Had a great weekend! I am pumped about my new small group through Buckhead Church! We all just clicked Friday night at Grouplink and had a blast! Then, headed out for a friend's birthday.

I have lived in Atlanta for a year now & it still is really hard to meet new people. I miss my girls in Virginia so much, but I can't just sit around waiting for the next weekend I see them.... so I have really had to make the effort to exert myself into meeting new people. It's amazing to me how little this big city of Atlanta is. Everyone knows everyone. Everyone is linked to someone somehow... typically because they went to Bama, Auburn, Georgia or Florida and then moved to Atlanta after graduation. A Liberty gal like me is already at a disadvantage.

But I'm not giving up yet...

Farmer's Market Today...

Re-Brand Success

I take forever and a day in the grocery store. Well, any store for that matter. No friends like to shop with me because I have to go up and down every grocery lane or inch of a store. I swung by my favorite grocery store on the way home from work tonight... I call it Pretty Publix because it's beautiful and brand new. I enjoy perusing each lane and seeing what advertising and brand messaging is going on. Wait, what? Oh ya, I do throw some food in my cart (or buggy) too & I try very hard to mirror it to my pre-made list. But back to the brand messaging....

Working in national marketing always has me intrigued by brands. I always like to go behind any advertising & make my own observations about the backbone of that ad message.... it always goes back to the brand. How a brand positions itself amongst its target consumer... how a brand competes against competitors... how brands message their beliefs, call-to-action or consumer appreciation. I must say though, that my favorite thing to watch a brand do is.... re-brand.

I am not going to bore you with what re-branding is. This is not a marketing journal & there are far more qualified candidates to explain it to you. However, in a nutshell, re-branding is simply this: when a company takes its name or a certain product that represents that name and literally 'comes out' with a renewed image or message. Many times, you won't hear much from a product name while a re-brand is in progress, but once the re-branding has launched, you are then inundated with a full 360 scope of advertising & that product or company name explodes out of nowhere oftentimes, either creating a sense of awareness to consumers who were unfamiliar with their product or service OR renewing a sense of commitment to consumers who already use the brand.

Of course, it's easier said than done & oftentimes, many months (or even years) will go behind a re-branding launch. Many focus groups, many product reviews, many creative briefs, many design stages and so on...  And sometimes, a re-brand can go all wrong! It really is a move that can either be a big hit or a huge loss.

Since I am obsessed with brands, I thought that I should highlight some along the way that I either love or that I think are doing a great job with their brand messaging or brand re-positioning.

Insert SnackWells.

 

A brand that has been around  since I can remember. I love these Devil's Food Cookies, too! Snack Wells emerged in the 90s with a 90s appropriate look. Shopping at Kroger, Publix, Food Lion, etc., I would see them sitting on the shelf... just sitting there. I did always wonder if SnackWells would come out with other product.

 

Boom! SnackWells emerges with their re-branding message in 2010. In my opinion, they did a great job rolling it out. Old packaging was/is still being phased out & new packaging is replacing it. Grocery stores are doing a great job at positioning the new "collection" together in store at eye-level for shoppers to easily see and then easily reach for.

They also introduced new products! The packaging is so fresh! I love it! They kept their roots with the green box & black type, but I like how they played up the font to be more trendy. Also, they did a great job with 'color coding' the different flavors. Each product gets its own color. Would you not want to throw all these boxes in your grocery cart? I would! It's appealing.  

Lastly, their advertising. I think the messaging is so congruent with the product launch and target audience... clearly women trying to watch what they eat. Above is the landing page of their website and below is a magazine ad.

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All-in-All, a success from the humble opinion of a SnackWells consumer. I just hope the ROI proves this re-branding strategy to be successful, because they sure did a great job!

Photos courtesy of Ashlyn Joy Photography

It was a great weekend. It really was. Low-key, I decompressed & soaked it in. I cleaned, caught up on sleep, went to church with my new work friend & had brunch at the Flying Biscuit again with Lauren. We really tried to make it to One Day, but the wait for brunch was too long and we were hungry.

I am on a total brunch kick lately! I love a good breakfast of eggs, grits, biscuits, sausage.... etc. Next weekend we are trying J.Christopher's. We have several in our neighborhood!

I started working out with a trainer at our new Urban Active gym about 8 weeks ago. He's really funny and very helpful. He plans out my workouts on days that I don't see him & he also plans out my weekly calorie allotments based on my activity level for that day. Based on my weight, BMI & activity levels, I now finally know how many calories to eat and it turned out that I wasn't eating enough sometimes & over-consuming others. There were some days when I would put in an hour at the gym and not eat over 1200 calories... very bad and can actually cause the body to hold onto fat because it's in starvation mode. I am trailing off... but point of what I am trying to say is that it's been a great investment for me & I am so excited that in 8 weeks, I have lost 4% body fat! My trainer was pleased with my progress.... steady... not too drastic...it definitely pumped me up to keep going to attain my goals! 

 

Anyone tried Bad Gal Lash by Benefit? I spent two hours in ULTA on Sunday afternoon (yes, 2 hours!) and walked out with hair pins and mascara. 

 

Don't mind me in this photo... look more so at the hair part. I have worn my hair in the side part with swoop bangs for the past five years & just wanted to try something new! I liked it! 

Stella Fall Picks

I am a lover of Stella & Dot jewelry! Stella & Dot has such unique pieces that you will not find in any store. Not only is it so unique, but the jewelry really is a quality product. It makes for a lovely birthday, mother's day or other holiday gift! I went through the new Fall collection & picked my favorites!

I was introduced to the La Coco Concept through Stella & Dot. I love the draping look with the different strands of pearls & beads accompanied by jeweled or sparkly brooches. 

This Week on the BlackBerry

For some reason, I use my BlackBerry more to take pictures than I do my regular camera. Maybe because my regular camera is like 4 years old? Not sure, but I always just whip out the BlackBerry. I tweet a lot of photos. A lot of random photos, honestly. So, thought I would provide a snapshot into those via the blog. Here's the past week in BlackBerry:

 

There is a free Peanut M&M dispenser like 3 rows from where I sit. It's not my department, but they are so nice to let me grab a few sometimes! I <3 M&Ms. 

 

A steal from Mema's closet. We wear the same size! Pay no attention to my messy, red toes. How embarrassing! 

 

Had to snap an OOTD photo of a favorite closet dress. I got this from Banana Republic 4 years ago and I still absolutely love it!  I wear it once or twice a season & it never gets old.

 

When Lauren leaves earlier than me some mornings, I let Dixon-monster cuddle with me for a few minutes. Well, really, he is probably just trying to sneak a bite of my human breakfast. (notice his drool on my sheets)... yummy. Dixon is a lab and reminds me of sweet Tyke. 

 

 Had to tweet this because this color is the only lipstick tube I have ever gone through ... twice! It's MAC Viva Glam IV.

 

J.Crew shoes. Another pair I have had for a few years that I keep on wearing every summer season.

 

Excuse my MESSY room this morning! I got this adorable pink/turquoise/orange leopard dress at Target this season & have worn it out. I paired it with a 3/4 length blazer for work purposes. 

Talent

 

These are just a select handful of my favorites from Ashlyn Joy Photography. I know I am bragging on family, but she really is so talented. Ashlyn is moving near the Atlanta area this weekend and will be available for Fall and Winter shoots. She is booking up fast and will also be traveling back to Alabama for a vast majority of her clientele there. Email her directly for booking info or feel free to contact me with any questions and I can put you in touch! 

 

My version of 'stacking'. 

 

My sis and I

A Braves Game & a Flying Biscuit

July & August are probably my least favorite months of the year. It's like...if you can hold on just a little bit longer through these weeks, fall will soon be underway. To me, August equates to the likes of January or February...just weird months. Not to mention August is so hot & sticky! 

It was a great weekend! One of my old college friends was in town for the Braves game, so we met up for a fantastic brunch at one of my favorites: The Flying Biscuit Cafe! What Reag and I have in common, is that we are both from Alabama & rocked Wallabees up at our school in Virginia. We were a small club.

Saturday night, we headed to the sold-out Braves vs. Cubs game last night and had a ball! It wore us out, for sure.

Sunday was a great day as well! I went to church & heard a great message about the importance of community & joining a small group.... which I plan to do so in 2 weeks! It's still been a little difficult to meet new friends, so I hope this opens up some new doors. I am in the process of pursuing membership at Buckhead Church....I have attended off and on the past year, and after visiting other great churches in the area, I have decided to make Buckhead Church my home. It reminds me a lot of Liberty...

Oh Hey There...

Hi there and Happy August! It's been a nice 3 month break but I am excited to be back!

After blogging for 3 years, there are definitely times when it just wears you out. Sometimes blogging seriously feels like a second job....not necessarily the posting, but also the interaction with the blogging community. It's a Catch 22.

Before providing an update, I am super excited about my new blog design by Dual Illusions Design Boutique.  Jackie did such a great job & is great to work with. I loved my former design, don't get me wrong, but I felt that after coming back from a blog break, I needed a fresh design. Totally went the opposite direction from what I had before (zebra print, hot pink, hot orange) and went with a soft, clean, basic lay out with lots of white space. The design represents this time of my life right now -- scrubbing away the glitz and glam of life to dig down into the bare basics of who I am and what I need to do. I have also renamed my blog to reflect my name -- Running in High Heels is no longer the title. At some point during 3 years of being viral, you can either chose to give your name or not... I chose to give it & am glad I did. Hence, now I am known as Brittney instead of my RIHH blog name. Many people are uncomfortable putting any trace of their name on the Internet, and rightfully so. It's a risk, but I feel that my content is nothing I would be ashamed for anyone to see or read. So... the blog address is still my name: BrittneyJoyWilliams.com & the blog is simply called 'Brittney'.

So, thank you all for understanding and allowing me these 3 months of no-blog life. When I posted that vlog, if I would have known all that was going to happen this summer, I am not sure I would have believed it. My parents put our beautiful home in Alabama up for sale. Mixed emotions, but I know it's best. My sister transferred colleges and I am so excited that she will be closer to me in Atlanta!

You would think that surviving a broken engagement would be all that someone could endure, right? Well, why don't you throw in losing your job too! Yep.... that happened just 2 weeks after taking the blog break. Though the situation was 'suddenly' unfortunate (quite the understatement), I think I surprised many by bouncing back stronger, thus confirming my last laugh. After great interview opportunities, I settled on what I thought to be a wise move in my career path. I now have done a complete 180 and am totally back to corporate life and I work in an office with 5,000 people and really enjoy this new learning experience!

All that to say that I am thankful for life's curveballs that I have gotten stronger from. I feel like I can handle a lot, even though I am in no way welcoming anything else earth-shattering for quite some time. Lauren and I laughed all summer about the "black cloud of darkness" that needed to move on its way out of our condo. It was a rough summer for us both, but we survived it together and have learned a lot through it.

This past weekend marked a YEAR since I moved to Atlanta. How crazy to look back from this video post & see all that has happened in one year. In typical Brittney fashion, yes you are about to get a mini-breakdown month-by month of Year One in Atlanta: 

August: Move down & move-in with Grandfather while contracting with my former company

September: Get confirmation from a new job that I start with them after 6 months of interviews

October: Move over to the opposite side of town in with other grandparents to be near job

(all the while living out of my car with my stuff still in Virginia apartment)

November: Purchase townhouse & move stuff from VA to Atlanta

December: Enjoy home & Holidays

January: Begin dating quite a bit & adopt a dog

February: Quiet month

March: Find permanent home for Tyke & decide to move into Buckhead

April: Move in with Lauren & have a lot of fun

May: Lose job that I moved my whole life down here for

June: Receive 2 job offers/Date a little

July: Start new, better, job

August: Back on my feet again ... real fast...and then Lauren starts a new job too! Lots of buzz our condo this summer!

Whew... it's been a crazy ride! 

 

Through it all, though, I am so thankful that I moved down here and I seriously <3 this city. 

Cheers, friends.... Glad to be back! Hope you all are having a great summer!

xoxo,

Brittney