False Advertising

From Wikipedia:

Advertising is regulated by the authority of the Federal Trade Commission, a United States administrative agency, to prohibit "unfair and deceptive acts or practices in commerce." While it makes laymen's sense to assume that being deceptive is being unfair, deceptiveness in practice has been treated separately by the FTC, leaving unfairness to refer only to other types. All commercial acts may be deceptive, not just advertising, but noncommercial activity such as advertising for political candidates is not subject to prosecution under the FTC Act. The 50 states have similar statutes, which generally are very similar to that of the FTC and in many cases copied so closely that they are known as "Little FTC Acts." While the terms "false" and "deceptive" are essentially the same for most, being deceptive is not the same as producing deception. What is illegal is the potential to deceive, which is interpreted to occur when consumers see the advertising to be stating to them, explicitly or implicitly, a claim that they may not realize is false and material. The latter means that the claim, if relied on for making a purchasing decision, is likely to be harmful by adversely affecting that decision. Evidence must be obtained for what consumers saw the ad saying, and for the materiality of that, and for the true facts about the advertised item, but no evidence is required that actual deception occurred, or that reliance occurred, or that the advertiser intended to deceive or knew that the claim was false.

The goal is prevention rather than punishment, reflecting the purpose of civil law in setting things right rather than that of criminal law. The typical sanction is to order the advertiser to stop its illegal acts, or to include disclosure of additional information that serves to avoid the chance of deception, but there are no fines or prison time except for the infrequent instances when an advertiser refuses to stop despite being ordered to do so.

I don't think that this counts as false advertising, as any rational person wouldn't think that a new Volkswagen is being sold for $1. I also don't think that their intent was to defraud customers.

I really would like a $1 VW. Sadly, they didn't respond to my email inquiry about the car.

The case for proofreading

Did "Many Islands, Low Fares" really need to be abbreviated as MILF? If they really wanted an abbreviation, perhaps they should have chosen a different sentence.

The POTLUCK Aftermath

We may think that we are busy now, but we have a unique opportunity while in grad school. Soon, we will join the workforce again. With all of our efforts focused on proving that we are worth our salaries, we will feel as if we have no time to learn outside of the office. And even if we do have the time, we will not necessarily have a network of interesting and readily-available people who share our interests.

You took Cultural Exploration and Communication - I understand. You completed your project for Portfolio Development - I understand. First Years - I don't know what your excuse is. POTLUCK, while similar on the surface, offers something different. It is the chance to share in the experiences of your classmates with no strings attached. No studying, no peer evaluations, no subjects off limit. As Strategists, we try to understand people and brands. As creatives, you strive to make your work resonate. Becoming a part of the experiences of your classmates can only help with those things.

In short, Carpe Diem. You should never be too busy to broaden yourself and support your peers - especially when you have the chance to do those two things at the same time.

Great Brands

Brian Collins, who spoke in our Brand Campaigns class, gave a memorable example of how people experience brands.


The brand promise: A pirate flag
Message: "you're fucked"

The pirate brand is reinforced by:
1. All they had to do to get their intended result was raise their flag (logo)
2. Employees - "It's time to act like pirates (not just sailors)"
3. Internal and external communications

Brands live in three elements, which unify to create one brand image:
1. Communication design (flag)
2. Environment design (ship)
3. Product design (peg legs, guns, etc.)

POTLUCK!

Poseur

On the first day of my Cultural Exploration and Communication class, Professor Kelly O'Keefe gave us the following definition:

Poseur:
A person who attempts to impress others by assuming or affecting a manner, degree of elegance, sentiment, etc., other than his or her true one.

As my school work takes me farther and farther from the cultures that I know personally, I think about that word more and more. One of the projects I am working on this semester is a deep dive into the Extreme Sports and Action Sports culture. Because of this project, I have spent a lot of time this semester watching surf and skate videos, reading blogs by committed action sport athletes, and visiting local spots such as Glass and Powder sport store and the Laurel Skate Park.

I am the antithesis of an action sports participant. I would love to do what the men and women I have met through this project do. I would love to feel that free, that dedicated and that daring. But truthfully, my daring doesn't show itself in a physical / sport-related way. I will never be a great skateboarder, let alone do a double back flip off of a bmx bike.

Whenever I walk into Glass and Powder, I feel out of place. The people are nice, the store has a great vibe and I would love to own some of the t-shirts that they sell. But in the back of my head, I know that I am not one of them. The things that are obvious to these athletes are my "probing" questions.

I want them to feel comfortable with me and I want to understand their culture so well that I could pass for one of them. And so, in the end, I guess I am a poseur. But I love it. It broadens my world.

On Labels

Notes from Portfolio Development class:

- We love labels, especially at agencies

- Labels add a sort of pseudo-science to what we do

- Society outgrows labels

- Don't label if it feels forced

- Labels should be a natural way to help your audience understand and connect with what you are saying

- We live in an age of exponentials

America's First Freedom

My Cultural Exploration class had the unique opportunity to hear Ambassador Robert Seiple speak tonight. He currently heads and organization called America's First Freedom, which aims to create religious dialogue and religious acceptance in the United States.

Seiple spoke about religion and religious freedom in a way that made a huge amount of sense to me. He began his talk by talking about the face of religious freedom. Or rather, by talking about the fact that the issue of religious freedom has no face. Instead of being seen through the eyes of a person, issues of religious freedom are always seen through the eyes of the courts. Boring and not easy to relate to.

Seiple spoke about the idea that 95% of the world's problems take place at the crux of religion and politics, and yet we're told never to talk about either in polite company. In his words, though, there are many examples of "faith at its best overriding religion at its worst."

I could probably dedicate and entire blog to the thoughts of Robert Seiple. I have rarely met someone who I respected more. I would love the chance to work with him someday, just so that I could observe his thought process up close. However, instead of starting a Robert Seiple fan club, I will leave you with one final Seiple thought.

In America, we talk a lot about religious tolerance. Why? Tolerance does not solve problems, because you don't have to feel that you are on the same level as those who you tolerate. Instead of stopping at religious tolerance, we should strive to accept and then to respect.

What a novel idea.

Thoughts on the ideal brief

The ideal brief should:

• Tell two stories: product and consumer
• Make readers understand the barriers to consideration
• Make readers understand the consequences of not buying
• Incite imagination and creativity
• Be flexible: in format and in future
• Consider media in-depth
• Take into account both consumer and product lifecycle
• Talk about the consumer as they relate to the product and media
• Be visually stimulating
• Answer questions the creatives didn’t know they had
• Be understandable without translation from the planner
• Be a step in the process – not an ending point
• Be customizable by project

please add your thoughts!

Story Brief

Our latest Portfolio Development assignment was to write a brief in the form of a story. For your amusement, I have included my romance novella for Cruzan Rum below.

-----

It was early summer as Mr. Devine walked down the white sand beach of St. Croix’s Limetree Cay. He couldn’t believe his luck – spending a week in the USVI tagging along with his girlfriend and her best friends. It was almost like college spring break all over again! Finding a spot on the beach where he had lots of room to spread out, and yet could be seen, Mr. Devine unfolded a fluffy white towel and lay down on the sand. He took pleasure in St. Croix’s combination of upper-class exclusivity and easy tropical relaxation. Mr. Devine felt that he could stay on the islands forever, leaving his college degree and his upper-management job behind forever.

As he soaked in the sun and thought about his upcoming 28th birthday party (which would take place at a new lounge in Manhattan, where quiet conversation and beautiful women reigned), Mr. Devine saw his faithful girlfriend, Bacardi, walk towards him with several of her friends. Sailor Jerry, her wild eyed friend who always partied hard; Malibu, whose sugary personality always reminded him of a girlfriend from freshman year of college; Captain Morgan, who greeted him with a grin and a wink; and Ten Cane, who managed to look put-together and exotic no matter what the situation. He had known these women for years – all beautiful, all slightly tempting, but none even worth the hassle of a potential fight with Bacardi if she caught his eye wandering.

As Mr. Devine waved and smiled at the girls, he suddenly saw an unfamiliar face out of the corner of his eye. The woman who walked towards them looked like an island native. She was tan and fit, with a beauty that seemed complex and foreign in comparison to the women he had known all his life. As she approached them, Mr. Devine’s friends waved at her hesitantly. They had a look in their eyes somewhere between jealousy and shame, as if they knew that they couldn’t compete with her natural beauty. Bacardi turned to him, saying “this is Cruzan, we met her on the veranda this morning.” The curl in Bacardi’s lip told Mr. Devine that he shouldn’t mention how fabulously floral her perfume smelled to him. In one easy step, Cruzan walked towards Mr. Devine and smiled. “I’ve heard about you,” she said. “I’ve been wanting to meet you.”

Hours had passed, and Mr. Devine was still thinking of his brief encounter with Cruzan. She was so perfect it almost seemed like an honor to be in her presence – some sort of award. As he sat alone on the veranda, he quickly reminded himself that Bacardi had always been there for him. They had attended fraternity party after fraternity party, celebrated his graduation until he could celebrate no more, and had even spent entire weekends together reminiscing and laughing about their college days. The fact that she seemed completely ordinary in comparison must be a trick of the tropical sunlight. And yet, Mr. Devine couldn’t get Cruzan out of his head.

Bacardi and her friends would be dancing at the resort’s club through the night, he thought. Mr. Devine chuckled as he realized that he had briefly considered joining them at the bar just to ask the bartender if he knew Cruzan. He shook off the idea, reminding himself again of his relationship with Bacardi. Just as he was about to go in for the night, there she was. Cruzan appeared on the edge of the veranda, smiling slightly, as if he had summoned her there himself. Without saying a word, she walked towards him and took a seat. Mr. Devine was startled to realize that he felt nothing but relaxation. She was a woman who he could take out anywhere and who would look good in anything. Her presence made him feel intelligent and deserving.
Cruzan turned to him. She touched him on his shoulder smoothly and he could see the sparkle in her eye. Cruzan leaned towards him suddenly and whispered “You deserve better than Bacardi.”

Mr. Devine smiled and knew that he had made that decision the first time he met her. She was an interesting woman, full of warmth and character, and he had been craving a relationship with more depth.

Culture Crash: The Fight for the Future Now

A man from SS+K, whose name I cannot remember, was one of our Culture Crash speakers today. He said several interesting things, but the two that stick out to me at the moment are these:

"If anyone ever tells you advertising is dead, they're dead."

"Great brands change the way people live."

Things to remember

When I met my mentees, I gave them each a journal. My mentor did the same for me, and I remember being excited about the sense of possiblity in the journal. Of course, I didn't actually use it until second semester when Caley required it, but still...

In the journals I gave to my mentees, I included a few pieces of advice. I'm sure I could have said a million more things or taken an entirely different tack. I don't think that surviving and getting the most out of the Adcenter can be accurately described in eight points. But with those caveats in mind, I've included my Adcenter advice below. Please add you own, I can always use the wisdom!

1. Don’t censor yourself

2. Be an active participant in groups

3. Don’t worry about what you don’t know

4. Find someone who you can share your ideas with

5. Listen and absorb everything

6. Take time for yourself

7. Have an opinion

8. It’s just advertising

Communication via cupcake

Megan, Jess and I are starting a group at the Adcenter called Potluck. I've copied our group summary and action plan below. All Adcenter students are encouraged to join us at meetings, which will start this Thursday at 7:00 PM in the Lecture Hall. Our first advertisement for the group will go out tomorrow in the form of cupcakes. Because if we've learned anything this year, it's that Adcenter students rarely read posters, but always want food.

Exhibit A: Megan holding one of our advertisements.


POTLUCK PLAN:

To Sum It All Up

We aim to enhance our understanding of the world through sharing in the experiences of our classmates.

What We’re Doing

Potluck is a forum for discussion comprised of VCU Adcenter students. Interested students will meet to hear a classmate or panel of classmates speak about some part of their life outside of advertising such as hobbies, specialties and previous careers.

Why We’re Here

In a world that is becoming increasingly segmented, it becomes more and more important to have an in-depth understanding of consumers and of culture. We need to be able to connect with people of all sorts. By acknowledging the following truths, Potluck aims to enlarge its participants’ worldview for the sake of maximizing their communication potential.

• We need to understand the things that drive people and that help them make their day-to-day decisions.
• We need to shed our fear of the unknown by making it familiar.

As a secondary benefit, Potluck will allow us to gain a more in-depth understanding of our own classmates and will give students the chance to present and to lead their peers.

The Specifics

• All Potluck events will be held at the VCU Adcenter in order to provide a neutral space for discussion

• Potluck events will be held once a month

• There will be no membership; students are welcome to join in the discussion at any time as their schedule allows

• Meetings will not take any one set form, but will take whatever format necessary to have the most impact, whether it be lecture, discussion or activity

Example Speaker Ideas

Life in Sales
Improv Comedy Workshop
Coming to America: International students speak about cultural differences and surprises
Living through Hurricanes: New Orleans Before and After the Storm
Collecting model cars
From Arts to Advertising
The Real Richmonders
Interning Internationally
Selling education
Skateboarding
College/Competition level Athletics

A change in the winds

While I've enjoyed Vox for its interesting layouts and novelty, I'm moving my Adcenter / Advertising blog to this new address. Blogger, you've seduced me with you photo capabilities.

Over the next week or so, whitmarsh.vox.com will become caitlinscreativeclutter.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

In support of advertising

I've always found the King ads incredibly creepy. I have no interest in waking up with that particular king. And yet I've fallen in love with the new Western Whopper campaign. And so, here's my pet moustache.

New favorite agency email quote

P.S: Our attempt to get together to get financially savvy with Janet and learn how our agency actually makes money failed because of scheduling conflicts. We'll try to have that happen again soon.

Millenials and branding

This article from Brandweek, which talks about teen relationships to their brands, has some interesting figures in it: http://www.brandweek.com/bw/magazine/current/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003599815

My personal favorite is:

Despite being wired 24/7 with mobile devices and online communities, they feel the word "chill" best describes them (according to 40% of those surveyed). Music most defines them, according to 44% of teens, followed by family (39%) and moral values (38%).

So to sum it up, teens are a "chill" group of people who believe in music far more than morals. That's fabulous.

From the mouth of Mike Hughes

Agencies are always changing process. Ideas might not change too much, but methodology has.

The planner develops something that's in people's heads and hearts.

Marshall McLuhanisms

The medium is the message.

We look at the present through a rear-view mirror. We march backwards into the future.

Today the business of business is becoming the constant invention of new business.

All advertising advertises advertising.

If it works, it's obsolete.

In the beginning

At the start of a project, consider about the following:

1. What are your burning questions?

2. What are your hunches?

Speaker Series: Nancy Vonk and Janet Kent

Nancy Vonk and Janet Kent, CCOs of Ogilvy Toronto, spoke to us today about their work on the Dove Evolution campaign with a talk entitled "Evolution: Ads are Dead."

Nancy and Janet begun their talk by pointing out that solving problems with a :30 spot isn't going to happen. We are at a tipping point. And so it is an exciting time to be in advertising. TV and print are tools for this trade, but they are no longer the only tools. Campaigns like BMW Films and the Subservient Chicken, which were earth shattering at their inception, are now mainstream.

The ladies of Ogilvy pointed out that big brands need to ask big questions. The best work is elected to be seen, and consumers don't make that kind of choice when the same old methods and message are used to get in touch with them. We are in a time when work is being researched to death and clients cannot keep up with new technology. In the words of Don Tapscott, we are in "the age of marketing to cats."

This brought the talk to the Dove Evolution campaign. Now that it's done and successful, everyone wants a dove film, but it took three years of work to get there. First came the Dove Self Esteem Fund. The Self Esteem Fund existed before the Real Beauty campaign, and so layers of its good will message can be seen throughout the. campaign.

Big Idea versus Big Ideal.

Speaker Series: Lisa Seward

Lisa Seward, currently of MOD communications (founder), formerly of the Fallon media department, came to speak to us today in a talk entitled "Media - From Messenger to Message to Metaphor." MOD is a three year old company that Lisa created in order for her to be a better advocate for media and creative working together.

Lisa Seward described Fallon as the US pioneer of the modern outlook on the role of media. After visiting London for inspiration, they created a department based on the connection/context planning methods. The key idea in Fallon's media department seems to be 'insight applied to creative solutions.'

In her current life, Lisa runs MOD communications and writes a column for MEDIA magazine. In that context, she describes herself as the Andy Rooney of Media. Comments along the lines of 'agencies create process to justify themselves' and 'there are no experts in this business' have made her a controversial figure at times -- though a forward thinking one.

She shared her ideal process model for strategists and media planners with us, which went a little something like this:

1. Communications Strategists and Media Planners work together from the start
2. Think about PR, events and branded content
3. Is there anything else left for ads?
4. Creative

Later in her talk, Lisa Seward made the interesting comment that "you can't know what channels are right just becuase you know the consumer." Though we're taught to try and keep every aspect in mind at the Adcenter, we spend so much time trying to get to know the consumer that it's sometimes refreshing to be reminded. To prove her point, Seward pointed out that consumers have changed radically and are now in charge, and that communication abilities in a web 2.0 or 3.0 world change the playing field for both customers and marketers. Media 'then' was abotu allocating budget to accumulate eyeballs, while media now is about attracting people to message via good ideas.

She left us with the following thoughts:

1. All advertising is spam ~ use that as your filter when creating
2. Fit brands into consumers lives and add value
3. Great ideas are solicited, wanted, relevant and appropriate
4. An idea, not a distribution method, is core
5. Ideas are currency
6. Insight --> Ideas --> execution

Thought for the day

Barriers are important to consider.

Pushing an advantage versus lowering a barrier.

Possibly you have to do both.

Speaker Series: Pam Reeve

Pam Reeve, a recruiter, came to us today to speak about getting jobs in the advertising industry. Her overall wisdom was that advertising is an intuitive business where people begin judging immediately: act accordingly. To go into more depth, her tips are listed below.

During your interview:

- Know your weaknesses and work on them
- An interview needs to be a two way conversation
- Use gently persuasive speech
- Be likable and trustworthy
- Research the company
- Listen to your interviewer so that you're truly engaged instead of just responding

Pre-Interview Etiquette:

- Email your introduction in a manner that is short and polite
- Admire the company
- Send an attached version of your resume so that it can be printed separately, saved for later, forwarded on, etc.
- Wait 2-3 weeks to follow up if you don't get a response
- Let people know if you get a job, so that they don't waste time trying to fit you into their schedules

Interview Etiquette:

- Do not expect for an agency to pay for your trip
- Do not interview with other agencies if you get an agency to pay for your flight. It's a small community and whoever paid will be unimpressed with your action.

Post-Interview Etiquette:

- Send a follow-up emailed thank you note
- Look for ways to open up a new path of communication
- Never take rejection personally: you cannot be 100% loved on every interview and people are disengaged for many reasons
- Get a referall from eeryone you talk to. Keep track of who you met, what they said, who they know, etc.

Relationship Building:

- Is an intrinsic feeling
- Don't ask meaningless interview questions
- Make sure that you have shared values with the company you interview at

Are you a tough little weed?

Your career will be long. Look at the big picture with you in the middle (eagle's view)

On Resumes:

- Make sure your resume is seperate from your book
- Your resume must be well written. It is just as much a representation of who you are as your book.
- Resumes are often read from the bottom up. Keep that in mind when you organize.
- Bring a hard copy (or several) of your resume to every interview

On Money:

- Don't discuss money until the very end
- There is a balance between low pay and being used
- Don't overask
- Don't be afraid to negotiate within reason
- Be polite
- Your second job is when it's really 'open season' for money negotiation

Decision Making:

- You must let people know if you have another offer
- You don't have a job until you have an offer letter

Final Thoughts:

- A Recruiter is internal, a Head Hunter is external
- It's best to shop your book/resume by yourself as a junior
- Juniors are usually freebies for recruiters, so no one is more interested in your getting a job than you are
- When you do look for a head hunter to work with, find someone who will build your career with you

Speaker Series: Steve Bassett

Today's speaker was Steve Bassett, SVP Creative Director of The Martin Agency, right here in Richmond. Steve spoke to us today about the GEICO account in a talk entitled "Humor is a Serious Business: the Evolution of the GEICO Campaign." Martin has had the GEICO account for 13 years and Steve has been on it for 6.

To take it back to the beginning... in 1993, insurance equaled punishment. t was scary to think about and definitely not a cocktail party topic. Insurance advertising reflected as much, with its tried and true methods of scaring people into expensive plans through deep-voiced men, numbers flashing on screens and the occasional crash video.

GEICO's idea came about as a response to all of that. To knock down the barriers of "changing insurance is a hassle, what if it doesn't go well!?" The category of insurance was dark, and GEICO wanted to steer clear of that.

With that in mind, Martin decided to be direct. Don't appologise, use it as an advantage and create a feeling of insurance as reward.

Bassett pointed out that througout the GEICO campaign, the humor has changed depending on the creative director. When he took over the account, it was his goal to make the ads "a little less Benny Hill, a little more David Letterman." He is perfectly candid about the fact that his vision, too, is fluid. The next creative director, he said with a shrug, will probably want a little less Letterman and a little more Conan O'Brien.

On the use of the Gecko, Steve Bassett points out that it was an accidental brand icon. The Gecko wasn't focus grouped to death. It was meant to eliminate confusion, and the actors strike made one animated gecko ad turn into four more. But that said, the gecko isn't just another icon -- he knows he's an icon. As the years have gone by, the gecko has gotten more human looking and has gotten a more everyday British accent.

The 'Good News' campaign started with an old jok.

In one of the most recent campaigns, involving the now famous GEICO caveman, people appreciate subtle humor done well. Bassett describes it as the right campaign for the current PC climate.

The last campaign that Steve Bassett talked about was teh testimonial campaign. GEICO came to The Martin Agency and said that they would like to do a testimonial campaign, since they had so many happy customers. Martin was not thrilled, as testimonial campaigns are generally humorless and boring, but they tried to think of it in a 'GEICO' manner. When they reframed the problem by asking "how can we do it in a way GEICO can own?" the testimonial campaign was born.

Up next? the use of Mike Wallace, the driver that GEICO sponsors in the Busch series. And thus was born the 'Lauren Wallace' campaign.

Thought for the day

If you can't be different, be more relevant.

Thought for the day

Presentation is Key:

Learn how to frame your ideas so that people see the benefits as they apply to them.

Thought for the day

Creative leverage means outsmarting, not outspending.

The components of value

Price

Time

Dependability

Convenience

Quality

A perfect team

Taken from a handout Caley's class, in response to our comments that the Six Thinking Hats method seemed contrived:

- Team members show up with facts, info, data they have assembled and everyone shares

Discussion of what to keep, what to lose, what to save, what it means, what holes exist in the learning

- Team members offer up their hypotheses
- what the problem is
- what the brief should be

Discussion about the merits of the various hypotheses, why some are risky, why some won't work

- Develop new ideas
- Get more data
- Practice ruthless exclusion
- Build the presentation

- Review, plug holes, shore up weaknesses

Speaker Series: Colin Decker

This week's speaker was Colin Decker, Creative Director of CurrentTV.

CurrentTV is a television channel that is filled with User Generated Content. He started off the lecture by giving several acronyms for user generated content, pointing out that it was still a new enough idea that no one term had been adopted. For example:

UGC - user generated content
CGC - consumer generated content
UGV - user generated video
VC2 - viewer created content

Throughout his presentation, Decker's focus was on engagement. He pointed out that the 30 second TV spot is a passive experience, while the web is a two way street. You are engaged, you are watching it, and you probably went and found it yourself. Decker stated that at this point, it looks like engaging an audience is the future of marketing, advertising, and probably all media.

Instead of speaking only about currentTV, Decker also brought other UGC ideas into the mix. He talked about the Converse Gallery (www.conversegallery.com), the Doritos Superbowl Ad and the Chevy Tahoe Campaign as three examples of the UGC phenomenon. Everybody is hanging their hat on UGC without knowing why. At this point, Decker said that marketers and advertisers understand that they have to engage consumers, but they don't quite know how. Is the point to engage online, or is the point to give consumers control? The result, for companies that don't know, is that the UGC commercials that they end up posting are the ones that look just like professional commericals, instead of the ones that celebrate being homemade, different, and of-the-people. There are, after all, a lot of out of work DPs who have access to the kinds of equiptment that they need to make a professional spot.

On Current TV, content is uploaded and voted on by online users. Segments generally run between 3 and 7 minutes, and the network will show anything other than scripted television. There are no 30 minute shows, so they call their mini-segments 'pods'. There is no universal clock / schedule for the channel, and Neilsen has no idea how to rate them. At the moment, CurrentTV consists of 30% user voted content, and 30% producer generated content ... he didn't touch on the last 40%.

Most interestingly to me, the channel includes viewer created advertising messages (VCAM). When viewers log onto the CurrentTV website (www.current.tv) they can see assignments from specific sponsors of the channel (Sony, L'Oreal, etc.) and make their own advertisements for those products. If chosen for the network, the creater receives $1000. In Decker's mind, CurrentTV mergers authentic brands with advertisers. It is a network focused on two way communication. He summed up this part of his speech with the words "real real is in."

Decker then talked about agencies and brands, saying that when it came to UGC, there were two types:
1. the "this is all crap / fad" type
2. the "this is a new language to reach people with" type
He calmed our ad-school fears by noting that VCAM will not replace agencies. Instead, it is another tool.

In speaking about the CurrentTV network, Decker pointed out that it is an online community, not an online contest. YouTube, he said, is about broadcasting yourself. They have done much to get people actively interested in the idea of creating and watching UGC. CurrentTV, however, is for broadcasting yourself if you have something to say.

Check it out at www.current.tv or on your television if you have cable.

18 big ideas

18 Big Ideas From the Idea Conference
From Some of the Industry's Most Dynamic Minds

By Andrew Hampp

Published: November 05, 2006
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- From leading architect David Rockwell to leading creative Alex Bogusky; from the man who built Second Life to the marketing chief of the very-real-world Starbucks; from a guy who plans and buys media to a guy who expresses himself by making toys. They all came to share their big ideas and pass on their tips for fostering creativity.
Among those thinking big at the Idea Conference were (top to bottom) Paul Bennett, chief creative officer, IDEO; Anne Saunders, senior VP-global brand strategy and communications, Starbucks; and Chris Stephenson, general manager-global marketing, entertainment business, Microsoft.
Among those thinking big at the Idea Conference were (top to bottom) Paul Bennett, chief creative officer, IDEO; Anne Saunders, senior VP-global brand strategy and communications, Starbucks; and Chris Stephenson, general manager-global marketing, entertainment business, Microsoft.

More than 550 people gathered in New York to hear them at Advertising Age and Creativity magazine's inaugural Idea Conference. Here are a handful of ideas and insights from the day. To see some edited highlights of the speakers doing their thing, check out the video at AdAge.com.

1. Limitations and small budgets are inspiring
"I can be at my most creative when I have constraints," said Anne Saunders, senior VP-global brand strategy and communications, Starbucks. The coffee behemoth started out humbly as a small Seattle chain. "When I have a lack of time or money, that causes me to think differently. We don't spend a lot of money on traditional advertising." Less than 2% of Starbucks' operating budget is spent on advertising. Instead, word of mouth and the physical presence of each location have been its best tools.

2. Trust your gut -- not research
Pointing out that Steve Jobs didn't create great ideas by doing market research, multilingual ad man David Jones, global CEO of Euro RSCG, exhorted ad execs to stop asking permission. Drawing on British comedian Vic Reeves' assertion that "96.2% of all statistics are made up," Mr. Jones argued that the best ads aren't based on research. He cited P&G's brilliant viral effort for Charmin toilet tissue created by Euro rival Publicis, which riffs off the many euphemisms for elimination and, as Mr. Jones said, did plenty to put the brand in pole position.

3. Think like a band
"What does a band actually do? They create music and they don't know whether it's going to sell," said Chris Stephenson, general manager-global marketing for Microsoft's entertainment business, which launches its much-anticipated MP3-and-video player, Zune, on Nov. 16. "They'll tour -- they're not sitting in an ivory tower behind their desk. It's a very do-it-yourself culture, but ideal. This idea of thinking in a really open-minded, expressive way like an artist is really important."

4. Approach your consumer from a 'molecular level'
The first thing Steven J. Heyer, CEO of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, asks himself when it comes to designing a new hotel is: "What do we want our guest to feel?" He and David Rockwell, founder and CEO of the Rockwell Group, discussed the innovations they've made to the luxury-hotel industry by designing experiences that appeal to the traveler who hates traveling but loves being there -- think mountain views, health spas and expanded bars.

5. Digitize everything
Not just your ads, but also your store, your product and even your employees. Here to help you is Linden Labs CEO Philip Rosedale, creator of the virtual world Second Life. What was once the futurist domain of "Tron" is now something anybody with a broadband connection -- and potentially an ailing first life -- can tap into. Think you can't make an emotional connection in the digital world? Then you should have seen the star of a heart-tugging video Mr. Rosedale screened, a woman who found a husband and a career in Second Life.

6. Nostalgia is death
Quoting Bob Dylan, Paul Budnitz, founder of Kidrobot, took aim at the marketing world's tendency to slavishly ape bygone pop culture. (That means you, VH1 and Hello Kitty.) Mr. Budnitz said there's no creativity behind thinking derivatively -- like, for example, when marketers create toy spinoffs of blockbuster films. He offered the notion that real creativity is about making something that is "entirely new and in the moment." He did, however, distinguish nostalgia (bad) from appropriation (good), in which familiar themes serve as a jumping-off point for the creation of a completely fresh idea, as evident in the twisted work of Japanese pop artist Takashi Murakami.

7. Let consumers inside
For the Barenaked Ladies' first independent release on the Nettwerk record label, co-founder Terry McBride wanted them to be able to work outside the 12-song-per-album box. Their recording sessions yielded 29 songs, from which Mr. McBride pulled 250 tracks for fans to mix into their own versions. The mixes will be submitted for a forthcoming fans' EP. "It's not about control, but the fact that the fan owns the brand," Mr. McBride said during the Corbis "Who Owns Your Brand?" breakout session. "Fans do all the marketing for us."

8. Prototype early
That way, said Paul Bennett, chief creative at IDEO, you won't end up with "dinosaur babies" (a product "so ugly only its mother could love it"). Creative teams can sometimes get so wrapped up in a project they can't let go or realize it's not going to work the way they initially intended. Making prototypes early on in the creative process helps with troubleshooting and allows for feedback on the more complicated areas of the product. "The notion of prototyping is, if it's bad, you can let it go."

9. Drugs won't supply your 'Aha!' moment
They no longer fuel the creativity of Alex Bogusky, chief creative officer at Crispin Porter & Bogusky. "There was a time where I'd be working on something where I'd need to drink," Mr. Bogusky said. "The problem is, the longer you do it, the smaller that window for creativity gets. And then you're trashed." He also pointed out that getting to that eureka time requires hard graft and is often about ripping up lots of OK ideas and starting over. (And you thought it was just brilliance and the occasional bong!)

10. Flatten management structure
"We don't have enough managers, and we intended it to be that way," said Google's chief engineer, Craig Neville-Manning, who credited that lack of bureaucracy as a big reason for the search giant's success in bringing new products to market.

11. Market to the interested
In analyzing a recent Iams campaign, David Verklin, CEO of Carat Americas, found that 40% of the American population owns a dog. "When I run an ad on TV, 60% of the people watching have no interest in it. It's bad for the client because they don't want to advertise for people who aren't interested. And it's certainly bad for the delivery system, putting ads in front of people that are boring them."

12. Go for a brand back rub
Eric Plaskonos, director-brand communications at Philips Electronics North America, introduced the concept of "brand chiropractics" to the crowd in his closing statement, citing Philips' recent innovative spreads in Gourmet and its sponsorship of commercial-free football games. "It's slightly unorthodox and [hands-on], but when it works it makes you feel really good."

13. Give consumers some control
"Once you've allowed the consumer to create something around your brand, you have to assume that is not something you can control," said Jeremy Allaire, founder and CEO of Brightcove. Brightcove allows marketers to build video-content channels of their own -- and provides users with the building blocks for their own creations. This way you can make sure the ideas are still coming from the marketer, and that's the key to successful consumer-generated media, said Mr. Allaire. "It's highly empowering to consumers and helps to accentuate those brands as opposed to diminish them."

14. Turn Advertising Week into a charity push
Euro's Mr. Jones also made a plea for all agencies to give all the profit they make during that week to charity, rather than just enjoying the booze and schmooze of a week-long industry event. He also suggested that the industry collaborate to tackle a big issue that week -- in the style of ProductRed, Bono and Bobby Shriver's effort to combat AIDS in Africa.

15. Discourage sleep
In some ways Mr. Heyer and Mr. Rockwell's biggest idea is to transform hotels into big bars and meeting spaces that just happen to also have bedrooms. "We have to give [guests] a reason to use their time in other ways. The last option is sleep," Mr. Heyer said.

16. Don't be (obviously) big, be brilliant
Asked how he "stays cool," Kidrobot's Mr. Budnitz alluded to his success, saying "we make more toys and more money than you think we do." He said he devotes a huge amount of time to working out how to be big without getting bad and he said the key, quite simply, is to be guided by the question "Is it beautiful?" Don't be guided by money or other considerations.

17. Sit under the table
IDEO's Mr. Bennett was all about seeing things from fresh perspectives. He cited the work of one of his staff who had done a project for Ikea in which he was asked to produce storage devices for young kids. To develop ideas, he followed a child around for a day of play. Noting that the children he observed liked to huddle under tables, the designer ended up eschewing traditional shelves and went with a device that attaches under the table and allows kids to shove toys between rubbery protrusions -- the product is now a best seller.

17. Every day should be independence day
For a recent BMW print campaign, Jack Pitney, VP-marketing at BMW North America, and Roy Spence, founder and president of GSD&M, played up the car company's uniqueness in the automotive industry, explaining that it's the only automaker that isn't part of some greater parent company. "BMW is a very unique company because we're purpose-driven," Mr. Pitney said before pointing out that it's hard to beat the competition when they're your parent company.

18. All creatives are created equal
Perhaps most stunningly, Mr. Bogusky said he believed there were great creatives everywhere, but that they are too often hampered by bad management or the strictures of structures. The message was clear -- free your copywriters and art directors and you'll get better ideas and, most importantly in Mr. Bogusky's view, better execution.

Speaker Series: Jacob Trollback

Jacob Trollback is the owner of Trollback + Company NY-LA, an eight year old branding and motion graphics design production company. Originally from Sweden, he started as a DJ and then opened his own club. In order to get his club started, Trollback began to make his own fliers, which lead him to become a designer. His lecture was a bit disjointed as some of his videos didn't work, but I really enjoyed hearing his thoughts on design and on being a designer.

Throughout the lecture, Trollback spoke about inspiration. For him, inspiration comes from many things. His musical background, nature, architecture, photography, furniture, etc. When asked whether he had any copywriters permanently on staff, he said 'no,' explaining that they dealt mostly with freelance copywriters because some projects needed them and some did not. He then mentioned that he would, however, love to hire and architect or furniture designer or someone like that. I love the thought of getting someone into your business who could constantly bring an outside perspective and a different type of creativity.

Jacob Trollback's lecture was very multi sensory. At one point, he wrote 'Helvetica and Bach' on the power point slide in Helvetica, and then played Bach to that slide. He challenged us to see how those two things went together, and understand the style they created.

Two ideas that I found especially interesting:

1. Style is getting rid of everything that doesn't mean anything
2. Trollback +Company is in the business of capturing essential moments

To learn more about Trollback +Company, visit www.trollback.com

Say it again...

The account planner must understand the consumer and their media club.