The Solution: With creative license to get a little mouthy and multi-dimensional, I helped them create a two-part campaign, delivering simple concepts, crisp visuals and clear evidence.

PART ONE:

2011 Sales Conference for Duette: In search of a theme to simultaenously showcase window coverings, offer value and entertain dealers, I worked with Hat Trick Creative to write a script, coordinate sound effects, costumes,  signage and talent to produce Back to the Future with Hunter Douglas.

Additional Items: Sales letters, technical guides, direct mail, business reply cards QR code how-to pieces and more.

The Challenge: With more acronyms than a teenage texter and highly technical lanugage, there’s been a steep learning curve in taking this information from complexity to clarity. But hey, there’s frequently free beer and bagels, I get to stare at a monster-size wall-tattoo every days and identity is soooo hot right now.

Credit: Jana Mathieson, booklover, friend and citizen of the earth, recommended me for this job.

Part One: The Great-West Healthcare-CIGNA merger inspired a major marketing initiative to fuse the two brands  with multiple phases across several years. In 2008, I joined the creative services team to help rebrand dozens of collateral pieces. I soon took on more projects, including newsletters, promotions and online content inventories eventually serving as a content manager for the redesign and rebranding of multiple portals.  I left in the summer of 2009, shortly before the project ended. Kelly Birchby was one of the best bosses I’ve ever had.

Part Two: In 2010, I returned, this time on the CIGNA side, to serve the role of Web Managing Editor for myCIGNA.com as part of the Online Experience Project. Using the Agile methodology and Rally tool, and working closely with Customer Experience, IA, wireframe designers, story authors, business analysts and product owners, my writing team and I edited literally hundreds of user stories, ensuring web style, brand adherence and clarity and defining multiple style standards along the way.

Credit: I began working with Great-West Healthcare via Maris Group and upon return to CIGNA, was asked to join the next project through a former colleague, Eric Noren. A special shout-out to Jen Rotman and Chris Amorosino, both stellar content resources.

Category:  Messaging

Background: Lucky for Boston Market, comfort food has become a serious trend. Mac and cheese–thankfully without the hot dogs–is now a standard appetizer and creamed spinach a popular side dish.  Having attended many a potluck in my midwestern upbringing, this was right up my alley, or should I say rural route.

The History: We all know a little about  Chipotle as this point. They dangle their feet off the cutting edge . Their “We roll our own. . . . .Love this joint” billboard just might have inspired some of the early medicinal marijuana shops and they serve up tasty burritos. So you can imagine what they wanted.

The Chipotle Challenge: By weaving pop culture puns, a conversational style and coy copy into these historical vignettes on their ingredients, I maintained Chipotle’s irreverent, but quality-focused identity. These were printed on drinking cups in burrito joins across the country.

A Lesson in Limes
We juice a lot of limes at Chipotle. They add a delicious, subtle citrus tang to our
cilantro-lime rice, as well as a wonderful zing to our tortilla chips, which are always
lime-juice-drizzled before getting a sprinkle of Kosher salt.

But we’ve never seen a lime seed and it got us wondering why not. So we did a little
research.

Here’s the squeeze: according to the Florida Department of Citrus, limes actually do have
seeds, but they are so small you can’t usually see them. Limes are picked and consumed
before they mature, and therefore have underdeveloped seeds.

Now you know. And knowing is half the burrito.

Credit: Sandra Murray spearheaded this project, while Idelle Fisher was the stellar designer. My dear friend and fabulous editor Maury recommended me.