Does this happen where you work? Nearly every day of the week, two or more people at Catalyst are dressed alike. No, Ted and Shannon haven’t instituted a uniform policy (what would Catalyst uniforms look like I wonder…), but it is a strange cultural thing here at the agency. And I’m not talking just once in a while. It is nearly every day of the week.

Ted and Jeff will often be wearing the same style AND color of shirt. Jude, Jeff, and Ted will be seen sporting long sleeve, striped shirts all on the same day. One day, Melinda and Christy both looked cute in their nearly identical, v-neck embellished knit tops. Another time six people in the conference room were all wearing blue. Some days it’s plaid shirt day, other days everyone’s wearing black. Go figure.

The all-time most bizarre was when Shannon and Ted showed up on a day when they were heading out of town together for a new business meeting. Shannon wore a light gray skirt and a pale pink sweater (very chic!), and Ted wore a light gray suit with a pink tie. Same shade of gray. Same shade of pink. They looked like they were going to the Business Prom. No doubt they would be crowned king and queen!

I don’t have an explanation for this phenomenon. How could the yellow button up shirt just happen to come up in the rotation on the exact same day for Ted and Jeff? Why do the guys all reach for a striped shirt on the same day? How could Ted and Shannon both wake up and think “gray and pink” for the day?

If I had to say, I would guess that this has something to do with the fact that we work so closely together that we’re starting to rub off on each other. Like when a husband and wife start looking alike, or like people who resemble their dogs.

This has nothing to do with branding, marketing, or business. It’s just a Catalyst thing. See if you notice it next time you visit. (If you haven’t been here it might just be worth the trip!)

(Side note: The day I wrote this article, I walked around wondering if I was wrong, because I saw no one dressed alike. Then someone came around the corner and pointed out that Connie and I were wearing darn near the same sweater. What a relief that was!)

For the past 14 years, Steve Jobs has been at the forefront of Apple’s technological reign. He brought to us the iPod, iPhone, iPad and so much more. But with the recent announcement of Jobs stepping down from his current position due to health reasons, many wonder if Apple will be able to maintain their momentum.

In a recent poll by Twtpoll, the question was posed. “Will Steve Jobs’s resignation hurt Apple?” 40% said that Steve Jobs IS Apple. Is this true? Does Apple’s brand rely solely on one man? If so, then Apple will be in trouble.

Realistically, Apple may be hurt temporarily without Jobs, but it will carry on. But it does bring a caution to many existing brands out there. Don’t rely on a human to be the focus or leader of your brand. Many companies do this and what they fail to remember is that brands can last forever, people don’t. It’s fine for an individual to be a leading spokesperson for your brand, but when they begin to become your brand, then that’s another story. Many companies do it and it’s a risk. Let your brand speak for itself and let your spokesperson highlight the brand. The brand needs to have a life of its own. It needs to live on with or without the spokesperson.

When the iPhone 5 comes out, the truth will be told as to whether or not the Apple brand will suffer. When the iPhone 6 comes out will be when we know that the Apple brand has a life of its own.

5:00 am. Alarm goes off. Vaguely remember something is due today. Momentary panic. Hit snooze and turn over.

5:18 am. Have hit snooze twice. Now the dog is whining. Groan. Turn alarm off and get up. Remember that the promo concept is due today and panic. While standing in the driveway waiting for the dog to potty I develop a hopeful feeling and go inside to get this day going!

5:59 am. Working out. Turning the project over and over in my mind while jogging. Halfway through a 6 minute hula hoop interval forget about the project entirely and wonder if this exercise is working at all.

6:20 am. Attending to ADLs*. Have a really funny idea for the promotion. Say it over and over in my head so as not to forget it. Got it! It’s a lock! This will work!

7:30 am. Driving to the office. What was that idea I had in the shower? What was it!? CRAP! Start thinking about the creative brief, the client objectives, and the timeline. Become convinced we’re not going to make it. Get distracted by the radio.

8:00 am. Arrive at the office. Check email, have breakfast, and start Workamajig. Holy cow what are these new tasks and edits and man this hard boiled egg is delicious.

10:00 am. Finally have time to devote to the project. Start by feeling stupid that I can’t remember the shower concept. Give up trying to remember it and open a file with a blank page.

11:00 am. Looking at some words on the page now. Have used thesaurus.com, rhymezone.com, onelook.com, and wikipedia. Have researched on various industry sites and blogs, then got distracted by an article about color. This coffee is cold.

1:30 pm. Back from lunch. Decide that I can use some of the ideas from before, a couple of them are growing on me, and begin massaging them.

1:50 pm. I now have three or four headlines I like, and hoping they work for Jeff.

3:00 pm. Coffee shop with Jeff talking about the promo. Look at the creative brief again, and talk about my ideas. He likes them. He has some ideas, too. We merge one of his with mine, and go with my headline on a couple. AWESOME. Three solid concepts! Plus we come up with a couple of interesting POS ideas and a funny Facebook tie-in. Success. Plus, this coffee is delicious.

4:15 pm. Typing up what Jeff and I discussed, putting the concepts in the folder so he can grab them and start making Catalyst creative history!

4:18 pm. Momentary panic that the client won’t like the ideas. Remember that I do that and remind myself of the good stuff we’ve done before.

6:00 pm. Home for the day. Remember the idea I had in the shower. Oh crap, it’s better than that one concept we had. Write this one down on a post it note and put it on the back door to take to him in the morning… we still have time to change it…make it better…

Note: This story is presented in a compressed time mode. Meaning, normal turnaround for making Catalyst creative history is two weeks…

*ADLs – Activities of Daily Living. Bathing, dressing, grooming.

Ever dreamed of earning a living by conducting secret missions? Well, here’s your chance! Pull out your iPhone and I’ll walk you through your dream job. Go to the app store and download the Field Agent app. Set up an account and voila – you are an official Field Agent. Now you can browse available assignments in your area and choose those you wish to complete. And the best part is you will actually get paid. Yes, you earn money when you complete a mission.

Companies looking for market info launch the assignments and they need your help. The company may be looking for scoop on a competitor, confirmation that their product is displayed properly, or they may want an agent to try their product and fill out a survey.

The results have been very impressive – not to mention affordable. We are actually conducting a test assignment in 10 retail environments across the country and will share some of the feedback with you. Our mission is to have 10 field agents go into a storefront, take a pic, and fill out a survey – all within about a 48 hour timeframe. No travel on our part, no time-consuming focus groups, and no invoices from a market research firm. And we can manage it all from our desktop. We are anxious for the results and we’ll let you know how it goes!

Our mission at Catalyst is to find smarter ways to do business and deliver value to our clients. Send one of your assignments our way; our agents are up to the challenge!

I grew up watching Star Trek after school and (of course) fell in love with Captain Kirk. But I also had crushes on Scotty, McCoy, Chekov, and even Spock. Plus I totally envied Uhura. She was the chick on the ship who had a job on the bridge with the guys AND got to wear a mini dress with tall boots. Wow. There was something special about each one of them, mostly that they gave a damn.

In every episode (original series, next generation, or movies) the crew had to get it together and come up with some creative solutions to the tough spots they found themselves in. Kinda like working at an agency.

The crew is made up of both illogical humans and logical vulcans. It works best that way.

Actually I think it works best in any work environment. The humans need the vulcans to remind them of the facts. The vulcans need the humans to remind them of the feelings.

Good ideas can come from anyone on the ship.

Even the rookie, Chekov, had his chance to save the day. We try to never forget that everyone here has great ideas every day.

Deadlines are not the real enemy. 

When the scary alien has started the countdown to your destruction, remember this. It’s not the clock’s fault! (This is in no way intended to imply that clients are scary aliens.)

Sometimes you have to beam down to the planet.

Sometimes it helps to get off the ship. You get a different perspective. This is especially true when we are starting on concepts for a new project. Thirty minutes at the coffee shop on the corner can be more productive than two hours staring at a blank computer file.

The best ideas usually come to you when you’re about to be disintegrated.

Nothing gets the creative juices flowing like imminent death. Okay that may be a bit dramatic but in our case it’s true – at Catalyst we can come up with some pretty amazing stuff under pressure.

If you’re on the ship, you’re on the mission.

At Catalyst, we’re all on the same mission, and the mission is to help our clients and their customers/shareholders live long and prosper. If we succeed at that, we ourselves live long and prosper.

Things are happening at warp speed at Catalyst. Give us a call or send us an email if you want to talk about what’s going on in your universe!