Meet Eric Zeigler

Aug 3, ’10 10:45 AM

Groove 11 is mounting a salon series called What Matters Now, with an Opening Reception on August 18 at 6 p.m. in our San Rafael office. What Matters Now is an exploration of ideas that inspire thinking in new directions, and touches on a wide variety of issues from the environment to human rights, community to healthcare, among others. The series is also a chance to support dialog amongst artists, business, and the larger creative community.

Seven artists are participating in our first show. We spoke with each one about their work. Our second interview is with Eric Zeigler.

The theme of the show is What Matters Now. In what way did that strike a chord with you?

I tend to make my better pictures when I am photographing things that matter deeply to me, and photography is a medium that is bound to time, and I thought after reading the title that it was a perfect way of describing the importance my photographs have for me.

What interests you as an artist?

I am interested in documenting a state of feeling through photography. When I work, I try to translate, as clearly as possible, the sensations and emotions that are captivating me when I walk through the world, which is my working method.

What inspires you?

I am inspired mostly by music and photography that has unnamable qualities.  There are no specific artists that do this necessarily; it is more of a qualification for pulling my interest. The intrigue of not knowing exactly why something is fantastic, even after having the skills to understand it, keeps me photographing, because I know there is always possibility out there.

What new projects are you working on now?

I’m toying with pictures that deal with loss, time, and change right now.  It’s a murky explanation I know, but I like to keep it that way.

Is your work currently on exhibit anywhere else?

Joyce Gordon Gallery in Oakland has two of my pieces on display.

What upcoming shows do you have?

I will have work in a landscapes show at Rayko Photo Center in San Francisco in November.

For more information on Eric, and to see more of his work, visit his website.

And come to Groove 11 on August 18 for the Opening Reception for What Matters Now.

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What Matters Now installation

Aug 3, ’10 10:35 AM

A few days ago, the Groovers strapped on our tool belts, brought out the ladder and the level, and hung all the fantastic art work that has been arriving in our offices over the past few weeks. We could hardly believe it, but it was already time to install the premiere show of What Matters Now. A couple of the artists stopped by to help out, so it didn’t take us nearly as long as we thought it might. The only challenge we really had was not disturbing Sean with all our hammering, because he was on a client call for most of the installation. Guess that’s a good enough excuse to get out of hanging.

Here are a few snapshots of our motley crew hard at work. The art has already transformed our office, and judging from everyone’s reaction to it I’m afraid the only way our artists will be getting their work back is by prying it from our cold, dead fingers. Only two weeks til the show!

Rick hangs a photograph from Eric Zeigler.

Photographer Michael ten Pas hangs his work.

Rainey and Chris work with a sculpture from Manon Wada.

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Meet Kira Elischer, photographer in What Matters Now

Jul 26, ’10 1:41 PM

Groove 11 is mounting a salon series called What Matters Now, with an Opening Reception on August 18 at 6 p.m. in our San Rafael office. What Matters Now is an exploration of ideas that inspire thinking in new directions, and touches on a wide variety of issues from the environment to human rights, community to healthcare, among others. The series is also a chance to support dialog amongst artists, business, and the larger creative community.

Seven local artists are participating in our first show,. We spoke with each one about their work. Our first interview is with Kira Elischer.

The theme of the show is What Matters Now. In what way did that strike a chord with you?

The condition of our current political, economical and ecological status in America is more distracting and upsetting than ever. People today are so overwhelmed we forget what core values are, how to live healthy and happy lives amongst our current struggle. I think what matters now is prioritizing our families, our beliefs, and living sustainably with the earth. This I have observed in the Caribbean culture on an intimate level.

What interests you as an artist?

As a photographer my area of interest lies in Caribbean culture, architecture, landscape and botanicals.

What inspires you?

I am fascinated with bright colors, dynamic compositions, and deteriorating, weathered structures interacting with wild nature such as plants and the elements of weather. I am also inspired by the people I meet on my journeys, their family and way of life.

What new projects are you working on now?

I just relocated to the Monterey Peninsula and am hoping to become more involved with the agricultural community, specifically sustainable organic farmers. I would like to start photojournaling the practices of sustainable organic verses non-organic farming, and the long-term effects on the land. I am also going to volunteer with an organization called Green for All, based out of Oakland, which is doing outreach education to Monterey County high schools, documentation, education photography and such.

Is your work currently on exhibit anywhere else?

I just took down two shows in Oakland and after the move is settled I hope to do some shows in Monterey.

For more information on Kira, and to see more of her work, visit her website.

And come to Groove 11 on August 18 for the Opening Reception for What Matters Now.

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Value-Driven Culture: How to activate your culture and ignite your brand

Jul 23, ’10 3:14 PM

This is the second in a series of blogs about creating and empowering a value-driven brand. To see the first blog in the series, go here.

One of the key decision points for Groove in designing our Values process was to invite participation from all employees and even key partners. Our research revealed that more often than not upper management would typically identify the organizational values and then introduce and sell them across the organization via an internal campaign or change management effort.
So why did we buck the trend?

First, we are all small business. From a practical standpoint our entire organization (about 40 people) could participate in the entire process without any real roadblocks.

Second, we leaned on one of our pillar mantras: “right answer” plus “buy in” equals results. In other words if the majority of our organization was not participating in the process it was likely we a) may have not identified those values that the majority believed to be true (right answer) and b) had they not participated in the process their likely would have been less “buy in” simply because they did not participate.

Third, and most important is this: values are not aspirational in nature. They are not goals. They are already engrained in our day-to-day behavior. Since our organization is comprised of 40 individuals it makes sense that each and every part be listened to and observed to get a full understanding of the whole. The idea is not that we would be doing a makeover of the organization by defining new aspirational values; but rather, that we would be revealing and identifying those values which we already shared.

To do this we framed the program in the following way:

“This off-site is the beginning of a process to explore and articulate our values; the values we want to hold up as we ignite Groove 11 for the future. Put another way, these values will articulate our beliefs and commitments around what is worthy, important and desirable to show up in our work lives. This includes the actual work we do, our attitudes as we do it, and the guiding principles (individually and agency-wide) that inform it all. By defining these, we can ensure our brand is alive. We call this inside-out branding, and as something we preach to clients every day it’s critical we put it into practice ourselves.

Once values are set and understood, we’ll have a framework for driving outcomes at Groove so that we can:
• Be a great brand-driven organization, able to scale and live our Vision
• Create a guide for actions and a filter for decision-making
• Make “agreements” within the agency that will align and connect us
• Attract great A-list talent
• Enhance our ability to “walk the talk” and obtain a competitive advantage”

Next we sent out a survey requesting that people organize a pre-defined set of values into the following five categories: “Always Value,” “Often Value,” “Sometimes Value,” “Seldom Value,” and “Least Value.” Each person did this exercise through two lenses. First, through the personal lens. Second through the agency lens, specifically framed this way: What values must the agency live in order to truly express its brand promise. Finally, every person was asked to identify a top 3 set of personal values and a top 3 set of agency values.

So before stepping into the off-site the pre-work had introduced the connection between personal values and agency values, defined the goal of the initiative and given us the data that would be the launching point for the exercises at the off-site. With the stage set and this information in hand we were able to put finishing touches on the off-site design, which I will share in the next blog.

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Now this is a class I can get into

Jul 21, ’10 6:12 PM

Recently, Groove’s AD in New York, Sally Camm, was in our San Rafael office for business. Being a former sommelier, Sally never likes to miss an opportunity to share her wine knowledge. So she conducted a tasting in the conference room. The chosen vintage, Red Zinfandel [is there any other kind?] — very appropriate considering our ongoing work with Rosenblum Cellars in Alameda.

We had to taste four different zins. Somehow, we got through it. Along the way, Sally taught us about the history of zinfandel, how it ended up in California, what makes it a uniquely interesting wine, its flavor profile, and Rosenblum’s huge role in saving this incredible varietal.

Just another tough day in the Groove offices. Thank you, Sally, for imparting some of your impressive knowledge and for not being stingy on the pours.

Every time she says "zin," take a sip.

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The State of Flash and HTML5

Jun 29, ’10 12:37 PM

Flashlogo122The Flash plugin is nearly ubiquitous on desktop personal computers. While installation stats are not easy to come by, it is estimated that between 90 and 97% of browsers have the latest version installed (v10 at the time of this writing). [1,2] When the previous – and very capable – version of the Flash Player (v9) is considered, the percentage of browser penetration gets closer to 99%.

If you’ve been reading technology news lately, however, you’ve probably noticed more frequent discussions about how Flash will soon die, or that it’s at least not looking as hearty as it once did. Most of this discussion centers around Apple’s refusal to allow the Flash plugin or apps created using the Flash IDE on the iPhone, iPod Touch and, more recently, the iPad. Over 85 million iPhones and Touches have been sold [3] and none of them can play applications created in Flash, nor can they play videos in the very popular Flash Video (FLV) format.

So is Flash a dead technology, or is the threat posed by Apple not as dire as it may seem?

I think the answer tends toward the latter of those two options. As mentioned above, nearly all desktop and laptop computers can play Flash applications and Flash videos. By one estimate, the number of Internet users worldwide is approaching 2 billion. [4] Using conservative numbers, assuming 1 billion desktop and laptop users, if all 85 million iPhones and Touches were online they wouldn’t comprise 1% of Internet users. Granted these numbers are rather fuzzy, but it still holds that Apple mobile device users make up a small percentage of all Internet users.

Moreover, Apple mobile devices are the *only* devices that plan to exclude Flash like this for the foreseeable future. Windows and Linux machines, non-Apple smartphones, and even Apple desktops and laptops continue to play Flash content without difficulty (or will in the near future [5]).

The Apple user base is a vocal minority and they’re technology trendsetters. Apple’s defensive stand toward Flash has some content providers, developers, and agencies (including Groove 11) considering the alternatives [6,7].

For most non-video content, however, the issue is not simply Flash vs. an alternative. Most Flash animations and interfaces would not work on the small form factor of *any* smart phone, not just the iPhone. Disregarding the iPad for a moment, the real issue then is small form vs. large form content. For the most part, "small form" = mobile devices (smartphones, Touches, etc) and "large form" = desktop devices (desktop computers, laptop computers). Content needs to be structured so it works on mobile devices and desktop devices. Typically this will just mean separate CSS for the mobile version of a Web site and alternative content (a static image, JS/HTML/HTML5 animation, or simply text) to replace any Flash.

If a Web site is built entirely in Flash or perhaps has a tool built in Flash, it will probably need to be re-imagined without Flash in a more compact layout for small form devices. This will mean time and money to create a second interface.

So was your investment in a Flash-heavy site or tool wasted if it needs to be recreated for mobile devices? Ask the question another way: If the mobile devices you are considering could play your Flash application right now, would you want them to? Some applications are simply built to be experienced on a bigger screen. Conversely, if you had accounted for small devices from Day One, you wouldn’t have tried to build one application that works on mobile and desktop devices, you would have built two separate interfaces for the application.

If you’ve a) built a site with a lot of Flash and it doesn’t currently work on an iPhone, and b) determined that it’s worthwhile for your site to be tailored to the portion of your audience that owns an iPhone (certainly not automatically true), you’ll need to build a second interface. If you had planned for the iPhone from the outset, you would have done this work earlier, so you can simply look at it as a task that’s been deferred until now.

[1]: http://www.riastats.com/
[2]: http://www.adobe.com/ … /flashplayer/version_penetration.html
[3]: http://metrics.admob.com/2010/05/april-2010-mobile-metrics-report/
[4]: http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
[5]: http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/30/adobe-cto-says-flash-10-1-for-android-in-june-will-froyo-foll/
[6]: http://youtube-global.blogspot.com/2010/01/introducing-youtube-html5-supported.html
[7]: http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/news/?newsID=3222690

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Subscribe to our new blog!

Jun 25, ’10 3:49 PM

Now that we’ve moved our blog to WordPress, be sure to subscribe to the new feed so you don’t miss anything.

Just click here. It only takes a second.

Thanks for getting into it with Groove 11.

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Value-Driven Culture: How to activate your culture and ignite your brand

Jun 2, ’10 8:47 AM

First in a series describing how Groove defined its values and put them into practice.

Coming into 2010, the Groove leadership team made a decision to focus our annual strategic off-site around values. It made sense because we had recently completed a brand refresh, which gave us more clarity than ever around our brand identity and the direction of the business. We are very excited about our positioning statement:

Groove 11 is a brand experience agency with an unshakable belief in the power of meaningful, sustainable brand relationships. To develop these, we architect conversations that create unforgettable emotional experiences, inspiring audiences to feel, learn, do, or be. As trusted partners, we offer intelligent brand and cultural strategy, strong creative, a nurturing style, and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. We use these to design, execute, and cultivate relationships, ensuring that the essence, promise, and personality of the brand has real meaning and, through it, enormous business value.

As you can see, we are in the relationship business with a strong focus on people. Of course, I consider our people to be the most important assets of the agency. It is people who deliver the client experience and the work product; people who deliver our brand promise. And as we know from the brand work Groove does via our Brand Essentials™ practice, the clarity around our essence and core identity needs to translate from the written word to our day-to day-behavior.

This is where the strategic off-site focused on values comes in. In keeping with our Aaker-driven brand philosophy, we started with his definition of values: “Values are principles of beliefs that guide the organization’s work and staff’s behavior toward stakeholders to ensure that the brand is lived – to determine how we act. Values are the foundation for a way of being.”

From here, we immersed ourselves in the question of what principles and beliefs were in place at Groove 11. And, how does the current value set support the essence, mission and vision of our agency? We did this through an exercise in advance of our off-site in which everyone in the company identified two sets of values: First, those that guide behavior outside the office, and second, those the agency needed to live day-to-day in order to “be the brand.”

The thinking behind this approach comes from Ken Majer, a foremost authority on value-based leadership, who says, “You are the same person at home, at work, and at play. You take you—and your values—with you wherever you go.” Another of his pillars is: “The secret to building a winning team is helping team members discover their own set of values and helping them to act on them.”

Combined, these played a significant role in how we viewed – and view – the importance of understanding and valuing the individual, while designing a set of shared values for the organization. In other words, we made a conscious effort to tap into the personal as it can directly apply to, and be in support of, the brand identity work. With the brand already established, the art moving forward was in bubbling up and tying into the juice of each and every employee – their personal values that are the fabric of the organization’s values.

In the next blog I’ll be writing about the specifics of the methodology in gathering values data in advance of our off-site.

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Groove Move

May 26, ’10 10:16 PM
youarehere 747270

Welcome to GrooveLab’s new home!

Everyone at our brand experience agency thinks you’ll find this a user-friendlier place to Get into it with us. Even Robin, who usually doesn’t weigh in on these kinds of things. Ok Robin, you can get off our backs, now.

Enjoy, and let us hear from you!

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What Happened to Originality?

May 19, ’10 11:43 PM

Amazon started selling the Kindle a few years ago and made a few videos to show its features. This is the opening screen.

Amazon

Today I saw a TV spot for a new e-reader on the market, Barnes & Noble’s nook. Here’s a still from their spot:

Nook

Now, if you were introducing a new product that was very much like an established one, and wanted to tell people why yours was better, or different, why in the world would you do this? Wouldn’t you want every one of your very expensive 30 seconds to showcase your product in an original light?   sigh…

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