advergirl

Does your CD do banners?

Yet another highly-questionably-designed survey has revealed this counter-intuitive truth:

Although seven of ten men 18-34 are going online more than ever before, they consider television a better advertising medium

Surely, there are lots of rational arguments to be made - about in-stream behaviors, history of ROI, quality of experience, etc.

But, I wonder if our industry - far beyond the media buying department - plays a self-perpetuating role in the success of broadcast vs. Internet advertising. One where our very best creative minds & most inventive strategists are at work pushing the bounds of aging mediums while interns and newbies churn out banners and boxes for the Web.

How different would Internet advertising look if our industry awarded the talent and prestige to it that it's long given the :30-second spot.

I doubt it would look much like a banner or a box...

Personal space up and running

Friends, readers, fans of the Nitwits kickball team, lost linkers, etc. -

Just wanted to post a quick note that my personal page is finally up and running. No more retro "under construction" snipes. Oh, and thanks to FishNChimps, the link is even spelled correctly on this page.

Enjoy -

AG

Local Advertising in Ohio

On the exact opposite end of the spectrum from advertising reinventing downtown, there is the due diligence, pass-the-collection-plate, save-a-soul, subtlety-is-lost-on-heathens advertising thrust open drivers headed from Columbus to Cincy on 71S. Impressively, these boards have not only been displayed, but expertly maintained for at least the four years that I've lived here. The back includes longer verse for those headed back from Porkopolis...

Well, America - at least I can say: I hear you.

The Worst Focus Group is You

OR: No, you are not normal

OR: Why not conduct a focus group of one

You know what focus group I’m talking about. The one that inside a strategy meeting starts out with one of these familiar phrases:

Well, I’m in the demo and my experience is…

I’m a consumer / customer of that [brand] and I think…

From my perspective as a parent…

Separating ourselves from the great, big populace of product buyers out there can be a challenge. After all, we are parents, kids, shavers, eaters, joggers, hair-doers, hair removers, etc. When it comes to understanding the drivers of the purchasing decision, why avoid your own opinion?

• If you use the words consumer, demo or brand, you are likely not experiencing the greater marketplace as an average Jane. You may rate store signage, rant about advertising strategy in your living during commercial breaks (nah, pods) or event critique direct mail addressed to you and your family.
  
  Asking you to discuss the buying experience is like asking a rocket scientist to help build a 2nd-graders diorama of the solar system. There is a level of expertise, cum mania, that eclipses the normal interest level of the wider population. You are overkill.


• One person – even if it’s not your expert / jaded / all-knowing self – is never extendable. Remember this equation: 1 / SQRT(n). That’s the formula for accuracy and extendibility of a population’s survey results. When n = 1 … well, it has a plus or minus accuracy rating of 100%. Not exactly confidence inspiring.


• You may simply be too close to the brand. After years of being a marketer / customer / advertiser, you hold certain core beliefs about the brand(s) you represent. If there is a change in the marketplace - or, even in your core customer - you may be too close to see it without an outside perspective.


• You may be masking your real objection. If your “gut check” is leaving you feeling that something is wrong, ask critical questions, dig into the research … heck, commission research. Don’t replace someone else’s flawed rationale with your own when you have the tools available to make it right.


• You’re wearing down your own credibility. To varying degrees your clients and colleagues have spent years honing their bullshit meters. In other words: they know a soapbox when they see one. Bring strategy, ideas, plans, resources to the table … leave the market pulse to someone who knows how to take it.

Pier 1 exits eComm

This week Pier 1 announced their exit from the eCommerce space. Their statements referenced a need to focus on the core business, leading them to shutter a number of side interests. But, in an increasingly eCommerce-focused marketplace, the decision definitely leaves open a number of questions - chief among them:

• Is this a harbinger of a larger online challenge to the home/furniture marketplace?
• Can brands with a heavy emphasis on the in-store experience recreate the all-important social / browsing experience online?
• Is the heavy entry into ecommerce overall due for correction?

What do you think?

Taking on Griner: Why I like Boy Wendy in the Woods

Ok, David, now that you’ve convinced me to return to blogging, I’m going to have to make a pest of myself.

First up: The issue of Saatchi & Saatchi’s pig-tailed play in the woods.

To catch everyone else up:

AdFreak’s David Griner – and, in fairness, other industry notables – have panned the new Wendys spot as too long, derivative and flatly executed. Here’s why I think the spot was smart, strategic and an overall win:

Real estate: Chain-wide, Wendys has 6600 stores. Compare that to category leaders: McDonalds at 31,045 and BK at 11,184. They don’t have the built-in marketing hammer of being top-of-mind via ubiquitous presence. When lunch time rolls around, Wendys needs you to be so wanting their square burger that you actively seek it out. In :60 seconds they pounded that brand and the idea of a hot and juicy burger into memory.

Client culture: I wonder what decades of casting cuddly founder Dave Thomas as the primary brand spokesperson have done to the marketing culture at Wendys. I would guess it’s fairly conservative. This is a huge and bold departure – one they should really be proud of in terms of contemporizing the brand and niche-ing their approach to the market.

Noise: You watched it, right? The visual is ridiculous; the audio is unexpected.  It broke out of its 3-minute Idol pod and got watched. That’s successful.

After-School Special Effect: I’m not convinced Saatchi was following Crispin. The spot actually seems a little snarky – almost making fun of the category. It’s got that feel of intentionally-off on authenticity … think: after school specials. And, I’m guessing Wendys customer is a little older than BKs – so, that might be just the right tone and fit.

Anybody out there from Saatchi? Come on, tell me I’m close…

David: Here’s one as annoying as those BK ads, linked just for you

Can brands be funny enough? (Or: Beat the meat)

Link: A branded viral video from BullsEye created by Greg Auer and Patrick Durkin at DRAFTFCB-Chicago.

I'm posting this for two reasons.

First: Let's forget the video for a moment. Greg sent me the single-most effective pitch email I've ever received. For those of you readers who are also fellow bloggers, you are no doubt familiar with the range of "outreach" activities perpetrated on bloggers by traditional PR types - emailed press releases, faux attempts at familiarity, strange headlines with disjointed form letters, etc.

While I'm sure it was still a form letter, Greg went about it in a much more genuine way. Summary: I'm proud of this work. I'm trying to get it out there. Will you post it?

THAT kind of approach makes the world seem smaller and more collegial. And, it gets response.

Second reason: This video is cute. It gets at lots of the "just a big kid" personality play of America's Joe Lawnmower-Griller. But, is it really fun enough to be viral?

Maybe.

As more brands get into this space of trying to be the post-next-door on YouTube and MySpace and (please let's stop) Second Life, I have to wonder how many brands can really pull it off.

Some of you are likely thinking: Subservient Chicken. That was 2004. What truly viral (meaning sans huge PR campaigns) site / campaign / video  has had that enduring and wide-spread success since then? I think Ted Ferguson could easily be nominated. Maybe a few others. But, for the few viral wins by brands, there are hundreds and hundreds of losers. Ideas micromanaged from laugh-out-loud funny to wouldn't-even-make-me-chuckle. Copywriters so deluged with brand attributes that they can't string a knock-knock joke together. Art directors who've jammed a logo on every frame.

Strategically, I think Miller Lite had the right approach back in 2005 - picking up the Carson's Christmas display - those flashing holiday lights synchronized with the Trans Siberian Orchestra score. It was proven viral. People liked it. It had the low pro, authentic feel. Miller Lite added corporate sponsorship and gave it an even wider reach.

For those of us with clients who may not be funny from white paper, it seems like a logical approach to present a slate of proven-viral hot candidates to approach for sponsorship ... before we drag out our home video cameras and water balloons.

Where are all the women?

Meet Jenny.

She's 39, married. Has a 12 year-old daughter. She lives in the suburbs of a medium-sized city and commutes 25 minutes to the call center she works in. She went to college for a few years, but never graduated. She and her husband bought their house together almost 10 years ago. They make $48,000 annually and spend $1200 of it on fun gadgets and technology. They go on a week-long vacation every summer. Jenny makes weekly and seasonal purchases for herself, her daughter and her husband. She's the primary shopper and controller of the family checkbook.
She likes to read best sellers. Is close with her sister. Has a few friends, but would like to have more. She goes to church on Sundays and watches TV at night. She wishes she had more free time.

Jenny is America's average consumer.

Here, my fellow advertisers, is why I bring this up:

I was recently at a download session for a new business pitch. The potential client invited four agencies to learn about their marketing & business environment, customers and history.

My boss, our CCO and I attended, along with 2 or 3 heavy hitters from each of the other agencies.

The client brought a variety of brand managers from their side. And, I couldn't help but quickly notice something:

In the room overall:

11 men, 5 women.

From the agencies: 

9 men, 1 woman (me.)

I've* actually noticed this in a number of pitch processes and I'm always struck by the fact that there are so few women at the senior, strategic level of advertising. Despite the fact that the majority of consumer purchases are made by women** and - to all appearances - the plurality of corporate marketers are women.

So, here are my questions to the community:

1. Do you think there's any understanding of the customer lost / simplified / overlooked by such a low representation of the primary buying gender in top-level advertising? (Or: Could it lead to a more accurate portrayal by avoiding the "focus group of one" phenomena?)
2. Do you think there is a new business strategic advantage for an agency that does have women in leadership?
3. Where do all the women go? The entry level positions in advertising seem to be flooded with them ... but, they rarely make it to the executive suite.

*The agency I work for has a number of women who attend most pitches - one of our VPs, two of our management supervisors, our director of account planning and our online media planner are frequently involved in new business

**I assume that the "80% of consumer purchases are made by women" statistic that is so often referenced is inaccurate for one key reason: it's reflective of a 100 year period. Many decades of which, women didn't work in any notable numbers & thus would naturally be the runners of all household errands. Nonetheless, there is much evidence to indicate that purchasing is heavily weighted toward women consumers - as both end purchasers and gatekeepers.

The three pillars of success in (nearly) any agency

Think about the people you most enjoy working with. They solve your problems. Or start with: they GET your problems. And, you know you can count on them. If we were to undertake the brand discovery process on our own industry, these would be the three attributes that are RELEVANT to our marketplace - it's a simple formula (of only-seemingly impossible expectations) that will make you invaluable at your agency:

• Sense of urgency: When a client's sales slump, when an AE gets a panicked phone call, when a creative director finds herself with no winning concept the night before a presentation, they all want one thing: For you to take ownership of solving their problem. To get just how serious it is and to jump on finding an answer. Walk fast, take notes, stay late: show them you are on board to get it done.
  

• Strategic approach: If all we needed was someone to say yes or to make it look pretty... well, we wouldn't have hired you. YOU are better than that.
  
  Make a point of understanding the strategic challenge your client is up against - ask big questions, ask tiny questions, get to know the customer, get to know the competition.
  
  What's the number 1 reason agencies lose accounts? I would argue that it’s complacency.  The agency is coasting. They probably don’t even realize they’re doing it. But after years with a product, it’s easy to get too close to it, to lean on old insights, to produce rather than create.
  
  Taking a strategic approach to every project is fighting the coast.
  
  But, more importantly, it's getting to do the best at your job - who wants to be a pair of hands when you can be a leader?


• Relationship-building: Cut your email usage in half. Call your clients. Go talk to your coworkers. Schedule dinners. Bring in pizza. Communicate and build relationships. Extend favors. Compliment a job well done. One day you'll need a deadline extended, a miracle performed, another chance after a big miss, etc. And, every day, you'll benefit from having people bring you ideas, contacts and their best work.
  
  

The Art of Creative Management

This quote is taped up in my office to remind me of the challenges and rewards of entrepreneurial cultures:

Imagine, for a moment, that you’ve been put on an island and handed a sack of rice, some vegetable plants, and a chicken. “Good luck,” says the person who brought you there. “You’ll be responsible for growing your own food now; I know you’ve never done that before, but I have every faith in your ability.”

Then he gets in the boat and leaves, merrily waving goodbye.

Crazy, right?

It's from a ChangeThis manifesto called "Growing Great Employees" by Erika Andersen. She's written a book by the same name. Both are very helpful, um, help.

There's a new edition of ChangeThis out this week. If you're not already subscribed, please consider it - it's like Fast Company and David Letterman pleasantly smooshed together.