Beyond being organized and efficient – and keeping your team working the same way (no small feat!) our 3fold administrative team holds three qualities that make them extra amazing at what they do:
1) They are proactive. Our team thinks ahead and makes sure that we are ready to tackle whatever issue the day holds.
2) They connect the dots. I’m always amazed at how our team can read a seemingly unrelated email, take a phone call and recall a seemingly unrelated conversation and tie them together to ensure that our work is done thoroughly and timely.
3) They know to dance. It seems that no matter how well planned and organized the day, something usually falls out of sync – and our team manages to “dance on the spot”, fix the problem and keep us all on schedule.
Of the over 4.1 million Americans that have the job title “administrative assistant,” and the other 8.9 million Americans that work in administrative support roles, I’m so thankful that the top three administrative professionals work right here at 3fold. Phyl, Alexis and Brenton cover the thousands of details (daily!) that support the rest of us – and manage to do so with a smile.
Carmichael Dave called on March 8 asking us to talk him out of what was “surely the worst idea ever.” His idea: getting in an RV and driving across the country to spread the word about our fight for our beloved Sacramento Kings. We’re not in the business of disappointing our clients, but on that day we did not come through for Dave. We did not talk him out of what we all agreed was a tremendous idea.
It’s not often that an opportunity like this comes around, and our entire team knew that this was something we not only wanted to see happen, but had to get behind. It was in perfect alignment with what 3fold is about: contributing to our community, supporting Sacramento’s economy, and delivering out-of-the-box, in-your-face creativity. We were all in.
Every day since March 8 has been a blur of purple and black, borderline-delirious brainstorming, tweeting, editing, posting and planning. In just over one week, we developed a logo, designed, built and populated a website, designed the RV wrap, ordered and delivered stickers, buttons, a banner and a flag, and made plans to mobilize the grassroots contingent locally while gaining attention nationally. Our production partners and friends, Franklin Pictures, sacrificed one of their go-to-guys, Elliot Sisson, to send on the tour to document the entire thing. In the end, tt was one of the most stressful, most thrilling weeks we’ve had here at 3fold. And we would all do it all over again if it meant we could keep our team.
Sacramento is a funny market, too often overlooked and discounted in national conversations. When we found out that Seattle made a bid for our team, it would have surprised no one (except of course us) if we just went with the plan, watching our team move and our city mourn the loss of our Kings. Instead, our mayor stood up, our community rallied, and we made our voices be heard.
The goal of the “Playing to Win Tour” was to take the show on the road, inspiring the national audience to get behind our city and our community. There isn’t a better representative for these efforts than Carmichael Dave–the Man. Has. Heart. And the 3fold & Franklin Pictures teams were drawn to the goals of this endeavor. Even the national community responded, joining the Tour by submitting photos, videos, and emails, holding rallies, and offering endless #PlayingToWin conversation on Twitter. Passion brings us all together.
The Tour is home today, but the fight’s not over. Want to feel inspired? Check out the Times Square spot we helped produce for the Sacramento CVB. Want to join the tour? Watch Episode 6 then stay tuned for many more to come. Remember that one time I said it was the eleventh hour? It’s been one long, rewarding, stressful, thrilling and meaningful hour… and it’s not over yet.
We teamed up with Franklin Pictures to create a #PlayingToWin spot for the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau. The 30-second spot is currently running in Times Square every five minutes, for the next 72 hours. We love being part of a community that fights for what it believes in, and are so proud to be part of the effort.
Check it out…
Gordon just landed in Washington D.C. for his fourth trip with Sacramento Metro Chamber’s Cap-to-Cap! This annual event brings together 300 local business professionals to advocate on behalf of Sacramento. I asked him before he left what session he was looking forward to the most. His answer? Visiting DC Central Kitchen – one of the largest feeding programs in the U.S. This program was founded by Robert Egger, an amazing nonprofit visionary who spoke at our 3fold Spark! Series in 2011.
Stay tuned for Gordon’s recap of Cap-to-Cap 2013! In the meantime, follow the Cap-to-Cap conversation on Twitter, and enjoy this great shot from Gordon’s adventure last year…
Last night, the Sacramento Public Relations Association held its annual CAPPIE Award Gala - and a group of 3folders were in the house to join the celebration! Our very own Scott Moak emceed the event, and did a great job of getting the audience energized and cheering as he announced the best of the best in Sacramento public relations. 3fold even went home with three awards!
The moment that had us cheering loudest (and maybe even shedding a few tears) was when our fearless leader, Gordon Fowler, was honored by SPRA with the “PR Professional of the Year” award. It was a truly a special moment for our whole team, and we couldn’t be more proud of him and to be a part of his team – congratulations, Gordon!
And a few other moments from the night…
Allison and Gordon before the award ceremony.
Slamson made a surprise appearance. Apparently lions like eggplant.
Allison introduced Gordon with a heartwarming speech. (Thank you, Karla, for this photo!)
Gordon honored as PR Professional of the Year. Speech, speech!
The dessert was amazing… and worth mentioning. But we don’t have a photo of the dessert because we devoured it so quickly. So, here’s Scott finishing his dessert.
The 3fold table! Amazing team, wonderful night.
There you have it… our night at the CAPPIES! Congratulations to all of the winners, and a very special congratulations to Maggie Linden, who was honored with the “Lifetime Achievement Award” and is and will continue to be an inspiration to everyone working in the PR industry. Last but certainly not least, thank you SPRA for putting on yet another memorable event.
The month of March was packed with Facebook changes. Some I’m sure you’ve noticed… some may have been a little more under the radar. Here’s a list of several of the updates:
News Feed redesign. Earlier in the month, Facebook held a press conference where they announced a redesign of their News Feed. The redesign includes several new feeds: All Friends, Photos, Music, and Following (pages and people followed). It also aligns with the look and feel of the Facebook mobile version. They’ve already started rolling out the changes to personal profiles and will continue in the next couple weeks. Have you started using the new design yet?
Single-column timeline. Personal profiles have begun to see their profiles change to a single-column format. All of the informational sections about the user (About, Friends, Photos, Likes, etc.) are along the left-hand side. All of the user’s Facebook updates are published on the right-hand side.
Less rules for Cover Photos. Facebook has relinquished several of its guidelines for Cover Photos. Before, photos could not contain purchasing info, web addresses, call to actions, etc. Here are Facebook’s updated guidelines: “All covers are public. This means that anyone who visits your Page will be able to see your cover. Covers can’t be deceptive, misleading, or infringe on anyone else’s copyright. You may not encourage people to upload your cover to their personal timelines. Covers may not include images with more than 20% text.”
Pages popping up in News Feeds. Speaking of Cover Photos, your brand page’s Cover Photo may need a redesign. If you haven’t noticed, when someone “Likes” a brand page these days or when a brand page has a sponsored story, the Cover Photo of that brand page pops up in the update. Notice the name and category overlay the photo, which could be challenging with your current Cover Photo. 
Respond directly to comments. Brand pages can now respond directly to comments, creating more active and organized conversation threads. Next time a fan asks a question, click “reply” on his or her comment and respond directly to the person, rather than leaving the response at the very bottom of the conversation thread. 
Could it be? Hashtags may finally be coming to Facebook! Personally, I’m surprised this hasn’t already happened since we’re seeing hashtags on Facebook being used left and right. Read more info in this TechCrunch article.
As a personal Facebook user or admin of a page, which Facebook changes are you most excited to see?
Header image from Facebook.
A group of 3folders attended Sacramento Ad Club’s ADDY Award Show last night – always a fun outing! Sacramento has a very talented advertising community, and we’re truly proud to be part of this highly creative group. Amongst all of the fabulous entries this year, we’re honored to have walked away with two ADDY awards: a silver and a gold!
The silver ADDY was awarded to 3fold in the PSA category for our work with Fourth & Hope. We partnered with Franklin Pictures on the amazing video, titled “Give Hope“, please take a moment to watch it!
The gold ADDY 3fold received was for our advertising work in the arts and sciences category, which featured a campaign we created for Sacramento Opera’s 2012-2013 season. This campaign was centered on headlines and images that were packed with a bright, bold and witty personality.
As always, thanks again to Sacramento Ad Club for hosting a great ADDYs Show! Here’s to a another year of fantastic ad work and many more years to come.
Last week, several 3folders attended Mayor Kevin Johnson’s State of the City address where he outlined the top 3 essential goals for our region in the coming year and beyond. One of those was improving the literacy rates amongst school children between kindergarten and 3rd grade. I was encouraged to hear him push this issue, as I currently serve on the Emerging Leaders leadership council for United Way CCR, which also focuses on childhood literacy through their STAR Readers program.
Why is this issue important?
- Kids who don’t read at grade level by the end of third grade are 70% more likely to eventually drop out.
- In our region, 52% of third grade students do not score “proficient” on the year-end STAR test.
- 56% of fourth grade students in our region do not read at grade level.
- 70% of inmates in American prisons cannot read above a fourth grade level.
- Children entering school who have not developed basic literacy skills are three to four times more likely to drop out in later years.
Do you remember how amazing it felt to get a brand new book as a kid–all the worlds it opened up? Right now, there are 660 local kids between the ages of 5 and 9 waiting for their own new books. Help them experience the joys of a Green, Green Garden…or visit Marley Firehouse Dog…or make friends with Frog and Toad Are Friends…or gets lost in the excitement of Geronimo Stilton: The Enormous Pearl Heist. Donating books is such an easy and fun way to make a major impact in the lives of our area’s children. As these will be the next generation of teachers, engineers, community leaders, writers, doctors, and 3folders, I wanted to ask all of 3fold partners and friends to consider helping out.
Donate books online at: http://www.gifttool.com/registrar/ShowEventDetails?ID=1793&EID=12538
The “shop local” movement has been growing the last few years, and it’s a concept me, and my company, are proud to support. However, as a business owner, I’ve always been a little concerned by the focus being so much on restaurant and retail, and often leaving out other small businesses in the push.
As an example, Sacramento has quite a few fantastic “shop local” efforts underway including:
Looking at those, though, is it any wonder why many of us only think about “shop local” when we’re grocery shopping, going out to eat or looking to buy a gift? This needs to change.
Shop local applies to more than just restaurants and retail.
As a marketing agency, one of the most frustrating things we deal with is when other local companies choose agencies outside of the region to do their marketing or rebranding work. The perceived glitz of a San Francisco or New York or Chicago agency overshadowing the very real benefits of what a local firm brings to the table—namely, local expertise and inside information. While some businesses of course need a cross-regional/state/national/global approach—and we work with several like this, so we know it can be a different story—most are focused primarily on audiences closer to home. So, “shopping local” would get these businesses more targeted and effective branding and messaging, connect them faster to important stakeholders, and streamline their media placements. It would also prove they understand the importance of supporting their fellow local businesses.
When we limit our “shopping” to dining and retail, we’re missing the entire point of “shop local”. It is not JUST about eating lettuce grown within a 75 mile radius – it’s about supporting local small businesses and building local economic security. Whether we’re talking lawyers, accounting firms, doctors, business consultants, or, yes, marketing agencies, look local first. My agency does when we need services—and we’ve found the talent in our own backyard.
Across the board, industry-to-industry, I’d stack Sacramento’s businesses up against any “big city” competition. Our only downside is an unfortunate lack of community confidence. The second we stop thinking of ourselves as “just Sacramento” and start recognizing our own incredible value as a creative hub, pushing “shop local” won’t even be needed…it’ll be assumed.
Today is the start of Sacramento Beer Week and as an agency that celebrates our love of beer weekly with our Beer Fridays we couldn’t be more excited. Some very hard decisions were made, but in true 3fold fashion, we created a few top 3 lists for this year’s beer week…
Top 3 Local Pubs:
Top 3 Bottle Shops:
Top 3 Local Micro Breweries:
Top 3 Beer Week Events We’re Looking Forward To:
- Rare Beer Night at Pangaea Café
- Sour Fest at Hot City Pizza
- US vs. Belgium Beer Dinner at The Shack (SOLD OUT)
Visit the Sacramento Beer Week website for a full list of fantastic events happening through March 3rd.
Cheers!
Darcey is 3fold’s Creative Director but she also writes a beer blog with her husband: His & Hers Beer Notes. Daniel is a writer, Darcey is a designer. They love sampling craft beers and comparing notes in their own unique ways – he writes, she draws.