Tools of the Trade is an AgencySpy feature to help highlight the many tools that help make advertising and marketing folks successful. The tools can be anything that helps people perform at their top form, from a favorite drafting table to the best software program to a lucky pen, a vintage typewriter or a pair of headphones.
Next up is Kapria Jenkins, executive director, Detroit Experience Studio at VML.
Kapria Jenkins poses with her many colorful sticky notes.
What is one tool you use all the time at work, and how does it inspire your work?
I absolutely cannot live without sticky notes. My brain never stops thinking of ideas, and sticky notes are a great way to get my flurry of creative thoughts out of my head and onto paper.
Why is it your favorite?
Whether at my home office, campus studio, or on the road, I always have a pack of colorful sticky notes nearby. I love that sticky notes allow me to quickly jot down a single unfiltered thought and then organize and group them into a unified big idea. Plus, they are low-cost, multi-purpose, small, and no Wi-Fi is needed, allowing me to use them anywhere.
How did you acquire your tool or hear about it for the first time?
I’ve personally and professionally been using sticky notes for as long as I can remember. However, leading DES is my first job where using sticky notes is vital to our team’s and student’s creative process. Grab a sticky note, is a common phrase you will hear around the studio.
How does it help you be successful?
Sticky notes allow me to find structure within creative freedom, unity out of fragments, clarity in a sea of colorful notes.
Does it have sentimental value?
At a former job, we would tag colleagues’ office doors with sticky notes filled with words of affirmation. That was a fun way to spread joy and positivity.
Do you think your tool could go TikTok viral? Why or why not?
Sticky notes are amazing, and videos on TikTok have already gone viral.
We want to know what tools you use to make you successful. If you’d like to contribute or know someone who would want to be featured in Tools of the Trade, contact kyle.obrien@adweek.com and fill out our survey.