AdVerbs

Abracadabra: How to keep the marketing magic alive with an in-house agency

Ad agency creative people used to wield extraordinary powers that ordinary mortals couldn't. Make a stat? Poof! Create a keyline with a little knife and a can of rubber cement? Sure. Understand arcane terms like "font" and "kerning?" Of course.

We could even remove a wart from a model's nose when Photoshop was just the place on the corner that developed your Kodachrome.

Now the magic is gone.

Technology has simplified our business. But as it's taken the mystery out of the production process, it's unfortunately caused the respect for our talents to disappear as well. According to a study by the Association of National Advertisers, about half of companies surveyed have established in-house agencies. The primary reasons given were cost efficiencies and quicker turnaround. Well, that takes care of "cheap" and "fast." Now, how about "good?"

That's where in-house agencies come up short. Sixty-one percent of those same advertisers surveyed also felt in-house agencies lacked strategic thinking and 50 percent said is was more challenging to get fresh thinking from internal teams.

This just goes to show It's not really the techniques or technology that make good advertising, it's the thinking and the expertise. Having InDesign doesn't make someone a creative wizard anymore than having an oboe makes him a musician.

The economy has changed the way everybody does business--possibly forever. And technology has made DIY marketing more attractive, easier, and cheaper than ever before. But it hasn't perhaps made it better. Combining the efficiencies with the fresh ideas of outside sources is the kind of alchemy that uses the best of both.

Today's marketing professionals need to be able to work alongside the in-house agency to make marketing magic. We know that the best ideas come from collaboration.

 

All I need to know about copywriting I learned from "Alice in Wonderland."

Advertising is changing so fast these days, it's no wonder that many marketing managers feel likethe Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland: "... it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast."

These says we're all running twice as fast just keeping up with the technological changes in our industry. The latest trend, mobile marketing via smart phones, is where savvy marketers are headed. Already, 34% of US mobile users access the web via their phones. And that's going to see triple-digit growth in the coming year or so.

How can you keep up?

By remembering that marketing principles haven't changed. Just how they're delivered. People will always look for brands and companies that speak clearly to their needs with meaningful messages. Alice has good insights into that, as well:

1. "Speak English! I don't know the meaning of half of those long words, and I don't believe you do, either!" Eaglet

Clear. Concise. Crisp. Make sure your marketing messages get to the point. Don't use inside buzz words or jargon. And above all, eschew obfuscation (don't make things difficult to understand).

2. "Begin at the beginning and go on til you come to the end: then stop." The King

How long should that ad copy be? Do we need a four-page brochure? How many pages should our website be? The answer: as long as it needs to be. But keep in mind, short and sweet beats long and complicated. Make sure you don't keep writing after running out of things to say.

3. "Read the directions and directly you will be directed in the right direction." Doorknob

No, that's not redundant. Each "directly" has a separate and distinct meaning. Precise understanding of language is necessary if your message is to be more than technically correct and really connect with customers without confusing and confounding them.

4. "My name means the shape I am... with a name like yours, you might be any shape, almost." Humpty Dumpty

Naming is an art that gets harder every day. With the web, all marketing is global-- even if you're just doing business in your hometown. Slapping a generic name on your company, product, service, or process just doesn't cut it anymore. Your name needs to communicate something and become a 24/7 marketing asset.

5. "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." Lewis Carroll

Marketing is about achieving objectives, no matter if the message is delivered via a mobile app or a traditional piece of direct mail or a radio spot. Having a clear goal before you start out will help you get where you're going a lot faster.

 

 

Delete email from your marketing plan? Why it might be a good idea.

Did your "open" rates on email campaigns drop this summer? Here's one reason why.

Your customers spent twice the amount of time this June on Twitter, Facebook, and blogs than on checking their email inboxes. In a study just released by Nielsen, Americans spent nearly 23% of their time on social networking sites (up 7% from a year ago) and 30% less on email. That means for every hour online, 13 minutes were devoted to social media. And just a paltry 4 minutes on email.

 

So, does that mean you should stop using email campaigns and switch your budget to blogs and Facebook? No. But, as always, you need to re-examine your marketing communications and make sure you're reaching your customers in the way they want to be reached. That might mean direct mail. Or a print campaign. Or updating your company Facebook page or website.

It's easy to become complacent about media choices. Where once our desks where cluttered with direct-mail pieces, now it's our in-boxes with email. Standing out from the crowd and really connecting with your audience means not doing business-as-usual. The key to successful ad campaigns these days are meaningful messages in the right media choices(i.e., the ones your customers prefer, not the ones your marketing department does). 

Email campaigns work great. But so do billboards, radio, phone apps, blogs, and social media. The magic is in the mix. Maybe now's the time to check yours.

The lifecycle of the logo. How long should it last?

BMW was the sponsor of the season premier of Man Men last Sunday night . How appropriate. Not only is "The Ultimate Driving Machine" a Mad Ave icon, it proves that if done right, taglines and logos can continue to build equity and awareness for decades. BMW's line was created in 1974 when the automaker was an embarrassing (and virtually invisible) number 11 on the list of Top Ten import brands that year. Flash forward and BMW is number one on that list-- thanks, in large part, to smart and consistent branding. 

Smart and consistent are the key words here. Above all, a brand's positioning has to be spot-on and communicate a compelling truth in an interesting way. Then, it's all about consistency. That should be the easy part. Apparently, it's not.

We are a "throwaway society," where toasters, coffee makers, TVs, and phones are easily and cheaply replaced by shiny, new ones every couple of years. That happens with advertising, also. Too often, clients feel the need to change the brand, freshen up the look, or create a new tagline more in tune with today's market. Or even just try on a "bright, shiny, new agency." Sometimes that's necessary and justified--say,  to signal a real change or in the event of a merger or in response to an evolving market. Most times, it's just an expensive new suit of clothes that looks good, may not be a good fit, and probably will have to be replaced next season when "the look" is terribly out of date.

Classics last. And though they cost more in the beginning, great logos, taglines, and brands pay for themselves many times over.

We've been lucky to work with clients who understand the value of investing in a real brand position and creating a true position that works well today as well as decades from now. Here are a few examples:

Floyd and Stanich created this line and rebranded White River State Park more than a decade ago. Next time you're at the Indiana State Museum or the Eiteljorg, take a closer look at the entrance to White River State Park and its enduring brand stamped into the metal of the entrance.  

More than 20 years ago, we helped create a brand that brought the former Beethoven Foundation into a new era. It's still just as vibrant and appropriate today.

When Bernie Stanich here was Creative Director at Bates Midwest, the agency created a positioning line that's definitely withstood the test of time and continues, after nearly 15 years, to communicate the newness and vitality of downtown Indianapolis.

Good, solid branding lives on.  And on and on.

Why working in advertising is like having twins.

Having done both, I can testify that the common denominator here is that people come up to you and say, "I always wanted to do that." As is usually the case, be careful what you wish for. Both activities are labor-intensive, take every ounce of your attention and creativity, and are much, much harder than they look.

Both are also absolutely fulfilling and fun.

I just finished reading "Adland" by ad-agency veteran James Othmer. He points out that though our industry has changed dramatically, people still are attracted to the profession. And there is definitely a dual nature to the advertising profession.

We are constantly weighing the needs of the client against what we know to be the right solution. Dealing with the concrete realities of budgets and the creativity of ideas. It's definitely a balancing act. And great agencies do it effortlessly and selflessly.

Today, ask yourself this: Is your agency putting your best interests forward or just trying to win an award for its work? Is your agency too quick to give in to your demands-- even if it might not be the best thing in the long run? Just like in raising twins, you have to make sure both (client and agency) are heard and needs are met.  Otherwise, someone's going to end up in tears.

What do you think makes a great client/agency relationship?

It's alive! What DIY ads have in common with mad-scientist laboratories.

The main theme of Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park is that just because science can do something that doesn't mean it should do something. Do-it-yourself projects, whether it's reanimating dino DNA or creating your own ads, is something you should think long and hard about before undertaking. In both cases, the result can be an out-of-control monster that, (quite literally in the case of JP), can come back to bite you.

Today's marketing budgets have to squeeze every drop of value out of every available resource. Understood. And, more often that not, that means relying on in-house staff to handle projects that used to go to the ad agency. That's good. We get to work on the big-idea stuff that really makes a difference. But it's also bad because as architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe said, "God is in the details." That's not to say that in-house designers and writers aren't talented and accomplished. They are. And it's not a matter of technique or software. But DIY advertising lacks one critical component:  Objectivity.

It's also called "The Curse of Knowledge." In the fabulous book, Made to Stick, the authors make a good case that knowing too much is more detrimental as not knowing enough.

Lots of research in economics and psychology shows that when we know something, it becomes hard for us to imagine not knowing it. As a result, we become lousy communicators. Think of a lawyer who can’t give you a straight, comprehensible answer to a legal question. His vast knowledge and experience renders him unable to fathom how little you know. So when he talks to you, he talks in abstractions that you can’t follow. And we’re all like the lawyer in our own domain of expertise. Here’s the great cruelty of the Curse of Knowledge: The better we get at generating great ideas—new insights and novel solutions—in our field of expertise, the more unnatural it becomes for us to communicate those ideas clearly.

People on the inside know all too well which ad won't fly. They know the head honcho won't buy it. They know legal won't allow it.

But sometimes it does and she does and they say OK. That's why an agency is invaluable-- they can help you push the boundaries to break through to bigger ideas.

3 Ways to  Make the Most of In-house and Outside Resources:

1. First, choose an agency that plays well with others. Collaboration is key. Not every ad agency is open to working with in-house staff.

2. Let the outside resources give you the benefit of both their experience and objectivity. Ask for the "big idea" and let them help you understand what your audience really doesn't understand about your product or service.

3. Use your ad agency like your use your family doctor. Get a regular check-up. Have your agency creatives and marketing people review your in-house work, your media plan, and your graphics. They can help make sure your branding stays on target.

The 27 great brands of the future...and how to be one.

The international financial giant Credit Suisse has just published a nearly 300-page opus on the power of brand investing. The gist of it is this: Companies that take their branding seriously perform better financially. Their team of global analysts have identified three key ingredients for brand success (in addition to spending an appropriate of money in advertising, 2% of sales or more). And while not every company can be an Amazon, Apple, Tiffany, or Trader Joe's, we all can incorporate the three key elements that make these names some of the 27 great brands of the future (see below for the complete list).

In particular, the report identifies these brand "must haves:" authenticity, quality product, a strong core market, operating in a brand-friendly industry (well, not much we can do about that one), and developing a brand-centric corporate culture. Beyond these prerequisites, there are three core attributes that alone or in combination make a brand great and build incredible value:

1. ASPIRATION

Does your brand stand for the highest quality? The most valuable resource? The most knowledgeable people? Position your company, product, or service as "aspirational" like BMW or Four Seasons and, if you can pay it off in terms of authenticity, you add demonstrable value to your brand.

  
2.INNOVATION

Do things differently. Think of new ways to approach your market. And most of all, communicate that spirit of innovation, both verbally and visually, in your marketing and advertising like Apple.

3. SCALE

Can your deliver on your brand's promise across a spectrum of services? Can you grow along with your customers? Leverage your control through the supply chain like Coke or through connections with members like Facebook.

Great brands, like beauty, are in the eye of the beholder. What are you doing to build your brand in the minds, eyes, and hearts of your customers?

The 27 Great Brands of the Future:

Alibaba.com (Chinese B2B eCommerce site), Almarai (Middle Eastern dairy brand), Amazon, Apple, BIM (Turkish discount food retailer), Capitec (South African retail bank), China Merchants bank, Comac (aircraft), Enfamil, Facebook, Hyundai Motor, Indian Hotels, Julius Baer, Li Ning (Chinese athletic footwear), Mahindra & Mahindra (Indian truck and tractor brand), MercadoLibre (Latin American online consumer marketplace), Mercedes-Benz, Polo Ralph Lauren, Sonova Holding (European hearing aid brand), Swatch, Tiffany & Co., Tingyi (Chinese food maker), Trader Joe's, Tsingtao Brewery, Under Armour, Uniglo (Japanese apparel manufacturer), Yakult Honsha (Japanese priobiotic drink)

Are ad agencies the radio repairmen of the marketing world?

When my dad got out of the Navy after WWII, his father-in-law wanted to set him up in a business that would provide a lot of growth and opportunity-- radio repair.

Good idea at the time.

Luckily, my father decided on a career with General Motors instead.

Again, good idea at the time. But as we well know, things change.

These days, traditional agencies can start to feel a little like a radio repair shop in a iPhone App world. Not so. Even though we don't take our big floor-model radios in to be repaired anymore, we get more news and entertainment over the air than my grandfather ever dreamed of. Likewise, agencies are more important now than ever before precisely because things have changed so much and there are so many more media choices.

I was reminded today that smart marketing and keen communications skills are what really  matter-- even with the social-media mania that's taken over advertising. A potential new client came in to talk to us precisely because, as he so  aptly put it, we are "classically trained" marketers. He realizes branding is a discipline, one that requires experience and understanding. And it doesn't matter if the communications channel is a Tweet or a 60-second spot. 

Before you "change the channel," make sure your marketing partner can help you create a message that's clear and compelling, no matter how it's delivered.

Five Ways Twitter Improves Communication. Really.

I see lots of articles about how email and Twitter signal the end of good communication as we (and Mrs. Kerr our eight-grade English teacher) know it. All these articles were posted on line. This is a touch ironic, which leads me to point number one:

1. Everyone's an editor.

Because more people read your Tweets than read a business letter, you expose your writing competence (or lack thereof) to a larger group of people who will be happy to point out your grammar errors. One of the favorite corrections going around recently is calling out someone for the improper use of ironic. Coincidence does not equal irony. Knowing you will be widely read should make us more careful about word choice and meaning-- which leads to clearer communication.

2. Get to the point.

In journalism classes, we spent whole semesters on headline writing. (Obituaries, too, but that's not as useful with Twitter.) It's a difficult art to master. You need to grab attention, communicate clearly, and do it all in 140 characters or less. Many people think longer, more convoluted writing full of "Thesaurus" words make them sound more intelligent. Twitter forces you to cut the fat.

3. Keep in touch.

Twitter gives you a quick touch that's the equivalent of saying "hi, remember me?" In business, that can translate to top-of-mind awareness in a non-annoying way. 

4. Never having to say you're sorry.

Like love, Twitter means never having to say you're sorry. Make a stupid post? Pull it down or write a new one. The disposable nature of social media means even if you make a blunder, it's not forever. Unless you're a serial offender, most of your followers won't remember that unintelligible (or unintelligent) Tweet.

5. More writing means better writing.

Before Twitter, blogs, and Facebook, a lot of people were uncomfortable writing anything other than the occasional business letter. Like any skill, practice makes, if not perfect, at least better. Plus, the more you write, the more you develop your own "voice" and take advantage of what social media's really about-- one-to-one communication.

YouTube vs. TalkShoe-- The best and worst names of the decade

Having been involved in three big naming projects this year, this Catchword article from Marketing Profs really caught my attention. Naming is one of the hardest projects-- and gets harder every hour. With the proliferation of companies on the internet, it's virtually impossible to find a domain name without resorting to verbal contortions. I recently read that 97% of the words in the dictionary are unavailable as URLs. That means either you get very clever or resort to cringe-worthy compromises.

Here are the best-- and worst-- of the past ten years:

1. The Hookup

Sometimes two words are better than one—especially to convey a new way of doing things. Serviceable hookups can range from descriptive (Facebook, StubHub) to suggestive (LinkedIn) to evocative (Snapfish).

But if two words don't have a discernible relationship with each other—or the brand—it's a Random Hookup. And we all know how short-lived those are—in this or any realm.

Win: YouTube

Intuitive, catchy, grassroots-y. The retro slang "tube" for TV evokes simpler times and ease of use: clever for a new app that could have been seen as intimidatingly high-tech.

Fail: TalkShoe

Say what? The name is a play on the use of Ed Sullivan's pronunciation of the word "show" on his long-ago TV show. Like anyone is going to make the connection...

2. The Conjurer

Evocative words can make memorable brand names when they relate to the core of a brand's story (like Yelp). But the line can be fine between edgy and baffling.

Win: Twitter

Whimsically conjures up users' sharing short little bursts of information (like birds twittering in a tree)—as well as excitement ("all atwitter"). It's extendable, too. A whole vocabulary quickly takes flight—from tweet and twitfriend to twipic.

Fail: MOO

Great for cows, milk, cheese, ice cream. Not so great for a site offering printing services.

3. The Letter-Dropper

The problem with this type of coinage is it's so distinctive you're almost bound to look like a copycat if you're not the first out of the gate. And if you drop more than one letter, you're asking for trouble. (Was Motorola's SLVR cell phone meant to be Silver or Sliver? And what's with Scribd?)

Win: Flickr

The image of a camera's flicker is relevant for photo sharing and reassuringly familiar, while the dropped letter—a new naming convention—suggested cutting-edge technology.

Fail: iStalkr

Creepy.

4. The Assembly Line

Names assembled from word parts with meaningful associations can be rich and unexpected (witness Gizmodo, the gadget blog). But tone and messaging need to be just right.

Win: Wikipedia

The unusualness of the name establishes it as a fresh player, while the evocation of both encyclopedias and speed ("wiki" is Hawaiian for "quick") is spot on.

Fail: Nupedia

The flatfooted claim of newness sounds dated from day one. Plus it's risky to stake an identity on newness in internet-land. Before long, this premise is far from "nu."

5. The Misspeller

This kind of brand name often spells disaster: hard to remember (Ideeli, Scrybe), confusing to pronounce and spell (Myngle, Wotnext, Gravee), and reeking of URL-search desperation (Itzbig, Profilactic, Fairtilizer).

Win: Boku

French word "beaucoup" is on the money for an online payment service—and for many Americans, the misspelling is actually more intuitive and inviting.

Fail: Cuil

Meant to be pronounced "cool," but who's gonna get that? Rule No. 1: Your name shouldn't need to come with a pronunciation guide.

6. The Wordster

Another convention that ages fast. And there's nothing more pathetic in naming than a transparent attempt to appear cool (cases in point: Dogster, Agester, Talkster).

Win: Friendster

Not exciting, we'll grant you, but the intuitiveness of the name helped usher in the era of social networking.

Fail: Napster

In light of its ensuing legal woes, to highlight the "kidnapping" of music is probably not the best idea (to put it kindly).

7. The Double or Nothing

Doubling a letter in a real word only works when the word remains recognizable, and the addition of the second letter serves some purpose, other than to complicate spelling (as in Gawwk).

Win: Digg

Intuitive and evocative, the double "g" underscores the digging nature of research and is graphically interesting.

Fail: Diigo

A social bookmarking site, the double "i" destroys the semantic connection and confuses pronunciation. (Is it Dee-go or Dih-go?) Plus, coming on the heels of Digg, it seems hopelessly derivative.

8. The eThing, the iThing, the meThing, the myThing

"e/i" shorthand quickly becomes redundant in the internet space, although it spawns many workhorse names: serviceable, if dull. The me/my thing (as in mySpace) tends to be similarly predictable and unremarkable. (Now, myBad—that would be interesting...)

Win: iContact

For a provider of email marketing, the "i" works on three levels: "I contact," "eye contact," and, of course, "Internet contact."

Fail: eSnailer, eBaum's World, eXpresso...

9. The Empty Vessel

A word without recognizable semantic roots can be a useful umbrella name for a company that may want to branch out in different directions. But it needs to be pronounceable and have relevant sound symbolism. Otherwise, it's not an Empty Vessel—it's Alphabet Soup. Like Disaboom, Xoopit, Yebol, and Goozex. Cover your ears.

Win: Kazaa

Recalls huzzah or hurrah, conveying excitement. (Sample exclamation: "Kazaa! I just downloaded Season One of Six Feet Under, FOR FREE!!!")

Fail: Eefoof

Vintage Web 2.0: hard to spell, silly—and utterly meaningless.

10. The Foreigner

Words in little-known languages can also make good empty-vessel names, especially if their meaning provides a springboard into their brand story. The trick is to find words that are easy to pronounce and pleasing to the American ear (like Kijiji, a communal website with a Swahili name meaning "village").

Win: Hulu

Good empty vessel name for an entertainment company that wants to keep its options open. (Interestingly, the word means "empty gourd" in Mandarin.) The rhyming word is playful, and by evoking hula hoops, it suggests fun.

Fail: Jwaala

Talk about a tongue-twister.