The Three C’s of Curator: A Year in Review

Time definitely flies. With this week marking my official one-year anniversary with Curator, I’m taking a look back at the key components I’ve observed over the last year that make Curator such a unique place to work. Check out my “Three C’s” of Curator below! Culture

One thing that sets Curator apart is the emphasis on culture within the agency. Curator’s culture is that thread of camaraderie that ties us all together.

Over the last year, I’ve learned that Curator likes a little friendly office competition. Whether it’s Bachelor and Bachelorette brackets in which we pit hopeful contestants against one another on their journey to find love on TV (and hope that our contenders are victorious), Oscars Ballots in honor of one of the biggest nights in Hollywood (which by the way, resulted in an epic selfie, which I discussed in my last blog post) or our current running March Madness bracket, Curator is all over it. And then there’s Curator’s summer outing, which helps us all connect as team members and celebrate our hard work over the last year. There were a lot of “I’m on a boat” references last year. There’s also a cultural focus on health and wellness. Last fall, all Curators received Jawbone UP bands to help us track our steps, sleep levels and what we eat. The bands also provide reminders like alerting us that it’s time to get up and move around, which is an especially helpful reminder for those times we’re sitting at our desks focused on turning out great work. I admittedly get little reminders that I need to sleep more … I’m working on it. But beyond the Bachelor brackets and summer outings, there is an underlying culture of success. From the way we communicate with clients to the manner in which we ideate and support each other on account work, culture permeates all aspects of Curator.

Content

We learned in Brooke’s recent post that content is queen, while customers are king. Merging high quality content that makes sense for your brand with what your customers want is what Curator strives for. We love to tap into the social conversation when it is organic to your brand. When working with Simon Property Group, that often means tapping into fashion trends, seasons and the pop culture fodder of the moment, through events, press announcements, photo shoots and more.

Throughout my time working with Fashion Valley in San Diego, we have worked with local broadcast stations to create interesting and fun content meant to bring awareness to the fashions, gift options, entertainment and events available at the center. Our segment topics have run the gamut, from New Year’s glam to Spring styles, and fall fashion shows to appropriate attire for Opening Day at the Del Mar Racetrack.  The content is stylish, fun and personifies the caliber and variety of choices that Fashion Valley brings to its shoppers, while tying into the trend or theme of the moment. Check out our latest Oscars-themed segment here.

Creativity

Creativity is another aspect that is inherently infused into the work Curator does. Curator strives to deliver smart, thoughtful and effective campaigns that allow the brands we work with to reach their audiences in innovative ways. “Will Vote for Food” on behalf of Whole Foods Market and LiveLifeLocal on behalf of Safeco Insurance are excellent examples of the thinking Curator puts behind our clients. You can read up on those two campaigns here.

During the holiday season particularly, brands face strict competition in capturing the attention of consumers. With consumers being bombarded with countless brand messages, how can brands garner attention during what is a peak period in the year? During my time with Curator, we grappled with this challenge for our client Villa Group, which owns a handful of top-flight all-inclusive hotels and luxury resorts in Mexico. One way we were able to capture widespread consumer attention was through a partnership I helped forge with The Ellen DeGeneres Show during one of her highest rated episodes of the year, the 12 Days of Giveaways. Audience members are over the moon to be a part of this show, as are brands. On Day 10 of Ellen’s 12 Days of Giveaways, we were able to provide 4-night stays at either of two of the Villa Group’s gorgeous properties, Villa del Palmar Cancun and Garza Blanca Preserve and Resort in Puerto Vallarta for all audience members. In return, the Villa Group was able to be associated with the number one daytime talk show in the nation. The result was phenomenal exposure for the brand.

As I embark on year two with Curator, I look forward to new and exciting adventures within the Three C’s, and beyond.