Cake Media Turns One!

Cake Media turns one this week, happy birthday (cakeday?) to us!

We have learned a lot over the last 12 months, as we’ve navigated the ups and downs of being a brand new business, not to mention wearing the many hats it requires. From accountant, to human resources department to contract negotiator to social media manager, graphic designer, editor, photographer and more, we do it all. It has been an interesting learning curve to say the least.

However, more than anything, the last year has been FUN. Being able to do what we love and to work together (in Maui!) as sisters, it really doesn't get better than that.

Not to mention, we have connected and worked with some incredible individuals and companies here on the island and we feel incredibly privileged to have had the opportunity to do so.

Thank you so much to all our clients, family and friends who have helped and supported us in getting Cake Media off the ground. We couldn't have done it without your words of advice, cups of coffee, child and dog sitting, patience, encouragement, slices of cake, referrals and—it would be remiss of us not to mention—your likes, shares and follows on social media.

We have made so many great relationships over the last year and we can’t wait to see what comes next.

Thank you for visiting our site and here’s to the next year of Cake Media!

Laura and Jenny

Facebook Messenger Bot Updates - An Overview

Earlier this month, at the 2017 F8 developer conference, Mark Zuckerberg revealed significant updates to Facebook Messenger Bots.

What are Messenger Bots? In a nutshell, Chatbots (shortened from Chat Robots), are a form of interactive artificial intelligence, designed to simulate human conversation. They assist with simple tasks, such as online ordering, checking into flights and/or hotels, plus helping businesses to answer repetitive questions from their customers.

Image from Facebook Newsroom 

They have been around for a while on Facebook, ever since the Beta version was launched in 2016. The initial rollout did experience problems, most notably in terms of users having the ability to search for bots. However, with Messenger 2.0 there is now a Discover tab, where you can search for the best bots, places and businesses on Messenger. This includes bots specific to certain regions, in categories such as Food and Drink, Entertainment and News (note that developers must apply to have their bot included in Discover). 

Also, Chat Extensions now allows groups of friends to interact with a bot as part of a group chat—they can order to-go food together, make a shopping list, choose a hotel and book their stays as a group, paying for this all natively through Messenger.

Facebook also now lets businesses create Messenger Codes. Here, customers can launch a conversation with the right bot just by scanning a QR code (although whether QR codes will experience a surge in popularity is a completely different conversation…).

It’s worth pointing out at this stage that Facebook Messenger has 1.2 billion monthly users Worldwide. These users are already checking back multiple times daily to chat with friends. Now they can chat directly with, buy and receive updates from businesses without having to download any new apps. 

David Marcus, image from Facebook Newsroom 

As David Marcus, VP of Messenger, said at F8: "We think of Messenger as being like the new social living room for the world, where people can hang out, share, chat, play games or buy things, while still being able to reach nearly everyone, wherever they are. We now think we are combining two tools of the past — the telephone directory (the way we used to find people) with the Yellow Pages (the way we used to find businesses)."

Right now bots are made through third parties and creating a professional one for your company is a job for a web developer. However, small businesses without the necessary resources can experiment with Facebook’s new Smart Replies feature. As Facebook put it, “This is where Page admins can now turn on automatic replies powered by artificial intelligence.” Available to restaurants in the United States and getting rolled out later in the year, this feature turns a company's most frequently-asked questions, such as business hours and location, into automatically generated replies.

Here are the thoughts of Pepijn Rivers, Chief Marketing Officer of Booking.com: "With more than 1.2 billion active users, Messenger gives us the perfect opportunity to extend the reach of our own messaging platform, enabling us to potentially converse with a significant chunk of the earth’s population. It also serves as an additional channel to supply our customers with the information they need - we simply take our chatbot straight to them. Just as with the Booking.com app, it empowers travelers to reach out to us anytime, wherever they are in the world."

It’s not yet clear whether Messenger Bots will be the resounding viral success that Facebook are driving for but to us it really does feel like the next big thing.

Have you tried using Chat bots yet? Let us know below.

Graphic Design = Happy Place

Graphic Design is a big part of what we do at Cake Media and recently we have been kept happily busy with a number of new projects.

Jenny is our in-house graphic designer, with skills that cover a wide range of services, including; logo, apparel, business cards and packaging, plus custom illustration and web design.

In this post, we are going to take a look back at some of her latest work, starting with a project for Taverna.

A relatively new Maui restaurant, Taverna approached Cake Media to design a poster to advertise their 2017 Easter Brunch Buffet. Inspired by the beautiful urban-rustic look of the Italian bar and eatery, Jenny designed the following piece—delivering it not only in multiple poster sizes but also as a double-sided flyer, in newspaper ad format and resized for marketing across social media. 

Business card design is something we get asked about frequently and the example you see below is one that Jenny designed for a Maui startup who were thinking about dipping their toes into the women’s yoga and activewear scene.

When it comes to apparel, Jenny has a lot of design experience. In England, back in 2003, she created her own clothing company, GFTD. Inspired by extreme sports, she featured a range of men’s and women’s t-shirts, hoodies and hats. Locally, if you have purchased one of Lahaina Town Action Committee’s famous Halloween t-shirts in recent years, Jenny is the one who designed it!

In 2016, as one of our first official projects for Cake Media, Jenny designed Star Noodle's “30 Acts of Aloha” t-shirt. We get such a kick out of seeing people wearing this in Maui and posted online.

"30 Acts of Aloha" t-shirt design, modeled here by Star Noodle's Sarah B! 

In short, if you ask Jenny to design a hat, logo, custom tee or just about anything—she is officially in her happy place. 

Need custom graphic design for YOUR business? Contact us today! 

Thank you for reading, Laura and Jenny

Social Media and Branding for New Maui Clients

It’s been a busy start to 2017 and the weeks feel like they are flying by but we are beyond happy with how this year has started off, with so many cool new projects and clients.

The first we’d like to mention is a slipper/flip-flop company called Ha’awi. This is a new Maui venture owned by three fantastic, inspiring and ocean-loving women who wanted to create a fresh slipper brand, inspired by their love for Hawaii. Their vision is not just limited to designing attractive and beach-ready footwear but also to perpetuate Hawaiian values and the spirit of aloha, while giving back to the local community. To say that we were inspired by their vision when we first met is a huge understatement.

Funnily enough, we initially met the trio of women behind Ha’awi shortly after they’d paid a visit to one of our other clients, Star Noodle. While eating at the restaurant, they saw the 30 Acts of Aloha t-shirt that Jenny had designed in mid-2016, found out about us and got in touch. You’ve got to love those kind of connections.

After meeting to discuss the project, we were thrilled when Ha’awi chose to work with us, using Jenny’s graphic design and branding skills to come up with a series of logos to launch the new company.

A sample of Cake Media's design work for Ha'awi.

There will be plenty more news coming up about Ha’awi in the future but for now, remember the name! We know that this Maui startup is going to be huge.

Elsewhere, we feel very honored to reveal that the Old Lahaina Luau is now one of our clients.  In late January we started managing their social media across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, with the focus on driving engagement, organic follower growth and customer service.

Performers at the Old Lahaina Luau.

This Luau is owned by Na Hoaloha Ekolu, the parent company of Star Noodle, Leoda’s Kitchen & Pie Shop and Aloha Mixed Plate. It’s a phenomenal organization and we are deeply grateful to them for the work they have sent our way. 

We genuinely love what we do—creating and sharing fresh and unique content, interacting with followers, writing and design, assisting with customer service and getting to be creative every single day. For us, there really is nothing better.

We’ll soon be bringing you exciting news about our work with a swim/activewear company, based in West Maui. Stay tuned for more details!

Thanks for visiting, Laura and Jenny

Making Writer's Block a Thing of the Past

Following a recent Instagram post, where we touched on the topic of writer’s block, we received a couple of direct messages asking us to elaborate on how we really overcome a creative clog to set about filling an empty page.

It's something I used to face quite regularly when starting out as a writer. I knew I wanted to write but sometimes—deadline looming—I'd find myself staring at a blank screen, not knowing where or how to begin. The longer I spent watching the clock and worrying about what to write first, the worse it would get.

The feeling can be familiar in any creative field; photography, art, music, design, we all face moments where the creative juices just seem to dry up.

I’ve now worked as a writer, in print, online and radio for over 11 years, I have studied a degree in Creative Writing and a post grad in Newspaper Journalism and in that time, I’ve learnt from friends, teachers, colleagues (and my procrastinating self) how to get past the occasional bout of writer's block. Of course, it will still show up from time to time but now I know how to overcome it.

So, for anyone who has ever sat and looked at an empty page or canvas and despaired, here are a few of my favorite ways to get back on track:

1. “The Morning Pages”

An old friend and spoken word writer/performer told me about the Morning Pages sometime around 2002/03 and to this day I still thank him for it. It’s a great creative hack for anyone who wants or loves to write. It's simple: keep a pen and paper next to your bed and every morning when you wake up, before you do anything else, sit up and start writing. Don’t think about what you are writing, don't worry about punctuation, just allow a stream of consciousness to flow. I guarantee that you will be surprised at what you produce in your half-awake state. Granted, the combination of words may not make sense but the Morning Pages will kickstart your day in a creative way. Once you get into the regular habit, you will see the positive effects on your writing.

2. Take a Walk

If the words just will. not. come. and your ideas are feeling stale, a walk can be one of the simplest ways to recharge. Fresh air, a change of scenery and exercise always has me coming back to my computer in a much clearer frame of mind.

3. Inspiration From Others

Ever read a line in a book and feel inspired to put pen to paper? I find that the more I read, the more I write and I’d urge anyone who wants to write as a career to read as much as they can, from as many different sources as they can. Visit a second-hand bookstore, dip into the newspaper and magazine section in your local Barnes & Noble, leaf through a dictionary, read online articles. Carry a notebook and note down interesting words or phrases from real people out on the street. It will all help to inspire and shape your writing.

4. Caffeine and Music

It’s a failsafe combination and one I use every single day. A good cup of tea/coffee and some music in the background is how I start every writing project (in the afternoon, I normally switch to water). The music keeps me stimulated and eases boredom, the caffeine energizes and helps me stay focused. It makes me type faster too…

5. A Change of Scenery

It can be hard to stay creative when you sit at the same computer, in the same place, day after day. Especially if you work from home where the distractions are many. At least once a week, I like to take my laptop to a nearby coffee shop, connect to the free wi-fi and work from there. This week, try working in another space, it’s amazing how change can affect your output.

6. Write

You have to train your body and your brain to write, just as you would with running or any form of exercise. Don’t worry about writing Pulitzer-prize winning material, just write. Trust me, the more you do it, the easier it becomes.

7. Skeleton First, Flesh Later

Before I start thinking about writing an intro or how I want my article to be structured, I will write down all my researched facts, statistics and quotes. This is done in no real order, it’s just a matter of getting the most important points onto the page first. This forms the framework, or "skeleton" of the piece. Then I move the parts of the skeleton into an order that makes sense for how I want to tell my story/get my opinion across, before getting creative and fleshing the rest of it out. It might not work for everyone, but I find this approach very useful, especially if I am writing an article that leans heavily on stats and research. 

Have any questions or comments? Please get in touch. Thanks for reading!

Laura