Jin's work is like a double rainbow.

This is a familiar sight – Jin behind the tool of his trade churning out creativity like a modern day Saul Bass.

A sight we are going to miss.

Jin has been a graphic designer here at Rizen since 2010 and is leaving us to go back to China to spend time with family.

Jin’s a hilarious fellow that spits out one-liners like a gumball machine.  His quips are enough to put you on the floor belly laughing. They are so fast and furious we started a list titled “Jinisms.” They are sayings that only he could concoct.

Here’s a few classics:

“You’re having soup? I thought soup was for babies and women.”

“Food and girls, what a nice combo.”

“Everything is made in China now – accept it!”

“It’s not a communication gap, it’s a generation gap!”

“To win a pillow fight you must first take out the womens and the elders.”

“I hug mens I like.”

“I am a pearl that is unpolished.”

We’ve threatened to start a blog post filled with his retorts but he wants too much money.

It’s been a pleasure working with you Jin. May your new Journey show you right.

One of the perks of working with our fabulous travel clients is getting to attend the Idaho Conference on Recreation and Tourism. It’s an annual conference, hosted by the Idaho Travel Council, that’s dedicated to travel and recreation education and inspiration. This year we got to head up to Coeur d’ Alene. And, while there was plenty of education from speakers like Jay Karen (President, Innkeepers International), Tim Brady (Brand Pandemic and Vermont inn owner) and Emilyn Sheffield (Professor, Cal State Chico), we also got a bunch of inspiration. Inspiration from plenty of sources; the natural beauty of North Idaho, the people that work countless (and often, thankless) hours to promote travel to Idaho, and some pretty great wine from local wineries.

Congrats to Boise CVB who took the 2012 Idaho Travel Council Choice Award for “Best Advertisement”. Here’s Senior Sales Manager Lisa Edens with the award.

For the most part, everyone we talked to did a great job presenting their work. We also came across some cool promo pieces using some pretty unique materials and processes. Some of the highlights include a keychain/business card with fur on one side, chocolate-dipped fortune cookies (which didn’t last more than half an hour), and a handmade, laser-cut business card case.

It’s good to see the quality of graduates from Boise State continuing to improve. We wish them all the best of luck transitioning to professionals (and we use that term loosely)!

Like a politician with a megaphone, our idea wall looks like it has something to say.

It was busy week.

What did we work on? A better question is what didn’t we work on.

We spanned a chasm of projects and to-do’s. Everything from an international client pitch to a brochure for a non-profit and everything in between.

Phew.

When you love the work you love weeks like this.

Five years ago, we began a relationship with an agricultural client that had given us a very small but important project. Since that time we have extended our reach for them beyond the United States with creative work in Mexico, South America, Australia and the Netherlands.

Last month we received an invitation to compete for their new two-year international campaign. Four other agencies were also asked to present: two from the Netherlands, and one each from Germany and England. We were the only one from the United States—and we were honored to be included. As a smaller agency, it was a reminder that smart companies know that size does not matter when it comes to great work. Instead, they look at quality, creative and commitment when searching for a partner.

The client provided an extensive brief detailing the need for the campaign to be adaptable enough to address the wide range of products they sell, customers they serve, and countries they work in. Over the past three weeks we spent an extensive amount of time developing a body of creative possibilities. Then, then hard part: we narrowed dozens of ideas down to only a few…and eventually only two that we would present.

Early in the process we decided to present our ideas in person. In this day of easy communication (phone, Skype, email, web-based conferencing and more), there is still nothing that beats meeting face-to-face. So, with our ideas in-hand, we headed to the Netherlands where we presented to a team of people from the Netherlands and Spain.

In the end, it was a wonderful visit and a productive meeting. While we don’t know exactly what direction this client will choose to take, we do know that the entire effort was very rewarding.

Often that means making it short and to the point. Even asking many fewer questions than you want to ask. Why? Because a few answers are better than no answers and most survey respondents don’t want to take the time to complete an in-depth survey (especially at 5am). Those who are willing to are almost certainly disgruntled.

Our recommendation? Stage it.

STAGE #1:

Create a succinct survey covering your key indicators, save the rest for a more, in-depth follow-up survey.

What’s a key indicator? A key indicator is a piece of data that provides the insight your looking for…often in an indirect fashion. For instance, a hotel chain may know that speed of check-in deeply impacts the overall perception of the hotel. So instead of asking “How satisfied were you with your stay?” they may ask “How satisfied were you with the speed of your check-in?”  A few pointed questions can provide data that is more insightful and actionable than an SAT-length survey.

STAGE #2:

Once respondents have completed the survey, go back in a day or so with an email follow-up survey that is more in-depth. The disgruntled customer usually has more to say and the non-disgruntled customer will often be willing to part with more information at a time more convenient to them.

Try it. You may be surprised with the results.

• JUMP
• Idaho Youth Ranch
• Rocky Mountain Kodiak Sales
• Fozzy Dog
• Carson International
• Wish Granters
• WestVet
• And others (you know who you are)…

The great thing about “Persuasion” by Dave Lakhani is that he leads with a concise thought, but has the analytical and anecdotal evidence to back it up.

Sometimes sales-oriented books can come off as slimey. Car-salesman-y. This book is different. Lakhani explains why we all want to be persuaded. Need to be persuaded. Best of all, he explains how to do it in a completely ethical, above board sort of way.

Worth the read!

He’s also handy with motorcycles.

Welcome to the team Tyler.