Ox&Pen

We’re just three weeks into 2012 and everything at Ox&Pen is rapidly picking up speed. Even prior to Beta launch, some of the city’s most celebrated merchants are showing interest in the network. To ensure we continue to produce the best results for our merchants and, soon enough, our members, a few new team members have joined us at Ox&Pen. They are talented, driven and…their names rhyme. Meet Ryan and Brian:

Ryan Errard
Ryan hails from a northern suburb of Milwaukee, WI.  The green and gold of the Green Bay Packers and the blue and yellow of the Milwaukee Brewers are not just teams and colors, they are a way of life.  A former Golf Professional, Ryan’s passions are sitting beach side, grilling out, camping and attending outside music festivals.  Soon to be married, Ryan and Heidi’s lifetime goal would be to visit all 30 baseball stadiums in a summer.

Brian Wiley
After completing a degree in Marketing as a Kansas State Wildcat, Brian worked in Kansas City’s financial business sector before moving to Chicago for a position in human capital consulting with Personified. He comes to Ox&Pen via bloomspot armed with eight years of sales and marketing experience, passion and creativity. Brian enjoys traveling and good wine, and remains a loyal and true fan of the Chicago Bears and Cubs.

Continue reading “New year, new Ox&Pen team members…” »

Hanukkah started a couple days ago and Christmas and Kwanzaa are right around the corner. Your current playlist likely includes either Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” or one of Adam Sandler’s Hanukkah Song renditions (lest we all forget, Harrison Ford is, in fact, one-quarter Jewish). The Seinfeld fanatics out there undoubtedly will skip all of those holidays and instead opt to gather around an aluminum pole where they will air their grievances and demonstrate feats of strength.

‘Tis the season to celebrate, reflect back on 2011 and gear up for the year ahead. For Ox&Pen, 2012 is starting up before 2011 can even come to an end as we ready ourselves for our beta launch. We have enjoyed getting to know local merchants and look forward to continued community involvement in the Chicago area.

From all of us at Ox&Pen: we wish you a very happy holiday season and all the best in 2012!

Continue reading “Happy Holidays from Ox&Pen!…” »

If you’ve been keeping up with us on our blog, Facebook, and Twitter accounts, you know a little of what we are about. Through fun-to-use, cutting edge web and mobile technology, Ox&Pen offers our trend-setting and savvy members a service that provides them with exclusive promotions and loyalty incentives from local businesses. With this medium, we help to assist those merchants draw in and retain patrons.

So why the unusual name? What could “Ox&Pen” possibly have to do with shopping, dining, or transactions of any kind?

After the idea initially sparked in his head, Andrew mused about what to name his new company. He stumbled across an arsenal of Cockney rhyming slang, defined by phrases.org.uk as a “type of slang in which words are replaced by words or phrases they rhyme with.” It “has the effect of obscuring the meaning of what is said from outsiders” and originated in London’s East End.

Photo courtesy of fanpop.

For instance, if you’re going to lunch you might be heading to kidney punch. Or if something is easy, you could call it ham and cheesy, bright and breezy or lemon squeezy. Perhaps one the most notable references in recent pop culture is the “ENGLISH English” conversation between Mike Myers’ and Michael Caine’s characters in “Austin Powers in Goldmember.”

After casually browsing the site, Andrew saw a couple definitions, that when put together, meshed well and conveyed the desired message. “Oxford Scholar” is the Cockney phrase for “dollar;” and “Eighteen Pence” is the phrase for “sense.” Taking some creative license, we have Oxford & Pence, now known as Ox&Pen.

Continue reading “Oxford Scholar & Eighteen Pence…” »

Chances are good, if you’re reading this, you have a smartphone. Odds are also good that your phone has an app that scans QR codes and, even if you’ve never used it, you know you could on any of the thousands you see on your morning commute.

Quick response codes (better known as QR codes) are everywhere. Those square-barcode-looking things with lots of weird dots are in print ads, on store windows, and even on the bottle of decongestants I have in my top desk drawer. A friend of mine recently shared that he came across a pair of shoes with a QR code on the inside heel of each shoe. He didn’t try to hide how ridiculous he thought this was, nor is he alone in his thinking.

When QR codes are unnecessary, they are annoying. When they have a purpose, however, they are a convenience.

Scan this QR code and sign up for priority access to Ox&Pen.

If, for instance, you saw a promotional offer of which you’d like to take advantage, redemption via mobile scanning of a QR code at the point of purchase would eliminate your need to print or clip any piece of paper. The merchant would not have to manually log the use of the promotion either; the entire redemption process would be seamless.

Or maybe you’re part of a loyalty program (or several) but you can never remember to take along your frequent buyer card, so you haven’t gotten proper credit for the last 87 lattes you bought. If your loyalty programs were accessible via QR code at the point of sale, you wouldn’t run into this problem. Instead, you would simply scan the code with your phone and continue to pile on points.

A couple years ago, when the QR inundation picked up steam, I wasn’t sure they would be good for much more than mobile boarding passes. Well, I stand corrected.

Deployed strategically, QR codes are not just a novelty; they streamline your life.

Continue reading “Who cares about QR codes?…” »

Thanks to Peter’s watchful eye, we responded to a tweet from J.P. Graziano and became the recipients of two trays of subs from the West Loop’s renowned Italian grocer. The only thing better than delicious sandwiches for lunch are free J.P. Graziano sandwiches for lunch. A big thank you to Jim Graziano for his hospitality; we’ll definitely be back soon to snag some cured meats and fine cheeses!

Lunch!

This is legit.

Peter chats with Jim Graziano.

Jim Graziano's great-grandfather opened up this Randolph Street store in the 1930s.

Continue reading “Now this is neighborhood hospitality!…” »

Though I have yet to fully digest the Thanksgiving treats I was fortunate enough to enjoy, Christkindlmarket is already set up in Daley Plaza. The spirit of one holiday hasn’t completely subsided, but the hoopla of other (arguably bigger) holidays is steadily ramping up.

And I love it. I love the holidays, all of them. I love holiday cards, smiles on happy faces and bows on gifts we give to loved ones. Yes, bows on gifts. Along with snowflakes cut from recycled printer paper, December means, to many, shopping season. Where will you be buying gifts for family and friends this year?

Unwrap Chicago

Local First Chicago, along with its many partners, hopes you’ll be devoting at least part of your holiday budget to locally owned and operated storefronts. The organization has launched Unwrap Chicago, a city-wide buy local campaign for the 2011 holiday season. In an effort to stimulate the economies of our local neighborhoods, Unwrap Chicago asks each household in Chicago to pledge to redirect at least $100 of planned holiday spending from chain stores to locally owned merchants. Those who pledge by December 4 are entered into a raffle for prizes from local businesses. Think of it as an extended Small Business Saturday with rewards involved.

It’s not hard to join this movement; you could support local artists by purchasing holiday cards at the craft shop down the street instead of the chain pharmacy around the corner. Pick up festive cupcakes from the baker down the street instead of the big box grocery store that ships goods in from 3,000 miles away.

Our mission at Ox&Pen is to support and promote the welfare of our neighborhood businesses by helping them to attract new and retain existing customers. “Keep our community unique” and “Encourage local prosperity” are just two of the important messages from Unwrap Chicago in which we strongly believe. The motives driving this movement aren’t limited to Chicago. Whether you live in Portland, Maine or Portland, Oregon, now is the time to revisit the shops and restaurants owned and operated locally.

Continue reading “In case you didn’t have time to…” »

Flashback – November, 2010:
“A Segway tour along Lake Michigan?” my wife said under her breath as she looked at her smartphone at a local coffee shop, “Why do I need that? What good is 50% off when I would never buy that in the first place?” With the exception of discovering that my wife occasionally talks to herself, in hindsight, this turned out to be an important and exciting day!

Perhaps I was a bit behind the times, but that was my first exposure to the “daily deal.” My initial thought was that this was a 21^st century version of the coupon book that I remember my father using frequently when I was a kid (who knows…he still may!). This new model seemed to be a smart and creative twist on that. I became curious, and did more digging on the specifics. Before long, I had questions:

• Do small businesses really have to discount their goods/services THAT much to gain exposure to new customers? What are the “real” costs to the merchant? Is this model sustainable for them?
• Are these business owners at risk of losing their “regulars” due to the new mass of people coming in to redeem their vouchers? Are they even “good” customers? Once they use the vouchers, what is the likelihood that they will come back? What is their incentive to come back?
• Why is it necessary to purchase a voucher upfront? What if the member isn’t able to use it before it expires? With whom does the accountability lie?
• Aren’t there ways to engage the consumer more by adding social and loyalty components?

I have a lot of respect for the pioneers of the daily deal model; they’ve taken the traditional coupon and gave it some pizzazz! But at the same time, there are many things that can be improved upon. With Ox&Pen, my team and I want to evolve this space with a more comprehensive and equitable model than what is currently out there. While there are many creative ideas being developed in this space, I have yet to see anything that ties together everything from promotional offers to universal loyalty points the way Ox&Pen does. (Curious about the name, huh??? Visit our website and continue to follow this blog for further explanation!)

Continue reading “Discovering and questioning the daily deal model…” »

Like many other diligent and dedicated professionals, the employees at Ox&Pen jam to Spotify from 7:30 a.m. when the doors open until 7:30 p.m. when the last game of foosball wraps up. In between new Foster the People tracks and CCR marathons, there are a few commercials promoting the platform, one of which boldly (yet seemingly accurately) pins pirating music as “so old-fashioned.” With Spotify, however, you can share music for free and “every single track you buy makes money for the rights holders and the artists.”

Pirating music was once a de facto way to enjoy limitless music. Times have changed and, in essence, light has been shed on the fact that undervaluing music by snatching up free digital copies of songs is against artists’ best interest and is not sustainable for the industry as a whole.

In recent years, the daily deal industry has sprung up around the world in full force. An unexpected side effect of the access consumers gained to cheaper-than-ever lifestyle opportunities was a price renormalization. After a couple years of enjoying various luxuries at a steep discount, many can no longer fathom paying full price.

Fair enough. I mean, who doesn’t like a discount?

What we as consumers may forget, however, are the businesses that are hurt by offering up services for 50-75% off. We forget that the businesses most in need of these marketing and promotional services are typically the ones who have the least financial flexibility and the least room for error if this strategy fails. If the viability of our favorite merchants is compromised due to use of unsustainable marketing tactics, doesn’t that directly affect the character of the neighborhoods in which we work and play?

As a consumer, I can’t deny I like saving money. At the same time, I know I would be devastated if any of my local favorites had to shut their doors after inopportune deployment of uber-aggressive discount marketing. The streets, and blogs, are littered with accounts of small business owners who have regretted going this route.

So, the question becomes, “do customers really need a huge discount to feel like they are getting value?” Much in the way music fans are happy to pay a dollar and change for the work of their favorite artists, I’m inclined to believe that consumers are increasingly interested in patronizing local vendors. If they save money and receive rewards at the same time, then all the better! Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a sustainable model out there mutually beneficial to merchants and customers? Perhaps there is…

Continue reading “Price renormalization? Sustainability? What’s in the cards…” »

Ox&Pen is open for business and we’ve set up shop in the West Loop. Delicious lunch options and constructive brainstorms have made our first month here pretty great. Now that our pre-launch site is up and running at www.oxandpen.com, we figure it’s time to introduce ourselves.

Adam, Peter and Jean celebrate the launch of Ox&Pen's coming soon page.

Andrew Gluck
In addition to being Ox&Pen’s founder and CEO, Andrew serves on the board at The Center on Halsted and the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO). He can do the Rubik’s Cube in less than a minute and juggle anything except moving chainsaws, but can’t necessarily do both tricks concurrently (yet).  While his two young sons are supportive of his current business endeavors, neither of them understand why he didn’t choose to become a professional athlete instead.

Peter Huften
Peter is a father, Ox&Pen’s COO, and business partner at VERA. He has developed an exceptional athletic prowess, excelling at soccer, bowling (many trophies line his mantle) and foosball. Orange is not just a color; it’s the color of Peter’s Dutch roots.

Adam, Jean and Andrew enjoy friends and family night at Vera.

Christy Lukes
Born and raised in Mesa, Arizona, Christy likes warm weather more than Peter likes orange. Chicago is working out alright though as it is the only cold place she knows of that offers such an array of striking architecture, good food, baked goods and chocolate. She has a background in writing, social media, volleyball and sushi making.

David Jelinek
At the age of 13, David began his entrepreneurial career as the neighborhood grass cutter and later augmented his business acumen by building a creative/development company. He currently serves as Ox&Pen’s tech and media guru.  A former motorcycle racer and accomplished billiards hustler, David has ample experience in the restaurant, bar and nightclub industry. While David enjoys drinking a fine scotch, when the opportunity presents itself, he REQUIRES coffee for optimal morning functionality.

Jeff, Jean, David and Adam at a business development meeting.

Between trips to JP Graziano’s and Harold’s Chicken Shack #41, Ox&Pen has a business development team that comes stacked with experience in digital media and the restaurant and retail industries:

Jeff Cokefair
A suburbanite at heart, Jeff is adapting to the city quite nicely and is always on the prowl for good food (burritos) and wine. Gone are the days of skiing, cycling and motorcycle racing. Today he is a family man with teen daughters; life needs the same intensity. Jeff brings to the team his energy, quirky style and spirit to send Ox&Pen into the spotlight or into a foosball championship.

Jean Metellus
Jean grew up in Chicago and Skokie, but was born in Haiti. As an avid Chicago Bulls fan, one of his greatest childhood memories was attending Steve Kerr’s shooting camp and watching him shoot 15 for 15 from the three point line. He brings to the team seven years of digital media experience.

Adam Koss
Adam obtained one of his life goals by becoming a college basketball player. He is quoted as saying he’s eaten over 5,000 cheeseburgers in his life (and counting). He would go to a concert everyday if he could and of highest priority on his To Do list is to go to Costa Rica to learn to surf.

Jean and Adam throw on their thinking caps.

Continue reading “A glimpse of our West Loop lifestyle……” »