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12 New Things

Posted January 7, 2010, by Tiffany Dowling

yarn ballsI’ll just put it right out there: 2010 marks my fortieth year on this planet, and I decided it was time for a daring resolution. I’m a risk-taker by nature and there’s a lot I’ve yet to do. So, why not make 2010 the year I get around to doing them?

Just before the New Year, I sat down with some trusting team members and compiled a list of 24 things I’ve never done. (Correction: 24 things I’ve never done and would be willing to try.) After compiling the list, each of my teammates voted on the 12 things they want to see me try in 2010 (one each month).

So, here it is, my new year’s resolution. The official list of “new things” I’m going to attempt in 2010 (in order, from January to December):

1. Take a polar plunge

2. Knit a scarf

3. Shoot a gun

4. Learn ballroom dancing

5. Change a tire

6. Hot air balloon ride

7. Skydive

8. Drive a tractor

9. Canoe the Grand River

10. Try Indian food

11. Take voice lessons; sing karaoke in front of people

12. Donate 30 pairs of new shoes to charity in one month

Spectators will be encouraged and welcomed at each of these events. Stay tuned for times and details. Of course, there will be photo evidence, or it didn’t happen.

“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Are you thinking of trying something new in 2010? Share it below and Tiffany may join you. Live your fears Mid-Michigan … make your dreams a reality!

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Happy Holidays, from our M3 family to yours

Posted December 14, 2009, by M3

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51 things you should (or shouldn’t) know about M3

Posted December 2, 2009, by M3
  1. 614 Seymour was built 1901.
  2. In the basement, there is a dirt room used for storage; on more than one occasion, a dark spirit has been spotted there.
  3. M3 team members post weekly to our blog, keeping friends and followers in the loop.
  4. Every employee has a favorite pen brand.
  5. There are several bottomless candy dishes throughout the office.

  6. The staff participates in frequent ice cream runs in the summer.
  7. All employees are categorized by one of four types of birds: peacock, dove, eagle or owl.
  8. The men of the house typically work on the third floor offices.
  9. Monday mornings are team meetings; Thursday mornings are brainstorming.
  10. Good food goes fast. First come, first served.
  11. Bad food goes fast, too. Second come gets the bad food.
  12. M3 once covered its parking lot with sand for a blizzard beach party — Tiffany can testify to the challenges of keeping a blizzard tent cold on the hottest day of the year.

  13. Our creativity is often fueled by donuts.
  14. The 3D version of our mascot, Aha, was made from a toilet seat cover. The perfect color of teal!
  15. We squeeze a squeaking giraffe when meetings get off topic.
  16. 614 Seymour magically expands in correlation with M3’s growth to make room for new employees.
  17. Falling down the third floor staircase isn’t as bad as it looks — until you run out of steps.
  18. M3 subscribes to Advertising Age, Communication Arts, The Greater Lansing Business Monthly and several other publications.
  19. Many of the decorative details of 614 Seymour — the pink bathroom tiling, the elaborate fireplace — are original Victorian work.
  20. We all have 80s music stuck in our heads from the CAWLM 80s Flashback Fundraiser; Anna is the only one who lets it out.
  21. Sometimes our media invites include fresh hot dogs or picket fencing.
  22. The original molding contains several secret doors and hiding places.
  23. Every day is crazy.

  24. Pets are welcome at work any time. Many have become members of the team.
  25. We sometimes have to double park cars in our parking lot.
  26. You can always count on the team to make it happen … day after day.
  27. M3 publishes Capital Area Women’s LifeStyle Magazine (CAWLM).
  28. Every issue of CAWLM’s third year is framed and hung in the office at 610 Seymour.
  29. M3 works hard, plays hard and creates big ideas.
  30. We have a mechanical engineer running the marketing and graphic design department. Joni rocks the casbah.
  31. The third floor is haunted (and yes, Julie can vouch for this).
  32. Our coat closet is on the third floor (great spot for a coat closet, we know), and is affectionately referred to as “the dorm room”; Julie petitioned to move in when she was still at MSU.
  33. Some of us are Macs and some of us are PCs.
  34. We have a small collection of board games; Scattergories gets the most use.
  35. We once counted how many marshmallows were in a box of Lucky Charms, then helped to donate more than 85 boxes of cereal to the Greater Lansing Food Bank in partnership with the Lansing Breakfast Club.
  36. The south window in Tiffany’s office rattles violently when the wind blows.
  37. Anna, Emily, Julie and Kelly make up the Special PRops team at M3.
  38. Everyone at M3 wants to kick their Brother (don’t worry, it’s just the temperamental second floor printer).

  39. Our company vehicle is often toting a big fish around to various locations to delight children in the community.
  40. M3 grew out of its office in 2009. We had to commandeer 610 (the building next door).
  41. We have a puzzle map of the United States.  The state of Maine is missing.
  42. We have anywhere from three to five talented interns with us each semester. We love their hip ideas and can-do attitudes.

  43. Our team concierge, Julia, doubles as the office florist.
  44. There’s a hole under the rug in the parlor.
  45. The fan on the third floor moves frequently and is often coveted during the hot summer months.
  46. M3’s parking lot doubles as a lake after a rainstorm.
  47. Julie (”Eagle Eye”) and Julia (”Watch Dog”) are the resident parking lot enforcers.
  48. Wood floors at 614 Seymour can be slippery even when only steam-cleaned.
  49. Unexpected breakfast burritos are the best any day of the week.
  50. White/bulletin boards and filing cabinets outnumber M3 employees at 614 Seymour, because our big ideas simply cannot be contained by a mere one per employee.
  51. Extra umbrellas are always available on the first floor … for brainstorming meetings that get exceptionally wild.

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The Other Side of M3

Posted August 26, 2009, by Julie Becker

To an extent, we all live with dueling personalities.

There’s a part of us that we show to the world, and another that lives deep inside our beings. The spectrum on which these personalities live is different for everyone. Some like to let it all hang out, while others keep their true colors quietly tucked away. The team at M3 prefers to live in the former, and it’s time we came clean.

The goal of our agency rebranding is three-fold:

  1. Keep the conversation going
  2. Help clients find their aha moments
  3. Remain transparent on all levels

What could be more conversational, aha-riffic or transparent than the personality each of us nurtures and exudes daily? Our brand deserved the creativity and uniqueness of every employee under the roof of 614 Seymour. Then, we had an aha moment of our own.

We wondered, why is it that so many creative, or “creative” agencies aren’t capitalizing on their most creative asset: the team? If there were any photos at all on agency sites, we found most of them to be generic, run-of-the-mill staff headshots or buttoned-up photos of CEOs and VPs and CDs. Bor. Ing.

That’s not us! That’s not the kind of show we’re running here. We’re not perfect headshots or buttoned-up black suit/white shirt and tie combos.

We have hobbies and passions, and make Rubik’s Cube costumes for Halloween. We like playing with desk tchotchkes and laughing and eating Cheetos out of fanny packs. We grow vegetables, wear jeans to work and go barefoot in the office if the mood strikes us.

There was no good reason our photos shouldn’t reflect all of this and more. If our clients are human, why can’t we be human, too?

So, Lynne Brown and her team at Perspective 2 in Old Town, Lansing, put on their working pants and carved out an entire day to capture the essence of our team.

After a bit of planning, coordination and about a dozen trips to the studio on a sunny day in July, we did it: a real staff photo shoot, complete with the zest and personality of our team.

It was no easy feat (we assure you), but the fruits of Brown’s labor and that of her camera are simply incredible. (Thanks, Lynne!)

If you haven’t discovered these photographic gems, visit the talent pages of our site. You can roll over the team’s professional photos, (as close to buttoned up as we’re going to get), to reveal our true(r) personalities. And for your efforts, we’d like to reward you with a video.

Here are the outtakes and M3 team photos we didn’t want you to see (at least not right away). Enjoy getting to know us in another light; then, go ahead — give us a call. We’ve got nothing to hide, and everything to show. Your aha moment awaits …

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Meet the M3 Team All Over Again

Posted August 11, 2009, by M3

And you thought we were crazy before

With a whole new Web site, we want to reintroduce the talent that makes it all happen at 614 Seymour.  During the last several months, a few faces have been added to the M3 team.  So if you haven’t met us all, take a look and get connected today.

Now you can get to know our deepest, darkest secrets.  Click each photo to read more.

Tiffany Dowling Joni Rainbolt Stephen PlumbleyChris HantleJulie Becker emily-caswellkelly-mazurkiewiczJennifer Hodges Kyle Dowling Julia Kloecknerpeter-ruffinganna-daughertynico-killips298-edited

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M3’s New Web Site

Posted August 11, 2009, by

Welcome to the new Web site of M3.  We’re introducing new tools, having more fun and giving you more ways than ever to keep in touch with us and find out what’s going on.  Here’s a taste of what’s new.

Aha Moments & the Office Fuzzball

Please let us introduce you to Aha, M3’s office fuzzball. Born out of dream, Aha stands for everything that’s innovative and mind-opening inside our agency.

Keeper of our clients’ light bulbs and king of the aha moment, Aha is ready for you to share yours. So what are you waiting for? Your next aha moment is just around the corner.  Share yours or read more about aha moments.

Bios

M3 has expanded.  With new talent comes more experience, and with more experience comes more capabilities.  Each staff bio gives you a rundown of who we are, where we come from, our accomplishments, social media links and even some warm fuzzies.  Meet the team.

Reading list

We’re staying at the top of our game and sharing our favorite resources with you.  These are articles that give us inspiration, shed light on industry news or offer some mid-afternoon entertainment.  Read away.

Blog

Stay up to date with what’s going on around the M3 office, in the industry and get a dose of creativity and inspiration.  Clearly, if you’re reading this you’ve alredy found the blog.  And of course you can bookmark or subscribe to our blog. Thanks for reading, we hope you enjoy!

Twitter

We’re tweeple, too.  We tweet.  We attend tweetups.  We retweet.  And yours truly may even be a tweetaholic.  At the end of the day, we realize the importance of Twitter.  Feel free to start following @M3_Group today, and say hello to us while you’re there.

News room

For our media contacts we have a special section just for you so you can get the scoop.  Subscribe to our press releases via e-mail our RSS.  We’re providing the archive, PDFs, contact information and content so you can easily find the information you’re looking for.

Last, but not least, come say hello

Pick up the phone if you’re old school, tweet at us if you’re new school. Come say hello, we’d love to meet you.

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