will be the new normal.</p><p><strong>eCommerce will drop the “e.”</strong><br />As more e-tailers like Amazon and Warby Parker open physical locations, and brick and mortars like J.Crew and Target become more sophisticated online, the dual world of on and offline sales will merge. The seeing, touching and feeling that has played a huge role in the physical shopping experience will combine with the cost-savings, efficiency and convenience of ordering online to create a single, seamless experience.</p><p><strong>Good brands will stand behind their product; the best brands will stand next to their customers.</strong><br />Good companies are experts at innovation, and most of these innovations serve to enhance their products. However, customers will expect more from brands that have staying power. For example, companies like T-Mobile have revived tired brands by doing something few brands do–listening to their customers. They look for ways to solve customers’ actual problems, with features like unlimited data, no contracts, and free texting on planes. Companies like Esurance have embraced this idea by offering accident appraisals via smartphone, which is not only convenient, it makes a stressful time much easier. Tomorrow’s consumer will look for brands to both advocate and innovate for them.</p><p><strong>Brand and customer will combine.</strong><br />Companies market to customers and then hope for “likes” or positive reviews. However, marketing engagement will soon become brand inclusion. Going forward, customers will take on a much more active role in helping marketers do the marketing. As customers’ voices become stronger, it will be even more critical to give them the tools to function as great ambassadors, and not only spread the word, but drive sales too. Red Bull has exemplified this by bringing customers in and tying the lifestyle of the brand with their customers, not just selling their product.</p><p><strong>Getting customers to the right solution quickly will be more important than actually providing the assets.</strong><br />One of the models of the future is asset-free service. Yes, the assets may be part of the equation, but if you can also provide a great solution, you will be more successful. More and more often, new service-based companies are proving that sometimes the best product is just a great solution, one which often leverages someone else’s assets. Companies like Uber and <a href="http://lpnyc.com/trend10/#">Airbnb</a>&nbsp;have begun to prove this idea. Customer value will be derived from those who can quickly get them to the right “place.”</p><p><strong>Instant gratification will prove crucial.</strong><br />Now, now, now! There is an increasing need for instantaneous solutions to customer issues. Customer behavior is shifting based on how they search and order products today–at their fingertips, on their own terms, and FAST. “My system doesn’t let me…” “Wrong department…” “I need to get back to you…” “We are out of that…”–these are all ways of saying goodbye to the customer forever.</p>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/png" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1453238960220-TVGO393Z9YZT0Q704D4A/image-asset.png?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="300" height="143"><media:title type="plain">Ten Trend Predictions Service Brands Should Know</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>Launchpad Advertising Listed on Inc. 5000 for 4th Year in a Row</title><dc:creator>David Low</dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 20 Dec 2015 19:50:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.lpnyc.com/blog/2016/1/3/launchpad-advertising-listed-on-inc-5000-for-4th-year-in-a-row</link><guid isPermaLink="false">563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8:563bb26be4b04fd1f90e32a7:56897af51115e06a4a287d8a</guid><description><![CDATA[Launchpad Advertising is proud to have joined rare company in 2015, as one of only two advertising and marketing companies in New York City recognized by Inc. Magazine on their Inc. 5000 list of Fastest-Growing Private U.S. Companies for the fourth straight year.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>NEW YORK,&nbsp;Aug. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire-iReach/ — Launchpad Advertising is proud to have joined rare company in 2015, as one of only two advertising and marketing companies in New York City recognized by Inc. Magazine on their Inc<em>.&nbsp;</em>5000 list of Fastest-Growing Private U.S. Companies for the fourth straight year. The company ranked #2,821 on the 2015 list with 128% growth over the past three years.</p><p>Launchpad is uniquely focused on delivering creative solutions to service industry clients, and is redefining what it means to be a “full-service” agency for clients in categories like telecom, financial services, healthcare and delivery services.&nbsp; The agency’s strategic focus ensures true alignment across all communications to maximize both new customer acquisition efforts and overall share-of-wallet.</p><p>When asked about the recognition, Co-founder and President David Low said, “We knew we were on track to grow our business in very strong ways, but staying on the <em>Inc.&nbsp;</em>5000 List gets tougher every year. Fast growth is not so much an agency goal as it is a sign that we’re continuing to do a lot of the right things. I mean, yes, we’re growing fast, but we’re also growing smart.”</p><p>“We feel that the role of a full-service agency has changed dramatically,” said agency Partner and Executive Creative Director Noah Ross.&nbsp; “It starts with truly listening to our clients, which sounds obvious but it’s something we constantly hear sets us apart, and doing what’s right to deliver creative solutions tailored to driving the client’s business, without any agency bias or agenda.”</p><p>Launchpad (<a target="_blank" href="http://www.lpnyc.com/?__hstc=120043799.67c5758e4fdbcdbce5649aa60ef155ee.1450104988160.1451792211155.1451850522332.4&amp;__hssc=120043799.1.1451850522332&amp;__hsfp=3604822073">www.lpnyc.com</a>) is a New York-based, independent, full-service ad agency. Founded in 2007, they have driven a range of brands from start-ups to the fortune 500.&nbsp; For the past 4 consecutive years they have been named to the <em>Inc. 5000 List of Fastest Growing Private Companies in America</em>. Launchpad has clients that span a variety of categories, with a sweet spot of driving marketing initiatives for service brands- those designed for ongoing customer relationships.&nbsp; Launchpad is based in the heart of the Flatiron district in New York City.</p><p><strong>Media Contact:</strong>&nbsp;Scott Elser, Launchpad Advertising, 9084551001,&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="mailto:scott@lpnyc.com">scott@lpnyc.com</a></p><p>News distributed by PR Newswire iReach:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" href="https://ireach.prnewswire.com/?__hstc=120043799.67c5758e4fdbcdbce5649aa60ef155ee.1450104988160.1451792211155.1451850522332.4&amp;__hssc=120043799.1.1451850522332&amp;__hsfp=3604822073">https://ireach.prnewswire.com</a></p><p>SOURCE Launchpad Advertising</p>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/png" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1451851105038-S8FSYZFQDBKAT03DVPOT/image-asset.png?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="201" height="206"><media:title type="plain">Launchpad Advertising Listed on Inc. 5000 for 4th Year in a Row</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>You Might Be Too in Love with Your Product</title><dc:creator>David Low</dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 03 Dec 2015 23:37:55 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.lpnyc.com/blog/2015/12/3/you-might-be-too-in-love-with-your-product</link><guid isPermaLink="false">563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8:563bb26be4b04fd1f90e32a7:5660d24de4b0bcbe08189047</guid><description><![CDATA[5 simple rules to start viewing your business as a potential customer does. It is far too easy to fall in love with something you are close to. That’s often the explanation for marketing initiatives that fall flat. Too many ideas, product launches and even ad campaigns have died a painful death because of the inability of the creators to step back and view them critically.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3>5 simple rules to start viewing your business as a potential customer does.</h3><p>It is far too easy to fall in love with something you are close to. That’s often the explanation for marketing initiatives that fall flat. Too many ideas, product launches and even ad campaigns have died a painful death because of the inability of the creators to step back and view them critically.</p><p>Authors Chip and Dan Heath, masters of insight into the workings of the business mind, call this phenomenon the “spotlight effect:” focusing so quickly and definitively on the idea you have coalesced around that you fail to see other directions that may be far better.</p><p>It’s not that hard to avoid the spotlight effect, but it does require a shift in perspective. You have to turn the lens from your perspective as a marketer to the times you are a consumer. Think about how many things you see every day that make you wonder, “What were they thinking?” That’s the last thing you want someone to say about you. So apply your own consumer behavior to your marketing decisions. Step back and look at yourself through the lens of “Consumer You.” Here’s how to start.</p><p>Make it fast. Let’s face it, the average consumer has the attention span of a gnat on Red Bull. They really don’t care about the detailed workings of your product; you either have them or don’t in 10 seconds. Can you articulate your product and its core benefit in that amount of time? Would it catch “Consumer You’s” attention if you saw it on TV playing in the background while you were also surfing the web and tweeting from your iPad? If not, you need to re-think things.</p><p>Make it simple. It never ceases to amaze me how frequently marketers design products because they’ve “always done it that way.” The results are never pretty. We recently got proposals for some IT services and most of what we got back was beyond comprehension–including one quote with a whole bunch of line items that made no sense coupled with a discount of around 70 percent on only certain elements. Instead of making things make sense, they chose to give me something that I could never possibly understand. Next…</p><p>Make it BS-free. We all have that internal BS meter that rings loudly when we hear unsubstantiated claims and promises that are too good to be true. The term “where’s the beef” entered the cultural lexicon because it was grounded in truth. Make sure you have credible, factual claims that would convince you–“Consumer You”–that the things you are promising are as good as you claim.</p><p>Know what you’re up against. Go to your website. Now open three more: your two biggest competitors and the hottest smaller company in your space. Presented with nothing but the facts on your screen, would you choose your own product? Is it competitively priced? Does it deliver superior benefits that “Consumer You” can relate to? Is this a company “Consumer-You” would REALLY rather do business with? Consumers look at more than one choice, so you should too. If the answer to these questions is no, re-think more than just your site.</p><p>Do your homework. I was in the Apple Store the other day looking at covers for my new iPad mini. While viewing options on the shelf, I started searching for reviews on each model. I’m not the only one. A recent study by Weber Shandwick found an astounding 65 percent of potential consumer electronics purchasers are inspired by a consumer review to select a brand that wasn’t in their original consideration set. So, do your homework. Look at others’ comments as though you’re a potential customer. Would you buy once you’ve read them?</p><p> </p>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1453239670035-7LV0VAALJVP7S721NT8X/image-asset.jpeg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="1500" height="938"><media:title type="plain">You Might Be Too in Love with Your Product</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>The Marketing Rules of Three</title><dc:creator>David Low</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 02 Dec 2015 23:00:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.lpnyc.com/blog/2015/12/3/the-marketing-rules-of-three</link><guid isPermaLink="false">563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8:563bb26be4b04fd1f90e32a7:5660d29de4b0c8e9dc5ad73e</guid><description><![CDATA[It's often hard to cut through the clutter. Applying these simple rules will make your marketing efforts more impactful by ensuring you focus on what's really important. "The Rule of Three" is an age-old principle that applies to everything from writing to economics–even to survival in the wilderness. For marketers living in a world governed by short attention spans and endless competition, the "Marketing Rule of Three" is no less true.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3>It's often hard to cut through the clutter. Applying these simple rules will make your marketing efforts more impactful by ensuring you focus on what's really important.</h3><p>"The Rule of Three" is an age-old principle that applies to everything from writing to economics–even to survival in the wilderness. For marketers living in a world governed by short attention spans and endless competition, the "Marketing Rule of Three" is no less true.</p><p>It's all too easy for marketers to obsess over the huge array of things we live with every day, from product features that include the kitchen sink, to constantly evolving competitors, to consumer insights that are delivered in 100-page presentations.</p><p>Let's face it; when looking at almost any survey, it's usually only the top 3 answers to any question that truly makes an impact.</p><p>To apply this same logic, and focus only on those impactful factors that should shape your marketing, follow these "Marketing Rules of Three":</p><p><strong>3 reasons your target started looking for your solution.</strong></p><p>In most cases, consumers are not looking to simply buy a product; they're actually looking to fulfill a need of some kind. This may be a practical need (a birthday present for my child), or an emotional one (to make my child smile), but either way, understanding what motivated them to begin shopping in the first place is critical to fulfilling that need.</p><p><strong>First 3 places your target goes for information.</strong></p><p>It may be Google, a website, a retail store, a review or maybe even a friend. Recognizing where your consumers will look to first is absolutely crucial to positioning yourself at the head of the pack, shaping their decision process and potentially, even closing the deal before your competition has the chance to present their case.</p><p><strong>Top 3 things your target believes they already know about your product, category or company.</strong></p><p>Why is it so important to consider this? Knowing the existence of a preconceived bias or perception is the key to either using it or changing it. Very few consumers will buy a product without knowing something about it beforehand. It's imperative to employ this knowledge either as a strength you can use, a weakness you need to address, or a belief that needs to be changed--all of which can only be accomplished if you know them beforehand.</p><p><strong>3 most impactful benefits of your product.</strong></p><p>Our products are like our children; we love them, yet we often obsess needlessly over the trivial things, in turn, losing focus on the few most remarkable features that truly set them apart. For the most part, consumers just don't care that much. It's so easy to get lost in the morass of "benefit soup," where you bombard the customer with a list of everything the product can do, which often results in reducing the impact of the few key benefits that truly matter. It's important to understand the three most marketable aspects of your product and then focus all of your attention on bringing those to life.</p><p><strong>3 most relevant things that, according to your competitors, your customers might like better.</strong></p><p>According to a 2013 survey conducted by GE Capital, "On average, consumers visited five unique retailers--at least three online merchants and two brick-and-mortar stores--before making their purchase." Customers are going to check out your competitors either before or after they visit you, and they'll be weighing your competitors' top 3 strengths against yours. Knowledge is power--if you know what their top three competitive strengths are, you'll be able to proactively shape the debate.</p><p><strong>3 most important things about your company.</strong></p><p>People want great products, but often--just as important--they want to buy from companies they trust, admire and like. So, say you've got a customer on your site, or in your store, and they're considering buying your product--make sure they know a bit more about the company too. Don't get lost in the boring minutiae of facts and figures; make the case like you would if you were at a cocktail party. Simply and easily--what are three things about you that would inspire a consumer to want to start a relationship?</p><p>The number one rule of great marketing is keeping it simple. "The Rule of Three" has worked pretty effectively since, perhaps, the beginning of time. It might be a wise idea to apply it to your marketing.</p>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1453240328109-38OQDUTC7GQRH7YK7YRK/image-asset.jpeg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="1500" height="1000"><media:title type="plain">The Marketing Rules of Three</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>3 Takeaways We Gained from the TED Talk: War and Peace</title><dc:creator>David Low</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 15 Sep 2015 22:00:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.lpnyc.com/blog/2015/12/3/3-takeaways-we-gained-from-the-ted-talk-war-and-peace</link><guid isPermaLink="false">563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8:563bb26be4b04fd1f90e32a7:5660d1bae4b054281a253244</guid><description><![CDATA[A few of our Launchpad employees had the chance to attend a live TED Talk in early November on the topic of War and Peace. It was an opportunity to learn more for our work with the Pat Tillman Foundation. It was definitely a night full of thought-provoking talks and performances from those who have experienced every aspect of war. They discussed the lingering questions: Can we build a future without war? What is the impact of war in the world? And what will it take to bring about peace?]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<figure class=" sqs-block-image-figure intrinsic " > <img class="thumb-image" data-image="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1449185784764-7TQXJQDXT6O9UM59GB8F/image-asset.jpeg" data-image-dimensions="300x225" data-image-focal-point="0.5,0.5" alt="" data-load="false" data-image-id="5660d1f8e4b0e83ffe81566f" data-type="image" src="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1449185784764-7TQXJQDXT6O9UM59GB8F/image-asset.jpeg?format=1000w" /> </figure> <p>A few of our Launchpad employees had the chance to attend a live TED Talk in early November on the topic of <strong>War and Peace.</strong>&nbsp;It was an opportunity to learn more for our work with the <a href="http://pattillmanfoundation.org/?__hstc=120043799.8a2fe1e7ba4bfd254f0339d32c20bcfa.1441044991663.1449176541420.1449184484702.10&amp;__hssc=120043799.5.1449184484702&amp;__hsfp=3955919815">Pat Tillman Foundation</a>. It was definitely a night full of thought-provoking talks and performances from those who have experienced every aspect of war. They discussed the lingering questions: Can we build a future without war? What is the impact of war in the world? And what will it take to bring about peace?</p><p><em><strong>Noah Ross – Executive Creative Director</strong></em></p><p>It was definitely an emotional roller coaster. They go from talking to a mom whose <a href="http://hayatcanada.webs.com/?__hstc=120043799.8a2fe1e7ba4bfd254f0339d32c20bcfa.1441044991663.1449176541420.1449184484702.10&amp;__hssc=120043799.5.1449184484702&amp;__hsfp=3955919815">son was killed fighting for ISIS</a>&nbsp;to <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3485845/?__hstc=120043799.8a2fe1e7ba4bfd254f0339d32c20bcfa.1441044991663.1449176541420.1449184484702.10&amp;__hssc=120043799.5.1449184484702&amp;__hsfp=3955919815">Adam Driver</a>&nbsp;discussing how he started a program for veterans that uses acting to deal with expressing emotions.</p><p>Watching the TED Talk unfold, as an event in itself, was inspiring because it was a curation of excellence. You have passionate people talking about provocative issues, and everything was executed extremely well. It motivates you to rethink how you approach your own work and how to make sure that what you do on a daily basis is excellent.</p><p>The whole night reinforced for me just how important our work with the Pat Tillman Foundation is, because this is what their mission as a company is all about.</p><p><em><strong>Haley Peters – VP, Account Director</strong></em></p><p>After attending this event, it was easy to see why TED has become a leader in content creation. The devil is in the details, and they certainly think of everything.</p><p>Working with the Pat Tillman Foundation, I’ve been able to see firsthand the passion of our veterans and their families. It was very interesting to see that while opinions and experiences might vary, one thing they all benefit from is an open conversation, which lets them know that they’re not alone.</p><p>War and its many consequences are widely felt, and they impact everyone in very different ways. We should all reflect on our role in the world and how we can make changes for the better.</p><p> </p><p><em><strong>Melissa Bruno – Art Director</strong></em></p><p>Having watched many TED talks online, I sort of knew what to expect. Or so I thought. I guess it’s that same feeling we all get being at a concert versus listening to a playlist. It’s quite obvious, from the careful lighting elements and the beautiful changing backdrops that wrapped and overlapped along the stage to the collection of talks, music and dance performances, and film clips, that TED knows how to throw a party. The only thing missing from my theater seat was the rewind button.</p><p>The night was very insightful. The diversity and content of the talks, all related to War and Peace, were highly thought provoking and moving. And it was all orchestrated as a consistently connected performance. It’s not easy to walk away from such a highly valuable experience without being motivated to bring some aspect of it into our own lives and work.</p><p>The subject matter of War and Peace was a great learning experience­–I am continuously educated on military life and veterans through my work with The Pat Tillman Foundation. And I am excited to take this powerful knowledge and inspiration from the TED event and bring the same value, beauty, and feeling of pleasant surprise into our work with the foundation.</p><p>Here’s a sneak peek into War and Peace:&nbsp;<a href="https://youtu.be/17SAz56lRwc?__hstc=120043799.8a2fe1e7ba4bfd254f0339d32c20bcfa.1441044991663.1449176541420.1449184484702.10&amp;__hssc=120043799.5.1449184484702&amp;__hsfp=3955919815">https://youtu.be/17SAz56lRwc</a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>You Think Your Team is a Family, But Do They?</title><dc:creator>David Low</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 21 Apr 2015 15:15:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.lpnyc.com/blog/2016/2/9/you-think-your-team-is-a-family-but-do-they</link><guid isPermaLink="false">563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8:563bb26be4b04fd1f90e32a7:56ba1639b09f9577e130dfdf</guid><description><![CDATA[Most business owners like to think the culture they have created feels like a family. While that means different things to everyone, having everyone feel a personal connection to the company, take pride in what they do, and help each other succeed is the foundation.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3>Make sure you see your workplace through your staff's eyes.</h3><p>Most business owners like to think the culture they have created feels like a family.&nbsp;&nbsp;While that means different things to everyone, having everyone feel a personal connection to the company, take pride in what they do, and help each other succeed is the foundation.</p><p>Sure, creating a family atmosphere starts at the top, but you have to look under the surface to see if it comes to life.&nbsp; How can you tell? Your people being champions of the company culture, proactively coming up with ideas to make it a better place to work and choosing to hang out together on the weekends are all signs that there is a tighter connection than a day’s work and a paycheck.</p><p>Maybe most important: Never forget that your company is their company, too. If you don’t think of it as their company--well then you should just give up on the idea of having a family-oriented company culture in the first place.</p><p>There are a few simple things that I have found go a long way toward creating an environment that is both positive and professional:</p><p><strong>Be real.</strong> All too often business leaders feel they need to project an image to those who work for them that doesn’t necessarily reflect who they really are and actually masks their true personality. It’s ok to let your people beyond the veneer of leadership. I am proud to make a fool of myself in small ways every day and feel that the ability to laugh at myself makes me far more approachable. My teams may think I am a little strange at times, but I think they know that I am the person they see every day.</p><p><strong>Be empathetic.</strong> Remember what it was like when you were the person sitting at that cubicle wondering how you were going to get through those days filled with ungrateful customers, unreasonable expectations and a limited understanding of how to do what’s being asked of you? That’s how your teams feel most days. They aren’t looking for you to tell them how to solve their problems--ok sometimes they are--but mostly they want to believe you can relate to their world and can help <em>THEM </em>solve things. Think through problems with them, ask questions rather than always supplying answers and remember: Remember the worst boss you ever had. Then think about the best. What were the major differences in how they communicated?</p><p><strong>Be humble.</strong> Nothing’s wrong with a healthy ego. It is almost impossible to lead a large group of people without the ability to stand in front of them and make them feel you know what you are doing at the times when you are not even sure you do. But there is a huge line between ego-confidence and ego-arrogance. You’re the boss, they already get that and don’t need to be reminded of how awesome you are. I believe that I am at my absolute best when everyone around me succeeds and my role is that of coach and advisor. You should be happier to get a note from a client about how great someone on your team performed that a direct thanks for something you did.</p><p><strong>Be direct.</strong> Most people know when they’re struggling. Often they are trying desperately to figure out how to turn things around but are terrified to speak up beause they don’t know if you know how much they’re struggling. Meanwhile, it is likely that your own frustration is resulting in harsh heat-of-the-moment criticism rather than constructive advice. Wait until things calm down a bit and ask the person to meet over a cup of coffee. Tell them you know they are struggling, and that you are invested in their success. Talk to them about what’s not working and be specific about things they can do to improve, then help coach them on those items rather than getting angry. In most cases you’ll find the person turns it around. Those who can’t or won’t often take this as a signal that they should find another job. Either way things get better for you, them and all of the people around who were just as frustrated with the situation but simply worked around the person the whole time.</p><p><strong>Be transparent.</strong> The people who work for you have made a decision to place part of their lives in your hands and don’t like to live in a black hole. It has amazed me at times that as tight knit as we are often people in the office don’t know what is going on across the business. We’ve had major pitches going on and half the office doesn’t even know we are pitching.&nbsp; The answer: communicate, communicate and communicate some more. It’s your job to make sure people know what’s happening--that means the good, the bad and the ugly. What you tell them will NEVER be worse than what they will be talking about behind your back if you say nothing.</p>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1455036277270-HDK0IQAS5VCIO9X07AJO/image-asset.jpeg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="970" height="450"><media:title type="plain">You Think Your Team is a Family, But Do They?</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>4 Tips to Create Healthy Tension in the Office</title><dc:creator>David Low</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 06 Apr 2015 15:30:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.lpnyc.com/blog/2016/2/9/4-tips-to-create-healthy-tension-in-the-office</link><guid isPermaLink="false">563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8:563bb26be4b04fd1f90e32a7:56ba135c1bbee056ba98ede3</guid><description><![CDATA[One of our core goals at Launchpad is to build a workplace that people like coming to every day, and to be an agency clients like working with. But sometimes, too much good will can get in the way of delivering great work. In any business, getting the best results requires that everyone hold each other accountable. This healthy tension is essential – yet often people can be too polite to say what needs to be said.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3>Achieving a "healthy tension" within your office is a tough balancing act, but it's essential to creating a great work environment that produces great work.</h3><p>One of our core goals at <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lpnyc.com">Launchpad</a> is to build a workplace that people like coming to every day, and to be an agency clients like working with. But sometimes, too much good will can get in the way of delivering great work. In any business, getting the best results requires that everyone hold each other accountable. This healthy tension is essential – yet often people can be too polite to say what needs to be said.</p><p>Of course, creating healthy tension while maintaining a harmonious workplace is a delicate balancing act. Here are a few strategies that are helping us pull it off.</p><h3><strong>1. Make the standards high, and simple</strong></h3><p>It’s important that you define what you are about as a company, and then articulate it in a way that is memorable and sets an easily defined metric for success. Forget the long-winded, 10-sentence mission statement. What’s the one thing that clearly defines both what you are about and how your employees can deliver on it? For us, it’s very simple. <strong><em>Do what’s right.</em></strong> That means pushing ourselves, our clients and each other to make sure we’ve delivered the best solution in the best way possible.</p><h3><strong>2. Push back when people don’t push back</strong></h3><p>It’s always easy to recognize the person who doesn’t sufficiently think something through, but what about the person who took poor input, knowing it wasn’t great, and ran with it anyway? It’s important to hold that individual just as accountable, because their output will only be as good as what they had to work with. Failure to ask questions and push back early in the process inevitably results in poor output and lost time.</p><h3><strong>3. Ask questions rather than giving answers</strong></h3><p>Often, people do things without really knowing why. When they do, it is almost always easier to simply correct that person and move on, but that only leads to the same troubling dynamic occurring over and over. Instead, ask everyone involved to explain the meaning behind what they’ve done, and to explain the input they got before doing their work. It may be a bit uncomfortable, but people quickly learn that I expect them to fully understand what’s been asked of them and why they are doing it.</p><h3><strong>4. Demand engagement</strong></h3><p>Maybe it’s a generational thing, but how can people work side-by-side, eat lunch together, bump into each other all day long in the halls–yet never ask each other questions about a project their both working on. I’m astonished at how many times I ask very smart people, “Did you talk with so-and-so?” when there’s a problem, and they say, “No, I haven’t.” If you’re hearing the same thing, force your teams to get out of their comfort zone and talk through issues one-on-one, even if it’s over coffee or a beer. If you’ve surrounded yourself with nice people as we have, they’ll not only talk through what is bothering them. That’s the first step to creating work that rises to meet those high standards you set.</p>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1455035338080-CFOIMZB7DVLJQGCXOU2Z/image-asset.jpeg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="970" height="450"><media:title type="plain">4 Tips to Create Healthy Tension in the Office</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>6 Words Your Employees Say That Will Kill Your Business</title><dc:creator>David Low</dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 30 Mar 2015 14:30:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.lpnyc.com/blog/2016/2/9/6-words-your-employees-say-that-will-kill-your-business</link><guid isPermaLink="false">563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8:563bb26be4b04fd1f90e32a7:56ba114b37013bdb22a61932</guid><description><![CDATA["We've always done it this way." Of all the things people say in business, this is the one that gets under my skin the most. Other variations include "this is how the client wants it" and "that's just the way we do things." Each of these is literally someone telling you they are either too dumb to think of ways to make things better, or too lazy to try.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3>Listening for the telltale signs of "status quo management" is the key to moving your business forward.</h3><p><strong><em>"We've always done it this way."</em></strong></p><p>Of all the things people say in business, this is the one that gets under my skin the most.&nbsp;&nbsp; Other variations include "this is how the client wants it" and "that's just the way we do things." Each of these is literally someone telling you they are either too dumb to think of ways to make things better, or too lazy to try.</p><p>Think about the times you've heard these phrases, or worse yet, said them yourself. Their only result is to immediately shut down any possibility of innovation and creativity; improvements of product and process are instantly dead--along with any culture of creativity.</p><p>What's the impact of <em>"status quo management"</em>? When I took over a client several years ago, I was told they absolutely loved the agency. However, only a week into the job, my first meeting with the CMO began with the ominous statement that she would be putting the business out to review. Fortunately, I was able to buy the time to fix things, but for a few moments, I wondered what I had just stepped into, and how everything I had been told could be so completely wrong.</p><p>At the working level, the agency's relationship was extremely close; so close that it eventually became part of the problem. Rather than pushing the client, the agency had simply become an extension of the client's team. Missing was any healthy tension, innovation and reinvention. While the day-to-day clients were happy that we made things easy, at the senior-level, there was a clear recognition that a serious problem existed.</p><p>Diagnosing this was actually remarkably simple. At every turn, I kept hearing from my own team, "we've always done it this way." I'd push them again and again to make certain that everything they were doing made sense. Often, people would agree with me that it didn't, but they'd finish their sentence with "this is how the client wants it." Everyone was working so hard trying to give the clients exactly what they asked for, that they stopped thinking about what actually was being done, and what purpose it might be serving.</p><p>Fixing this culture was also remarkably easy, though, I'm sure, very uncomfortable for most of the team. Every time I heard people utter "status quo management" terms, I would dig deeper and push harder. Symbolically, I started fining people a dollar "every time they used one of the above statements. After only a few times of going back/returning to the client with a better solution, and finding them not only receptive, but grateful, people began to get the message.</p><p>Constant reinvention is absolutely essential to the long-term success of any business, and the time to push convention is when things are going well. Reward those who are looking to constantly improve, and always be on the lookout for the nefarious catchphrases of "status quo management."</p>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1455034787347-DMVJBI9MDME67TTVARKU/image-asset.jpeg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="970" height="450"><media:title type="plain">6 Words Your Employees Say That Will Kill Your Business</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>3 Steps to Becoming an Amazing, Admired Boss</title><dc:creator>David Low</dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 17 Mar 2015 15:15:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.lpnyc.com/blog/2016/2/9/3-steps-to-becoming-an-amazing-admired-boss</link><guid isPermaLink="false">563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8:563bb26be4b04fd1f90e32a7:56ba104120c6473dd41828fb</guid><description><![CDATA[One evening many years ago I walked out of work with my boss. We worked on the far side of the building so we had a few minutes to chat. Over the course of 10 minutes, she asked me about my career: What did I want to accomplish, where did I see myself going--and talked about how she could help position me to succeed. ]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3>Some employees will walk through walls for their bosses. How to become one of those bosses.</h3><p>One evening many years ago I walked out of work with my boss. We worked on the far side of the building so we had a few minutes to chat.&nbsp;Over the course of 10 minutes, she asked me about my career: What did I want to accomplish, where did I see myself going--and talked about how she could help position me to succeed.&nbsp;</p><p>That was the first moment anyone I worked for expressed any interest in my future. Not only does it remain one of the most impactful discussions of my professional life, it changed how I approach management.</p><p>I am always surprised that business owners take it personally when employees leave their companies for new opportunities.&nbsp;People work hard for a paycheck, but money doesn’t buy loyalty. If you want your team to walk through walls for you, they need to know you will do the same for them--and that doesn’t just mean raises and job responsibilities.&nbsp;Show you care not just about teaching them to achieve <em>your</em><em>&nbsp;</em>business<em>&nbsp;</em>goals, but to help them achieve their own.</p><p>As my former boss and I chatted that night, the meaning wasn’t in what we talked about. In fact I really don’t even remember what I said to her. What I recall so vividly was the feeling of having someone senior actually want to understand my goals and direct me on how to achieve them. There was nothing in it for her, and my career path ultimately had little resemblance to whatever we might have discussed. It doesn’t matter.&nbsp;<strong><em>What really stuck with me is the tremendous power of caring</em></strong>.&nbsp;She cared.&nbsp;She was committed to me.&nbsp;She wanted me to be successful for no other reason than because I was demonstrating potential. I would have walked through a wall for her after that discussion, and twenty years later I still would.</p><p>Fast forward to today: As a business owner it’s hard to find time to breathe, much less to get intimately involved with the individual career aspirations of a large team. Yet I believe it is one of the most important roles I have.&nbsp;Owning an ad agency means working with many people who are only a few years out of school. Often a career discussion means simply helping them understand that it is important to actually think about where they want to go professionally. My goal is not to tell them what to do but to help them think through their own aspirations and ensure they view career planning as critical to their success. Here's how to structure those conversations.</p><p><strong><em>Schedule a regular time slot in your calendar for one-on-one time.</em></strong>&nbsp; Whether it’s a regular early morning coffee or a monthly lunch, block a time to meet with different people.&nbsp;Make sure to sit down with those you don’t get to work with every day.&nbsp;Having this on your calendar won’t guarantee that something doesn’t come up that causes you to reschedule, but it will remind you to make the effort.&nbsp;Make sure your calendar alerts you a few days beforehand so you can ask someone to make the time in his or her schedule to meet you.</p><p><strong><em>Remember this time is about them, not you.</em></strong>&nbsp; It’s ok to talk a bit about what’s going on with your business, but this time is about asking and listening not talking.&nbsp;Find out whether they have thought about where they are heading in their career.&nbsp;If they had a magic wand, what would they be doing for a living in 5-10 years?</p><p><strong><em>It’s ok if their future doesn’t include you.</em></strong>&nbsp; Not everyone aspires to work in the same company until they get a gold watch and retirement party.&nbsp;Make sure not to steer the discussion toward what they want to do<em>for you</em>.&nbsp;That’s both self-serving and intimidating and is unlikely to get them to trust you with their real goals.&nbsp;</p><p>They just may remember your conversation in 20 years.</p>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1455034557163-8LNO2E2UNAVMVA1J3HSE/image-asset.jpeg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="970" height="450"><media:title type="plain">3 Steps to Becoming an Amazing, Admired Boss</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>4 Things to Remember About Being the Boss</title><dc:creator>David Low</dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 04 Mar 2015 14:45:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.lpnyc.com/blog/2016/2/9/4-things-to-remember-about-being-the-boss</link><guid isPermaLink="false">563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8:563bb26be4b04fd1f90e32a7:56ba0e653c44d8603da77e88</guid><description><![CDATA[A funny thing happened in the office a few weeks ago. My team was preparing to have an impromptu birthday party for one of the agency's favorite employees, who happens to keep kosher. Everything was beautifully planned, and they'd purchased several kosher cupcakes. Unaware of any of this, I soon realized what they were doing and made a joke about ensuring they had a kosher cake.]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3>Understand how your role as a leader affects your organization and your bottom line.</h3><p>A funny thing happened in the office a few weeks ago. My team was preparing to have an impromptu birthday party for one of the agency's favorite employees, who happens to keep kosher. Everything was beautifully planned, and they'd purchased several kosher cupcakes. Unaware of any of this, I soon realized what they were doing and made a joke about ensuring they had a kosher cake.</p><p>What happened next was right out of a scene from <a href="http://www.inc.com/staff-blog/2007/06/05/farewell_michael_scott_greetings_casey_mccall.html"><em>The Office</em></a>. The party was immediately delayed, calls were made all over Manhattan, and several people were dispatched in search of a kosher cake. All because I made a passing comment that was never intended to be taken seriously.</p><p>This was a huge lesson in the power of perception. When you run a business, or a large team, you naively assume that everyone perceives you as the normal, down to earth person you are. The truth is that people inevitably look at you differently when you're in charge. You're wearing the big shoes now, and other people are going to <a href="http://www.inc.com/drake-baer/7-ways-to-get-people-to-take-you-seriously.html">take you seriously</a> because they feel they have to.</p><p>There's a theory known as <a target="_blank" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect"><em>The Butterfly Effect</em></a>, which suggests that a butterfly's wings flapping in one part of the world can trigger a hurricane in another. This is a good metaphor for the role a business leader plays, and how seemingly insignificant actions can induce a rippling effect throughout the entire organization. Here are some ways to avoid <em>The Butterfly Effect</em> in your own business:</p><h3><strong>1. Remember your "small request" is their fire drill.</strong></h3><p>I've been told that the worst thing anyone can hear at Launchpad is me saying, "Hey, you have a couple of minutes?" What seems like a small request from you is, by its very definition, a big to-do for your team. Think carefully before tapping someone on the shoulder, and when you do, make sure that person knows why he or she is doing what you've asked. Otherwise, your employees only know two things: One, that they have to do this because you want it done, and two, it's the dumbest thing they'll do all day.</p><h3><strong>2. Keep your whims in check.</strong></h3><p>I recently asked one of my employees to tell me the things I do that drive everyone nuts, and her feedback was eye-opening. I'm an instant gratification-type person, and when I get an idea, I want to share it immediately. I'll grab a few key people and ask, "Hey, do you have a couple of minutes to go over this?" I assume that if people are busy, they'll just say so! Turns out, they never do. Instead, they rearrange their schedules and mess up their days to accommodate my idea.</p><h3><strong>3. A little filtering on your part can go a long way.</strong></h3><p>It's not only something as simple as a one-off comment that can eat up your organization's resources. Sometimes it's those ancient, embedded procedures that are so deeply interwoven into your system that they just happen without any real thought. This came up when I was working with a large company, where every once in a while a consumer would send a complaint note to the CEO's office. Sometimes these were real issues that required real action, but often they were crazy, irrational comments that amounted to nothing. These insane comments demanded a tremendous number of resources to investigate and respond to--usually for something that was entirely unimportant in the first place. Why? Simply because they came from the CEO's office. Just a little common-sense filtering on the part of his staff would have made a tremendous difference to organizational productivity.</p><h3><strong>4. Your indecision is their nightmare.</strong></h3><p>Your employees' time is valuable. To them, and to your company. Irresponsible use of their time can lead to squandered resources and subsequently make you look like a thoughtless manager. I remember working with this one executive who was flying out to San Francisco to give a five-minute presentation at a sales meeting. This guy could not decide what he wanted to say. I ended up spending days packaging 100 slides for a five-minute speech. Spending just a few minutes thinking your requests through can save tremendous time and frustration for your team.</p><p>Remember, you're the boss. This all comes back to understanding how other people perceive you. You're the person who signs their paychecks, the one who they're trying to impress. There's no escaping that. Most CEOs have no desire at all to throw a wrench into the works; they just aren't thinking about how their actions can affect the ecosystem of their company. This is especially true of owners of growing businesses with roles that are expanding as the company does. When <a target="_blank" href="http://www.lpnyc.com">Launchpad</a> started, for example, I was part of a team of just a few people. Today, I'm running a ship of more than 60. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, you go from the person you know yourself to be­, to "The Boss" and you're now that butterfly. Just be careful how you flutter your wings, and you'll avoid setting into motion small disasters that eventually cost your company time and money.</p>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1455034379965-VIIDKOBQG509EBNFEQNO/image-asset.jpeg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="970" height="450"><media:title type="plain">4 Things to Remember About Being the Boss</media:title></media:content></item><item><title>Want to Grow Your Business? Figure Out What You Suck At</title><dc:creator>David Low</dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 20 Feb 2015 14:33:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://www.lpnyc.com/blog/2016/2/9/want-to-grow-your-business-figure-out-what-you-suck-at</link><guid isPermaLink="false">563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8:563bb26be4b04fd1f90e32a7:56ba0c73b654f9f1c2ea2534</guid><description><![CDATA[When I get together with other founders of growing businesses, one issue invariably comes up: scaling. I bet you know what I’m talking about. When you’ve built every aspect of a business it is difficult to find anyone who can do things as well as you do. Right?]]></description><content:encoded><![CDATA[<h3>Stop telling yourself that no one can do things as well as you can. You're wrong, and it's impeding your growth.</h3><p>When I get together with other founders of growing businesses, one issue invariably comes up: scaling. I bet you know what I’m talking about. When you’ve built every aspect of a business it is difficult to find anyone who can do things as well as you do. Right?</p><p>Wrong. Your problem isn’t finding people who are as capable as you. Your problem is figuring out how to let go—and how to get your ego out of the way.</p><p>Many of my early hiring decisions were based on finding someone who I felt brought the same sensibilities and strengths to the job I did. That was a mistake. Often the results were not what I hoped for. New hires struggled to deliver to my satisfaction in the areas I am strongest. And I struggled to step away to let them achieve success on their own terms in other areas.&nbsp;</p><p>It wasn’t their fault; it was mine.&nbsp; I was looking for the wrong people. What I really needed were people whose strengths complemented my weaknesses. Then I could redefine my own role to play toward my strengths and get out of the way to let them take charge in the areas they were best suited for.&nbsp;</p><p>Learning to let go takes time. My experience has led to a few basic rules of hiring:</p><p><strong>Never hire a “Mini-Me”.</strong>&nbsp; This is huge, and I learned it the hard way. It’s natural to surround yourself with people who share your strengths. You’re a numbers person, so you hire someone who speaks your language. You’re strategic, so you gravitate to someone you hope is equally able to drive big thinking. But here’s the rub: You will simply never find anyone who does what you do best <strong><em>the way you do it</em></strong>. And since it’s your strength, by definition you will feel that the way you approach things in this area is the right way. Instead, hire people with complementary skills.</p><p><strong>Know what you suck at.</strong>&nbsp; Entrepreneurs often feel they can be great at many things and use common sense for the rest.&nbsp; But listen when I tell you this: You suck at something. Everyone does! While it’s an unnatural exercise for a confident founder, a huge part of effectively growing past your own capacity is take a realistic look at not what you do best, but what you do worst. Armed with this self-awareness, you can search for people with specific skills. Find those who can do what you suck at better than you can, empower them with your full support and ensure that they regularly update you on where they are. That way you can check that mental box and know everything is covered.</p><p><strong>Empower and engage.</strong>&nbsp; I always have the same conversation with those who report to me.&nbsp; It goes something like this: “I will never micromanage you unless I believe there is a problem.&nbsp; That means letting me know of problems before they become infernos, and letting me know of issues before I get clients calling me about them.&nbsp; Let me help you fix issues before the wheels fall off and it’s too late.” That’s easier said than done. No matter what you tell people, they will still do everything possible to deflect blame.&nbsp; It’s important to make a point of being available, and avoid biting people’s heads off when they do come to you with issues.</p>]]></content:encoded><media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/563ba25fe4b0fff3b5eed3d8/1455033619674-Q7ESWSPSQBKT925IHY62/image-asset.jpeg?format=1500w" medium="image" isDefault="true" width="970" height="450"><media:title type="plain">Want to Grow Your Business? Figure Out What You Suck At</media:title></media:content></item></channel></rss>