We had our second webinar in the Melamed Riley Grad School online lecture series last week featuring art director Joseph Hughes. That’s just his official title, however. You could easily call him designer, writer, enthusiast, citizen, student, and more. Joseph’s talk was about just that — how to go beyond your job description, impress your boss, and become an invaluable asset at work.

Here is a peek at just five of the 10 simple but critical tips Joseph shared:

You can always learn about the latest tech, it is important to focus on the piece of tech you’ll have your entire career: Your brain #MRGrad

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 15, 2013

When you reach that balance between hustle and reflection, great things happen. #MRGrad

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 15, 2013

If you wait until your job title matches exactly what you want out of your career, you’ve waited too long. #MRGrad

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 15, 2013

There is one skill that you will with 100% certainty rely upon every day: Writing. #MRGrad

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 15, 2013

Focus less on solutions and more on problems. Doing so aligns you with the interests and needs of your clients. #MRGrad

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 15, 2013

To hear Joseph’s other five tips, you can access the “Invaluable Isn’t Impossible” webinar by clicking on the link below and entering your email address.

Webinar Recording: 10 Ways You Can Become Indispensable At Work

Not sold yet? Here is a short video from Joseph on what to expect from the webinar.

If you have a question for Joseph about becoming a Swiss Army Knife for your organization, leave us a comment below or tweet @MelamedRiley using the official #MRGrad hashtag.

The next Melamed Riley Grad School webinar is slated for June 12. Register now to hear Community Manager Jen Spike talk about why it is important to “Act like a Brand and Think like a Marketer” when it comes to using social media to get a job. Just click the button below for more information on Jen’s upcoming webinar.

Yay or Nay: Little Debbie’s new #logo. ow.ly/l3fJG (RV)

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 15, 2013

This exists: the fast food purse. ow.ly/l18hp #(RV)

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 14, 2013

You have probably heard of the “Cash Cab,” but have you heard of the @candycabnyc providing happiness to all. ow.ly/l89lt (RV)

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 17, 2013

Spoiler Alert, there’s an #app for that: ow.ly/kYaqW (RV)

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 13, 2013

If you wait until your #job title matches exactly what you want out of your career, you’ve waited too long: ow.ly/kGGN4 #MRGrad

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 13, 2013

21 #dogs with no concept of their size: ow.ly/l6ck0 (KB)

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 16, 2013

Brian and Darin took part in this mornings festivities @clebikerack for “Bike To Work Day!”ow.ly/l8mTs #BTWDcle

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 17, 2013

Step into our time machine to take a look at some bizarre, vintage #comicbook ads from days gone by: ow.ly/l0QE2 #MRAD

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 14, 2013

Campbell Soup uses digital marketing to target Millennials. ow.ly/l62Uf (RV)

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 16, 2013

Google Glass from the perspective of a 2-year-old:ow.ly/l6cIQ (LH)

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 16, 2013

Tomorrow is “Bike To Work Day” brought to you by Bike Cleveland. Leave the bumper-to-bumper traffic behind and feel the freedom beneath your feet. As an added incentive to push the pedal to the… ahem, mettle, the RTA is offering free rides for anyone with a bike tomorrow. And Bike Cleveland is offering a number of activities around town throughout the day.

To get your “motor” running, two Energizing stations will be set up.

1. Crank-Set Rides will be serving Phoenix Coffee on the East End of the Lorain/Carnegie Bridge.

2. Heights Bicycling Coalition will also be serving Phoenix Coffee at Edgehill & Overlook.

There will also be events set up in University Circle and Downtown.

1. University East Plaza
Phoenix Coffee will be providing coffee, Constantino’s Markets will be offering bananas and juice, plus pastries will be provided courtesy of Bon Appetit.

Activities include:
• Info on upcoming charity rides from Pan Ohio Hope Ride and MS Pedal to the Point
• 121 Fitness – raffles, smoothie discounts, free showers for cyclists
• Cleveland Yoga
• Bike shops, safety checks

2. Cleveland Bike Rack
Phoenix Coffee is providing coffee, Fresh Fork Market is offering savory breakfast items and Pocket’s Vegan Pastries is providing breakfast vegan cookies.

Activities include:
• Info on upcoming charity rides from Ride United and MS Pedal to the Point
• Bike gear showcased by Raleigh Bicycle
• Tours of the Bike Rack
• Bike shop, safety checks

There are also several evening activities after work.

1. One to One Fitness is offering free Happy Hour Yoga at 5:30 p.m. to anyone with a bike helmet.

2. The Cleveland Cinematheque is showing “The Kid With A Bike” at 7:30 p.m. Regular admission is $9 and it’s just $7 with a bike helmet.

There are plenty more events in the works. Keep up to date on “Bike To Work Day” activities throughout the day on Twitter by using the hashtag #BTWDcle. See you on the road!

If you read comic books as a kid, you might remember salivating over some of these bizarre advertisements offering anything from fake mustaches to x-ray glasses. While some of these vintage ads had some pretty cool artwork, most were as terribly designed as the cheap products they offered. Here’s a look back at some of the more enticing ones.

A bowlful of happiness!

You’ll shoot your eye out!

Look right through the flesh and see the bones underneath!

For $2.50 you can have your very own rock from outer space.

Fool your friends with fake sideburns and mustaches—simulated natural hair!

Who am I kidding? I want seven of these today.

New Blog: RideUNITED with Melamed Riley. ow.ly/kMG7B #MRAD #RideUNITED2013 cc: @unitedwaycle

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 7, 2013

New Blog: Internet Photo Crazes, Melamed Riley style. ow.ly/kSoMB #MRAD

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 10, 2013

.@starbucks is teaming up with @buzzfeed to present the new reaction-cam, turning your face into a GIF: ow.ly/kRYJe (RV)

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 9, 2013

17-Year-Old Builds #App to Prevent TV Spoilers on Twitter: ow.ly/kV0tY (RV)

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 10, 2013

You can now keep an eye on your #pizza from creation to delivery thanks to @dominos live webcam: ow.ly/kKiXr (RV)

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 6, 2013

Happy Mother’s Day! Here are 17 funny moms to follow on Twitter: ow.ly/kUTkp (RV)

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 12, 2013

“Invaluable Isn’t Impossible” – May 15th. Learn more here: ow.ly/kGGZM#MRGrad

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 12, 2013

Volkswagen Does It Again With Innovative YouTube Ticker Ad: ow.ly/kUz0C via @simplyzesty (RV)

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 10, 2013

Ever wonder if your IT professional is really qualified to do their job? This video’s for you: ow.ly/kNwI8 (SL)

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 8, 2013

Social Media Defined By Kids: ow.ly/kKhRP (RV)

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 6, 2013

Photo Craze: Statue Attack

Photo Craze: Vadering

Photo Craze: Baby Mugging

Our own take on the Baby Mugging craze, we call it boozing:

Photo Craze: Tebowing

Photo Craze: Baguetting

Photo Craze: Hadokening

Photo Craze: Owling

Photo Craze: Eastwooding

Photo Craze: Duffnering

Photo Craze: Gargoyling

Photo Craze: Teapotting

Photo Craze: Koalaing

Photo Craze: Planking

What will be the next big snapshot shenanigans? Only time will tell, but we’re eagerly awaiting the challenge to recreate whatever it ends up being.

Which photo craze is your favorite? Have you ever taken part in a photo craze? If so, tweet us your picture @MelamedRiley to share in the photo craze madness.

Brian, John, Jim, Rick and Nicole all set to start the 2012 RideUNITED Cleveland to Akron event.

We had so much fun raising money and riding for the United Way of Cleveland last year, we thought we’d do it again! Come join our team and start training for RideUNITED Cleveland. It’s a fully supported ride designed for every cyclist with several route options ranging from a 12-mile ride all the way up to the 100-mile century. Some of us will be going 40 miles one way, while others will be taking the 80 mile round trip. It’s very scenic and very gratifying knowing that we are helping so many families in need.

To get involved, just go to the RideUNITED Cleveland site to join our team or get more info. If you would like to make a donation and sponsor our team, please click here. If you have any other questions, cycling or otherwise, you can get a hold of me.

Yay or Nay: Instagram’s new #logo. ow.ly/kEAtp #socialmedia (RV)

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 2, 2013

New Blog: Go beyond your #job description. ow.ly/kyX7n #MRGrad #advertising

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) April 30, 2013

What does your #coffee say about you? ow.ly/kzfSD (RV)

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) April 30, 2013

10 brands rocking it on @vine: ow.ly/kEdBZ #MRAD #Brands #contentmarketing

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 3, 2013

Re-branding #pizza: ow.ly/kE5kO (DM)

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 2, 2013

Nina Levy, the napkin mom sends artistic daily napkins in her sons’ lunches:ow.ly/kwBwj #momoftheyear

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) April 29, 2013

Don’t let your job title hold you back from trying new things and growing: ow.ly/kzq6e #MRGrad

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 3, 2013

Incredible (and scary) #infographic to promote #shark conservation. ow.ly/kGl7X (SL)

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 3, 2013

#Instagram Update: A new feature dubbed “Photos Of You” tracks the pictures that you have been snapped in. ow.ly/kEANu…

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) May 2, 2013

.@nike lets @instagram users design shoes to match their photos: ow.ly/kwxht (RV)

— Melamed Riley(@MelamedRiley) April 29, 2013

Twitter launched Vine on January 24th, 2013 and it has not left the top 20 list in the iOs app store since. Just a little over two weeks after Vine came onto the scene it had its first big bang due to a combination of three big events: the Grammys, New York Fashion Week and the snowstorm that hit the Northeast. Over the weekend of February 8-9, users and brands on Vine shared 113,897 videos on Twitter or 2,324 videos every hour (excluding data for videos shared just within the Vine app), according to data from Simply Measured:

Click the image to read the full report.

In the ever changing world of social media there is always a new platform, tool or app popping up that creates a buzz in the marketing interwebs. I know personally as a social media marketer I can feel like a 5-year-old with shiny object syndrome researching and testing out the latest and greatest “It” social media platforms. The real question when testing out these new tools is: Does it align with my business objective? Does it fit into my strategy? Are my customers actually on it? Will my customers want to engage with us on this? If so, how can we relay our brand’s strengths in a way that’s unique to the platforms’ key features?

There is a big difference between having a first mover advantage on a new platform and just jumping in because it’s new, it’s cool, and “because everyone else is doing it” (my personal favorite). I took a look at some of the early adopting brands on Vine to see how they were using it. I was pleasantly surprised to see a number of brands doing some really fun and strategic things with this new, nifty video app. I definitely developed a few Vine crushes.

Here are some best practices we can all learn from some brands on Vine:

Real-Time Marketing:

Obviously Oreo is the brand to beat when it comes to real-time marketing right now, but some brands on Vine are doing some great things in real time to connect with their fan base.

Anyone a fan of The Office? They did a couple of fun Vines to compliment and promote last week’s episode “Paper Airplanes.” This will help you get ready for your office’s next paper airplane competition.

General Electric is possibly my favorite brand on Vine so far. Here is an engaging Vine they recently did for April Fool’s Day. Gotcha!

I have been loving Tropicana‘s advertising recently and now I heart their use of Vine. Here’s what they did for Valentine’s Day featuring two love-struck oranges:

Storytelling:

If you have not bought into content marketing and telling a story about your brand then you are missing out. Here are some brands on Vine that get how powerful storytelling can be.

General Electric (yet again) created a simple story to explain a complex topic in line with their brand, big data and brilliant machines. Check it out:

I also loved GE’s Vine demonstrating the chemistry of coffee. Science rocks on Vine:

Lowe’s just recently started doing #lowesfixinsix Vine spots where they solve common household problems in 6 seconds. Got a squirrel problem, here’s how to fix it in six:

Highlight a Cause:

Aligning your brand with a great cause is something all brands do. Social media lets marketers showcase it in different, sometimes wittier way.

Red Vines, a personal favorite of mine, made great use of their product to create a clever Vine for #EarthDay:

Showcase Product Quality:

Who doesn’t want to showcase their product’s superior quality? Restaurants specifically have a unique ability to highlight just this using social media and especially Vine.

I wanted to spread some Cleveland love so my first example is from a local restaurant, The Greenhouse Tavern. GHT is a destination spot for foodies from near and far, and why not with such fresh product? Caution, a fish was harmed in the making of this Vine:

Highlight Promotions:

Promotions are always going to be a part of a brand’s social DNA. It is refreshing to see brands do it in a creative way, especially when only given a 6 second window of time. I blink longer than that on some days.

Wheat Thins found a creative way to do a 6 second commercial-like spot highlighting their new flavor protection promotion. It is just wrong to mess with someone’s Wheat Thins, wrong I say:

Another local but global favorite is Progressive. They have taken action to warn good drivers like you to be on the lookout for Rate Suckers. What are Rate Suckers? Brace yourself this could get scary:

Share Unique Brand Experiences:

The unique advantage social media has over other mediums is the opportunity to create unique, creative experiences that invoke an emotion or action from your audience in real time. Vine is just another awesome addition to your brand tool belt.

Red Vines sneak attack is fun and makes me crave a Red Vine. If anyone knows the whereabouts of the Grape Vines drop me a line, I am on a manhunt:

GE did it, yet again, with this fun periodic table, word scramble Vine. How many words can you make?

Lowe’s 6 minute fixes are another great example of highlighting your brand in a fun and engaging way but with a useful benefit for customers. Who knew a hair dryer was so handy?

Feature and Preview Products:

At the end of the day every brand has a product or service it needs to sell. Social media is just a vehicle to communicate your products’ features and strengths.

Fashion icon brand, Kate Spade did a stellar job using Vine to highlight how their bold bloom patterns can be mixed and matched to create various unique looks. I give you a 6 second look book on Vine:

Pac Sun brought their new Bullhead Denim jeans to life with Vine. The use of movement makes you feel like the jeans are going to jump off the asphalt they are so wearable in a cool, hip kind of way:

Spotlight Brand Advocates:

Every brand has advocates. The real value is in how you engage and leverage them.

I love this use of Vine by Red Vines (confusing, right?) to interact with one of their loyal fans:

With all of the distractions and new start-ups popping up every day, it can be hard to decide what is worth your time and what isn’t. The brands on Vine are still experimenting and may not have a ton of stats and ROI to report right now, but they are innovating when they need to. Vine is still new, but is already showing great promise. My personal opinion is that this platform is worth your time. Just a few weeks ago I attended a social media conference, You Too 2013, and heard Kevin Dungan speak on how visual communication is growing–and more importantly video–as it increases as a binge consumption medium. He stated that “Vine is as important to Twitter as YouTube was to Google.” Only time can tell how popular Vine will become, but I have a sneaking suspicion it is going to be the new “It” social media platform.

What do you think we can glean from these innovators as we embark on yet another evolution of the social media landscape? Are brands on Vine wasting their time, or are their early efforts worth it?

Don’t forget to share the Vine Love. I am always looking for a great new Vine to follow, so please share any great brands on Vine you have come across.

Congratulations, you just got your first agency job and were just handed a shiny, new box of business cards. Even though you’ve already handed out a bunch and have put many more in “free lunch fishbowls” around town, here’s some real talk for you: Ignore your job title.

I’m not saying ignore what you’re being paid to do, but ignore what they’re calling you when you do it. Especially if your job title involves the words “ninja” or “rock star.” Here’s why: Job titles are artificial. They establish hierarchies and put people in nice, little boxes. But that’s just it, they’re limiting. If you’re a copywriter, you may feel restricted to writing. If you’re a designer, you may feel restricted to design. If you’re on the account side, you may feel restricted from creative work.

These are artificial labels and you’re doing yourself a disservice if you blindly adhere to them. If you spend your time trying to be the very best exemplar of your job title, you miss out on so many other opportunities. And if you wait until your job title matches exactly what you want out of your career, you’ve waited too long.

But when you ignore your job title, you ignore those restrictions and free yourself to grow your skill set. It’s up to you to forge your own path and begin building the kind of well-rounded portfolio that will always keep you employed, even when times are tough. So don’t be afraid to step outside your job description and show the passion to learn and try new things. It’s good for you. And your boss will notice.

These days, knowing the costs inherent in hiring employees and given the challenging economic climate, firms are trying hard to hire “mini-agencies” — talented people who are capable of delivering most (if not all) of an entire campaign themselves. With a little work and a lot of passion, you can become one of those people.

If you’d like to learn more about this and nine other ways you can become an indispensable part of your company’s team, register for Invaluable Isn’t Impossible, the second webinar in the Grad School online lecture series. I’ll be giving the talk and taking your questions on Wednesday, May 15. Interested? Click here to register.