It’s been said of Google: “…the genes of technological innovation are frequently in conflict with emotional intelligence. Successful technological innovation is all about disruption. Effective emotional intelligence is all about collaboration, how you get talented people to work together and enjoy it.”
True, but there are emotional retards who fail to innovate.
I saw this on mrbrown.com and thought it was pretty amusing:
“Sometimes you should bend over and take it? Such an unfortunate image from fairemployment.sg [Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices].”
Amusing because when I was briefly involved in pitching the business, that take on the concept (from an established WPP agency that was recently in the news for inadvertently putting cake in the face of a client) never dawned on any of us.
Then came the heavily-satirised “Cheaper, better, faster” call-to-arms, with its unfortunate acronym, last year.
And Tim Love’s talk, about the importance of toggling your frame of reference, just a few days back.
Is it possible for an agency to be best-in-class in both digital and integrated marketing? I think not – one has to take precedence over the other.
If you’re an agency manager looking to go up the former route, this is an excellent read. Key extracts:
1. Project managers, project managers, project managers. Digital work can be so much more complex to produce than, say, a TV spot, and project managers are the glue that holds it all together. Trust me, with so many moving pieces, it’s helpful to have someone whose sole focus is getting every job done on time and on budget.
2. Hire for versatility. Gone are the days of one-dimensional creatives, when we might hire a writer just because he/she has an ear for dialogue or an art director who is brilliant with typography. We need smart creatives who can work (or — maybe more importantly — want to work) on everything from newsletters and rich media to widgets and videos.
3. Things like SEO, UX, usability testing and optimization practices are not optional. If you want to be taken seriously in the space, you need to commit resources to building expertise — and a track record — in these areas instead of just talking about them.
4. Stop thinking in campaigns. Digital is the one of the few parts of the business where you get to build something that lives longer than a single campaign. It’s a big responsibility, but in addition to campaign-specific messaging you need to be thinking about creating brand assets for the long term. A good starting point is to get everyone — from strategy to development — talking about how the brand can be useful to people.
In an industry awash with shiny new toys and channels that purport to be solutions, I still saw fit to spend an hour with my clients extolling the virtues of Foursquare and helping them get started with the iPhone app.
To consumers, it’s a social network, location service and game made simple. Llike all good services these days, it integrates across multiple platforms and doesn’t require people to build their friend base from scratch.
To brands, it’s a chance to (a) incentivise and monetise loyalty, and (b) cross-sell in context.
Another shiny happy let’s-get-creative video.
Running a flea market stall over the weekend reinforced a couple of lessons in retail strategy.
1. In that sort of setup, sellers are price-takers. Noone visits a flea market expressly to buy something, so it’s no good trying to armtwist them into paying a price you demand. On the other hand, sellers are more often than not eager to clear inventory.
My co-tenant stuck to her guns, made zero sales and still has all her stock on her. I hope she really likes them.
2. Location is everything.
3. Do what it takes to bring in traffic. Someone suggested a messy setup triggers a primal instinct in bargain hunters – and he was right.
4. Aggressively convert. Browsing without buying is as good as dating without mating. There’s no payoff for your efforts.
Early this year, I commented on glue-sniffing and problem gambling TVCs by JWT and Y&R respectively.
In a similar vein comes a series of videos on the Human Organ Transplant Act. Directed by local filmmaker Royston Tan, these vignettes are dramatic without being OTT; and thought-provoking without being grating.
Letters
Suzie
I like how they’ve identified all the prickly issues and checked the boxes by subtly pushing the right buttons. Brilliant. read more…
The days of VJs
First there was the DJ. Sometime in my teens came the VJ, and then the IJ. All pretty, perfectly coiffed faces with sparkling personalities, primed for working the crowd.
Today SMJ-ing (social media jockey or uh, Facebook jockey) – has emerged as a genuine career option, for as long as the bubble holds out. Candidates should be savvy with the nuances of each platform and blessed with the ability to infect with enthusiasm in 140 characters or less.
Pretty face optional, because they hide behind a brand’s ID most times anyway.
Known occupation-linked ailments include carpal tunnel syndrome, Blackberry thumb and iPhone phobia from being piped in 24/7.
Air New Zealand’s Nothing to hide campaign is one catchy headturner.
And it’s got this cute Kiwi accent.
But is it all that original?
Have a look at Elave’s skincare campaign from some years back and decide.
