On UnThink

You may have been invited recently to join a social media site called UnThink.   It's a small start up by Natasha Dedis who started the site as a mom-approved alternative for her son. The site has lofty ambitions to take over both Facebook as well as Google+.  Videos have been published on YouTube comparing having a Facebook page to building your house on someone else's lot and encouraging viewers that anyone can be extraordinary. The video shown is somewhat of a middle finger to existing sites but the edgy, independent vibe makes sense for a pre-teen demographic. 


Personally,  I dig the passion and the creativity.  I kind of like the ideals they stand for. I like that this site offers me guaranteed privacy.  I like that they offer me the chance to "sponsor" advertisers rather than being inundated. I'm not super thrilled about Facebooks insight into my every move and like. I like the idea of "unthinking" traditional ideas.


That being said, I'm pretty invested in Facebook.  Google+ doesn't seem to have gone anywhere but Facebook has a sort of domination in the world wide web.  If Facebook were a country, it would be the third largest population in the world.  Since the UnThink website was crashed for most of the day, I'd say they have some catching up to do. 


But for a low budget start up, they're getting some serious buzz. Best of luck UnThinkers.  Today Beta site.  Tomorrow the world.


Mood:  Empowered

On Proofraeding

I think it's an unspoken rule that you can't catch all errors until something is printed or published.  I'm sure you can relate to this experience.  You proof a document or an ad 1, 2, 15 times.  It gets looked at by multiple eyes in the Creative Department, Account Services, a few other departments, maybe even an actual proofer.  Everything looks beautiful.  Then, time goes by, and you get a sample in the mail.  Your beautiful advertisement is on the back cover of a magazine.  Or a full page newspaper spread.  Or a headlining news release.  And you smile at the fruit of your hours upon hours of labor.  And then you see it. Plain as day. Staring at you with a taunting demeanor. It's too late to do anything about it.  There in unforgiving ink, is a typo.  Maybe your client is open on Firday.  Or the phone number has a 3 instead of an 8.  Now you start to frantically think through whether or not you were the final set of eyes and if you will have a desk to sit at tomorrow.

 

It's funny how our society works.  Something as trivial as a misspelled word is a death sentence to your company.  One look at a typo and no one thinks "Oh, they must have been working late hours and paying a lot of attention to this piece for their mind to block out that mistake."  One look at a typo and one immediately thinks- Unprofessional. No attention to detail.  Inexcusable.  Tough world we live in. 

Especially since, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?


For tips on how to better proofread, check out these words of wisdom from Grammar Girl.

Mood:  Human

On Google Ads and Answers

What do you do when your consumers are being dissuaded by too many ads?  Reposition your ads as something your consumers want.  That is what Google is doing in their new "Maybe the Best Ads are Just Answers" campaign.  In addition to being annoyed with advertisements in general Google consumers were introduced to the GMale and the GMailman who further convinced them that advertisements were a definite negative to the Google experience. 

So what did Google do?  They said, We hear you.  We understand.  But we feel that you may misunderstand our intentions.  Let us tell you why we advertise to you.  You come to us for answers. Now, not only can you get generic answers from our highly knowledgable search engine, you can get personalized answers through our highly targeted advertisements. These ads aren't just to you.  They're for you.


It must be working because Google is consistently in the top rankings of Global companies in multiple categories.  Personally, I think they're picking up ideas from Bing, but if you've read my blog, you already know how I feel about this particular marketing tactic.


Mood: Intuitive

On Contrex

Looking for a creative way to get your message out?  Check out Contrex.  Unfortunately this product doesn't seem to be available in the US, and since I do not parler du français with any fluency, I really can't tell you too much about their product or their website.  From what I can gather, it seems to be a liquid (water) of some sort that encourages you to burn calories while having fun.  Particularly catered to women.  The fact that I am intrigued by a brands commercial that I can't even understand speaks to the skill of the Contrex marketing team.

This ad is great! Whether this lifesize strip tease actually occurred or it was just staged for this particular video spot, it reminds me that burning calories is not always a chore, it can be fun.   On top of burning calories, you're offering me a product that meets my needs, and is catered to my interests as a female.  I'm now intrigued by your product, and you give me a Facebook page that offers me "Ma Contrexperience."  And isn't that what successful marketing is all about?  Marketing your product as an experience?  Fun, creative, effective.  Fantastique !

Mood:  Energized

On Cruising Like A Norwegian

Every so often I find a commercial that I actually look forward to seeing.  My new favorite is the 30 second Norwegian Cruiseline spot. I can't say I've ever heard of them before, but in 30 seconds they tell me who they are, what they do, and why I should care.  What I love about this ad is that instead of focusing on their company or product, showing me how much better they are than other companies or products or how fancy their boats are, they spend the entire time focusing on me and what opportunities they can offer me.  Rather than keeping me on the boat, they take me around the world.  They give me options.  Dine like a Parisian. Surf like a Hawaiin.  Love like a Venetian. Party like a Brazilian.  I now want to do all these things. I want to also do other things, like cook like an Italian, paint like a frenchman, compete like a Scott. The possibilities are endless!  If and when I ever have the time, finances and ability to take a fun vacation, Norwegian Cruiselines will be close to the top of my list.


Mood: Curious and Free

On Yeo Valley

I've never heard of Yeo Valley  before, but after seeing these spots, I will certainly remember them. 


There's a lot of hate out there on boy bands and cheesy rap groups.  People are annoyed with advertisements featuring silly songs, which I completely understand.  I'll be the first to say if I never see another Kia hamster it will be too soon. (side rant- blows my mind that someone somewhere said "I know! Let's have giant hamsters dressed like gangsters, and they'll rap and drive in toasters!" And some CEO in a suit said "I love it! Let's do it!" but that is a whole other blog rant in and of itself) As annoying as these spots may be, you can't deny they stick with you.  They are annoyingly catchy. We may protest, but there's something about music that just resonates.  Find me someone who can't immediately identify with Baby, Bye Bye Bye or Friday.  It's impossible. 

Personally, I grew up in the era of boy bands and I'm not ashamed to say I MmmBopped with the best of them.  Whether you love the boy bands or love to hate the boy bands, sometimes the best way to get a message out is via song.  I mean, the chances of someone convincing me to listen to 30 seconds to a minute about organic milk while some spokesperson tells me why this milk is better than my current processed and polluted non-organic milk- slim to none.  But give me 4 stubble-faced dudes in matching v-necks, you can have my 30 seconds.  In fact, I'll give you a full two minutes to serenade me as to how this new brand of milk will better my lifestyle.  I was even compelled to search for them online to figure out what exactly or who exactly they were. (It's actually a pretty neat website for an organic dairy company) I'm not one to be in the target market for organic anything, but sing me a catchy tune, and you will have my undivided attention.

You can check out the new Yeo Valley spot along with some of my favorite musical advertisements below.  They may be cheesy, but tell me you don't enjoy these commercials.  I dare you.


Mood: Reminiscent Tween/90s Boy-bandy

On Being Perfectly Imperfect

When I graduated college, I had two goals. 

1. Get a job.

2. Be perfect.

By the time I was approaching the end of my senior year my resume had had more work done on it than Joan Rivers.  (Please excuse my horribly politically incorrect comparison)  Dozens of professors, advisors, parents, mentors, previous employers, current employers, bus drivers, hair stylists, strangers on benches had seen and critiqued my resume, many of which directly contradicting eachother. Everybody had their own opinion as to what was "perfect" to land me my first post-school job. While opinions ranged all over the spectrum, everyone seemed to agree that A) the job market and economy were horrific and I would be lucky to even get an internship within a year of searching, and  B) I should take the first coffee-pouring, copy-making internship that comes my way because noone wants to hire a kid still green from the classroom.


I knew that I needed to get a job.  This was priority numero uno and I proceeded to send out more than 200 resumes and cover letters to prospective employers.  Because I knew everyone had different opinions of perfection, I became a firm believer in variety and took no chances when it came to the application process.  For some agencies I took the serious, dilligent, professional route.  $10 words, somber tone, concise and to the point.  For some, I took a more fun, whimsical route.  Cleverly worded tongue-in-cheek cover letters, colorful envelopes, spunky and bold tone.  And for others, I left no chance to wording or envelope color and marched in boldly asking where to set up shop Monday morning.  Eventually, something had to stick.  Eventually, I would achieve  my goal of getting a job.

This led to goal #2.  Be perfect.  I had my job, now I needed to figure out what it was they liked about me, and become the perfect version of that person.  I didn't want to be fake by any means, but I was careful to allign my tone with that of the office.  I took careful note of the language, attitude, and clothing worn by the team.  I'm somewhat of a perfectionist/people pleasure by nature, so it wasn't difficult.  My starting position was as an administrative assistant for the CEO- what better person to strive for perfection for.  "Be perfect" became my daily mantra. 

I have since concluded that perfection is far overrated and far under appreciated.  At the end of the day, it causes more stress, lower self esteem, and really doesn't take you that much farther than imperfection.  As I was thinking through this idea of perfection vs imperfection, I read a quote by Seth Godin that said something along the lines that I should stop trying so dang hard to be perfect and realize that maybe just doing my best and being me is good enough.  Duh statement, but kind of profound.  The problem with striving for perfection, or one of many rather, is that you'll never find a conclusive definition of the word.  You will always fail.  If you stick to being you, no one else can be you as good as you can, and you'll most likely be much more confident, much happier, and much more successful.  Instead of worrying about maintaining perfection to gain or maintain your job, try these goals instead.

1. Be ok with being you. You have skills and abilities that no one else does.  Focus on your strengths, and utlize them.  If you are rejected for being you, that's probably not the right job for you.  If you get a job by being someone else, you might get stuck being that person forever.You'll know where you belong, because when you find it you'll thrive.

2. Be ok with making mistakes. Accidents happen.  You will mess up.  Embrace that fact now, and move forward.  You will send something to print with a typo.  You will forget an important meeting.  You will misunderstand directions.  You will stick your foot in your mouth.  Apologize, fix what you can, accept it as a learning moment and move along.

3. Be ok with the ugly laugh.  You know the laugh I'm talking about.  Not the polite chuckle or the subtle "lol."  That laugh that comes out unexpectedly as a sort of hearty guffaw.  It's not a laugh you can control, it's a laugh you often are ashamed of, but it's genuine.  The real us may not always be pretty, but it's beautiful in it's own way.  Instead of being ashamed or hiding it, embrace it.

Rules of blogging would say that this blogpost is entirely too long and does not follow the proper blogging formula, but what can I say, I'm just not perfect.


Mood: Confident and Unique

On Confidence and Ego

I think I'm right.  You think you're right.  Now we're in a stand off.  You have your area of expertise and impressive resume to back up your opinion, and I have mine. 

Confidence is critical in the field of advertising.  In any field really, but especially marketing.  You have to believe in your idea enough to fight for it.  But what happens when you cross that very fine line from confidence into arrogance?  Ego can be a massive roadblock on an otherwise incredible thought trail.  It's ok to be proud of your ideas, but sometimes, someone elses ideas are better.  And that's ok.

Confidence allows you to feel great while also inspiring others to feel great. Example:

Ego is a mask for those lacking confidence.  It puffs you up while deflating those around you.  It tears your team apart because each team member feels like they are the star of the show. 

Thought: Maybe if we collaboratively focused more on putting our campaign in lights rather than our individual names, we'd start seeing more success.

Visual Explanation of the difference between Confidence and Arrogance:

Mood:  Affirmed

On Bing

It's official.  I'm becoming a Binger.  A Bingy?  A Bingo? A Bingkin?  Whatever we're called, I love Bing.  Bing has been progressively becoming my go-to search engine and just recently was promoted to the honor of being my homepage.  Why am I ditching the search-champ for the underdawg?  Because  Bing gives me what i want. 

1. Answers.  Yahoo used to be the go-to site. As did AOL. Google used to be a phenomenal search engine.  While they still hold oodles of information, they've become somewhat convoluted lately.  Sponsored ads make their way towards the top of the search along with sensationalized stories. When I'm in a hurry to find a phone number or an address, I don't want to search through 3 pages of blogs, place reviews, advertisements, etc.  Bing takes me immediately to the answer I'm looking for.  No games, no ads, no shenannigans.  Just straight up answers.

2. Facebook Connections. When it comes to the social media competition, the same truth holds as for any other competition- You can either beat them or join them.  Google tried to beat Facebook by launching Google+.  They asked me to put the countless hours of investment in finding FB friends and building my profile behind me to start all over again for a social network that even their senior management can't be bothered to use.  Bing made (in my opinion) the smarter choice of joining.  Not only can I search objectively, I can search subjectively through the opinions of my friends.  I can see the restaurant Jenny likes, the charity Abby and Caleb support, or the club John goes to. Sure it's great to have the opinions of my search engine, but when I can search for recommendations based on what my friends and family who I know and trust like? Genius.

3. Choice. Bing gives me all sorts of choices.  I have a choice of which image I want as my background. It makes me feel like it's my page. Each image has secret squares of information hidden within it so I could choose to learn more. There's top stories highlighted below should I choose to read about the latest buzz.  I also have a choice when it comes to advertising.  Who doesn't want to feel like they have a choice regarding what ads are thrown at them?  Bing gives me the option of having personalized ads catered to my searches and preferances, or opting out for generic ads and a stronger sense of security in not having my every online move tracked and used.

 If you haven't already, I highly recommend switching your searches to Bing, or at least alternating with your go-to site. 

Bing and decide.  With your friends.

Mood: Bingy

On The Difference Between a Target Market and a Target Audience

I was perusing one of my favorite websites, AdFreak, and came across this recent ad by JCPenney.  Take a moment to check it out for yourself.



This commercial is one of many in the new "Everybody Wins" campaign.  As much as I love JCPenney and appreciate their desire to reach new demographics, I see three problems with this new direction, particularly this spot.

1. JCP shoppers are not sexy.  As a JCP shopper I feel like I can make that statement with the disclaimer that it's not meant as an insult.  Sure, us JCP ladies are attractive, but we're the off to the office in a cardigan and pencil skirt kind of attractive- not the red bikini coming out a jacuzzi while men  oogle at us kind of attractive.  Sex may sell, but it's just not something we buy.  We're conservative.  We're soccer moms, daughters of soccer moms, teachers, business professionals.  The concluding line "JC Penney: It is seriously hot in here"- perhaps better off for Victoria's Secret or Hollister.  Us JCP gals, we like our air conditioning.

2. JCP shoppers are not men. Ok, some may be, but most are women. Yes, they have lovely attire for men, but it's the women who are buying it.  It's wives, girlfriends, daughters for dads.  While we may appreciate that VanHuesen slacks are on sale for $19.99 and appreciate that the men in our lives may finally like the clothes we pick for them, we don't appreciate that they like the clothes we pick because they subconciously link him to a woman who is younger and more toned than we are. Also, judging by the men featured in this commercial, they probably  have daughters around the same age as the model they are being "rewarded" with.  I have to agree with AdFreak on the ick factor. 

3.  JCP shoppers appreciate consistency.  We want to know what we're getting.  We're not the spontaneous, go with the flow, bite into anything type of people.  We are day planner carrying, grocery list making, Lean Cuisine eating type of people.  Going back to the 1980s, we were told "This Is J.C. Penney."  Clear and direct.  Then they told us we were "...looking Smarter Than Ever." "Doing It Right" and that they "..[Loved Our] Style." Well thank you JCP, kind of you to say so.  Then they branched out from the norm a bit, and became "Fun. Different. J.C. Penney" which was ok, because while we may be conservative, we're not prudes.  We can support some fun and difference in our wardrobe.  But then we hesitated because we're not really sure we want to branch into the fun and different world, so JCP comforted us by saying we could be fun and different or we could stick to the usual.  "It's All Inside."  Whew. Close one. Now it's a "New Look. New Day. Who Knew" we were getting ditched for the men we've been shopping for.

I realize that JCP is hopeful of target expansion but I feel as though they are confusing their target market with their target audience.  Your target market is anyone and everyone who would ever/could ever be interested in your product.  Your target audience is a specific group within that market that you are trying to reach with a particular message.  JCP has been very proactive in reaching their target audiences of 30-45 year old women, 20-30 year old women and highschool/college students. It is my opinion that the reason they have had success is that each of these groups fit into the JCP target market of women.  JCP on the other hand seems to feel as though their target market is people. All people.  

Will JCP have success in adding men to their extensive list of target audiences? (Based on the spot above I'd say men of all ages) Maybe, but it's risky. I understand the concept that men will see this commercial and conclude that if they pay $17.99 for a button up shirt from JC Penney, young, hott models will start magically appearing in their lives.  Point well made. The concept behind the "Everyone Wins" spots is actually quite clever but it's one thing to branch out from audiences of 20-30 year old females to 30-40 year old females.  It's another thing to switch markets entirely. JC Penney did a great job catering a clothing ad to a male demographic; unfortunately, it's just not a demographic I see at JCP anytime in the near future.

Mood: Perplexed

On Interns

You should always be nice to interns.  You may end up working for one someday.

It's expected that interns will need to engage in somewhat trivial tasks at time, but treating an intern as more of a peer than a slave can go a long way.  Here are four things to remember when working with an intern:

1. Your intern will rise to the expectations you set for them.  This does not mean they will rise to the expectations you tell them to, but that they will rise to the expectations you truly believe they are capable of.  If you tell them they are capable of growth and greatness but really only expect them to do the bare minimum and keep your coffee cup full, they will do the minimum and pour your coffee.  If you expect them to learn, grow, and excel, they will.

2. Give your intern projects, not tasks.  Rather than giving your intern individual tasks, give them a project.  Tasks create a yes-man, or what I like to call the puppy dog effect.  They learn to say yes to everything they are asked and when they carry out their task successfully, they come back for a pat on the head and a treat.  Projects create ownership, pride, and initiative.  They allow your intern to feel like they are making a contribution and requires them to actually think through what they are doing and how they can add to the agency by something other than making copies and converting oxygen into carbon dioxide.

3. Talk to your intern, not at, or down.  You can tell when someone is talking down to you.  So can your intern.  Your intern knows that they are the bottom of the totem pole, they don't need you to remind them. You can still assume the leadership role without talking down or demeaning your intern. Talk to them as though they matter and engage them in conversation.  Sometimes the wisest words come from the mouths of babies.

4. Say thank you. Most of the work your intern is doing, is probably for you, and is probably the work you could easily do, but prefer to not do.  They are probably making your copies, bringing you lunch, pouring your coffee, doing research, etc.  It's easy to have an attitude of "they're the intern- it's their job", but they are doing you a favor.  And though they may be doing you the favor with an ulterior motive of moving up in the industry, everyone likes to feel appreciated.  The more appreciated your intern feels, the more inclined they will be to help you.

Your intern will only be an intern for a short period of time.  Soon, they will be your peer, your competition, your boss.  Karma has a way of coming back around.  Monday morning, try surprising your intern by buying them a cup of coffee.

Mood: Appreciative 

On Thinking Small

Recently I visited some family in Los Angeles.  My aunt and uncle own and run a successful branding agency so in addition to catching up on our lives, I decided to pick their brains for wisdom and advice pertaining to the industry.  My uncle mentioned that some of the best advice he ever received was to aim small.

Unusual perhaps- since most often we are told to aim big, shoot for the stars, raise the bar. But he went on to explain that if you are trying to break into the industry, it doesn't make sense to show your sketches to Nike or Old Spice- they already have successful campaigns and an incredibly talented team.  Instead, (pardon my french) focus on a crappy brand, and fix it.

Everyone wants to be a part of a winning team.  If you're looking to break into the industry, it's the dream to work for a brand like Disney, Starbucks, Chrysler.  It's satisfying to claim ownership in a successful campaign.  And it definitely holds some bragging rights.  But the people who truly hold bragging rights are the ones who created these campaigns.   

To truly achieve greatness, there has to be risk.  As Seth Godin says, "The world has too many cooks.  It's begging for chefs." Food for thought: Instead of aiming big and staying at the bottom of the chain, why not try aiming small and leading one?


Mood: Determined