As Fathom continues exploring how to make doing good in our community a part of who we are, I’ve been thinking a lot about group dynamics.

Why do some ideas generated by groups live and thrive while others die on the vine? The same thing could be said for you as an individual too. What makes something maintainable in your life, and why do some things fade away?

Scale is definitely a factor. If you have a lot of chefs in the kitchen all working on the same meal, the output could be great or a disaster depending on how people collaborate. [...]]]> As Fathom continues exploring how to make doing good in our community a part of who we are, I’ve been thinking a lot about group dynamics.

Why do some ideas generated by groups live and thrive while others die on the vine? The same thing could be said for you as an individual too. What makes something maintainable in your life, and why do some things fade away?

Scale is definitely a factor. If you have a lot of chefs in the kitchen all working on the same meal, the output could be great or a disaster depending on how people collaborate. If you are one person making an awesome dinner, the work is on you. If you are 15 people making dinner, the output can scale up, allowing you to feed more people, but so can the risk of losing cohesion with the common goal.

An awesome poster we received from the Groton CT Head Start program after helping a family with Christmas during a very difficult time.

To avoid the disaster in the kitchen, we are working on clarifying what the group is working towards, with each person telling the group how they’d like to participate in that shared commitment.

Today at Friday Lunch we discussed how to put words around what we’re committed to. We’re not there yet but we are certain about two things:

1 – That how we help our community will be akin to how we are with clients. We get paid to help clients create lasting impact — from uncovering the truth about who they are to designing a website that has brand longevity. We have a hunch that we won’t be able to stop ourselves, that we will naturally gravitate to seeking the truth of something and then finding ways to unleash new possibilities. So, what will this look like when we volunteer our time to help others? As we noodled on that, we also came to this . . .

2 – We’d like to bring our Fathom and personal skills to our volunteering efforts. One thing we are all in agreement on is that we are interested in having direct impact to an organization or a person. Part of this is getting hands-on (no big check writing and then calling it a day) and the other part is adding value that we can bring to the table because of who we are and what we do.

Adding value in the Fathom way means finding different ways to apply ourselves than what the nonprofit organization might not have considered. For instance, we are volunteering for a day at Junior Achievement in April. We could gain a lot from showing up and doing our time. But, we see that investing time into documenting the day and then sharing our experience after its over will have a more lasting impact for them.

The official public-facing words of our commitment to our philanthropic efforts is on the horizon. In the meantime, we are doing good where we can and we’re staying close to what we’re creating here. We see that there is a lot of learning to come in how we can work as a team and how to effectively build philanthropy into the everyday habits of a culture.

And, when I look at it through the lens of culture, I see that group dynamics can have its roots there. Having 15 cooks in the kitchen has more opportunity to fail if even just one person is not passionate about what they’re doing and clear about what the group is taking on. But, if you’re all working from the same recipe book and really love being in that kitchen, what you create can be delicious and fulfilling. And it can last beyond your time at the table.

If you visited Disney World in the 1980s, you might have seen one of those families who toted their video cameras throughout the Magic Kingdom. They strode into “It’s a Small World” with a sense of purpose – and a seemingly endless supply of videotape – but one wondered if they would ever find a willing audience for their footage back home.

Turns out they were ahead of their time. According to YouTube, more video is uploaded to the site in 60 days than the three major U.S. networks produced in 60 [...]]]> If you visited Disney World in the 1980s, you might have seen one of those families who toted their video cameras throughout the Magic Kingdom. They strode into “It’s a Small World” with a sense of purpose – and a seemingly endless supply of videotape – but one wondered if they would ever find a willing audience for their footage back home.

Turns out they were ahead of their time. According to YouTube, more video is uploaded to the site in 60 days than the three major U.S. networks produced in 60 years. Now, they’ve launched YouTube for Schools to provide teachers with direct access to educational content (and keep the inappropriate stuff out). As Fathom continues to take on more and more video projects, we see the medium only beginning to realize its potential for business.

Fathom's video camera (for the everyday stuff) at work

Video’s role in the online space has become a way that visitors prefer to receive all kinds of information. A 2010 Forbes survey found that 75% of all executives said they watched work-related videos on business websites at least once a week. Smartphones and laptops give us practical ways to share a story on the go, and it’s one that’s not possible with words and pictures alone.

There’s a lot of potential, but it’s imperative get your story across quickly. A study by Visible Measures found that 30 seconds into an online video, up to a third of visitors leave, while 44% have moved on by the minute mark, and almost 60% have abandoned by the 2-minute mark.

Now that services like Vimeo and YouTube allow us to integrate video into websites so viewers can play them almost instantly, we find ourselves conjuring up new possibilities for a medium that has the potential to achieve the goals of good marketing – in fact, all good story telling, including:

Show, don’t tell.

Fathom client Kaman, a global leader in aerospace and industrial distribution, had until recently been very modest with its story. We created a company video that demonstrates what it means to be a part of the company, including how the accomplishments of its history are leading to more exciting innovations in the future. Kaman had produced other videos in the past but this one is different. In this video, Kaman is seen through the people who know it best, the workers who take pride in continuing the company’s tradition of doing what has never before been done.

Create a more direct connection with your visitors.

Fathom is working with a professional services client to introduce its team on its website through a series of videos. You can tell so much just by listening to someone speak in his or her own words, and this is the invitation for a longer conversation. Video is giving us a chance to create a personal introduction and to explain this firm’s philosophy more engagingly than through a static message.

Target your message for your audience – and measure what works.

For a client with a range of services, we are developing topical videos that allow visitors to self-select their areas of interest. Through analytics, we can measure what interests visitors and where on the site they choose to go for more information. By testing and learning what resonates, we can provide more of the information that visitors seek.

And while there’s still no guarantee that you can interest the folks back home in watching your latest vacation footage, with today’s analytics, at least you can track whether or not they did.

Announced in Hartford, Conn. today, aerospace industry leader Kaman has partnered with Fathom for brand strategy, design and development of a new website, Kaman.com. The brand work and website represent a new chapter in the company’s successful 60+ year history in the aerospace and industrial distribution markets.

“Our business has evolved significantly in recent years. The brand direction and website bridge our vision for innovation and Mr. Kaman’s legacy, allowing us to create a new and authentic way to tell the Kaman story. With more growth on the way, we have a solid footing for communicating who we [...]]]> Announced in Hartford, Conn. today, aerospace industry leader Kaman has partnered with Fathom for brand strategy, design and development of a new website, Kaman.com. The brand work and website represent a new chapter in the company’s successful 60+ year history in the aerospace and industrial distribution markets.

“Our business has evolved significantly in recent years. The brand direction and website bridge our vision for innovation and Mr. Kaman’s legacy, allowing us to create a new and authentic way to tell the Kaman story. With more growth on the way, we have a solid footing for communicating who we are and what we see on the horizon,” Neal Keating, Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer of Kaman.

Click on the image to view the We Are Kaman video.

Headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut, the company was founded in 1945 by aviation pioneer Charles Kaman and has since grown to 4,700+ worldwide employees operating in over 200 locations. In recent years, the company has added many new businesses. Part of Fathom’s initial work with Kaman was to help architect a new brand structure for the company and its multiple divisions.

“We knew of Kaman’s reputation for innovative thinking and quality,” said David Louden, Fathom Partner. “We discovered that the people behind that reputation are genuine and dedicated to the company’s future. This is the real story behind Kaman.”

The new website was designed as the primary online home for the Kaman Corporation and Kaman Aerospace, as well as a main entry point for the Kaman Industrial Distribution business. The site provides extensive information on all of Kaman’s divisions, their innovation and expertise, as well as details of the many products and services offered by the company.

A key component for expressing the Kaman brand is the “We Are Kaman” video developed specifically for the new website. Produced with award-winning videographer Derek Dudek of Content Pictures, and writer Bob Dennis, Fathom conceived the video as an engaging way for employees to share what it means to be a part of a company that has always sought a better way, from helping clients operate more efficiently to pioneering and building safer ways to fly. The story of Fathom’s work with Kaman can be found on Fathom.net.

About Kaman
Kaman Corporation, founded in 1945 by aviation pioneer Charles H. Kaman, and headquartered in Bloomfield, Connecticut, conducts business in the aerospace and industrial distribution markets. The company produces and/or markets widely used proprietary aerostructure parts, components, systems and FAA certification services for commercial, military and general aviation aircraft. The company is a leading distributor of industrial parts, and operates more than 200 customer service centers and five distribution centers across North America. More information is available at Kaman.com.

About Fathom
Fathom is a creative firm that helps organizations cultivate an inherent, sustainable value that engages markets and evolves their business. With Fathom, clients envision and realize new possibilities for their organization based on their brand’s authentic story. Expertise includes brand strategy and positioning, creative direction, content marketing, identity systems, website design and development and cohesive customer engagement strategies. Fathom’s clients include Yale University, Kaman Corporation, National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), ConnectiCare, Wireless Zone, Aid to Artisans and more. More about Fathom can be found at Fathom.net.

The official press release is posted here. Visit the Fathom website to read a feature story on our work together.

If you’ve ever been to a local church craft fair, it might be difficult to ever go again after shopping at the Aid to Artisans Holiday Craft Sale.

Glass from Egypt, textiles from West Africa, papier mache from Haiti and other products that are found in hip stores like Anthropologie and ABC Carpet & Home, can be found at Aid to Artisans’ Connecticut headquarters (1030 New Britain Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06110), from now until [...]]]>

One of the many colorful items at the craft sale.

If you’ve ever been to a local church craft fair, it might be difficult to ever go again after shopping at the Aid to Artisans Holiday Craft Sale.

Glass from Egypt, textiles from West Africa, papier mache from Haiti and other products that are found in hip stores like Anthropologie and ABC Carpet & Home, can be found at Aid to Artisans’ Connecticut headquarters (1030 New Britain Avenue, West Hartford, CT 06110), from now until December 9, 2011 (Hours are: Fri., Dec. 2nd, 10-5; Sat. Dec. 3rd, 10-5; Sun. Dec. 4th, 10-3; Monday-Friday, Dec. 5th-9th, 10-2 daily).

Aid to Artisans is a longtime Fathom client. To help spread the word of their craft sale and the good works of ATA, yesterday art director Michelle Bashaw put her photog skills to work and I captured stories of the products by interviewing staffer Alden Smith. The video is posted on YouTube and Michelle’s close-ups are below, with many more on Facebook. We hope you can make it to the sale and we’d love to see your finds too. The proceeds from the sale will support ATA and help them keep them in the business of supporting budding businesses across the world.

ATA Craft Sale Hours: Fri., Dec. 2nd, 10-5; Sat. Dec. 3rd, 10-5; Sun. Dec. 4th, 10-3; Monday-Friday, Dec. 5th-9th, 10-2 daily

Fathom recently expanded our account team to include Natalie Collins. As a former client (she previously worked at Better Bedding), Natalie is a blast from our past. Most recently, Natalie held an account

manager position at Connecticut ad agency Keiler & Company, where Lockheed Martin was her client.

Natalie will be shepherding a variety of client relationships at Fathom. The spectrum of what we do continues to broaden on all sides of strategic guidance, creative expression and technology. Adding Natalie’s expertise for managing many [...]]]> Fathom recently expanded our account team to include Natalie Collins. As a former client (she previously worked at Better Bedding), Natalie is a blast from our past. Most recently, Natalie held an account

Meet Natalie, our newest addition

manager position at Connecticut ad agency Keiler & Company, where Lockheed Martin was her client.

Natalie will be shepherding a variety of client relationships at Fathom. The spectrum of what we do continues to broaden on all sides of strategic guidance, creative expression and technology. Adding Natalie’s expertise for managing many moving parts will help us ensure that progress and our clients’ needs are front and center.

Get to know more about Natalie by reading her bio on Fathom.net. You can also connect with her on Facebook and LinkedIn.