By Brielle Saracini
Marketing Manager & Strategist
Like We Were in Paris: Taylor Swift, Firstup, and The Power of Moments
Taylor Swift. The Eras Tour. Paris.
I was one of the lucky ones who somehow scored tickets to a show.
Was it all a dream? Yes and no. Yes, it was dreamy, but it did really happen – and it was as magical as the kids hyped it up to be. My head is still spinning, replaying every moment of the night. Oh, it was Ever(ything and)more.
However, one moment from that evening stuck with me more than any other. Surprisingly, it wasn’t even a song. It was a few words Taylor shared with the audience; an intention she set for the show.
“These are songs that I have written about feelings I’ve had because of things that have happened to me in my real life – but by the end of tonight, after this, when you hear those songs out there in the world, I hope you’re going to think about the memories that we made here tonight.”
Taylor gets it, and she (of course) nailed it, but this wasn’t the first time I’d heard that line of thinking.
Being Attune
A few weeks before I left for Paris, I attended another unforgettable event. Our partner, Firstup, was in Philadelphia for an Attune conference. If you remember, a previous Attune conference in Philadelphia made such an impression on me that I wrote a blog post about it, so I was excited for Firstup to return to ‘illadelphia.
I’m happy to report that Firstup did not disappoint – which is not at all surprising. They now hold the crown for back-to-back years of blog-worthy conference content, as they’ve inspired me to author yet another write-up.
In the opening remarks, Chuck Gose, Head of Community & Customer Advocacy at Firstup, discussed the importance of creating memorable moments for employees.
If you don’t know Chuck, he is kinda like the Taylor Swift for Internal Comms.
Credits: “Taylor Swift” by Eva Rinaldi on Flickr. Image is available under Public License: Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA 2.0). Image has been adapted from original.
Chuck discussed how essential it is to create these lasting, memorable moments for teammates. Something thoughtful that costs as little as $20 can change how an employee views your organization, directly impacting how loyal, connected, and motivated they feel.
It’s not just about the monetary impact, though. The playbook is not simply to shower the employee with gifts. It is about actually taking the time (and yes, sometimes money) to show you really care. To make it special. To leave that lasting impression.
At the first Attune conference I attended, Chuck called upon a Firstup customer to sit front and center in the room as he shared a story about this individual. Chuck recognized the partnership between the gentleman and Firstup and decided to celebrate the relationship by firing off a confetti cannon, filling the room with glimmering gold confetti pieces.
Chuck took the time to make this moment exceptional and notable for the customer.
He thought, “Why not celebrate this moment?” and then figured out a way to break the script and to go above and beyond – not just a quick “Hey, thanks for working with us!” but he really thought of how he could make his gratitude stand out.
Mission accomplished, for the customer and for all attendees that day. I have to say – when I think of “memorable” conferences, there is a reason why confetti cannons are the first thing that comes to mind.
We should ask ourselves, “Why not?” a lot more often.
The Power of Moments
Chuck also recommended a book, The Power of Moments, during his opening remarks so people could further explore this concept of the importance of making memorable moments.
Once I got off the waitlist for this book from my local library (yes, this is a popular book for good reason!), I read what co-authors and brothers Chip and Dan Heath had to say.
The book teaches you about “moment-spotting” (learning to think in moments and spot the occasions that are worthy of investment), creating moments that will become important memories, what is behind these “defining” moments in life, and much more. It talks about the element of surprise by “going off script” (as Chuck did) and how that is a good thing when strategic and used with positive intention. It also highlights how many of the memorable moments in our lives are created by someone instead of organically happening on their own.
The book instantly grabs you as it starts with an example of two high school teachers who created a hyped “Signing Day” ceremony for their students, à la sports (notably college football) National Signing Day.
It goes on to discuss how a moment has four elements:
- Elevation: Moments that rise above the everyday
- Insight: Moments that rewire our understanding of ourselves in the world
- Pride: Moments of achievement or courage
- Connection: Moments that are social and strengthened because we share them with others
The book inspires you to be the author of these powerful defining moments. I won’t give away too much more of the book’s content, but I strongly encourage you to grab a copy for yourself, as it’s full of noteworthy conversation surrounding this topic.
How to Make Your Own Moments
As if you need more of a reason than “this is fun and awesome” to implement this methodology within your organization, you can share with leadership that memorable moments lead to:
- Increased engagement: Feeling valued as part of a team motivates employees to be active members of the organization.
- Emotional connection: Employees will create a stronger bond with the organization, creating a sense of loyalty and commitment.
- Improved retention: Teammates who feel good about their job, team, and impact are less likely to be looking elsewhere.
- Positive company culture: When employees are celebrated for specific things in really cool ways, they feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves.
- Good vibes: Because it’s just the right thing to do – just to be a nice human.
So, how do we implement this into our work routines besides a periodic celebratory confetti cannon ceremony? (We are absolutely stealing that idea, Chuck!)
Celebrate milestones – big and small – by recognizing anniversaries, project completions, personal accomplishments (both professional and personal), and more!
Then think, “How can we make this even bigger and better than a routine ‘thank you’ note or comment?”
Incorporate elements of surprise! Personalize the experience and make it meaningful to the individual receiving praise.
For example, my company, Local Wisdom, recognized me for a job well done with a donation to a cause that is extremely near and dear to my heart (The Anthony Rizzo Family Foundation). It was a brilliant gesture and meant more to me than they could imagine. I remember thinking, “Wow, what a thoughtful and personalized token of appreciation!”
By creating these unique, memorable moments for employees, the day-to-day seems a bit lighter, the team bond is a bit stronger, and the organization overall is more resilient.
Cue the Confetti
Going beyond the organizational perspective, I started considering applying this to my personal life.
Maybe I should incorporate a “Let me buy you a cup of coffee… or shoot off a confetti cannon (in a safe place where confetti cannons can be set off)” type of engagement now and again to celebrate my friend’s milestones, big and small.
What’s the cost out of pocket there? $4.50? (Give or take, in this economy.)
Now, what’s it worth in terms of value to the friend?
Way more than a cup of coffee, that’s for sure.
So, let’s flashback to Taylor Swift in Paris. (It always comes back to Taylor Swift.)
As I stood on the floor, absorbing the final song – a killer performance of Karma – trying to process my thoughts and emotions and all I had experienced in the last 3+ hours, an incredible amount of – you guessed it – confetti suddenly filled the arena.
I knew then and there that this was a memorable moment I would never forget.
