The results are in: Stern + Associates has been named one of the Best Places to Work in New Jersey, an award program that identifies and honors the top places of employment that benefit the state’s economy, workforce and businesses. The Stern team was recognized for excellence in business and employee satisfaction.

“It’s an honor to have our agency acknowledged by this award program by NJBIZ magazine; it’s a testament to the core values that have been the lifeblood of our organization since I founded it 27 years ago,” said Susan Stern, president of Stern + Associates. “In my heart, Stern + Associates has always been the best, and this recognition confirms what I’ve known all along.”

Companies from around the state entered the extensive process to determine the 100 Best Places to Work in New Jersey. The evaluation focused on each company’s workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems and demographics as well as employee experience. Stern team members were more than willing to speak about their positive experiences.

Stern continued, “I was flattered to see employee comments that mirrored my vision to create not just a company but a family. We’ve developed an inclusive culture to foster creativity and growth by treating our employees with genuine respect and providing a forum for true collaboration.”

Created in 2005, the award program is produced by NJBIZ magazine in partnership with Garden State Council Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), The New Jersey State Chamber, Employers Association of New Jersey, and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. Sponsors for the program and event include Gibbons, P.C. and Novo Nordisk.

Stern will be highlighted during an awards dinner and ceremony at The Hilton East Brunswick on April 25^th.

Spring has sprung our creative juices. To celebrate the season of renewal, we offer fresh definitions (and designs) of what creativity means to some of us.

Ashley G. - Creativity is the moment you take away the boundaries that limit your thinking and begin asking “What if?”

Jen E. - Creativity = finding a new way around, under, over or through the obstacles ahead to a solution or product.

Kristen K. - Creativity: being grown-up enough to think like a child.

Hillary B. - Developing an idea unlike others – and acting on it.

Amanda C. - Creativity goes against the norm and applies a new way of thinking.

Ryan B. - Creativity is producing an idea, concept, product, etc. that will create excitement for both the creator and audience, and inspire action for both parties.

Kerry M. - Creativity: When the marble stone of our imagination meets the chisel and hammer of reason.

Jim N. - I define creativity as an elegant and efficient solution to a problem or path to achieving a goal. Being novel, artsy or buzzworthy is a side-effect of an elegant and efficient solution to a problem, not the root solution.

Tara B. 

Stephanie H. - Creativity: The ability to take an ordinary idea or concept and turn it into something extraordinary. The result is presented in an unexpected, yet clear manner. It makes one think: how come I didn’t come up with that myself?

Pete K. - Creativity is something one can strive for everyday, regardless of the activity. In essence it is the seemingly impossible feat to create an idea or thought that has never been…well thought of before.

Ned W. - Creativity is first and foremost about being open to trying new things…and then trying them.

Emily D. - The use of past and current experiences to develop new approaches for solving challenges.

Brandon H. - Creativity is the ability to look at an object and not realize its true purpose until you’ve already developed 20 others.

Nicole G. - Creativity is the courage to actively challenge assumptions and the freedom to conceive new paths and means.

Ben L. - Creativity is the taking of knowledge, emotions and experiences and combining them with traditional ideas, rules and trends resulting in the creation of new and original ideas, possibilities and opportunities that are in some way valuable.

Jamie M. - Creativity is the practice of expanding your thinking outside its normal realm to incorporate the unusual or different.

Adria T. - Creativity means stepping out of one’s comfort zone, forgetting about “consequences,” throwing out the tried and true and putting a new lens on the task at hand.

Kara E. - No one is more creative than a one year old.

Fiat. Datsun. Pinto. Gremlin. Pacer.

Much to the chagrin of many, and perhaps – yes – to the delight of some, “they’re baaaack,” as the little girl says of certain unwelcome house guests (i.e., evil spirits) in the 1982 movie Poltergeist.

Image via Flickr user haagsuitburo

Most of these cars haven’t been seen on the road in the 30 years since Poltergeist was on the big screen. The main reasons? Poor design and poor performance. But one of these brands, Fiat, has already been resurrected (with some splashy commercials featuring fun-loving Charlie Sheen and a standout Super Bowl ad this year to boot). And with Nissan recently announcing the return of the Datsun brand, one more is on the way. Is the Pinto next? The Pacer or the Yugo perhaps? (Seriously, let’s hope not.)

For me, the car industry is becoming something like the movie industry: too often remaking old films – some that were great during their time; some best left to history’s scrap pile. Why? Because new ideas are too risky or just completely absent? From an outsider’s perspective, it seems like it must be one or the other or both.

But car companies have reinvented or brought back once-retired models with success: VW’s Beetle, Ford’s Mustang and more recently the Shelby Cobra brand.

With Hollywood though, remakes can be colossal flops – think Mark Wahlberg’s version of Planet of the Apes, an unforgiveable travesty in my opinion. But other remakes have had their own charm and success – think Tim Burton’s version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. (Burton also directed the unwatchable Planet of the Apes remake, but I’ll begrudgingly give him a pass.)

While there is nothing wrong with nostalgia, I have some concern about the dearth of new ideas coming out of Detroit and Hollywood. It’s time these two iconic destinations start generating some new, well, icons. And it’s high time to stop counting on the assumed short term memory failure of consumers and recognize that not all brands need to come back from the grave. Marketers must keep in mind: Consumers remember what was great and we remember – perhaps even more vividly so – what was not.

You can find inspiration well beyond Academy Award-winning films. Case in point: The New York Times obituary for low-budget auteur Ray Dennis Steckler refers to the director’s 1964 film The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies!!? as a cinematic tour de force, but adds “if the movie looks good — and almost everyone says it does — it owes much to those who shot it.” The director of photography was Joseph V. Mascelli, who was assisted by two young Hungarian émigrés.

Incredibly Strange Creatures… is perhaps the most popular film Mascelli would ever photograph, but he is best known for his 1965 book “The Five C’s of Cinematography” (the five C’s refer to camera angles, continuity, cutting, close-ups and composition). Despite being written nearly 50 years ago, Mascelli’s book is still an invaluable tool for beginning cinematographers, not to mention anyone creating a corporate video.

As Cecile B. DeMille’s former director of photography Arthur C. Miller writes in the book’s introduction, “While production of motion pictures has changed considerably since I photographed The Perils of Pauline in 1914, some aspects – particularly those involving story telling – are still the same as they were half a century ago.”

As a corporate videographer, I find Mascelli’s book invaluable because he writes with the experience of a cinematographer who filmed both theatrical and non-theatrical films. Here are several tips from Mascelli’s chapter on composition that I find very relevant in the corporate video world:

Composition is defined by Mascelli as the “arrangement of pictorial elements to form a unified, harmonious whole.” In other words, composition refers to the elements a videographer selects to put in the frame and how they are arranged in order to elicit a certain response from an audience, and that should be completed before lighting the set, plotting movement or choosing a camera angle.

Visual Balance concerns “psychological weight,” which is influenced by eye attraction. Balance is most important in static scenes, which comprise many corporate videos. The center of the frame is compositionally the weakest area to put your subject, so placing a person or an element to one side creates an unbalanced frame and is visually more interesting. When both sides of a frame are symmetrical, formal balance results and a sense of peace and equality is conveyed. When both sides of a frame are asymmetrical, informal balance results: This is more dynamic “because it presents a forceful arrangement of opposing” elements.

Center of Interest is the dominant compositional element within a frame. In corporate videos, the center of interest will likely be a person. He or she should be positioned in the dominant portion of the frame by dividing the frame into thirds both vertically and horizontally. All four points where the lines cross are compositionally strong and every frame should feature just one center of interest or several figures which may be merged into a unified grouping.

Eye Scan refers to how a viewer’s eyes search for meaning within a frame and from one frame to another. If you are shooting a dialogue scene in matched pairs of close-ups, keep all subjects’ eyes level with each other from one frame to another.

Backgrounds, whenever possible, should be used to contribute and enhance a story’s “activity, authenticity or realism.” Before settling on a background ask yourself “could this scene be filmed anywhere?” If the answer is yes, look for a new background that is specific to setting and story. The player should be positioned so that there is a distinct separation between foreground and background, especially with close-ups, where the player’s head should stand out from the background. Separation can be easily achieved in corporate videos through lighting, using contrasting tones and selective focusing.

Compose “In Depth” in order to build a three-dimensional illusion. The easiest way to achieve depth in corporate videos is to show people, products and facilities at an angle, so they don’t appear flat. Enhance this technique with an “angle-plus-angle” shot, in which the camera is angled in relation to the subject and tilted either upward or downward.

Mascelli is the first to point out that rules were made to be broken. Furthermore, he writes “of all rules by which motion pictures are made, compositional principles are the most pliable.” Nevertheless, the above factors, used in both zombie musicals and Oscar-winning films, can help insure aesthetically pleasing composition in your next corporate video.

But 75 percent of us happily work for someone else. So, what about “intrapreneurship” – taking intelligent risk within existing companies, and its role in long-term economic success? What about training, encouraging and empowering bright, talented people to not be afraid to fail? After all, what is a better incubator for entrepreneurship than an organization that is already staffed, funded and successful?

Image via Flickr user Tambako

The problem is perception. When the goal is to help someone else’s company succeed, risk is often perceived as something to avoid, something to be managed and hedged. Some worry about being judged by others, failing, or having ideas taken without proper credit. In smart organizations, these worries are perceived as opposed to real. Taking risks is not only necessary for business success; it is a hallmark of personal and professional success. After all, someone, somewhere took a risk when they started the company you’re currently working at. Consider what will happen if you decide to become an intrapreneur:

• Opportunities to learn and grow
• Opportunities to earn more
• Better morale and happiness in your work
• Satisfaction that comes with achieving something new
• Greater respect from your co-workers

How do you become an intrapreneur? Start by simply going off road. Don’t think you’re on the right road just because it’s a well-beaten path. Question assumptions and the status quo. The world moves fast, so what worked yesterday may not work today. Here are four ways to make sure you’re not left behind.

1)      STRETCH YOURSELF

Just like you exercise your body, exercise your professional performance by stretching and targeting new areas to hone. Stretching means going out on a limb, speaking up and joining in – not just about what is in your core job responsibilities – but in any area where you can add value or have interest. You’ll know your stretching yourself when there is an element of a new project that makes you slightly uncomfortable. Use that energy to learn and succeed.

Image via Flickr user Caveman_92223

2)      NURTURE YOUR DREAMS

Think about what fulfills you and push the envelope to “advance” in those ways – whether your goal is a personal achievement, mentoring a coworker, advancing your company’s image, doing something better for the world or pursuing a specific business growth goal. Imagine anything is possible. Never assume that you can’t tackle a role or task because it’s not in your job definition. It’s difficult for your bosses to see you in a new position if you never dare tackle something outside of your prescribed role. Ask to take on new things. Seek out new challenges.

3)      EMULATE!

Consider the leaders and role models who impress you most. Take a close look at the person you want to be. Does he offer ideas on how to improve things or solve challenges? Does he embrace change as an opportunity to learn and explore, to grow and develop? Is he enthusiastic, optimistic and willing to strike out into new territory? I bet he is all of that and more.

4)      LIGHTEN UP ON YOURSELF

Now, this may be the hardest part: Expect and accept that you’ll make mistakes. Mistakes are not only okay – they are necessary if you really want to challenge the limits. Nothing worthwhile is gained without risk and a bit of failure. The important thing is to decide what you want and go after it. (Note that confidence and assertiveness should not be confused with arrogance.)

One way to overcome this is the failure game. The aim of the failure game is to purposely get rejected at least once a day. Soon you’ll find that the fear of rejection melts away pretty quickly. Also, in playing the game, you may be pleasantly surprised at how often you won’t be rejected.

If you have any doubt or hesitancy about speaking up or stepping up – ask yourself: what is the worst that can happen? Chances are the worst is not that bad, but the best is well worth the gamble.

So be not afraid, future intrapreneurs. Go forth and innovate!

It’s quite a double-edged sword. The traffic that sites like Pinterest, Facebook and YouTube can provide is very valuable for exposure. However, the user-friendliness of the site makes sharing copyrighted material too easy. Attributions can get lost among all the shares and re-shares, which leave many rights-holders out of the loop. Pinterest, like all other popular sharing sites, has attempted to regulate this. However, the sheer scale that makes sites like Pinterest popular is too great for any organization to handle.

Read more: http://www.forbes.com/sites/jimnichols/2012/03/12/a-new-media-headache-pinterest/

Unfortunately, a marketing nightmare is far more probable than a fire at the office. If we spend so much time training, organizing, and preparing for a fire, then why don’t we do the same for our company’s crisis response? A credibility challenge can be just as damaging to your company’s advertising or marketing materials as a real fire would be to your office.

Many corporations believe they have a plan in place. You may have a comprehensive, well-written crisis manual detailing the response of every possible scenario, but when was the last time you read it? More important, does everyone know where it is and how to implement it? Do you have a process for assessing how a crisis could impact your marketing? Do you need to pull ads off of the air? Do you need to create new marketing copy that will address the issue? Does the legal department know that its input on a specific scenario is time-sensitive?

Read more: http://www.cmo.com/planning/why-cmos-should-pull-communications-fire-drill

Matthew Broderick playing himself in a grown-up version of his celebrated role of Ferris Bueller to promote the 2012 Honda CR-V. (Honda Motor Co.)

Prior to the recent Giants/ Patriots showdown, a Super Bowl ad for the Honda CRV featuring Matthew Broderick reprising his role as Ferris Bueller appeared online. It quickly spread, and was praised from several sources, including the Los Angeles Times and Adweek. While I enjoyed watching the ad, and agree that it is worth watching a time or two, I was still somewhat disappointed that I was watching the ad for the first time hunched over my desk at work instead of watching with friends as we passed around the French onion dip.

However, as I continued with my scientific YouTube research, I soon found that Honda was not alone in trying to get a jump start on the competition in their Super Bowl commercials. I quickly found an H&M ad featuring a shirtless David Beckham making the rounds, and soon viewed teasers (image that: a teaser for a commercial; what will they come up with next?) from companies like Volkswagen and Priceline. I was also surprised with a friendly invitation from the Coca-Cola polar bears to join their Super Bowl party. (I had to politely decline as I already had plans.)

As we all know, the Super Bowl is the largest captive audience every year, as more than 111 million viewers watched last year’s game. Along with such large audience numbers comes coveted, and expensive, television airtime – this year translating into an astronomical price of $3.5 million for a 30 second spot.

With such a large investment being made, companies are going the extra mile to ensure that as much attention as possible is being placed on their ad. The current trend is for companies to post the commercial online. So far, the strategy seems to be working, as the Ferris Bueller ad had more than 13 million YouTube views by the time the game kicked off, while Volkswagen’s teaser of fat dogs barking the Star Wars theme song has more than 15 million views as of press time.

Posting commercials online also ensures that viewers watch the ads and aren’t distracted by trips to the food table or side-conversations focusing on M.I.A. and her now infamous middle finger. For example, Volkswagen’s commercial from last year, “The Force,” and personally my favorite ad of all-time, has more than 50 million views on YouTube. This means that the video was navigated to, and viewed on purpose, more than 50 million times. This is easily far more views than the number of Super Bowl viewers who saw the same ad during the game last year and actually paid attention. Additionally, Volkswagen didn’t have to pay a penny to put the commercial online.

Right now, the value of having a commercial run during the Super Bowl is still beneficial for a company thanks to the free media attention and television-viewer hype. However, I do fear that the social media excitement could soon reverse this and make Super Bowl ads far less significant. Consider this: if Matthew Broderick, Ferris Bueller and Honda can make a social media campaign that stands on its own a full week before the Super Bowl, wouldn’t that appear to devalue the importance of having a Super Bowl ad? I mean honestly, since the ad came out before the Super Bowl, I argue that the commercial is not a Super Bowl ad, but is rather a YouTube ad.

With companies dropping millions of dollars for a couple of seconds of airtime, it is only a matter of time before advertisers realize that the Internet can yield just as big an audience as a football game while costing next to nothing. When this happens, the era of the commercials being the most anticipated aspect of the Super Bowl will sadly come to an end.

ILRF’s campaign against Hershey’s isn’t a secret; it started rallying supporters for its cause this time last year. Yet, even when it recently released its plan to air the ad to Super Bowl XLVI’s 250,000 attendees, Hershey’s took its sweet time addressing its starring role. And frankly, it was too little too late when it announced it will make its first commitment to sourcing independently certified cocoa for its Bliss line by the end of 2012 months after ILRF attempted to prompt this very reaction. I’m left wondering: “Did Hershey’s have a preparedness plan?”

In a world so hyperconnected, and where advocacy organizations are finding new and creative ways (e.g. brand-jamming videos) to expose corporate wrong doers, companies like Hershey’s need to be ready for 15 minutes of fame that might not be so fabulous. It also reinforces the absolute need for companies, whether they are in the chocolate or medical device business, to be prepared for controversy.

Enter the critical importance of a crisis communications plan. As customers of all industries evolve and care not only about a product’s price, but where it is made, who is making it and more, it is necessary for companies to ensure ethical business practices, transparency about steps taken to right any wrongs, and ensure a plan is in place for swiftly responding to potential crises.

Even without identifying the exact crisis scenario, companies should have a plan that addresses:

• Steps to assess an array of situations
• Forming the most effective team (and how to get them on board ahead of the crisis)
• A process to gather and document facts
• Identifying the best spokesperson(s) for each possible scenario
• Draft communications materials and a distribution plan
• The media training process
• Resources for monitoring and assessing news
• A format for a post-mortem evaluation and documentation