Hasta La Creative!

Startups have become kind of synonymous with “cool” office design. The exposed ducts, and wide open spaces are commonplace in the tech scene, where employees can sometimes be spotted working from the couch. At any given gaming or tech startup, you’re likely to find a fully stocked fridge and big cushy chairs.

Is all this design worth it?

Some anecdotal evidence suggests startups are great places for community building and that workers tend to form friendships that last throughout their careers there. Just ask the founder of Maptia, who moved his company to a beachfront office property in Morocco to keep his love of surfing alive. If keeping your employees happy means investing in their workspace, consider which improvements are likely to have the best impact.

Remote Employees

Contract work is becoming more commonplace, especially amongst small businesses where individuals often share the work burden with another contractor. In this case, virtual office design is just as important for productivity. Keep a Google Doc with a task list that your contractor can access at his or her schedule. Encourage freelancers you work with to change their scenery and exercise too. Moving around in a new space is a surefire way to get creative juices flowing.

Coworking

For some, coworking is another approach to the small business in-home office. Rent space in trendy parts of your city to get a full day of new scenery. Coworking is also great for collaboration. Talk with others about the challenging projects you’re taking on, or offer advice to help. Coworking generally doesn’t leave much room for a worker to customize his space, but it can be a great tool for networking. Look for coworking events in your area to meet new business owners tackling some of the same challenges as you.

Sound Levels

Controlling sound inside your office involves a few concerns. Some offices let employees listen to music, so choosing a radio station for the office could become an unnecessary productivity killer. If employees listen to headphones, they may be unable to hear someone else in the office talking to them. Customer service employees on a handset will also pick up residual noise when speaking with clients. Advanced headsets like those from Headsets Direct will help control the voice level and keep communications with the clients seamless. Another helpful tip would be to adopt an internet based chat program for the office, they can help employees listen to music quietly while remaining engaged with the group.

Posture

Sitting in chairs for extended periods can wreak havoc on one’s back, shoulders, and wrists. Proper posture is important, but there are a few things you can do besides spending thousands on office furniture. Encourage employees to actually sit properly with their back straight, shoulders level and monitor raised to eye level. The employee’s elbows should rest comfortably at the sides of the chair, with wrists straight and slightly elevated. Offering small pillows for an employee’s back will provide some extra support. Also encourage stretch breaks, where employees get up and exercise between tasks so that their bodies remain limber.

Air Supply

Encouraging employees to take a walk outside isn’t just about losing weight. Proper air supply from a natural source has benefits to your lungs and brain too. This means less headaches and a reduction in the chances of developing asthma. Employees also need sunlight, which is easy to miss out on when working 8-5 on weekdays.

A well designed workspace can provide sunlight to workers, and give them more control over their light. Encourage your employees to be more proactive about their workspace and take pride of ownership over your company. It’s trendy to invest in the stocked mini-fridge, but your employees might be happier with a cozier workspace.

The post How Does Office Design Affect Productivity? appeared first on AdPulp.

Time Warner said Tuesday that it won’t complete its plan to separate Time Inc. division into an independent company this year as anticipated, prolonging a period of uncertainty at the publishing division just a little bit longer.

Executives now intend to complete the spinoff early next year, Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes said during a conference call with analysts to discuss the company’s second quarter results, to ensure the best position for Time Inc. as it starts life on its own. Mr. Bewkes also said he didn’t want to rush Joe Ripp, who was named Time Inc.’s latest CEO last month and doesn’t officially start until September.

Time Warner reported second-quarter profit that topped analysts’ estimates, boosted by higher advertising revenue at its cable networks, which include TNT, HBO and CNN.

Continue reading at AdAge.com

When Frances Allen joined Denny’s as CMO in 2010, she had a big task ahead of her: refresh the Denny’s brand and make it more relevant in a changing restaurant landscape that increasingly favored fast-casual chains, particularly ones whose images purported to offer healthier fare. In February 2011, Ms. Allen and her team launched a revamp that included everything from branded entertainment to new menu items. It worked. The chain in 2011 had a U.S. systemwide sales increase of 6.2% according to Technomic.

Ad Age caught up with Ms. Allen ahead of the upcoming CMO Strategy Summit in San Francisco October 16, where she’ll be speaking. Here’s a sneak peek at some of What Ms. Allen will discuss:

Ad Age: Why did Denny’s revamp its marketing? Was the brand finding that consumers were more interested in fast casual restaurants?

Continue reading at AdAge.com

DLKW Lowe has retained the £73 million Morrisons advertising account after a final three-way pitch against M&C Saatchi and Adam & Eve/DDB.

It’s just too easy to say. We’re “all shook up” over a new ad campaign for Australian lingerie brand Bond which is fronted by the very attractive Riley Keough, daughter of Lisa Marie Presley and granddaughter of Elvis Presley.

Said to be hooking up with Robert Pattison, Keough will front a campaign for the brand’s Lacies collection to be released in advance of Australia’s upcoming summer season. It’s not Keough’s first go round with a fashion brand. She has also appeared in campaigns for Dolce & Gabbana as well as Victoria’s Secret.

Of her selection as spokesmodel, Keough, 24, said,”I love Australians and know about Bonds through my Aussie friends. When we started to talk about working together, my friends all told me about Bonds being a great Australian brand and I love how comfortable all the pieces are so I thought it was a great opportunity.”

Admire Keough in all her fiery redheaded glory below.

Bert DuMars

Only 11% of marketers set aside a specific budget for marketing innovation efforts, and only 9% make marketing innovation a part of every marketer’s budget, according to a recent Forrester survey. Yet 95% of these marketers agreed that they are achieving positive ROI from their innovation programs. Why the disconnect? Mastering marketing innovation is getting harder and harder due to the ever-changing customer landscape caused by digital disruption, perpetually connected customers and shifting customer expectations.

Continue reading at AdAge.com