2011 Overview
I received an overview of our blog from WordPress a few days ago and thought I would share some interesting facts with you:
West’s blog was viewed about 1,400 times in 2011. There were 34 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 102 posts. There were 28 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 7mb. That’s about 2 pictures per month.
The busiest day of the year was March 4th with 44 views. The most popular post that day was What is it about Thin Mints?.
Top referring sites were:
And, people came searching for staple pollution, insel metin, bikram yoga logo, hot yoga logo, and hot yoga.
These are the posts that got the most views in 2011. You can see all of the year’s most-viewed posts (pretty cool that folks were sometimes looking at old posts).
- 1 What is it about Thin Mints? March 2011
- 2 West is Hot on Bikram Yoga August 2010
- 3 THE SKY IS FALLING January 2011
- 4 Out of Office or Out of Line? November 2010
- 5 Taking on Staple Pollution September 2010
We’ll keep trying to come up with good stuff for you in 2012. Happy New Year to all!
Guilty by Association
We just exhibited at Association Forum of Chicagoland’s Holiday Showcase on December 15. What a great time! First, we decided to get creative, put away the usual banner-ups and build our own booth. We’ve been running an ad in Forum magazine about how West is “Guilty by Association.” It reads:
“At West + Associates, we’re proud to be guilty by association. We’ve worked with some of the nation’s best, most effective associations so we have a better understanding of your wants, needs, audiences and even your culture. If you have an organization in need of primary or “overflow” branding, marketing, design or advertising, West has the experienced professionals ready to integrate in to your team to make sure your projects receive the time and expertise they demand. Get out from under your to-do list, because when it comes to helping associations meet their communications objectives, we’re guilty.”
What a hit the booth was! And, what a hit the show was! The keynote speaker was the artist Erik Wahl. He was so creative and compelling. I even teared up during part of his speech. He spoke about FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real. He told us that the greatest growth happens somewhere between chaos and sanity. He had black blank canvases on the stage and periodically, he would put up a video with music and start wildly painting with vivid colors and we wouldn’t know what he was doing until he was finished…so great to watch. Check it out: http://www.theartofvision.com/i-am-artist/ted-presentation/.
We came back with lots of leads, good information, good cheer from clients/friends and a sense of community from our association family. What’s in those black boxes? Great design work we’ve been guilty of producing for our association clients.
Got Change?
Boy, I like things to stay the same and be predictable. I like what I like. I do what I do. But, it’s just not very realistic in this world we live in. Lots of things have changed over the past year for me and for West; some good; some not so good. And, as we approached each change, I noticed resistance from me. Am I really that inflexible? Not any more.
I’m learning to accept it and even embrace it at times. Why not? Things cannot remain the same. It’s not healthy. It makes no sense. Why do we expect that? Once you break through that barrier, change can be kind of nice.
It opens your mind to new ideas and helps you grow. Here’s to a great holiday season for all Westies and friends. I wish you all great change and peace of mind.
Chicagoland
As most of you know, we have a lot of business in Chicago (even though our base is in DC/VA), have an account supervisor there (Cathy Brownlee) and visit there often (about once a month). Personally, I love Chicago. I love to go there. I love all my clients there. I love the hotels I stay in and the yoga studio and the places I eat and all my haunts.
This past weekend, for the first time in a very long time, I went as a tourist. One of my sons, Jake, is moving there in April, so the family, minus our daughter, met up in Chicago to show him around. It was his very first time.
It’s interesting to visit a place that you (think you) know so well with a completely different perspective. For example, I’ve been staying at the Westin Michigan Avenue as one of my favorite hotels for over seven years. I had no idea that the Hancock Building Observatory, with the most magnificent view of the city, was right across the street! I was all consumed with the fact that there’s a Starbucks there and Bloomingdales across the street and a cool food court close by, etc.
Saturday morning we took the architectural/historical boat cruise to look at the city from a different point of view. I saw buildings that I’ve seen hundreds of times, and learned more about where they came from, how they’ve changed and why. Chicago really has the most diverse architecture from refurbished 19th century icons to the most modern, upscale buildings, all lined up together and looking like they belong because of some very smart, creative architects and city planners.
The fact that it was pouring rain and freezing cold while we were on the river didn’t dampen our spirits one bit. We just looked up and were amazed. The rest of the day was spent discovering the El and walking…lots of walking, all the way from WickerPark to Old Town in Lincoln Park.
My other son, the cook, made sure we experienced some of the hippest restaurants and some of the most urbane and earthy, all as diverse and interesting as the neighborhoods they were in. Even the sports bar we went into on Sunday had the best wings we’ve ever eaten. (By the way, did you know that most sports bars in Chicago only show the Bears when they’re playing?…very tough on the Redskin/Jets fans that we are).
Sunday, we walked from the hotel to MillenniumPark, checking out TrumpTowers on the way (could not resist). We walked through the Loop and back towards the hotel, stopping at a few famous places, like Ditka’s, on the way. From the sports bar, we each left to return to our homes after a fun-filled, family, tourist-y weekend that I won’t soon forget.
I’ll be back in Chicago in a week or so for Forum’s Holiday Showcase. I think I will look at it a bit differently this time.
The West Way
Do you have a process? West does. We call it theWest Way. And, we’ve realized time and time again if we don’t follow it, or we let it go off track, we fail. For the life of me, I can’t understand why or how it happens, but it does happen. That is when we start to doubt the process when what we really should be doing is fighting for it.
In our quest to respect the client, we let folks bend the process. I think that’s okay. We have to be flexible after all. But, where’s the line? We have to draw it somewhere. If a client is hiring us for our expertise, strategic thinking, talent and creativity, we owe it to them to give them all we have.
We’ve had a few situations lately where we really let it get out of hand and the process failed; we failed. I was horrified. It made me realize that theWest Wayhas been around for 35 years. It’s proven. It’s changed with the times. It’s been successful. It’s made thousands of clients happy and satisfied. It’s been gratifying to us.
So, if you notice us fighting for theWest Way, please understand that it’s not a selfish thing or a stubborn move. It’s a quest to give the client what we promise…the very best that we have. After all, that’s theWest Way.
Ups and Downs
You’re up. You’re cookin’. You’re traveling. You’re exercising. And, boom, you’re down. One twist. One wrong move. One weak spot. And, you’re in bed for a week.
That’s what happened to me. I’m a mover. I get things done. I work through pain. Even migraines. But this thing, no way. I twisted and compressed my sacrum and that was that. No carrying my fat pug down the stairs. No bending over to pick up things. No going up and down stairs. No peaceful sleep. No comfortable position. No closing the car door. No reaching.
It really stopped me in my tracks. And, even after a week of it, I’m still not completely healed. I’m so impatient with my body. Come on. I want to feel comfortable in my chair at work. I want to go back to yoga. I don’t want to sleep with a wedge under my legs and a heating pad on my back.
What’s my point? The usual…we take good health and strength for granted, but also how much I appreciate all the help that folks are willing to give me. My daughter in particular. She came home every day in between work and school and took to he dogs out, brought me coffee, got me water, helped me with whatever I needed. What a gem. I am a lucky person. My office. Anything I needed. Bringing me computers, files, helping me carry things, get things that were too low or too high.
Thanks to everyone and hopefully, I will be back on my feet fully and able to help the next person that needs it. Pass it on.
Who’s Your Person?
Who has your back? Who do you go to when you need to talk? Who’s there for you when you need help? Who covers for you when you can’t show up? Who makes you feel special? Who makes you feel worth it? Who can you be yourself with?
I’m lucky. I have my family, my staff and my friends. And, each one is there for me in a different way.
My mom and dad are my mommy and daddy forever. They worry about me and watch out for me. My sister is one of my best friends and we have a deal that we can call and whine and complain and cry and when the call is over, it’s over and there will be no repercussions afterwards (that’s getting harder as we get older, because we tend to mother each other and worry anyway). I have that same deal with some of my friends.
My husband is my best friend and we are there for each other for better or worse. I think we made some kind of promise like that on our wedding day : )
My kids are busy with their own lives, but they would drop everything and anything for me as I would for them. It’s interesting when your kids grow up and start taking as much care of you as you do of them. They are so giving and caring. I couldn’t be more proud.
And for all my friends out there, business or not, you know who you are and how much I appreciate you. What would I do without my people?
Who’s YOUR person?
When Do We Sleep?
This past week, I traveled to Chicago (as I often do) for some client meetings and to Florida for a new business pitch. Next week, I’m off to Las Vegas for a Sourcing Session. It amazes me how I can continue to stay connected to my office and not miss a beat no matter where I am. Between my Blackberry (yes, I know…getting an Iphone next month when my contract is up), my Ipad and my computer, I am connected at all times.
For the most part, this is a very good thing. I can work on several things at once. Time is never wasted and I’m in touch always.
But, I had to laugh when I was sitting around the table with one of our alliance partners’ team last week working on a presentation simultaneously. Each person had at least three devices and we had to ask the hotel for a surge protector and an extension cord so we could keep everything juiced up. We were working on the presentation, brainstorming ideas, talking to our families on the phone, IMing with our offices, emailing clients, texting with our kids and working on other projects at the same time. There were side conversations and explosions of laughter and intense key banging.
By the time I went to bed, I was so exhausted but I couldn’t fall asleep because there were too many images flying around in my head. When do we sleep?
Design All Around
Being part of West means design all around, all the time. But, I’ve found that, in addition to the brands, promotions, publications and websites that we dive into every day, I seem more aware of all design. I mean interiors, environmental, product, etc. Not that I have any talent in any of those.
For example, it’s impossible for me to go to a restaurant and simply look at the menu and choose what I’m going to eat. First, I take in the brand of the establishment. It’s not purposeful. It just happens. I look at the furniture, the logo, the menu…oh, the menu (I proofread that), the lighting, the uniforms, the service and only after all of that, the food.
When I go to a website for information, I have a guttural reaction to the site before I cruise around it. If I don’t like the experience, I’m gone pretty fast and on to another one.
Stores…same thing. I care about what I’m going to buy, but I care about how the store is laid out. I care about the logo, the tags, even the smell of the store.
So, as you travel through your day, look around and take it in. There’s design all around us and it’s it comes in the form of brands. They affect us in the most profound ways.
Guilty Pleasures
Can you figure out which Westies are guilty of these pleasures?
The Bravo Channel, specifically The Real Housewives
Computer games
Peanut m&ms
Trashy novels
Michael Jackson
Disco music
Teenage vampire romance novels
Homemade chocolate chip cookies for breakfast dunked in my coffee
Ordering take-out
Napping
The Food Channel–anything on it
Shopping on Ruelala
Staying in great hotels
Watching old movies
Ice Cream
Traveling…anywhere
Steph
Amanda
Cathy
toddkiraly
caro1anne
Matt
Brian
byezzi
