Category: articles

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There is No Average American Consumer

That’s the word from an Ad Age Whitepaper — 2010 America: What the 2010 Census Means for Marketing and Advertising.  From the article introducing the whitepaper:

“The concept of an ‘average American’ is gone, probably forever,” demographics expert Peter Francese writes in 2010 America, a new Ad Age white paper. “The average American has been replaced by a complex, multidimensional society that defies simplistic labeling.”

The message to marketers is clear: No single demographic, or even handful of demographics, neatly defines the nation. There is no such thing as “the American consumer.”

While you may have already seen this news (it was originally published on October 12th), if you haven’t, take a few minutes to give it a read.

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The Art that is Storytelling

Recently I came across an article on MediaPost by Vanessa Horwell, titled Storytelling is an Art.  It was written from a PR perspective, but the author touched on “the art of communicating and storytelling, whether it’s oral, aural, visual or in words,” and it’s a theme that extends far beyond just the PR realm:

Good storytelling can incite emotions, can make us buy triple-stack hamburgers when we’re not hungry or cause our minds to create fantastic what-if scenarios. Good stories can make us cry, laugh or feel sick. Even better, good stories can make journalists pick up the phone or hit the reply button to our emails, saying, “Tell me more, I want to know.” They are the reactions that good storytelling can invoke, and I don’t think that’s something we can do with a micro-tweet or pushing a one-size-fits-all template that’s been approved by corporate because it’s safe and sounds good to the CEO.

Our clients demand more results from us than ever before. As consumers, we’ve become more demanding and less forgiving. So as communicators, we really should know better. We don’t want to be sold to or have stuff pushed in our faces. We want stories that make us “feel,” which is exactly what our communications to media should also do.

Take some time to read the entire article.  Then, ask yourself this question: How good is the story that you are telling for your clients?

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Howard Marguiles on the Creative Brief

Recently, I came across an entry on the Ad Age Small Agency Diary from Howard Marguiles, associate creative director/copy at Palio in Saratoga Springs, NY.

This particular piece was titled “What Are You Packing Into Your (Creative) Briefs?” and was all about — you guessed it — the value of a good creative brief.

An excerpt from Marguiles’ piece:

DiNoto has it exactly right. When writing a brief, you must fully commit to an idea:

  • This is the time to fall on the sword. Commit!
  • Refrain from peppering the brief with ideas; a little bit of this or that. Layering ideas in a painterly way is dishonest. Commit!
  • Say one thing, and say it clearly.
  • Don’t try to outshine the creatives, don’t let your cleverness show; keep the language simple and clear.
  • Anything resembling a tagline should be deleted.
  • Support, amplify, clarify, stay on message.

If you have doubts that you have chosen the right path, find another. The universe has an infinite supply of paths; choose one.

It is a faulty assumption to believe that a killer ad campaign was the product of an unusually imaginative creative brief. Quite the opposite is more likely to be true. It is also not inevitable that any given campaign would result from any given brief. This is a deterministic function of the zeitgeist, the talents and disposition of the creative teams, the openness and receptivity of the target audience, and the ability of an agency and client to celebrate the power of a great idea and run with it.

The Goodby, Silverstein & Partners award-winning “Got Milk?” campaign was based on a powerful, single-minded insight: People wait until they’re out of milk to realize that they need to buy more. The campaign’s scenarios were highly entertaining, but the core message was: “Milk enhances the enjoyment of many foods. Don’t wait until you’re out. Buy some today.” In Goodby’s hands, advertising history was made. At another shop, the spots might’ve sounded like infomercials for the ShamWow!

A truly motivating insight is a secret bit of knowledge that you have about your target audience that you can exploit to make them do your bidding. Don’t squander it.

Regardless of whether you’re on the account side, the creative side, somewhere in-between, or none of the above, take the time to read the entire piece.

Then go practice, practice, practice.

You (and your clients) will be glad you did.

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Preparing for the Future – the Benefit of a Succession Plan

Recently, Mark Solon of Highway 12 Ventures wrote a guest article for The Idaho Statesman in which he chronicled the transformation of es/drake into Drake Cooper.  He followed the paths that led Bill Drake and Jamie Cooper to each other, and a glimpse into their plan for the future.

A few excerpts from the article: Accident that could have killed him changes CEO’s priorities

One of the first things that Bill thought about when he got back to work after the accident was the fact that he had never created a succession plan for his business. “Sure, I always thought about it,” he told me. “But life got in the way, and I never got around to it.” He realized that he had not even given a hint of direction to his staff on what to do if he got hit by the “proverbial bus.”

Around the same time, Jamie Cooper was growing restless. Jamie had been a marketing executive at a number of companies, most recently as the marketing VP at ProClarity, which had just sold to Microsoft. Having recently turned 40, Jamie was thinking about “hanging up my corporate badge and having my own business where I could leverage what I’ve learned in my career.”

Bill knew Jamie and was impressed with his thoughtful approach. According to Bill, “Jamie was a client of the firm while at ProClarity, and a tough one. Succession planning was now at the top of my priority list. I wasn’t ready to retire but I was ready to stop and smell the roses a bit more. Because of the extended nature of Jamie’s proposed earn-out, I’d be able to slowly ease out of the business and pass along the knowledge I’ve gained along the way.”

Its a good read, and worth the time to take a look at it.

Also, if you’re in a similar position, something for you to think about:  What plans do you have in place in the event that ‘you get hit by a bus’?

Nothing like some heavy thinking on a Friday…

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What Makes a Good Creative Director

Our friends at The Denver Egotist recently published a two-part series (and rant) on What Makes a Good Creative Director.

Some highlights from Part 1:

The creative director is the last line of defense.
That is the last line of defense. When no one else in the creative department knows where to take a job, or how to crack a brief, the CD can do it. They have the experience, the savvy and the ability to produce the work when no one else can.

The creative director is well-versed in all crafts.
Great CDs are chameleons who understand the balance between concepts & strategy, and copy & design. Which is a nice segue into the next point.

The creative director is well-read.
But by reading a wide variety of books, periodicals and websites, the CD is furnished with a mind that can think outside of the annuals, and guide work that other agencies will follow.

And a few nuggets from Part 2:

The creative director produces work
But a good CD will still want to do some of the work, usually about 25% of it. As a creative, that scares me. The idea that I could only spend one-quarter of my time doing what I love most is a chilling thought, but perhaps when the time comes I’ll be ready to slow down on the work and see a bigger picture. But the fact remains, creative directors should still have the ability to take a brief and produce some terrific work.

The creative director knows every creative brief intimately
The brief is the lifeblood of any campaign, and it should never be allowed to be anything less than perfect. I’ve worked in agencies that gave account managers ten days to write the brief and creative teams five days to solve it. This may seem out of whack to the uneducated, but when the creative brief is tight and provides solid, focused direction, the ideas flow.

The creative director can sell or present anything, and do it well
Selling and presenting is a skill; by the time you’re elevated to the dizzy heights of CD, you should be damned good at it.

Finally, the creative director improves the work
A good CD will improve the work. Period.

Now this is by no means a complete summary of the series that Felix put together. I encourage all of you to take the time to read the entire thing (yes, both parts). If you find something that interests you, or sparks a thought, take the time to leave them a comment.