reactions

Last week it seemed everywhere I turned our clients were talking about one thing, customer engagement in the form of gaming. Some wanted to use it for loyalty and rewards programs, others in social media, others like Redken went so far as to launch their own video game. We think it’s a spot on target and certainly a hot trend to follow.

Let’s consider the signals

1. 4 generations of target audiences have now been reared on video games
2. digital games are on every media device available
3. social media platforms like FourSquare mimic games with their social status and rewards system
4. the most popular online games recently have people happily doing such mundane tasks as farming, running a restaurant, changing a baby’s diaper, all with great joy and enthusiasm!
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The holidays are upon us, and we’re getting in the spirit by giving away 10 sets of MSLK “Cheers!” gift tags! Each set contains 26 adhesive gift tags that are perfect for the holidays as well as any other time of year. To enter simply “like” us on Facebook and then enter under the Sweepstakes tab. This offer is only available until December 3rd so enter for a chance to win now!

There’s a chill in the air, and chestnuts about to be roasted. That means it’s the perfect time to start thinking about gifts for the holidays. MSLK now has a wide range of giftable items for sale on the online shop at Felt & Wire.

10 items are currently featured: limited edition posters, letterpressed cards, die-cut bookmarks, and foil-stamped gift tags. Each is priced to match any budget (and grade-level of humor.) Many of these items can be useful in making your gifting easier, such as our customizable gift tags.

So pick up a set of your faves today:

http://feltandwireshop.com/seller/mslk

At MSLK, we like to use the analogy that building a website is akin to building a house. A website is a virtual storefront to the world, and a crucial marketing tool – it  should effectively represent your brand.

Although many companies realize their need for a website, they fail to complete an initial strategic planning phase where the objectives and content of the website are developed. Just as architectural blueprints document the needs of a home’s inhabitants, a site map and its detailed wireframes unearth your goals and structure for the site – documenting everything in one clear plan.

How many rooms will be in the home?
How are the levels of the house organized?
What is the budget?
Are we building with Italian marble or vinyl siding?

These are common questions in architecture that are similar to the questions that arise during the site map strategic planning phase of building a website.

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There’s one trend in website design and development that we simply must call attention to. The curse of the “Coming Soon” page! In a world of up-datable content, blogs, and sites that change almost daily, a “coming soon” sign anywhere on a website pretty much guarantees that it’s a feature that is “never coming.”

How often do you get excited about a website, click over to the News section and see an exuberant “Coming Soon!” sign up there? Maybe there’s even an upbeat “Check Back Soon!” added for more dramatic flair.

It’s not your fault. It was probably your web designer’s idea, but it’s a bad one. If you are the web designer who suggested it — stop that!

Here’s our advice for what to do instead.

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So much can happen in a week. A company can unveil a new logo, receive a public flogging, ask for free submissions, and then revert back to its original logo. If all goes well for clothing chain The Gap, most people will never know that the brand just did one of the biggest belly flops in the history of branding…

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If you haven’t seen this website yet, have a look: http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/

It’s a promotion for the rock band Arcade Fire’s song “We Used to Wait”, and it uses an array of interactive features which customize the experience for each user. More than just a website, it’s actually described as an “interactive film” by Chris Milk using the latest website coding technology known as HTML 5. More than just a promotion, it’s one of the freshest things I have seen online in quite a while.

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Thanks again to all those who helped make this project possible, and to all those who came out to the Dumbo Art Festival this weekend!

Click below to see some photographs of our installation.

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Our website, www.mslk.com, is cited in the current issue of How Magazine in an article entitled, “The Marketing-Smart Website” written by Ilise Benun. The article gives examples of what to do — and what not to do — for designers setting out to redesign their site. Our site’s innovative and sorting features were given the following compliment:

“There are 90 examples of work in the portfolio section of MSLK.com, but it’s not overwhelming because visitors can sort by medium or industry category to find what they’re looking for. Mouse over any thumbnail and it automatically enlarges and identifies the image.”

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Juxtapoz Magazine describes our Take-Less eco-art installation as both creative and upsetting in a recent article.

“2629: Creative and Upsetting Sculpture Made of Fast Food Containers”
Juxtapoz Magazine, magazine
September 22, 2010