Writings from Force 5 Basecamp

07/15/11

As part of my role here at Force 5, I make unsolicited contact with potential clients almost every day.  I do this through a variety of means – letters, phone calls, emails – to let people know about the great things our company can do for them. I realize my activity can be an invasion of a busy person’s privacy, so I always do my best to be courteous, professional, and

07/11/11

I am a red-blooded American gal and I love to find things on sale! Who doesn’t? I have started to wonder, can a retail business have too many sales? I get an e-mail almost everyday from Lands’ End. I love Lands’ End, I think they have a great product. I am so conditioned to buying when there is a sale

07/11/11

I have to share a blog I just ran across, “Are You Willing To Do This One Thing To Be Happier Each Day.” I honestly don’t even know how I found this blog, but I love it. In a nutshell, the article centers about that first thought you have during the day. Mondays are a prime example, if you start

07/07/11

Force 5 remains steadfast in its commitment to be a  “next generation brand development and marketing communications firm.”  Determing what that next generation technology is and how to bring it to clients in an effective and practical way is the real challenge in fullfilling our commitment.  One next generation technology is mobile.  Today, all indicators show that in the foreseeable future, mobile will play a

06/14/11

credit: Rocky Ayrawal Hey, Want a deal? Ok, here it is….I’ll give you $2,500—1/3 now, 1/3 in 30 days, and the final 1/3 in 60. You give my customers $10,000 in retail business from your shop. How does that sound? That’s a Groupon deal. The “daily deal” industry structures their deals so that the retailer must be very careful about

06/09/11

For many of us, the internet is an integral part of our lives. Aside from my personal use to book trips, make online purchases and get directions through MapQuest, my focus is generally how it is used as a tool for businesses. I read about best practices in website building, the latest CMS technology, trends, internet marketing, etc. Recently, I

05/27/11

It’s Memorial Day weekend so I thought I would take a picture of the Flag that flies outside our offices here at Force 5.   There is a lot happening this weekend:  Graduations, cookouts, parties and all kinds of outdoor fun.  The famed Indianapolis 500 will run this weekend too.  For many, Memorial Day marks the beginning of a great Summer. I am

05/26/11

Picture the scene.  I’m driving into town toward the University of Notre Dame campus on my way to our offices at Force 5.  It’s a beautiful morning. The weather’s perfect.  As usual, there is a lot of morning traffic.  I stop at an intersection where there is a wonderful digital billboard.  As I sit in my car sipping my morning

05/12/11

First some background: I am a father to an amazing 2 year old son named Neilan who is in the midst of innocently testing as many boundaries as possible with his mother and I, but still has me belly laughing daily at his antics. He’s a true showman. While I believe raising your children to be entrepreneurs is a great

05/11/11

Look, up in the sky!  Actually, it’s not a bird or a plane – it’s David Morgan, one of our principals here at Force 5.  David is away this week in Metropolis, Illinois, the home of DC Comics hero, Superman. If you’ve ever met David Morgan, it won’t take long for you to figure out that he has developed some pretty amazing super powers:  teacher, video

05/04/11

Have you made restaurant reservations online? Come on, using a landline phone to make restaurant reservations is so 20th Century! These days, more and more consumers expect to engage with restaurants online and through mobile devices. Are you one of them? Restaurant operators who don’t build up their online presence and brand loyalty are missing an opportunity to generate higher

05/03/11

Information – Fast and Furious I recently read an article from the Center for Media Research that had some very interesting statistics on digital consumption. 76.7% read email and respond evenings and weekends 43.2% answer texts or emails on date/social occasion 57.4 % never turn off phone 33.0% check email middle of the night 35.2% answer work emails while with