The Social Media Movement: We're in. Are you?

Touring the blogosphere this morning, I saw that our friends at No Limit Media Consulting had posted this "call-to-action" for franchisors to join the social media movement. If you're a franchisor who's not currently blogging, hosting a Facebook page, or tweeting, you should really check out their post out for some compelling reasons to start. (One that we found particularly interesting: 93% of consumers feel that companies should have a social media presence." 93 percent, people!)

With franchisors' involvement in various social media outlets growing, there's no better time for the rest of the franchise industry (suppliers included) to cultivate our own presence within these channels. For F.C. Dadson, it started in 2007 with this blog; and you can expect to find us broadening our social media reach in the near future. Why we do it (and why you should too):

• We want to make our company as approachable as possible.
• We want to make F.C. Dadson as easily-reachable as possible.
• We want to give the F.C. Dadson name as much personality as the people who work here have.
• We want to share our experiences.
• We want to spread our knowledge.

But most importantly, we want to give our clients and prospects a sounding board, a place to share experiences, express concerns, become part of the conversation here at F.C. Dadson.

By no means is this list all-encompassing. The longer we think about it, the longer the list gets. This is just the "highlight reel," but still more than enough motivation for us to be a part of the social media movement. F.C. Dadson's in. Are you?

Speed Bumps

Who doesn't love a forward-thinking company? Add U.K. supermarket chain Sainsbury's to the list with their introduction of a "'people-powered' kinetic energy system" at its store in Gloucester, U.K.. Cars driving over special plates placed around the store's parking lot will generate energy, which in turn will be used to power all the store's check outs. While reading this article about these energy-producing bumps in the road, all I could think was "That is so cool!"

It's a fortunate coincidence I found this article because it makes a great lead in for this next bit of news I have to share. The Dadson Diaries will be undergoing some changes in upcoming weeks as our marketing department works to align our social media efforts. There may be some bumps in the road along the way, but as Sainbury's shows, some bumps actually help make for a better business. In our case, we're hoping they'll lead to a better experience for all of you Diaries readers.

So please bear with us and pardon our dust. We promise it'll be worth it.

Recession's Discounts

Retail sales were up in May --the first increase in months. Partially attributed to rising gas prices, some see it as a sign that consumer spending is picking up and the recession might just be nearing bottom.

If you're eager to do your part in spurring the economy by spending some cash at retail, I found this handy list on Forbes.com of 10 things to buy before the economy improves. Some obvious choices include a house, car, and TV. Some of the not-so-obvious? Diamonds (prices down 14%, on average), laptops (increased interest in netbooks is bringing prices down), and toys (lower-priced options to arrive in time for holiday shopping).

Rounding out the top 10:

1. House
2. Car
3. Vacation
4. Toys
5. High-Dividend Stocks
6. Laptops
7. Diamonds
8. Women's Clothing
9. Televisions
10. Furniture

I don't know about you, but I see a few things on that list that are on my wish list. I guess there's no time like the present to take advantage of the discounts and cross of few items off. Looks like I have some shopping to do!

Popping Up for Summer

There was span of weeks where it seemed the Diaries was consistently making mention of one pop-up store or another opening up around the nation. Seemingly the store concept-du-jour, there were news releases everywhere announcing the arrival of these temporary spaces.

Well, it's been a while since we've come across word of new pop-up locations, but thanks to Forbes.com, we've gotten the low down on what's popping up this summer.

• The Save Fashion Store, located in New York's Port Authority Terminal, featuring designs from independent designers like Charlotte Ronson, Earnest Sewn, and Rag and Bone. (This store closes tomorrow, so you better make a run for it quick!)
• Reebok's pop-up gym on West Hollywood's La Brea Drive, promoting its new JUKARI Fit to Fly exercise program. Hosting classes through the end of July, people can sign up through Reebok's website.
• Gap has teamed up with Havianas to open a flip flop shop next to its New York flagship, giving customers the ability to customize a pair of flip flops as well as purchase the latest in Gap khaki shorts, tees, and polos.

Some other interesting tidbits about pop-up shops:

• Brands love the buzz; new designers love the potential sales.
• For smaller endeavors, "the costs to open a temporary space run about $150,000."
• For larger brands, the cost could run as high as $1 Million.
• Pop-ups serve as viable testing grounds for new products/services and can help brands decide whether to take the plunge into a permanent storefront.

So, pop-ups are still popping up and if you live on the east or west coasts, you're set (Middle America, our time will come!).

Taking Care of the Retailer

If someone was to ask us what our number one priority in doing business here at F.C. Dadson is, we wouldn't hesitate in answering with "making sure our clients are taken care of." That simple statement encompasses a number of things from responsive and personalized service to quality products and keeping promises.

In recent years, F.C. Dadson -along with a number of other fixture providers- is finding our commitment to "taking care of clients" has transformed our business. Retailers are treating us more like a partner than a vendor, meaning we are now being asked to provide more than just fixtures.

This meant branching out into design, space planning, installation, fulfillment, and eventually construction management and consulting. It also meant building a strong network of vendors across a variety of industries that F.C. Dadson and our clients could turn to for help in areas outside our reach.

Isn't it great when a company's commitment to its clients not only satisfies client needs, but ends up making the company itself stronger? The recession is causing a lot of client needs to change. Embrace the change. You might just end up better for it.

For more commentary on how retailers are changing the fixture manufacturing industry, check out VSMD's special report Fixture Trends: Together We Stand.

Danger Surfing

In a recent Entrepreneur article, management columnist Scott Halford introduced a new phrase to my vocabulary: danger surfing. As the term sounds, it involves the brain searching situations for danger. If danger is picked up, the brain will stop us from continuing, keeping us out of harm's way. The upside is that it's a perfectly fine survival technique. The downside is that danger surfing in an innate tendency. It's just happens; and because of this, it can also hamper our creativity and prevent us from implementing new ideas within our businesses.

In the retail design world, creativity and problem-solving are two key ingredients for a project's success. Often new ideas are thrown out on the table, and our brain's danger surfing will cause us to find all the things that are wrong with the new ideas instead of seeing all the possibility they possess.

Fortunately, danger surfing can be overridden (as evidenced by all the creative design solutions that have made it to the retail environment). To do it, Halford suggests we:

• Play the "Yes and..." game - Instead of shooting down an idea, add to it and let the creativity fly.
• Hold separate meetings for creating and evaluating - Being creative uses one brain process and critiquing uses another. Once you enter the critical frame of mind, it's hard to revert back to the creative side.
• Take a moment - Halford writes that it "takes approximately six seconds from the time a negative emotion is felt (i.e., disgust or disdain) and the dissipation of the hormones that make you want to blurt out a nasty remark." He suggests counting to 10 before responding. This should help you be more productive instead of hurting the creative process.
  

Fixture of the Year: Pure Poetry

The Association for Retail Environments (A.R.E.) recently announced the winners of its fixture design contest. Just another affirmation that retail design inspiration can come from anywhere and anything, the winning fixture's design came about from 3 lines of poetry written by the person responsible for the store's design.

In addition to the "inspiration can be found everywhere" lesson, two other take-aways can be drawn from this year's winners. First, fixtures and interaction should go hand-in-hand. A touch-sensitive table top, a mirrored eyewear display, and a giant double-decker bus housing stuffed animals all work to engage customers.

Second, fixtures prove perfect places to make strong design statements. Varying heights, unexpected shapes and angles, and strong colors attract the eye and can work as additional branding opportunities within the space.

See A.R.E.'s Fixture of the Year and other winners here.