Wow …. I’m honestly overwhelmed by this amazing beach town and I’ve only been here a few hours. The smell of the ocean reminds me of being back in New Zealand. It’s instant comfort and peace of mind to me. So therapeutic.

Cali Mountains

The flight itself was interesting …. made it through security without a hitch. The flight on the other hand was full of rough turbulence over 50% of the time. Practiced some deep breathing, drank A LOT of water and chewed gum, anything to stop the nausea. Someone on the flight however may not have been practicing the same thing because about 40 min. outside of LA there was a medical emergency of some sort on the plane and a call went out for anyone with medical knowledge to come to the back of the plane ASAP. There was quite a commotion but I wasn’t able to see or find out what happened. I hope whomever it was is alright.

Natasha picked me up from the airport and we had a great drive down to Laguna Beach. Despite the drizzle and clouds overhead the views of the ocean are still breathtaking. Hoping to get out and go on a photo walk tomorrow.

For my time here in Laguna Beach I’m staying at The Retreat in Laguna like I mentioned in my last post. I’m staying in their Villa D’Arte suite, it’s GORGEOUS! I could just live in their shower haha

Natasha dropped me off so I could have some time to relax and shower before our dinner date. There is a little grocery store (Ralphs) just a block away so I walked over and picked up some snacks then came back and showered. Even though it’s cloudy I still have a pretty amazing view of the ocean from my room.

I was picked up by a basket carrying Natasha. Full of Laguna attractions pamphlets, snacks, vouchers, Retreat wear etc. so thoughtful! Blown away by the hospitality here and it’s only DAY ONE!

Dinner tonight was at Nirvana Grille here in Laguna Beach (They are in the process of a new website design, I saw a sneak peak and it’s BEAUTIFUL). They focus on bringing guests the freshest, local, organic, sustainable, hormone free & all natural products available. Jonathon (Natasha’s business partner) met us there for dinner, he’s just as great as Natasha. It’s going to be a good week with these two amazing marketers.

For dinner we shared a few of appetizers and as an entree  I tried their Swordfish with mashed potatoes and asparagus. All were incredibly tasty and the staff were extremely attentive. Definitely recommend if you’re ever in the area.

I was surprised AGAIN today by an extremely thoughtful gift from Natasha and Jonathon …. MY OWN BUSINESS CARDS!! We’ll be attending a few networking events while I’m here and it will be nice to have something ‘official’ to hand out.

The box of 1000 is hopefully a good omen ;)

Alright, I think that’s all I can muster at this point. The three hour time difference means it’s 11:40pm back home and I should really be getting to bed soon. Well i’m technically in bed, my comfy blogging spot for the week …

Be sure to follow me on twitter if you’re interested in instant updates on my placement adventure.

Until tomorrow.

All my bags are packed [insert cheesy Armageddon music] I’m ready to go! I invested in a new MEC bag as neither Fraser or I have a decent set of luggage. I’ll be leaving for Toronto in a few hours then flying out in the morning.

Last night I phoned my dad and sisters to give them the details of my trip and how they can get in touch with me while I’m away. My youngest sister is pretty excited for me to fly into LAX. I’m supposed to be on the look out for the ‘Shaytards‘ and anyone that resembles a TMZ camera man because chances are there is a ‘star’ just around the corner. I don’t follow either but we’ll see if I see anyone that she would approve of.

More to come

Well the end of April came A LOT quicker than I thought it would. My college semester ended in March and for three weeks in April my fellow students and I have been on placement. Except my placement has been a bit different than most. I’ve been working with an AMAZING marketer named Natasha Darling who graduated from the Marketing program at SLC a few years ago. Currently she works in Laguna Beach, California for The Retreat in Laguna and owns her own company, American Gothic Social. I’ve been working with her throughout the semester to complete my required placement hours.

Now what would a placement with an AMAZING marketing professional in Laguna Beach be without ACTUALLY going to Laguna Beach? So this Tuesday I’ll be flying down to California for my first time on the west coast!!! I’m really looking forward to meeting Natasha again and working with her in person. (Of course staying in Laguna Beach isn’t too shabby either.)

For the first few nights I’m there I’ll be staying directly at The Retreat in Laguna and experiencing all this amazing luxury ocean villa has to offer. I’ll be blogging and tweeting during my time there so be sure to follow along if you’re interested.

(© The Retreat in Laguna)

I’m really looking forward to this amazing opportunity and can’t wait to meet the many fantastic clients Natasha works with on a daily basis.

More to come!

“Human beings can’t help it: we need to belong. One of the most powerful of our survival mechanisms is to be part of a tribe, to contribute to (and take from) a group of like-minded people. We are drawn to leaders and to their ideas, and we can’t resist the rush of belonging and the thrill of the new. … We want to belong not to just one tribe, it turns out, but to many. And if you give us tools and make it easy, we’ll keep joining. Tribes make our lives better. And leading a tribe is the best life of all.”
- Seth Godin

Keep it simple!

Many businesses tend to over design or over complicate their brands. As a designer and marketer I see the world through two different viewpoints; creative and strategic.

My creative eye is constantly scanning the world around me and more often than not disappointed in the branding of some business. When I say ‘branding’ I mean their visual identity. Their logo, website, flyers, store fronts etc. anything that a business visually portrays about themselves.

Then my marketing brain kicks into full gear and wonders, “Is this really working for them?” “What if they updated their logo, revamped their website and cleaned up their store? What would their sales be like? Would the customer experience improve?” “Do they have a social media strategy?” These are all questions I ask myself when entering a business that I feel has a great business concept but just isn’t executing it to maximize their potential.

A few of the mistakes I notice most often that businesses are making include:

Inconsistent

Say for example your logo is a nice navy blue and light grey. You’re advertising your product/services and decide to print some flyers. Before you go printing them on neon paper with bright coloured ‘call to action’ bubbles and big bold words think about your brand. Does the neon paper really reflect the image you want to portray? Keeping a consistent look between your logo, advertisement and website truly are key to a successful brand.

It really pays to hire a professional when developing your brand identity. They can create a simple, effective and clear image for your business.

By keeping your messaging and visuals consistent this will create a strong brand awareness. Take for example the following images, with only a piece of the logo you’re able to tell exactly which brand it is. SEE consistency pays off!

Unprofessional

If you took the time, energy, blood, sweat and tears to open your own business, ensuring that all your product/services are perfect and ready for purchase don’t forget to put as much time and energy into your online presence as well. Sure a gmail account takes minutes to set up but the value in creating a custom email/website specifically for your business provides your customers a much more professional brand image.

This is the same for your website, Facebook and Twitter. Your online accounts must be professional and branded consistently to match all other forms of advertising. Before you create one or the other make sure that your business name is available on all three. Nothing is worse than visiting a companies website whose URL, Facebook page and Twitter account all have different names. It goes back to the first point about being consistent.

By keeping your business name professional and consistent across all media it also enables customers/clients to find you easily online. This is key as most people are now using online tools (Google, Facebook etc.) to find local businesses.

Sloppy

Combining the two above, another area I notice most often that business’ make the mistake of doing is they are sloppy. They don’t take the time to learn about their customers needs and wants. They don’t have a strategy when it comes to advertising or marketing and quickly slap things together last minute.

Website links that don’t work, spelling mistakes in advertisements, email addresses that bounce back, social media accounts that are never updated etc. etc.

You never want to rush your business model. I understand that the $$$ crunch is a driving factor in most businesses but taking the time to fully develop a clear/consistent brand image and creating professional business accounts will pay off in the long run.

Here is an example of a business doing it right.

Jasmine Star is a photographer from California who has become extremely successful for her wedding photography business. She has taken her branding to a whole new level and now travels the world offering advice/training to other photographers helping them improve their businesses.

Can you think of other examples of businesses doing it right?

I love to read! Ever since I was little I’ve always loved to read. I’d spend hours before bed reading chapter after chapter of my favourite books before my parents would come upstairs and tell me to turn my light off and get to bed.

My love of reading has been set on the back burner lately with the chaos of school, part-time work and running a business. Yet, I keep collecting and buying new books. Below is a stack that I’ve accumulated so far. There are many others, but these ones rank at the top.

I always go to pick one up but feel guilty that I should be doing something else. Project deadlines are always looming near and taking a minute to read a chapter of a new book just never seemed to be priority. I hope to change that this year and take time for myself and my books. Majority of the books above are marketing related so I could always argue it’s ‘research.’

Any suggestions on which I should read first?

It’s FebFest weekend!!! I hope all you Kingstonians are taking in some festivities and making your way downtown this weekend. Be sure to check out the schedule of events here. My friends and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a FREE wagon ride! There are BeaverTails, skating, and of course all the amazing shops and restaurants.

Hope to see you down there Saturday and Sunday. I’ll be the girl with the GIANT lens capturing the action. Be sure to say HI!

I’m loving my courses this semester. They are all opening my eyes to a world which I’ve never noticed or really took time to think about. I’ll be the first to admit that I live in my safe, structured Southern Ontario little bubble. I grew up in a white middle class family. My parents worked hard and raised my sisters and I very well. My only experience outside North America was to New Zealand a few years ago. Which culturally isn’t much of a shock to a Canadian. This semester I’m studying Economics and International Marketing, it’s becoming quite clear how little I know about the world outside of my bubble. And also, how I’ve been seeing the world outside my bubble has been skewed.

From my point of view in New Zealand

In my International Marketing class we learned about the term ETHNOCENTRISM. We are always seeing the world from our own point of view and comparing. We grow up in a specific culture absorbing its values and behaviours. It can be difficult, and nearly impossible when interacting with a different culture to see their values and behaviours through their viewpoint. It is important to remember not to think of “yours vs. theirs”. Neither is correct they are just different.

This can be true for any relationship really, different culture or not. When you disagree or have a differing of opinion than someone it may not be that one is necessarily “right or wrong” it’s just different. That is of course unless it’s 1+1, that always = 2 anyone arguing that fact is definitely wrong.

Hoping to continue to share more terms and tid bits of new knowledge throughout the coming semester.

Looking for something to do this February? Why not check out Kingston’s FebFest held in downtown Kingston from February 2-5th.

I recently worked with Downtown Kingston to redesign their FebFest website. There are so many fun activities they have organized. I look forward to photographing and taking in as much as I can this year.

Hope to see you there!

Breanne

Happy New Year everyone! 2011 was an INCREDIBLE year. I hope you had a great holiday. I was able to travel home to visit family and friends for Christmas this year. It was a MUCH needed vacation. I miss everyone there so much.

This past year was definitely a year I won’t soon forget. Here’s a little recap …

I GOT MARRIED!

We lucked out with a beautiful day in August, it threatened rain but held off until later that night. There are so many people to thank and we’re still over whelmed by the love and support we received from our family and friends that day. It was perfect!

Photo by Winding Violets

My husband and I helped a close friend open his very own restaurant. My husband helped a lot with the construction and I with all the design work. It was an amazing experience and this March Tommy’s will be celebrating ONE YEAR being open. They always say the first few years are the hardest for a new business, and though there have been some challenges the restaurant is doing really well.

Tommy’s Kingston – Twitter / Facebook

We also both went back to school (me in my second year, he in his first). It’s been a challenging first few months of marriage as our schools are not in the same city. But we managed to see each other every weekend last semester and hoping to continue that into the new year. (Bonus for him having Fridays off again).

Planning a wedding, helping out a restaurant, attending school full time and working part time definitely kept me busy. Of course thats never enough for me ;) I also volunteered with the Kingston Arts Council and Kingston Photo Club, and I took part in a market research project with St. Lawrence College and the Thousand Island Workforce Development Board to help project employment opportunities in the Kingston area … phewf! What a year.

It was a crazy busy year. More busy than crazy and as much as I loved everything I was doing in 2011 I’m looking forward to new opportunities in 2012. I’ve cut a few things I was doing last year to make room for new prospects on the horizon. This blog being one of the things I hope to now have more time for.

Wishing everyone the best in the new year ahead.