LaughlinOutLoud

An AdAge post, by agency head Bart Cleveland, got my attention as soon as I read the title: Millennials Have Gotten a Bad Rap in Our Industry. Most likely because it was focused on the generation I fit within. And even more likely because it addressed something I feel many people think, but rarely talk about (in front of me anyways, because I’m… dun dun dun… ONE OF THEM!).

Every generation is put into a stereotype, some they are happy to be a part of… and some they work their life to distance themselves from. I could go into talking about each of the generational stereotypes… but let’s be honest, I’m a Millennial, and to fit that selfish stereotype, I’d like to keep the focus of this post on, well, my own generation.

Despite the ominous title, it turns out Cleveland’s post was about sticking up for his Millennial associates, and bashing all the popular, negative stereotypes… But I am going to have to disagree with his debunk of some major Millennial myths… as I see them as truths.

1. Millennials don’t like the word “no” – We don’t! (But really, who does…) And I think this is a good thing; it comes as a part of a belief that anything is possible. Look at the library of apps we have access to on our smart phones. We can speak French without ever taking a class. We can find our way in a city we’ve never been to without asking for directions. If someone tells us “no”, we take that as a challenge, not a defeat.
2. We have no respect for authority – Ok, now I won’t say we don’t have respect for authority. We do. But as a generation that has had the world at our fingertips – access to every piece of information and knowledge we could ever want with just a click of a button – we don’t rely on authority as much as our previous generations did. We ask fewer questions, we rely on their knowledge less, and we feel that anything they know that we don’t, we can figure out on our own. I blame this on Google. They feed us the false promise they can provide us with all of the knowledge we could ever need and answers to any question we can come up with.
3. We expect a lot without doing a lot – Also known as the… Get-Rich-Quick Syndrome. There is a lot of pressure on us to have THE next million dollar idea. We’ve seen that it’s possible. If you drop out of college, and spend half as much time as you do in a cubicle on thinking up crazy ideas, you could be the next big thing, and happily retired at the ripe age of 28.

As Millennials, we are blessed to grow up in a world that has ultimately forced us into a corner of seemingly negative stereotypes. Like all generations, we are doomed to face them, and like all generations we will likely be criticizing the ones following us as well (I’m eager to know for what…). Stereotypes aside, the point of Cleveland’s post is that “hardworking young people are an asset to your agency”.  And that is the biggest truth in all of this. Our unique generation brings something different to the table that I am proud to be a part of.

Laughlin Constable Naughty or Nice Holiday Card

Have you been nice this year? Take our Holiday Naughty or Nice quiz and have your list checked twice.  Every person who participates in the quiz will get a personalized Naughty or Nice certificate and a donation to the Boys & Girls Club in their name.

So, check it out and don’t forget to spread the cheer! http://holiday.laughlin.com/

Happy Holidays from your friends at Laughlin Constable.

But first, take a look at Ogilvy’s and Crispin’s new web-sites.

These are new designs that position both agencies as leading edge by using aggregated media stories about them and their clients as an opening screen.

I love the urgency and energy.  In both cases, the clutter that I’ve been fighting professionally all these years has become the organizing concept.  In a weird twist on Marshall Mcluhan’s insight of the medium becoming the message, we’ve seen the Bauhaus movement toward white space and simplicity yield to a supernova of design.  These sites are like trying to read the Congressional Record on acid.   Yet they work.

There’s a wonderful irony at work here.  Agencies are using clutter to demonstrate their ability to cut through it.  These sites serve as a vivid demonstration that the loss of control a lot of marketers are experiencing puts an even greater emphasis on ideas that elbow their way into our consciousness.

Maybe what we’re seeing is the transitional period from white space to white noise as a design maxim.

It’s been on the minds of many lately.  How can I become more “green?”

Scores of people talk about it and show a sincere interest in improving the environment around them.  They want to be a part of the solution and reduce their carbon footprint.

We are no different.

In order to keep in step with reducing one’s carbon-footprint, we recently studied our own behavior and found our “green-ness” needed a bit of sprucing up.  Sure, we were recycling paper and soda cans but most companies and people have taken those steps.  How could we do more?

After taking a closer look at ourselves, we came up with some solutions.

Let me share a few examples of how we “greened” things up at Laughlin Constable.  In return, we’d love to hear what you’ve done too.  Here are some of our recent efforts:

• Applied sun and heat deflective window shades to most windows to maintain a consistent temperature in our offices.
• Installed a revolving door in our lobby to retain a constant temperature and airflow in our lobby and adjacent areas.
• Instructed our cleaning crew to purchase bulk items (such as liquid hand soap) to refill and reuse the smaller plastic containers already in place.
• Purchased office supplies made from recycled materials whenever possible.
• We have been recycling plastic and paper, but also started disposing of electronic equipment, printer cartridges and more in a proper, eco-friendly fashion.
• Replaced many light bulbs with energy-efficient bulbs, including LED lighting.
• Installed low-flow toilets to reduce water consumption.
• Encouraged not printing unnecessary documents reduce our paper consumption.
• Eliminated all packing peanuts. Good riddance.

The measures mentioned above show a pro-active approach and significant progress in the agency’s effort to become more environmentally friendly.  But by no means does it stop there.  Our business is all about creating ideas.  And we’ll continue to look at new ideas to improve our carbon footprint, not because it is the current trend, but the right thing to do.

At Laughlin Constable, we look for the best talent available to the agency.  Always have.  Always will.  We owe it to ourselves and we owe it to our clients.

But that quest for the best talent works both ways.  Job seekers are also looking for the best places to work.  Always have.  Always will.

So, to stand out amongst the masses in a competitive world, it is imperative to be innovative and forward-thinking, and have a flexible workplace.

We believe our agency meets those criteria with programs and policies in place that meet the needs of busy, on-the-go employees.

That belief was verified recently.

We couldn’t be happier to say that Laughlin Constable was awarded two workplace awards for 2009: the annual MetroParent Family Friendly Award and the prestigious National Alfred P. Sloan Award – presented by FUEL Milwaukee – for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility.

The MetroParent Family Friendly Award recognizes companies in the Milwaukee-area that have family-friendly practices in place that go above and beyond the norm.

The National Alfred P. Sloan Award honors employers of all sizes and types that are using workplace flexibility as a strategy to increase workplace effectiveness, yield positive business results, and attract and retain top talent.

It is a core belief at Laughlin Constable to be, and remain, flexible and family-friendly.   It works for the agency and more importantly, works for our employees.

I started at LC in (gasp) 1992… at that time, I was in my mid-twenties and all I cared about was that LC had the reputation as the “it” place to be in advertising.

At that time, kids were the furthest thing from my mind.  But, as the years went by, I met my husband (at the agency!), was blessed with a son, then a daughter and then, at the ripe old age of 39, yet another daughter.  And, my parents aged.  Life changes things.

But fortunately for me, the agency was way ahead of me with family-friendly policies and flexibility.  At the VP level, my job was reconfigured to allow me to focus on one major piece of PR business, just on part-time schedule.  With a super dedicated team, attention to the client never suffered, budgets grew and today – 17 years later – my client is one of our longest standing pieces of agency business.  Everyone is happy… but mostly me because I’m able to enjoy the fleeting days of my children’s childhood while keeping my career going strong.

So, it’s with more gratitude than I can put in words, that I congratulate LC on the MetroParent and Sloan awards for workplace flexibility.  I didn’t go looking for a family-friendly employer way back when, but I honestly can’t imagine what a royal mess my life would be without one.

Even though the days of happy hours downtown after work are gone for me, I’ll gather my kids around me tonight and we’ll raise our juice boxes and organic milk in cheers to LC for well-deserved recognition!

Congrats again, from Hank, Ellie and Mary Jane’s Mom.