Vote: it's a verb

To express one's choice or opinion. (i know you all have one, do you?)

what are Bill & Jerry doing for Vista?

There's been a lot of talk about this new campaign from CP+B and what it's doing for Windows Vista...I personally don't find anything engaging about the spots: I'm not pulled in, I'm not intrigued to find out more, I don't want to talk about them - it's just another commercial in the commercial pod in-between programming.

but...

What I think is happening is the spots are encouraging those people who do have Windows Vista to talk about it. The spots are totally targeted at them, to incite them to think about WHY in fact Vista works, what they like about it, what the whole "shtick" is about. The spots incite them to think about the product and most likely they feel like they're part of an inside club which is inherently the point of any product and/or brand. To support my hypothesis: after using his laptop last night (with Vista), my boyfriend said: "I don't know what the negative hype is all about, I really like it. It's sweet."

look what we've done

If you're in advertising, see this movie: America the Beautiful. With all of the Planning for Good and brand utility that gets furthered by smart agencies every day, let's not forget where our industry has come from and what the social ramifications are; the ones we must address and tackle before we can get consumers to really believe (buy into) our newly "good-hearted" and honest attempts at reflecting society rather than shaping it (no pun intended).

go to www.thisad.com

In the age of information, it seems we always want to communicate as much as we can. The client wants to get their message, contact information, website, and any other support points ALL in one ad ALL the time. I think it's silly to clutter a space with all of this information at once and believe it doesn't make any sense message-wise. If a consumer sees a billboard (or a bus ad), think about where they are: in their car. They're NOT going to be able to check out your website and most likely won't remember it when they do get to a computer, even if they repeat it 3x in their head (I've tried it, it doesn't work). Instead, a website might work better in a text message or in a TV commercial; a lot of people are combining laptop time with TV watching these days: This makes more sense.

Anyway, I don't have the answer yet. My podmate said it's a problem of media saturation which I'd agree with to an extent. It's also a problem of one-sided communication. We think that just because we give people information they'll use it or know what to do with it. WRONG! We need to do a bit more work these days and come up with ways in which we can help/remind people to use this information.

I hear a new Google app in the making...only if they read this post. :p

more to come...

the new consumer

doesn't consume material goods: new jeans, the latest razor, new Nikes, Mr. JoeBob's insurance policy that can get the best discount around, or even the dinner for only $9.99 at TGIF's. The new consumer consumes content: podcasts, blogs, flickr photo albums, social media conversations, text messages, YouTube videos.

Content is what we all need to be producing now. Ripe from the AP Conference, content is the new creativity. What does our audience want to consume in terms of content? In this Internet and connectivity driven world, content is "the goods." What can you produce that people will want to share? What can you produce that people will want to add to, mess with, and get their fingers in?

And that's just it, and also maybe why many companies haven't gotten on the content bandwagon, is because content can also be created by consumers, so we're all competing in the same pool. AHHHH, no control, says the stodgy, traditional company, let's just talk to them (not with).

Everyone is creating content. It will be the brands and products and companies that facilitate the creation and sharing of content that will be rewarded with loyalty, love, and customers. CUSTOMERS of content. CREATORS of content. Maybe we'll finally replace the age-old consumers with talking to the creators. That sounds nice. :)

I just read an article, i can't remember the source, that said in this post-broadcast age, retail will reign. Well just think about it: a retail environment is filled with content! A retail environment provides a context to enjoy the content within, which is even better and more conducive to retention. So what can we call customers of content? Think about it. Plan for it. It's here, the age of content.

FREE FREE FREE = DUMB DUMB DUMB

I heard a radio commercial today that went something like this:

Call now to get a free laptop! At BlueHippo we won't look at your credit score, no questions asked. Call now XXX-XXX-XXXX, and we'll give you a free flatscreen today. No credit checks, no questions. Have you been wanting a laptop? Get one today! And if you call right now we'll give you a flatscreen tv AND a printer. Call now.

Um...ok. I LOL because this is a)too much free stuff in one offer b)to free to be real c)very scam-worthy and d)down right ridiculous.

I can't believe this ad passed through all the checkoff points. This is DUMB, BAD advertising. I really hope people don't give this company the satisfaction of a call or a customer. Advertising like this should write you off the planet in terms of being socially acceptable. Boo.

Yo Momma

Postcardsfromyomomma is kind of like Postsecret for moms but in a reverse way: readers submit emails from their mothers, thus displaying secrets of moms.

Great insight for any mother/daughter brand.

Here's one post titled "My husband lives like a pauper"

Did I tell you that I called the producer at Millionaire to re-schedule my air date? I told them I relocated to Reno and that I couldn’t make the July date. They said,”No problem…we’ll call you and send a letter after we look at the schedule”. I really think I can do well on that show. If I make some big bucks I will NOT give it to my husband. I will split it up between you and your sister. My husband doesn’t need money. He’s got his squirreled away and lives like a pauper so I’ll dispense any award money where it will be put to good use.

oh data

Part of me wants to launch into a fictitious rant about Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation, a childhood favorite in the late 80s, early 90s, but I'll save us both the nostalgic embarrassment.

If you haven't seen it yet at Contagious, read this now: Ways of Seeing, The art of data by digital ninjas Faris Yakob and Noah Brier. These two smart guys put data visualization into inspirational laymen's terms. What exactly is data visualization? Words are simply visual representations of information - pictures of sounds. I thought this was beautiful when I read it. An inspiring way to think about what they refer to as the art of eroding the gap between how something looks and what it means.

Basically, they give it to us straight: we are a generation drowning in data. Here, Here! Oy Oy! How many of you are currently struggling with balancing your professional network with your social one; aggregating newsfeeds but never finding the time to read them all; trying to figure out how to Twitter but...can't; wishing you could email everyone back at once but know that mass emails aren't the personalization you know people deserve these days. AHHHH, what are we supposed to do? The Internet has made us all stir-crazy, psycho-paths who need the latest "fix" of information and we can't focus until we get it, and even then, focusing (and being productive) is difficult.

The problem identified by Faris & Noah is that data, like many things, is worthless without the tools to interpret it. Ok, now I've got to get on my soapbox: Attention agencies without planning departments, planners ARE your tools to decipher the data, the information, the culture, the research, etc. :)

Down now. Check out some of these super cool sites to get your data visualization fix now:

www.labs.digg.com/bigspy
http://www.marumushi.com/apps/newsmap/newsmap.cfm
http://wefeelfine.org
http://www.visualthesaurus.com
http://moodstream.gettyimages.com/
http://twittervision.com/
http://www.fidgt.com/
http://walk2web.com/

and there are more here at Mashable. Enjoy!

Definition of smart?

I have a homework project to answer the question: what is your definition of smart? The task paper says "throughout life we have all used the word smart to describe a multitude of people, places, things, and ideas. In the world of advertising, this word followed by a brand name or campaign title has become the epitome of success for agencies and brands across the globe, yet it remains largely undefined."

When I think of smart, these brands come to mind: Google, Nike, Macintosh, and Barack Obama (Starbucks would be on this list, but I feel the brand's situation is sort of hush-hush these days, do we really want to talk about how bad it's doing? :( ). These four brands represent simplistic function, authentic intentions, forward-thinking activism, consistent personalities, and are both a mirror to society and change-makers. I think this is my definition of smart, now that I laid it out.

Does smart have value? To answer this, I ask you is brand loyalty worth something? And your answer should be damn right, I want cheezy poofs!

Does smart depend solely on its audience? I would say no. A smart brand, to me, is a brand whose smartness stands independently of its said actions which have an intended audience. A smart brand is holistically smart: smart intentions, smart mission, smart moves, thereby summoning a smart audience. :)

And there we have it. My opinion on what smart means in the world of branding.

my problem with advertising

is I'm not consuming; "bogged" down with 40+ hours of work and trying to balance my health/fitness/social goals in around work, I haven't blocked off "time to be a consumer," which is completely necessary to be at the top of my advertising game. I am out of touch with how people are shopping these days. It's the little nuances when they're in the store or talking with a store employee that capture a brand's "experience" and to which we are drawing people's attention with advertising.

Don't forget to be a consumer yourself.
Buy stuff now.

Tom Carroll or TBWA Worldwide had this to say at the 4As Planning Conference this year "There is no substitute for being out in the marketplace. Get back out there and talk to people. The good data is not in your office and it's not online."

getting things done

I'm not sure how many of you have heard of David Allen's book Getting Things Done, but my podmate turned me on to GTD (i swear he gave me a link but I can't find it right now, stay tuned)...and the book looms in my mind as if it were the Holy Grail. Lately (per my previous post), I've been struggling with procrastination; it's a bitch. What the F*** do you do? And can you even put your finger on why you're procrastinating OR what procrastination exactly means? I think Type A personalities struggle with "whatever procrastination is" moreso than Type Bs. This link takes you to a Wikipedia page clearly written by a Type B persona (Type As aren't complete tightwads!) which illustrates the Type A personality traits that I struggle most with: multi-tasking takes an ineffective turn where focusing becomes random instant-gratification seeking; time-conscientiousness becomes debilitating to creativity; and stress hinders any sense of productivity. Ugh.

So back to GTD: I checked out the book on Amazon, and I'm posting highlights from a comment I feel is the most motivating (and perhaps directional, in fact negating the purchase of the book altogether). Here they are:

This book is for all those who are overwhelmed with too many things to do, too little time to do them, and a general sense of unease that something important is being missed. (THAT'S ME!)

Every task, promise, or assignment has a place and a time. Rapid progress occurs when you take large, unformed tasks, and break them down and organize them into smaller, sequential steps for exactly what to do and when.

The essence of the process is that you write down a note about everything when you take on a new responsibility, make a new commitment, or have a useful thought. All of this ends up in some kind of "in" box. You then go through your "in" box and decide what needs to be done next for each item. For simple issues, this includes identifying the action you should take first and when to take it. For tougher issues, you schedule an appropriate time to work the problem in more detail.

For the tougher problems, you start with identifying your purpose and principles so you know why you care how it all turns out. Then you imagine the potential good outcomes that you would like. Following that, you brainstorm with others the best way to get those outcomes. Then you organize the best pathway. (WHO DOESN'T LIKE BRAINSTORMS?)

The critical part is the discipline because that is what focuses your attention where it will do the most good. Many people allow a lot of time to pass without taking any useful steps because they cannot imagine what to do next. If you simplify the questions and make them into familiar ones, everyone soon finds powerful alternatives drawn from a lifetime of experiences and memories. Keep things broad, abstract, and vague, and peoples' eyes glaze over while they struggle for a place to begin. (I THINK THIS PARTICULARLY APPLIES TO PLANNING: WE'VE GOT TO BE ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS AND WE NEED TO ARTICULATE AND SIMPLIFY)

THIS IS A DIRECT QUOTE FROM THE COMMENTER: "By helping [other people] gain relaxed control of their activities, you will also be able to enjoy the benefits of their increased effectiveness in supporting your own efforts.May you always get the tools you need, understand what to do next, and move swiftly through timely actions!" SOUNDS NICE. :)

"Seeing things differently"

The above spot is a Cannes 2008 Bronze Award winner. yay!

On "subject," it's probably something I need to make a goal to achieve: see things differently. The humdrum of the largest independent agency has made me a machine part, and now I need a bit of oil. I'm still turning over, doing my part, but I'm not shiny anymore. I miss being shiny.

Problem to be solved: Feeling confined, limited, and uninspired within an "agency structure."

Who are we talking to: My-Myspacing, instant gratification seeking and therefore procrastinating, project-based, timesheet filling, seemingly pressed for time-Self.

What do they think now: I can't find the time to think beyond problem-solution tasks, or rather, maybe I'm not thinking anymore because I rely on "the system" to help me come up with the solution because isn't that what a system exists for? I find it hard to be myself in "the system." (is this generational or is it like this with all forms of artistic expression?)

What would we like them to think: You can incorporate the same passion for planning and idea-generating discipline that you had a year ago into the day-to-day and project-world you live in now.

What insight will help us get there: creative passion does not run well on business time or in a typical business environment.

Thoughts:

• How can I dilute the sense of "being run by the clock?"
• What more can I add to my environment to inspire random creativity?
• I need to build in idea-generating activities & made them feel like playtime in a work-world.

I have a long ways to go as a planner, still a lot to learn, and a lot of ideas to have and act upon. I need to re-visit why I am where I am and make sure I'm still drinking my own koolaid so that I remain true to the brand I've established and the brand I want to become known for. I wrote this in May 2007 after evaluating my time at the Miami Ad School: It gave me the tools to change a tired, traditional WILL DO industry into a provocatively, creative WANT TO one. Of course, a revolution is easier to do with people but...if it's just me right now, ok. Be bold.

Plan on.

Round up of cool

In the name of sharing information and fostering a creative community that gives/receives inspiration, these are some things I've found to be motivating lately:

Data Visualization a la Moodstream, designed by The Barbarian Group, Moodstream is a visual brainstorming tool, sort of like a mindmap only with images, but then it's got a GPS-like navigation tool with which the user determines where he or she will head to next. Pretty cool. And FYI, one of the smartest kids around, Noah, has become a Barbarian, so expect to see lots of smart strategic solutions happening there.

Twittervision - the local version. Because I am relatively new to my city, I'd like to see what other people are up to in real time. This seems like a much more indirect way of meeting cool people and finding out about new things vs. messaging a complete stranger on Myspace or reading the poorly laid out local alternative weekly. Tweet away!

Buzz feeds - literally you can go to buzzfeed.com and see what's popular OR Yahoo! has user-friendly version called Yahoo! Buzz. And at the Likemind this month, someone mentioned MetaSpy but...I'm not getting anything when I click through on the MetaCrawler website...anyone else?

Enjoy some tools!

Concept Statements

what makes a good one?

Dancing

A viral Internet sensation with four million web fans says The New York Times:

In many ways “Dancing” is an almost perfect piece of Internet art: it’s short, pleasingly weird and so minimal in its content that it’s open to a multitude of interpretations. It could be a little commercial for one-world feel-goodism. It could be an allegory of American foreign policy: a bumptious foreigner turning up all over the world and answering just to his own inner music. Or it could be about nothing at all — just a guy dancing.

Here, for your viewing pleasure (see if it doesn't make you a bit happier):

advice for getting an entry-level job in account planning

First off, every planner's story is different; there's no one way to get into planning. This is largely due to the fact that not every agency has a planning department, not all planning departments are created equal, and it's still a fairly new profession to apply for. With that said, here's what I tried and what I found to be the most beneficial to finally getting a job:

Informational interviews - Talk to anyone that will talk to you! Start a list today of all the agencies in your immediate town. Call up the main number, ask if they have a planning t; if they do, get the Planning Director's number or email, if they don't, move on. Once you have a list of 5-10 contacts, start calling/emailing with a brief introduction of "hey, I'd love to talk to you about planning. Could we arrange a time next week, only 15-30 minutes, so I could pick your brain and hear your story?" There aren't many smart people who don't like to talk about themselves or help a young, passionate person out. And each person you talk to is a business card for networking purposes later. After you do your town/immediate area, call people long-distance in cities you'd be interested to live in and do an I.I. over the phone. Yes, it's a bit like cold-calling but get over it, and see it as an opportunity to learn. Bite the bullet, you want this!

Agency Internships - Yeah yeah, maybe you've already tried this route and think you're "better than that now." The truth is, it's much easier to transition from intern to job than it is to go from "nobody" to job. Get an internship! Being an intern is a highly visible position: you get a feel for the agency and the agency gets a feel for you. Agencies are in the personality-industry when it comes to hiring; if it's not a good match, they won't hire you and you shouldn't want to be hired, you won't be happy. And if it's only 3 months, at least that's an agency name you can put on your resume and get references from. Most ad agencies like to see that you've been in the industry and have a feel for how it works.

Freelance - If you feel strong in your planner skills and have a good sense of the value you can add to the creative-problem solving that happens in agencies, sell yourself to an agency that doesn't have planning. You should be familiar with their clients and maybe do an I.I. beforehand with the president or creative head. Ask smart questions, intrigue them, start a relationship, and see if they don't offer you up a temporary gig to see what you can do. In any case, it's one more thing to add to your resume, and more names to drop for networking purposes.

Miami Ad School/VCU Ad Center - If you're not as confident in your planner abilities as you'd like to be AND you have the money to further your education, apply to one of these accredited programs. VCU is a 2 year, masters program, that puts out some really smart thinkers. MAS is a 3 month Boot Camp in any of 3 locations, and it's a fast-paced information dump on all things planning with a huge dose of creative influence. Email them at info(at) miamiadschool(dot)com for more.

Explore other interests - I personally feel there's not a job out there that you couldn't apply to planning in some way. Maybe there's not a job available right now at entry-level and maybe you don't have the money for a grad program; think about what planning is: a strategic way to position a business/brand in culture to a specific type of consumer. There are lot of different job categories to benefit from: work on the client-side, learn how a business works and if they have any idea of what a brand is; work for company that is constantly updating itself on culture, a research company, a trend newsletter or blog, or a magazine come to mind; or work in retail and get face-to-face interaction with consumers every day, talk to them, get insights to use later when you're a planner.

Blog, LinkedIn, Facebook, Social Networks - Really, even after you've done all of the above, you still need to market yourself: what's your brand? Define it and sell it like crazy.

Getting in is as much about planning as it is about luck, and there's a great quote: Luck is when Preparation meets Opportunity. The ideas here are about preparing yourself for the opportunities you need to find.

Good luck.

Be brave

Scott had the privilege to judge planning entries for the Jay Chiat awards a few weeks back. He had this to say:

Good planning needed to help create and inform the development of ideas beyond the basic creative idea, identifying details that create and guide executional possibilities.

But, he said that few if any entries really achieved this planning objective.

The core of an original idea either failed to develop beyond the strategy or ended up in a conventional execution.

I love this. It inspires me to be more courageous in meetings where brand management argues against an idea because it's unconventional and "not what the client asked for."

I think his definition of good planning is what the new generation of planners seeks to achieve but we're running into a system that doesn't like to be shaken. I'd like to think that my courageousness could inspire a client to risk and be different, to standout, but...the ideas we can come up with beyond basic creativity, I find, need to be shelved for a later day or another client.

Can brave wait?

Next generation brands have bigger shoes to fill

Just read another thought-provoking presentation over at Change This.

Their latest manifesto talks about the Invisible Badge: Moving past conspicuous consumption. I find it fascinating. Upfront Rob Walker says, "What the Joneses might think is, really, beside the point. Because what you are really doing is telling that story to yourself" - a greater sense of self-fulfillment with support from consumption of goods.

Rob says "Really getting who the audience is you're trying to impress and tell your [brand] story to is freeing." I think he hits strategy on the head with this: Really what we are trying to do is get the product's selling point to fit seamlessly within people's lives, and if we truly understand WHO they are and what drives them, this should be easy, freeing, and attainable.

But what the real challenge is, he says, is "perhaps the fundamental tension of modern life: the challenge of feeling like both an individual and a part of something bigger than ourselves."

Yikes. How do we link a brand's relevance to attaining a sense of self while at the same time, linking people to the greater good? This is what a lot of brands are struggling with now: how to serve the greater good, a brand conscious that serves the individual while serving the world. Rob defines this new marketplace as finding material ways to express a connection instead of extracting a belief system from the mere fact that a lot of people purchase product X.

And this is rather revolutionary for the industry. Brands have figured out how to be brands, how to rally around an insight, and shine their uniqueness in an emotional way and drive sales. What brands need to do NOW is link people to a greater sense of something good for the world. And this will be successful because, as Rob says, "participation is its own reward."

The new marketing era of "Going green" does not only mean you should recycle more, it means think about others, think about the future, make conscious decisions to be a better person within society. And so, brands now need to "go green" and think about the greater good and not just themselves or their ROI. The world has made a cultural, life-serving investment for a long time and now it's analyzing its ROI. It's time now to give back. The Invisible Badge asks us to really reflect on who we are and what our life will mean in the great scheme of things.
Here here.

Planning stuff

As I start the blogging roll again (yay!), I want to get some more tools here at PlanningNewbie for all the juniors looking for guidance.

Russell addressed his digression from the discipline on his blog, but offers a set of books, websites, and academic opportunities here. I would like to add Miami Ad School to his list. And if you read this and have questions about MAS, feel free to write to me at the address to the right.

Dallas Likeminds

Likemind will be held every third Friday of the month at Buzzbrews from 8:30-10:30am. Anyone who reads this is welcome to come!