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Quite often, businesses that target other businesses settle for boring marketing. It’s often dry, canned and smells – like a bad serving of Chicken of the Sea. Why? Honestly, I have no idea. Maybe it’s because they think that only consumer-driven products need to be sexy. Or, that since their product isn’t seeing TV ad time, they don’t need to put money behind good creative.
Whatever the reason, it’s wrong, wrong, wrong.
A wise man once told me, a brand is simply what people perceive of your company. So, if you want it to be boring, stagnant and like everyone else’s, by all means, go with the crappy marketing. But, if you want to stand out, inspire others to talk about your company and the cool stuff you’re doing – give it some thought. It’ll be worth it. I promise.
Here’s a great article from a brilliant mind at 37 Signals. The author is Jason Fried. I’m picking up what he’s laying down, as this is what inspired me to actually write a blog post – the first in quite some time. There’s always room for good thinking. No opportunity is too small, no brand is too well-known.
Just some thoughts. Also, I’m pledging myself to be a more committed blogger.
As my senior year of college is coming to end (how that is happening already, I have no idea), I reflect on all the things I learned this past year. So, I thought I’d share (lucky you!).
Always send a thank you note. I know, sounds simple, right? Send one. Trust me, you’ll stand out.
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Cliché, I know. But it’s true. If your first idea isn’t well received use that as motivation until you get it right. Or until you inspire someone else to get it right.
That brings me nicely to my next point…bounce ideas off each other. When you’re stuck or need a change of pace, use the people around you. You never know what you’ll be able to come up with.
Have fun. If you’re not enjoying what you’re doing, it’s going to show. Obviously, not every day is going to be perfect. But work hard. Have fun. And it’ll make the not-so-perfect days worth it.
The best way to hold a broom: one hand firmly at the top and the second hand partly down the handle. Move hands back and forth, sweeping all around the office. Listen to music – it’ll help.
Learn from your mistakes. Cliché number two! But, it’s true. Listen to what the people around you have to say (especially when you’ve made a mistake). Use that to become better.
Keep up with social media. Look for new ways to do old tricks. Always be up to speed with what’s going on in the (advertising) world around you.
If you believe in your idea, fight for it. Because if you don’t, no one else will.
Best way to do dishes: grab bucket full of dishes, go down the hall to the bathroom, scrub, scrub, scrub, dry, put back in bucket and bring back to put in office. Again, listen to music it helps.
Beer and homemade cookies always equal a good going-away gift.
Well, I’m sure I’ve learned more than just that…probably. But, that’s all I’ll share with you. Hope you guys have a great weekend.
…and Nike is still good at advertising. Or are they? (Obviously, they still are. Phrasing is for drama build only. Imagine being read by deep voiced, Scotch-induced male. Late 50s.)
Here’s why it works:
It’s all the questions we’re dying to ask Tiger ourselves, but can’t. It’s taking Tiger from a golf (and Nike) icon to a humbled individual. Instead of glorifying him, it’s subtly chastising him. It’s making him seem, for once, an actual person who makes mistakes instead of a sports image who can do no wrong. It’s honest. It’s gripping. It’s memorable. And it’s completely unexpected.
Here’s why it doesn’t work:
Skipping over the fact that it’s his DEAD father talking, there is something creepy about the commercial itself. Maybe it’s the fact that Tiger looks actually apologetic, opposed to his calm, rehearsed persona. Apart from that, there’s just something uncomfortable with staring at this new Tiger. In addition, it seems like a bit of a cop out. Almost like he is using his dead father and his newly humbled position to trick us into forgetting and forgiving the mess he’s made.
But, then again, maybe that’s just me. Decide for yourself.
Although it’s been nearly a week since Google’s Super Bowl spot aired, we thought, being really interested in advertising and all, we’d throw our two cents in.
So… we loved it. At first sight, too.
Now we get that Super Bowl ads usually tend to lean heavily on humor. But Google’s ad was a refreshing break from the flying chips and the talking babies. Why was this ad so great?
Google…
executed brilliantly with zero talent costs
used their interface as the visual, making it about as ownable as you can get
told a story (and a timely one at that with Valentine’s Day coming up)
tapped into the emotions of viewers (little humor going on, little love going on, some surprises going on)
had an ad that resonated through literal noise (think about how many ads you couldn’t hear because people were talking at your party)
and of course, it aligned with their platform – user friendly with no clutter and clean communication
In case you didn’t see it, the spot told a love story in a nonconventional way. It was simple. It was memorable. It was ingenious.
So, with the new year and all, change, business refocus and other “good stuff” is inevitable. Everyone else is compiling these lists of what and how they’re going to accomplish goals and such – figured we’d do the same.
So…
1. More blogging. Lots more blogging. We’re doing okay on the micro side of things, but don’t write enough on the macro. We preach it to our clients but we have a hard time doing it ourselves. Yep – need to fix that.
2. More reading. Lots more reading. Industry stuff. Fun stuff. A library of everything. We think it’s important for inspiration, and, well, the old noggin in general.
3. Quit letting the award annuals pile up. We love looking through them – so, we should probably do it. It’s a good way to find inspiration and learn from the greats.
4. More sack lunches and sample days at Straub’s. This whole Central West End thing is hurting the pocketbook. First Herbie’s, now Pi. It’s getting ugly.
5. Continue to pursue hobbies. I just got a nice camera – I want to use it more and really learn the craft of taking a good photo. Joe likes to cook – he should do that more. Hobbies are important. They help keep you sharp and focused at the 9-”5″.
6. Encourage clients to do “due diligence” of research. Makes for much more effective work in long run.
7. Continue to be a student of SEO. A local ad guru told me it grew 5,000% last year. Ummm…probably need to stay on top of that then.
8. Always keep the big picture in mind. Always.
9. Make it to the West Coast on business. Seattle’s been calling our name. Hmmm…Filson is in Seattle.
10. Continue to hit the gym. We bought company passes to a nice little fitness club. Unfortunately, the weights don’t lift themselves. The person signing us up forgot to mention this.
11. More brainstorming over beers.
12. Rework biz plan. That’s a goal every year. We did it last year and helped a good deal. Keeps things fresh. Keeps you focused and on-task. A business plan is a living and breathing thing. Needs to be treated that way.
13. Stay up on daily inspiration. Blogs, Twitter links (deep breath – can get overwhelming).
14. Hire a new Gorilla or two. We’re getting to that point. We have a couple great candidates in mind. They’d be tremendous assets to the team.
15. Redo our Gorilla website. We have some great ideas and sketches. But, we need something that’s clickable.
16. Continue to build relationships with current client base. We’re blessed with a good one, need to keep them all on board by offering them good thinking and great service.
17. Most importantly, continue to have fun while doing it all.
All the best in the new year – hope it’s prosperous to you and yours.