Round 1: Easy

Teams could choose a maximum of 12 items from the following:

• 2 balloons
• a handful of cotton wool
• a handful of polystyrene thingamagigs
• 1 cardboard cup
• 30cm of masking tape
• 1 straw
• 1 kebab stick
• 1 sheet of newspaper
• 1 rubber band
• 3 squares of toilet paper
• 1 plastic bag
• 1m of cling film

Two of the teams opted to bundle up their egg in as many layers as possible before placing it between two semi-inflated balloons, providing protection from absolutely every angle. The third team went for a contraption that will maximise bounce on impact while preventing the egg cup from hitting the ground. Check out the super anxious moments of tension, captured only minutes before the great egg drop:

Team 1: Tom, Melissa, Mike and Bre

Team 2: Kristie, Roderick and Craig

Team 3: Andrea, Rik, Matt and Tina

The time had come. There was no going back. It was out the balcony, one contraption at a time, waiting to be inspected by the anxious team members waiting in the street below. You could cut the tension with a knife. Whose egg would survive the fall? Whose dreams would be smashed into a mess of yellow slime?

As it turns out: nobody’s. All 3 eggs returned safe and sound, with not so much as a crack to prove that they’d just fallen 3 storeys. Ah well – on to round 2!

Round 2: Not-so-easy

This time, the teams could only choose 10 items from the following:

• 1 rubber band
• 1 straw
• 1 kebab stick
• 10cm of masking tape
• 2 squares of toilet paper
• 1 sheet of newspaper

Things just got real serious. Ideas included:

None of which were any good, I’m afraid. All three packages hit the ground with an almighty splat that was heard all the way up in the boardroom.
So yeah – no clear winners, no clear losers, but a pretty fun session nonetheless.
Omelette, anyone?

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One of the secrets to success is enthusiasm. Take yourself as an example and what great things you achieve when you are passionate about something – same goes for brands. If employees are passionate about what they do and truly believe in the company, great results can be achieved. Enthusiastic employees are great when it comes to sales, provide positive customer support and create engaging marketing campaigns.
What’s great about passion is that it can be transmitted – an enthusiastic brand can create enthusiastic followers who will talk positively about the company. This can result in user generated content, increase brand loyalty and credibility, as well as reaching a wider audience.

Batkid – Enthusiasm Gone Viral

Three years ago, on November 15th 2013, five-year-old cancer fighter Miles got his wish to become Batman for the day. Granted by Greater Bay Area Make-A-Wish Foundation, the aim of the organisation was to turn San Francisco into Gotham and little Miles -Batkid- had to save the city from villains Riddler and Penguin, whilst cruising in the batmobile. The first step to make this dream happen was to speak to the Mayor’s Office and the Chief Officer about the idea – the organisation stated that they were extremely excited about the project and were ready to help out.
Everyone who took part in this project showed great passion and determination to ensure that Miles’ dream came true, giving him one of the best days of his life. The news slowly went viral, and over 20,000 people gathered together to cheer and support Batkid while he fought the villains. Two black Lamborghini with the Batman logo were also turned into batmobiles and police officers escorted the little superhero through the streets. In order to prepare Miles for this day, he was taken to a circus school where he could practice some moves he would have then needed to use in order to save the city. The people who had their training booked on the day were so enthusiastic about the cause that they decided to show up in superhero costumes too, just to make Miles believe that that’s how heroes really trained. Miles’ big day was broadcast worldwide, and social media was crazy about him. Over 500,000 people tweeted about Batkid using the hashtag #SFBatkid during the campaign, including Barack Obama.
What made this incredible experience for Miles possible was the zest for the cause – the desire and enthusiasm to make a five-year-old’s dream come true.

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Adopting the human default mode

You use the “Beat yourself up more” tactic:
You wake up swearing at your neighbour cursing her and feeling miserable because you havent slept and are thinking about the long tiring day at the office you have ahead of you.
You use the perseverence trait in the wrong way:
You try hard to fix your hair but whatever you do its not good enough. So you keep on trying and trying until your frustration peaks.
You use the “dig your grave deeper” tactic:
You move on to your wardrobe and because you have used up all your energy on your hair styling now you don’t feel like looking for the perfect work outfit for the day. This gives you a bad hair day and a sloppy outfit.
Your result:
A series of hair touching and outfit-excusing with your colleagues (who haven’t even noticed because most probably they had a rough one too and are too busy thinking about their hair and outfit to look at yours).
This means you will have one and only one thing in mind all day: your hair and your outfit making you:

• lose focus
• very limited for social conversation
• possibly one of the top three “colleagues to avoid” for the day
• go through what might be called the longest day of your life.

Adopting the easier mode

You use the “Compare your mishaps to others” tactic:
You wake up swearing at your neighbour but you realise that she is much worse than you  so you lose yourself feeling sorry for her for having to face this day with so little sleep.
You use the “try-fail-abort” tactic:
Your hair is a mess – grab your gel and pull it back – don’t waste time on trying to make the impossible happen – we have been through this already – don’t even try!
You use the “when life gives you lemons you make lemonade” tactic:
You walk to your wardrobe and you find an outfit that compensates your not-so-great hairstyle, pick up your make up/shaver (whatever you use as a final touch apparatus) and work your magic.
You use the “patting yourself on the back” tactic:
Look in the mirror and appreciate the final product considering you had very little to work with – well done to you 🙂
You use the “Let’s do this!” tactic:
Pick up your bag and go to work.
You use the “tomorrow is another day” tactic:
Whatever happens at work – you have been through much worse last night – if you survived that, you will survive till clock-out time. Keep yourself busy and avoid the bathroom mirror – don’t bother – look forward to a a long shower (hair and all) and a deep sleep which will make tomorrow a better day – we just need to sit this one out.

Result

• A long and dreadful day (that you could not have avoided even if you were the luckiest person on earth) will pass by VERY quickly.
• Your incognito skills will improve and you will be proud of yourself you survived the day considering.
• You might get a couple of complements about your outfit and look.
• Your colleagues will not avoid you all day (this might not be a good thing…)

 How easy is it to opt for the easy mode?

A person always needs motivation to do whatever they need to do during the day from the simple chores like waking up and brushing one’s teeth to ticking that checkbox on your bucket list. However, you need to be your own motivator!

Some tricks you can use to motivate yourself

1. Wake up in morning and give yourself some time to remember the fun, achievements and the laughs you had the previous day and/or night. Send a message to the person you shared the good times with reminding him/her about it. S/he will pitch in and remind you of a part of the story you forgot about, giving you new happy thoughts to dwell on. Plus you will be making someone else’s day who might reciprocate some other time when you really need it.
2. Make an effort to always look good – If you do not do it for yourself no one will! People around you will appreciate that, and you will be more comfortable in your own skin.
3. Dedicate 5 minutes in front of the mirror every morning to complement yourself. Remind yourself of the great qualities you have in front of the mirror – your reflection will appreciate and she will start smiling back at you.

Some tricks I use to reduce negative thoughts

4. When something bad happens to you – take the 15 mins to be negative, scared, angry, sensitive, sorry – whatever. Move on to set your goal, pick first action point and immediately embark on that first step. This will give your mind something to think about other than the self-pity thoughts that fill your brains (by default) and that are responsible for half the time you waste during the day.
5. When something bad happens to you – think of all the things the other people go through. Nothing is worse than hunger in Ethiopia but even the hungry can consider themselves lucky next to the tortured/sick/deformed.
6. Develop a sense of humour around your own mishaps. Think about the Coyote and Road Runner. The former is the unluckiest cartoon character I know, but how many times do you find yourself comparing someone’s bad luck to his, and smile about it? Be the Coyote!!!
7. On a more serious note and my personal highest motivator. Treat life as an obstacle race and each time you tackle a problem take it as a win over life. My shelf is full of trophies 🙂

Positivity increases productivity not only in one’s personal life but in every social aspect: friends, family, work, hobbies, you name it. The above is what works for me but there are many other tactics developed out there by individuals who have realised the big secret – IT’S EASIER TO BE POSITIVE.

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But why?

First of all – can you think of anyone who doesn’t like a little bit of humour sprinkled into their mundane day-to-day life? We’re guessing you can’t.
Second of all there are a couple of reasons as to why showing your fun side is the way to go. Let’s explore a few of them.

It makes you memorable

Most of the time, when people think of big companies they think of the standard white office cubicles with fitted carpeting and a struggling office plant. They think about people working their daily 9 to 5 in white shirts and black trousers or skirts. They think of fluorescent lighting and dull lunches.
Okay, this probably isn’t completely true – but let’s be honest when you think ‘professional’ you’re not exactly excited. Well, no need to worry because over the years companies have learnt that you can be professional  and still be fun – Google is a perfect example.
By introducing some humour into your marketing campaigns you become more memorable – if you manage to make people laugh, or even simply smile, then you’ve managed to create a positive impression. Psychologically this means that followers will associate your brand with a positive message which will make you more memorable.
Apart from that humour can also help you stand out from the rest of the crowd.
Think about Christmas adverts. Most marketers will go to the end of the World to figure out how best to tug on your heartstrings and have you reaching for the tissues. Their strategy is to connect with their audiences through emotion (which is quite a successful way of doing things). However humour might give you the edge you need.

Why?

Because while everyone else is showing tear-jerkers which make you all warm and fuzzy inside but eventually get a bit predictable, you could be making people laugh. Let’s face it – the reality is that Christmas time family gatherings will hardly ever look like the ones we see in adverts. So why not laugh about the real situation?
Ikea did this brilliantly with their 2014 #XmasNoMatterWhat advert. They showed the reality of Christmas – the messed up cables, the burnt dinner, the failed gingerbread house. This would create a sense of relateability with their audience because after all none of us are perfect and we’ve all had those table-flip moments.
The genius behind the ad though is that while it’s funny because people can relate to it, there’s still a subtle insertion of those Christmassy warm and fuzzy feelings… because after all it’s Christmas. Check it out for yourself.

It creates engagement

People will engage with things that make them happy. Positivity breeds more positivity and creates a whole cycle of happy. What’s more is that humour is entertaining- it’s shareable and connects people because everyone loves a good laugh.
This can be seen very clearly when interacting with followers on social media. You could go down the usual professional route where the people replying to messages are somewhat robotic, or you could add a touch of friendliness and credibility by allowing the people behind your company to be themselves and show their human side.
Followers don’t want to feel like a number – they want to feel as though they’re talking to a real person, because after all they are. So by allowing your employee’s personalities to shine through you’ll be establishing a connection with the person on the other end.
So if someone writes something funny in your comments, a witty comeback (which doesn’t insult them) could win you points.
Old Spice and Cadbury have high engagement due to their quick wit.


Of course there are a few things you need to keep in mind – such as never crossing the thin line between being funny and being offensive, and that just because you make something funny it doesn’t mean it will work.
There’s a lot of thought that goes into marketing strategies and you must always think of every aspect and every little thing that could go wrong. Always come up with a plan B and always ensure that what you’re doing fits in with your company’s brand.
There is one golden rule you really have to follow though – you can’t have fun campaigns if the office life in your company is similar to that of a wilted lettuce leaf. If you want to have fun campaigns then you’ve got to be fun- otherwise you’re simply setting yourself up for failure.
Here at Switch we’re huge fans of fun. Feel free to drop us a line if you’d like to inject some humour into your campaigns and need some ideas!

The post H is for Humour appeared first on Switch - Digital & Brand.

Not your average stop at the pub

Anyone following our Facebook page will know that we’re no stranger to social events at the office. Our weekly brainstorming sessions, crazy karaoke nights, and renowned food days keep people smiling and keep the vibe light and airy week in, week out. We fell into a routine of organising the same type of events that everyone enjoys – some involved family, some did not. It worked, and things were smooth.
Then one day, just a few short months ago, Ed mentioned that he would be attending a conference in Amsterdam in May. Someone chimed in with ‘take me with you!’ and the next thing I knew, most of the office had booked their flights to a long weekend in the land of the long-legged.

One hour. Literally. Within one hour, almost every member of the team was booked for the first ever Switch trip. It was quick because it was simple – we already love spending time together outside of work, so why the hell not?

Dam you’re beautiful

Fast forward a couple of months – we’ve just chucked our backpacks into our 2 apartments before heading out into the gorgeous, gorgeous city that’s pulling us in. We walk around with our eyes looking up. We lie perfectly still in warm, sunny parks. We shiver in the cold as we walk home through dead streets (we missed the last tram, you see). And we devour every shop window, every museum, every wide open space and every narrow, crooked street the city had to offer.

And we eat good food. Because obviously.
Oh yes, Amsterdam is beautiful. We’re in awe – even those who’ve been there before. But what surprised me the most was not the views, not the locals, not the food. What surprised me the most was the group of people I was with.

Know thy colleague

Maybe it was because we were so far away from the office. Maybe it was the cathartic nature of the holiday following a couple of crazy months of work. Maybe it was the fact that we were literally living together for 4 days straight. Whatever it was, I got to know a whole new side to everyone – their comfort zones, their pet peeves, their limits and whether they snore or not (spoiler alert: everyone does.)

Forget falling back into the arms of a colleague who’s been instructed to catch you – this is real team building. This is throwing a bunch of real individuals into a new situation and watching them figure it out as they learn more and more about each other. New bonds were formed, new discoveries were made and, more importantly, a whole new reservoir of memories, laughs, and inspiration has been filled to the brim and carried into our day-to-day work at the office.
There were bound to be clashes and arguments at times – we’re a family of sorts after all. But now that we’re back at the office and well into day 3 of normality, the dust has settled and I’ve made my mind up.
The idea worked. We did it. We didn’t build a team of colleagues – we built a team of humans.

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Ever since we saw Google employees getting to their canteen by jumping into a big red tube or getting to the floor below by sliding down a fireman’s pole we’ve thought that office 2.0 is the bee’s knees. I challenge any of you to see the early office scene in the Matrix and not be depressed by the never ending grey cubicles and stark, white lighting. Ok, so I’ve tackled two extremes, but still, many offices still look and feel like that dreaded pre-Matrix cubicle Neo’s struggling to escape from.

But are dress-up days and office holidays conducive towards a more productive office with better, more valuable outcome?

Office space personalisation is also spread across a vast spectrum. At the one end you have an office with barely more than a framed photo of one’s spouse. At the other you have completely unique and different workspaces designed by the individual employees to make them feel more at home. You do, after all, spend more time in your office than you do in your home (awake). If the office architecture and policy allows it, employees should be able to indulge in this personalisation. It even helps to improve client relationships when you meet at your desk, by bonding over items that both parties are interested in – ‘I love your mini cactus garden…didn’t know you had green fingers!’
When Steve Jobs designed Pixar HQ, there was only one place you could go use the bathroom – the central atrium. This meant that people from all departments, departments like accounts and design who would never normally mingle, met and interacted with each other on a regular basis. We bridge this gap in other ways, since our office is a far cry in size from the acres that Pixar is spread across. On foodie days, everyone cooks up a specific type of dish for our pot-luck lunch. We stop work early on a Friday for an office brainstorm – all to try and push cross-department interaction as much as possible.

Being a creative agency does mean that we can afford to think and act outside the box, but every company can help improve their employees’ office experience. I once read a quote along the lines of ‘What happens if I train my staff and they leave? Well, what happens if you train your staff and they don’t leave?’ Borrowing a bit from this, making your staff happier and helping get their creative juices flowing by improving their surroundings is also imperative for greater staff retention.
I can’t say whether the way we work improves our outcome or not, all I know is that it feels great to work here. As to the results of our work, why not see for yourself?

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