Mediaboss Marketing

With estimates predicting that influencer marketing spending might double in 2020en route to becoming a projected $15 billion market by 2022its a good bet that influencers will be moving further up the priority lists ofmany brand marketers.

Importantly, this growth will come from brands investing in influencer marketing for the first time, in addition to existing brands that have experienced strong returns and are expanding their investments accordingly.

Yet, despite the increased budgets and the rising number ofbrands looking to participate, influencer marketingis still sometimesdescribed as the Wild West. It certainly wasnt without its fair share of controversy in 2019, and the responsibility for professionalizingand standardizingpractices continues to be shared between the platforms, regulators and agencies.

With this in mind, here are my five predictions for 2020:

One natural evolution of influencer marketing has been the integration of paid media budgets to deliver targeted amplification of influencers posts. It delivers the media metrics that brands are used to seeing, and its an obvious goldmine for the platforms, who previously saw none of therevenue from the deals made between influencers andbrands.

Expect to see paid amplification made even easier and, as a result, it will become the norm on influencer campaigns, thanks to the key benefits it brings: increased levels of control for audience targeting; much needed reach and scale; and robust reporting and transparency that will be available around campaign delivery.

The influencer marketing industry has, for far too long, relied on social metrics like follower counts, likesand engagement rates as a benchmark of success. These vanity metrics are a proxy at best, and do not provide any real indication as to which talent is right for a brand, or if a collaboration was truly successful at delivering real business objectives.

Today, it is table stakes for marketers to require verifiable campaign metrics, including audience demographics, unique reach, actual impressions and video views delivered. In 2020,look for more brands and their partners to measure effectiveness via influencer campaign brand uplift studies, conversion and sales lift reportsand creative analysis in order to compare influencer work more directly alongside other parts of the marketing mix.

Most influencer marketing tends to fail when it comes to what messages arepublished. Often, brands are reluctant to hand over too much creative freedom to influencers, resulting in content that makes little sense for either the influencer or their audience. At the opposite end of the spectrum, a brand can relinquishall control to the influencer, who then produces something which may be a popular piece of content with their audience but doesnt actually deliver the appropriate messages and impact for the brand.

Balance is necessary, and brands are seeing exciting creative production capabilities coming from the influencer community,such asthe ability to localize a concept across the globe or tap into the mindset of a diverse range of communities and culturesall while staying on-brief.

When brands start their influencer campaigns with a solid brief, expect to see more suitably matchedbrands and influencers, more authentic and exciting work and more examples of influencer-produced creative that powers other marketing campaigns, from digital mediato print and OOH.

The notion that influencers are becoming increasingly meaningful channels for brands, combined with advances in data and measurement, will undoubtedly lead to longer-term collaborations between the most-effectively matched influencers and brands. And the outcome will be mutually beneficial.

For the brand, there are significant efficiency benefits to the relationship. In addition to the fact that the influencer is able to become a more authentic advocate with a much deeper relationship, it can drive real product and market insights, too.

For the influencer (the publisher), who needs to generate income, thebenefit lies in having both the financial security and opportunity to work continually on a brand collaboration that makes sense for them and for their audience.

Going one step further, you can expect to see more and more partnerships between influencers and brands working together to co-create products or even new brands.

With numerous reports of undisclosed brand collaborations, botaccounts,fraudulent audiences, manipulated results and the blurring of lines between organic and paid, its no surprise that a lack of transparency has been the major complaint about the influencer industry.

And while total eradication of these issues isnt a reality for 2020, the level of sophistication of the data, technology and education now available should enable a more informed and accountable process for influencer marketing. The issue of transparency will hopefully be banished to the fringes and will no longer be the central talking point in the majority of influencer marketing campaigns.

If these predictions become reality then, as a result, we can expect to see the influencer marketing industry taking some giant strides towards raising its professional standards, whichshould pave the way for even greater growth in 2021.

Link:
5 ways influencer marketing will evolve in 2020 - AdAge.com

The National Basketball Association continues to mourn the death of former commissioner David Stern, with league executives remembering him as a commanding and complicated leader who many regard as having been one of the greatest commissioners in sports.

Adam Silver, who succeeded Stern as NBA commissioner in 2014, called him a "mentor" and "friend." Stern, who died Sunday at the age of 77, three weeks after being hospitalized for a sudden brain hemorrhage, is survived by his wife, Dianne, and their sons, Andrew and Eric.

"Like every NBA legend," Silver said in a statement, "David had extraordinary talents, but with him it was always about the fundamentals preparation, attention to detail, and hard work. But over the course of 30 years as Commissioner, he ushered in the modern global NBA."

"He launched groundbreaking media and marketing partnerships, digital assets and social responsibility programs that have brought the game to billions of people around the world," Silver continued. "Because of David, the NBA is a truly global brand making him not only one of the greatest sports commissioners of all time but also one of the most influential business leaders of his generation."

San Antonio Spurs CEO R.C. Buford, the team's general manager during Stern's time as commissioner, remembered him as a man of "clear vision and purpose."

Buford and the Spurs certainly had their battles with the league office while Stern was in charge. It was Stern who hit the Spurs, which many consider the organization that popularized the "rest" trend in the NBA, with a $250,000 fine in 2012 for doing exactly that when the team played the Miami Heat in a primetime matchup. The Spurs rested star players Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green by sending them home, an action Stern called a "disservice to the league and our fans."

Despite any differences during Stern's reign, Buford joined in with other NBA executives around the league who remembered Stern as the person who changed the image and economics of the league.

"He built our game to a significant position, not only domestically but around the world. He had an impact on basketball across so many platforms," Buford said.

During his 30-year tenure, from 1984 to 2014, Stern took the NBA from a 23-team organization struggling to make a profit to a 30-team operation whose revenue increased by 30 times to a reported $5 billion. He helped boost its attraction by expanding its presence outside the United States through marketing and television broadcasts in more than 200 countries and regions in 49 languages.

He also presided over four NBA lockouts and led efforts to create two new leagues, the Women's National Basketball Association and the NBA Development League; implemented the first dress code and first anti-drug agreement in professional sports, and introduced salary caps and revenue sharing to the league.

Philadelphia 76ers CEO Scott O'Neil, who worked for Stern in the league office, said Stern read "stacks of newspaper articles" to study international affairs as he attempted to reach a bigger audience for the NBA.

"It wasn't sports," O'Neil told CNBC. "He wasn't reading about the Atlanta Hawks versus Milwaukee game. He was reading about life science, and politics, the emerging economy in Brazil and India, and the incredible market that Africa is today. He understood the geopolitical impact and influence that it would have on this game."

Neil Olshey, the Portland Trail Blazers president of basketball operations, said "for those of us fortunate enough to work in this league under David's leadership, he elevated the standard of excellence in all areas of basketball operations and required you to always be at your best."

Stern is described by some as a "shrewd businessman" and a commissioner who was a "commanding leader."

Golden State Warriors Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts called Stern the "single most important individual" in the history of the NBA.

Welts worked under Stern as the league's chief marketing officer and president of NBA Properties until 1999 before leaving the NBA to become president of Fox Sports Enterprises.

In a video statement provided by the Warriors, Welts called Stern a "mentor."

Said Welts: "I used to joke that my greatest success of my life was directly reporting to David Stern for 17 years and living to tell about it, because it was, some days, an amazing challenge.

"I had a complicated relationship with him, like everybody else," Welts continued, "but at the end of the day, he was a friend, he was a mentor, and his inspiration, creative genius, innovation, ingenuity are the things that really created the NBA that we know today."

Though Stern reported to the league's owners, he was also seen as a commissioner who had the players' best interests in mind when it came to growing league revenue.

After Stern's first year as NBA commissioner in 1984, players' salaries ranged from $60,000 to $2.5 million, and the league's salary cap was roughly $3.6 million. When he departed in 2014, the salary cap reached $58.6 million, while player salaries ranged from $490,180 to $30.4 million.

Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan, who was drafted by the Chicago Bulls the first year Stern became commissioner, told The Athletic that Stern created "opportunities" for players to grow their brands. Last year, the Jordan brand's parent company, Nike, announced the line reached its first-ever $1 billion quarter.

"His vision and leadership provided me with the global stage that allowed me to succeed," Jordan told the subscription-based sports media company. "David had a deep love for the game of basketball and demanded excellence from those around him and I admired him for that. I wouldn't be where I am without him."

In a text message to CNBC, Roger Montgomery of sports agency Elite Athlete Group added: "His legacy of turning the NBA and the game of basketball into what it is today has made it possible for me to be a part of the awesome opportunities I'm experiencing as an agent. Thank you, Mr. Stern."

Go here to read the rest:
NBA executives mourn the loss of legendary commissioner David Stern a commanding and complex leader - CNBC

NEW YORK California attorney Michael Avenatti wants to portray Nike as a villain and himself a hero at his extortion trial later this month, the company said in a court filing made public Thursday.

The sportswear maker said in court papers that Avenatti's attorneys want five Nike sports marketing employees to testify at the Manhattan federal court trial that starts with jury selection Jan. 22.

The company asked U.S. District Judge Paul G. Gardephe in papers dated Tuesday but filed publicly Thursday to deny Avenatti's request, saying the employees have no knowledge about the extortion and honest services fraud charges lodged against him. Gardephe directed Avenatti's lawyers to respond by Monday.

Avenatti has pleaded not guilty to the charges and said he is being prosecuted unfairly by a U.S. Justice Department beholden to a president he has criticized on social media and in numerous television appearances.

He also has pleaded not guilty to charges he cheated ex-client porn star Stormy Daniels of proceeds of a book deal at a trial scheduled to start in April in New York and to ripping off clients of millions of dollars at a trial set to begin in May in Los Angeles.

Email messages were left with Avenatti and his lawyer. An attempt to reach Avenatti's cellphone was unsuccessful.

Nike said Avenatti wants to "misdirect the jury" by getting Nike employees to testify about alleged misdeeds designed to influence young basketball players who might have a professional future.

"Mr. Avenatti would like to elicit the Nike Employees' testimony to try to establish that Nike engaged in criminal conduct, and that Nike hid this criminal conduct from the Government while claiming to be cooperating," Nike lawyers wrote.

"This narrative which paints Nike as the villain and Mr. Avenatti as the hero is false and illogical. It is false because Nike committed no crimes and fully cooperated," the lawyers said.

Prosecutors say Avenatti threatened to muddy Nike's name by publicizing allegations that the company was part of a scandal in college basketball in which shoe makers helped to fund payouts to basketball coaches and families to influence NBA-bound young athletes.

They allege that Avenatti tried to get Nike to pay him up to $25 million.

Nike said Avenatti wants to "drag the five" Nike employees across the country from the company's Beaverton, Oregon, headquarters to testify at his trial, including the executive vice president of Nike Global Sports Marketing and the global vice president of Sports Marketing & Basketball.

The company said that the employees to varying degrees have knowledge of Nike's sports marketing related to amateur basketball, but none of them "can offer testimony relevant to Mr. Avenatti's extortion and fraud scheme."

"They never spoke with Mr. Avenatti. They were not present for Mr. Avenatti's threats," the lawyers wrote.

Nike's lawyers said Avenatti's lawyers can elicit what they need from Nike attorneys who will testify at the trial.

They urged Avenatti's lawyers to seek "that limited testimony and not a fishing expedition into the minutiae of amateur basketball."

Continued here:
Nike: Avenatti wants to make it a villain at extortion trial - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Articles throughout December explored advertising, promotion and labeling in addition to the role of social media in regulatory communications. Leading experts in the profession shared valuable insight on a wide range of issues impacting APL professionals today, including optimizing ad/promo regulatory affairs communications, Facebook chat study results and the use of hashtags, social media influencers and considerations, price transparency and assessing risk and strategic business decision-making.

Regulatory professionals, DiDonato, Lee and Roychowdhury, discuss the emergence of social media for use in pharmaceutical advertising and promotion in The Brave new World of Social Media: Regulatory Perspective on Hashtags and Facebook Messenger. The authors cover what hashtags mean, how they function, their uses and potential misuses and provide results of their investigation into how pharmaceutical companies using the social media platform Facebook Messenger respond to consumer questions received through social media. They conclude that the pharmaceutical industry and regulatory professionals should use social media carefully and remain complaint with standard advertising and promotion regulations.

Over the past seven years, there has been a steady decline in the number of FDA enforcement letters pertaining to the advertising and promotion activities for prescription drug products. At the same time, the Office of Prescription Drug Promotion (OPDP) have issued guidance documents to provide a framework for industry to address the current issues facing todays regulatory professionals. Regulatory enthusiast, Jurcik, discusses how regulatory professionals can make benefit-risk decisions with limited agency guidance materials or enforcement examples in Assessing Risk and Strategic Business Decision-Making Without Consistent FDA Enforcement. She concludes that with a scarcity of enforcement letters from FDA in recent years, regulatory professionals must turn to other tools to understand FDA and other government agency issues related to drug promotional activities.

Advertising and promotional (Ad/Promo) review committees in the pharmaceutical industry serve an important role in helping to protect the company, its employees and, most importantly, the patients who take prescription medicines. Ad/Promo committees review and approve product advertising and promotional materials and other internal and external communications. In Optimizing the Review Process of Advertising and Promotional Communications, Gomba, Jameison and Sadowski discuss how medical, legal and regulatory review committee members can best function to provide efficient and effective communication as well as a productive environment aimed at yielding creative, yet compliant, materials. The experts make suggestions for optimizing communications as part of the internal review process by providing clear understanding of regulations and establishing clearly defined processes to foster compliance. They also touch on the importance of timelines and work prioritization, having a unified committee perspective and the need for respectful behavior in team meetings.Engaging social media influencers for prescription drug promotion can present a challenge for most pharmaceutical companies; however, by working with the right social media influencer and operating within standing regulations, companies can reach appropriate patients via social media. In Clarity in Chaos: Best Practice Tips for Engaging Influencers for Pharmaceutical Promotion, Blackmon and Williams demonstrate how one pharmaceutical company used social media to offer guidance to pharmaceutical companies considering using media influencers to promote their products. The experts cover internal collaboration and alignment, identification of creative guardrails for brand teams and regulatory requirements and recommendations.

Whether you are a patient, healthcare provider, industry professional or just have access to news, you have probably witnessed conversations regarding drug pricing transparency, an issue unfolding across America. In Drug Pricing Transparency: the Conversation is far From Over, Walker and Lem discuss the US governments attempts to require drug pricing transparency in advertising. The thought leaders explain the events following the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) publication of a proposed rule for regulation to require drug pricing transparency. They outline recent initiatives by a number of other federal agencies to develop ways to inform the public about drug costs, efforts by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) to add their voice to the issue, lawsuits filed by several pharmaceutical companies against federal agencies and subsequent court decisions and appeals.

Regulatory Intelligence

To support the release of the Q4 Regulatory Focus Article Series, Regulatory Intelligence and Policy: Shaping the Global Landscape, RAPS hosted a lively discussion on Regulatory Exchange with three regulatory intelligence experts, Meredith Brown-Tuttle, Matt Medlin and Kirsten Messmer. In Regulatory Intelligence and Policy, the experts, who were all authors in the series, offered their perspectives on the importance of regulatory intelligence and the integral role RI professionals play in defining strategy for companies in regard to development, approval and maintenance of products, as well any changes to regulations impacting the global regulatory landscape. This article presents the questions and answers from the 11 December online discussion.

What you Missed at Convergence

The following two articles were based on a presentations given at RAPS Regulatory Convergence, 21-24 September 2019, Philadelphia, PA.

Global Pediatric Drug Development addresses global pediatric drug development and compares strategies and regulations in the US and the European Union (EU). Regulatory experts, Georgopoulos and McBride, identify key regulations and resources to support pediatric drug development, describe some of the most important factors to consider when developing a global pediatric drug development strategy and point out some common pitfalls in the development of a global pediatric drug development strategy.

Form FDA 1572: Challenges and Opportunities discusses considerations for conducting global clinical trials under the US Food and Drug Administrations Form FDA 1572, an agreement signed by the Principal Investigator (PI) to provide certain information to the sponsor and ensuring the sponsor will comply with FDA regulations related to the conduct of the clinical investigation of drugs and biologics. Some national authorities will not allow their investigators to sign Form FDA 1572 as from their perspective it represents a foreign legal requirement. Regulatory expert, Pangu, discusses the challenges in not signing and recommends processes that sponsors of global clinical trials can adopt to overcome the challenges of signing or not signing Form FDA 1572.

Whats Coming in January

January feature articles will explore the vital role of regulatory within organizations and throughout the product lifecycle. We have brought together some of the leading experts in the profession to share their valuable experience on a wide range of issues impacting regulatory professionals today, including regulatory leadership for a culture of quality, how to successfully hire and engage consultants, regulatorys role in business strategies and UDI and recall management. Other articles will cover REMS requirements for healthcare providers, independently unified drug development processes, a review and update of Chinas regulatory environment and the changing regulatory landscape for insulin. Look for these articles and more throughout January.

March Call for Articles

Regulatory Focus is looking for articles for the March 2020 topic covering regulatory ethics and history. Ethics is the assumed hallmark and unequivocal standard behind all elements of regulatory affairs and compliance. This issue seeks to examine various perspectives on this essential concept. Desired contributions will explore ethics and compliance with broad applicability to the field. Articles are sought evaluating:

View original post here:
Advertising, Promotion, Labeling and the Role of Social Media in Regulatory Communications - Regulatory Focus

If you are cracking open a brand-new calendar to bring fresh organization to 2020, you may have Anna Bond to thank. And speaking of thanking people, you may have her to thank for that too.

Ms. Bond, 35, is the chief creative officer of Rifle Paper Co., which has sold nearly 750,000 planners since 2015 and more than 500,000 thank-you cards last year alone.

She and her husband, Nathan Bond, the companys C.E.O., started Rifle out of his parents garage apartment ten years ago (choosing the name simply because she liked it, not for any connotation of shuffling through papers). We had absolutely no clue what we were doing, she said.

But their company has been operating at a profit almost from its beginning, Ms. Bond said. We have never taken on any investment or taken on any debt at all, she said. It was a common-sense approach.

Rifle employs more than 150 people between its headquarters in Winter Park, Fla., its nearby warehouse where orders are fulfilled and its office in New York. Its offerings have expanded to include wrapping paper, gift bags, phone cases, book covers, sneakers, rugs, wallpaper, water bottles, mugs and pillows. All bear Ms. Bonds signature floral designs that she, a former art student, creates with brush in hand, using gouache paint.

She got started designing posters that advertised Mr. Bonds band performances, back when they were dating. Friends started asking her to do their wedding invitations. After she did invitations for her own wedding, orders started pouring in.

This was 2009, still early days for social media. People were making more connections with friends old and new by computer and phone. One might think this would spell doom for the old-fashioned letter writing industry, but some saw an opportunity to market its specialness. Small-batch stationery companies sprouted all over the Etsyverse. Rifle has been one of the few to have broken through to a larger market that includes legacy brands like Crane & Co.

The Bonds also have three young sons Ford, 4; Ronan, 20 months; and Louis, 8 months and so when we spoke with Ms. Bond in mid-December, her own planner was stuffed: both with last-minute details for her familys 2019 celebration and ideas for how her business will approach the December 2020 holiday season.

11:30 a.m. I arrived to our New York office in SoHo after a photo shoot. I flew in from Florida on Sunday night. I come once a month to meet with the designers here. Most of the day I was with Trish Whalen, our president, and Debs Camplin, the new creative director. They worked together at Kate Spade.

12:30 p.m. Over lunch, we continued to talk about holiday 2020 ideas, because a few key accounts would like to see previews. We reviewed cards that need to get to the printer. We ordered take out from Sweetgreen and ate at the conference table in the office. In Florida, nobody eats at their desks. I didnt think that was weird until we hired New Yorkers and they would say, Where is everyone? And I would say, Theyre out taking their lunch break.

2 p.m. Trish brought up some big collaborations she wants me to consider. I passed on most of them. We have a capsule collection at Anthropologie of mugs and travel accessories, categories we have not yet fully developed. Anthropologie wants to keep some of that going and I did say yes to that.

7 p.m. I went back to Greenwich Hotel and ordered room service (spaghetti). I was in bed by 9:30. One of my goals when I come to New York is to sleep. Child-free sleep is a deep, magical sleep.

7:45 a.m. I had breakfast with a friend in the pretty parlor room at the hotel. He works at the Art Academy and weve been talking about our doing a workshop with the students, where we would end up with a limited-edition print.

9:30 a.m. I did a few emails. We use Slack at Rifle, so I checked in on some Slacks from the Florida team. I personally like Slack for group-chat back-and-forth conversation, whereas email is good for discussions you need to keep organized.

1 p.m. We had an epic two-hour meeting discussing our spring marketing initiatives, so that I can go to the creative team in Florida to talk about how we can support it all. We had lunch during the meeting. I ordered from a random Japanese place I found on Uber Eats.

3:30 p.m. We reviewed some 2021 planners and a few tech samples. Like an AirPod Pro case we are making with Case-Mate.

4 p.m. I met with one of our designers. We were talking about holiday concepts for 2020. We made advent calendars this year for the first time and theyve been very popular. So she showed me a few concepts for next year.

4:30 p.m. I met with a designer about what we are doing for our Keds collaboration for 2021.

5:30-6:30 p.m. I reviewed and approved some social posts. I try to delegate some of that work but any direct communication with the customer is so important. Its never a waste of time.

6:30 p.m. I left for La Guardia Airport and got home around 1 a.m.

6 a.m. Ford, my oldest, got up and requested some bread and butter. I pleaded with him to wait until breakfast time. I gave in.

7:50 a.m. I took Ford to school. Ronan, my middle son, came for the ride. Nathan stayed home with the baby. I stopped for coffee on the way back, cappuccino at the good old suburban Starbucks. I have learned the importance of drive-throughs since Ive had children.

8:15 a.m. I hung out at home with Ronan and Louis, the baby. When the nanny arrived at 9:15, I showered and went to work.

10 a.m. Nathan and I share an assistant. When I get in, she and I do a quick touch-base. Shes helping with our Rifle holiday party, so we talked about that too. Were doing it at a venue in downtown Orlando. It will be employees and their significant others. We also invited local vendors. Were expecting about 250 people.

11 a.m. This is when I did my most urgent task of the day, which was actually due on Friday, half a week before. I was reviewing 17 new cards, the final files that would be sent to the printer. They are all cards that I painted and that the creative team cleaned up and prepped for print. They will be available at the end of January or early February. All of our cards are printed locally in Florida, so the turnaround time is quick.

2 p.m. I snuck in dealing with our own family Christmas card. I came home from New York to a pile of Christmas cards from people who are more on time that I am and I was like, Oh shoot! Im around my own designs all the time and I think its nice to sometimes support other brands. So I used a different company, Artifact Uprising. Theyre very minimal and simple, a personal favorite.

4 p.m. My mom picked up Ford from school and they came by the office to say hi. He likes to run around. He thinks its his domain.

4:30 p.m. We met with the marketing team and talked about all of our company holiday cards, who was going to be writing what cards to whom and how we are going to get them all out the door.

6 p.m. I left and stopped at Whole Foods on my way home. The intention was to cook dinner but we ended up ordering takeout from a local Turkish place. It was better than what I would have made.

7-8:15 p.m. Bedtime for the kids. It is chaos.

9 p.m. We had dinner, watched The Crown and went to bed.

8:15 a.m. I took Ronan, my second, to run a few errands. We went to a bookstore because Fords school is having a holiday party and I forgot to get him a book for the gift exchange. Its nice to have one-on-one time with the middle child.

11:30 a.m. I spent a few hours working on a document for Trish. Its a five-page PDF that gives our rough ideas for Christmas for next year for Trish to pitch. Sketches we like, color palettes, things like that.

2 p.m. One of my designers popped in and we wrapped up discussions about our 2021 planners. We are making changes to the packaging.

2:30 p.m. I had my standing meeting with the V.P. of marketing and our project manager. We talked about the sales and announcements that will happen on the website for Christmas so I can brief the designers on anything we might need from them. I met with the senior marketing designer and she showed me social posts that are going up during the weekend.

5 p.m. I had the final meeting about the planners. I had asked for little revisions, we are trying to make our packaging more consistent. There are some updates to the fonts.

5:30 p.m. I saw the time and it just hit me that we had a guest coming to stay for a few nights. I raced home. The guest room doubles as a nursery and the sheets were clean, but the kids play on the bed while I put the baby to sleep. So I changed the sheets and freshened the room. I moved the babys stuff into our room.

6 p.m. We had the normal evening routine of feeding the kids and putting them to bed. I had intended, again, to make dinner but we decided to order in. Nathan and I caught up with our friend and hung out.

10:30 a.m. I arrived to the office. We have a small retail store in front of our offices and we do a Christmas sidewalk and I checked out how it was going. We sell any of our products that are slightly flawed at a discount, and its quite popular locally.

11 a.m. I did a few emails and hand-lettered a quote that will post on social media sometime next week. Normally I paint everything in gouache but I have these Japanese paint pens that feel like paintbrushes but are more like markers. I have been using them for lettering.

12:25 p.m. I went early to Fords school Christmas party. One of the other moms asked me to help set up and Im trying to be more involved. Ford was excited to give the book in the Rifle Nutcracker wrapping.

2 p.m. I went to the office holiday-party venue. I wanted to be sure everything was good to go. I brought my dress, so the staff who needed to get home to change could do that, and helped with final details flowers on the table and things like that.

5:30 p.m. The party! Nathan likes to have live music every year that connects to a theme. This year we had a mariachi band and the theme was Mexico City. The dcor was beautiful, very colorful, lush and festive. The band was amazing. Theyre called Mariachi Cobre and they play at Epcot. We had local food trucks, there was a taco truck where they made the tortillas right there. We had a photo booth. My friend who planned the party hired these women to make flower crowns with real flowers and attach them to headbands.

We were talking to a group who have been with Rifle for over five years and we talked about past parties and how everything has changed. Its nice to have staff thats been here a long time. There is a whole group of people who have grown up with the company and thats really fun, because Nathan and I have grown up with it too.

Interviews are conducted by email, text and phone, then condensed and edited.

Originally posted here:
The Work Diary of Anna Bond, Whose Work Includes Making Diaries - The New York Times