I woke up this morning, on my 40th birthday, and thought about what I would write in the blog today. I had other thoughts as well about age and the passage of time and accomplishments, but ‘what to post’ was a prevalent thought.
Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, and for forty years my birthday has been overshadowed by much bigger events. It’s always been a standing rule that my husband would separate the two. One card or one gift wouldn’t cut it. They need to be recognized as separate events.
Every few years, and this year is one of them, Mardi Gras falls on or near my birthday as well. The year I turned thirteen it was on Mardi Gras day. And this year, Mardi Gras is tomorrow.
On the one hand it is really cool to have such big holidays on my birthday. Everyone is celebrating and there are parades and school is on vacation. But on the other hand, it’s a little tough because then the birthday becomes overshadowed by the other events. The association with the holiday has as many positives as it does negatives.
I started thinking about Brand Association. So often companies look to celebrities or testimonials to get some borrowed glory for their products. But that brand association can really work against them. Just ask all of Tiger’s former endorsements. Very quickly the brand can become overshadowed by whatever is associated with it.
As I spend this day, focused on all that I am associated with, I look forward to the next forty years. The goals and accomplishments still to come. This is an exciting time in our industry and our business and I’m looking forward to what comes next.
This afternoon, as I load a few tons of Mardi Gras beads on a float and then this evening when I ride in a parade through Downtown Lafayette, I will be very glad that I get to celebrate my 40th birthday in such a special way. The whole town and about 350,000 of our closest friends will all be out celebrating with me.
This may be the shortest month of the year, but February 2010 has more events than any other - Saints win the Super Bowl, Winter Olympics, Valentine’s Day, my 40th birthday and Mardi Gras. It’s a great month to celebrate.
For years leading up to the Super Bowl, I anticipated the commercials more than the actual game (until this Saintly year, of course). For me, the game was merely the vehicle chosen to showcase those advertisers brave enough to not only spend the millions to air their spots but those that were confident enough in their creative abilities to try and command the attention of the 100 million viewers that anxiously awaited those “soon-to-be the most talked about TV moments of the year” spots. That patiently waited to be humored, shocked, surprised, dazzled, heart-tugged, challenged and perhaps even charmed.
For me, the “charming” commercial came wrapped up in a cute little game of Punch Dub - a modern-day version of “slug bug” that encourages passengers to seek out Volkswagen Beetles on the road, in parking lots, in movies (you get my point) just so they can punch whoever happens to be close by. Now just hear me out. Before you get all purist on me saying that this game was created for the Bug, with only the Bug in mind and should apply only if you see a Bug, let’s talk about why I connected to the spot.
As consumers, we constantly evolve and hats off to Volkswagen for choosing to take that leap and expand with us. They have braved their way into our homes not by pushing features and benefits of their growing fleet, but by connecting to us through an already established kinship, brought to life by people, places and situations that we can all relate to - a pained woman in labor, a bus driver and passenger, 2 cops sitting in their car, friends on a morning walk, a boy and his grandpa, Amish men in a horse-drawn carriage and even sight-impaired Stevie Wonder - pointing out to us all that our connection to Volkswagen is far stronger than we were probably even aware of.
I grew up wanting nothing more than a convertible Beetle - grew into buying a more grown up Passat and as my life evolves and expands, my eyes set sight upon a more practical and roomier Tuareg. Thanks, VW, for noticing.
Oh, but there was one tiny flaw in their new tagline. Don’t you think Das Auto should really be Dat Auto?
In June 1993, the “Got Milk” campaign was launched. It has been listed on just about every ‘best of’ list for advertising since then. The genius of the campaign was in the strategy, the simplicity of the message, and the fact that we could all relate. As with all great campaigns, it didn’t take long for the parodies to kick in. Although imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery it is the most infuriating when it comes to intellectual property and copyright.
This site is dedicated to a collection of photos illustrating all of the different ways that people have ripped off the ‘Got Milk’ campaign. You have to see it to believe it.
When we talk about changing the conversation in order to build a brand, it is crucial that there is an emotional connection that can be developed in order to change consumer behavior.
This emotional connection is so important becuase people are more emotional than they are logical. And purchase decisions are most definately based on emotion first and foremost.
Macy’s really gets it and their ‘Macy’s:150 years’ is a great example of how to use the history of the store and their foundation in pop culture. For the majority of the country that didn’t grow up in the Northeast and able to be a customer, it is a reminder of their place our lives through tv and movies.
Years ago I read that a study about people affected by a great life change. There were two groups. One was composed of people that had suffered a great tragedy - severe illness, crippling injury or a family death. The other filled with people who had received a great financial windfall - won the lottery or inherited a fortune.
Their lives before and after the ‘great life change’ were examined.
I read the article a few years ago and I don’t remember all of the details, but the part that really stuck with me was the conclusion.
The people that were happy before the tragic life change became happy again.
Interestingly enough, the people that were unhappy before receiving a great financial windfall where unhappy again shortly after.
Stephen Covey calls it “taking your weather with you”.
According to Arie de Gues, “Your ability to learn faster than your competition is your only sustainable competitive advantage.”
Now, to be honest, I am not even sure who Arie de Gues is, but I am thinking he is some sort of a genius. The problem is, far too many fail to heed his advice – regardless of whether they are new to the industry or seasoned professionals.
At our agency, continued education is not only essential, but also required – and no, this does not mean attending night classes at your local community college.
What I am referring to is taking on the responsibility of bettering yourself, whenever and wherever possible. This could mean performing research on market trends, or simply paying attention to the world around you. The biggest mistake anyone can make, is assuming they already have all the answers. If you ever start to feel this way, just take a look up in the rear view mirror and you’ll see your competition quickly approaching.
And make no mistake - there is competition everywhere, whether it comes in the form of another company within your category, or from a fellow employee who wants the corner office at the end of the hall. In the end, the only way to keep your edge is to keep your brain sharp.
Unlike other industries, advertising does not require licensing and continuing education credits, although it could easily be argued that this would not always be a bad idea. That being said, we must take these endeavors upon ourselves, even when it is not required.
Fortunately, all you need for this to happen is an internet connection, a cup of coffee and an inkling of ambition to keep you inspired and moving forward. Ok, the coffee is optional, but ambition is not.
You have to want to be better, want to improve and want to grow. Otherwise, you end up falling behind. This alone can hurt your career, but more importantly, it can hurt your client’s success – something I take very seriously.
One thing you should absolutely not do is learn at your client’s expense. Instead, I recommend practicing on yourself, your company, or a pro-bono client. While fake it till you make it practices may have been okay for wanting to be cool in high school, it isn’t a good idea when your client is investing millions of dollars for an ROI that increases revenue.
When I speak to recent graduates, I tell them that their formal education is just the first step in a process, a process that goes far beyond what you can get from a book. It has to do with real world experience that hopefully drives you to want more. Without this drive, you will soon find that you are either stuck in a holding pattern, or unable to even leave the ground.
To be successful in today’s world, you have to do more and be more, and most importantly, you have to want it more than anyone else.
As much as I love the video, the production values, and the message, I commented that it felt like the spot should do more to address the current brand of Scientology.
There has been quite a bit of controversy surrounding the group and it felt like the spot, “You”, didn’t really address the current perceptions.
And now, I have found two more videos in what is apparently a series of three “You”, “Life” and “Search”.
“Life” follows a similar theme as “You”
In looking at “You” and “Life”, the spots are home runs.
Beautifully moving copy, written almost as prose.
Gorgeous photography that really engages the viewer.
A truly beautiful campaign with spots that I want to live in. The message touches me. But, it doesn’t make me want to be a Scientologist. The campaign doesn’t overcome the perceptions that I already have.
Which leads me to believe that I am not the target audience. Since I am pretty happy to be a Methodist, married to a Catholic, they probably aren’t talking to me. And we have our own set of conversations to be had.
And then I watched the third spot “Search”.
Yep, this campaign, which appears to be launched online, is probably targeting a younger demographic that is still searching for themselves. So Scientology is positioning themselves as the group to go to when you want to understand why the world is the way it is.
But that leaves me to ask the question, why haven’t more people watched the videos? Why isn’t Scientology doing a better job of circulating them?
“You” has 3,742 views
“Life” has 1,307 views
“Search” has 1,372 views
Seems like even their own members aren’t watching the videos. Why not? What do you think?
Those daily tasks like making your bed, sweeping the floor, and washing the dishes would not have to be done everyday - just once.
I’m not sure about your house, but at our house it seems the trash is full before I get back from taking the last bag to the street. How is that possible? And then begins the daily artwork project of seeing how high it can be stacked, but that is the topic of another day.
In the business world, set it and forget it just doesn’t exist. There really aren’t any “mailbox money” careers where you can sit back and just let the checks come to you.
Business is about innovation. Daily.
It’s not about change for change sake.
Innovation is about striving to do it better. Better operations, better processes, better insight…which will lead to a better product.
So many clients want to be able to run an advertising campaign today and still receive residual benefit tomorrow. But, it doesn’t work like that. Really, it doesn’t. Not anymore.
There are too many options. Too much distraction. Too many other companies out there innovating.
In business today, there is no resting on your laurels, or on your past efforts.
So, the question is no longer “What have you done for me lately?”. The question now becomes “What can you do for your business today”.
What do you think? Are there any industries, any businesses, that are ’set it and forget it’?
As your business grows to become more global, it is crucial that you keep a local connection in each community you serve.
Most communities pride themselves on supporting “Local First”.
Green conscious consumers would rather buy a local product that hasn’t left a ginormous carbon footprint to get to the store shelf.
As citizens become more aware of the impact of economic development on the community, the desire is to “keep the dollars circulating locally” rather than sending profits out of market.
The way you reach consumers has to be local as well.
Get into the market. Learn the community. Know the people.
For media buyers, if you are just pulling out the demo and media guides then you are failing your clients.
Approach each market as if you are going to live there. Who are they? What are they like? Where do they eat? Where do they shop? Which schools are best? Which neighborhoods? Who goes to what church? Where do they work out?
How can you motivate an entire community to embrace your product and spend their hard earned money on your company if you haven’t even bothered to get to know them.
If you met one of these townspeople at a party, would you introduce yourself by saying, “Hi, please buy me, I’m the best.”
Of course not. You would learn their name. How many kids do they have? What are their hobbies? Make their acquaintance before you start selling them something.
When a tv show “Jumps the Shark” you just know it’s time is coming to an end. It’s a sign that the writers have run out of ideas and now they will just try anything to keep their viewers and attract new ones. The name comes from the later years of Happy Days when Fonzie actually jumped over a shark while water skiing.
Companies do this sometimes with their products. Instead of introducing a long lost relative back from the dead with a dark secret, companies introduce products that don’t relate to the current lines.
This over extension of the brand can prevent the new product from taking off and do irreparable damage to the previously established products. 9 biggest brand over extensions are:
Dump Your Demo - Porsche is all about speed and a fast lifestyle. Think drug dealing burnout William Hurt in The Big Chill. Station wagon what?! How do you go from being the car on a poster in a teenage boy’s bedroom to being in the garage of a suburban housewife. What self-respecting man in his mid-life crises can buy a Porsche now?
Diss Your Own Name - The name of the company is Kentucky FRIED Chicken but they are now pushing grilled chicken. The new tagline is “Taste the UnFRIED taste of KFC.” They are selling against their own name.
Abandon Your Core Competency - Pizza Hut is now pushing pasta. Are they changing the name to Pasta Hut? Will they no longer sell pizza?
Lost the Macho that Made You Cool - Harley Davidson, loved by leather wearing lawyers round the world introduced cake decorating kits. Not really as tough as the brand should be.
Clean it instead of cook it - Heinz, well known for their ketchups, launched a cleaning vinegar. How do you go from food to cleaning supplies?
You Fly and I’ll Buy - From a company famous for it’s chicken wings and scantilly clad waitresses comes…wait for it…Hooter’s Airlines. Really? Because a person that can get the wing sauce just right is exactly the same person that I want flying a 747.
Ignore the drinking age - Sony Playstation has carved out a great niche with video games featuring incredible graphics, great story lines and a very loyal following of pre-pubescent boys. Which is exactly why Sony Playstation should have never even admitted out loud that they were thinking about wine glasses and champagne flutes, much less actually put them on the market.
Make Promises For Your Customers - The Virgin Group has done a fantastic job leveraging the brand of Richard Branson through airlines, music mega stores and more. I would love to have been in the meeting when they decided to open stores in the UK that would sell wedding dresses and call it, Virgin Brides.
Stink up the Smell - People go to coffee shops for great tasting coffee and the warm relaxing smell of home. So why in the world would cold, stark, fluorescent, smells-like-a-hamburger-and grease decide to launch McDonald’s Gourmet Coffee. That is an oxymoron. Yikes.
Brand extensions must be carefully considered. The company has to branch out within the brand for it to be successful now. Don’t fall into any of these traps. Always remember that if you find your niche it will make you rich.
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