For the past 8 years, Meridian Group and Launch come together in Joe’s backyard to compete in a barbecue competition to see what kind of culinary geniuses lie among us. Each person in the agency is divided into teams to come up with a name, signage and a unique menu utilizing the ingredients picked by Joe that year. Catch is - you don’t find out the ingredients, your team or if there is a “secret” ingredient until the day before. This year, we’re happy to report that 6 of us Launchers came home with a prize or a close close second. Chelsea (our dedicated and hard-working Intern) and Mel’s team won for Best Ribs; Jasmine and Melissa’s team won for Best Appetizer/Side/Salad using Bacon; Nick won the Corn Hole competition; and Zach Young came in a VERY close second in the pie-eating contest. For a recap and recipes from the event, scroll through Meridian Group’s WHY blog!
Team Sugar-Coated (Cause Bacon is Meat Candy) took home Best Appetizer Using Bacon award! Team members include (from L to R) Matt, Meliisa, Sharyn and Jasmine
Team "The Klothesline Kitchen" - Winners of Best Ribs! Team members include Chelsea, Matt, Erin, Katherine and Mel.
Corn Hole Competition - Nick takes home first prize!!
Zach and Matt stuffing their face during the Pie-Eating Contest. Good effort Z!
Launch Interactive is very excited to be participating in this year’s CreateAthon, which is a 24-hour event in mid-September where we will provide our services pro-bono to selected 501 (c) 3 non-profits in the area. This includes help with logo design, content management, social media platforms, web advertisements, search engine optimization and much more!
Over the past 11 years, CreateAthon has provided services to for hundreds of non-profit organizations totaling an estimated value of work at $2.5 million dollars.
Would you like your organization to be considered for Launch’s CreateAthon 2010?
Simply fill out the PDF application and mail it to us by July 16th. We hope to help as many as we can, but cannot promise that all applications will be accepted as we will be busy helping those that present the most need. Applications will be reviewed by our team in late July and you will be notified of your acceptance in early August. We hope to hear from you!
The Web Content Manager will take strategic role in managing the day-to-day site content management for a health care provider in the Hampton Roads Area. This position will be responsible for working with content stakeholders to manage content development and workflow. In addition the qualified candidate will be responsible for Web content creation, creation of e-newsletters, and generating new ideas for adding interactivity and driving traffic to the Web site.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Manage the consistency and accuracy of the overall site presentation, including content, design, and navigation
Coordinate with management, marketing, and public relations teams to implement new content ideas that present an on-target message and evolve the site to meet the end users’ needs
Participate in design meetings for new Web solutions, provide feedback to team members on recommended approaches, and research new interactive solutions
Write compelling and engaging content for the web site, micro sites and email marketing campaigns
Update the content on the Web site as needed
Adhere to accepted industry standards and best practices for Web development and administration
Participate in cross-functional teams to define next-generation requirements, seek ways to enhance functionality and personalization
Provide monthly analysis of web site traffic trends
Perform additional duties as assigned by management
QUALIFICATIONS
Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills. Knowledge of AP Style a plus.
Proven ability to produce high-quality content packages under tight deadlines
Strong oral and written communication skills
Good project-management skills and attention to detail
Ability to self-start and work effectively under minimum supervision but be able to be a great team player
Strong troubleshooting, analytical, and problem-solving skills
Ability to organize and manage multiple project priorities simultaneously and effectively
Proven experience resolving project issues, developing cross-departmental consensus, collaboration and coordination in difficult business and technical situations
Familiarity with HTML/Dreamweaver/Web content management tools
B.A. in Communications, Public Relations, Marketing, English preferred
Experience in the healthcare industry a plus
No phone calls please. Please e-mail resume with a cover letter and samples to: elizabeth@launchint.com
It’s been almost a year since my VCU BrandCenter training. In addition to bringing back renewed energy, insight and industry connections, I brought back small nuggets of reality. Some of them I found delicious and others, still hard to swallow. Enjoy!
Creative is NOT a department. It includes every position in the agency.
Pull EVERYONE for resources and experiences. Ideas can come from anywhere.
Boundaries are fading. 0% tolerance for hat wearers; 100% for pioneers/risk takers.
NO ONE knows what they are doing digitally. Few only appear to know, because they have a clear path of determination.
Creativity & Imagination + Business Context = Innovation
Own your weaknesses and don’t pretend that you don’t have them. Be the agency that you are, not the agency that you think you should be.
Our Brand is just as important as theirs.
Our Business is just as important as theirs.
Dictating clients can ruin the culture and the brand of our agency.
Guns don’t kill people, PPT does.
Most people have vivid fears and vague dreams.
Spend more time on the things you think you can’t do.
Birth the idea first, then find it a home.
Subserviant Chicken was born out of a creative brainstorm meeting for TV spots. Collaboration of teams brought it to life.
Creative agencies are a band of musicians. If you have too many solo acts, you will not grow to be rock stars.
If an agency is integrated, the work will be integrated. Model the agency that way.
Never let them take away your creativity.
Only 6% of consumers believe the ads they see.
Disregard organization charts. Do regard relationships with the people you work with.
Always find the truth in the brand. Then tell that story in creative, memorable ways.
In order to be a great story teller, you have to know the story well enough that you are a character in it.
Your current customer audience is more important that the audience you want to have. Use them as bait to catch the audience you want.
Culture is the colorful crunchy outer shell of creativity. Only feed it to those who believe in what you stand for. Tell the others to find their own candy.
Boats that move swiftly have no weights of negativity. Toss the whiners overboard, no seriously. Get rid of them. It’s only a matter of time before they will sink you. There is an abundance of energetic young people looking for jobs. Find them.
Only hire people who have amazing talent and aren’t afraid to stray from it.
Hire your replacement.
We are only strong as our weakest team member.
We are only strong as our weakest alliance.
Evaluate each team member not by their strengths, but their ability to admit their weaknesses. These are the ones that will prevail when things get tough.
The Lago Mar Resort and Club attract discerning travelers from around the world with its spectacular private beach, sophisticated ambience, South Florida charm and impeccable personal service. And now that we have finished redesigning, their website now reflects this same sophistication.
This project is a great example of how we focus on integrating the beauty and function with clean navigation, booking capabilities and beautifully written and illustrated content throughout.
Too bad the launch team can’t take a week to relax on their beautiful beach before moving to our next project. But what’s stopping you? Visit the new site and we are sure that you’ll want to go too.
The Hampton Roads chapter of AIGA just recently held their first annual Design Derby and a few our resident cub scouts entered some creative set of wheels.
We would like to think that we rocked the pinewood block and raised the bar for next years event. There were so many good entries. You can view them here on Flickr.
Ice Princess
Humpty D
We All Scream
About Hampton Roads AIGA
Because no creative is an island, the Hampton Roads chapter of AIGA, the professional association for design, formed in March 2005. Our thriving community now has a bridge to everyone interested in the creative communication arts – inside and outside of our local area. The improved flow of ideas and communication across that bridge can only help raise awareness and professional standards for ourselves and for future generations.
Fear is hard on creatives. Most of us spend our days facing the struggle between our inner selves and the irrational fears that show up just to sabotage our progress. Invisible forces undefined, the creative process remains a mystery with few ever honing their abilities to identify, control and conjure it at will. Live in an agency + time restraints + client pressures + fear = how can any artists trapped in responsibility survive.
I believe, just like author Elizabeth Gilbert, that it’s this pressure and anxiety that is causing the artists of our century to become obsolete.
Since when did we lose our courage to be creative?
Why do we judge ourselves so harshly? How do we silence the noise and continue doing what we love?
I stumbled upon this video and found a renewed battle cry. Negatives beware, you’re not going to take my spirit without a fight. And really, I don’t care if you like what I do. I show up and do my part, that in itself is enough for me.
Twitter, like many social networking platforms can give tremendous insight into your personality. This is not always a good thing. Consider this your twittervention.
The Narcissistic Tweeter:
“I’m eating a turkey sandwich!”
It’s easy to get caught up in the idea of tweeting all the time with the first thing that pops into your head - even if that thing happens to be a mouthful of turkey on wheat. Really, you can blame it on the Twitter icon and tag line “What are you doing?” It’s not such a great idea to take that prompt so literally. The most successful tweets and lists are overflowing with really interesting thoughts that condense nicely into micro-blogging format. Follow their lead and challenge yourself to review a book or piece of art or a newly discovered band while staying in the character limit. We love it when folks share insight into their lives - not so much their lunches.
As an internet design and marketing firm, we’re big on green practices. After all, much of the work we do is meant to live in an online, paper-and-ink free environment. In honor of Earth week, we’d like you to consider adopting some earth-friendly practices.
Buy from a local farmer. Store shelves are stacked with strawberries that were picked six months ago in a foreign country. Pass up the flavorless buds have been ripening in the company cooler in lieu fresh strawberries currently bursting off the stem right here at home.
Choose natural materials. Organic cotton fabric, bamboo fibers and floors, recycled glass and metals – all are luxurious, beautiful and help you feel good inside and out.
Go paper free with Email Marketing. Unlike unsolicited mail which only reveals success when used, email marketing programs can show you how to target specific audiences and measure any number of response variables. Plus, deleting it doesn’t damage anything.
Switch just one product in your house for an environmentally friendly one. You can buy products specifically marketed as green or look online for home-made versions. You’ll find everything from non-toxic floor cleaners to all natural shampoos that smell incredible.
Have coupons sent directly to your smart phone. Put an end to wasted time and paper with a program that allows you to deliver bar codes at checkout right from your phone.
Have you got a green tip to share? We’re all in. Find us on Facebook, tweet it to us or post your comment right here on our blog.
As you sit here, right now reading this, there most likely a keyboard full of characters sitting right in front of you. What do you use this for? Pecking out e-mails and IMs to friends and clients, typing out URLs you hear verbally? How about for key commands and shortcuts in your favorite programs and operating systems? I cannot tell you the amount of times I have looked over someone’s shoulder and watched them clumsily navigate drop-down menus searching for a function or option that is only a key stroke away from being used. Now I wouldn’t expect anyone to be able to remember all the shortcuts for all the programs that are available and over multiple operating systems at that. But if you are a web design like me then there are a large handful that are quite useful and transpose over both Windows’ and Mac’s OS nicely.
Twitter, like many social networking platforms can give tremendous insight into your personality. This is not always a good thing. Consider this your twittervention.
Buy from a local farmer. Store shelves are stacked with strawberries that were picked six months ago in a foreign country. Pass up the flavorless buds have been ripening in the company cooler in lieu fresh strawberries currently bursting off the stem right here at home.
