ROI (return on investment) is a phrase used very often in business circles, essentially referring to the bottom line:  was this direct mail piece effective, or this product launch a success, or this marketing campaign profitable? However, from the perspective of a good business owner, ROI should mean are the employees and the company in sync? Does the whole team have similar goals? Is each and everyone happy to work at the company in spite of the long hours, intense days, price of gas? Compensation after all should be more than about money.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, we all need to have enough in our bank accounts to pay rent or a mortgage and have full gas tanks, with a little left over for fun things like going out to eat and vacations, and we should be able to depend on the weekly check, so money is necessary. But, earning a salary should include the realization that “I matter,” my ideas and skills and work ethic contribute to the greater good.  I work here because I can stretch my creative muscles, I work here because management empowers me, and I in turn produce. 

At Dynamic Digital Advertising, it is a business philosophy David and I constantly strive to maintain. An example would be the wonderful team in the video department, but it took several years to fill those chairs, and I am sure Laurence who is our Director of Multimedia Arts probably had his doubts about ever seeing his department become real.  If you walk into the new video and photography studios and see all the camera and video equipment, the sophisticated dolly system, the new sound booth, the special lights, the green screen on tracks, the double or triple monitors on desks, it is hard not to be impressed. And Laurence is still shopping for stuff! 

From my CFO position, I know there will be GREAT ROI from DDA VIDEO.  And our business development team, led by David and Toni will fill that pipeline to overflowing. The main conference room is constantly booked with scheduled calls from new inquiries. Our production team is very busy doing build out for projects, Vinnie and Rob have their hands full with flash and animation projects, so clients are finding Dynamic Digital Advertising, listening to our proposals and signing on. As a financial officer, can I ask for more? Yes. Let’s celebrate our busy days, and not get complacent. Have a great weekend all.

I loved being a college student. In those days, there was no Internet, and by extension no Google. So as an English major, I spent hours in the library and checked out enough books that carrying them from dorm to class and back to the library, and repeating this semester after semester had the added benefit of providing arm exercises! But I digress. Today’s students depend heavily on information gleaned through the web.  Instead of books, most carry laptops. Information is instantaneous and as I am discovering so is the urge to pilfer, copy, and violate copyrights.

Professors now have software to help them weed out the offenders. And in the business world, this is becoming a serious problem for companies that are on the leading edge of innovation, and who like Dynamic Digital Advertising showcase a lot of their work. Anyone can put up a website and call himself or herself a web master, but to make the site viable when that person has few skills, tempts the wannabe to troll and see “what’s out there” and then copy/paste images and content and pretend like it is theirs. Appalling, and Paul, who monitors our site for such thievery, finds that trollers come from as far as the Middle East and as close as Maryland. 

At DDA, we work to give the clients who select us, the best design be it for a trifold brochure or a trade show graphic. If the new client comes to us for a website, that company has the complete assurance that we start with a blank slate and build from there. The proof is in the looking. Check out our portfolio, where numerous samples of websites, trade show graphics, medical illustrations, video presentations for anything from a medical device to jewelry bolster my claim. If you study our website carefully, you’ll see we fit the classic Aristotle observation, “The whole is more than the sum of its parts.” Â

This weekend I  spent time trying to control the many patches of enthusiastic weeds everywhere I looked in our yard. The magical thing about weeds is that they mimic the perennials they share space with effortlessly. It always amazes me that even with my practiced eye I can  yank out some prized plant. And so it goes, a pretty newcomer that is really a noxious weed, wild grasses competing with wilting daffodils for attention. You have to take the time to root out only the invasive newcomer and then the weedy grasses, and leave the daffodils to slowly return to their dormant state until next Spring. 

I learn a lot about business and people and working with potential clients from our yard. One recurring lesson is that things are never as they seem. As a full-service advertising agency, we have to work in layers. Our business development people have to distinguish between the “weedy” prospects and the serious searchers looking for the right agency to do their marketing and promotional projects, our writers have to know the specs of a project so they can budget their time accordingly and not eat into graphic design or programming time. Crystal, who wears a production coordinator hat among other hats, has to watch closely so we make deadlines.

We go through these steps over and over again throughout the week, in every DDA department and it never becomes routine. WHY? Probably because there are too many variables. There is the Dynamic Digital team and the client’s team. There are financial considerations, there are real and artificially imposed deadlines, there are days when one project coordinator has to do double duty. Many a Tuesday it feels like we just get started,  look up at a clock and realize lunch hour has passed unnoticed there is that much on our To Do list. The crucial observation in all this is that not a day goes by that we don’t meet the challenges before us with energy and enthusiasm. A well run company with its unique culture is very much like a well tended garden, healthy, thriving and  forward bound in spite of the weeds.    Â

The Nike slogan, “JUST DO IT” reminds me of our team because at Dynamic Digital Advertising (DDA), we share a set of core values that adhere to the concept of doing.  We arrive on time ready to tackle projects, we enjoy a quick cup of coffee or tea or hot chocolate, and on Mondays there can be a scramble for the asiago bagels, which the bagel place makes in very limited quantities. Then we settle down, find our groove, and work. 

It is vital to our success as a team of writers, web developers, videographers, programmers, and graphic designers that we embrace our tasks with efficiency, flexibility, and above all creativity. When I read one of the programmers blogs, I am sometimes met with what I call IT graffiti which even I, realize without understanding it, requires ingenious creativity to assemble. Same thing is true of the hoops our web developers often jump through to get the right balance between design, architecture, and usability for the client’s website.  

We make every attempt to understand our clients’ needs, and are confident that we can deliver the results they are looking for. To be the reliable advertising agency that clients think of when they have a project, we have to continuously push the envelope and be ahead of the technology and creative curve. We have become the GO TO advertising agency for many clients, and it is not unusual for clients to depend on DDA for all their print and graphic design and production, and their interactive media, which includes shooting video to add to their websites as well. Yes, day in and day out, at Dynamic Digital Advertising, we just do it!Â

Moving an office with 21 people and not disrupting the work flow takes organization and juggling. As an experience, it is both traumatic and cathartic. It seems that at the old Dynamic Digital office, we saved everything that had to do with advertising. We filled a big dumpster with our throwaways.  I saved proofs of all our projects, as well as samples of brochures, postcards, and posters of companies - even those that are no longer in business. But most of all, we saved every marketing and promotional item about our digital services.

I came across one of our first letterhead designs that we used to sell our services to local businesses. It had seven thumbnail images stacked down the left margin and included digital photography (with a Lumina scanning camera) which today is obsolete. Since it scanned in three passes (RGB) the resulting image was a photograph. Today, if you go into our video and photography studio, the sophistication of digital cameras from that first clumsy Lumina is dramatic. The images our photographers and videographers produce with our up-to-date equipment are crisp, the color is very accurate, and the results are akin to film output.   

Since those early days, we have pushed the envelope constantly in all the areas of our services. Our clients, new and old, discover over and over again that there is nothing we cannot do at Dynamic Digital Advertising. We chose the road of complexity and steep learning curves so we could become a truly full-service shop. And we are proudly that, and pushing some more. Stay tuned. 

One of my favorite poets said it best, “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I…I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”Â

Some days the thought of facing that yellow pad with a long to do list is mentally unacceptable. You would rather do something fun and distracting, something mindless, but you are at work, so you shift gears, and…in my case, revert to my student days when one of my most admired teachers instilled in her class the concept of discipline. As a child, I thought that meant staying out of trouble so you would not get your behind walloped. Fast forward to senior year in high school, and I slowly started to understand from daily contact with my special teachers that discipline REALLY means being self aware, studying hard, finishing voluminous homework without excuse, not feigning a stomachache to skip class, trying hard every day to be better. Believe me there were rebellious periods my senior year, but the persistent example from dedicated teachers who believed in me obviously worked.

Entering the work force in college was not traumatic because I did not feel entitled but rather privileged to participate and learn from more experienced coworkers as I completed my studies.  My career development finally led to what I have done for over a decade, helping to run an advertising company. Today, Dynamic Digital Advertising is not a dream on paper, but a thriving, growing entity pushing the envelope of digital technologies in unique ways. We are where we are because of the determination to go on, to build from two people to a cohesive group of graphic designers, writers, videographers, programmers, seo specialists, and production support staff all based in house. We stress that everything we do is done here, our vendors are local, we do not outsource creative work, we are 100% made in the USA. 

Companies who come to us for any of our digital services realize after the initial conference call they are hiring an advertising agency with real depth… an agency they can rely on for all their marketing and promotional needs… an agency where, though often unspoken, the work force is imbued with passion and self-discipline… an agency that delivers what it promises, and never promises something it cannot deliver. My teacher was right when she said, “The more you discipline yourself, the less you’ll be disciplined by others.” Being hands on managers, working closely with clients and staff, David and I know we are truly part of a unique company, a place where you look forward to coming to work because everyone is focused on getting things done. And I promise, as we grow things will only get more exciting!Â

A few days ago, I went to buy picture frames for a poster project I was working on for our new Dynamic Digital Advertising (DDA) office. There was a young lady working in the frame department at the time which made me say to myself, “Great, she’ll know what I want and I’ll be out of  here in record time.” So, I explained I was in search of 10″ x 10″ white square frames. “Oh,” she says “they are over here. We have 8″ x 11″ and 11″ x 14″ squares.”  “No,” says I, “I need squares.”  “Those are our squares.” I actually left the store bummed. Is it possible she did not know the difference between a square and a rectangle? Isn’t that something you learn in preschool? 

Segue to who we are as a full-service advertising agency at Dynamic Digital and what we expect. First, in terms of excellence, it is always to try and surprise clients with the quality of the work we produce. For example, we routinely provide not one logo when a company comes to us for logo development, we provide ten or twelve truly unique ways our graphic designers feel represents that company, its product/service, and the message they want to convey from a logo. The project coordinators work closely with clients to make sure we are on the same page with every request they make, be it changes to a website or reprints for a brochure, we have a process that ensures the client’s voice is always heard.

To stay competitive today, we have to excel everyday. As we have grown, we have resisted the temptation to isolate ourselves from clients. We do not believe in voicemail. Calls are answered quickly, as are emails. We want our clients to know that working with us on all their advertising, promotional, and marketing needs  includes a personal touch. Organically, our culture at DDA has always given everyone permission to perform.  David and I encourage initiative on every level. We knew when we started DDA that everyone who signs on — be it a programmer or a writer, a videographer or an animation artist, a production support person — has to WANT to deliver excellence. It cannot be foisted on anyone, it has to be the individual’s  choice. We have a saying on our wall “NO AVERAGE PEOPLE WORK HERE.” I should add, no average employee stays. 

“The principle is competing against yourself. It is about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before.” Steve Young   Â

Since we work a four day, forty-hour week at Dynamic Digital Advertising, Fridays can prove very interesting. New clients express concern that their needs or questions will not be met or answered because they can’t reach a human. When they find out that not only are the project coordinators answering emails on Friday, there is someone at the office to field calls (usually David or I) and when necessary emergencies occur from (”my email can send but not receive” to” I’m getting an error screen” to something more drastic like “my site is down”), someone knowledgeable will contact them within the hour and resolve the issue.

Everyone who works here, writers developing content for a website, support staff doing build out for a website, animators doing Flash, programmers and their everlasting code design, strive to make the relationship between us and our clients a WIN-WIN. Not easy to do for a full-service advertising agency, because there are so many layers to our projects, and because everything we do is custom not borrowed or lifted from some other source. For example, our taglines in postcards and brochures are tailor made for the specific product, the architecture of all our website work is carefully thought out to be user friendly, technically sophisticated and Google minded. I could go on, but you get the point.  

And also on Friday, when I answer the phone, I often get a surprised response from an old client that I am physically in the office. At the same time, that person is delighted to know the request won’t be shuffled off to Monday. In other words, our regulars don’t call on Friday unless it is something that cannot wait. And to them, I say thank you for your thoughtfulness! On Fridays, I also often get a request to come work for DDA from a supplier or a telemarketer or a delivery person. Flattering really, but when time has become as precious as it is today, I know we are blessed to have three-day weekends. Let’s not ever take it for granted by doing our best to tie up loose ends before the close of business on Thursdays.

On the way to work early this morning, I was so tempted to stay home and putter in the yard, listen to the birds, watch the V formation of geese overhead, wave to the power walkers, and maybe even enjoy a cup of coffee while I walk around with my pruning shears. It is a fantasy I have every beautiful April day, and I WILL get to experience it, but not Monday through Thursday. Those are dedicated Dynamic Digital Advertising (DDA) days, and I try to give full measure, as do all who work here.

I’m sure the whole crew yearns to be outdoors when the weather is perfect and bug free, and at DDA, we are in the process of improving the big back area of our new digs so we can install picnic benches and fire up the grill before long. Don’t tell anybody, but I’m even thinking hammocks between trees! Meanwhile, we do our collective best to produce.

There is talk of an economic slowdown, but thankfully we are busy with several video projects. Carrie, our lead graphic designer, is working on new print designs for several long-time clients, and yesterday Melissa, another designer, sent a new client two finished images for her trade show booth (a project incidentally with a very tight deadline). Last week, we launched a very sophisticated jewelry website and there is still much to tweak before we are satisfied.  

The tasks of maintenance through search engine optimization and inbound linking continues uninterrupted daily, the conference rooms are booked for long distance meetings–and so the day goes. If you walk around our new offices, it is hard not to notice all the strategically placed clocks, the silent reminder to use time wisely. Like I pointed out in an earlier blog, time is not elastic. Furthermore, we all have the same number of hours allotted to get things done. How we use the 38 hours helps decide if DDA will have a good day, a better week, and then a profitable month. 

Ponder this, “We say we waste time but that is impossible. We waste ourselves.”  ~ Alice Bloch

How’s this for scary statistics; one hundred million trees are ground up each year to create junk mail. It is a waste of everyone’s time and money. In America, we use three billion batteries annually, and since too many of us throw batteries in the trash we collectively add 179,000 tons to the landfills.  So, today at Dynamic Digital Advertising, we are going to change to chargeable batteries. Not as convenient, more expensive to initiate use for our videographers and photographers, but oh so worth it,  if we want to do one more real thing to help our earth. 

Here’s another important statistic; it takes 2,500 gallons of water to bring a pound of hamburger to market. You do the math. If each of us would give up one burger a week…exponentially…I’m bad at math, but you get the picture. At Dynamic Digital Advertising, we know we are all above average in one way or another. Writers with flexibility to switch from creating content to shepherding projects to conclusion, a Print Estimator in Crystal who also wears a Pay-Per-Click management hat and does production coordination to boot, graphic designers who can work on multiple projects simultaneously. All this taking place in an environment that fosters productive output daily. Let’s take our DDA culture and apply it, each in our own way, to consciously care for our earth every day. 

“Motivation is what gets you started, Habit is what keeps you going.”  Jim Ryan