Writings from Force 5 Basecamp

07/15/11

As part of my role here at Force 5, I make unsolicited contact with potential clients almost every day.  I do this through a variety of means – letters, phone calls, emails – to let people know about the great things our company can do for them. I realize my activity can be an invasion of a busy person’s privacy, so I always do my best to be courteous, professional, and

07/11/11

I have to share a blog I just ran across, “Are You Willing To Do This One Thing To Be Happier Each Day.” I honestly don’t even know how I found this blog, but I love it. In a nutshell, the article centers about that first thought you have during the day. Mondays are a prime example, if you start

07/11/11

I am a red-blooded American gal and I love to find things on sale! Who doesn’t? I have started to wonder, can a retail business have too many sales? I get an e-mail almost everyday from Lands’ End. I love Lands’ End, I think they have a great product. I am so conditioned to buying when there is a sale

07/11/11

I read a great article yesterday, Why it Can Feel Good to Overspend, and it challenged my thinking.  Several months ago I wrote a post on the Force 5 blog saying that marketing promises set customer expectations; and that unless the customer’s experience meets or exceeds those expectations, customers are not satisfied. However, according to a study conducted in 2008,

07/07/11

Force 5 remains steadfast in its commitment to be a  “next generation brand development and marketing communications firm.”  Determing what that next generation technology is and how to bring it to clients in an effective and practical way is the real challenge in fullfilling our commitment.  One next generation technology is mobile.  Today, all indicators show that in the foreseeable future, mobile will play a

06/29/11

Last week when I realized we were out of bottled water in our offices at Force 5 a few hours before a potential client was stopping by, I decided to make a quick run to the grocery store.  After loading my cart with some H2O, I quickly made my way to the checkout register.  Along the way I noticed my favorite cookies

06/27/11

This weekend was not unlike many others. Running errands, working in the yard and the garden. Also common, was a trip to the store for supplies. On one such trip to Lowe’s, I was impressed by the customer service. While wandering the many aisles, looking lost, I was asked if I needed help, I certainly did. After being taken to

06/23/11

I read in a brief  from Ad-ology that nearly 35% of U.S. adults said they intend to buy a new or used car in the next 12 months. One explanation is pent up demand.  This means consumers have been holding back on their spending  like a corralled stallion and now they are finally going to let that stud burst out of its

06/21/11

In a May 2011 Report authored by Michael Stelzner and sponsored by Social media Examiner, the 2011 Social Media Marketing Industry Report set out to uncover the “who, what, where, when and why” of social media marketing. More than 3300 marketers provided insight on the latest trends in Social Media. Here’s a quick summary of the findings: Marketers place high

06/20/11

So much has been said about South Bend since it showed up on the “List of Dying Cities.” A city much like ours in many ways, Grand Rapids, (also on the list…) put together an incredible video in response. I have lived in South Bend most of my life and I spent 4 years in Grand Rapids attending art school,

06/17/11

I have to say I have a love-hate relationship with Jimmy John’s. I love the sandwiches, they are good and freaky fast. The thing I am not so enamored with is walking into the restaurant and having the majority of the folks working behind the counter yell “HELLO” at me. Most don’t even look up, it feels more like a

06/16/11

I emailed a respected marketer and he made a statement that was quite profound.  He said, “Free stuff we’ll take all day long.  But I also don’t want to work with somebody who gives away their products or services too cheap – if they can’t sell their own stuff, how can they help me sell mine?” I loved his perspective