Charitable giving brings cheer.

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Marketing Musings

My wife sent me an article from the Seattle PI reporting that Toys for Tots (a treasured and uber popular holiday toy drive) has collected only about 5,000 toys so far—compared with the 50,000 toys that have been donated by this time during most years. This regrettable lack of donations really got me thinking:

With national economic turmoil, it’s pretty easy to justify pinching every penny…after all, who knows which of our family members or friends is next to get the rug pulled from under their feet by the national/global economic downturn. As of a week ago, I would’ve been writing this from my ivory tower. At least a few times a day, my mind wanders to two main ideas:

  • 1. That I’m lucky to have a job at all
  • 2. That I’m doubly lucky to have a job that I love with an extraordinary group of people Continue reading →

More than just free oatmeal…

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Uncategorized

Last week, Projectline was featured on King 5′s Evening Magazine as the best company to work for in Seattle. Reporter Michael King visited our Seattle headquarters to find out what’s so special about Projectline (and, as it turned out, to steal some of our oatmeal). As you see in the segment, Michael found happy employees, donations for NW Harvest, a well-stocked pantry, ear plugs, pool playing, and the Wii in action. The three minute spot demonstrated the essence of the Projectline culture and the company’s mission: to positively impact the people we work with, the people we work for, and the people in our community. In his on-camera interview, Chris Opsahl said, “When I came to this place, it was so cool that I almost thought it was too cool.” I think many people who step through Projectline’s door (or slow elevator doors)-employees, friends, family, and clients-feel the same way. This place is cool!

In fact, there many more things that make Projectline a fun and dynamic workplace than were mentioned on Evening Magazine. Here are just a few of the other reasons why we love Projectline: Continue reading →

Kiva Spotlights Projectline

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Marketing Musings

Can a small consulting firm make the world a better place? At Projectline we think so, and here is one of the ways we are doing it…

We pride ourselves on having not just talented business people work for us, but great people. Our clients benefit from the skills and experience of our team, but may be unaware that behind the scenes, we are also making an impact on a global scale with every new project we undertake. A portion of the revenue from each of our projects is redirected to help entrepreneurs in developing countries build their business and lift themselves out of poverty. Through Kiva, Projectline lends money to entrepreneurs who are unable to draw startup capital from banks. This process helps small business owners build their businesses, which will, in turn, hopefully have a positive impact on their communities… You get the drift. I am proud to say we have been actively lending money to individuals in developing countries for over 22 months now and have made more than 60 loans. Continue reading →

Something to think about…

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Uncategorized

I know each and every person that has ever looked for the next job/career has spent time combing through newspapers (for those of you still old fashioned) or on-line sites for that perfect job description. Searching, reading and knowing that thousands of other people are doing the same thing. Taking extra time working on your cover letter, trying to pick the perfect words to standout from all the others. Knowing in your heart you will land in the middle of a huge pile of resumes that are trying to get in front of that same recruiter who holds your future and happiness in hand.

Always left with ‘What else can I do?’

Here is my suggestion… NETWORK. This is such an under realized and underutilized resource. What better way (or easier way for that matter) than to ask someone who knows you and can help to put your resume on the top of ‘that’ pile. Whether you give them a bullet point version of your experience or your full resume, just make sure you give them enough information and insight about you to talk to your skills and the direction of your career. There is nothing worse than getting a referral that has nothing to do with the company or any of the open positions. So remember, this is not to add work for others, it is to streamline your efforts. So don’t leave anyone guessing about what you are good at. …and for goodness sakes, don’t forget your contact information.

I am telling you this really works. After all, I practice what I preach. How do you think I ended up here at Projectline?

What does brain cancer research have to do with a marketing firm?

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Uncategorized

This is Katie Hoffman and I am writing in Lena’s Joblog while she is sailing the seas in Alaska (lucky girl). Some of you may already know that Projectline volunteers every month and we pick the cause based on ideas from employees and sub-contractors. This allows us to help out locally and also get to know each other better. Recently, I suggested that we volunteer for a brand new event designed to raise funds for brain cancer research.

Pam and Maartje Volunteering at the Cranium Crusade Registration Booth

The statistics say that 3 in every 100,000 people are diagnosed with a brain tumor. The average survival rate of someone diagnosed with brain cancer is one to two years. When my sister, Kim Hogle, had five people close to her diagnosed with a brain tumor, she knew it was time to figure out how to get involved and help those families close to her. When she realized that Seattle is fortunate enough to have the Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment and she met Dr. Greg Foltz, Kim was inspired to start the first ever Annual Brain Cancer Walk, called the “Cranium Crusade.” She also got me involved.

Continue reading →

Social Networking Inside Big Businesses

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Marketing Musings, Social Media

It doesn’t have to be said that blogs, wikis, podcasting, twittering, etc. will eventually be considered a natural part of the way we communicate as individuals and is fast becoming the way that enterprise companies reach their audiences (see Forrester research). But turns out now it will be a major way big companies reach their employees and facilitate conversations between their employees too.

Continue reading →