JDA, Inc. Retail Ready Design™

July | 2020


SiriusXM is Business as Usual

We have been working with a team at SiriusXM (SXM) pretty consistently over the years and they have always worked remotely, so this change wasn’t disruptive to their routine. There is the occasional child on their lap, pets who need attention, and late-night emails. We have found the last few months to be rather productive. JDA assisted in their efforts to launch a new product called Tour.

New Product Kicked Off a New Packaging Design

Tour was the first product we worked on to implement the new packaging design. This wasn’t an effortless process, but I don’t know of many packaging design projects that go quickly. Here were some of the challenges and how they were addressed:

  • There was a new brand look and feel that needed to be addressed. We used the new fonts and colors but decided if we incorporated some of the more distinctive elements, the packaging may out-live another brand update.
  • The packaging had become cluttered due to the addition of programming logos and other elements. After many iterations, the SXM team decided on our clean and simple approach with minimal verbiage and icons on the front. We aslo recommended using a single font for model names rather than creating branded logos.
  • New Design

    Previous Design

  • Click to see content
    SXM had a lot to convey about this new product with limited space on the package. We opted to use a QR code to provide additional sales information. This could be scanned in-store during the decision process.

Video tells the Tour Story

Since the Tour receiver offered new advanced features, the SXM team wanted to highlight how they work using video. These vignettes were created to be used individually, as one video, and incorporated into an online retail microsite.

Click to see SiriusXM TOUR Features Video

We've been working on this project since December 2019 with Mollie McFeely, Director, Aftermarket-Retail Sales & Marketing, and it was very gratifying to see the launch come to fruition. She had this to say about our collaboration:

"JDA and our team have been collaborating on the launch of Tour Radio since CES 2019. This project kicked off the redesign of our product packaging for our entire product line. JDA also played an important role in the creation of digital assets for the Tour product launch that walk the buyer through the path-to-purchase. The content is engaging and educates the consumer on new product features. The final Tour marketing execution has taken our retail presence, both in store and online, to a new level. JDA understands our business and has been a valuable SiriusXM partner for many years."
Mollie McFeely, Director, Aftermarket-Retail Sales & Marketing


This Wasn’t Our 2020 Vision

Back in December we asked: “What is your 2020 vision?” and I’m sure none of us could have predicted how much our world would change. We are over half a year into 2020 and most of us have made major changes in our lives.

Working from Home: Pros

I always felt that in-person collaboration was necessary for a creative firm, but we have been able to make this work. In many ways it has been good for us as a team and for our clients. We all weighed in and found these positive aspects of working from home.

  • No commute (extra plus for the overall environment).
  • Putting all of our files in the Cloud has streamlined our process.
  • Savings on auto expenses and going out to eat.
  • The flexibility to get our work done early in the morning or later at night.
  • We are much more diligent about meeting as a team. We used to meet once a week, now we have a morning call every day.
  • We prioritize our work every day as a team.
  • We have had to revise our review process since we can’t just walk to someone’s desk, but it hasn’t been an issue.
  • We have become better at judging when we need to communicate by calling or if we can instant message or email. This includes JDA as a team and our clients.
  • Collaborating on-screen is now an almost everyday experience, which is really a time saver.
  • We still have tutorial sessions on new technology but it is more in the form of a webinar.
  • Not as much printing (another extra plus for the overall environment).
  • Getting fresh air whenever we need it.
  • No spam phone calls to answer.
  • We were a casually dressed office before, but now PJs can be an all-day thing.

Working from Home: Cons

People are social creatures and they like to interact in person so much of the cons center around the fact we don’t see each other every day.

  • We miss the casual banter and laughs. (I noticed on our morning calls the team comes on early and just catches up with each other.)
  • Distractions from kids, spouses, pets and house chores.
  • We miss seeing our co-workers and the occasional sweet treats that would be shared with the team.
  • Team lunches, birthday celebrations and the occasional happy hour. (We now have Zoom happy hours.)
  • Home utility expenses have gone up.
  • Exercise and mobility has gone down.

Covid-19 has Cost Us All. How Can JDA Help?

It isn’t hard to lay out the pros and cons of our new reality, but some people aren’t working from home because many companies have had to close or streamline. It is heartbreaking. Several people we have worked with for over 10 years have lost their jobs. Many are using this time to reset their career.

If you are one of the people who are out there looking for work, if we can be used as a reference, please do so. I have been sharing opportunities with people whenever I see them. I have been brainstorming with several of my LinkedIn contacts to help them refresh their resumes or I have shared companies that I know are hiring. We are all anxious about what this new normal will be, but we are just a Skype call, Zoom meeting or chat away.

Don’t hesitate to reach out through LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/patty-jensen-41b4512/ or through email pjensen@jdainc.com