December 13, 2013

I Will Not Watch, I Will Not Watch….Crap, I Watched It

Share the goods.

We have all seen it.
The Christmas video that has gone completely viral.
You went through the typical 5-Stage SM coping mechanisms- 1) Ignore – another stupid video makes the rounds, 2) Denial – I am so not watching that, 3) Annoyance – why does everyone keep sharing this?, and 4) I mean what is the big deal? 5)No one has to know I watched it.
You broke. You finally broke and you watched it.

In typical 834 fashion, we thought we would share our top 7 reactions to the WestJet viral Christmas video as it played.

I cannot believe I broke and am watching this, I’ve never even heard of WestJet!
Ahhh, I see what you did there, playing off the “Twas the Night Before Christmas”
Pretty slick set-up with scanning the boarding pass and Santa…
Cute kid…yeah, okay a TV…sure you need that.
What is happening?
Nice partners – Best Buy…wait, are they giving out presents to all of the passengers?!!?
Crap. I am crying. That dude totally wishes he hadn’t asked for socks and underwear!

And the top reaction….That was one hell of a PR stunt. Brilliant. Also, be careful what you wish for…you might end up with socks and underwear instead of a 50-Inch Flat Screen or an Android Tablet.
Gotta give kudos where kudos is due. WestJet, well done.
To get noticed as a company…think out of the box and most importantly…don’t make it about you. People don’t tune in to hear you talk about yourself, get over your bad self.
Over 16 million people have viewed the YouTube video and it is too soon to tell what the social media stats are for the Christmas video, however if the amount of times it has popped up in my Facebook feed is any indication…it is going to be A LOT. The company has made social media a priority, sticking to Facebook, Twitter and a well-curated YouTube. They use it to connect with their customers and potential customers, even when they aren’t traveling.
Here are some great articles on the magic of WestJet.
https://www.mikemccready.ca/blog/2013/12/westjet-the-magic-behind-the-christmas-miracle/
https://www.lindsaycasey.com/westjet-a-social-media-case-study/
Want to be successful on social media?

Be genuine
Be responsive
Be real
Understand the value
Care about your audience, your customers, your potential customers…don’t waste their time
Stop watching and start DOING
Take a gamble, make an impact for someone
Give….in real time

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Something on Your Mind?

A little rain didn’t slow @bodespeaks down.

Kim was in Washington, D.C., this past week for #AUSA2026 - three days where Army leaders, industry partners, and the defense community come together for innovation, insight, and connection.

We can’t wait to hear some of her takeaways. Stay tuned for more soon.

@ausaorg #DefenseIndustry #Leadership #AUSA

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A little rain didn’t slow @bodespeaks down.

Kim was in Washington, D.C., this past week for #AUSA2026 - three days where Army leaders, industry partners, and the defense community come together for innovation, insight, and connection.

We can’t wait to hear some of her takeaways. Stay tuned for more soon.

@ausaorg #DefenseIndustry #Leadership #AUSA

Who made all these rules anyway?

Don’t wear color. Don’t share your ideas. Don’t put yourself out there. Don’t talk about your family.

We’re told to follow them, but @bodespeaks says question every single one. Then uncover your big hairy audacious goal, throw out the rulebook, and build a personal brand that actually works for you.

Thank you to Aggie and Cristy for having Kim on the @badass_women_in_business Podcast and, well... for being total badasses.

Listen to the full episode in bio.

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We had some fun in the office this week and asked some of the 8THIRTYFOUR team what “square up” means.

Surprisingly, the Gen Z of the group got it, but one of our Gen X’s did not (not saying any names…)

How do you “square up”?

#trending #fyp #squareup #agencylife

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We had some fun in the office this week and asked some of the 8THIRTYFOUR team what “square up” means.

Surprisingly, the Gen Z of the group got it, but one of our Gen X’s did not (not saying any names…)

How do you “square up”?

#trending #fyp #squareup #agencylife

The 834 Learning Hub is where we throw fun shindigs, where cool people come to work, where Big Deal Energy gathers, and where we push you to get uncomfortable.

It’s not your typical event or coworking space - and we like it that way. The lighting, colors, wallpaper, layout, and yes, the dogs, are all very intentional.

If you need a spot to host your offsite team training, leadership quarterly, photo shoot (dogs can be included), or you just need a space to network or cowork - reach out.

We got the goods:
- A sweet sound system
- State-of-the-art digital whiteboard
- A really big T.V. Like it’s big.
- Your own private entrance
- Free parking
- A dog (or two) if you ask nicely

Drop us a line at hello@8thirtyfour.com or click the link in bio to rent the Hub today.

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The 834 Learning Hub is where we throw fun shindigs, where cool people come to work, where Big Deal Energy gathers, and where we push you to get uncomfortable.

It’s not your typical event or coworking space - and we like it that way. The lighting, colors, wallpaper, layout, and yes, the dogs, are all very intentional.

If you need a spot to host your offsite team training, leadership quarterly, photo shoot (dogs can be included), or you just need a space to network or cowork - reach out.

We got the goods:
- A sweet sound system
- State-of-the-art digital whiteboard
- A really big T.V. Like it’s big.
- Your own private entrance
- Free parking
- A dog (or two) if you ask nicely

Drop us a line at hello@8thirtyfour.com or click the link in bio to rent the Hub today.

We love Dr. Karen May’s mission.

What if we taught our daughters AND our sons about women’s health, hormones, and pregnancy? Not as a whispered “talk” or a one-time awkward conversation. Just normal dinner-table stuff.

The girls deserve to know what’s coming (perimenopause shouldn’t be a surprise party nobody wanted). And the boys? They’ll be partners, dads, coworkers, and bosses to women going through all of it.

Thank you, Dr. May, for sharing your best practices to keep the women’s health conversation going at our Uncomfortable Conversations | The Pause event.

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We love Dr. Karen May’s mission.

What if we taught our daughters AND our sons about women’s health, hormones, and pregnancy? Not as a whispered “talk” or a one-time awkward conversation. Just normal dinner-table stuff.

The girls deserve to know what’s coming (perimenopause shouldn’t be a surprise party nobody wanted). And the boys? They’ll be partners, dads, coworkers, and bosses to women going through all of it.

Thank you, Dr. May, for sharing your best practices to keep the women’s health conversation going at our Uncomfortable Conversations | The Pause event.

Showing up to an interview with an iced coffee? Not the move… unless it’s for @bodespeaks

#icedcoffee #agency #PR #trending #grandrapids

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