Simulcasting Assignment from Nina DiSesa of McCann-Erickson:John Bell, of Ogilvy's PR division, came to speak at the Adcenter today. He gave a talk entitled "How trust, technology and social media changes marketing and communications.
Bell discussed blogs and wikis among many other digital medias. He pointed out that the internet feels extremely personal to most people, and that advertisers are currently trying to connect with consumers in a way that doesn't spoil that feeling.
Words I need to remember: digital services, microcasting, digital advocacy, syndication, email, online media, social computing,
A large portion of the talk was devoted to the issue of trust. We trust different people today than we used to. Trust in advertisers and marketers is down, trust in the media is diminishing. On the other hand, peer-to-peer recommendation is trusted above most other forms of communication.
Another subject was micro-niche markets. The internet has made it extremely easy for people who share beliefs (no matter how niche those beliefs are) to find and communicate with eachother. Micro-niche markets are eating away at TV. TV is being replaced by more personal forms of media like blogs, photo blogs, wikis, search/tagging, computing, growing communities, message boards and opinion sites. Currently, 60% of available video content on the internet is on YouTube ... how can we use that knowledge more strategically? To look into blog statistics, visit Technorati.com or the Word of Mouth Marketing Association.
Steps to take to become part of the digital world:
1. start reading by using an RSS aggregator (myyahoo, bloglines, pageflakes, etc.)
2. go to http://blogfeeds.ogilvypr.com.
3. join the conversation at blog.ogilvypr.com.
4. create a digital influence strategy for a client
5. start a blog, make a podcast, creat a flickr galery, use del.icio.us ... etc.
Today's Creative Thinking teacher was Nina DiSesa, chairman of McCann-Erickson NY. She is currently in the process of writing a book titled "Seducing the Boys Club." It hasn't been published yet, but I think it might be quite an intersting read.
Notes from Nina:
How you present is often more important than what you present.
Communication requires awakeness and emotional connection.
Be likable, be trustable.
Make a connectionBefore now, the only thing I had ever won before was a free Diet Coke (which I never redeemed).
But today, I found out that I won one of the AICP Directors Scholarships at alloted to the Adcenter. It's a very small amount of money, but I'm really honored, as well as excited to have the opportunity to add the word 'scholarship' to my resume.
My Application (be warned -- it's quite sappy):
The day that I met Libby, a strategic planner at Y&R in Chicago, I knew my life had changed. Eating salads with her at the China Grill, I had the kind of feeling that made me suddenly understand what priests were talking about when they discussed their “calling.” I vividly remember listening to her speak about her job, her daily routine and the people she worked with. All I could think was, “this is what I need to do with my life.” It may sound cheesy -- the way that being called by God had often seemed to me – but I can’t think of any other way to express my need to fulfill this strategic planning dream.
At the time of my conversation with Libby I didn’t know if I could be a great planner or even a good one, but I had a hunch that if I could manage it there would be no career better suited for me. Two internships, one grad school application and eleven months later, I am confident that I have chosen the right path for myself. I have come to the Adcenter to learn how to delve deeper into people and what makes them ‘tick’; to use that information to make advertisements and build brands in a way that is more creative, relevant and focused; and to kill my fear.
I am a big fan of the phrase “times change.” People, ideas, technology, priorities and morals may change, but time only changes in relation to them all. It is my view that the job of the planner is to keep up with the changing times by understanding all of the things that change them. A planner must ask ‘why’ until he or she gets to the highest level of the problem, and then must use that knowledge to deliver ideas to people in a way that makes them actually listen and consider.
For many years advertising has numbed people with its frequency and monotony. There have been great ads, great campaigns and great brands built, but not enough of them. I believe that one major, extremely basic reason for this is the fact that advertising has not changed at nearly the rate that time has. As advertisers, it is time to recognize and fully grasp the fact that consumers are now in control. We can no longer expect that people won’t change the channel or switch the station or avert their eyes from our messages. Instead of wallowing in sadness about Tivo and Sirius and people’s general distain of bad advertising, it is now time to put down the megaphones and focus on truly engaging the people that we are trying to reach.
I am at the Adcenter to find out if I have what it takes to encourage and actively participate in changing the way that advertisers think about their consumers. I believe I do. I am at the Adcenter to stretch myself, to learn all that I can from the professors here and to remember their ideas as I try my hardest to be a part of the movement to bring advertising up to speed with its audience. I believe I can.
I believe that my commitment to making advertising more focused on the people that it is meant for and my willingness to really work for that change are what make me an ideal candidate for a scholarship at the Adcenter. I will not be just another person to pass through here. I plan to learn all that I can and to use that knowledge to create change, interest, and ads that people can stand to watch.
Marty Cooke of SS+K came to speak at the Adcenter today. His talk was entitled "Building Brands and Opinion In A Fractured World."
Cooke talked a lot about integration, referencing SS+K as a truly integrated agency and not just one more shop capitalizing on the buzz word. From the website and the video he showed us, SS+K seemed like a very interesting place to work -- they produce a lot of alternative media pieces and seem to collect employees with a broad range of backgrounds. I was saddened to hear him say that he generally didn't hire people right out of grad school but looked for people who had a few years of agency experience first.
He called the process of building brands and opinion in a fractured world "asymmetric communication," which I thought was an intersting term.
Cooke shared with us his agency's beliefs on the idea of 'Noble Truth.' Cooke explained that a Noble Truth = Consumer Truth + Brand Truth.
Lastly, he suggested showed us the website www.secretwebsite.org, which was very neat.Oscar the Pug: a creative thinking assignment gone wrong
We were assigned the task of making Mike Lear's 6 year old pug, Oscar, famous. The only two rules were that the dog could not be harmed or killed, and that harming or killing the dog could not be integral to your plan.
The rules were broken on a myspace page, which has induced the wrath of Rick Boyko, Mike Lear and a VCU Dean. The whole thing is rather odd.
Someone (possibly a student, possibly not) wrote on a myspace blog that they were going to kill Oscar. This being Richmond, the police and the ASPCA both got involved and we students got a talkin' to.
Currently, the Oscar story is being covered on several news stations, in the Richmond Times Dispatch, in VCU's student newspaper and in multiple postings on Craigslist.
Lesson for the day: There is a difference between making something famous and making something infamous. Making something infamous is much easier.Today's Creative Thinking teacher was a Sr. Copywriter from the Martin Agency, formerly of CP+B. I thought one of the most interesting parts of his class was the time that he spent talking about the more personal side of the business. Mike was very candid with us and talked a lot about how he dealt with having his ideas thrown out time and time again. A Mike Lear quote to remember: "Those who stew let the venom get to them."
He recommended a few books, which I will read someday ... perhaps this summer once Don Just and his immense workload no longer haunt my dreams.
"Writing Down the Bones" by Natalie Goldberg
"Hey Whipple Squeeze This" by Luke ______________
"Cutting Edge Advertising 2" by Jim Aitchison
"Hooplah" by CP+B
Lear's advice: read those books in that order.
My addendum: I may have butchered several of those authors' names. My apologies, but I'm too tired to look them up at the moment.Today was the first lecture in the Adcenter speaker series. To kickoff the school year Jonah Bloom, editor of Adweek, came to speak to us. His talk was entitled "Marketing is Dead, Long Live Marketing."
Bloom suggested that we read the following books:
"A Whole New Mind" by Daniel Pink
"Advertising is Dead, Long Live Advertising"
"The Substance of Style" by Virginia Postrell
The three big words in his presentation were Asia, Automation and Abundance.
Bloom talked about the fact that outsourcing and commoditization were forcing people to try to make products either better or cheaper (which is now almost impossible, in the case of cheaper). People no longer want for anything anymore. At this point America is in a search for meaning: we aren't any happier jsut because of what we have. Bloom noted that P&G now has more designers than engineers. Marketers are now understanding the importance of aesthetics.
A large part of his talk was on the shift from pure function to meaning. It has become necessary to add meaning into the things we sell. Axe deodorant has become a status symbol and toilet brushes are now made by designers.
Marketing has had to become more honest because the consumer is in control. Communication channels are endless and marketers don't know where they will catch consumers. Bloom mentioned two models of marketing: the push and pull models. In the Push Model, consumers will be there waiting for you. In the Pull Model, consumers have to want it. They must be accurately targeted if you want to attract them to your message. In the Pull Model, the best advertising is inseparable from the best content.
New Tools:
1. Search Marketing
2. The use of Smart Databases
Bloom continued his speech by talking about consumer creation and co-creation. Agencies are now trying to get consumers to co-create marketing messages, sometimes with success and sometimes not (in the cases of the Burger King mask videos and Chevy Tahoe commercials).
In terms of measurement, Bloom spoke about the fact that companies were more and more interested in the idea of ROI. As marketing bcomes talked about it becomes more disputed. Brand Officers have to answer serious questions from their companies and shareholders about how money is being spent. Measurement is no longer about tiems seen, it is now about times clicked, considered, gone to store, etc.Media must balance. This helps regulate clutter.
Six major networks, 60-70 cable networks, 73,898 radio stations, 1500 daily newspapers, 550000 outdoor locations, etc., etc., etc. What does this mean? Marketers can no longer reach 90% of the population by playing a commercial on the big 3 networks simultaneously. Consumers have more choices, consumers are in control.
Collaboration between strategy and media is essential. It is the job of the agency to manifest the objectives by way of creative and strategic execution.Today's Creative Thinking teacher was a freelance art director named Peter Wood. A fascinating man -- very different, extremely interesting and totally comfortable with himself. All in all it made him easy to listen to and a very appealing teacher. He spent a lot of time focusing on presentation with us, which was nice.
Check out his website at www.woodpeter.com.Notes From Class
This is the toughest class here. Just fails more people than any other professor.
You must over achieve in order to meet expectations.
1/2 the class will be failing 1/3 of the way through.
Branding is an emotional connection with the consumer, not a pure science.
No whining.
To be successful in this business, you must manage the differences between clients and agencies.
Books To Read
"The Brand Gap" by Marty NeumeierStrategic Planners plan, conduct and analyze research. They turn information into insights that inspire great creative work.
... just in case you were wondering.I've made it through my first week. Orientation and my classes were a blur. As usual, I've been having trouble remembering everyone's name. Proper nouns were never my forte. I've already been told several times that brevity is key around here, so to summarize my week:
Orientation: Very neat to see everyone together. We're the largest Adcenter class yet and have already been yelled at for not knowing what a PVR is. What is the difference between a DVR and a PVR? Holy Boyko!
Creative Thinking: Any class that starts out with the analysis of a poem is good with me. It soothes me to know that the teachers here believe in and practice the idea that creativity beyond advertising is important to discuss as well. My teacher, Mark Fenske (www.markfenske.com) made it clear that those who showed up to class late would get peed on. His words, not mine. As Professor Fenske has gone back to working at Weiden, our class will be taught by a series of guest teachers.
Media Research & Planning: Donna spent a lot of time talking about how this course would be a review for most people, which worried me. Trust me Donna, they don't teach HUTs and PUTs to Drama majors.
Business of Advertising: Wow. Don Just is exactly the man that rumor states him to be. He requires business attire to be worn in class and is quite striking really. What presence -- a bit scary, but quite admirable. As Professor Just stated in his own words, he IS the bar at the Adcenter: he sees every students and weeds out the weak. I must be strong.
Quantitative and Qualitative Research: I wasn't excited for this class ahead of time but it actually looks quite cool. Again, this is a course that is a refresher for all the advertising and marketing undergrads, but a totally new subject for me.
