The first thing we did back in March 2020 when the pandemic got serious was obvious: We closed our offices and carried on with our day-to-day business virtually. It went off without any hitches. We instituted a daily 30-minute “water cooler” call on which we connected, covering personal subjects (who cooked what, watched what, got engaged, went to the dentist, etc.) and business matters (work in progress, deliverables, etc.) The team continued to feel connected.

By Maxwell Chalkin, Chief Digital Officer and Senior Project Manager

Looking back to the start of 2020, we had no idea what this year would bring. (And, boy, was it a doozy!)

What are the differences between these two images? *Answers below.

By Grace Cunning, Senior Project Manager

By Melissa Chefec, Business Development Manager

Once upon a time there was a new marketing & communications company named MKP. It opened its doors in 1995 and got its first significant merger communications project a couple of weeks in. It was an unexpected yet wonderful stroke of good fortune. The project was for a big bank that took a chance in hiring a young company. MKP did a “bang-up” job and even went on to win a vendor-of-the-year award from the client. The project was the first project on the now-famous “merger project list.”

They come in all sorts of colors, shapes, sizes and fabrics. Some have vents and others have elastic bands to hold them. Some are disposable, and some are pricey and reusable. We’ve seen ones in black and plaid, with smiley faces and even with the famous Rolling Stones lick face image. In some walks, they have become a fashion accessory, selected to match a particular outfit. What are we talking about? Masks.

It’s a funny thing being a creative marketing and communications agency: our clients hire us for our ideas. As fun as it is to be creative, it can be a lot of pressure to know that the bills only get paid when the ideas are good. After all, creativity flows most freely when the livin’ is easy! So, how do we keep the creative juices flowing despite the challenge of having to be creative on demand?

By Pamela Reich, Director of Communications Strategy

At MKP, perhaps the most obvious manifestation of our creativity as a marketing communications company is our end product, whether it’s a letter, brochure, banner, ad or campaign. Yes, we pride ourselves on the ability of our writers and designers to develop creative that is strategically on target, brand sensitive and impactful. Taking a deeper look, however, we find that creativity guides and inspires everything we do.

Here at MKP, brainstorming is a big part of what we do. And over the years, we’ve developed a few important techniques and guidelines that have helped us tremendously. Try a few of these the next time you gather a group to kick around ideas. We’re confident they’ll help you too, no matter what project your next brainstorming session may be for!

1. Take “No Bad Ideas” to the next level.

Most people would agree, there is no silver bullet for promoting a culture of engagement and enthusiasm at work. Large companies (and some medium-sized ones) often have some sort of employee engagement program spearheaded by Human Resources (with varying results!). But what’s a company on the smaller side to do?

By Pamela Reich, Director of Communications Strategy, and Hillary Kelbick, President & CEO