Setting a date

12th August 2011

Today I came across the following entry in my weekly planner (yes, at that point I somehow managed to find the time to write in a planner). My second, and what would be final, interview at Engauge a year ago tomorrow.

A year ago, I was working for an amazing brand, with an incredibly talented team, working on really cool projects and starting to discover exactly where my passions lie in the digital space.

I have always told myself I would know when I was ready to move on from a job, even an amazing one. Around this time last year, I started to test the waters for agencies around the Atlanta area, making lists, checking them twice and meeting with contacts. I knew I wanted to work somewhere where the people around me would drive my passions professionally through work and personally through culture.

You hear the stories about agency life: the endless hours, crazy clients, cut throat mentality. My cozy corporate fit sure seemed much safer, but safe wasn’t quite for me anymore. I wanted to work somewhere that would push me to learn more, to step up and speak my mind and have a great time while doing it. I found that at Engauge the first time I walked through the door. (It might have helped that half of my first interview consisted of college cheerleading memories with Carla and Dave).

And guess what, agency life is not really what it’s made out to be. Sure, I’ll never work a perfect 40 hour work week. I juggle multiple clients, projects, teams and meetings. I forget to each lunch sometimes. But I love it.

In the past year, I have learned more than I could have ever imagined, been given opportunities to grow that no 22-year-old should ever feasibly be trusted in tackling and made friends with people that feel like family. Not to mention, I get to have a little a lot of fun while doing it.

Looking back, I know I 150% took the right risk and I can’t wait to see where the next 12 months take me. I’ll probably fill in the gaps in more nostalgia posts over the next few weeks (if you know me, you know I love a good story, so if that’s not quite your thing, my apologies in advance) but until then, thanks Engauge for setting a date with me, taking a chance and teaching me that the ‘grown up’ world isn’t so bad after all.

Give a Penny, Take a Penny

10th August 2011

Remember that jar at your local coffee shop that always offered a little spare change when you were running low? The concept is simple: give and take. Jonathan Stark has taken the idea of give and take to a whole new level this week with his new endeavor Jonathan’s Card.

Jonathan’s Card takes an image of Jonathan’s personal Starbucks mobile payment card and shares it with the internet. The concept is simple: download the image of his card (find it here), save it to your phone and use it at your local Starbuck’s for a cup of coffee on Jonathan. Simple enough.

Jonathan has taken it a step further and shared the card’s account information, so now any stranger can digitally give a little to the cause. The card also Tweets balance updates, and based on the stream, there are more than a few people giving a little this week.

Take a look and give yourself a little digital karma – or even a cup of coffee today. Way to go Jonathan for letting us all know that no matter how down the economy gets, charity survives. Thanks to @Mattstech for his Tweet this morning and sharing the project.

Is AmEx changing user behavior with social partnerships?

21st July 2011

Social integration took on a whole new meaning last week as American Express announced a partnership with Facebook allowing card holders to link their accounts to their cards in what they are calling “Link, Like, Love.” The program, similar to that of the Foursquare partnership announced earlier this year, allows card holders to receive automatic rewards on their card targeted by their likes and interests. The promotion is just short of amazing.

However, as I think more about the general AmEx card holder vs the average Facebook user, I wonder if AmEx is approaching something much larger here.

The average Facebook user is now nearly 40 years old, but I would imagine that that for heavy or advanced Facebook users that demographic skews much closer to the millennial generation…a generation buried in credit card options and credit card debt. Now, not speaking statistically whatsoever, I would say that the perception of AmEx, with it’s annual fees and generally high credit limits, skews towards a more financially established user overall.

More interesting than the partnerships AmEx has created are that AmEx is now A. leading a younger generation with no shortage of options to consider a card option typically out of their demographic simply because it now fits in with everything they surround themselves with – a robust social graph, tailored deals and instant gratification.

B. AmEx is now also targeting their key demographic by tapping into their exploration in social tools and recommendations. As these users begin to explore how to connect social to everything they do, this may be a perfect first step with a brand they trust financially. I can’t imagine the baby boomer generation is going to stop signing up for Facebook anytime soon.

As brands become more intertwined into every facet of our daily lives, I would bet that partnerships such as this start to carve new paths for consumer decision making on both sides of the fence. I for one know I’m a little more interested in what AmEx has to say these days and look forward to brands continuing to push the boundaries in social for user of every age.