tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-256221632024-02-19T06:52:09.537-08:00JANET BARKER-EVANSNew, cool and just plain interesting things in the world of advertising, marketing, promotions, design, typography and more. "Life is hard. But you are strong."Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-74419137727897032562019-02-26T20:19:00.002-08:002019-02-26T20:19:44.875-08:003 Keys to Keep Calm to Carry On
We've all been there. That chasm of insanity where everything is hitting you all at once, from clients to coworkers to your own family. You have no time, little information, pressing deadlines, and no way out except to keeping going forward. These are the times that try even the most unflappable among us, but over the years I've learned a thing or two (or three) that can help make it better.
1.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-45329037159957487942017-10-10T14:20:00.000-07:002017-10-10T14:20:14.013-07:007 Life Lessons I Learned from Legend of Zelda
It was my first ‘favorite game.’ Sure, I had others before it, and many after it. But Legend of Zelda was my first favorite, and I’ve often pondered why. Thinking about that today I came up with this idea — here’s a fun list of illustrated life lessons embodied in the game.
1. It’s Dangerous to Go Alone.
We start out thinking we will single-handedly conquer the world, and the truth is, Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-43279101170599174492017-10-06T13:40:00.003-07:002017-10-06T13:52:51.470-07:00Power Versus Value
My Dad loved the game of chess, so I’ve played since I was little, though rarely very well. Regardless of my skill at the game, I was struck by the uniqueness of the Queen from the moment I first understood it.
For those who don’t know, the Queen has the most power in the game of chess. The King has the most value, yes. But the Queen — she has the most power. Unlike other pieces, Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-19020440439627479292017-10-01T16:16:00.001-07:002017-10-01T16:17:34.846-07:00Why I’m learning to code, and you should too
I actually started learning code in high school. I took a
summer school class of my own volition, and my friends thought I was out of my
mind.
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The first thing I learned how to do was write a program that
could calculate the hypotenuse of a triangle. Yeah I know. Not sexy. But by
college I knew enough to be able to take over my friends’ Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-50541181896727496042017-09-25T07:36:00.003-07:002017-09-25T07:37:50.908-07:00Can't write a great headline? Write 100 of them.
I almost giggled at his reply. After all, it was absurd. I had just told my creative director I couldn’t think of a good headline, and his advice to me was to go write one hundred of them.
“If I can’t write ONE good one, I asked him, “how am I going to write 100 good ones?”
“I didn’t tell you to write 100 good ones. I just told you to write 100 of them. Most of them won’t be any Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-24788528337480164612017-05-09T11:39:00.000-07:002017-09-25T07:39:41.586-07:00Why we still need to champion women
I'm blessed. I'm an executive creative director in an industry where fewer than 10% of creative directors are women. I have a career I love, and I work with amazingly talented people every day. I have a supportive boss, supportive peers, and I feel well compensated for what I do. I also work for an amazing company that has some of the best benefits I've ever seen. So when I post about, or speak Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-88301474218314776072016-10-17T07:32:00.000-07:002016-11-21T07:38:04.890-08:00Why diversity mattersIt’s a hot topic today, to be sure. Lots of headlines and lots of people caught behaving badly pushes it into the forefront. Calls for quotas or mandates for more opportunities abound. And as a creative, I can actually tell you why it matters.
We don’t all think the same.
The beauty of being a creative in advertising is that our ranks have been filled with amazing diversity for as Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-46034811258080693402016-06-10T13:40:00.000-07:002016-06-17T13:57:57.073-07:00Who sees commercials in an ad-blocked world?
Quick! What was the last great tv commercial you saw? Hard to answer, isn't it? I even find myself straining to remember what spots I loved during the Super Bowl (which really wasn't many, if any, this year!)
Ad blockers. DVRs. On Demand. Cord cutters. There are a lot of ways to get content without actually getting the ads these days. So are the commercials and ads we create being seen by Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-85093443156812564102016-05-11T13:07:00.001-07:002016-05-11T13:12:28.296-07:00My Own ChatbotOk, this is a very preliminary chatbot... but check it out!
JANETBOT!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-17451779133056731642016-04-21T21:52:00.000-07:002016-04-21T21:52:07.896-07:00Reawakening the Beginner's Mind
Eric Wahl was the keynote speaker at our Epsilon Symposium
today, giving us a thought-provoking look into how we need to unthink our way
to being more creative. Even as a
card-carrying creative, who knows quite well how creativity has been ‘schooled
out’ of most people, I was moved by his presentation, and his insights.
Did you know, for example, that the mere scent of crayons Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-28641318405256347682016-03-03T05:53:00.001-08:002016-03-04T08:31:48.499-08:00Celebrating work that works
Having just finished judging the North American
Effies in New York, I can't help but feel inspired by the work, and confident
in the future of our industry
The work always inspires. Every show I judge
introduces me to new ideas that make me envious, and eager to do increasingly
better work for my own clients.
But it's the discussions with other judges that
inspire my confidence in the Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-44928474173121256742016-02-25T05:36:00.002-08:002016-02-25T05:36:44.919-08:00ICYMI Virtual and SocialHow IGN approaches content creation for Snapchat. You know I'm a huge fan of Snapchat. This article details how the gaming channel IGN creates unique content daily for this platform. Their channel is definitely one of my favorites, along with Tastemade and Food Network. Click here for a great article on Snapchat if you aren't up to speed on the "Ghost." And you should Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-89631189588601937092016-01-06T11:00:00.000-08:002016-02-25T05:41:20.382-08:00WTH are beacons?I thought everyone was up to speed on these but it's worth repeating to make sure everyone is on top of these great little devices. We used one for a client program last year with CVS with great success. Watch this whiteboard video that will give you the 'top ten things you need to know' about beacons from Pulsate.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-39934480674839979012015-10-26T05:47:00.000-07:002015-11-19T15:36:24.249-08:00Why I love Snapchat
Yes, I know. To you it might seem almost ridiculous for a grown woman to admit loving Snapchat. You see your kids poring over it with their friends, so it might seem akin to admitting I like playing with Legos. But that's only because you probably have no idea what Snapchat really is.
For starters, Snapchat is a pretty handy way to visually capture a story. Take this "My Story" I created on aUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-57317633538982457532015-09-23T12:15:00.001-07:002015-09-23T12:17:35.026-07:00Being creative means being afraid. All the time.I love this video from Christoph Niemann. He beautifully - and comedically - explains how being creative means being afraid, but creating anyway.
It's twenty minutes worth watching, whether you are new to the industry or a veteran.
Christoph Niemann: How to Overcome the 3 Fears Every Creative Faces from 99U on Vimeo.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-27251090252030472015-09-16T11:05:00.001-07:002015-09-16T11:06:50.086-07:00Crash Course in DigitalI couldn't agree with him more. Everything has changed, and we need to change along with it. But it also opens us up to ever-more exciting opportunities!
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-90863261059773056142015-07-15T08:06:00.001-07:002015-07-15T08:06:35.613-07:00Holograms confront people using disabled parking spots illegallyThis is such an awesome use of technology to create meaningful emotion and behavior change. I love this!
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-9184768340170928832015-06-22T14:54:00.003-07:002015-06-22T15:02:36.293-07:00Creative block? Here are 3 ways to break through.
The deadline looms, and the ideas aren’t coming. It’s happened to all of us at one time or another, and the stress it creates? Well, that’s a self-fulfilling cycle of repeated failure and stress. So what to do?
Here are three things that have proven helpful to me over the years.
1. Walk away.
This sounds counter-intuitive, but it is a valuable way to break out of an idea-less rut. The Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-67271581445865822762015-06-08T15:56:00.001-07:002015-06-08T16:02:28.711-07:00Creativity, Happiness & Flow
Several years ago I had the pleasure of hearing Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi speak on "Creativity and Flow."
In a nutshell, he said that we are happiest when we are in a state of flow. Flow
is a deep state of concentration and absorption with an activity
or situation. We often express this as being in the "zone" or in the
"groove." And Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-34674332226056210142015-06-05T13:10:00.000-07:002015-06-05T15:14:07.779-07:00Happiness is Love.
In 1938, researchers at Harvard began what was to become the longest and most comprehensive study of health and happiness in history. The Grant Study.
Following 268 Harvard undergrads, who were deemed physically and emotionally healthy, and most likely to have happy and successful lives, this study checked in on them every couple of years, tracking and reviewing a range of factors in the Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-50847377218416359902015-05-28T21:37:00.002-07:002015-05-28T21:41:12.912-07:00Is thinking less the key to creativity?A new article in Scientific American this week suggests that the key to creativity might be thinking less about the task at hand. Overthinking seems to stifle creativity, which anyone with writer's block has certainly experienced. Sometimes it seems the harder we "try," the more elusive the solution. I've long been a fan of the "sleep on it" technique, because it usually works. Whether our Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-4015178821378150402015-05-12T08:24:00.001-07:002015-05-12T08:24:56.321-07:00Best Poster in the WorldSampling beer doesn't come any easier than this!
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-83272010473882265722015-04-20T09:27:00.007-07:002015-04-20T09:27:58.579-07:00This made my dayMindless humor, but absolutely made my Monday.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-82466712010928107052015-04-07T11:21:00.001-07:002015-04-07T11:23:28.149-07:00Periscope is my new favorite digital snack! Just downloaded the new Periscope app from Twitter. It lets you see - and create- live broadcasts. I just watched a behind-the-scenes look at a news broadcast in Montana, and then watched a guided tour of a Disney memorabilia collection. You can also interact with the person broadcasting. Great fun - give it a try! It's worth a 5 minute "digital snack" in the middle of your dayUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25622163.post-81457243075741560732015-02-21T14:12:00.000-08:002015-02-21T14:12:12.699-08:00Kevin Spacey on Content Marketing & Connecting with Your AudienceI ran across this video today of Kevin Spacey speaking at the Content Marketing World Conference. First of all, he's such a great speaker that I loved every minute of it. Secondly, he made some wonderful connections between what actors do and what marketers do.
In the end, he said, we all want to make a connection with our audience, which we do through storytelling. And and he boiledUnknownnoreply@blogger.com