The E-commerce Content Creation Podcast

Summary

Kevin Mason of studio workflow is back for another round to discuss Process Improvement. We start at the beginning, how do we get the perspective we need to evaluate the process, and the how do we drill down from there. Spoiler alert, many recurring themes that you’ve heard on this show play into success process review. Not the least of which is how we set and communicate business, studio, and individual goals.

Key Takeaways

• A studio is an ecosystem of sorts, with a lot of different types of people and talent, and sometimes priorities compete. That's why leadership needs to sometimes make decisions that may impact parts of the team. Clear communication is key to understand and smooth improvement process. 
• Individual goals that align with studio goals that align with business goals are vital to effective process improvement or change. Teams need to understand the "why."
• Get a birds eye view of the process. A process map is a great start, but be sure to also walk the floor, and compare what you see against the process map.
• If your studio doesn't have a process map, just start documenting what is currently happening. Follow the product. 
• Offer opportunities to your team to Job Shadow. Your process benefits from everyone in the studio understanding what happens upstream and downstream. 
• A powerful tool to determine how current processes are functioning is to ask each task what a successful day looks like for them individually. 

Resources

Studio Workflow on the Web

Kevin Mason on Linkedin

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Summary

Think back to 2015 and you may remember, The Dress. A viral phenomenon that taught us a lot about how we as humans perceive color. As a photographer during that time, it sort of felt like watching the world learn a lot about what we already knew. Color can be deceiving and you never know what someone else ACTUALLY sees. In e-commerce, color is a constant topic, partially for this exact reason. If we can’t control what devices people are using to shop, let alone how their eyes work, how much effort should we put into this? In this episode I’m joined by Jean Francois Ortiz and Jason Wheeler of Columbia Sportswear and we dig into color for e-commerce

Key Takeaways

• Color accuracy and fidelity has been a topic since the birth of e-commerce and digital photography
• Color is so difficult to manage because of the sheet number of variables that are involved, both in terms of technology and how digital systems interpret color
• Early on in the modern e-commerce age, the available technology made color accuracy very difficult. Cameras were lower resolution and monitors couldn't display the full spectrum of color for web.
• As technology progresses, color accuracy gets easier to achieve but also becomes more important to pay attention to.
• There are stills issues even as technology streamlines, such as display brightness or features like night mode or blue light mode.
• The human eye only sees 3 colors of the spectrum and has to depend on our brains to interpret the colors. Who can say if we all see it exactly the same.
• A key goal of the studio teams shooting product photography is to help the customer trust that what we are showing them is true and accurate.
• For the studio, this becomes about simply having a consistent process that handles color the same way every time.
• Color accurate swatching - A step with special tools and teams that can take the time to create an image that is as color accurate as possible.
• Color is a headache that will never go away, but we can find a process that works and is repeatable in order to build consistency.

Resources

Metamerism - Two objects whose colors appear the same under a light source

The Dress

X-Rite Color Test

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Summary

Rob Regovich of Malouf Companies joins Daniel to take on the topic of planning for your studio in the face of disruption. We touch on the core challenges of planning for any studio, how your team and studio size impact the planning process, on how data and analytics plays a role in this. 

Key Takeaways

• The single biggest planning problem for a studio is getting the sample in the studio. Before any other factors caused further delays, simply knowing when the sample would be received was already difficult. 
• Studio size also has an impact on planning. How much capacity does a studio have, how much can a studio produce. 
• Balancing full time team, with the ability to expand with freelance talent can have an impact on planning and timing. 
• Consider your samples teams the lynchpin of your studio. Effective sample or merchandise coordinators must be fluent in the languages of all stakeholders involved in getting samples to the studio. 
• Experienced sample teams can get way ahead of problems before the issue hits the creative teams. 
• Data collection and planning are critical to planning. And you need GOOD data, that spans long periods, because outliers in production are often and have outsized impact

Resources

Rob Regovich on Linkedin

Malouf Companies on LinkedIn

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Summary

Tejs Rasmussen, Chief Product Officer of Creative Force sits down to talk about the growth of the platform in the last year, and what 2022 may hold for the product and for the Creative Force team. 

Key Takeaways

• Creative Force launched a brand new module for editorial production, built from the ground up and put the company right back in the chaos of learning what works and what doesn't
• There were many updates to Creative Force in 2021 that were intended to enhance the logic of the platform. 
• A big workflow update to Creative Force is color reference logic, which is now best in class in creative production. 
• Conditional Style Guides and Production Types was a big improvement over the previous iteration, that allows for much smarter construction of a studios production needs. 
• Aside from the tech, Creative Force as a team and a company has grown a lot in 2021. The company was bought out by the founders, COVID impacted our ability to recruit so we had to pivot to growth in other ways. 

Resources

Check out past release notes from Creative Force here

Tejs Rasmussen on LinkedIn

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Summary

Feedback is a gift. It can be scary, it can be hard, but when given in good faith it helps us learn, grow, and can make us feel good about the work that we’ve done. For this Christmas week episode of the e-commerce content creation podcast, Daniel is joined by Terence Mahone of Farfetch to discuss the gift of feedback. Even though it can be hard, if the goal of the team is growth, it is absolutely possible to have a culture where feedback is welcome and appreciated. 

Key Takeaways

• Feedback is often thought to be exclusively negative, when in reality feedback can be a gift.
• Feedback at its core is information, and asking for more information to better form your opinion is valuable when giving and/or receiving feedback.
• Feedback should always be specific. Generic feedback amounts to a personal opinion and isn't always the best tool for growth.
• SBI - Situation Behavior Impact - A feedback format that encourages more meaningful information to help with giving GOOD feedback.
• Creating a culture that thrives on feedback changes how people approach cross functional projects or relationships
• Timeliness of feedback is crucial, if only because the more time passes, the harder it is to remember.
• Feedback can become a barometer for culture and communication in a team or org. If feedback is difficult, maybe there are some communication gaps that need to be filled.
• Like all things, we get better at feedback if we practice it. If you only give feedback a little bit once a year, you can't really expect to be good at it.
• we LIKE to hear things that tell us our colleagues believe in us, and want to see us grow.
• Difficult feedback needs to go through a manager, but peer to peer feedback can be really valuable provided the studio culture allows for it.
• Keeping a record of feedback can be important for a manager, to help facilitate growth, but also to give their next manager an idea of the accomplishments and areas of an improvement for a direct report.
• Keeping good records and meeting notes with your employees also eases the performance review process each year.

Resources

SBI Feedback

STAR Feedback Model

Terence Mahone on LinkedIn

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Summary

Phillip Kirst, founder of Spice Media, joins Daniel to talk about efficiency. Everything from starting small to measuring and evaluating, to fostering process improvement from your team. 

Key Takeaways

• Efficiency is ever-evolving. Experience and heuristics helps find efficiencies in your process.
• Low hanging fruit or big wins aren't the only way to get efficient. Small improvements in the aggregate can have huge impacts on overall savings.
• Seconds saved on several thousand pictures has a big return.
• Commercial studios have to balance many factors that dictate how efficient they can be. Client specific needs can change the calculus.
• There isn't ONE thing you need to do to achieve an efficient process. But it does start with selecting the right team. A curious team is a team that creatively solves problems to achieve shared goals.
• You cannot manage you do not measure.
• Getting data isn't only important, but how you collect the data makes a difference.

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Summary

Creative Force senior product specialist James Lewis joins Daniel in this clip show style look back at a few topics from the past year on the podcast. We listen to and discuss clips on KPIs, strategic planning, continuous improvement, and more!

Clip List

• Understanding and Supporting your Creative Teams with Tony Baker of Stitch Fix
• Process vs Product with Scott Willson of Patagonia
• Making the Case for Continuous Improvement with Terence Mahone of Farfetch
• Metrics That Run Your Studio with Todd Schweikert of Rue Gilt Groupe

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Summary

Joining Daniel for this episode is JR Curley, VP of Brand Marketing at Fab Fit Fun. We talk about what Social Media really means to e-commerce in the new era of selling online, how brands can leverage social listening to give their customers what they want, and why your Social Media teams need your support and investment. 

Key Takeaways

• Social Listening through data analysis and customer interactions can provide a lot of insight into what your customers value and what they want. In some cases, it can even replace more traditional methods of forecasting and merchandising. 
• Interacting and having relationships with brands online has been and will continue to grow as the norm for e-commerce.
• The social media manager is a very important role with a lot of inherent risk. We need to shift our thinking away from someone who is younger and more digitally native, to a much more strategic role thats add a lot of value. Invest in this role accordingly.
• Social Media ties directly in to performance for a company.
• The analytics that we can derive from social is valuable and complex.
• In many ways, the social media team are spokespeople for your company.
• The various social media channels are sort of like different types of restaurants. They all serve food, and serve the same function, but there is a distinct tonal different between a high end restaurant and a fast casual eatery. You have to adjust your approach accordingly.
• Synergy amongst the departments that NEED content is critical. Marketing, including social, need to have a productive and collaborative relationship with the studio and creative teams.

Links & Resources

JR on LinkedIn

Fab Fit Fun on LinkedIn

Fab Fit Fun on the Web

The Evolution of Social Media - Maryville University

Social Media is the Current State of the Internet

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Summary

Over the last 35+ episodes of this podcast, we’ve had a handful of book recommendations come up over the course of an episode. As we approach the holiday shopping season and begin to think about gifts for our family and friends, here are some book recommendations that may be just the thing.

Key Takeaways

• Radical Candor by Kim Scott - Available at Amazon or Bookshop.org
• 4DX by CHris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling - Available at Amazon or Bookshop.org
• The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford- Available at Amazon or Bookshop.org
• Scrum by Jeff Sutherland and JJ Sutherland - Available at Amazon
• California Field Atlas by Obi Kaufman - Available at Amazon or Bookshop.org
• Medallion Status by John Hodgman - Available at Amazon or Bookshop.org
• The Food Lab by J. Kenji Lopez Alt - Available at Amazon or Bookshop.org

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com

Summary

Mark Stocker is Senior Creative Manager for The Very Group, a collection of high volume retail brands based in Liverpool England. Mark was a speaker at the Henry Stewart Photo Studios Ops Forum back in October of 2021 and we invited him on this episode to discuss how the proverbial pendulum needs to (and is!) swing away from the lowest cost per shot possible, to a true strategic consideration capable of driving revenue in a more direct way. After all, it is the creative teams and the solutions they develop that will change the way we buy and sell digitally. 

Key Takeaways

• If there were a pendulum, with one side being "Profit Center" and the other side was "Cost Center" for Creative Production at any brand or retailer, the pendulum is probably headed to profit center. That means more investment in creative teams  and creative strategy, and moving away from the pursuit of lowest cost per shot.
• The time is now to focus on investing quality of creative.  The pandemic has forced to embrace EXTREME change in our processes and goals. We can save money now with our eyes closed.
• The power of the creative mind doesn't need to actually click the button to create. It will be todays photographers and stylists that will enable the next revolution of media and e-commerce creative.
• Investing in spaces is important to investing increasing quality.

Links & Resources

Mark on LinkedIn

The Very Group on LinkedIn

Credits
Produced by: Creative Force - creativeforce.io
Edited by: Calvin Lanz Sound - clsound.net
Hosted by: Daniel Jester - danieltjester.com