We work on hundreds of projects every year. Any team member would be hard pressed to name a favorite. So instead we asked some team members to share a project that stood out, one of the more memorable ones over the years. From attention grabbing promo products to website projects, the range of projects is as unique as our team.
A memorable project I worked on recently would be the new Sharetec website. It was a big success in the fact that we were able to include animation with the unique site design. This was my first time working on a site with animation so there were some challenges we faced to get everything working properly. But, by completing this project I stepped out of my comfort zone and realized I can tackle any complex project thrown my way. Read more about this site launch.
My most memorable project at JH was when I was tasked with updating and improving 400+ Google Ads accounts en masse. The challenge of analyzing, identifying, and executing changes to that many accounts gave me a great stretch goal and encouraged me to learn about new tools I had no prior knowledge of. I went down many rabbit holes throughout the process, and at times I felt like a mad scientist when I tried to explain my findings to someone who wasn't neck deep in the weeds. But all in all, it was an enlightening project that allowed me to learn new skills along the way.
I worked on an in-store kiosk project that was more than just developing a website, it was really developing an entire product as a team. We needed a webpage that functioned more like an app and transitioned smoothly from step to step while also integrating audio and video elements. Most of this was tailored to the portrait screen orientation of the kiosk itself but also needed to work on desktop and mobile screens. For the kiosks we had to make sure necessary elements were physically reachable and for the entire experience to be controlled by a touch screen. The kiosks also employed third party software to manage the content and restrict what interactions users could perform. Learning how to configure and distribute the software to individual kiosks as well as optimizing bandwidth on the kiosk cellular connection was challenging but critical to success. Due to circumstances beyond our control (hint: we launched the first week of March 2020), the project saw a very limited release, but who knows it may return some day!
One of the more memorable projects was the design of the website for Camp Watcha Wanna Do, a summer camp for kids with cancer. Given what these kids are battling, I wanted the site to feel as special as the camp itself. I tried to include as many fun details as possible to make it feel like the kind of Midwestern summer camp John Hughes or Jean Sheppard might feature in their movies and books. The client, and our platform, gave me plenty of leverage to get creative, and I think the final design succeeds in getting donors and campers excited for camp!
From time to time, we get an opportunity to really stretch our creativity and provide an out of the box solution for a client. Several years back we took on a prospecting project to help the marketing and sales department for a large insurance company. The campaign challenge was to help the sales rep get past the ‘gatekeeper’ to the decision maker to gain an introductory 10 minute phone call. The campaign included a multiple touchpoint mailer approach, matching a creative promotional product with a core value proposition, using a sort of ‘tongue-in-cheek’ messaging to stand out. What made the project memorable was the final mailer. This package included a pre-paid cell phone, charged and ready. The messaging was fun and light hearted with a, ‘Do you feel like James Bond yet?’ final note with directions to when the sales rep would call this phone with the hope that they’ve earned the right to a 10 min introductory call. This campaign had a significant success rate and surpassed it goals; however, we’ll never forget the challenges that came with charging, testing and coordinating over 600 pre-paid cell phones!
As a project manager I am often looking for ways to present new ideas and products to our clients in a fun and creative way. I recently led a project for our self-promo client outreach program. I wanted to take a practical, everyday use item and show how fully customizable it can be. I landed on a journal. Throughout this project there were a lot of custom elements I was able to own, from the cover material, page type, add on accessories, the incorporation of an NFC tag that links to our newly designed promo products website, to the final packaging. I was also able to collaborate cross-departmental with the design teams to utilize their expertise in the cover design and tip-in page info. At the end of the day my goal was to not only provide our clients with a unique item, but to start a conversation on how we can create a unique experience for their next project.
Metz Culinary makes it a priority each year to educate and encourage their Partners to join in their efforts for Environmental Sustainability. We are thrilled to have played a small part in their Earth Day initiatives since 2017! The promotional world has seen a huge jump in Going Green initiatives and has allowed us to offer more variety each year. This year’s selected products were a couple of our popular Grow Products: Seeded Paper Confetti & Wooden Cube Blossom Kits (Money Tree Seeds). These items are custom decorated and split ship across the country for all partners, big and small, to share in making people more environmental aware!
The running themes throughout these projects are ones where team members were challenged to do something they'd never done or were able to use their creativity to solve a problem. At the end of the end of the day, our goal is to have a positive impact on someone's day.
