I like to think of myself as many things. Irresistibly good-looking. Surprisingly nimble for my size. Pee-your-pants hilarious. All of these sound great to me - but if I can’t back them up, then they don’t mean much to anyone else. I want to be the best version of myself. I like “me,” I just always strive to be a better me. I want 
to be “me-ier.”
Have you ever thought of your organization as a person? Your business may look good and seem to have itself together from the outside. But inside there is something missing. Consider yourself “the brain” of your organization – you control the body’s movement and thoughts, however without the body you aren’t going very far. More specifically, above all else, your body needs a heart. Every body part including the brain, depends on the heart to drive them. Without that heart, the organization is not the best version of itself. It’s languishing instead of flourishing. How do you change that? It simply takes reflection on the heart of your organization – your brand.
Organizations face many challenges in becoming the best version of themselves. Maybe their service doesn’t quite lineup with what consumers expect. Maybe it’s internal and employees “just do their job” to get by. Perhaps the economy has hit hard and there are tough choices to be made. Much like an individual who is trying to achieve growth, an organization needs to face those obstacles head on. It needs to surround itself with good people, great support partners and implement best practices. An organization needs to back up what it promises and treat others as it would want to be treated. Yes, I just broke out the golden rule. It’s so simple, yet so true – and something easily forgotten in the competitive business realm.
Your brand is what a community feels from you, not what it sees. I believe consistently designed media, a well-told story and a great strategic marketing plan can start you on the right path to giving a great first impression with a consumer – but it’s the passion that a community feels that creates relationships and loyalty. Consumers are concerned about how they are treated and if you deliver on your promises. Isn’t that what a friend is? Isn’t that the golden rule? That passion comes from within the organization. That commitment to what your brand stands for, how you operate and the level of excellence you wish to maintain starts with the people in your organization. That’s the heart of your organization. You need a buy-in from all involved.
We’ve had some great first-hand experience being involved with organizations whose employees have a passion for what they do. They are interested in creating a brand, an experience. It’s contagious when it’s around you. It is even better to be involved in spreading it around and educating others. Telling a story and enhancing a mission is a rewarding experience for everyone involved. When your body is in tune with your heart – there is no stopping it from becoming a better version of itself. Even though an organization will change and grow, if that heart keeps beating it won’t stray from who it is. You flourish. You become the best version of you – you become “you-ier.” Isn’t that what we all strive to be?
Phew! Another successful 
I’ve taken lessons from the Meals group on how to make things happen, even if the rest of the world (literally) deems it impossible. It is this experience that has led our agency to a new venture in our business. While we can’t offer this same free service to all non-profits and still keep our doors open, we can offer our expertise and hearts to these organizations through an affordable and practical program that provides fundraising and marketing expertise. We’ve spent a good portion of the last year brainstorming, developing, refining and polishing 
When I first read this a few years ago, I did some thinking about the way I was living and resolved to begin eliminating hurry from my life. It seemed like a great idea at the time, and still does. But I soon learned that eliminating hurry from my life is easier said than done.
I recently started a 10-week fitness boot camp to whip myself into shape. At times I have wondered what I got myself into and why I actually PAID to do it! I have been concentrating on my health and fitness the last year or so and finally felt like I could take the next step and really push myself. I’ve lost about 80 pounds now on my own, so I thought this class would help me reach my goal. I started the fitness class around 10 days ago. This is what I’ve learned about myself and life…
All of those things are important to creating a world-class marketing program. But from an advertising agency perspective, I think the single most important ingredient to a great marketing program is having a great client.
life all set to contemporary music. As I watched in awe of the people on the finale Tuesday night, I couldn’t help but compare it to my own experience. I can identify with the people on the show and their struggles to improve their lives. I watched each contestant step on the scale to reveal how much weight they’d lost in 4 months and just revel in the joy that it brought them to see their “change.” It’s not just a physical change, for many it’s a complete mental conversion with a new outlook on life. However, these contestants were at one point wondering what to do about improving themselves, and how they had let themselves get to whatever point they were at in life. Someone, something had to spark change in them.
do next, and weighed down by limitations. We’ve been able to work with non-profits as a partner to not only improve their marketing strategy and brand, but increase funding and create new funding streams. Its been some of the most rewarding work we’ve done. Through helping them shed the weight of “what to do”, we’ve seen them revel in the joy of accomplishing their missions.
The top three pizza chains in America are Pizza Hut, Domino’s, and Papa Johns. Currently they are all running campaigns that are very creative and yet different from one another. 
One of the truths about anything presented as being fact is that people are inclined to believe it. That can be dangerous because sometimes facts are not, in fact, facts. All too often what passes for a fact is not fact at all, but rather, an assumption. There’s a very big difference between a fact and an assumption and while a fact can sometimes be mistaken for an assumption, an assumption should never be mistaken for a fact. Assumptions are nothing more than a best guess and my best guess is that your best guess is no better than the next person’s best guess.
