Between 5 email addresses, 27 different branded web properties, this blog, a Youtube channel, Facebook page, Twitter feed and more, it was getting really messy and inefficient here at Ron Tite HQ. With that in mind, I've made large and rapid adjustments to my workflow so I can spend more time thinking, creating, and sharing.
The first step of the overhaul is to stop blogging from this site.
Don't worry. I've moved everything over to www.rontite.com and all subsequent posts will be found there.
If you signed up here, please take a moment and do so at the new location. I apologize for the inconvenience and promise that I won't do it again until at least when Apple asks you to upgrade your hardware.
Thanks for signing up. Thanks for following. And thanks for sharing.
I'd love your feedback on the new site, too.
ron
If we listen to advertising, consumers have to decide whether we're one of society's cool people or humbly accept that we're not. Well, I'll just be over here with the uncool people. You know, the party-poopers. The nay-sayers. The "I'm going home" people opposed to the "I'm staying out" people. The warm tea - not the Jolt Cola - of life.
More and more, brands want us to declare which side we're on. Are we on Team A who's crazy fun, ultra confident, incredibly free, and comfortable with who they are or on Team B, a squad filled with the sweater vests of civilization? There's no grey area, either. No place where we can be both. We're either A or B.
Diesel Clothing
It all started a few years ago with Diesel Clothing and their "Be Stupid" campaign. In their Official Be Stupid Philosophy they point out that, in the world of the two opposing forces, "Smart may have the brains but Stupid has the balls." Oh. I guess I can't be ballsy and smart. Damn. Who should I side with? "Be Stupid", they respond.
Bud Light
Bud Light extended the thinking by explaining the difference between "I'm out" and "I'm in " be walking us through scenarios like, "I'm out is bright and early while I'm in is still out." Geez. I love when I channel my inner "up-bright-and-early" self even though it doesn't happen that often. Naturally, they finish it with, "I'm in has way better stories... and it's own beer."
Hertz
Recently, Hertz launched a campaign where they opted for a metaphor to define the two types of people instead of a catch phrase: "In life, you're either the gas or the brake." And if we didn't get it, they actually showed a split screen of one kid jumping off a high diving board while the other lies terrified, clutching the end.
They justify the comparison in the end: "You may be flying by the seat of your pants or following a plan. But take it from me, with Hertz, you'll always find your way. We're at the airport and in your neighbourhood. The gas or the brake. Which are you?"
Well, does the gas person pick up their car at the airport? Or in their neighbourhood? I don't know. So I guess I'm not sure which one I am but I hope I'm the gas.
Apple
Finally, we can't wander into this territory without mentioning the grand-daddy of all of this. Apple's "Get a Mac" campaign (which really should have been called the "Be a Mac" campaign) launched in May, 2006 and divided the world into Macs vs. PCs. Obviously, we all want to be a Mac especially when you see how PC is personified. Even that guy doesn't want to be that guy. Here's the very first spot of the campaign that aired.
I don't know why this side-by- side human comparison thing bugs me so much. Maybe it's because it just seems so polar with no wiggle room in the middle. And I guess I don't enjoy having to pledge my allegiance to either one. Sure, I'm adventurous and all but I don't want people think I'm THAT idiot. And while I turn up my nose at most of what the uncool people apparently stand for, I also find some peace in being totally uncool (as they define it) at times.
Here's what I'm not saying: I'm not saying these are bad commercials. Hell, Mac's campaign is legendary and I do like the grit of the others. They're wonderful pieces of communication. I guess I just think the strategy is off. I think I'm different people at different times so neither depiction really resonates. The premise is choose a side. And I usually can't choose.
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Upcoming Events: I'll be hosting the Art of Leadership (Toronto) on May 6 and the Art of Marketing (Vancouver) on May 9th. On June 15th, I'll join Darryl Sittler, and senior executives from Allstream, Ciena, and Sun Life to moderate a discussion on Protecting your Network through Diversity.
Last week was I Have An Idea’s annual Portfolio Night. For those who don't know, Portfolio Night is held in cities all across the globe once a year. On the surface, one might say it’s simply an evening where students get feedback on their portfolios from respected Creative Directors. Seems nice enough.
But there's more to it than that.
First of all, getting that many CDs in one room is a huge accomplishment. Between hiring, firing, working, meeting, stressing, thinking, smoking, therapy, and shopping for the perfect new business pitch outfit, Creative Directors are a busy bunch. Getting them to commit to anything is a challenge because they just don’t know when they’ll have to cancel everything to attend to a matter that account services prefaces with, "If you don't do this, we're in danger of losing the business.” (Hmm.. I guess that means I’m attending a client's kid's dance recital.)
Because of this scheduling quagmire, CDs rarely get together as a group. Sure there are awards shows and parties but they’re littered with a ton of other people and you never know who's listening so you can never be as honest as you want to be.
Portfolio Night is different. You see other CDs. Talk to other CDs. Commiserate with other CDs. Vent with other CDs. As much as we’re all competing with one another, it’s nice to gather with a group of people who, at a minimum, are bonded by the same stressors and challenges. Throw in two free drink tickets and it’s no surprise that people are rather comfy talking about stuff they could never tweet about.
And then the students show up.
I always love to look around the room and see their nervousness.
Or their arrogance.
Or their confidence.
Or their wardrobe which was chosen, after exhaustive deliberation, as the one that’ll make them seem like they could play the role of junior creative even though their book says they have a way to go.
Regardless, you know what it all is? It's nice.
It's nice that an entire group of industry vets gather around the world to simply give advice to those people who will replace them someday. It's nice that the students are hungry for the attention. And it's nice that industry partners sponsor the whole thing so the cost can be kept low.
Congrats to Brendan Watson and the team from IHAI. Thanks to Y&R for sponsoring. Thanks to Rooster for allowing everyone in their offices. And thanks to every company and individual who contributed time, money, swag, or all three.
Aside: There's always a grab bag of goodies that I, admittedly, always turn down. While I appreciate the thought, I don't need another T-shirt or stress ball. But...
A HUGE mention goes out to Lisa Bonnici who actually donated a free photo shoot for a student who has the best pre-production thought. Now THAT'S something a student can use. Perfectly appropriate and probably more valuable than most of the night's other speeches and demos.
Among us self-appointed cool people in marketing and advertising, trade shows don't really bubble to surface as a priority. The common belief is usually,
"A trade show? Isn't that where Dockers-wearing sales people wander past pipe and drape booths to collect free stress balls and celebrate a product launch with the members of Honeymoon Suite?"
Maybe.
I was recently named Chief Content Curator for Dx3 Canada, Canada's largest trade show dedicated to digital advertising, digital marketing, and digital retail. It's not a full time job or anything - it's kind of like being appointed a jury head at an award show. I'll work with the advisory board (some of Canada's brightest digital minds) to design and deliver a relevant learning experience for all the attendees and participants.
Admittedly, I haven't attended a ton of trade shows but I know MY business and we need this one badly. Here's why:
Talk has to be followed by action.
Trust me, I know how valuable conferences are. Hell, I speak at a ton of them and know critical they are. They allow us to pause. They allow us to think. They allow us to hear unique perspectives, brilliant case studies, and people we would never get access to. They can shape our thinking, confirm our thinking, or point out that we really haven't been thinking.
At some point, though, that talking has to translate into action.
Did someone convince you that digital signage is critical to retail success? Great. Now get off your butt and buy some. Wondering what mobile advertising platform you should use? Talk to all of them in one place and get on with it.
The St. Lawrence Market for Innovation
Sure, the peameal bacon sandwiches and loud vocal jarring between vendors is great but what I like most about the St. Lawrence market is that everything is under one roof.
The web is a market itself but when you want to actually meet people, demo a product, negotiate a price, or show off your stuff, you need to visit a technology market every once in a while. And when all the important players have set up shop at that market, it's even more valuable.
We are better business professionals when we talk and listen. But we're best when we turn all those those conversations into action.
See it. Hear it. Demo it. Feel it. Play with it. Compare it. Order it. Buy it. And most of all, get on with it.
I look forward to working with the great people running Dx3 Canada as well as the brilliant Advisory Board. Hope to see you there.
Dx3 Canada takes place January, 2012.
Speaking of talking, I'll be hosting the Art of Leadership in Toronto on June 6th and the Art of Marketing in Vancouver on June 9th. Brilliant speakers, relevant content, and fun all around.
Yup. "We've made a horrible mistake." That's how Nancy Vonk, Co-Chief Creative Officer at Ogilvy described the ad industry's approach to training and development. Nancy was part of a panel I gathered to discuss the lack of training in our industry. Also joining the conversation were Anthony Kalamut, Leslie Ehm, Jeff Potnikoff, and Suzanne Filiatrault. It was all part of XChange, a new online show that I launched in partnership with Cartilage Digital, Marketing Magazine and Dx3.
As you'll see, the discussion is lively and the content is rich.
Thanks to our panelists for spending the time. And thanks to you for watching.
I welcome your comments and suggestions for topics to discuss or panelists to feature in the future.
I’ve been an Apple enthusiast for quite some time. A few weeks ago, I was backstage at a speaking event and I had my MacBook on my lap, my iPhone on my knee and my iPad on the chair next to me. A crew member walked by, shook his head and said, “You’re sad.” Perhaps.
Obviously, Apple’s a great case study for a wide range of business topics including branding, advertising, design, innovation, business strategy, and more. That being said, I’m a little tired of talking about them. I use Apple in speeches all across the country and they're kinda becoming a cliché. Mention their name and crowds start to auto-nod as if they've already heard it. It's probably because they have.
But who’s the next Apple?
I think it’s Dyson.
It all started when founder James Dyson was cleaning up with a vacuum and thought, “There must be a better way.”
There wasn’t. So he invented it.
Interestingly, most other manufacturers chose to ignore negative consumer opinion over vacuum bags. Hell, their business model depended on people buying them by the crate. Why address something that would eliminate a $500 million a year disposable bag business? Not companies focused on the bottom line. So they stayed the course.
Unfortunately for them, Dyson was rather focused, too.
Dyson became the UK’s best selling vacuum in 1995.
Can you say, “Disruption”?
Who doesn’t love the Dyson Airblade? I always wanted to help save the environment by avoiding paper towels in public washrooms but the gerbil-propelled hand dryers took 20 minutes to heat up and I’d only end up wiping my hands on my jeans anyway.
Then, Dyson showed up.
They created a hand dryer that wiped the water from your hands with purified air traveling at over 640km/h. Throw in the fact that it uses 80% less energy and it’s easy to see why they're popping up everywhere.
The Dyson brand promise is simple: We’ll make it better.
They made vacuuming better.
They made drying hands better.
They have even made fans better.
What I most like about them is that they don’t restrict themselves to any specific category. Vacuums. Dryers. Fans. I can’t wait to see what they’ll tackle next because I know that at the heart of it will be a well-designed product that solves a real customer problem by just being better. And if all goes well, we'll line up for it at a Dyson store, book times with the Dyson geniuses, and look to them to save us from our daily frustrations.
We’re waiting, Dyson. Please keep thinking.
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Thanks to @mylifeonlinenow for forwarding this article on James Dyson from Wired Magazine:
It’s not the promise of sunshine, warm weather and flip-flops that has the advertising industry excited about the arrival of spring. It’s Award Show Season, silly.
Yup, creatives and production partners will soon start gathering in ballrooms across the globe for some good old-fashioned drinking, back patting and ego stroking.
The pursuit of advertising awards certainly has its detractors. Some think they’re a waste of time, energy and money while others are even harsher in their criticism claiming that they undermine the credibility of the industry and individual relationships between agencies and their clients.
Well, to all those who say that the pursuit of awards is wrong, I disagree.
Advertising awards show are a good thing. Here’s why:
Wake up and smell the employee of the month.
Have you ever picked up a newspaper and seen a full-page ad for the top selling real estate agents in your area? How about an Employee of the Month Glamour Shot at your local McDonalds? Of course you have.
Simply put, every industry and most companies on the planet congratulate themselves. Actors, plumbers, pharma reps, and yes, even clients. I find it funny that those who speak out against advertising award shows usually do so between an afternoon of “personal time” and an awards gala hosted by Jann Arden at a week long sales retreat in Vegas. Like it or not, recognition is something we all crave and we’re no different.
Defining success.
We all know that true success in this industry is helping our clients sell more products. Every respected professional I know truly believes this. Seriously. We do. Still, there are too many variables to isolate the sound design of a pre-roll Internet spot and know the effect it had on results. And while I’m comfortable that clients have their own tools for analysis (I really am), I’d prefer my work not be judged by the quality of a storyboard and Millward Brown Link Score. Award show definitions are easy and precise: This is great. This is not.
They work. Usually.
Does every award winner contribute to positive sales? Of course not. But they usually do. Nothing can guarantee success. Hell, if there was a magic pill that did, I would sell it out of my trunk and recommend every client take it by the bucket full. But there’s not. So, until one is created, we’ll have to be confident that most award winning ads perform better than expected. And pursuing work that is award show worthy is usually better for the brand.
Regardless, It doesn’t take Lee Clow’s Beard to know that an original idea with an insightful strategy and flawless execution SHOULD work better. There’s certainly enough data to prove that. And when a team of people (client included) is able to pull off that holy trinity, they should be acknowledged, awarded and admired because they’ll make the rest of us better and help us help our clients sell more.
Justifying bad ads.
To quote my old North America Creative boss Jeff Kling, “Saying ‘the ad isn’t great but it worked’ is just an excuse for a shitty ad.” Put another way, people used to love talking about Guy Lafleur smoking a pack of butts a day. “He wasn’t healthy but he was successful.” My first thought was always, “Can you imagine what he would have accomplished if he didn’t smoke?” If a crappy idea worked, can you imagine the results if the brand lead with a compelling piece of communication?
Our work is supposed to sell. The real challenge is to make something brilliantly unique and brilliantly successful. Awards shows remind that us that they’re not mutually exclusive.
Motivation.
Pro hockey players are paid millions to simply play the game and that should be enough to motivate them. As we all know, even they need more. So do we. Should we stay past midnight to get it right for our clients? Of course we should. And we often do. But we’re human. So when there’s a remote possibility of recognition, acknowledgement, and career advancement, staying past midnight becomes a little easier. The possibility of an award is why some can stay to perfect an idea at 2am when the client would have been happy with the one at 8pm.
Are award shows perfect? Definitely not.
There’s too many of them, they’re too focused on the creative teams opposed to the advertising teams, and I certainly could do without some of the egos that are generated because of them. While I have won my fair share of awards, I’m not even close to being in the league of some top Canadians who consistently walk home with hardware. But I still respect award shows. They motivate me to do better and in the end, my career and my clients are better off because of them.
At the end of the day, there’s nothing more frustrating and motivating than seeing something and thinking, “I wish I’d done that.” But you have to see it to get it.
We’re this. And we’re that.
I recently saw a spot for Wonder Bread (actually, it was for a whole new Wonder Bread SKU with no additives or something, which left me asking myself “It’s still just white bread, right?”) Anyhow, the spot ended with the line, “Yesterday’s comfort. Today’s nutrition.”
I’m not criticizing the writer for the line because lord knows I’ve written my fair share of similar ones. A lot have. So many, in fact, that my good friend Tony Miller, Executive Creative Director at Anderson DDB, actually has a term for this type of tagline: “Badump Badump”. A bit of this. And bit of that.
It wasn’t always this way. Brands used to be defined by simpler terms.
Volvo? “Safety”.
McDonald's? “Fast Food”.
FedEx? Overnight.
FedEx owned overnight so much that their original corporate mission statement was just, “Get it there overnight.” That’s what the promise was and (pun intended) they delivered.
Well, those were simpler times with simpler brands.
Somewhere along the way, Volvo began standing for “safety” and “design”, McDonald's began serving salads and FedEx got involved with less urgent shipping. A little of this and a little of that.
Need a better example? Go to a grocery store, pick an aisle, and see how many brands promise, “Tastes great & good for you!” I bet you count 200 before your kid can dig out a Kinder Surprise from the bottom of a cereal box (but not before they get it assembled).
Simply put, brands have been diluted. Here’s why:
1. Growth
Publicly traded companies and the investors they serve are never happy with consistent revenue with flat growth. Hey, Papa’s gotta retire happy so unless you deliver 10 pts year over year, we’ll find someone else to lead the charge. As a result, Brand Managers are under a lot of pressure to constantly grow their business so they create line extensions and additional SKUs to try and get it. It can have significant brand implications. Mercedes used to exclusively promise prestige. Now, you can buy one for $30K. Growth may be good for the short-term bottom line but I think it dilutes the brand.
2. Competition
Even if a brand shows incredible restraint, it may be forced to extend itself because the growth hungry competition mows their lawn. Or eats their lunch. Or hits on their wife. Use whatever metaphor you want. Before you know it, competing brands have similar promises and everyone starts to act and sound like everyone else. Instead of keeping up with the Joneses, everybody just moves in with them. Consumers are left reading starbursts that say, “We have that, too!
3. Failure to elevate the brand.
If the Nike brand was simplified as “Fast Shoes”, it wouldn’t take long before they added “…and great clothes, too!”. Luckily, it isn’t. At its core, Nike is about the pursuit of excellence. By elevating the brand to that level, they ensure that line extensions are still consistent with the original mission. Stay away from focusing on product attributes and you get built-in flexibility for the future. And the smart ones know this.
4. Change
While most of us in white-collar jobs absolutely despise any hint of change, consumers crave it. Want to get a better Link score for your 30-second TV spot? Say something the consumer has never heard before. Their ears perk up, they pay attention, and they respond accordingly. The result is communications that shout “Now with riboflavin!”, “Now shaped so it picks up salsa!” and “Healthier than corn husks!” We’re all consumers and as Pogo once said, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” Any doubters can go back to waiting in line for the iPad3.
Last week, I was speaking to a group of people in Ottawa about “Building your brand in the digital age”. It wasn’t a keynote on social media (Mitch Joel and Gary Vaynerchuk already do that splendidly) but I certainly covered the implications that social media can have on one’s personal brand.
One of the participants asked about the speed of social media and Dave Hale, President and Founder of Soshal Group, told a quick tale about looking for office space. He tweeted a real estate agent, gave him 15 minutes to respond and seeing none, Dave tweeted another agent, got an immediate reply and signed a lease later that day.
Some of the group were borderline appalled and thought it was unprofessional to only give someone 15 minutes to respond. “What if he was with another client?” they asked. “It would have been unprofessional for the agent to focus his attention on Twitter opposed to the person who sat in front of him.”
Well, they certainly weren’t wrong. But it does bring up an interesting point.
Clearly, some of us are “all in” on social media. Speakers (myself included) can make it seem like those who aren’t dialed into Twitter 24/7 face imminent career death. Worse, we look down on them like they were carriers of an analog epidemic that combines mad cow disease with the bodily sounds of a Speak-n-Spell transmitted by the Pony Express.
Here’s the thing:
People want to do business with brands that share their values.
And there are a hell of a lot of people who simply don’t value the type of interactions that the rest of us do. They actually want to do business the old-fashioned way and will spend their dollars with those who act accordingly. There’s an actual market of technophobes and I’d be willing to bet that in some categories, it’s pretty damn big.
It’s just that it’s getting smaller. Quickly.
Striking fear and panic into the hearts of people is wrong and it’s probably what creates the mad rush of people jumping into something that they don’t really understand. Next thing you know, we’re clicking “Like” buttons for no apparent reason and desperately asking people to follow us even though we have no idea what it means when they do.
Speakers: Stop screaming “the end is nigh!” and we’ll have more time to do it right.
Listeners: Look at the numbers, believe the trends, and pursue a course of action that’s good for your business, good for your career, and consistent with your values.
Your customers today and tomorrow will appreciate it.
Ron Tite is a writer, speaker, and Vice President, Innovation Practice at Euro RSCG.
