The Art of Storytelling

Oral and visual storytelling has been around since the age of the caveman. Around 200BC, written stories began in the era of Shakespeare. This style of written and oral storytelling continued until our digital age when television was born in 1939. Storytelling is definitely an art that will engage consumers, evoke emotional responses and help people remember your brand. Some are great storytellers and others, well, are not so great. The good news is that it is a skill set that can be learned, practiced and improved upon. Good storytelling is about making an emotionally compelling and memorable narrative that ties facts together in an interesting way. And boy do people love to be told a good story! Here are some of our tips to becoming a better storyteller.

1.     What message are you trying to send? Knowing what message you want to send as well as making it clear and concise is important. Entertaining people is important but you have to leave the viewer with a message they’ll remember.

2.     Try starting in the middle. A linear story can sometimes be boring. First, A happened, which led to B happening. Everyone knows where it’s going. Start with C (the action/confrontation) and work your way backward. Make people wonder where you’re going with this. This will also help “hook” the audience in the beginning.

3.     Vary your rate of speaking and volume levels. Make sure that you are not speaking too quickly. Think about the way you would read a book out loud. Emphasize important bits. Change your pace and volume to go along with what’s happening in the narrative. This will keep your viewers engaged and wanting more.

4.     Paint a picture. Ask your listeners to imagine and be descriptive when you’re telling a story. What did it look like, smell like and feel like? Try to use all of your senses here. Make the viewer feel like they are there with you.

5.     Bring on the emotion. Sharing how you feel or felt about something is relatable. People will empathize through your body language and words. Vulnerability and authenticity make your story more memorable.

Stories are a gift from one person to another as we all crave human connection no matter how introverted some of might be. Storytelling is a great way to connect with others through a shared human experience. Why do you think that User-Generated Content performs so well?  Good storytellers are typically enthusiastic and confident about the stories they tell. Next time your brand is looking to connect with its audience think about how your next advertisement will be delivered. What story does it tell and how well is it told?

Tips on Creating an Effective Creative Brief

A creative brief is a document that defines the scope and goals of a project. In our world of user-generated content, this means defining the specific content you want for your project or campaign. Each project will be different, of course, but the creative brief outline and structure should always remain the same. Here are some tips from our team on ways to make your creative brief and effective and efficient.

1.     Define your creative. What is the overall concept of the campaign? What type of content are you looking for? Videos or stills, audio or text. Also, what the content will be comprised of is very important to define.

2.     Always allow room for creative expansion. You may see content that can spark another creative idea within the confines of the original concept. Therefore, it’s important to be flexible to pivot slightly when and if desired.

3.     Keep it brief. As it is called a brief, this means the creative parameters should be clear and concise.

4.     Be realistic with your timelines. Although we have the fastest team on the planet, if you work Locomotive into the plan early, it will be much more cost-effective and your deadlines will be met within budget, and on time.

5.     Ask lots of questions. If you have an idea for a creative campaign, but aren’t sure where to go with it, don’t be afraid to reach out with questions. Here at Locomotive we can evaluate your brief at no cost, and relay components that are realistic or not. We will also let you know if we see any red flags before you sign on to do any work. We never sell through anything that we don’t believe is deliverable. Just ask our partners on over 400 projects!  

These are our tips for building a creative brief that will reap the best results. Writing a good brief is a valuable skill in our industry and will get better the more you do it. If you haven’t worked with us on any found content campaigns, don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions about the process. We do our best at Locomotive to streamline it for our agency partners and provide solutions to support them with their creative process.

Fostering Employee Growth: Bangerang for Boomerangs

“More than one of four people who quit their job regret their decision and 42% who quit said the new job didn’t live up to their expectations” (2022 report from employment search platform Joblist). We’ve all been there. The grass seems greener somewhere else and when we leave our current position, we’re unfortunately let down by what seemed bright and shiny. We recently read this in an interview with Kristen Cavallo, CEO of MullenLowe and The Martin Agency. In the article she talks about boomerangs. Boomerangs are hires that left a company only to come back later, hence the name boomerang. She herself had this relationship with Deutsch LA. She suggests respecting employee curiosity to try new roles at other companies and not trying to pressure them to stay. It will help them learn and if you don’t burn the bridge, not only will it save your company reputation, it sets the ego aside and lets them feel comfortable. In doing so, they may boomerang back to your company in the long run. Let them know that they can find growth within the company that they are coming back to. They want to know that they can come back to familiarity but with added challenges to grow professionally.

We could not agree more with this style of leadership. Setting the ego aside to create good relationships with the people that work for you will build trust, it will create a company culture that people want to be a part of. There are benefits to rehiring an ex-employee who has left and decided that the grass was, in fact, not greener. Here are a couple reasons why hiring an employee back can be beneficial.

1.     Less time for onboarding process.

2.     They’re already familiar with the job, their duties and expectations.

3.     They will fit back into the company culture.

4.     They will have likely learned new skills while away from the job that they bring back with them.

5.     It will increase their relationship between the company and the employee. Thusly, increasing loyalty.

6.     They typically will outperform a new hire even if they’re less qualified.

Although we agree with this practice, there are also some things to keep in mind when rehiring an employee as well. Why did they leave in the first place? Is it something that you can ensure them to come back for? Compensation increase, title promotions. This is what we stated above. It’s important to let them know that they can grow within the company and it will entice them to validify their choice to come back. It’s also important to understand that although they have been at the company before, if they are taking a different role, the acclimation process may be slower than expected. It’s important to support them in the beginning with good training in order to prevent mistakes later down the line.

We love the idea of boomerang employees and giving people the space that they need to improve on their skill sets within their industry. Here at Locomotive, our employees are fully remote and have our full attention with whatever they need. We are mindful that they may have other professional obligations going on aside from ours. In order for them to feel comfortable we support them with every project in order to get the highest quality work for our company. We firmly believe that our flexibility with them is why we have a high retention rate. We’ve had the same team since the very beginning with only a few add ons once we started to grow. Flexibly fosters growth.

Trending 2023: Actionable Entertainment

Trending 2023

Trending 2023

Tubefilter recently wrote an article on trending topics in 2023. Actionable entertainment was listed as one of their top three topics. It makes sense. People don’t like being sold to anymore. Their interests lie in being entertained through authenticity in order to connect with a brand and its ideals. Advertisements should be created with this in mind. You want to, “deliver it like an ad, but (be) loved like entertainment,” according to TikTok. Let’s break down this term actionable entertainment starting with the word actionable. Actionable (ac-tion-able) adjective: capable of being acted on. Your advertisement should be inviting to be acted upon. Entertainment (en-ter-tain-ment) noun: something diverting or engaging, such as a performance, lightly comic or adventurous. These are the Merriam Webster definitions just an FYI. So, if you put these two terms together your advertisement should be fun and engaging to watch that also invites the audience to act upon it through viewing. I mean, really isn’t that the goal of all ads, to have someone purchase the product through good advertising? It seems easier said than done. Like we said, traditional ads are starting to fall short with younger audiences. They want to be entertained and not sold to. They don’t trust brands that over produce their shoots. They crave real people with organic content because they trust them. They relate to them. Found content for advertisements is going to shine in 2023 for this reason. We’ve always known how effective it is and now the world is beginning to follow suit. We’re happy to see UGC coming to the forefront of the ad space for 2023 and beyond!    

Habits of Creative Leaders

Do you ever wonder what the most successful creative leaders do for their daily routines? We have! So far in our creativity series, we’ve talked about the types of creativity, the styles of creative leadership and the characteristics of a creative leaders. Today we are going to touch on the topic of the habits of creative leaders. Though some of these may seem like common sense, they’re easier said than done with the busy lives we lead in today’s society.

1.     Flex the growth mindset & cultivate a limitless mindset daily. This means embracing challenges and learning from criticism. They’re always looking to learn more and never consider themselves know-it-alls. Curiosity leads to self-improvement and growth.

a.     This means asking a lot of questions. Did you know that children the age of 5 ask around 120 questions a day? By age 40 we ask roughly 4. Make sure to flex your brain and use your critical thinking skills daily.

b.    It also means experimenting and observing things. Try new things and break down processes, ideas and things. Test new ideas constantly and rework them through trial and error. Failure is an opportunity for improvement. Do not be afraid of it!

c.     Read a lot and learn a lot. Feed your brain with information. It may inspire you with new ideas.

2.     SLEEP! We cannot stress this one enough and it seems that all the top dogs of creative leaders are keen to get 8 hours minimum regularly. This is crucial to having a clear mind. Don’t believe the hype in hussle culture about getting enough sleep equals laziness. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

3.     Be active! No one ever regretted a workout after they finished. Are we wrong? We learn and think a lot better when our bodies are physically active. Even if it’s just a walk during your day, make sure to add movement into your routine.

4.     Let your passion choose you! When you have passion, your drive will be in hyper speed pushing you to your goals. If you haven’t found what you’re passionate about try new things. What are you drawn to? Follow your gut instincts here. If you have, good for you! Keep following that dream and working toward those passionate goals.

These are some habits from highly successful creative leaders such as Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs and Warren Buffet. They all have these habits in common and I’m sure many other creative leaders follow similar daily habits. If you’re looking to improve your daily routine in order to become more productive, we recommend Atomic Habits, The 5am Club and 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Creativity can be fostered and developed through focused daily practices. You don’t have to be Steve Jobs in order to be a successfully creative leader!  

Communication Breakdown: Type of Communication Plans

Who remembers the Burger King “two equal buns” for Pride month last year? The marketing effort in Austria was meant to represent “equal love and equal rights.” However, they missed the mark terribly as the members of the LGBTQ community felt offended as it gestured a sexual innuendo. The German agency behind the idea had to act fast in response to the backlash and apologized. They promised to do a better job in the future of consulting the LGBTQ community when promoting their equal rights campaigns. This situation is a prime example of an emergency communication plan and while as we all hope this situation never arises for our company, it never hurts to be prepared.

No matter which communication plan objective you’re looking at they all have one goal in mind and that is to deliver information to the appropriate audience. Your plan should have a clear objective. A goal with a message designed to achieve your desired outcome through a customized message to your audience. Communication plans are not only needed in times of crisis, they’re also important when launching new products/services or pitching new ideas within the company. Every communication plan should include the channels used to convey the message, when it will be communicated, how it will be delivered, the purpose of the communication and most importantly, the message of your communication. Here are some important points to start developing a plan for your communication.

1.     What is the purpose of the communication? Identify the purpose. Are you putting out a PR fire or are you educating the public about a new product/service?

2.     Who is your audience? Chances are, you will need different messages for different groups. You probably already know this answer if you’re a successful brand.

3.     What is your message? You need to consider content of the message. What you create will attract different groups. You also need to consider the mood. Decide what emotions you want to appeal to. Language is important here. Does it need to be in one or more. This will depend on your audience.

4.     What channels? Social media, television, streaming ads, online ads, billboards, blogs, etc. You need to put the message where your audience will see it so knowing where they hang out is crucial.

5.     Create an outline and write the plan. Once you have answered all these questions, it’s time to make your communication plan a reality. This will include the message, frequency, channels, audience, roles and responsibilities of each employee that’s in charge of sending.

Now that we’ve talked about how to create a communication plan let’s talk about what we’re here for: the types of communication plans.

1.     Emergency. We talked about this one in the intro. This is in response to unforeseen events.

2.     Informative. As it sounds, this type is to provide people with information. It could be a new product or service.

3.     Persuasive. This is to try to change people’s minds about something. Perhaps this one could be used within the office for pitching a new idea. You need strong arguments and connection on an emotional level in order to avoid negative backlash. 

4.     Collaborative. This can be where two brands are working together toward a common goal.

No matter which type of communication plan you need to create, it must be done strategically. The four styles listed above are a general view of plans and can be broken down even further, such as branding communication plans, PR communication plans, marketing communication plans and issue management plans. It’s important that your brand choose the correct type of plan for you are trying to achieve. We know, we know… this seems like a complex process but we assure you that it’s essential for your brand’s success.

Found Content is the New Word of Mouth

Word of mouth marketing is the oldest advertising strategy out there. Although times may have changed greatly to that of a digital age, one thing is for sure, WOM is still the most common way that people find a brand. 92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and WOM marketing influences 99% of B2B purchases. Those numbers are truly staggering. In our digital world, WOM is no longer restricted its literal meaning. It now extends into the online space and is just as important, if not more, on social media. This is the new word of mouth. Instead of telling one or a few people, you can tell thousands if not millions. It will spread through the grape vine quickly.

Organic, unproduced and authentic found content. That is the wave of the future and 2023 advertising trends are leaning toward it. Trusted and proven time and time again to be more trustworthy by consumers and influential for purchasing power of your audience. Found content can help your brand engage, equip and empower your audience. It creates emotional connections with your audience. It can give your customers a reason to talk through product reviews, social media challenges or just a revel over a great UGC clip embedded to your advertisement. It can also empower them to spark conversations and share the love of your brand. Found content is the new word of mouth and there are millions of new pieces uploaded every day. Brands that incorporate this tactic into their campaigns are taking it to the next level. If you haven’t already done so, take your brand to the next level. Contact us today about using found content in your next advertising campaign.

Creating a Case Study for Your Business

What is a case study? It’s a report of a brand’s implementation of something, such as a service, system, practice or product. It is a detailed account of something that your brand did from the beginning to the end. Let’s start by talking about what makes a good case study.  First, you want something that is digestible. This means you communicate your story quickly and efficiently without any boring jargon. Second, although you want it to be unambiguous, you still want to convey the study in its entirety, so it must be thorough. This brings us to the last key point, good storytelling. You always want your viewer to be intrigued and interested in the content.

Now that you understand what makes a good case study, let’s cover some tips on how to create your own that your audience will want to see.

1.     Relatability. Highlight customers that will appeal to your audience. Make sure that you know your target audience and choose someone that they can relate to.

2.     Data. Use specific data and include numbers. Seeing proof in black in white is a great way to prove your value. If you can’t do this depending on the style of case study, use testimonials instead.  

3.     Good storytelling. As mentioned above, being a good storyteller is important. Having a beginning, middle and end are crucial to a good story. Try leading with a solution to a problem can attract attention quickly. Ask the right questions to get a complete picture of the journey from start to finish.

4.     Key points. Identify the top 3-5 key points that you want to get out of the case study. It will be important to know your customers here. What challenges do they face? How can you help them with these challenges?

5.     Formatting & appeal. Try different formats that appeal to different types of learners. Text, video, infographics and even podcasts work here.

Here at Locomotive, we’ve conducted case studies with previous content creators to understand what their process was like working with us from start to finish. It’s helped us understand what our strengths are and point out things that we can improve on. Typically, we’re pleasantly surprised with our client case studies but this doesn’t stop us from continuing to improve so that we have a seamless experience for content creators. Hopefully this list will help your brand understand how to create a good case study to better understand your business or assist your audience to better understand what makes your brand stand out from all the rest.

When Hiring Content Creators

We all know by now that content marketing has become the top way to generate more leads, keep reader’s attention, improve loyalty and trust. The list goes on and on. Actually, a stat by demand metric research shows that 86% of businesses use B2C content marketing. As they should, it costs 62% less and the benefits are great (as mentioned above). This being said, there are a lot of content creators out there now so how do you know which one(s) to choose for your brand and its campaigns? There are a lot of things that you should look out for but we’ll list those that we feel are the most important.

1.     Drive. Hiring a content creator is no different than hiring anyone else on your team. You want someone with good work ethic. You want someone who’s excited about creating content. They will be good storytellers to create emotional content.

2.     Expertise. Are they experts in their field? If so, they can help your brand by creating the content that is best to engage your consumers.  

3.     Alignment. This one is very important. You want a content creator who aligns with your brand mission. You want their personality, values, and ethics to be similar to that of your brand. This will ensure a smooth collaboration.

4.     Good communication skills. This one goes without saying really. You definitely want a creator you can easily communicate with. Are they personable? Do they have a positive mindset? If they’re not friendly and easy to talk to it’s probably not going to work out. You want someone that you can easily communicate your ideas with and are comfortable speaking with.

5.     Metrics. What do their metrics look like? What’s their engagement? How consistent are they posting?

6.     Unique & authentic style. A unique creator style will always attract audiences. You want someone who’s going to demand attention with their uniqueness. That being said, they must be an authentic personality. People will see right through it if they’re not. You want someone who will be able to bridge that gap of trust with your consumers. Their more likely to trust the recommendations of someone who is a “regular Joe” if their an personality is genuine.

We hope that this list of traits will help you find the best content creators for your brand. We’ve worked with so many different types of creators over the years. Some were fantastic and others, well, let’s just say we probably won’t work with them anytime soon. All the amazing creators we’ve worked with have had every single one of these characteristics listed above. It’s crucial in order to have a successful and fruitful relationship that will excel your brand’s success as a team. We can find the perfect creators to help you craft your brands message. Ask us how!

Creativity: Different Types of Creative Leaders

It seems there are many different schools of thought of the types of creative leadership styles. Traditional leadership styles are more easily categorized and one could argue that a creative leader can have any of these styles and approach them in a creative way. Well, most of them anyway. The top 11 that we tend to see are:

1.     Facilitative: Also called democratic, this style makes decisions based on their team’s opinions and feedback. Argued to be one of the most effective for business. This style works well for creative leaders since they can encourage their team’s “out of the box” thinking and cooperation. Employees will feel empowered to give their ideas.

2.     Autocratic: This type is also known as authoritarian and although it can have some positive aspects for leadership we don’t recommend it. It can cause intimidation through micromanagement and is not sustainable in the long term. 

3.     Laissez-faire: Laissez-faire means “let them do” and is the least intrusive. Authority lies within the employees and can create a relaxed company culture very conducive for creativity. The high level of trust lets employees produce their best creative work as they feel valued. However, it must be kept in check in order for company growth.

4.     Strategic: This style of leadership is especially good for creative leaders. It requires collaboration. They ask questions that are thought provoking and create a stable work environment for the team. It encourages visualization, which is a key component of creativity. They translate their creative visions into a plan of action through goals and timelines.

5.     Transformational: As the title states, it encourages employees to think in innovative ways. Employees are supported and encouraged to think creatively. This will help with adaptability of a company and improve productivity.

6.     Transactional: Based on action and reward concept where employees receive incentives for achieving something. This is good for goal setting and expectations. It also works in the reverse where they can also be punished so leaders must be careful because this style can lead to low creativity. This is not recommended for creative leaders.

7.     Coach-style: This style is similar to democratic and encourages employees to focus on their strengths and talents. The focus is more individualized and encourages learning. This is a good style for creative leaders since it focuses on the uniqueness of each individual employee. It’s more of a mentoring than delegating style. 

8.     Bureaucratic: These leaders follow the rules. It’s similar to authoritarian but they will listen to feedback from employees. However, if this feedback goes against the company practices, then it will be discarded. Not recommended for creative leadership. 

9.     Visionary: These leaders have visions. They provide creativity for future growth and can forecast potential problems.

10.  Situational: Adaptive is the word that comes to mind here. These leaders change their management style to meet the needs of the team/situation. Hence, the name. Adaptability was one of the characteristics of creative leaders, so this style is great for creative leadership.

11.  Pacesetting: This style of leadership is ambitious and highly productive. However, it may not be the best for setting the stage for creativity. It can create a stressful work environment where goals seem unrealistic. It will stifle creativity and diverse thoughts.

These are the traditional styles of leadership. Some suggest that on top of these, as a creative leader there may be separate styles. The first, are types that accept current paradigms and attempt to extend them:

1.     Replication

2.     Redefinition

3.     Forward incrementation

4.     Advanced forward incrementation

Although these may not seem creative but they most definitely are. Sometimes the best approach is the, “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” kind. Think of this type of creative leadership that way. Leaders take things that are already working and find ways to improve and advance upon them. This does require creative thought.

Those types that reject current paradigms and try to replace them with new:

5.     Redirection

6.     Re-initiation

7.     Reconstruction/redirection

This is a more obvious style of creative leadership that doesn’t want to stay in the status quo. It’s about finding new ways to think about things in an attempt to make them better. This is more of the “thinking outside of the box” mentality to innovate.

Those that integrate old into new to create a new style altogether:

8.     Synthesis

You can see how this one is a creative style as well. It’s about integrating old and new to create something better. Understanding yourself as a leader will ultimately help you figure out which styles of creative leadership will work best for you. Are you someone who doesn’t like to follow the rules? Do you do well with change? Do you like strategy and having a plan but also encourage free thinking? This list will help you decide the direction you could take when leading others in creative way.

Setting Business Goals in the New Year

Chances are that in your personal life you’ll be setting some new goals for the new year! We know we are. But why stop there? You’ve obviously had a vision for your business since the beginning so how can you make it what you’ve always dreamed? Well, the answer is goal setting and a plan of action. You will never achieve your dreams by keeping them inside your mind. All dreams were once a thought that were then made into a reality through planning! We’ve all heard the saying, “your dreams won’t work if you don’t,” and as cliché as that sounds, it’s very true.

Let’s start with how to determine what your brands goals should be. There are some methods to help you determine the right goals for your business. SWOT analysis is a way to help you get very clear on what needs to be addressed. It stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This can help break down your business into simpler terrain in black and white. Another method is the Porter’s Five Forces. This is a technique for understanding the market place of your field to better improve your spot within it. The five forces are: 1. Competitive rivalry 2. Bargaining power of suppliers 3. Bargaining power of customers 4. Threat of new businesses and 5. Threat of substitute products/services.

Now that you know what goals you need to set, there are a couple of methods to help you make them efficiently. The SMART model means: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely. Another, not so heard of style of goal setting, is called WOOP. This stands for wish, outcome, obstacle and plan. It was created by a German psychologist, Gabriele Oettingen and has been known to reduce stress while increasing engagement and solve problems. Another way to tackle your goals is to set micro goals where you break your long-term into smaller steps of daily acts to reach the larger one faster.

Now that you have your plan of action set into motion, it’s important to track the progress along the way. Use KPI’s and data to determine the results of your efforts. Is it working? Is it failing and if so, how can you shift to reassess the process and/or set a new goal? The most important things to remember when setting business goals is that they have to be realistic. If you aim too high, you’re setting yourself up for failure. Another important component to success of your goals is communication within your team. It helps everyone if they’re working together and it helps keep you accountable. Share your vision with everyone on your team! It will also help them feel invested as a contributor to your success. Work engagement will increase as well as positive company culture. Happy New Year to you all and good luck achieving your brands vision!

Types of UGC

While our company deals a lot with still and video content (inclusive of audio), there are many types of user generated content out there. UGC or UCC can be defined as any form of content created by a user that is organic, original and published somewhere online. It comes in many forms and it can come from anyone: customers, loyalists, employees, creators and/or just regular people with a social media account. Here are the types of UGC out there:

1.     Video: this is our main area of expertise

2.     Images: we also specialize in this

3.     Social media: this includes any video, photo or even text

4.     Testimonials: this is usually in the form of a vlog or video

5.     Reviews: this typically is in text form on sites, such as Yelp or Trip Advisor

6.     Live stream/podcasts: usually vocal or video

7.     Blogs: text content but can also be a vlog

8.     Q&A Forums: text content here as well

UGC is so influential on purchasing motivations and is inherently authentic. It creates trust between consumer and brand. Aside from this, it increases confidence in purchases, improves customer feedback, is far more interesting than produced content, and it encourages engagement and influences consumers on which products to purchase. On the professional side, it can help stretch your brands budget. To see a good example of a UGC campaign check out the work we recently did for Duracell holiday. If you haven’t dipped your toes in the sourced content water yet, what are you waiting for? Give us a shout!

Steps of Effective Goal Setting

Heading into the New Year, everyone is gearing up for new goals! Fresh starts and recovered minds will be ready to start taking on 2023 enthusiastically. Personally, we don’t do the whole, “New Year’s Resolution” thing. Instead, we make a list of goals for the year. They usually consist of 10-12 things. Some of the goals are ongoing. Some are single item goals and we cross those out as we achieve them throughout the year. We’ve always thought this was a much better way to begin the year and it helps you stay on track better than choosing just one thing. Once we make our list, we type it up, print it out and stick it on the fridge so we look at it every day. There’s no better way to help you achieve your goals then to have them stare you in the face every morning, let me tell you! To be honest, we usually only hit about half of them and that’s ok. Six goals achieved are better than one failed resolution. In honor of this tradition, we thought we’d share it with you and some ways to help you set achievable goals for this brand New Year..

1.     Use the SMART model. Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Those goals that are ongoing you can obviously skip the timely part.

2.     You must write it down! We cannot stress this one enough! Like we said, print it out and stick it on your fridge.

3.     Believe in the journey. Sometimes the goal is great but the journey to getting there is even better. Don’t get overly fixated on a goal.

4.     Keep yourself accountable. Tell other people. You may need someone to help keep you accountable. Do whatever it takes to keep yourself in check.

5.     Don’t be scared to ask for help. Sometimes goals can be big and sometimes you cannot do it alone. That’s ok! Ask for help. Family, friends, find a mentor.

6.     Constantly assess your progress. This is another good reason to have that list on your fridge. You’ll see it every day. Where are you on your goals? Have you checked any off? What can you be doing to get closer to them?

We hope you had a wonderful New Year celebration and look forward to the new beginning ahead. We know we are. What new adventures await? What will the year bring? We always get very excited about this special process of goal setting as we let go of the past year and move full steam ahead!

How to be a Learn-It-All

No one likes a know it all, especially in a business setting. A fixed mindset can even be dangerous to an organization. Those with this type of mindset struggle to admit their weakness/mistakes and cannot handle when they’re pointed out. They tend to have a “my way or the highway” attitude. They believe that abilities are innate and fixed. The opposite of this is a growth mindset, where one thinks that anything can be achieved through effort. It’s finding out what you don’t know and being open to new ideas as well as admitting your faults in order to better yourself. They believe that intelligence, abilities and talents are learnable and improvable. They welcome a good challenge because they understand that it can teach them something. A growth mindset is important in order to become a distinguished and influential leader.

We understand that some may want to adopt this way of thinking but may not be sure where to start. We comprised a list of ways to develop a growth mindset. Growth mindset values learning despite the risks more than others thinking that we know what we’re doing. Here are our tips.

1.     Determine if you have a fixed mindset. If you already have a growth mindset then you just may need to improve on the thoughts that you already have. Listen to your inner dialogue to help you understand. For example, if you get some negative feedback on your work what does your inner voice say? Does it say, “That’s ok! I must need to learn more about this topic,” or does it say, “I must not be good at this!” if the answer was the first one then you probably have a growth mindset already. If your answer was the second then you may need to work on your inner voice to adjust it to a growth mindset. Try to embrace yourself without judgement when your inner voice speaks. Think about what you would say to a friend if they came to you with your situation. What would you say to them?

2.     Embrace your imperfections. Our imperfections are what make us each unique. This is also an important act of self-love. Don’t seek approval from others and learn to trust yourself. An honestly, who cares what other people think! Comparison is the thief of joy!

3.     Take risks despite fear. Fear is natural when learning something new. The difference between someone who has a fixed mindset and one that doesn’t is despite being afraid they choose to do it anyway. Consider the challenge as an opportunity to learn something new: a skill, something about yourself, etc.

4.     Be realistic. You’re not going to get everything right the first time and chances are if you’re learning something new failure will happen. That’s ok. Failure is a great teacher. Instead of thinking as failures as a weakness, think of it as a lack of understanding that can be improved. How can you understand something deeper? Now, try again.

5.     Look at examples. Look at your past examples of successful learning. Look at other peoples. What is something that you’re better at now that you weren’t in the past? How did it go from being difficult to easier? What did you do? Use others as examples. When was there a situation where you’ve seen someone else succeed against all odds? What did they do?

This list is by no means exhaustive but should be a starting point for if you’re trying to get started on improving your growth mindset. Continuous learning will not only better develop the growth mindset, it can shift your thinking to a more positive one. I always say that if you’re not good at something that just means you should be doing it more it. Chances are it’s something that you need to better develop. Challenging yourself in this way will teach you many things about who you are as you improve your “learn-it-all” mentality.

Creative Leadership: Characteristics

“The heaviest penalty for declining to rule is to be ruled by someone inferior to yourself.”

-Plato

When we think of leadership we don’t typically think about creativity. Creative leadership can be defined as an act that develops and realizes innovative ideas through shared ambitions of improving the world. Basically, leading in a way that fosters creativity, promotes innovation and endorses entrepreneurship. Being a leader does not inherently mean that you are a creative leader. Some are not. But those that are tend to have similar personality characteristics. We will list some of them here.

1.     Adaptable, Resilient

2.     Independent, Yet Inspiring

3.     Purposefully Driven & Great Listeners

4.     Unorthodox, Yet Calculated Risk Takers

Creative leadership is often complimented by cognitive leadership. Now that we know that there are different types of creativity, we can see how this might be so. According to a scientific article, A Propulsion Model of Creative Leadership, there are eight different types of creative leadership. These are all broken down into categories. 1. Leadership that accepts current paradigms and attempt to extend. 2. Those that reject current paradigms and attempt to replace them and 3. Those that integrate existing paradigms to create new ones.  This is interesting, but we won’t divulge too much as this can be a whole other article all together. No matter which creative style a creative leader has, their ability to solve problems with divergent thinking and cooperative encouragement remains the same. Their open mindedness makes them constant learners. They have the ability to create innovative ideas by developing new answers/decisions by looking at things from a different perspective. They ask difficult questions that aren’t the status quo and aren’t afraid to shake things up. Creative thinkers actually encourage disruptive thinking. They also have the courage to make tough decisions and take it on the chin when things fail. They see this as an opportunity to grow and improve and thusly, are more adaptable than the rigid leaders of the past.

What’s Is It Like Working in the Found Content Space

We love our employees! Each of their unique skillsets and personalities bring something special to the table for each project we do. Working in found content can be a tricky place at times but the rewards it reaps are high, especially since we have the best team available in our field. What better way to explain what it’s like to work in found content than interviewing one of our very own employees? For personal privacy purposes, the name of individual(s) interviewed will be left out due to their allowance to work on other projects. Although we sadly regret not being able to praise their name to the mountain tops, we completely understand that this is their preference and we respect that.  

1.     What is your favorite part of the job?

Obtaining the rights to the videos or Buying the content because you get to connect with the content owners. I enjoy the chase and the challenge. I also like the creative part of discovery/curation to find that diamond in the rough for their vision.

2.     What was your favorite project you’ve worked on and why?

My favorite project was the Oreo Stay Playful campaign because the content was so fun and all the creators were so excited to be a part of the campaign. The campaign was also shown in Times Square, which was very cool.

3.     What do you love most about your job here with us?

Overall with the job I love the people that I work with since we are a boutique agency. I love working with our family and bouncing ideas off of each other. Each of us has our own expertise that they can add.

4.     What is your biggest challenge when sourcing content and/or working on a project?

The biggest challenge would probably be working with the super remote video owners or trying to track down the international content that we work with. Some people are just off the grid and very difficult to reach, especially if they don’t have a large social media presence. On the flip side of that, it’s also very hard to find the correct owner of a video that’s gone very viral.

5.     What do you enjoy being able to work fully remote?

Definitely the flexibly and just being able to be home with my family, while still focusing on work.

6.     What do believe about this allows you to work efficiently and still remain connected to others within the company/company culture?

I would say the amount of time that I get back from not having to commute to and from work. If I need to log on earlier, especially with the different time zones we work with all over the world. The hours allow me to work completely efficient at home and not be tied to an office.

7.     Are there any aspects of the team culture that you would change or improve?

We’re all so spread out so I would love to be able to meet up in person but we do stay pretty connected and I do really like the culture.

8.     What led you to work in this field?

My degree is in entertainment marketing and advertising. I studied this in college and got my Bachelors. I worked in television production for a couple of years and I just sort of fell into this through that.

9.     Describe a favorite work memory from Locomotive.

I would say, not sure if it’s a favorite but after we just did the Duracell campaign, this client had their hearts set on a certain video. We did not think it was going to happen and in the 12th hour we were able to make a deal with the video owner. It was so stressful but when it finally came through I was so relieved. I see that commercial everywhere now. Ofdsn Sunday night football and other content creators have even seen that commercial. It was such a gratifying.

10.  Is there an area of working in found content that you think you can improve and/or when working on projects?

Well, the industry is kind of like the wild, wild west still and video owners can sometimes be very skeptical. Content creators can think that agencies like us might be a scam because what we do is still so new, but when they actually look up our company, they see that we’re a 5-star agency with lots of great reviews from creators that have worked with us in the past.

We love hearing what our employee(s) have to say about working in the found content space. We hope it was enlightening for you all as well. If you’re curious about tapping into the power of UGC strategies, contact us today.

To Green or Not to Green

Our monthly newsletter came from Adage, which always leads to thought provoking articles. The article that caught our eyes this month is the hot topic of “greenwashing” or “greenshaming.” A shift has recently happened where companies have decided to cut back on their sustainability efforts and/or stay their course without sharing the process publicly. This has come as a result of backlash from certain political views and/or companies that have a vested interest in practices that do not promote sustainability. As a brand that prides itself on its green efforts, we believe that sharing your process to combat climate change is important. Although, some may not agree, it could hurt your image in the long run with your loyal audience. The idea of “greenwashing” is just as it sounds. We would define it as making someone seem as if they’re pushing their values of being “green” onto others and “brainwashing” them into believing the hype that they do. “Greenshaming” is the process of shaming others for not using sustainable practices. Neither are something that we promote but we also feel that these terms have been over exaggeratedly conjured by those who have opposing views about being green and are trying to downplay the climate crisis that we all should be taking very seriously. It’s not really a matter of deciding whether climate change is real or not, because, it is. It’s been proven time and time again with science. Those who choose not to join the movement are simply those that favor profit over people because it is the human race who will ultimately suffer in the long run. Our company believes that sharing sustainability efforts with its audience is something that shows authenticity and transparency. This creates trust. It also holds them accountable. If brands make their sustainability goals public, they will do their best to reach them when the whole world is watching. Staying true to yourself as a brand will help you succeed.

Case Study

We love our business and we’d like to think that we are the absolute best in our field. But don’t take our word for it. Here is a client questionnaire review from a previous content creator that we worked with, Jennifer.

1. How did you hear of the brand?

I was contacted by someone with an opportunity to work with Locomotive.

2. What made you decide to become a client of the Locomotive?

 How quick and easy it was to come to terms and an agreement.

3. Have you ever licensed through a competing entity? If so, how did the experience compare?

No, I have not.

4. What are some challenges you faced as a content creator before deciding to license your content with Locomotive?

A major challenge was the fee charged for the content.

5. How did Locomotive help you overcome these challenges?

They were very receptive and easy with my demands.

6. What is your favorite thing about working with Locomotive?

Staff was very nice and pleasant.

7. What has made you want to remain a client with Locomotive?

The work ethics.

8. How do you plan to keep working with or use the Locomotive in the future?

We would love to continue creating content with Locomotive.

When we got this back, we can’t even express how much we appreciated it, number one and also the kind words for our work ethics and employee interactions. We always hope to repeat business with each content creator and agency that we work with so we make sure that their experience is seamless and positive overall. It’s always rewarding to see that your efforts don’t go unnoticed with clients.

Two Truths & A Lie: UGC Myths

Not all UGC is good for your brand. True! There have been plenty of UGC campaigns gone awry and it would be naive to think that all UGC is good UGC. Found content seriously affects your customers’ trust and opinion of your brand through emotional connects. Also, true! People trust real people so if this goes sideways you could be looking at some serious consequences and fires to be put out. This is what we are here for, to get your brand quality, legally cleared content that reflects positively on your company and its mission. However, that being said, we thought we would go through some myths on UGC and clear them up for you.

1.     UGC is too risky to employ into my marketing & advertising strategy. Not so, and actually it is the opposite. It’s not risky if you let the pros take the reigns to properly source and clear your content like we do. It is a crucial component of your marketing & advertising strategies in our digital world today.

2.     If UGC has a negative impact on my brand, I should just ignore it and it will fade away eventually. This is never a good idea and is bad PR mitigation. You should always address issues that have a negative impact on your brand’s image. The sooner you tackle an issue the sooner it will get resolved before the damage is irreversible.

3.     UGC is lower in quality. False! We should all know by now that not all sourced content is created equal. With the rising age of technology, there are a number of smart phones that can capture quality video and photo nowadays. Although not produced, they’re enough when it comes to quality. Billions of videos are uploaded every day to social platforms so the possibilities are literally endless! Did you know that 90% of the worlds population has a smart phone with a camera on it? That’s over 7 billion creators!

4.     UGC cannot be controlled. Although it may seem like it can be difficult to control, sourced content can be easily controlled with creative briefs before sourcing. Agencies have deciding power of the content they receive from us initially and will have the final say in which pieces they want to clear to use for their projects/clients.

5.     UGC doesn’t work for all brands. Not so! UGC has a place in every brands marketing and advertising strategy. It’s cost effective, creates trust and humanizes your brand’s voice. The facts speak for themselves. It works!

So, there you have it. Two truths and some lies. Now you can see that not all UGC is created equal. Sourced content can seem tough for those trying to produce it on their own without a professional. It won’t take you long to realize that curation and clearing should be left to the pros. Doing so will prevent any negative impacts from using found content in your campaigns. Contact us today if you haven’t used us for your campaign and want to give it a try!

Feel Good Friday: Creative Thinking Skills

Creativity is an interesting and somewhat uncharted topic. Where does it come from exactly? Are we born with our creative skills or can we learn them? Last week we wrote a little about the different types of creativity, so now let’s dive into some of the skills that creative thinkers’ user to problem solve. Creative thinking is defined as coming up with innovative, unique solutions to problems but what are some of the ways that creative thinkers can discover these answers. Creative thinking skills come in all shapes and sizes but we wanted to put together a short list of some that might be useful to creatives in the workplace. We’ll break them up into categories since we know that there are different types of creativity from our research last week.

Analytical: these skills help sort through factual information to develop more rational solutions. These skills would fit those who are dominant in deliberate & cognitive creativity as well as deliberate & emotional.

·      Analysis

·      Research

·      Interpreting

·      Experimentation

·      Critical thinking

Innovation: These skills can be utilized by all types of creative thinkers.

·      Resilience

·      Imagination

·      Abstract thinking

·      Lateral thinking (using non-traditional logic)

Collaboration: These skills can also be used by all types of creative thinkers.

·      Brainstorming

·      Story telling

·      Open-mindedness

·      Active listening

While we will not go into detail for each of these skills, the overall theme is reframing things as a means to find alternative and unique approaches. No matter what problem you are trying to creatively solve, being able to look at the larger picture as well as the small, is important. Visual and abstract thinking can come into play when coming up with new answers. Some advantage to using these skills in the workplace are that it helps come up with better solutions, improves on problem solving and increases effective teamwork. In order to flex your creativity muscles, it’s important to use them every day. Try to create something new each day that requires you use some of the skills listed above. Creative thinking must be sharpened like a tool.