The Captain’s Blog : Archive for the 'General' Category

SEO friendly Flash, what the?! That’s right, it’s true. Historically, web developers have discouraged the use of Flash in large part because search engines haven’t been able to index it. However, technology has continued to evolve and Adobe has made Flash as viable an option to build a website as anything else.

So if you’ve been living in a cave here’s the low down on Flash. Flash is now totally indexable, that’s right it’s no longer a problem for search engines to dig through Flash and read all the content. It’s also possible to deep link with Flash, meaning you can bookmark specific pages within a Flash site, rather than only being able to bookmark the initial page. And if that’s not enough to convince you that Flash is a good option for a website it might interest you to know that Flash sites can store images in smaller file sizes than a regular .html site, which means a faster load time and happier users.

Let’s review. Content on Flash sites can be found and indexed by search engines. Specific pages in a Flash site can be bookmarked and linked to. Flash sites can load faster than traditional .html sites of the same size.

However despite all this, Flash should be used when appropriate and not just whenever possible. The point is that you no longer need to be afraid of Flash hurting your website’s traffic.

Brandon Jeppson

NASA went there, captain Kirk said it was the final frontier and we needed more of it in our office.

We did a lot of searching to find the perfect space. We still haven’t found it yet, but for now the space next door will serve us well. It’s about twice the size as our current space with a bigger conference room and five individual offices. However, sadly we won’t have our coveted balcony anymore. No worries, we will still have our fooseball table, cushy couches and complimentary treats and beverages.

If you thought we were amazing before, come see us in our new space. If you didn’t think we were amazing, you will.

Brandon Jeppson

It can be pretty easy to gloss over the dates and holidays that honor all those who have fought to protect and provide the freedoms we enjoy. But when it comes to 9/11 it seems to hit home with pretty much everyone. Although most of us did not have family involved, the proximity makes it more real, and makes it personal. For that reason it is a blessing to us all. It gives us a glimpse into all the very real sacrifices that we too often forget during the rest of the year. Our opportunities for creativity, for trying our ideas and for following our dreams; we owe to all those that bought us those opportunities, some with the price tag of their lives. Let us never forget, and let our remembering move us to sacrifice for freedom and to extend good will.

Brandon Jeppson

Recently I took a week long vacation to Seattle Washington. What a beautiful city it is, with large trees everywhere. It is so lush and green. I was also impressed by the many beautiful ocean views I saw. Seattle could probably tout having the largest coastline of any city. To enhance the beauty, temperatures hovered in the 70’s and 80’s accompanied by a nice ocean breeze. At the end of the week when I returned home to my beautiful Utah I was met by sweltering heat and what seemed to be a barren landscape. Suddenly something dawned on me, I live in a desert! I’d always known that, but it now hit me with shocking clarity. Getting away for a time had helped to open my eyes to the truth. I still love the state I live in, but now I see it for what it is.

When you remove yourself from a situation or a project for a time, it helps you to see things more clearly. When you have greater clarity you will better realize your vision for success.

Brandon Jeppson

An office full of programmers and designers stereotypically lends itself to a strict class of people… geeks and/or nerds. Guilty as charged. Said stereotypes often behave in equally stereotypical ways, with video gaming, high-tech gadget wielding and sugar-infused beverage downing as some of the preferred activities. Guilty, guilty and guilty.

However, unique to our little Eli Kirk office culture of nerds is a new little pastime that has begun to capture our fancy: foosball. Not but two weeks ago did this wonderful new distraction arrive, and life has begun to evolve in interesting little ways. Now, instead of all of us doing exactly what I’m doing now—strapping on headphones and tuning out the world—we have a new avenue through which we can channel our rampant ADD.

It’s great. We now have a way to settle conversational, creative or even political disputes fairly and “face each other as God intended. Sportsman-like.” It helps with creativity (at least it does mine), office cohesion and fosters a relaxed atmosphere. We highly recommend the Dynamo/Tornado Whirlwind as a worthwhile investment for any office culture. Now if I could just stop losing…

My last post went into detail about brand dissonance and making real, effective, lasting change the right way. The guys in our office read it and thought, “OK, that makes sense for someone whose sales are slumping; but what about when business is good?” Funny they should ask….

The immediate answer is “Great! So, what are you going to do now?” A critical part of brand dissonance that can be avoided is reacting to a downward slump. How? By recognizing that if you aren’t innovating or always looking forward then sooner or later you’re going to be looking back wondering what went wrong. This isn’t a prediction of doom and gloom. It is simply the nature of the beast.

As a company, Eli Kirk is currently in the process of doing the same thing. We can’t afford to just enjoy business while it is good. We are looking to stay fresh, stay ahead and maximize our own brand where possible. It isn’t an easy task, even for a creative agency like ourselves. Done right, brands become more than just a name and a logo. They really do become part of the visual vocabulary of a community, and sometimes even society.

Most of our clients come to us with an initial understanding, or at least a feeling like their brand, website or marketing strategy needs a change. What they are experiencing is a term in Psychology known as cognitive dissonance - the tension resulting from the disparity between one’s beliefs and one’s actions. It’s better known as that gnawing feeling in your gut that comes while sitting in a 2 hour business meeting after scarfing 3 chili cheese dogs and a basket of curly fries for lunch…

Well, almost. Either way, you come to an accute recognition that either your beliefs about yourself (your brand equity, perceived value, etc) or your behaviors (ad campaign, website, eating habits, etc) need to change.

That’s where the hard part begins. Just as you begin seeking resolutions to your frustrations, a whole new kind of dissonance hits you. The easy part is asking someone for help, and even paying for it. Actually taking their recommended changes and running with them, not so fun. Now it’s not just your branding or marketing issues under a microscope–it’s your core products, services and values.

We’re all creatures of habit. For better or worse, we almost unconsciously stick with the familiar and safe. Once we see what potential change will look like we almost immediately start to back pedal and think, “That’s not what I was expecting.” That’s because we realize that making things look better on the surface (what branding and marketing attempt to do in part) doesn’t really solve the real issues behind the scenes–the stuff that really matters. Improving products or services, changing business rules and practices, or simply coming to grips with the fact that maybe you’re really not as good as you thought you were is painful, time consuming and often costly.

For example: let’s say you’ve got a fairly successful business, but sales are slumping in recent months and you decide you need a fresh ad to boost the brand. You go to an agency with your business rules and a few ideas and express the desired outcome. To your surprise, they come back to you with a recommendation to drop the print ad altogether, modify your flagship product and go with an edgy website and campaign that attracts a new market segment while attempting to reinvent and revive brand equity with existing customers. And, it costs a lot more money.

Now you’ve come to the point where your uneasy feelings were trying to take you in the first place. It is what dissonance is meant to do–drive us to make real, effective change that lasts. It may look painful and costly upfront, but that is why you are paying professionals to help you realize the right change. 

The alternative is no longer a viable fix. Simply covering up the mess with a pretty face and sweet talk is glaringly transparent to the majority of today’s consumers. Much more will be lost down the road by way of credibility and patronage if you go that route.

So, when you feel the need for a change, be prepared to do what is best to achieve maximum results. Otherwise, you might as well get used to uncomfortable situations.

This post is what I hope will be the beginnings of a more frequent section in the Eli Kirk blog. In an age where information overload is not as much an obstacle as it is a way of life, finding those rare treasures of life-changing works is worth special attention. My desire is for this to become a place for quality literature suggestions, with a particular emphasis on industry-appropriate topics.

As is the case with any suggested readings list, a wide variety of subjective reviews and topic emphases are to be expected and even desired. I would love to get as many comments on each work reviewed as possible. Each work will also have several other review sites linked to it to establish credibility and salience.

Also, if you have any work (book, article, essay, etc) of particular interest/import I would love to hear about it. You can can simply enter the selection through commenting on this blog at any time, or you can email me directly at jr@elikirk.com with the title and description, or even your own blog entry.

I will be posting my first book review within the next week or two on a book I just read that I am definitely excited about. Until then, have a happy new year.

JR Peterson