17 shows that changed TV

Before TV gets interactive, let's honor the shows that changed the medium and inherently, the message. TIME has a complete list of 100 if you're curious, but these are the most influential ones to note in cultural (and media) history:

I Love Lucy, 1951-57
The Ernie Kovacs Show, 1952-56
The Super Bowl (and the ads), 1967-present
Sesame Street, 1969-present
The Mary Tyler Moore Show, 1970-1977
M*A*S*H, 1972-1983
An American Family, 1973
Hill Street Blues, 1981-87
MTV, 1981-92 era
The Cosby Show, 1984-92
The Simpsons, 1989-present
Twin Peaks, 1990-91
Beavis and Butt-head, 1993-97
The Sopranos, 1999-2007
Survivor, 2000-present
24, 2001-present
Lost, 2004-present

And thanks to another media revolution, we can happily relive these shows with DVDs from Netflix. Side note: Is Netflix the next Bandaid, Starbucks, Coca-Cola? I just used it as a catch-all for renting DVDs and chose it over Blockbuster for more cultural appeal and timeliness. But truth be told, I've never used Netflix. Hmmm, interesting to note. Happy Monday.

A wake-up call

There's talk of a recession. This may not be surprising considering the increasing price of gasoline and what's been called the worst housing slump in 40 years. In a year when a union decides if Middle America will get its Grammy Award and Generation Y can't handle the weight it's been given, I'm not too surprised either.

What will this mean for businesses? What will this mean for consumers? What will this mean for the industry who needs to connect the two? Planners, our job will not be easy this year. Consumer confidence is decreasing daily. Brands need to prepare themselves for going out of the store, into people's lives and talking to them there, listening to them there, empathizing with them in a neutral zone.

Russell Davies talks a bit about World War II and how the recession that followed had an impact on the magazine industry here. It sounds like it was a time of innovation (that doesn't sound too bad): magazines took leaps and bounds when the "pressure from advertising" no longer hindered their creativity. A recession is a wake-up call: hello, be more innovative, expand your minds, evolve.

The Writer's Strike has been a big wake-up call to the networks and shows that haven't innovated with the community in mind. When David & John returned to their shows, they realized what it was like to be without their community. The community is more necessary now than it ever was. There is power in numbers. Why haven't the media figured this out?

David Gross has some good news:

"With each passing day, an increasing number of transactions in the global marketplace do not involve the United States. We're still a powerful engine. But the world's economy now has a set of auxiliary motors.
All of which means that American companies, entrepreneurs, middle managers, and MBA students need to become more global—or perhaps change the definition of what global means."

Change the definition of what 'community' means: it's not just the people and their houses at the end of a cul-de-sac. Community means the people, places and things that keep you functioning and living at your prime. Media neutral planning is getting a bigger play nowadays because these planners get that it's not a one-way street anymore. Keeping the media alive will not keep your business alive. Media neutral planning addresses the mindset of a community. Being available for this community and being functional for its purpose will solidify long-term success in these wary times of significance and turmoil.

It's a one-for-all attitude that's inspired this change.

Web 2.0 Plain Jane

When I get online these days it's a click, click, click activity. There's not really much thinking involved, it's more of an instant gratification game: If I click on Myspace will there be new messages, comments to check out; if I click on Gmail, will there be emails from friends or just newsletters; if I click on Popsugar, will there be some juicy celebrity photos that will feed my curiosity. By the time I'm done clicking through all my sites, I'm worn out. Sometimes, I'm left emotionally void (i.e. I have not be instantly gratified). I hate this feeling. As I'm sure most of you do.

It's this ridiculous, repetitive fetish that has left me a thoughtless, Web 2.0 Plain Jane. Damnit. A little less then a year ago, I was like Dora, The Explorer: ripe with ideas and optimistic energy. The Internet was my playground, there wasn't a website I wouldn't have gladly spent an hour on just to figure it out. I was hungry for it all, curious about how it worked, and determined to find the connections.

The blog became my door to the world where I'd wanted to be. It was a resource, a network, a playground, a scrapbook, a journal, and a resume. A blog is a wondrous thing. And so I am dis-heartened that I've neglected its value for the past several months. The click click click mantra has taken me to my blog and then away to another site just as fast: no thought involved, just action > like a habit. Gross.

And so I'm breaking that habit, right here right now. I'm stopping here at JPIA for a little blog-TLC. My inspiration came from the blogosphere: a post at Innovation Feeder read When was the last time you did something for the first time? (thank you Jen) While it may not be my first time to blog, it is a first for me to draw attention to the Internet rut of sorts I've fallen into. I don't want to be a Web. 2.0 Plain Jane. I probably don't have the energy or time to be Dora, The Explorer, but who I can be is a Junior Planner. I'm pretty good at that...just lost site of it for a while.

Thanks for listening. As always, plan on. :)

What Not to Wear

I'm giving a plug for my friend Addie who will be traveling to New York this weekend to continue filming WNTW.
She has a great perspective on how image can/should be communicated and cared about. As a copywriter at The Statesman, her colleagues are supporting her transition.

'Tis true that everyone enjoys their own 15 minutes of fame here in America. Happy Friday.

Bush: A dishonest brand

Spending our money, lying to the country, killing our people. What is the Bush brand thinking?
935 false statements will solidify its demise. No brand has made a return from such nonsense. Apparently:

The statements "were part of an orchestrated campaign that effectively galvanized public opinion and, in the process, led the nation to war under decidedly false pretenses."

A+ for getting campaign results. F for casualties involved.
This brand is not favoring well with the marketplace. Expect stock to plummet; Oh wait, it already has.

trends schmends

I think the following will be big topics in 2008:

• waiting in line - I think we will see more movement in this "experience" part of retail and food service. Our lines are getting longer and Americans like to get in and get out, expect a tipping point soon. Whole Foods is leading the revolution.
• serving sizes - In these days where servings sizes are pre-packaged (oh so handy and oh so wasteful), the obesity epidemic makes the 5 o'clock news, and Super Size Me is more a movie than an order, I expect serving sizes to get a closer look. You know those smaller cups at Starbucks? If you order a double espresso to go or a "short" drink, you know what I'm talking about; well, those are 8 oz. They look "small" when compared to a venti (20 oz) but 8 oz is really all you need.
• mass market "natural" - Natural is a catchall term for "not fake, maybe less chemicals, close to organic, better for you." Every product that has an ingredient list even the company doesn't understand wants a piece of the 'organic' market. Using the term "natural" will be their Joker card for a while. See what I'm talking about here with Crest, and the fact that Chapstick thinks it needs to compete in this market is kind of funny.
• more media neutrality - for those of us in the industry of ideas, this trend is definitely not to be missed. What's maybe more important is that you get your client to understand this first. Gone should be the days that tv, print and radio are part of the first creative conversation you have. While I agree you need to play the ballgame with everyone else, you also need to differentiate yourself and spend the bulk of your budget on getting through to your target consumers, granted you've got some planners on board to help you identify how to do that. :)

Plan on.

[image via Cultureby]

Starbucks: One year from now

A colleague and I made a friendly wager today: my $5 says Starbucks will be successful one year from now. Howard Schulz is returning to the helm because he sees the rapid growth plan is backfiring and dissipating the brand's worth. My coworker's $5 says Starbucks is sunk, soon to be outrun by the independents that sprinkle the marketplace worldwide.

A BusinessWeek article states what differentiates Starbucks, and what will ultimately test the competition as it tries to take first:

Schultz: Starbucks is the quintessential experience brand and that brand is brought to life by our people…we have no patent, no secret sauce whatsoever…. The only competitive advantage we have is the relationship we've built with our people and the relationship they have built with the customer.

McDonalds or Dunkin Donuts may have their sights set on taking the top position within consumers' minds for "coffee," but my money's on Starbucks. They owned it first and they owned it well. Howard Schultz is no sissy when it comes to passionately being unique and rising above the challenge the marketplace puts forward.

Where do you place your bet?

all the rage: Brand Utility

What is it? Why is everyone talking about it?

Brand values are in for a renaissance. The conversations needs to start with: how can we be more useful to our customers?

Charles says it well. Companies exist for a reason, they provide a product/service for customers. Marketing this product/service happens because of a promise made by a brand that exists solely because it consistently delivers on this promise. SO: if you don't serve the purpose you've set out to then how will you survive? You probably won't. That's where planners come in. We keep companies alive by continually finding relevance in customers' lives. Customers evolve and the companies/brands should be expected to do the same. Anyway.

Branded utility gets the most talked about in terms of the digital space because of 'applications' which are inherently useful. (Utility's third definition is the quality of being of practical use.) Bob Greenburg says it well here: "You have to understand applications and media; you have to have a tech capability in order to even think up some of these concepts." But you don't have to worry too much about going digital, the essence of what we're saying is: be meaningful, have a use, and stick to your purpose.

The Internet is an easy branded utility topic, because it was born from "tool blood." In this time-starved culture, we are not looking for useless activities nor do we want to purchase useless products. We still want our information: The Internet has created that demand, and it better damn well supply it.

But then the whole "make it an experience" comes into play. How can we make obtaining information an experience? And not the "college course" kind. This is where 'interactive' should raise its hand and wave it in our face until we notice. Adam (who I'm pretty sure is in digital strategy somewhere) says "Building a 'capture & release' utility for information is the way to reconnect a product/service to people and their need to experience things." Again, this does not HAVE to be digital. Just be wise when you create a message: does it contain something people want to hold onto for a bit? Do they want to share it? What WOM will it inspire? Capture & release can take many forms.

Think of the popularity of Twitter, Myspace, Facebook, Meetup, Ebay, Craigslist, blogs, video phones, text messaging, digital, digital, digital, etc. Gathering information with these services is fun. Gee, what a crazy idea!

"From my perspective the internet is redefining our expectations for all consumer experience."

I'll quit now and leave you with Scott's idea of experiences continuums. Now planners get to work on creating one, simple starter: Where does the Internet lie?

Iconolicious

"Iconoclasts explores the intersection where two great talents meet--and where creativity comes alive." ~ Robert Redford

Iconoclast
noun: someone who tries to destroy traditional ideas or institutions

7 similar words found on thesaurus.com:

• Beatnik
• Catalyst
• Nonconformist
• Opposition
• Radical
• Rebel
• Renegade

http://www.iconoculture.com/ ~ a website devoted to ideas, insight and innovation when it comes to consumers

Icono

Un icono es una pequeña imagen, normalmente un símbolo, utilizado para representar gráficamente un programa, un fichero, o una función en la pantalla del ordenador, para facilitar su localización.

where the purchase happens

Just got back from an hour (I can't believe it either) at Target. The store is pretty quiet at this time of year: No one is pushing past you; customers are actually having a fun shopping experience; the atmosphere is blissfully calming - I feel like I have the store to myself. So I don't mind that I spent an hour in-store going up and down the aisles.

THIS is where products are purchased people! This is where "the advertising" brings people to, if it does it's job right. It's either in-store or on-line (phone or Internet). What do consumers want here? How do they shop? Paco Underhill has done a fairly good job of bringing this space into strategic conversations everywhere but what have we done with his information?

I read an article today about Apple being zee best retailer. Now I'll hand it to them, it seems Apple has been doing its brand store "experience" for a while... but why the recognition so late? OH, maybe it's because they've come out, owned it first, and totally kicked ass at it so we attribute them brand history (and loyalty) because they're s so damn good. I don't know. You tell me.

The other thing that came to mind browsing in the refrigerated section (Super Target) was product design. Again, this creative messaging element is crucial to the in-store purchasing decision. I got struck by a SUPER COOL juice bottle with a sleek new design. I wanted it. I had to have it, forget my normal (the one I've been loyal to) product; this NEW bottle triggered a reaction, it got my attention. Hello, it said, Pick Me.

There's a statistic I found in one of those stacks of notes we all have: Something like 70% of purchases are made in-store while only 5-10% of a product's marketing budget is spent here; while 70% of the marketing budget is spent on advertising but ads only sway about 10% of all purchasing decisions. Hmm... I think we need to have another conversation team. :)

a green push

I'm going to make my digital self carbon neutral. How? I'm going to give you a Green entry loaded with sites where you can get the 'good stuff'.

Triplepundit - people planet profit; website provides news, tips, books, blogs and lots of research studies (click here for a study on Green Technology Consumers or here for a 25+ page report on Climate Change 2007).

Dothegreenthing - have you done a green thing for December yet?

Patagonia - their Footprint Chronicles are something every company should imitate.

Egg Log - catch a marketing pioneer's thoughts on going green

Bestgreenblogs - yep, an aggregated source of lots of Green good stuff

Treehugger - the most popular...er...well-known, their last quote of the day:

"By all indications, our responses to things tell us who we are, what we value, why we do (or don't do) the things we do. Material culture is social culture, and social culture is intrinsically connected to making -- and yes, to saving things." - Jessica at DesignObserver

Worldchanging - I like them for their outlook: the tools, models, and ideas already exist for a better future...we just need to put the pieces together.

Here's to a greener 2008.

2007: A Year in Advertising

Best of...
Top 10...
Top 5...
A Year-in-Review...

This is a collection of what I could find on the Internet and then a final Best of Strategy list at the end for all you plannerly types.

TIME did a pretty good summation of TV Ads from 2007:

1. Dave and Oprah Super Bowl Ad
2. Adidas: "Impossible is Nothing"
   
3. Gatorade: "Thief"
4. Dove: "Onslaught"
   
5. Applie iPhone: "Meredith"
6. American Express: "Tina Fey"
7. Coca-Cola: "Happiness Factory - the movie"
8. Dos Equis: "The Most Interesting Man in the World"
9. Doritos: "Live the Flavor" (CGC)
   
10. Nationwide Insurance: "Rollin' VIP"

Top Viral Videos by TIME are:

1. Leave Britney Alone!
2. The Landlord (Will Ferrell and daughter)
3. Miss South Carolina Teen USA
4. Hillary, 1984
5. Prison Inmates' "Thriller"
6. I Ran So Far
7. Can't Tase This (mashup)
8. Dan Rather Collar Up (really?)
9. Clark & Michael (of Superbad genius)
10. Daft Hands
    

Top 5 Viral Video Ads by MarketingVOX:

1. Cadbury - Gorilla Drummer
2. Smirnoff - Green Tea Party
3. Ray-Ban - Catch Sunglasses
4. Blendtec - Will it Blend?
5. Lynx/Axe - Bom Chicka Wah Wah

A collection of AdWeeks' Best Spots (of the month) 2007 (in no particular order and definitely pared down):

• Apple - "Tech Support" (Mac v PC)
• Coca-Cola - "Videogame"
• Rembrandt - "Kissing"
• Pepsi - "Pinball"
• Adidas - "Gilbert Arenas" (Impossible is Nothing campaign)
• BMW - "Feats"
• Starburst - "Berries & Creme"
• Absolut - "Protest"
• JC Penney - "The Heart"
• Saturn Vue - "Money"
• Yellowpages.com - "Tanning Salon"
• EBay - "Foxhunt"

These lists are by no means comprehensive when you consider the creativity in thinking and 'strategy' that the industry was blessed with this year. I would like to draw attention to some other campaigns and make a new list. The first seven are insightfully creative, the last three are strategic genius. So here it is, the 10 Best of Strategy List:

• Apple: iPhone ads
• Rembrandt "Brilliant Mouth"
• Dove "Onslaught"
• ***watch Rye Clifton's parody here
• Axe "Bom Chicka Wah Wah"
  
• Cadillac "Life. Liberty. And the Pursuit."
• EBay "Shop Victoriously"
• Doritos "Live the Flavor"
  
• Radiohead "Name Your Price" strategy for In Rainbows
• Samsung "Charging Stations"
• Simpsonized 7-Elevens
  

My valid attempt to scan as many of my favorite blogs I'm sure has failed to capture all of the memorably strategic campaigns of the year. Input is appreciated; this list is by no means complete or final. Happy New Year!

Round-up

Some 'nuggets' from December 2007:

• Virtual caroling spread seasonal cheer with more than 300 YouTube videos while the U.S.'s general interest in caroling declined 16% (between 1996 & 2005)
  
• 'Excessive drinking' is the third-leading preventable cause of death (after smoking and the combination of poor diet and inactivity)
• TV advertising is getting smarter with 'hybrid' spots reports AdAge; channel surfers will find themselves well into designated commercial time before they know it
  
• and while the writers' strike continues to change prime time TV, a spokesperson from the Writer's Guild says there are ample opportunities to pay writers for new media, a 'central issue in the dispute'

I am currently compiling a Best of 2007 for advertising and likeminded things, stay tuned. Merry Happy Holidays.

ch-ch-ch-Chia

It's that time of year again. The Christmas trees are out, kids are lining up for Santa Claus, those Salvation Army people are ringing their bells, and the Chia Pet commercials have popped up on TV and radio (again). A little history...

In 1977, Joe Pedott attended an annual housewares show in Chicago where he first heard of the Chia Pet. A man named Walter Houston was importing the little figures from Mexico, and they were the show's best sellers. Pedott bought the rights from Houston believing he could do a better job of marketing them. Chia Pets are now produced in China (like every other kitschy thing we own), and about 500,000 Chias are sold each year. For 26 years now, the clay figures have been holiday-season hits.

Smithsonian magazine says:

• The ch-ch-ch-Chia Pet is so much a part of the American consumer lore that it was ch-ch-ch-chosen to be included in the New York Times capsule, to be opened in the year 3000, along with a Purple Heart medal, a can of Spam and a Betty Crocker cookbook.

A Chia Pet is a gag-gift, is it not? Wisegeek says, "The faces of past and present Presidents are often found on gag gifts." Now wouldn't that be funny? Bush + Chia... "And laughter - the best gift of all - is priceless."

a trend room

I'm currently handling duties to construct a Trend Lab that functions as a think tank, findings holding ground, and all-around cool place for the agency to do some brainstorming.

To start, I collected all the trends from Iconoculture and Trendwatching.
I separated them by year and plotted them on a continuum. I started to look for patterns, but then I stopped.

What IS a trend? I wanted to figure this out first and foremost. If this was to be an ongoing project, it needs to be founded on a belief system with agreed upon values.

A trend is of significance when it concerns a mass amount of people (i.e. it's not just a blip on the radar, it's multiple blips that = a movement). A fad is not a movement; a fad is a blip. Ok, so a trend is a movement. A movement of what? Or why? I birthed a hypothesis that a trend is a reflection of consumers' needs gaining momentum. Trends with names like "Transparency Tyranny" or "InfoLust" both signify that marketing has asked a question, and the cultural cosmos has answered with a stance - a need - a reflection - an insight. Then because the trend is called out and contained within a definition, marketers can, in turn, react to this "need." Iconoculture and Trendwatching both identify brands and companies that excel in these trend times (probably because they have fulfilled a need).

Maybe this has already been out there in the ad world for a while, but I feel like I just stumbled on it for the first time. A "trend" before now has seemed like just a cool thing; a fad in itself; a subject to write newsletters on and start websites about. Trends are identified with words like what's hot, cool finds, things to watch. etc.

Trendwatching.com says a trend is:

• A manifestation of something that has 'unlocked' or newly serviced an existing consumer need, desire, want, value.

See. They knew it all along. :p Well, at least they knew it in 2002, and Iconoculture knew it in 2003. And now I know it, and I value its application and implications.

So with a room, my teams and I will be collecting "cries" for help: Consumers who need - validation, acceptance, an answer, a response, community - a trend. A movement...to rally around a need.

In a brand world of relationships with consumers, brands have to be nimble enough to respond to these needs accordingly. If there's a movement and your brand doesn't respond, that's one notch on the "honey, you didn't listen to me" contention-belt. And points of contention in a market full of choices will weed yours out pretty quick. May the best brands win. Plan on.

Good 'Google Juice'

What comes up when you Google your name? And what does it mean now that you can Google your name?

Find out what 'Google Juice" means in the following video (via Viral Garden):



Maybe "Got Googled?" could be the next version of the Milk Campaign; Goodby want to tackle it? Come on.

connecting the dots

where do all you go for blog feedback/conversation threads? By this I mean, if you have a blog > where do you go to see who's talking about it? Or who has linked to it? Sites I check/bookmark are:

• blogs where I have posted comments
• Technorati
• My Blog Log > I can't really figure this tool out
• Digg
• Del.icio.us

Looking for some new ideas...

if Einstein blogged

Want to know your Blog's readability level? Go here and find out.

Via How does your Blog stack up against the rest? Thanks Cam!

(look to the right and down for usability purposes, and BTW, I have NO idea how they calculate their answers. I don't feel like a Genius: Did Einstein really ever know how smart he was when he was equating? This is basic stuff that I'm sharing.)

a little branding history

I saw this sign at the Fort Worth Stockyards last weekend. Cowboys were the first branders:

• Brands are one of the most interesting tools used by livestock people. Each brand is by necessity different than all the others and often conveys the character of the owner.
• Choose as simple a brand as possible.
  
• Apply the brand properly.
• Brands have a language all their own. That language, like any other, follows certain rules. The ability to read these symbols is referred to as "callin' the brand."

Hmmm, maybe this makes Cowgirl Planner even the more relevant. And for Planners everywhere, here's to callin' the brand correctly. :)

Wal-Mart as a neighborhood market?

WTF? I saw one of these yesterday in Dallas' Uptown area. Wikipedia had more:

• Launched in 1998, these "Neighborhood Markets" are a quarter the size of a Supercenter and are meant to woo shoppers in search of a quainter Wal-Mart experience. There are currently 118 of these nationwide.
  

I think this is a bunch of bologna. It's just a way for "what's wrong with America" to weezel its way into the shop local trend that is sweeping America. Ok, smart business plan WallyWorld but...I am still not buying it.