Archive for the ‘Fun’ Category

What color is your white paper?

Monday, April 1st, 2013

whitepaperToday, increasingly more companies are discovering the value of publishing white papers. These informative pieces can help corporations build a reputation as an expert in a particular field, thereby making them more attractive to potential clients and customers.

At red rocket LA, we understand the power of a properly written white paper, and have compiled a few tips for crafting a paper that will shine a spotlight on your company’s superior insight and experience.

Tip 1

Choose the color of your white paper.

While stuffy, buttoned-up corporate types usually opt for a plain old Arctic White white paper, we recommend choosing a shade that highlights your unique perspective. Here are a few examples.

Natural White, with it’s rich, creamy color is an ideal option. And, as its name implies, it’s hormone and antibiotic free.

Ecruwhite is a warm white with a hint of cream. It’s big with tech companies looking to convey their “soft and fuzzy” side.

Chantilly Lace White will give your white paper a sassy tone and is a popular choice among small start-ups and interior design firms.

Tip 2

Use big words that will simultaneously obfuscate and impress people, and place them in sentences so labyrinthine that by the time the reader gets to the end, they’ve lost the point you were trying to make and will assume it went over their heads, which means the author must be really, really smart.

Enough said.

Tip 3

Site sources that people will be too ashamed to admit they’re unfamiliar with.

It’s not what you know, it’s who you source. Really, who’s going to question a connection between childhood obesity and that phantom static that sometimes comes out of your radio when the cell phone gets too close if the findings you’re reporting are sourced to The New Center for Pediatric Nutrition and Mobile Communication Gadgetry. Notice how we’ve adroitly made use of Tip 2.

By following these simple guidelines, you’ll be on the road to writing white papers that clients, prospects and thought leaders will be talking about for years to come.

The ABCs of Running a Disastrous Business Meeting

Thursday, June 21st, 2012

mushroom-cloudLike many of you, I’ve participated in hundreds of business meetings over the years. During that time, I’ve seen managers motivate, presidents persuade, and executives… do something good, too, that starts with the letter “e”. But things don’t always go well. Sometimes, a meeting implodes and all that’s left in the aftermath (is there a beforemath?) is a mushroom cloud of bruised egos, unfulfilled agendas, and undetermined next steps. However, if this is your idea of corporate sport, here are a few suggestions to make your next business gathering one to remember.

Make it Standing Room Only

Invite 10 people to meeting in which there are on 8 seats at the table. Let the jostling for position begin. This is a great way to establish or reinforce a pecking order right from the start. And rather than some unspoken, subtle understanding of who’s more important than who, this is a clear way to demonstrate to everyone in attendance who is at the bottom of the totem pole – those forced to wheel in the creaky chairs from the cubicle.

Take Control

In an effort to empower a team member, designate a person to draft the agenda and run the meeting. Then, the first chance you get, exert your authority and take over. After all, why rely and anyone else when you can do everything better?

Eat it

Regardless of the time of the meeting, be sure to bring food. Not for everyone, of course, just for you. If you can, an entire meal is preferred. The crunchier the better. Your constant munching, the food’s wafting aroma and your need for additional space at the already cramped table will serve to reinforce your superiority over everyone else. You’re too busy to eat before or after the meeting, so it’s only fair that you interrupt the flow of the meeting with your need for sustenance.

Send and Receive

Imagine how many important emails come in during the course of a meeting. You really can’t be expected to wait until you’ve discussed the last agenda item before you check to see if your Amazon purchase has shipped, can you? You could quietly check your email on your phone under the table, but it’s much more efficient to go through your inbox on your laptop. By now the table is really crowded with the mess from your food, so be sure to push that into someone else’s space before you open up your computer. Finally, turn the volume up all the way so everyone clearly hears the “message sent” sound effect. It’s probably wise to keep your email browsing activity limited to reading and sending messages. Clicking on links to YouTube videos would simply be bad form.

I’ve witnessed each of these behaviors many times over. Not to mention yawning, bill paying, scrapbooking and more. And while it may not make for a productive gathering, bad meeting etiquette can do wonders for uniting the troops in a common cause – specifically, your demise. I’m just sayin’…

We walked the Walk

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

IMG_4450On Saturday morning, June 5, our team participated in the 2010 Arthritis Walk at the Santa Monica Pier. The Walk is one of the Arthritis Foundation’s biggest fundraisers of the year. The money it generates helps serve those with arthritis, their families and funds research for a cure. In addition to providing pro-bono marketing services, team red rocket was proud to have raised over $2,000, thanks to the support of friends, colleagues and clients.

1 in 5 people suffer from the pain of arthritis. By the year 2030, 67 million people in the U.S., or 1 in 4 adults, will be living with arthritis.  *The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Although the weather was pure June Gloom, the mood was anything but, with stilt walkers, live music, face painters, food and drink setting a festive tone. When it was time to walk the Walk, we hit the streets of Santa Monica, along with thousands of others, and completed a refreshing 3-mile route. It was a great experience and, once again, thanks to everyone who supported us!

Friday fun – cupcake cannon

Friday, April 30th, 2010

I read therefore iPad

Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

apple-ipad-ibooksWith the debut of Apple’s iPad this month, the digital book reading experience comes a bit closer to that of reading an actual printed volume. Whereas devices such as the popular Kindle present  pages in black and white, the iPad displays realistic representations of actual pages that even turn as if they were made of paper.

Click here to read the Los Angeles Times’ in-depth comparison of the iPad versus the Kindle.

Lesson #178 on good exposure for clients

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

DSCN0342

The highly popular show “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” on The Food Network shot an episode at our client TLofts today.  This came from our continued use of food trucks that placemark TLofts, a new for-sale eco-friendly loft community, as a go-to destination.  Host Guy Fieri was there, and his trademark red convertible Camaro drive-up shot perfectly framed TLofts behind him.

Operation Chihuahua is a go

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009

This is your captain, we are ready for take-off.

If you live in California, this will come as no surprise; there is an overpopulation of Chihuahuas here.

Concerned that our sunny streets will soon be overrun with unruly gangs of these little critters, Virgin America has partnered with the San Francisco Animal Care and Control to transport the homeless dogs to New York where the demand for the dogs is high. Once in New York, the Chihuahuas will be under the care of American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals employees, who will work to find adoptive homes for the micro-mutts.

The skinny on LA’s food trucks

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

The food trucks are taking over LA and we love it! Especially since we’ve partnered with many of them to bring traffic, prospects and PR to our client’s TLofts development in WestLA. The trucks stop by TLofts Monday-Friday, so come out and sample some of this gourmet street food. This link will take you to the weekly schedule.

For a primer on all the great truck food, check out this video from the folks at WunderBlog covering their recent truck tasting tour. Their first stop is at TLofts.

LA Food Truck Tour from Terry Wunder on Vimeo.

Pizza Hut rakes in the dough with iPhone app

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

Drag & drop your toppingsSeveral months ago we posted about a new Pizza Hut iPhone app that let people order their pizza and play a pizza delivery inspired game right on their phone. According to a recent article in Mashable, the pizza maker has generated incremental sales of more than $1 million dollars since the app’s introduction. The app’s success has surprised many, including Pizza Hut’s own senior director of digital marketing, Bernard Acoca.

“We always saw a steady level of growth with our mobile business via our WAP site, but to be candid it wasn’t the explosive level of growth we’ve seen with the iPhone app. iPhone applications capture consumers’ imagination in a way that WAP sites simply can’t do, so the decision to expand to the iPhone was as good one for us.”

In addition to bringing in added revenue, the app has also earned one of the highest distinctions available; it’s been featured in an iPhone TV ad.

Click here for the full story.

Turning Japanese, oh yes I’m turning Japanese

Friday, October 30th, 2009

NellieNellie couldn’t decide what to wear for Halloween. Then, after watching Shogun, the Last Samurai, and Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster, it just kind of clicked into place.